LA Knight sought revenge on Jimmy Uso after he interfered in the main event of Crown Jewel and cost The Megastar a victory over Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
On Friday night, he had the opportunity to claim it in the main event of SmackDown.
What happened when the two rivals met in the highest-profile bout of the night, and what did Solo Sikoa and Damage CTRL have in store for the WWE Universe elsewhere on the card?
Find out with this recap of the Nov. 17 show.
Announced in advance for Friday’s show:
- LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso
- Solo Sikoa’s rise to power
- The latest from Damage CTRL
- #1 Contender Match: Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Street Profits
Photo credit: WWE.com
Damage CTRL entered the ring stronger than ever at the start of Friday’s show, but all was not necessarily as it seemed.
Kairi Sane, Asuka and WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky looked at leader Bayley disdainfully, as if she were the only one in the ring unaware that she was no longer in control. Sky talked about Dakota Kai and made suggestions that were more demands than anything else.
The heels challenged Bianca Belair, Shotzi and Charlotte Flair to the War Games, challenging them to find a partner before the trio interrupted them. A brawl broke out and… the heroes stood still while the heroes retreated.
Without things involving Bayley and her apparent ignorance of the imposing situation she now finds herself in, this wouldn’t have worked nearly as well.
Babyfaces powdering out of the ring? Are your heels sticking up after completing the Survivor Series challenge?
It felt like everything was booked completely backwards.
Luckily, the Bayley stuff is really good and should peak with her babyface transformation, probably as early as next Saturday’s Premium Live event.
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- Bayley officially introduced Asuka to the new and improved Damage CTRL.
- Sky running Damage CTRL through Kai’s words while Bayley is blissfully unaware is a great touch. It continues the storyline where The Role Model has lost complete control of her faction and isn’t even aware of it.
- The Heels have officially set the challenge for a match at War Games, which seems out of character considering babyfaces are usually eager to pit their opponents against each other in the unforgiving confines of wrestling’s toughest match.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Butch and Ridge Holland from the Brawling Brutes, Kit Wilson and Elton Prince from Pretty Deadly and Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford from The Street Profits fought in the first match of the evening with a chance for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Game stood.
A high-energy match ended with Butch accidentally staggering his own partner, allowing Ford and Dawkins to take advantage and earn the pinfall victory.
It’s pretty interesting that the Profits would win and have a match with tag team champions Finn Balor and Damian Priest, considering the latter two have top heel status on Raw and are the new No. 1 contender. 1 constantly tries to pass as villains themselves.
Booking logic aside, it should be a hell of a game next Friday night in Chicago.
The disagreement between Holland and Butch after the match, when the former left his partner, suggests that one of two things will happen: The Brawling Brutes go their separate ways and we get the return of Pete Dunne, or Sheamus returns, um to reunite them and make them stronger than ever.
Hopefully it’s option A.
Result
The Street Profits defeated Pretty Deadly and Brawling Brutes
Degree
Top moments and takeaways
- Butch brings incredible energy to each of his matches. Whether he’s the mangy mutt of the Brawling Brutes or Pete Dunne, he’s always managed to make an impact in every match he takes part in.
- There was a miscommunication where Butch accidentally knocked out Holland with a Brogue Kick to set up the finish. Could this be the reason for a breakup?
- Backstage, B-Fab turned to Bobby Lashley, who was watching on a monitor, and hinted at a possible spot in this reformed version of the as-yet-untitled Hurt Business revival.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Dragon Lee continued to build momentum on his main roster so far with a win over NXT’s Axiom on Friday night.
It was a damn good game with fast-paced action and seamless transitions that ended with Lee delivering Operación Dragon.
So far on the main roster, Lee has been tasked with having great matches with everyone he shares the ring with. He’s done just that, delivering bangers with everyone from Grayson Waller to Cedric Alexander to Axiom this week.
His entire character is based solely on the idea that he’s a great pro wrestler, and ironically he’s so different from everyone else on the show that it works. Hopefully he continues to gain momentum because he has the talent to get the WWE Universe involved.
Result
Dragon Lee defeated Axiom
Degree
B+
Top moments and takeaways
- WWE produces the little video packages for new faces like Axiom and really helps explain who newcomers are. It’s something they’ve been doing so well for decades and, for whatever reason, have gotten away with in the last decade or so. It’s nice to see her again.
- Road Dogg may have been brought in late as a commentator and it showed. It’s clearly not his performance.
- Triple H is out here booking Dragon Lee every Friday night for the Workrate match of the week, and as far as he’s concerned, it’s working.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Santos Escobar followed his shocking betrayal of Rey Mysterio on last week’s show with an in-ring promo that highlighted how rarely he was actually allowed to speak in front of a live WWE audience.
The content of the promo was mostly there, but the execution was… not so much.
That what?!” Chants from the fans didn’t help, but Escobar seemed uncomfortable at first but, to his credit, was able to settle in well over time. It wasn’t without problems, but it ended solidly after a slap from the desperate Zelina Vega, the heel beatdown against Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde and a save from Carlito.
Was the segment perfect?
No, you couldn’t have expected that either. Escobar didn’t have enough promotional opportunities to build confidence or connect with fans. He needs more of it to improve his performances, establish equality with the audience, and properly prepare for the inevitable showdown with Mysterio.
He seems ready to get it.
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- “Everything he said about you, down to the smallest detail, Dominik was right!”
- WHAT chants are the bane of pro wrestling’s existence right now?
- Escobar’s statement that he hoped Mysterio would get an infection and have his legs amputated was certainly a decision. Not a good choice, but definitely a choice.
- Escobar defeats Del Toro and Wilde, but gets beaten by Carlito and slapped by Vega, which really highlights the tag team’s place in the LWO hierarchy, doesn’t it?
Photo credit: WWE.com
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory continued to be a thorn in Cameron Grimes’ side on Friday night, with the latter directly interfering in the former NXT North American Champion’s match against the arrogant Australian and costing him the match.
Waller took the win and managed to finish the segment with a vengeance.
There was nothing really noteworthy here, but it served its purpose: highlighting the paragraphs, and it was effective.
Grimes deserves better and would probably get more attention on Monday night when there are three hours of TV time available, but for now it looks like he’ll be popping up here and there to continue this on-again, off-again feud with the heels.
Result
Waller pinned Grimes
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- Michael Cole went off the rails with a “GIF” joke. He had a lot of fun with Road Dogg and Theory on commentary and it was delightfully silly.
- Theory may be the more polished in-ring guy, but Waller could end up being the bigger star. The guy’s personality jumps out of the picture.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Paul Heyman cut a promo about Solo Sikoa’s victory over John Cena at Crown Jewel and what it means for the future of the 16-time world champion’s career.
LA Knight interrupted, reiterated that the only reason Roman Reigns is still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is because of The Bloodline’s involvement with Crown Jewel, and made his way to the squared circle for his match with Jimmy Uso.
Knight kept his promise and began his journey back to a showdown with Reigns, using Blunt Force Trauma to defeat Uso. A post-match attack from Sikoa resulted in a two-on-one loss before Cody Rhodes arrived, surprising the WWE Universe and working with Knight to clear the heels.
The look Knight gave Rhodes was interesting.
It suggested he appreciated the support, but not the idea that The American Nightmare could potentially overtake him for a shot at tribal chieftaincy.
It will be interesting to see if Rhodes becomes more of a presence on SmackDown as the road to WrestleMania approaches, and if so, what that means for his relationship with Knight and their shared focus on the company’s top prize.
Result
Knight defeated Uso
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- Heyman making fun of Cena’s theme music is never not the best thing on the planet.
- Knight just completely controls the audience. There were one or two points in his promo where he went off track but recovered perfectly before putting the exclamation point in the form of his catchphrase. He’s a star, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Shotzi enter the ring to reveal the fourth member of their team for War Games at Survivor Series.
Damage CTRL interrupted them and made their way to the squared circle, ready to launch a 5-on-3 attack to end the show. Until Becky Lynch arrived and revealed herself as the fourth woman on the babyface side.
A fight broke out and chaos ensued at the end of the show.
The lynching reveal was well executed, even if it was pretty obvious. She brings star power to perhaps the most crowded women’s wargames yet, and has a history with Damage CTRL that dates back to the faction’s founding just over a year ago, so it at least makes sense.
As is Flair’s hesitation to approach her before the part, given her long history on and off screen.
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- Flair admitted that there’s a fine line between love and hate, no doubt referencing the real-life tensions that have existed between her and Lynch in recent years.
This week’s show focused heavily on the women’s War Games match at Survivor Series, highlighting the ever-changing makeup of Damage CTRL (and Bayley’s shrinking leadership role) as well as the babyfaces’ search for a fourth partner.
In between, the show featured solid in-ring action from Dragon Lee and Axiom, Santos Escobar wished for Rey Mysterio’s amputation in an absolutely ridiculous line, and Cody Rhodes inexplicably showed up on SmackDown for his anticipated WrestleMania 40 showdown Roman Reigns is hitting his stride and LA Knight continues to establish himself as a star.
The show wasn’t always successful and not everything felt particularly urgent, but the focus on the women’s division for the second week in a row and the consolidation of the War Games lineup helped to sustain this show.
Grade: C+