Just 24 hours before the marquee Survivor Series live event, WWE hit the FS1 airwaves on Friday night from Chicago’s AllState Arena with a live broadcast headlined by Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and Damian Priest of the Judgment Day defending against The Street Profits.
Were Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins able to repay their recent success by winning the tournament or did Judgment Day build momentum entering the War Games and main eventing Survivor Series?
Find out with this recap of the November 24 show.
Previously announced for Friday’s show are:
- WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match: Finn Balor and Damian Priest (c) vs. The Street Profits
- The Grayson Waller Effect with Kevin Owens
Bianca Belair, Shotzi, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch made their way to the ring to start SmackDown, and despite the uncomfortable tension between the latter two, they seemed to be on the same page.
Bayley, a master manipulator and quality heel, arrived on the scene and attempted to induce a delicate partnership, setting up a main event later in the show pitting The Queen and The Man against the No Two Damage CTRL War Games team.
This was basically every promotional clip to open the show designed to set up the main event of the night.
This had a bit more substance, with hints of lingering tension between Flair and Lynch, and the conspicuous absence of Io Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka and Kairi Sane supporting the role model, but it was still fairly subdued. An in-ring promo to kick off a show that could have easily been a much shorter behind-the-scenes vignette.
At the very least, the chemistry between the characters, including Shotzi’s raw energy compared to her more reserved partners, was fun.
degree
C+
Key moments and takeaways
- Lynch refusing to mention Flair’s name while explaining her decision to join the beloved team was a nice touch for continuity.
- “What Shotzi said,” the Queen said after a rambling retaliatory rant from the Ballsy Badass.
- Bayley curiously entered the arena alone, made her way to the ring in the same manner, and attempted to stir things up between Lynch and Flair. The Queen responded by asking the model where her teammates were, continuing the storyline feud within Damage CTRL between Bayley and her partners.
Judgment Day built momentum heading into Saturday’s War Games main event as Finn Balor and Damian Priest capitalized on a pin from Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley to defeat Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of The Street Profits and retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
The pace of the match was faster than most, and the crowd enjoyed it.
Ford and Dawkins were actually babyfaces, for better or worse, and the Chicago branch of WWE wanted to see the team regain the titles they previously held.
Instead, Balor and Priest overcame the challenge and sent a message to Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and the returning Randy Orton with a nice victory.
A solid segment that achieved what it set out to in terms of genre but raises questions about street profits and whether WWE is fully committed to them being a heel.
a result
Doomsday defeated The Street Profits to retain
degree
B
Key moments and takeaways
- This is an interesting matchup, as both teams got in poorly, and then Ford hyped up the crowd like a babyface. Sure, it’s natural for one team to root for the other, but there are ways to make this matchup without undoing what got the two teams to this point.
- The priest at all Physically Ford is at the announce table before the break, putting competitors on the defensive entering commercial.
- Ripley interfered to give Balor and Priest the pin and get the win, while Bobby Lashley and B-Fab watched backstage, angry at the result.
The Hijinx at The Grayson Waller Effect made way for a tag match between Australian Grayson Waller and his insufferable sidekick Austin Theory against Kevin Owens and LA Knight, two men who have been getting the best of them in recent weeks.
The match was a great showcase for four players who were inexplicably absent from the Survivor Series card. The Chicago crowd was very enthusiastic about the likable guys, especially Knight, and stayed on top of the action all the way.
The return of the babyface was exciting, the heels clashed all over the ring without ever losing any credibility, and the right team was gone.
A successful clip, even if the trailer that preceded it was mostly unnecessary.
a result
Owens and Knight defeated Theory Waller
degree
B
Key moments and takeaways
- We get a great video package on Dragon Lee that is clearly meant to explain his background and give him a chance to build a connection with the WWE Universe.
- “Making fun of me? It’s a joke on you, buddy! I’ve never looked better!” Owens said as he pointed to Theory, who was dressed like him.
- “You know what happens here when you keep saying someone’s name!” Owens said, heralding the arrival of L.A. Knight, who received a deafening sound.
Santos Escobar interrupted Carlito’s promo on Friday night, and by the end of the segment, he was adding insult to injury.
An exchange of insults in Spanish and Escobar’s insistence that Rey Mysterio be gone forever led to a brawl.
A heel sneak attack left Carlito grabbing his arm and teasing him that he wouldn’t be able to compete in Saturday’s scheduled bout with his former LWO teammate.
Backstage, after a commercial break, Escobar looked to further injure Carlito until Dragon Lee made the save, fending off the heels and seemingly hinting at a possible Survivor Series lineup change.
The intensity here was great, as Escobar is already one of the most hated men in the company, and Lee stepping up to defend the LWO without being an official member of the faction to this point is a great way to build presence on the show.
Great stuff.
degree
a
Key moments and takeaways
- Escobar asked Carlito where his LWO tattoo was and criticized him for not representing the LWO.
- “You love Ray so much, you’ll meet him at the hospital!” Escobar was heard saying as the show came to a close. Carlito grabbed his shoulder after a glancing knee injury.
Could it be that the rowdy savages don’t exist anymore?
After last week’s loss, in which Butch accidentally hit Ridge Holland with a Brogue Kick, the tag team pulled away from their partner, leaving him to fend for himself against Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince and Kate Wilson.
Butch put on a spirited performance, battling the yuppies and the beautiful before a blind tag and pileup brought an end to the Bruiserweight’s inspired show.
This seems to indicate one of two things: that Butch and Holland are about to break up or that Sheamus will come back and put them back together.
If this split brings us one step closer to renaming Butch as Pete Dunne, so be it.
a result
Defeated Pretty Deadly Brawling Brutes
degree
B
Key moments and takeaways
- Holland entered the arena before Butch, and seemed to be separated from his teammate.
- Following Holland’s withdrawal from Butch, the former heavyweight battled his opponents, showing great tenacity and resilience before succumbing to a numbers disadvantage.
- Backstage, Nick Aldis officially announced that the match between Carlito and Escobar had been postponed until Dragon Lee interrupted and pleaded with him to add him to the match instead. Aldis obliged and Lee vs. Escobar moments later.
For the majority of Friday night’s main event, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair were on the same page as they battled Damage CTRL’s Asuka and Bayley.
At one point, it looked like The Man would get the win for her team, delivering a Manhandle Slam that would put Bayley away. Flair then wrongly introduced Asuka to her, and the tension that had defined their relationship before the make-up was once again evident.
The Heels took advantage and scored the win.
The result creates an interesting cliffhanger that begs the question: Are the babyfaces doomed to fail at war games because two of the four can’t get along? It gives the match something for fans to sink their teeth into beyond the wargaming gimmick, something that can only serve to enhance the match, as we saw a year ago with The Bloodline.
a result
– Bayley and Asuka defeated Flair and Lynch
degree
B
Key moments and takeaways
- The commentary team continued to sow discord as Lynch failed to enter the arena with the rest of her team, set to Flair’s music, despite the fact that The Queen had entered her earlier in the show.
- “I can’t believe this match is still going on without all of these women fighting at ringside,” Cole said, apparently taking an interest in WWE programming over the past 20 years.
- The “CM Punk” chant was dropped very quickly.
- Flair exploded in the match, and just as Kevin Patrick positioned her as the most decorated woman in WWE, Corey Graves interrupted and reminded him how decorated Bayley was, and rightfully so.
- Flair brought Asuka into Lynch by accident, interrupting the pin and creating more tension between them.
This episode of SmackDown has come to an end, which is a good sign for WWE as it seeks to put the finishing touches on the build-up to Survivor Series.
Judgment Day looked strong, continued interest in the women’s division and storyline involving Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and we got a hot angle with Carlito and Santos Escobar.
Enjoy Owens and Knight vs. Theory and Waller fun, and you get a show that was easy to watch and undoubtedly sparked interest in one of the biggest shows of the year.
Grade: B+
