WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Sept. 23, 2022) with a live show emanating from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for early next month in Philadelphia.
Advertised for tonight: WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns makes his “grand return” to SmackDown, presumably to address what he plans to do to Logan Paul in Saudi Arabia.
Tonight’s card also features Jimmy and Jey Uso defending the undisputed WWE tag team titles against the Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch), Braun Strowman vs. Otis, a potential White Rabbit surprise, 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 SEPT. 23
This Broadway’s got, it’s got a lot of songs to sing. If I knew the tunes I might join in, but for now I’ll just liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the entire Bloodline making their entrance.
We get a recap of the Roman Reigns/Logan Paul press conference from Saturday.
Roman Reigns gets on the mic and tells Salt Lake City to acknowledge him and passes the mic back to Paul Heyman. He says the entire universe belongs to the Island of Relevancy, and sitting on the throne in his home turf is the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
Now that Drew McIntyre has another bridge to... Kross... Paul wants to talk about Solo Sikoa. He wishes he could take credit, but it wasn’t his idea or Roman’s, and while some people (Heyman gets close to Sami Zayn) might like to take credit, no, Solo was sent by the elders of the Samoan dynasty.
Solo was sent because Brock Lesnar took Paul out, the Usos have full plates, and somebody had to stop these conspiracies against the Head of the Table. If you thought the Bloodline was unstoppable before— and they were— there’s an enforcer now to stop everyone trying to take Roman’s throne.
This opens Jimmy and Jey Uso up to concentrate on their pursuit of greatness and history and immortality. They face the Brawling Brutes tonight and they’re going to put them in their place. Roman takes the mic partway through their catchphrase and addresses Sikoa.
He says the elders may have sent him, but Solo answers to him now, and he demands he acknowledge him. Sikoa takes the mic and acknowledges him as Tribal Chief, and Roman embraces his cousin. Roman’s music starts and everybody goes to leave but Sami asks to cut the music.
He apologizes while Jey Uso yells at him, and he says he knows he’s not technically blood right, but the way he’s been taken in as a family, he wanted to share his gratitude and also publicly acknowledge the Tribal Chief. Reigns seems amused and says he likes Sami, but why is he talking right now?
He sees what’s happening here, but like why does he have their shirt on? Why’s he tagging along, what’s this about? What does he want? He’ll tell Sami what he wants, he wants him to take the shirt off. Jey yells at him to take it off and Zayn says if this is about what happened with Logan Paul last week, he can explain.
Roman says he’s not going to tell him again, take the shirt off. He hesitates too long and Reigns signals Jey to rip it off! Roman tells Sami to listen for once, and he doesn’t want to see him in that shirt ever again. He’s never gonna wear a Bloodline shirt ever again...
...because he got him a new one! He unfurls an “SZ Honorary Uce” t-shirt and throws it to Sami! Zayn excitedly puts it on, does a fancy handshake with Jimmy, hugs Solo, and Jey... well... at least they don’t fight. Reigns asks him if he has anything to say and he acknowledges him and they share a deep embrace.
We see the Brawling Brutes watching backstage and go to break.
Lacey Evans vs. Liv Morgan
Evans in control early, laying Morgan out with a boot, grinding her face along the ropes, snapmare into a cobra clutch, wearing Liv down! Sending Morgan crashing to the floor, Lacey’s well in control as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Evans is back to the Cobra Clutch and wearing Morgan down! A defiant Liv flips the bird and Lacey destroys her with a pump kick! Flying headscissors out of the corner, holding onto the scissors while she does push-ups and then rolling into grinding her down with the hold!
Morgan with kicks to the face to break, Lacey goes under the ring and finds a broom, discards it, grabs a kendo stick but Liv ducks the shot, Codebreaker sets her up...
Liv Morgan wins by pinfall with Oblivion.
Post-match, Liv grabs the kendo stick, puts it down, and then picks it back up and starts wailing on Evans with it! Taking her to the floor... WHITE RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP INTO THE BARRICADE! She sets Lacey on a table and goes up top... DIVING SENTON THROUGH THE TABLE!
We cut to Hit Row chatting about tonight’s title match when the Street Profits roll up to join the party. The camera pans to Shinsuke Nakamura, also here to party.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sami Zayn berates a caterer and demands a vegan meal.
He turns around to see Madcap Moss and Ricochet.
Ricky says he’s changed, he used to be obnoxious and unbearable, but now he’s on a whole new level. Moss says that’s what happens when you shove your head all the way up Roman Reigns’ ass. Sami threatens him and says you disrespect him, you disrespect the whole Bloodline.
They mock him and Solo Sikoa comes screaming out of nowhere to beat the hell out of both of them until Zayn pulls him off of them!
We get a Paul Heyman-narrated video package about how the Usos only have Demolition and the New Day ahead of them before they become the longest-reigning tag champs in WWE history and we go to break.
Maximum Male Models (Mace & Mansoor) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Mace in control on Woods early as Maxxine Dupri takes a ringside photographer’s camera to take snaps herself. Mansoor legal, Xavier back body drops him to the floor and the path is clear! Mace tags in, knee takes Kofi out, scoop lift, big elbow drop... NOPE!
Tag made, Woods thinks fast and catches him...
New Day win by pinfall with a small package from Xavier Woods on Mansoor.
Post-match, Max Dupri yells at all of his associates, takes his blazer off and hits the apron a couple times!
A video package for Otis Dozovic vs. Braun Strowman follows.
We see the ring crew reinforcing the ring and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Hit Row’s backstage party is growing.
Los Lotharios roll up to hit on B-FAB and Top Dolla and Ashante Adonis shoo them off. Drew Gulak is there, too.
Braun Strowman vs. Otis Dozovic
Collar and elbow, behemoths struggling around the ring, Strowman breaks and lets loose with right hands and a colossal biel! Off the ropes, a dropkick sends Dozovic to the floor! Braun goes to the floor and runs around the ring, jumping over a drop down from Chad Gable but he gets distracted enough for Dozer to blast him from behind!
Throwing Braun into the barricade, ramming him into the ringpost! Back inside, Otis runs the ropes a few times for momentum, discus lariat... ONLY A ONE COUNT! Strowman drags himself up, corner body avalanche clobbers him, clubbing hamhock fists from Dozovic! Braun pops up and hits a spinebuster!
Otis goes to the floor for a breather and a pep talk and Strowman freight trains both of them! He throws Gable over the timekeeper’s barricade and goes back inside, scooping Dozer up but he slips out! Posting Braun, World’s Strongest Slam connects... NOPE! Vader Bomb... STILL NO!
Strowman blasts him and hosses him up...
Braun Strowman wins by pinfall with a powerbomb.
Brawling Brutes are interviewed backstage. They say they’re gonna win the tag titles and you can ask GUNTHER what it was like to get dragged into the belly of the red dragon, and there’ll be a rematch in two weeks, and Sheamus will drag the title out of his cold, dead hands.
But tonight it’s about Ridge and Butch and becoming the new tag champs, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Drew McIntyre makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He says Karrion Kross has been attacking him and he’s got some good news, he’s got his first bigtime match at Extreme Rules. And not just any match, a match designed to inflict maximum pain... strap match!
Scarlett makes her entrance but Drew sees Kross coming and posts him shoulder-first! Lashing the strap to Karrion’s wrist, putting the other end on his own, Drew drops him with a boot and whips him with the leather strap! Short-arm lariat with the strap, Scarlett slides in and blocks McIntyre from hitting Kross!
SHE THROWS A FIREBALL IN DREW’S FACE! KROSS ATTACKS BUT DREW BLOCKS AND SPINEBUSTERS HIM! SCARLETT WITH THE LOW BLOW! Karrion chokes Drew out with the Krossjacket!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of what we just saw.
Dakota Kai vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Rodriguez hossing her around to start, great big tossing Snake Eyes gets upkicks to fight back, Scorpion Kick reversed, Damage CTRL run interference to let Kai get away, Scorpion Kick connects this time! Running around the corner, big kick, stomps—
Shotzi Blackheart is here to even the score! She brawls with Bayley and IYO SKY, Raquel takes advantage...
Raquel Rodriguez wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin.
Post-match, Damage CTRL use That Damned Numbers Game to turn the tide and beat the babyfaces down! Shotzi recovers and the heels run away!
We go back to Hit Row’s party, Top Dolla toasts Natalya and Los Lotharios return to lay Dolla and Adonis out! Street Profits and Drew Gulak hold Hit Row back and we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up next week’s show.
We get main event entrances and go to break.
Brawling Brutes (Pete “Butch” Dunne & Ridge Holland) vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) (c) (WWE Unified Tag Team Championship)
Dunne and Jey to start, Butch hammering him out the gate, Ode to Jim Breaks with wrenching of the fingers, bending the arm down, stomping the bicep! Holland tags in, Usos turn the tide, Jimmy tags in! Big slicing punches and chops, working Ridge over, but the Brutes get him in the ropes for Beats of the Bodhran and knock him down with a forearm!
Jey sends Ridge flying, Jimmy sends Pete into the ropes and crashing to the floor! Usos put Dunne into the barricade, back inside, double whip into a double spinebuster for a nearfall that sends us to break!
Back from commercial, Butch on the floor, Sami backs off, Jey pops down to yell at him and glower, Dunne takes advantage and lays him out and we get tags! Holland blasting Jimmy Uso, cutting Jey off, overhook headbutt, superkick from Jimmy! Right hand, whip revrsed, tilt-a-whirl powerslam... NOT ENOUGH!
Dunne in, running hot, low bridge, Jey with the blind tag, Asai moonsault takes Jimmy out! Back inside, Butch with a German suplex and a double stomp, buzzsaw roundhouse to Jey... USO KICKS OUT! Big breakdown, moonsault off the top... DUNNE KICKS OUT! Pete counters 1D with a DDT, crawling for the corner, wrenching Jey’s fingers... WISHBONE’D!
Tag to Holland, Alabama Slam lift, blind tag, Jimmy kicks him in the face! Superkick Party ducked, he lifts both of them... DOUBLE BACK BODY DROP! Tag to Pete, scoop, assisted Northern Grit... JEY USO BREAKS IT UP! Sheamus squares up with Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn, but Imperium run down to beat him up! Superkicks to the tag Brutes, back inside...
Usos win by pinfall with 1D on Pete Dunne to retain the WWE Unified Tag Team Championship.
Post-match, the Bloodline stand tall and celebrate.
That’s the show, folks.
