Friday Night SmackDown Review - January 13, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Intercontinental Champion Gunther def. Braun Strowman

Every single one of Gunther's defenses as Intercontinental Champion have delivered and this was no exception. Strowman also had a strong showing and they worked really together, making for a great, hard-hitting match. There was also suspense with each nearfall because Strowman had a legitimate chance of taking the title, but I'm glad WWE resisted. Gunther really should be champ through WrestleMania 39, where he can lose it to Sheamus.

Karrion Kross Attacked Rey Mysterio

I may be in the minority here, but I've actually really liked what they've done with Mysterio and Kross over the last month. Granted, the storyline has progressed fairly slowly, but Kross' reasoning for targeting Kross makes a lot of sense. It's also the perfect placeholder program for Rey because he eventually rekindles his rivalry with Dominik. They'll face off on the final SmackDown before the Royal Rumble in two weeks, and speaking of the Rumble, Rey officially declared himself for the men's match.

Tegan Nox def. Xia Li

​If you can recall, Li cost Nox and Tegan Nox the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship a month ago on SmackDown. Li eliminated Nox rather quickly from the Gauntlet match that took place a week later and there hasn't been anything else with them on TV since. That's just lazy. Thus, I can't blame the crowd for not caring. This was fine for what it was and I'm glad Nox picked up the victory, but three-minute matches (that aren't supposed to be squashes) don't do anyone any favors.

Bray Wyatt Addressed LA Knight

I'm almost positive that Wyatt's promo was as long as his entrance. I appreciated that he kept it short and sweet, but he's basically recycling the same material week after week with different wording. I'm just ready for him and LA Knight to finally face off at the Royal Rumble, though the subtle nods to his old Eater of Worlds persona in this promo (including him sitting in a rocking chair) were appreciated.

Raquel Rodriguez def. Liv Morgan

This stemmed from Rodriguez disrespecting Morgan backstage and Morgan slapping her across the face. Similar to Kofi Kingston vs. Santos Escobar, this solely existed to serve as hype for the Royal Rumble, which is fine because there hasn't been nearly enough of that as of late. It was a well-worked match while it lasted. I liked the dynamic they had and wish Rodriguez would work heelish more often. I doubt she wins, but I'm glad Morgan at least has a story heading into the Rumble.

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn by Disqualification

Unsurprisingly, this was an excellent match for the time given. Owens and Zayn have such stellar chemistry together that they're virtually incapable of producing anything less than that. I'm typically not high on non-finishes, but I was fine with it here so neither guy had to eat the loss. Plus, they told a story with Zayn being on the verge of putting Owens away before Solo Sikoa and The Usos needlessly interfered. Another intriguing chapter in their ongoing saga.

Overall Show

This was a slight step up from last week's underwhelming episode, which would have been much worse without The Bloodline. I still fear what the blue brand is going to look like without The Bloodline when that day inevitably comes (and possibly soon), but in the meantime, they're doing a tremendous job of carrying SmackDown. I also quite enjoyed Gunther vs. Strowman and everything else in the middle held my interest despite not being overly exciting.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews