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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Sept. 22, 2023) with a live show emanating from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Fastlane premium live event scheduled for early next month in Indianapolis.
Advertised for tonight: IYO SKY defends the WWE women’s championship against Asuka.
Also on the card: Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar team up for a match against the Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford), Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso appear to be on the same page and have their eyes set on hurting John Cena, and much 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 SEPT. 22
Claire normally dances a jig but now you dance with the kid. Rhyming is my favorite thing but I promise the blog won’t have that same ring.
Let’s get ‘em again.
SmackDown kicks off with who else but big Johnny! John Cena, fresh off his vacation at the Grayson Waller Effect succulent set, is back in Phoenix with vengeance on his mind. But not without playing with the crowd first while explaining everything he’s done since coming back to to live television. He’s done reffing. He’s done hosting. He’s here for competition. And he wants that tonight. Peacemaker wants peace and feels this is the only way it happens.
Rather than do it dolo, he got himself a “phenomenal” partner to handle The Bloodline.
AJ Styles enters the ring to what is still the hardest theme in WWE. Phoenix agrees and greets him appropriately.
After AJ basks in the adulation and repeats Cena’s invitation to team against the Bloodline, Jimmy Uso and brother Solo arrive on cue. Unsurprisingly, they don’t want the static right now and tell the former WWE champs “nah. Not tonight.”
Adam Pearce explains to AJ and Big Johnny the complications involved with any Bloodline match. They want the fight so he promises to talk to Paul Heyman (hopefully he calls that big cell phone) and hopefully get their match.
Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar (LWO) vs. The Street Profits
Nothing personal. Not about wins & losses. It’s about making a statement and making money.
Angelo Dawkins and Santos Escobar start with Angelo exerting his power over the smaller Escobar. That works for all of two minutes before Santos makes the big man pay for his cockiness.
Santos tags Rey, who gets a little offense in on Angelo before the Profit gains the upper hand and tags Montez.
Rey tosses Montez out the ring, gets a shot in on Angelo, and then goes for his patented slide splash outside the ring. NOBODY HOME as Angelo pulls Tez out the way and Rey eats floor.
Santos comes over to help his down partner and Angelo makes him pay for that with a mean bodyslam onto the floor. Angelo daps up Bobby Lashley as we go to commercial with the Profits firmly in control like Janet.
Rey back on his feet on the ring apron and taking it to Tez, but Tez counters when Rey gets back in the ring and puts the legend on his back. Quick cover but Rey kicks out at two.
Montez stops Rey from making the tag and hoists the United States champ on his shoulders. Rey reverses and flips Montez into the middle turnbuckle. Rey makes the hot tag to Santos, who comes in throwing punches and kicks, then hits the top rope and gestures Montez to do something not fit for a PG broadcast. Tez kicks out and the action continues.
Santos hits Tez with a Hurracanrana from the top rope and he barely kicks out at 2.5.
Montez reverses the Phantom Driver attempt, tags in Angelo, and the big man asserts his power once again. Santos, in a bad way, makes a desperate tag to Rey. Rey goes for the 619 but Angelo counters with an incredible Sky High.
Match breaks down with all four men going at it. Santos goes flying out the ring, Montez follows, then Angelo tosses Rey.
Bobby interferes with the ref not looking, plants Rey with a slam on the ring apron. Angelo hesitated with the cover in disbelief at Bobby’s actions.
Rey takes advantage and gets the W with a quick roll up.
LWO defeats the Street Profits.
Post match, Bobby stares at the Profits in disgust. Are they really putting this union on the brink already?
Recap of The Rock last week. Please don’t expect me to run through that whole thing because yeah, not happening. You saw it. You know what happened. Rock is still the biggest star in WWE.
Guess who disagrees with that and isn’t happy at all? Austin Theory.
Austin shows up at ringside to berate the commentators (looked like he targeted Michael Cole specifically) and got booed out of the arena.
Well this is interesting. Video package featuring Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn saying they’re the reason the Women’s tag titles are cursed.
Adam Pearce berates Austin Theory for obvious reasons backstage. Butch & Ridge Holland have a laugh at Austin’s expense, only for Grayson Waller to come to Austin’s side. So, yeah, tag match, player.
Back to the Profits & Bobby: Bobby reads them the riot act. Says if they can’t pull the trigger then they can go back to catering and he’ll find cats who can. If they can’t do it, then he wants everything back, including the suits. Montez & Angelo have some choices to make.
Asuka enters the ring and we go to commercial as Michael Cole hypes her upcoming match with IYO SKY.
IYO enters with Damage CTRL. And right before the bell rang, guess who showed up to upstage everyone? Charlotte Flair of course. She sits ringside and the match starts.
WWE Women’s Championship Match: Asuka vs. IYO SKY (c)
Both women lock up, feeling each other out in the early stages. Asuka grounds IYO into the mat with a headlock. IYO reverses and slaps the challenger with her own headlock. A back and forth ends in a stalemate. Asuka extends her hand for a shake but IYO, way too smart for that, kicks her opponent.
Asuka to the top rope, IYO cuts her off and hits a hip toss. Asuka to the outside, IYO goes for it all and misses the springboard somersault.
We go to commercial with IYO in trouble and Asuka reveling.
Back from commercial in media res, both women fighting for position on the top turnbuckle. IYO knocks Asuka down, goes for a springboard high risk shot and gets all of it.
IYO, firmly in control and with the crowd on her side, goes to the top again. Asuka catches her. IYO slaps the Empress but Asuka comes back with a mean flurry of kicks to the face with IYO hanging on the top rope. Asuka nails IYO with a superplex.
IYO kicks out at two!
Both women turn up the aggression. IYO goes for a suplex of her own, Asuka fights it, but eventually IYO hits the German suplex. Askuka kicks out at two and reverses the pin into an am bar. IYO fights out of it and kicks Asuka in the head.
IYO’s spent and Asuka recovers. Asuka hits a dropkick from the top rope. Slidking kick to IYO’s head. IYO kicks out at two again!
Asuka locks in the Fuji arwa arm bar but lets go. Goes back to the top rope and IYO makes her pay for it with a hellacious drop kick. Asuka to the outside, IYO goes for a Sunset Flip bomb. Asuka blocks initially but then succumbs.
IYO hits the moonsault to the outside and Damage CTRL celebrates as we go to commercial.
IYO with another headlock. Asuka reverses then IYO reverses that into another German suplex. IYO, desperate, goes for a Crossface. Asuka reverses that into the Asuka Lock!
Asuka breaks the submission once IYO puts the challengers shoulders on the mat and the ref starts the count.
Asuka goes for another dropkick, this time from the middle rope.
Both women frustrated and starting throwing bombs. Asuka catches the champ and puts her in another Asuka Lock! IYO breaks it and then Asuka goes back to it! IYO breaks it, multiple pin attempts. One more Asuka Lock attempt.
Bayley puts IYO’s foot on the rope. Charlotte tags Bayley for interfering. That gave IYO just enough time to recover, drop Asuka with a knee to the back of the head, and then take to the skies like only she can. An Over the Moonsault followed by the pin attempt.
1-2-3.
Your winner, and still champion, IYO SKY
Adam Pearce goes to the Wiseman and the Bloodline with a contract for the tag match. Paul says as long as it’s not tonight, he’s cool. Jimmy, showing all the initiative, negotiated the contract himself without Roman Reigns or Paul E.’s approval. Jimmy leaves the room ecstatic, Solo makes an ominous threat about their opponents, and Paul calls Roman. Contract signing for a tag match at Fastlane, and it’s all Jimmy’s idea.
Trouble in paradise!
Back from commercial: Elton Prince has a separated shoulder but Kit Wilson, of course, made it ridiculous. Kit treats Elson like a cancer patient while the doctor dead pans, “Elton Prince has a shoulder injury.”
Brawlin’ Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
Nope, not calling them A-Town Down Under.
Ridge gets the tag and swings Grayson like a child. Suplexes him on his head and makes the tag to Butch, who comes back in the match on fire. Until Grayson throws him out the ring. The Brutes do 10 Beats of the Bowery in stereo, Ridge inside the ring and Butch outside the ring.
We go to commercial with Brutes on top. Sorry, Gallus Boys.
Austin with a couple elbows to Butch and a cover. Butch kicks out and Austin goes for punches. Tags Grayson. Grayson knees Butch a few time before tagging Austin. Double team in full effect and isolating Butch in their corner.
Grayson goes for his own 10 Beats but Butch snaps his fingers then makes the hot tag.
Ridge hits Grayson with several tosses and suplexes. Austin makes the blind tag. Goes for the cover. Butch breaks it up and the match breaks down.
Ridge shows off all his power: He catches Austin in mid air and presses him over his head before slamming him with the power slam.
Back on their feet, Butch reverses the A-Town Down. Ridge locks Austin in a Boston Crab, Butch slapped a sleeper on Grayson, but Grayson backs Butch into the ring post. Grayson hits Ridge with the rolling stunner, which opens the door for an A-Town Down.
Austin Theory & Grayson Waller get the win.
Contract signing time!
John Cena makes his way to the ring. While he aways AJ Styles, the camera cuts to Jimmy and Solo destroying the Phenomenal One. Solo jumped from the top of production equipment and knocked AJ out cold. Frantic scene as Johnny, Adam, and the WWE officials crowded AJ and yelled for paramedics.
AJ gets wheeled out in an ambulance with the O.C. (Californiiaaaaaaa) by his side. Michin accompanies him to the hospital while Cena looks incredibly distraught.
The Bloodline hits the ring with no music but a chorus of boos. Paul Heyman says they can boo his tookus off, but it doesn’t change the fact that John signed a contract but has no partner.
Jimmy takes the mic from Paul, talks his trash, insults John, while the crowd chants for The Rock to fill the spot.
Johnny makes his way ringside and tries to clean house. He almost does it too until the numbers game catches up to him. Solo nails him with a Samoan Spike and the two brothers stomp him out. Jimmy and Solo finally sign the contract, lay it on John’s chest, and Jimmy hits another Uso Splash.
Who takes AJ’s spot?!
The show ends with Cena on his back and the crowd beside themselves.
To quote a very famous pig, that’s all folks!
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