WWE SmackDown Review – September 8, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Smackdown with a recap of Payback from last Saturday.
Tag Team Match
Damage CTRL (Women’s Champion Iyo Sky & Bayley) vs. Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart
Bayley & Charlotte Flair shove one another then Flair delivers a boot and a chop to Bayley. Iyo Sky tires interfering but Flair levels her with a forearm. Shotzi Blackheart then gets in the ring and goes after her as Flair brawls with Bayley on the outside.
Sky dumps Shotzi out of the ring and delivers a springboard moonsault off the ropes to take both her & Flair out as we go to a break.
After the break Sky catches Blackheart with a flapjack and tags in Bayley then Damage CTRL deliver a double boot to Blackheart’s head before Bayley delivers a stomp to her in the corner.
Blackheart fires back with a few strikes but Bayley overpowers her and wears her down with a submission hold but Blackheart escapes and lands an enzuigiri and looks to tag out to Flair. Bayley prevents her from doing so but Blackheart lands a kick to her head and makes the hot tag.
Flair delivers a crossbody to Damage CTRL off the top rope then fires off chops on both of them. She delivers a fallaway slam to Bayley and kips up then follows it up with a clothesline and looks to lock in the Figure 8.
Bayley rolls her up to prevent her from doing so but Flair kicks out and locks in a Figure 8 but Sky breaks the hold and tags in then delivers a hurricanrana to Flair off the top rope.
Bayley ascends to the top rope but becomes distracted after she takes note of Asuka behind Dakota Kai. Asuka snatches the Women’s Title out of her hand as Blackheart tags in and executes a variation of a DDT for the win.
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart
After the match Asuka & Sky stare one another down.
We then head backstage to Jimmy Uso & Paul Heyman. Jimmy claims to still be in The Bloodline given that no one informed him that he was out of the stable and Heyman says that neither Solo Sikoa or Roman Reigns is in Boston. He says Jimmy is not in the group because Reigns has not declared so then tells him he will handle The Tribal Chief while Jimmy handles AJ Styles in their match later tonight. Heyman then walks off and encounters Styles. He says Styles has enough problems in his life and has no business entangling with him. Styles gets in his face and Jimmy appears out of nowhere to level him. Heyman then calls Reigns.
LA Knight addresses The Miz’s segment on Raw and says his theme song says I came to play. Knight says he isn’t here to play while Miz is playing dress up as John Cena. He says he didn’t need John Cena’s endorsement at Payback but he has all the respect for him & Miz has a bitter pill to swallow. He looks to accepts Miz’s challenge but before he can Grayson Waller’s music hits and he appears.
Waller says Miz ran through Cena on Raw and before he gets ahead of himself accepting Miz’s challenge he welcomes Austin Theory to join him. Theory appears and Waller brags about their win against LWO’s United States Champion Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar last week. He says they are the only undefeated tag team and Knight tells them to go tell their mothers about it instead of him. Theory then says Cena helps Knight defeat The Miz and brags about his WrestleMania victory over Cena. He reminds Knight that he’s already defeated him then says he’s just been here. He tells him to soak up his 15 minutes of fame because he won’t be well known after he’s done with him. Knight takes a few shots at Waller & Theory then dares Theory to meet him in the ring for a match.
LA Knight vs. Austin Theory
Match starts off with LA Knight & Austin Theory locking up then Theory lands a pair of shoulder tackles but Knight fires back with a neckbreaker. Theory sends him crashing into the corner and jams his knee into his face then lands a suplex.
Knight delivers a shoulder pounce to Theory into the ring from the apron then sends him repeatedly face first into the announce table and gets him back inside the ring. Knight whips Theory into the corner but Theory sends him crashing to the outside and delivers a neckbreaker off the apron as we go to a break.
After the break Theory looks for an elbow drop but Knight ducks out of the way and delivers a DDT then fires off stomps in the corner then follows it up with a hip attack and gets Theory up on his shoulders but Theory escapes and lands a rolling blockbuster.
Knight delivers a dropkick to Theory through the middle rope on the outside then looks for a suplex on the floor but Theory counters into a suplex of his own and Grayson Waller hops up on the apron to expose the top turnbuckle as the referee is distracted by what just happened.
Theory gets Knight back in the ring and looks to send him into the exposed turnbuckle but Knight prevents him from doing so and hits a powerslam.
