Friday Night SmackDown Review - August 12, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah def. Xia Li and Shotzi in a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Yes, these are two totally random teams, but I actually think Rodriguez and Aliyah could work well as partners. Rodriguez had terrific chemistry with Dakota Kai in NXT and I think she can have a similar dynamic with Aliyah. There wasn't anything to write home about in the match itself, but the crowd was hot for Rodriguez when she won for her team. I see them making it all the way to the finals before falling to Kai and IYO SKY.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos Attacked Drew McIntyre

I enjoyed McIntyre's intensity during his promo, and I liked that we heard from Karrion Kross in the back and not in the ring with McIntyre. Save that face-to-face for another time. The Usos ambushing McIntyre before Scarlett could enter the ring was a nice twist and left you wondering what Scarlett would say. It also kicked off the show-long storyline between McIntyre and The Usos.

The Viking Raiders Attacked Kofi Kingston

Kingston beat Erik last week and Ivar was going to face off with Kingston here. Instead, Kingston went after Viking Raiders beforehand in the aisleway, only to get laid out by them. The attack was well done and gave Viking Raiders their heat back after last week's shortcoming. Viking Raiders' "funeral" for The New Day is being advertised for next week, so we'll see what they have in store for that and if New Day will get more of an aggressive edge when they return.

Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis) def. Brendon Scott and Trevor Irvin 

There were rumors in recent days that Dolla and Adonis could be on their way back to WWE, but there was never any confirmation on B-Fab's status. I'm super happy to see them back as well using the Hit Row name. Like others Triple H has brought back, they weren't given a fair shot before being released out of nowhere back in November. Yes, AEW's Swerve Strickland was the centerpiece of the group, but I still think Hit Row could work with Dolla and Adonis as a team and B-Fab as their manager. The squash was a perfect way to re-establish them and I liked their post-match promo as well. They're a really nice boost to the blue brand's tag team division.

Ronda Rousey Invaded the Contract Signing Between SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler

Rousey's walk to the ring from the crowd was shot perfectly. We haven't seen her since SummerSlam due to being "suspended" after attacking a referee, so she brought a bag of money here and cut a subpar promo. She and Baszler had a bit of a moment on the stage, which leaves me hoping we'll get the Baszler of old in the buildup to Clash at the Castle. The actual contract signing was solid and I was fine with Morgan standing tall since she shouldn't be made to look weak every week.

Drew McIntyre and Madcap Moss def. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos (Non-Title)

This started out as McIntyre taking on one of The Usos in a singles match before Moss ran out to make it a tag team match. I have no idea why Moss has beef with The Usos, but it feels like we haven't seen him on SmackDown in a few weeks, so I'm glad he's back. This was a fairly average match and I wouldn't have rushed into McIntyre getting his revenge on The Usos so quickly, nor am I a fan of The Usos losing non-title matches to makeshift teams. I am excited to see where the stuff with Sami Zayn and The Usos goes, though.

Intercontinental Champion Gunther def. Shinsuke Nakamura

Much like with the United States Championship on Raw, I loved the renewed focus on the Intercontinental Championship on this show and I hope it continues. Giving it the main event spotlight also made the belt feel that much more important. Plus, it was an excellent match to boot. This was a hell of a hard-hitting affair that the crowd really got into by the end. Gunther should be champion for many more months to come and I'd love to see him defend against Sheamus at Clash at the Castle. If you thought this was great, that could be even better.

Overall Show

Is SmackDown a drastically different show compared to a month ago when Vince McMahon was still at the helm? Not really, but I am much more optimistic about the blue brand now than I was then, and Triple H has done an effective job of leaving me looking forward to the following week for two straight weeks now. The returns of Kross and Hit Row are a huge help and several storylines are being given more direction, which is also encouraging. I was thoroughly entertained by this episode and found it to be one of SmackDown's strongest shows all year.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews