WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Nov. 3, 2023) with a taped show (spoilers are available here) emanating from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring the go home for tomorrow’s Crown Jewel premium live event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: United States Champion Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul will have a weigh-in ahead of their title bout at Crown Jewel.
Also on the card: Bianca Belair returns to in-ring action for a singles match against Bayley, John Cena is in the house, Roman Reigns tries to silence LA Knight before they fight in Saudi Arabia, Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory, a Donnybrook Rules match between Brawling Brutes and Pretty Deadly, 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 NOV. 3
For a while I thought I fell asleep, lying motionless inside a dream. Then rising suddenly, I felt a chilling breath upon me, and I liveblogged this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s contract signing between LA Knight and Roman Reigns.
LA Knight makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He wants to talk to us, and he begins by saying Roman’s nearly-1200 day reign is impressive but what’s more impressive is how quickly it can come to an end, and he talks about how Reigns came down here last week and ate the BFT. Tomorrow at Crown Jewel it won’t be any different, and this is a hostile takeover, make no mistake.
He’s coming to take over everything Roman stands for and thinks he’s owned the past three years, yeah.
Enter Roman Reigns, flanked by Paul Heyman as usual.
He reminds LA of his position as champion and says he expected someone to step up while he was gone but he never thought it’d be Knight. He gives him credit for getting the crowd on his side and encourages the crowd to chant for him. He’s advanced this business while Knight is pushing them back.
Roman makes cinema and he’s the megastar, he turned this business into a billion-dollar industry, and what has LA done? Gotten some chants and cosplayed a redneck version of his cousin? The dream is over, this is his island of relevancy and tomorrow he will end Knight and make him disappear and leave him in the desert.
But don’t worry, you won’t be the last one. Knight says he’s not here to finish something, he’s here to start something, to start the LA Knight era, and if you wanna talk about cosplaying, he’s gonna cosplay the guy that kicks Roman’s ass tomorrow, no, he’s gonna live it.
Roman is only a megastar because he carries that title, but Knight lives it every day. He doesn’t do warning shots, so if you take it, make sure he’s good and done, because if not he’ll come back and follow him and the only bloodline that will be visible will be running down his face while they announce LA as the new champion.
Nick Aldis is here with a gaggle of referees to try and keep a fight from breaking out.
Kevin Owens makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Austin Theory is interviewed in Gorilla and takes issue with the idea that his face is punchable, suggesting that it’s just confident.
Austin Theory vs. Kevin Owens
Grayson Waller is on commentary for this one.
Collar and elbow, into the corner, Theory breaks dirty with a shove and Owens gives chase! Out and back in, Austin in control, mounted punches in the ring! KO blocking punches, Manhattan Drop, clothesline to the floor! Fired up, crotch chop, rolling out, freight training Theory with a lariat and following with a senton to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Austin snaps Kev’s neck over the top rope, puts him into the post and back inside for a chop block! Elbow to the jaw, cover... NOPE! Fireman’s carry, Owens fights out, forearm, off the ropes, leapfrog counters the pop-up powerbomb, block the Stunner, rolling thunder blockbuster... STILL NO!
Up top, avalanche fisherman buster connects, waiting for Theory to stumble back to him, off the ropes, pop-up powerbomb! Staring Grayson Waller down, front kick...
Kevin Owens wins by pinfall with the Stunner.
Bianca Belair is interviewed backstage.
She says she and Bayley have a lot of history, and ever since Damage CTRL took her out, it’s personal and she wants vengeance— DAMAGE CTROL BLINDSIDE HER AND THEY BRAWL UNTIL NICK ALDIS AND ROAD AGENT KEN DOANE GET IN BETWEEN THEM AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Bobby Lashley and Street Profits are hanging out with Logan Paul and putting him over for taking it to Rey Mysterio.
He says they’ll see a lot more of it tomorrow and they shake hands. Lashley tells the Profits that’s what they have to do, come and take what they want.
B-FAB rolls up and asks to speak privately with Bob for a moment.
Chelsea Green and Piper Niven make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Shotzi Blackheart’s mystery partner is... CHARLOTTE FLAIR!
Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven
Niven and Blackheart to start, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn watching backstage. Piper in control, tags, working Shotzi over. Double whip scouted, Blackheart trying to carve a path and she makes the tag! Flair up top, diving crossbody wipes ‘em both out! Laying chops in, it’s not long now...
Charlotte Flair & Shotzi Blackheart win by pinfall with a big boot from Flair on Chelsea Green, becoming #1 contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, apparently.
Backstage, Solo Sikoa is looking at his taped-up thumb to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Solo Sikoa makes his entrance, flanked by Paul Heyman.
They get in the ring and on the mic and Heyman says this is the end of days for the career of John Cena.
And it’s his fault, too, because he picked a fight with the Bloodline, and Roman Reigns calls the shots, and he turned to the Enforcer. He goes on for a bit but Solo stops him and says they didn’t come here to talk to these people, they came here to talk to John Cena.
Enter John Cena.
Sikoa tells him he’s pissed off he has to wait until tomorrow to fight him, but he’s got orders from the Tribal Chief to give him the microphone so he can say goodbye to the crowd while he still can.
Cena takes the mic and asks with a hoarse voice if that’s it, if he realizes who he’s in the ring with, if that’s all he can bring to the table after a year of waiting to hear him speak? He can do this with half a voice and it’ll only take ninety seconds to cook him. He’s gonna say goodbye, but not to them, for them.
We all know the only reason Solo has a job is because of his cousin, and we all know he’s walking around like some badass enforcer when he’s just a bargain basem*nt Taz. Tape that thumb up real tight, because the only place it’s going tomorrow is right up his ass!
Damage CTRL are hanging out backstage crowing about beating Bianca Belair down and how she’s never going to learn her lesson.
Nick Aldis rolls up to tell Bayley that her match against Bianca is so big that he has to make sure the WWE Universe get what they paid for, and to do that he’s going to bar Dakota Kai and IYO SKY from ringside. IYO pats Bayley on the shoulder and tells her she can handle it.
Brawling Brutes make their entrance and we go to break.
Brawling Brutes (Pete “BUTCH” Dunne & Ridge Holland) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) (Good Old-Fashioned Donnybrook Match)
Brawling Brutes attacking before the bell, well in control, going to town on Pretty Deadly with shillelaghs! Pretty Deadly turn the tide, taking Dunne out on the floor and putting boots to Holland in the ring! Dive, Pete standing tall, and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Brutes have turned the tide back in their favor, Boston Crab from Holland on Wilson, Prince trying to make the save but BUTCH gets an ankle lock on him! Pretty Deadly with a nearfall, Pete breaks it up! Elton with a boot up in the corner, Ridge with a military press powerslam!
Wilson floats over, kind of a Twist of Fate but into a Codebreaker instead of a neckbreaker, big falling lariat, but Kit can’t capitalize and everybody’s down and out! Dunne breaks Wilson’s finger, but he sidesteps a boot, Elton in, shillelagh shot, schoolboy... BUTCH KICKS OUT!
Holland slams Prince through a table at ringside, Dunne is waiting for Wilson, Brogue Kick... SO CLOSE! Ridge gets a table out from under the ring, slides it in the ring, they set it up but Kit runs away to the floor and puts Holland into some barrels! Back inside, up top, jockeying for position... ELTON PRINCE GLASSES PETE!
Off the top...
Pretty Deadly win by pinfall with avalanche Spilt Milk through a table on Pete Dunne.
Nick Aldis runs into Paul Heyman backstage.
Aldis tells him to make it quick because he’s got a weigh-in to attend to, and Paul tells him to make sure plenty of medical personnel are in attendance tomorrow because this is the most savage version of Roman Reigns there’s ever been.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Nick Aldis presides over a weigh-in somewhere backstage.
Logan Paul weighs in at 213 pounds, and Rey Mysterio weighs in at 175 pounds. He has them face off and Logan calls him an oompa-loompa with a mask as they trade trash talk. He pats Rey on the head, Nick reminds him no contact, and Mysterio has just one thing to say, a slap across the face that leads to a brawl breaking out!
Referees manage to separate them and Paul kvetches about Rey having “weapons.”
Bianca Belair makes her entrance and we go to break.
Bayley vs. Bianca Belair
Bayley right in with punches in the corner, putting boots to Belair, whip to the corner, up and over, shoulder blocks in the corner as Bianca fights into it! Delayed vertical suplex connects, kip up, Belair light on her feet, handspring moonsault for two! Scoops and slams, whip reversed, elbow up!
Back body drop to the apron but the Role Model hits the Stunner over the middle rope and follows it with a Knee Trembler as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Bayley is in control until Belair gets a backbreaker off! Both women down, slowly getting themselves together, Bianca blocks punches and throws her own back! Hard right hands, off the ropes, under a lariat, shoulder blocks and a dropkick! Kip up, fired up, shoulder thrust in the corner! Mounted punches, and a spinebuster follows!
Waiting for Bayley to get to her feet, putting her up top, superplex connects and both women are down again! To the floor, the Role Model gets hands on Belair’s braid and yanks her hard into the ringpost! Back inside, up top, diving elbow... NOPE! Fighting on the apron, Bayley wants a powerbomb, the EST blocks with punches and kicks her away!
Drawing her up, elbows for kicks on the apron, slide back inside and Bayley bounces face-first off the post! Belair with a plancha, off the ropes, backbreaker rack, Bayley slips out and gets a nearfall! Hair whip, backbreaker rack...
Bianca Belair wins by pinfall with KOD.
Post-match, Belair hits another KOD on the floor!
That’s the show, folks.
