SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
DECEMBER 23, 2022
CHICAGO, IL AT ALLSTATE ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
[HOUR ONE]
-The show opened with a crowd shot. Michael Cole welcomed the crowd to the show. Christmas trees adorned the entranceway.
-Roman Reigns’ music played and the Bloodline CGI appeared on the screen. The Bloodline then made their entrance. They posed at the top of the ramp with the titles. Cole touted Reigns’ title reign at 835 days. Then they showed a graphic for the tag team main event next week on Smackdown. Cole hyped the match as John Cena’s first match on Smackdown in over a year. The Bloodline posed again in the ring as pyro exploded behind them.
-Paul Heyman introduced himself and said he’s here to hype everyone for back to back historic weeks for the Bloodline. He said that first, tonight, the Usos will defend their titles successfully against Hit Row. Heyman said that isn’t a prediction, it’s a spoiler. Heyman then said that next week from Tampa, FL, Solo Sikoa will take out Sheamus. He then called the main event the biggest televised match of 2022 when Kevin Owens and John Cena get smashed by Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. Reigns held out his hand and Heyman handed him the mic. The crowd chanted for Zayn. Reigns took the mic and said that’s what he was thinking. He said everyone knows he’s going to smash someone in Tampa. Reigns said he’s going to whip Owens and Cena because that’s who he is and what he does. Reigns said he wants to know what Zayn is going to do because he looks flustered and irritated. Reigns told Zayn to tell everyone what’s going to happen.
-Zayn took the mic. He said he should be on top of the world and all he’s ever wanted was respect and a place to belong. He said he found that with the hottest group in the history of WWE. He said he found family and respect. He said they all love him. He said the crowd loves him. The crowd then chanted “Sami”. Zayn said it should put him on top of the world but it doesn’t. He said there’s a black cloud hanging over his head called Kevin Owens. He said his big week was ruined by Owens last week. Zayn said he can’t get rid of Owens. Zayn said Owens wants to bring back Cena to upstage them. Zayn said the Bloodline is the show. Zayn told Owens and Cena to listen closely because he and Reigns are going to destroy them. Zayn said when you step to the Bloodline, you get smashed. Zayn said prepare to acknowledge the Tribal Chief. Reigns’ music played and the Bloodline posed. Reigns patted Zayn on the back then hugged him. Reigns looked into the camera and talked trash.
-They showed a graphic for the Usos against Hit Row and Cole hyped the match for after the break. [c]
(McDonald’s Analysis: Simple, to the point segment. Heyman was great here and hyped all three matches appropriately. Reigns was his typical cool self and was collected and confident heading into the match next week. He did a good job giving Zayn the spotlight and letting him shine. Zayn did not disappoint. It was a basic promo, but had great intensity and got the point of Zayn’s annoyance with Owens across. Really good stuff here.)
-Hit Row made their entrance. Zayn fired up the Usos in the ring.
(1) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) (c) (w/ Sami Zayn) vs. HIT ROW (Ashante the Adonis & Top Dolla w/ B Fabb) – Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match
Jey started against Adonis. They locked up and Jey took control. Adonis shot Jey off the ropes and leapfrogged him a pair of times. Adonis then danced and hit an arm drag into an armbar on Jey. He took Jey to the corner and tagged in Top Dolla. Hit Row double teamed Jey then Top Dolla lifted Jey but Jey landed on his feet and chop blocked Top Dolla. Jimmy tagged in and beat on Top Dolla then choked him with the middle rope. Jimmy distracted the ref and Jey landed a cheap shot. Jey tagged in and Jimmy held Top Dolla up to eat a superkick from Jey. Top Dolla fought out of the corner. He pulled Jimmy in off the apron and Jimmy rook a big bump. Jey recovered and took Top Dolla down. [c]
Back from break, the Usos double teamed Top Dolla. Jey trash talked Top Dolla then came off the ropes but Top Dolla countered into a spinebuster. Top Dolla dragged himself to the corner, as did Jey. Adonis and Jimmy tagged in. Adonis hit a couple of dropkicks then shoved Jimmy down. Adonis hit a tornado DDT into a kip up. He went to the top rope and hit a flying crossbody on Jimmy for a near fall. Adonis measured Jimmy and went for a superkick but Jimmy blocked. Jimmy hit a pop up Samoan Drop on Adonis for a near fall. Jey tagged in and the Usos posed. Top Dolla pulled Jimmy out of the ring and tossed him into the steps. Adonis rolled up Jey for a near fall then hit him with a superkick. Top Dolla tagged in. Hit Row hit a double team on Jey and Top Dolla made the cover. Jimmy entered the ring and broke up the pinning attempt. Top Dolla lifted both Usos, but his knee gave and the Usos escaped. Jey hit a superkick then tagged in Jimmy. The Usos hit a double superkick followed by One and Done. Jimmy made the cover for the win.
WINNER: The Usos in 11:00 to retain the Undisputed Tag Team Championship
(McDonald’s Analysis: Never in doubt. Solid match and more than I thought we’d see from Hit Row after their abysmal performance last week. With that said, the Usos carried the bulk of this and a good portion of the match occurred during the break. I’m glad they didn’t get cute here and have the Usos squeak by with some interference. That wasn’t necessary and I’m glad they knew that. Double superkick, One and Done, and one, two, three. Perfect finish. Slide Hit Row to the bottom and let’s warm up a real team for the Usos.)
-Cole and Wade Barrett were shown ringside. Cole threw to a video recap of Gunther’s victory over Ricochet last week on Smackdown. After the video, Kayla Braxton was in the back with Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Kaiser said this match makes a mockery of what they do. Vinci said Ricochet and Braun Strowman are circus freaks and don’t belong in the ring with them, Kaiser said they’re going to restore the honor.
-Emma made her entrance. Cole hyped the Women’s Gauntlet match for after the break. [c]
-Xia Li made her entrance. Cole threw to last week’s attack from Xia Li on Tegan Nox. They then showed the digital exclusive segment when Adam Pearce unmasked Li.
(2a) EMMA vs. XIA LI -Women’s Gauntlet Match for a Smackdown Women’s Title Match
They locked up. Li took control. The pair crisscrossed the ropes and Emma took Li down. Emma stayed on the attack and hit a butterfly suplex. Emma then hit a running forearm into the corner followed by a running crossbody. Emma made the cover for a near fall. Li fought back and hung Emma up on the middle rope. Li followed up with a series of kicks. She finished with a cyclone kick and covered Emma for the pinfall victory.
Emma eliminated in 2:00
(2b) XIA LI vs. TEGAN NOX
Tegan Nox ran down the ramp and attacked Li. She hit a front vertical suplex followed by a running senton into the corner. Nox went to the top rope and hit a crossbody for a near fall. Nox took Li to the apron and Li shoved Nox into the ring post. Li then kicked Nox into the ring post then hit a big knee. Back in the ring, Li hit another big kick and covered Nox for the win.
Tegan Nox eliminated in 2:00 [c]
(2c) XIA LI vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ
Li was in control as they came back from break. Li grabbed Rodriguez and rolled her to the outside. Li followed Rodriguez out and hit her with a big running kick to Rodriguez’s injured elbow. Li sent Rodriguez to the apron and Li hit a big running kick to the face of Rodriguez. Rodriguez fought back and sent Li to the corner. Rodriguez then hit a big boot and then hit a fallaway slam on Li with one arm. Rodriguez hit the corkscrew elbow off the second rope and covered Li for a near fall. Li fought back with kicks and regained the upper hand. Li missed with a kick and Rodriguez countered into a Tahana Bomb for the win.
Xia Li eliminated in 5:00
(2d) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. LIV MORGAN
Morgan entered the ring and went for a Codebreaker but Rodriguez caught Morgan. Morgan recovered and hit a dropkick that sent Rodriguez to the corner. Morgan followed up with a running knee. She then went for a headscissors but Rodriguez countered. Morgan countered into a victory roll for a near fall. Morgan went for two more roll ups but Rodriguez kicked out. Rodriguez then made a cover of her own but Morgan kicked out. Morgan got to the back of Rodriguez and locked on a sleeper. Rodriguez dropped to one knee. Rodriguez fought back to her feet then dropped backwards. Both women were down as they cut to break. [c]
Morgan and Rodriguez battled on the top rope. Rodriguez got the upper hand and delivered a superplex off the top. Both women tried to get to their feet. Morgan charged Rodriguez and Rodriguez took her down with a series of elbows, then a side slam. Morgan countered and hit a variation of the Codebreaker to Rodriguez’s arm. Morgan then apologized to Rodriguez and kicked her in the arm. Morgan went to the top and hit a missile dropkick. Morgan made the cover and Rodriguez kicked out but Morgan transitioned into a Rings of Saturn. Rodriguez tried to fight out but Morgan held on. Rodriguez shifted and lifted Morgan up as she made it to her feet. Rodriguez tried to slam Morgan but Morgan countered with double knees and made the cover for a near fall. Morgan came off the ropes and jumped at Rodriguez but Rodriguez caught Morgan and delivered a fallaway slam. Rodriguez then hit another corkscrew elbow for another near fall. Back on their feet, the two women traded strikes. Rodriguez hit a big boot then lifted Morgan again. Morgan shifted into a rollup for another near fall. Rodriguez slammed Morgan down then lifted Morgan for a Tahana Bomb. Morgan fought out and hit a big kick. Morgan went for Oblivion but Rodriguez caught her with a Tahana Bomb for the win.
Liv Morgan eliminated in 10:00
(2e) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. SONYA DEVILLE
Deville attacked Rodriguez right away and pounded at her in the corner. Rodriguez fought back with a headbutt then a shoulder tackle. Deville countered with a shot to the elbow followed by a running knee for a near fall. Deville sent Rodriguez into the ring post. Deville dropped to the apron and slammed Rodriguez’s arm into the post. Deville taunted. Rodriguez regained control as her arm brace fell off. Rodriguez planted Deville face first and covered her for a near fall. Deville caught Rodriguez with an elbow in the corner. Deville then used the corner to put on an arm lock. Deville went back to it but broke at four both times. Rodriguez countered and hit a Tahana Bomb for the win.
Sonya Deville eliminated in 2:00
-Ronda Rousey made her entrance and stood on the stage. She said that Rodriguez had one more opponent. Shayna Baszler then made her entrance.
(2f) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. SHAYNA BASZLER
Baszler ran down to the ring and kicked away at Rodriguez. Baszler ripped the brace off Rodriguez then stomped at her elbow. Baszler posed with the brace. Rodriguez rolled up Baszler for the win. Rousey charged the ring and Rodriguez escaped.
Shayna Baszler eliminated in 1:00
WINNER: Raquel Rodriguez to earn a Smackdown Women’s Championship Match
(McDonald’s Analysis: Maybe it’s because it’s a taped show, but that got a lot more time than I thought it was. There were parts of this that weren’t great, but on the hole it was pretty solid. Li got a good amount of shine here and that could be a good sign for her. They also did a better job for the timing of the falls than they had previously. Li and Rodriguez got a little longer than it would have before and Rodriguez and Morgan was basically a full match in the middle of this. They actually worked really well together. Why did Morgan apologize to Rodriguez when she attacked her arm? Isn’t Morgan extreme now. Just another cringey, misunderstanding of her character moment for Morgan. The worst part of this was the end. If no one has noticed, Baszler is completely indestructible, unless you roll her up. Then she’s the easiest woman on the roster to defeat. Terrible finish to a good overall segment.)
[HOUR TWO]
-Cole threw to a video recap of the segment with Bray Wyatt and L.A. Knight last week on Smackdown. Then, they showed a graphic for Wyatt. Cole said that we will hear from Wyatt after the break. [c]
-They showed a graphic for the Miracle on 34th Street Fight and Cole hyped the match.
-Bray Wyatt’s music played and he made his entrance. The crowd popped big when Wyatt emerged from the darkness. Wyatt took the mic. He said one of the hardest things for him to do is to come out and confront everyone with the world watching. He said he’ll never get used to people being excited to see him. Wyatt said he doesn’t understand it. He said he’s tried to present the people with the realest him he knows, but he doesn’t know if there is a real him. He said Knight owes him an apology. He said no one believed him. Wyatt said the crowd thought Uncle Howdy was him for at least a minute. Wyatt said he’s not Uncle Howdy and he never was. Wyatt said when he thinks about whatever Uncle Howdy, then he paused. Wyatt said he lost his train of thought. Wyatt then crouched and rubbed his face and dropped the mic. Wyatt stood back up and attacked the cameraman. Wyatt put the mandible claw on the cameraman. Officials ran down and pulled the cameraman to safety. Wyatt looked off in a daze. [c]
(McDonald’s Analysis: I thought he actually screwed up for a second, then it became bad acting. Excellent save with the attack, though. I have no idea where this is going and as many have said, it’s moving rather slowly. Despite all of that, this was another interesting wrinkle and small way to move this story forward. Why did he attack the cameraman? Was he frustrated with himself or was he possessed? I hope it gets explained soon.)
-Back from break, they showed a replay of the previous segment with Wyatt’s attack on the cameraman. Cole then said that Wyatt has been removed from the arena and Pearce is consulting with global headquarters to determine the next course of action.
-Los Lotharios were in the ring. Rey Mysterio then made his entrance. Cole then threw to a video recap of Mysterio on Smackdown Lowdown last week. He was interrupted by Los Lotharios, which led to this match.
(3) REY MYSTERIO vs. ANGEL GARZA (w/ Humberto Carrillo)
Garza dropped to a knee and extended his hand to Mysterio. Mysterio shook Garza’s hand then slapped him. Mysterio rolled through on Garza and hit a basement dropkick. Mysterio mounted Garza in the corner and rained down punches. Mysterio then hit a headscissors. Mysterio missed a crossbody and Garza hit a dropkick. Garza delivered a backbreaker and covered Mysterio for a near fall. Garza ripped at Mysterio’s mask in a headlock but Mysterio fought out. Garza recovered and took control. Garza lifted Mysterio to his shoulders but Mysterio rolled through and sent Garza into the turnbuckles. Mysterio delivered a senton off the top rope. Mysterio set up a 619 but Carrillo pulled Garza out of the way. Mysterio came off the top to the outside and took out Carrillo with a dive. Karrion Kross and Scarlett watched from the crowd. Garza caught Mysterio coming in with a superkick. Garza taunted Mysterio then set up a 619 but Mysterio countered, headscissored Garza into position and hit his own 619 followed by a springboard DDT for the win.
WINNER: Rey Mysterio in 4:00
(McDonald’s Analysis: Carrillo and Garza still work here? When was the last time they were on TV? Anyway, both guys are talented and this match was fine for what it was. Solid win for Mysterio. Garza should be more than this, but if he’s not going to be, this is a good example of having tiers on the roster. Garza and Carrillo can be that lower tier to prop up the guys that are above them but not quite to the top level. It’s also good to be able to have matches on TV that take some time but don’t define people down with constant 50/50 booking. I’m intrigued by the Mysterio and Kross feud and I’m interested to see where they go with it. Like the rest of Smackdown, this is another slow build, so hopefully we see some movement soon.)
-Ricochet and Braun Strowman were in the back. Ricochet told Strowman that Imperium said they belonged in the circus. Strowman said they should go show them who runs the big top around this place. The graphic for the Miracle on 34th Street Fight was shown again and Cole hyped the match. [c]
-Karrion Kross and Scarlett walked in the back. Emma stopped them and asked why they would disrespect a legend like Mysterio. Emma said she called Kross a fool a few weeks ago. Emma slapped Scarlett. Kross stopped her from fighting back. Kross looked down at Emma and told her she has no idea what she just did.
-Cole and Barrett were at ringside. Cole said that after next week, John Cena will have wrestled at least one match every year for the last twenty years in WWE. Cole then threw to a video package on John Cena. After the lengthy video, they showed a graphic for next week’s main event with Cena and Owens against Reigns and Zayn. They then hyped the Smackdown Women’s Championship match with Rodriguez and Rousey. then Solo Sikoa against Sheamus.
-Cole said it wouldn’t be Christmas time without the Miracle on 34th Street Fight. They showed the props around ringside.
-Ricochet’s music played and they made their entrance. Cole said this will be the highlight of the night. Braun Strowman made his entrance. Cole told the cameraman to stop eating the Christmas cookies at ringside. They showed the graphic one last time and Cole told everyone to get in the spirit as the match is after the break. [c]
-A video package aired on Lacey Evans.
-Imperium made their entrance.
(4) RICOCHET & BRAUN STROWMAN vs. IMPERIUM (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) – Miracle on 34th Street Fight
WINNER: Ricochet & Braun Strowman in 13:00
***I had a write up for this and accidentally deleted it somehow. Sorry about that. I have no idea how to restore it.***
FINAL THOUGHTS: Solid episode of Smackdown. WWE is not phoning it in this holiday season. Next week’s show is huge, but tonight wasn’t a throwaway necessarily. The Women’s Gauntlet match was much better than what we’ve seen from matches like that the past several months. Most of the lengths made sense and different Women got to shine. The biggest issue was the finish, which hurt a lot of the good they did getting there. Baszler is dominant, unless you roll her up. Then she’s the easiest woman in the company to beat. It’s a joke and they should pay more attention to that. We got another chapter in the Wyatt story and a meaningful promo from Zayn and the Bloodline. All solid stuff. Let’s all get ready for the big show to end the year next week. Happy Holidays everybody.
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