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Friday Night SmackDown Review - June 2, 2023

6/2/2023

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By Graham "GSM" Matthews

United States Champion Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly def. The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch)

For starters, I am not a fan of Pretty Deadly's new entrance music. I actually liked the song they debuted a few weeks ago, but apparently it was short-lived. The lyrics are whatever, but maybe the theme will grow on me. At any rate, this was a standard six-man tag team match with some solid action. I liked that the heels won, mainly because it benefits Pretty Deadly. Theory, on the other hand, feels like he has nothing going for him at this point other than the fact he's United States Champion.

The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis)

We barely ever see The Good Brothers in action, and yet I'm sure they're making a pretty penny off their current WWE deal. In other words, they've got the greatest gig in the world. I don't care about either of these teams at the moment, but the match was fine and gave The O.C. a momentum-boosting win. As for Hit Row, I'd be worried if I were them knowing that roster cuts have been rumored and could be imminent.

Chaos Ensued Within SmackDown's Women's Division on The Grayson Waller Effect Hosted by Grayson Waller

It's a bummer we haven't see Waller wrestle on SmackDown. He's a talented talker and these last two Grayson Waller Effect segments have given him some exposure, but he can also go in the ring and I hope there's a reason why he hasn't wrestled yet. The segment itself was your typical WWE segment where everyone comes out interrupting each other before brawling. It was lame. The only saving grace of this was the tease for Asuka vs. IYO SKY eventually. If that isn't the SummerSlam match, what are we even doing here?

Zelina Vega def. Lacey Evans to Qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

I wouldn't have cared about Vega being in the women's Money in the Bank match a year or two ago, but she's improved since then and has gotten over as a babyface thanks to the LWO. She's also coming off an impressive performance against Rhea Ripley at Backlash, so she needed to win here. Then again, I would've rooted for anyone facing Evans in a Money in the Bank qualifier. She should not be on television at this point. The match was no good, but the right woman won.

LA Knight def. Montez Ford to Qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

I wanted both of these guys in the men's Money in the Bank match this year, but if only one could qualify, Knight made the most sense. He's extremely over currently and WWE needs to capitalize on that by having him win more matches. Him as Mr. Money in the Bank would be ideal, but I'm not holding my breath. This was a very enjoyable outing as they worked quite well together and the crowd was into it because they were behind Knight throughout.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns' Celebration Ended in a Bloodline Beatdown of Jimmy Uso

The first part of this segment saw Triple H present Reigns with a new title belt. I'm not sure what it will be called exactly or what lineage it will carry, but personally, I'm not a fan of the new design. The color looks ugly and I would've preferred to see a new design all together. We've had the same one for 10 years! I realize the company wants the logo as big as possible for marketing purposes, but more creativity would've been appreciated. The rest of the segment played out nicely with The Usos and even Solo Sikoa teasing tension with Reigns, only for Sikoa to attack Jimmy Uso. Jey Uso remains conflicted, but my guess is that we're getting The Usos against Reigns and Sikoa at Money in the Bank. That likely means another pay-per-view without an Undisputed title defense, which is comically bad for such a historic reign.

Overall Show

I'm well aware WWE tends to overdo it with the video packages, but I was surprised by just how many we got on this show. It was honestly ridiculous. Hey, it made it much easier for me watching on DVR afterward. This entire episode was built around the Bloodline stuff, and it delivered, but SmackDown is basically the Bloodline show at this point and nothing else. We needs more compelling storylines beyond that. The blue brand boasts an awesome roster, but a lot of people largely feel directionless right now.
SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews
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