Friday Night SmackDown Review - July 14, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Charlotte Flair Confronted Bianca Belair

The women were given virtually zero talking time last week, so I'm glad there was much more of it last week between this segment and other stuff backstage. The mic work from Belair and Flair wasn't anything out of the ordinary and nothing of note was said, but it did build toward the night's WWE Women's Championship main event and plant the seeds for an inevitable Flair vs. Belair match. 

Pretty Deadly def. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus and Ridge Holland)

I figured Brawling Brutes would finally get one over Pretty Deadly here after they factored into the finish of last week's United States Championship match and cost Sheamus the title, but apparently not. Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm all for building up Pretty Deadly and giving them more wins over established stars. I feel bad for Sheamus now that he's basically a stepping stone at this point, but I applaud him for putting over new talent. This was a well-worked match that gave Pretty Deadly a rebound win following their loss to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens two weeks ago.

Bayley def. Zelina Vega

This wasn't about the match as it was what came afterward. It was fine while it lasted but way too short to be anything. It gave Bayley a win, so there was that. Shotzi popped up on the Titantron afterward and was shown shaving her head after Bayley took a lock of her hair two weeks ago. I guess Shotzi is going the full "psycho" route as her theme song has always said. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but at least they're giving Shotzi something significant and actual character development for a change.

Jey Uso Attacked Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman

This was more excellent stuff from the Bloodline boys. Roman Reigns wasn't around this week, but they still delivered a strong segment with Jey having another great night on the mic and Heyman and Sikoa also playing their roles well. I didn't think we'd actually see Jey get physical with Heyman (who rarely takes bumps), but the crowd went nuts when he did. I was shocked they didn't make the SummerSlam match official for Reigns and Jey, but they're obviously saving that for next week when Reigns returns.

Santos Escobar def. Grayson Waller, AJ Styles and Butch in a Fatal 4-Way Match to Advance in the United States Championship Invitational

Needless to say, this was the best bout on the show. There was plenty of talent in this one and they all had a chance to shine. They worked a nice pace and the action was entertaining. I assumed Waller would go over (assuming LA Knight advances next week), but he took the pin instead. I wouldn't have done that necessarily, but I enjoyed this otherwise and am happy Escobar picked up a win.

LA Knight Vowed to Win the United States Championship Invitational

Keep in mind that just because Knight is a part of this United States Championship Invitational isn't a guarantee he'll win (see: Money in the Bank). However, he's obviously the best possible person to challenge for and win the title from Austin Theory given how over he is at the moment. That was especially evident in this segment. He kept his promo short and sweet and established his intentions to become champ.

Bianca Belair def. WWE Women's Champion Asuka by Disqualification

It's been clear for weeks that we're headed for a Triple Threat for the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam with these two and Flair, so the outcome to this match was never in doubt. It's why I'm not surprised that this never got out of first gear and wasn't on the level of their WrestleMania and Night of Champions matches. IYO SKY's Money in the Bank cash-in was thwarted again, making me think the third time might be the charm soon (possibly at SummerSlam).

Overall Show

I appreciated that the women took center stage on this show after barely being featured last week. Granted, what we saw at the beginning and ending of the episode played out predictably, but it was what needed to happen to get us to the expected Triple Threat at SummerSlam. The rest of this show was solid with the Bloodline segment being a highlight along with the fun Fatal 4-Way. Pretty Deadly got back on track with a win, Shotzi debuted a new look, and Knight made an appearance, so there's not much to nitpick.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews