Friday Night SmackDown Review - June 16, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pretty Deadly def. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus and Ridge Holland), Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis), LWO (Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde), The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows), and The Street Profits in an Undisputed Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tag Team Gauntlet Match

Brawling Brutes dominated the first four teams before losing to Pretty Deadly. That painted Pretty Deadly as opportunistic and gave them a big win, so I liked the execution of the finish. The rest of this, however, was a bunch of nothing. LWO, Hit Row and even The O.C. being beaten quickly was hardly surprising, but Street Profits should've lasted longer than they did. I loved that we got to hear Pretty Deadly go back and forth with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on the mic afterward, and that we're getting the match on the SmackDown in London in two weeks. WWE is doing everything right with Pretty Deadly so far.

Zelina Vega def. IYO SKY

As someone who watches The SmackDown LowDown weekly, I'm all for more matches being set up for SmackDown on that show. There wasn't much to this match, but what we got was fine. The focus was on the bickering between Bayley and SKY that cost SKY the win. This means we're getting to a Damage CTRL split. Fingers crossed WWE finally pulls the trigger on that during the women's Money in the Bank Ladder match.

Bianca Belair Interrupted Charlotte Flair on The Grayson Waller Effect Hosted by Grayson Waller

​I have no clue whether Flair is supposed to be a babyface, a heel, or a tweener. She's basically just been herself, but that's why she's come across as heelish. The dynamic is confusing, but I do like Belair taking exception to Flair's actions and confronting her about the lack of logic regarding Flair getting a title shot before her. I really enjoyed the exchange as it could go in any number of directions. I'd be shocked if Belair doesn't get involved in the WWE Women's Championship match between Flair and Asuka in two weeks on SmackDown.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett def. AJ Styles and Michin

I believe this is only the second time we've ever seen Scarlett wrestle on WWE TV with the first also being in a mixed tag team match a number of months ago. Again, though, she didn't do enough for viewers to get a grasp of what she can do in the ring. This was another brief encounter, and Kross would've lost fairly quickly had Scarlett not broken up the pin. Kross picking up a somewhat important win is a step in the right direction for him, but if he loses the inevitable singles match to Styles, how much does he really gain from this feud?

Santos Escobar def. LA Knight

We haven't seen much of Mysterio on SmackDown since Backlash last month, but he appeared here to praise Escobar and share a moment with him in the ring. Knight immediately interrupted and shoved Mysterio, leading to Escobar vs. Knight coming out of the commercial break. I would've liked to hear from Knight as well as see this match go a little longer. What we got was good while it lasted but way too short. Both of these guys need wins, so it didn't really matter who won, but Knight remains the best bet to become Mr. Money in the Bank in my mind.

The Usos Attacked Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

The big hook throughout the show was Jey's decision and whether he would fall in line. I honestly expected WWE to drag this out until at least Money in the Bank, so I was pleasantly surprised when The Usos finally made their choice and severed ties with Reigns. The whole execution of the angle was perfect with Jey cutting the promo of his life and seemingly siding with The Bloodline, only for him to hit that awesome superkick on Reigns. The stage has been set for a massive tag team match at Money in the Bank, and although the top title will not be on the line (again), I don't know how you can't be excited for it.

Overall Show

I wasn't a fan of all the short matches, but while nothing stood out from an in-ring standpoint, this show was significant for the development in the Bloodline storyline alone, specifically with that fantastic final segment. It's been years in the making and it definitely delivered. If nothing else, seek that out. The rest of the episode moved stuff along heading into the next few weeks of SmackDown and Money in the Bank, but only the Belair and Flair exchange was remotely memorable.

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