WWE Smackdown Review – November 17, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Smackdown with a video recapping the events of the 6 Woman Tag Team match last week.
Bayley welcomes fans to Smackdown then says Damage CTRL doesn’t want to share a huge moment with a bunch of dumb dumbs. She says her plan to bring Asuka into Damage CTRL has to be one of the top moments in WWE history then calls her idea brilliant and says the new and improved Damage CTRL is the strongest faction in all of WWE. She says they’re playing chest while everyone else is playing Candyland, then says Charlotte Flair, Bianca BelAir & Shotzi were not ready for Asuka. Asuka, Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane talk to one another in Japanese and Bayley asks what they’re talking about. Dakota Kai says that there’s someone in the ring that isn’t part of Damage CTRL and while Bayley think she’s talking about her, Kai clarifies that she’s talking about Asuka as she isn’t an official member. Bayley then makes her one handing her a shirt. Kai adds that Sky suggested herself, Bayley, Asuka & Sane challenge Bianca BelAir, Charlotte Flair & Shotzi to a War Games match with a 4th member of their choosing.
Shotzi’s music hits and her tank rolls out to ringside but she’s nowhere to be found. Taking advantage of a distracted Damage CTRL as she levels Bayley with a crossbody off the top rope. Damage CTRL has the numbers advantage over her and beat her down but Flair & BelAir appear to provide Shotzi with some backup. Damage CTRL overpowers BelAir & Flair by dumping the 2 of them out of the ring along with Shotzi.
After the break we head backstage to BelAir, Flair & Shotzi. Belair asks Shotzi why she went after Damage CTRL alone and Shotzi explains that she had a hard time controlling her impulses. BelAir says they need a 4th partner and Flair knows someone who can help. Flair says she’ll think about it before Nick Aldis walks in and informs them that he needs the name of their partner by the end of the night.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match
Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince)
Butch goes straight after Elton Prince & Angelo Dawkins as he fires off chops on both men but Dawkins flattens him before flattening Prince. Montez Ford tags in and delivers a dropkick to Butch then plants Prince face first with some help from Dawkins.
Ford delivers a splash to Prince and fires off stomps on Butch in the corner before Dawkins tags back in and follows suit then fires off left and right hands on Prince. Ford becomes legal and looks to plant Prince but Prince escapes and tags in Kit Wilson.
Pretty Deadly then double teams on Ford & Butch but Ridge Holland tags in and sends Wilson crashing into the corner then hits a running splash and a DDT then clotheslines Wilson out of the ring.
Brawling Brutes set up for 10 Beats Of The Bodhran on Pretty Deadly but Street Profits clock them from behind before they can.
Brawling Brutes then hits 10 Beats Of The Bodhran on Street Profits but Pretty Deadly manages to take them down after the 10th one as we go to a break.
After the break Ford & Prince look to land a double suplex on Holland but Holland reverses it and plants both men. Butch & Dawkins tag in and Butch levels both men.
He delivers a moonsault to Wilson off the apron on the outside then takes Prince down with a tornado DDT off the ring steps and hits Street Profits & Pretty Deadly with a moonsault off the apron. He gets Dawkins back inside the ring and plants him then locks in a Triangle.
Dawkins makes his way up to his feet and powerbombs Butch on top of Prince then Holland, Wilson & Ford tag in and exchange strikes with one another before Wilson levels Holland with a clothesline then ascends to the top rope.
Holland meets him up there and delivers a suplex but Prince makes the blind tag in just before he hits it. Ford lands From The Heavens on Holland and Prince follows it up with a leg drop off the top rope. He goes for a pin but the fall gets broken up.
Butch fires off chops on Street Profits & Pretty Deadly but Pretty Deadly sends him crashing to the outside over the top rope then Street Profits connect with kicks but Holland flattens everyone.
Butch looks to hit a Brogue Kick on Prince as Holland holds him in place but accidentally lands it on Holland.
Dawkins tags in as Prince dumps him out of the ring but Dawkins dumps Prince out of the ring and Street Profits hits Holland with The Revelation to get the win.
Winners & #1 Contenders To The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles: Street Profits
After the match a frustrated Holland leaves Butch alone in the ring as Bobby Lashley appears at top of the stage to congratulate Street Profits.
After the break we see Damage CTRL attack Michin backstage after she was seen talking to Bianca BelAir backstage about possibly being the possible 4th member of Bianca BelAir, Charlotte Flair & Shotzi’s War Games team.
Dragon Lee vs. Axiom
Dragon Lee & Axiom take turns pinning one another and locking each other in submission holds then they both level one another with dropkicks before Axiom is sent crashing out of the ring and Lee goes flying over the top to level him.
He gets him back inside the ring and sends him into the corner then fires off right hands and delivers a dropkick as we go to a break.
After the break Axiom delivers a moonsault off the top rope to Lee out of the ring then gets him back inside and ascends to the top, then looks to go flying but Lee moves out of the way and connects with a kick then ascends to the top rope.
Axiom meets him up there but Lee drapes him by his knees and delivers a double stomp to his chest before Axiom fires back with a dropkick and a German suplex then hits a running kick.
Lee plants him with a Brainbuster and looks to plant him with a powerbomb but Axiom counters into a Canadian Destroyer. Lee ascends to the top rope but Axiom catches him with a kick.
He then joins him up there and hits a Spanish Fly before Lee delivers a single arm powerbomb and a running knee before he follows it up with Operación Dragon for the win.
Winner: Dragon Lee
After the match Lee & Axiom give one another a thumbs up as a show of respect.
Santos Escobar says there’s something he needs to get off his chest as the crowd rains down boos on him. He says there’s an old expression: never meet your heroes. He says he comes from a rich Lucha Libre tradition and every member of his family has been labeled heroes. He says despite that Rey Mysterio was his hero and he modeled his career after him. The other members of LWO watch what Escobar is saying from backstage as he tells Mysterio he became a father figure to him. He says Dominik Mysterio was right with everything he said about Mysterio and he deserves to be United States Champion. He says he wanted to rebuild LWO but Mysterio took over and brought in new members like Carlito. He says he knows Mysterio is watching from his hospital bed and he hopes that the pain he’s suffering reminds him of how he betrayed him. He agrees to apologize but apologizes for not doing more damage and tells Mysterio he hopes the surgery didn’t go well. He tells him he hopes he doesn’t come back as Zelina Vega storms her way down the ramp.
Vega asks Escobar what he’s doing and the pair begin to argue. Escobar tells Vega they’re done and Vega slaps him. She storms to the back as Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde meet her on the ramp to check on her. Escobar asks them if they’re really siding with Vega over him and they join him in the ring. Escobar tells him that things can go back to the way they were with Legado Del Fantasma & Escobar tells Wilde & Del Toro he never needed them. He says they were dead weight and they look to head to the back. Before they can Escobar blindsides them but Carlito runs down to the ring to provide them with a hand. Escobar retreats.
Grayson Waller vs. Cameron Grimes
Match starts off with a lock up then Cameron Grimes connects with a dropkick and a rolling flatliner then fires off right hands. Grimes delivers an atomic drop and a dropkick to Grayson Waller’s face then plants him with a swinging sidewalk slam.
Austin Theory checks on Waller on the outside but Grimes levels him with a kick off the apron. Waller takes advantage by getting Grimes back in the ring and planting him with a Dingo Driver for the win.
Winner: Grayson Waller
We then head backstage and see Bianca BelAir chatting with Zelina Vega.
After the break we see Damage CTRL gloating after attacking Vega. BelAir and a referee check on her.
We then head over to a video recapping the Crown Jewel match between Solo Sikoa & John Cena.
Paul Heyman introduces himself then says he has a surprise for tonight an acknowledgement ceremony for Solo Sikoa then teases an introduction for John Cena then says he’s not here and will never be appearing in a WWE ring ever again thanks to Sikoa. He says Cena doesn’t have the heart to say goodbye to fans so he gets to say goodbye to Cena and to fans on his behalf. He counts to 3 and says that was Cena’s cue to slide in the ring and hits 5 Moves of Doom on all of them to massive cheers but that will never be experienced again thanks to Sikoa. He says no one ever stays gone forever but Sikoa will have to be his opponent and target if he does. He says Cena will never be himself since he can no longer communicate and says Cena will no longer be seen because he can’t be heard.
LA Knight’s music hits and he appears on the ramp. He says he wants to talk to fans and says the one cause and effect Heyman hasn’t mentioned is that the only reason Roman Reigns is still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is because of The Bloodline. He says everyone can see that’s a problem but he’s a problem solver. He says he will make sure The Bloodline ceases to exist and the 1st step on that path is to take out Jimmy, Sikoa & Heyman. He says Jimmy is the 1st step and gloats about how he’ll beat him in their upcoming match.
After the break we see Bianca BelAir tell Charlotte Flair that they’re out of options and she needs to make the call & Flair agrees.
LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso
LA Knight delivers a back body drop to Jimmy Uso then fires off stomps in the corner then charges at him. Jimmy slips out of the ring but Knight gets him back inside and fires off strikes on him.
Jimmy plants him with a Samoan Drop but Knight sends him crashing to the outside over the top and delivers a kick through the bottom rope.
He sends his head repeatedly bouncing off the announce table then tosses him over it as we go to a break.
After the break Jimmy lands an enzuigiri on Knight and looks for a hip attack but Knight rolls out of the way and lands a DDT then hits a clothesline and plants him face first but Jimmy connects with an enzuigiri from the apron.
They teeter on the ropes but Jimmy pushes Knight off and looks to fly but Knight ducks out of the way and hits BFT for the win.
Winner: LA Knight
After the match Solo Sikoa reemerges. Jimmy blindsides Knight & Sikoa hits him with a Samoan Spike on the outside. He clears the announce table as Jimmy drags him over then gets him on it and fires off right hands. Cody Rhodes’ music hits and he runs down to the ring. He sends Sikoa crashing into the ring post and sends Jimmy colliding with the ring steps. He then fires off right hands and sends him crashing into the other set of ring steps.
We head backstage and see Bianca BelAir & Shotzi ask Charlotte Flair if she made the call. Flair says she did but she doesn’t know if the person on the other line will be able to make it in time then they make their way down to the ring.
Flair says they could stand in the ring talking about what Damage CTRL has done tonight, but time has run out tonight. She formally accepts their War Games challenge and she knows a thing or 2 about turning on a best friend. She says if they’re going to war there’s only 1 person she wants on their side.
Damage CTRL then appears at ringside and Bayley says she knows Flair is bluffing about having a 4th member of their team. She says she won’t make it to War Games or out of the building as her and her stablemates hop up on the apron. Becky Lynch then slides into the ring revealing herself as their 4th teammate then both teams begin brawling as Dakota Kai watches on in horror. Flair levels everyone on the outside with a moonsault except for Sky and stares her down before attacking her then they continue brawling to close out this week’s Smackdown.
Next Week’s Smackdown
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Match
Judgement Day (Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest & Finn Balor) (c) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Updated Survivor Series Card (Nov 25th)
War Games Match
Judgement Day (Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest & Finn Balor, NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh) vs. World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn & Jey Uso
Intercontienetal Title Match
Gunther (c) vs. The Miz
Women’s World Title Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zoey Stark
Women’s War Games Match
Damage CTRL (Women’s Champion Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, Bayley & Asuka) vs. Bianca BelAir, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Shotzi
Santos Escobar vs. Carlito