He follows it up with a standing elbow drop. Waller hops up o the apron & opening the door for Theory to roll him up but Knight kicks out and delivers BFT for the win.
Winner: LA Knight
After the match Knight looks to go after Waller but Waller rolls out of the ring before he can.
After the break we see Paul Heyman and Knight encounter one another in Adam Pearce’s office after Knight walks in to ask for a rematch against The Miz while Heyman was conversing with Knight.
Back at ringside Judgment Day brags about having all the gold and NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio’s 1 year anniversary in the stable then Brawling Brutes’ music cut them off. Ridge Holland & Butch appear taking objection to Dominik’s statement about Judgment Day being the most dominant group in WWE. Holland tells Judgment Day they should be worried about Butch & Finn Balor laughs. He tells Butch he doesn’t care about him and Butch snaps his fingers then Brawling Brutes sends Judgment Day crashing to the outside.
Non Title Match
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Judgement Day (Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch)
Finn Balor fires off hammer & anvil elbows on Butch before Butch stomps on Balor’s fingers before Ridge Holland tags in and sends Balor crashing into the mat then gets him up on his shoulders but Balor escapes and tags in Damian Priest.
Priest delivers a kick to Holland’s face then fires off right hands on his spine. Holland then gets him and an interfering Balor over his shoulders and plants them. Dominik Mysterio hops up on the apron allowing Priest to take advantage and fire off right hands.
Balor wears down Holland with a submission hold but Holland escapes and tags in Butch. Butch delivers 3 enzuigiri and a knee to the back of Balor’s head then sends him tumbling out of the ring. He delivers a moonsault off the ropes to level Judgement Day as we go to a break.
After the break Butch delivers a superplex to Balor and sets up for Bitter End but Balor escapes and plants him then tags in Holland. Priest tags in and fires off kicks on him but Holland responds with a double underhook suplex and a splash in the corner.
Butch tags back in and Priest catches him with a kick then he takes a shot at Holland on the apron then plants Butch. Butch delivers a German to Balor and executes 10 Beats Of The Bodhran on an interfering Mysterio.
Balor takes advantage and rolls Balor up but Balor kicks out and delivers a Sling Blade then looks for the Coup De Grace but Butch evades the maneuver.
Priest & Holland tag in and Priest lands South Of Heaven then delivers one to Butch on top of Holland and tags in Balor & he hits Coup De Grace to Holland for the win.
Winners: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Judgement Day
After the match Bobby Lashley & Street Profits appear to put Judgment Day on notice.
AJ Styles vs. Jimmy Uso
Jimmy Uso looks for a superkick right out of the gate but AJ Styles avoids it and sweeps Jimmy’s legs out from under him. Jimmy rolls Styles up but the referee catches his feet on the ropes. Styles delivers a forearm and sends Jimmy into the top turnbuckle face first then delivers a suplex.
He follows it up with a backbreaker and a kick to his head then sets up for a Styles Clash but Jimmy escapes and rolls out of the ring for a breather before he gets back in and Styles fires off right hands. Jimmy lands a back elbow and rolls to the outside once again.
Styles delivers a kick under the bottom rope and Jimmy responds with a superkick then we see Solo Sikoa & Paul Heyman appear on the ramp to watch the action as Jimmy sends Styles’ head into the ring steps as we go to a break.
After the break Jimmy delivers a back body drop and follows it up with a hip attack then he locks in a chin lock but Styles lands a back suplex and they go back & forth slapping one another. Jimmy lands an enzuigiri but Styles responds with a Pele Kick and clotheslines him out of the ring.
He delivers a flying right hand over the top then dumps Jimmy back inside the ring and lands a shoulder breaker then he gets Jimmy up on his shoulders but Jimmy escapes.
Jimmy delivers a superkick to Styles on the apron but Styles comes back with a forearm and takes a shot at Sikoa then sends Jimmy into the ring post then dumps him back in the ring and lands Phenomenal Forearm for the win.
Winner: AJ Styles
After the match Damian Priest & Finn Balor blindside Styles and toss him inside the ring for Sikoa. Sikoa lands a Samoan Spike to Styles before staring down Judgment Day to close out Smackdown.
Next Week’s Smackdown
The Miz vs. LA Knight
Smackdown (Sept 22nd)
Women’s Title Match
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Asuka
