Friday Night SmackDown Review - January 20, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Drew McIntyre and Sheamus def. The Viking Raiders in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Quarterfinal Match

McIntyre and Sheamus have always had exceptional chemistry as rivals and their chemistry as partners is no different. Viking Raiders are obviously a very talented team as well and thus this was a terrific opener. This was easily Viking Raiders' best bout in a long, long time, and that's only because they were given a chance to showcase their skills here. This was a hell of a hard-hitting affair and the crowd was hot for all of the action.

LA Knight def. Brent Jones

I could have sworn Jones' name was announced as Ren/Wren Jones, but he's listen as Brent Jones on WWE.com, so we'll go with that. He was a local competitor, so it doesn't matter, anyway (no offense to Jones). It was also over almost immediately. The bigger focus was Bray Wyatt bringing back The Firefly Fun House and taunting Knight. It was a cool throwback, but I hope it was only a one-time thing, similar to how Wyatt reprising his Eater of Worlds character last week.

Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis) def. Los Lotharios in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Quarterfinal Match

I didn't notice much of a difference in reaction for Hit Row compared to when they were babyfaces. I realize they only turned two weeks ago, but I don't have the highest of hopes for them because they're still missing a main member to build around. The match itself was okay. Los Lotharios popping up for a change was refreshing, but they were solely there to lose. Hit Row winning made more sense because they've gotten more television time lately.

Sonya Deville Attacked SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair

I'm sorry but I can't bring myself to care about this program. Deville challenged Flair to an impromptu title match two weeks and she lost in a fairly forgettable match, so that should have been it. I assume it's only continuing because WWE has no idea what else to do with Flair for now. Deville hasn't won a meaningful match in ages, so I don't know anyone should take her seriously. Her blindsiding Flair with a punch here won't change people's perception of her. This segment sucked.

Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci) def. The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland and Butch) in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Quarterfinal Match

This was obviously the second best tag team match on the show behind the opener. All four of these guys work very well together and I appreciated that they were given a decent amount of time. Brawling Brutes against McIntyre and Sheamus in the finals would have been interesting, but it looks like it will be Imperium facing McIntyre and Sheamus instead with Imperium going over so McIntyre and Sheamus can feud with Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship ahead of WrestleMania 39.

Legado del Fantasma (Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) def. Maximum Male Models in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Maximum Male Models have been cracking me up with their weekly series on WWE's YouTube channel, but as an on-air act, they're still a group of losers. If SmackDown had more teams, there's no chance they'd even be included. Del Toro and Wilde aren't established yet, so when you throw in how this was heel vs. heel, I can't blame the crowd for sitting on their hands. If nothing else, the result was the right one.

Kevin Owens Attacked The Bloodline During the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Contract Signing

We've seen what feels like a million contract signings throughout WWE's history, so I was perfectly fine with them taking a different approach by having Owens ambush Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa before it could get underway. The crowd loved every second of it and it was WWE's best attempt at making Owens feel like a threat to Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn showing up afterward because he was busy running errands for The Bloodline was a nice touch.

Overall Show

Much like last week, this show started strong and closed strong. Most of the middle was mediocre, though it's nice to see a (likely temporary) renewed focus on the blue brand's tag team division. Several more Superstars declared for the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches, but I wish we got better build for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view weeks ago. It feels like a last-ditch effort. Meanwhile, everything with The Bloodline continues to carry SmackDown. The backstage segments with Reigns and Zayn on this show were just tremendous television.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews