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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Dec. 2, 2022) with a live show emanating from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, featuring the fallout show following last weekend’s Survivor Series pay-per-view (PPV) event.
Advertised for tonight: The final match of the SmackDown World Cup on FOX takes place on FS1, with Ricochet going one-on-one against Santos Escobar. The winner of the tournament earns a fancy trophy and a future Intercontinental championship match against GUNTHER.
Elsewhere on the card, there should be follow-up on Sami Zayn’s betrayal of Kevin Owens at Survivor Series: WarGames, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FS1. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR DEC. 2
Jack Knife cries ‘cause baby’s in a bundle, she goes running nightly, lightly through the jungle and them tin cans are exploding out in the ninety-degree heat. Cat somehow lost his baby down on Bleecker Street, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the intro video.
The Bloodline make their entrance and get on the mic. Jey gives them an intro and Sami Zayn crows about how they won WarGames because they had the longest-reigning tag team champions—
Jimmy cuts him off and says they’re gonna do that, because tonight is about Sami. Of course they leveled up and hashed it out, but Zayn was the MVP, getting Sami Uso chants. Jey talks about how he didn’t trust him for a long time, but he stepped up and it’s because of him that they won WarGames.
Sami says it’s too much and he doesn’t know what to say. Jimmy asks him how he’s feeling and he says he’s feeling pretty Ucey. They get Jey in for a group handshake!
Brawling Brutes interrupt and we go to our first match!
Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus
Sheamus in control early with hard whips, taking Zayn to the floor and throws him into the barricade to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Zayn gets a DDT for a comeback but can’t keep Sheamus down! Booting him, boot up in the corner, tornado DDT... NOPE! He gets the Celtic Warrior on the apron, one Beat of the Bodhran and Sheamus blocks and hammers him with back elbows! Lariats follow, Cloverleaf applied but Sami gets the ropes and forces the break!
Big back elbow, low bridge sends the Celtic Warrior to the floor, off the ropes... TOPE CON GIRO SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, jockeying for position up top, Zayn dives but Sheamus cuts him out of midair with a knee strike! Helluva Kick reversed into a White Noise... SO CLOSE! To the apron, the Beats of the Bodhran ensue, Jimmy runs interference, Sami gets the Blue Thunder Driver... NOT ENOUGH!
Brawling Brutes and Usos fight at ringside, Solo Sikoa joins the fray and Rock Bottoms Pete Dunne into the barricade! Helluva Kick blocked again, looking for White Noise, Jey slips in with a superkick, Sami capitalizes...
Sami Zayn wins by pinfall with a sunset flip.
We get a Legado Del Fantasma video package where Santos Escobar says he’s gonna make sure they win the SmackDown World Cup, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a Royal Rumble hype reel.
Kofi Kingston is interviewed backstage.
He announces that he’ll be in the Royal Rumble and says he can’t bet against Ricochet in the World Cup finals but both men have a good shot against GUNTHER.
Imperium roll up to taunt him about spending more time on the internet than in the ring and Kofi says they can’t have a tag team match because Xavier Woods isn’t here, but he’ll have a singles against any of them.
GUNTHER rolls in and says he’ll fight Kofi tonight.
Bray Wyatt cuts a promo about how we’re all spoiled, shrouded in technology with our manners, and we forget that once upon a time we were all just wild animals. Spiders eat flies, snakes eat rats, but nobody looks at it like an act of violence, it’s just animals.
Some must die so that others can live, and you don’t want to be the one who talks about it, because you don’t want to be the freak, you want to hold on to your place in society and move on. He’s not the one that hurt LA Knight... and if he was the one, we’d all know, because there’d be none of him left.
Shayna Baszler makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Emma is in Gorilla when Madcap Moss rolls up.
She vents to him about the competition being tough and he gives her some words of encouragement.
Emma vs. Shayna Baszler
Baszler takes her down and rides her to make a point, Emma to her feet, passing her around and taking her down for a nearfall. Duck a lariat, Shayna hangs her arm over the ropes, back inside, arm wringer, fall-back armbreaker, folding her arm to the mat for the stomp but Emma rolls out with an upkick!
Body blows, trading forearms, a western lariat and both women are down out! Emma shaking life into her arm, hanging neckbreaker... NOPE! Tarantula for a full five-count, she goes up top but Baszler kicks the ropes to cut her off! Arm drag off the top, into the Kirifuda Clutch...
Shayna Baszler wins by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch.
Post-match, Baszler presses the attack but Shotzi Blackheart makes the save! Shayna takes her down and lays her out with a running knee!
Raquel Rodriguez comes to ringside, her arm in a brace, and Baszler decides to back off.
We get a video package for Lacey Evans all about her being a marine.
Kofi Kingston makes his entrance and we go to break.
GUNTHER vs. Kofi Kingston
GUNTHER in control early, standing neck twist, off the ropes, big clubbing blows, whip across, Kingston low bridges him to the apron and knocks him down with a dropkick! Off the ropes, Ludwig Kaiser trips him up, the Ring General in with a big boot, looking for the powerbomb—
Braun Strowman comes down to even the odds! He destroys Imperium at ringside, Kofi floats over a powerbomb, SOS... SO CLOSE! And so we go to break!
Back from commercial, Gojira Clutch locked in, falling back to keep it on but Kingston rolls through into a cover for two! Punches, whip across, basement dropkick sends GUNTHER spiraling and double chops tear into his flesh! Dropkick, duck a chop, leaping lariat, off the ropes, Boom Drop!
Trouble in Paradise reversed into a German suplex, Kofi lands on his feet, Shadows Over Hell... NOPE! GUNTHER cuts him down with a chop, Everest German suplex... NOT ENOUGH! Hamstring and knee kicks, SOS blocked, gutwrench, Kofi slips out and lands a superkick!
Shotgun dropkick from the Ring General, powerbomb... STILL NO! He gets Kofi back up...
GUNTHER wins by pinfall with an Emerald Flowsion he calls the Last Symphony.
Sami Zayn is backstage with the Bloodline lining up a restaurant for after the show, and the Usos make sure he takes Solo Sikoa with him for protection.
They leave and the Usos talk about how wild it is that Jey’s finally cool with Sami. Jimmy asks about lying, and Jey says Roman saw what he saw and they won WarGames so he’s not worried about it.
Sheamus ambushes them with the shillelagh and beats them down, promising that he and Drew McIntyre will be waiting for them on the other side.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a WarGames recap.
Damage CTRL are in the ring and Bayley gets on the mic, yelling at a fan and their dumb hat to sit down.
She doesn’t want to be here in stupid Boofalo and Michael Cole must have missed her. They were in the match for a combined total of 95 minutes and 19 seconds, and asks if the crowd understands what that does to their bodies. Of course we don’t because we cheered for Becky Lynch when she won after being in the match for a cup of coffee.
Nobody on the SmackDown roster stepped up and faced them—
Enter Liv Morgan.
She rushes the ring and attacks Damage CTRL! She takes Dakota Kai to the floor and puts her into the steps, IYO SKY goes into the barricade, and she hits the ring to beat up Bayley until the other two recover and come attack her!
TEGAN NOX MAKES THE SAVE!
Santos Escobar makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a Karrion Kross video package where he speaks in cryptic terms about reality while Scarlett plays with tarot cards.
She reveals The Emperor and Rey Mysterio is on the card.
We get an Uncle Howdy video package.
Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar (SmackDown World Cup Finals)
Collar and elbow, Escobar with a go-behind, Ricochet with an arm wringer, roll through, reversed, reversed back, stalemate! Springboard dropkick from the One and Only, off the ropes with a suicide dive to follow it up, throwing Santos back in, Joaquin Wilde runs interference, back inside and a dropkick puts Escobar in the ropes.
To the apron, Cruz Del Toro runs interference and a bearded referee Jason Ayers has had enough and ejects both Legado men from ringside and we go to break!
Back from commercial, whip reversed, headscissors, Santos cuts him off and shoves him to the floor! Firing the arrow, off the ropes, Escobar hits the suicide dive and rams Ricochet hard into the announce desk! Back inside, cover for two, Santos with a Liontamer and then an elbow drop!
Romero Special follows, falling back into full extension,turning it into a pin for two! Fireman’s carry, Ricochet gets the ropes and fights out, sidestep the charge, shoulder thrust, right hand, jockeying over the ropes for a suplex, to the apron, slugging it out, big boot sends Escobar to the floor!
Superkick off the apron, Santos trips him up and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Ricochet with a superplex but he can’t capitalize! Back and forth, off the ropes, double crossbody and they knock noggins! To the floor, Escobar lines him up, Ricochet charges in, jumps up on the barricade, Santos joins him... FRANKENSTEINER OFF THE BARRICADE!
Back inside, cover for two, off the ropes, elbow drop into a rear chinlock! Up top and jockeying for position, Ricochet knocks him down and perches up high but Santos rolls to the apron and climbs back up to join him! Escobar with a Frankensteiner but Ricochet lands on his feet!
Knee to Santos, suplex, roll through, sheerdrop brainbuster! Quebrada... SO CLOSE! Boot into the corner, headed up top, the crowd on their feet, shooting star press.. THE KNEES ARE UP! Ricochet kicks out of the cover, fireman’s carry, knee lifts, Phantom Driver reversed into a pin for two!
Sidestep a kick, Poison Frankensteiner from Santos... ONLY TWO! Mounted punches, drawing Rick up, fireman’s carry, headed up top, Ricochet takes him down, series of kicks, a crescent kick, going back up top...
Ricochet wins by pinfall with the 630 senton, winning the SmackDown World Cup and earning a shot at GUNTHER’s Intercontinental Championship.
As Ricochet celebrates with the trophy, GUNTHER comes to the stage for a face-to-face.
That’s the show, folks.
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