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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 23, 2023) with a live show emanating from the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Money in the Bank Premium Live Event scheduled for early next month in London.
Advertised for tonight: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler will have a title unification match against NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
Tonight’s show will also presumably include follow-up on Jey Uso’s decision to remain loyal to his brother Jimmy instead of falling in line behind Roman Reigns, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. 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 JUNE 23
Sometimes our way of life has gone against the grain, yet somehow you remain, as I liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
As so often happens of late, the show opens with a recap of recent Bloodline business.
The Usos make their entrance, united, and get on the mic once they’re in the ring.
Jey starts but Jimmy cuts him off after he says “The Bloodline—” and he restarts, saying the Usos are now in your city. Jimmy’s feeling real good and he asks Jey how he’s feeling, and he says if he can be 100 right now, they’re about to fight their family, and family’s not supposed to do that.
Family’s supposed to lift each other up and have each other’s backs, from day one to the end. Jimmy stops him and tells him he made the absolute perfect choice and they shake hands and say they love each other, and Jey adds that they still love Roman Reigns.
He’s the Tribal Chief, for three years they were in the trenches together and they’d do anything he asked, jump high or go low. But where he messed up is he disrespected the Usos. Jimmy says they were raised on respect and it’s not about falling in line, because they fell in line and became the most dominant faction in WWE, but that was with respect.
Once Roman tried to show them they weren’t worth nothing, well now his ass is on the island of relevancy all alone. They’ll forgive Roman, but they won’t forgive the rats on the outside, and the biggest rat of them all is Paul Heyman. Paul has said he’s been in the family for forty years, and he loved the Usos since he met them at age four, but how can he mean that when he took orders to drive a wedge between brothers?
So they’re gonna go to London and have a civil war in the Bloodline, but they’re the best tag team in the world. On July 1 in London, it’s lockdown and Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns will be welcomed to the Uso Penitentiary.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance and we go to break.
LA Knight vs. Rey Mysterio
Knight with a front kick and right hands, shoulder thrusts in the corner, hard whip across! Another whip, Mysterio off the ropes, duck a lariat, knock him down but LA puts him into the ropes and chokes him! Slingshot shoulder block, again just a nearfall!
Off the ropes, front kick, satellite headscissors, mounted punches in the corner, Knight wants an Alabama Slam but Rey counters and sets him up for the 619! Headed up top, but LA rolls aside, so Mysterio baseball slides him out of the ring! Off the ropes, low dive into a plancha and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Mysterio pressing the attack, senton sets up a springboard crossbody for two! Knight comes back with an elbow, cover for two! 619, LA catches it, hoists Rey up, fireman’s carry, slip out, duck a lariat, springboard headscissors countered, again Mysterio slips out but Knight has him...
LA Knight wins by pinfall with BFT.
Post-match, LA goes to attack but Santos Escobar makes the save!
Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman are walking backstage when they run into some jacked blonde dude Ridge Holland and Solo takes him out with the Samoan Spike!
Paul calls Roman Reigns and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Adam Pearce is checking on Ridge Holland, who’s gasping and choking, as Sheamus comes up and demands a match against Solo Sikoa tonight.
Sheamus goes out to the stage and calls Solo out for a fight right now!
Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn (NXT) vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler (WWE) (NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship / WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Unification Match)
Raquel Rodriguez is on commentary for this one.
Baszler and Fyre to start, Shayna clubbing her down, Alba getting a good right hand in, whip across, elbow up, tag to Dawn! Big knee to Baszler, trap her for a superkick, cover for two! Rousey in, she gets isolated just the same and the NXT champs remain in charge with quick tags.
Shayna runs interference and Ronda takes control as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Rousey with an ankle lock on Fyre, step-up enzuigiri gets her out of it and both women crawl for tags! Baszler first, she blocks the tag and clears the apron, cover for two off a Penalty Kick! Back and forth Kirifuda Clutch but Fyre breaks it up with a senton atomico!
Alba tags in, but the WWE champs resurge and catch them in stereo submissions...
Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler win by submission with a Kirifuda Clutch from Baszler on Alba Fyre, retaining the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship and winning the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship to unify the titles.
Post-match, Ronda calls Raquel Rodriguez out in Spanish and asks her what she’s even doing here in the first place.
Raquel says she wants a rematch for the titles that “we” never lost. Shayna asks who “we” is—
Liv Morgan is back!
And we’re going to break!
Back from commercial, the ring is set up for the Grayson Waller Effect.
Grayson welcomes us to the show and points out to the ladies in the crowd that he’s looking for a green card before saying he’s the hottest young star in WWE, so it’s only fitting his guests are the hottest new tag team in WWE— Pretty Deadly!
They trade compliments at some length before Waller gets to talking about their tag title shot next week in London, England. Elton Prince complains about being described as “surprising” challengers when they’ve won titles over and over in WWE.
Grayson gets serious for a moment and says he has to tell them somethjhing, and that’s that he’s not surprised. They puff themselves up as the Iron Men of Friday Night SnackDown, as if they didn’t pick the bones in the gauntlet.
Enter the Street Profits.
Montez Ford says Pretty Deadly are cute but they’re back on SmackDown and that means Grayson Waller’s gonna have a season two.
We go to break on the promise of a tag team match.
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Ford and Wilson to start, side headlock takeover, Montez in control, tag to Dawkins and he bowls Kit over but soon enough a tag to Prince and stereo shoulder blocks! Leg drop / splash combo, only two! Profits steal one of PD’s tops and do a dive and we go to break!
Back from commercial, some back and forth and Prince is cut off, electric chair, Wilson recovers and runs interference, feet on the ropes...
Pretty Deadly win by pinfall with a folding press with feet on the ropes from Elton Prince on Angelo Dawkins.
Charlotte Flair makes her entrance to send us to break.
Charlotte Flair vs. Lacey Evans
Circling, Flair off the ropes, shoulder block, drop down, giant step, buzzsaw roundhouse connects! Charlotte with chops on chops, Evans takes her down, goes for a moonsault, nobody home, STO backbreaker / reverse STO into the turnbuckles combo for the comeback, mocking Lacey’s demands to be saluted before throwing an exploder and feeling tranquilo!
Charlotte runs her over, leg pick, figure four leglock, bridging up...
Charlotte Flair wins by submission with the Figure Eight.
Post-match, Asuka attacks Flair before she can even break the hold and leaves her laying!
Solo Sikoa makes his entrance, flanked by Paul Heyman, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Adam Pearce is on the phone when Bianca Belair rolls up.
He asks what happens next week when Bianca is at ringside if Asuka or Charlotte attack? She says she’ll fire back, and he says he has to bar her from ringside and promises her a chance to challenge the winner. She asks if she should trust him, like last time, and walks off.
Commentary hypes up next week’s show.
Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa
Sheamus popping off with right hands, into the turnbuckles, brawling around the ring, Sikoa getting his own shots in in return! Brawling continues, Sheamus dives for a nearfall, arm-trap lariat and Solo rolls under the ropes! Looking for the Beats of the Bodhran, back elbows to block, fireman’s carry but Sikoa rams him into the post!
Samoan Drop on the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Solo has Sheamus down and waits for him to rise! Sheamus with the Irish Curse, a big knee... NOPE! White Noise connects, still just a nearfall! Calling for the Celtic Cross, Solo slips out the back, kick and the Samoan Spike but the Celtic Warrior falls to the floor!
Big Rock Bottom into the announce desk, Solo sets him up... ODE TO RIKISHI THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPER’S BARRICADE! REFEREE JESSIKA CARR WAVES THE MATCH OFF!
The match goes to a presumed no-contest.
Post-match, Solo hits the Samoan Spike on an EMT and drags Sheamus over to stand tall over him!
The Usos make the save and beat their baby brother down, leaving him laying with superkicks!
Stereo splashes send a message to Roman Reigns!
That’s the show, folks.
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