Friday Night SmackDown Review - March 3, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes Went Face-to-Face

This marked the first face-off between these two and it was worth the wait. I was already on sold on Reigns vs. Rhodes as the main event for WrestleMania 39, but this definitely got me more excited for it than I was previously. The mic work from both men was strong and I appreciated that they took a different approach than most rivals would. They told a story and, yes, it involved Dusty Rhodes. That didn't bother me, but I do hope the entire build won't be focused entirely on that. They had terrific chemistry in this segment and I hope we get a few more of these between now and 'Mania because I feel like there's plenty of ground they have yet to cover.

Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan

Not only were Ripley and Morgan the final two in this year's women's Royal Rumble, they were also tag team partners for a brief period in early 2022 before Ripley turned heel. I'd definitely be down for a SmackDown Women's Championship feud between them down the road because, as seen here, they work really well together. This was an enjoyable encounter from them with the necessary outcome ahead of Ripley's title shot.

Dominik Mysterio def. Santos Escobar

I love the idea to have Escobar loosely aligned with Rey Mysterio for right now. He hasn't gotten over with the audience since debuting on SmackDown as a heel (which is the right role for him ultimately), but being aligned with Rey and eventually turning on him would generate great heat. Speaking of heat, this match was designed to put more of it on Dominik, who continues to hide behind Ripley and he plays his role very well. This was well worked. Post-match, Rey once again nearly struck his son but held back. That moment should be coming very soon in order to make the match official for 'Mania.

Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, LA Knight, The New Day and Karrion Kross Staked Their Claim at the Intercontinental Championship

McIntyre teased challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship last week and he outright confirmed it at the start of this segment. I was happy that Sheamus immediately interrupted him because it would be blasphemy if Sheamus wasn't a part of that match as well. New Day and Knight coming out made sense after Kofi Kingston beat Knight last week, and Kross is coming off a win over Rey. A Fatal 5-Way will determine Gunther's WrestleMania opponent next week, and I'm holding out hope that it will end in some sort of a draw so both McIntyre and Sheamus get the shot. A Triple Threat is the way to go.

Shayna Baszler def. Tegan Nox

Apparently Ronda Rousey was injured during a backstage brawl in storyline. She must be legitimately hurt if she was pulled from this match with Nox. We'll see if she's cleared to compete by WrestleMania. I can't imagine Rousey vs. Nox would have been much different than this. Nox scored minimal offense and it was basically a squash for Baszler. I'm all for making Baszler look dominant, but it's unfortunate it has to come at the expense of Nox, who hasn't been able to build any momentum since returning to the company.

Bobby Lashley Attacked Uncle Howdy

Lashley showing up on SmackDown was a pleasant surprise, but I quickly lost interest when I realized he was there to call out Wyatt. We still have no idea what issue Wyatt has with Lashley. Lashley got Howdy instead, and after laying him out with a spinebuster, the lights went out and that was it. Needless to say, this was very lame. The best thing I can say about it is that it didn't waste too much time. I expect the rest of the build to their match to be more of the same.

Solo Sikoa def. Sami Zayn

This had a great dynamic with Zayn now back to being a babyface. Sikoa has quietly gone undefeated (or at least unpinned) since debuting in September and Zayn is still very much over. This was an entertaining main event and I was pleasantly surprised that we got a definitive finish. Zayn losing nothing in defeat, by the way. The post-match angle with Zayn getting the better of Sikoa and Jimmy Uso was well done, even though there was no major development within the Bloodline storyline or Kevin Owens saving Zayn (that's still to come).

Overall Show

SmackDown had much more energy than Monday's Raw and obviously Reigns and Rhodes were a big part of that. Their face-off was the highlight of the night, but I largely liked the rest of the show. There were more WrestleMania developments, we got quality in-ring action, and the crowd was lively. Baszler vs. Nox was disappointing and I couldn't care less about the Lashley and Wyatt crap unfortunately, but the good outweighed the bad on this show, making for one of the better all-around editions of SmackDown in recent weeks.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews