On this week’s edition of SmackDown, we are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and what better way to do that than have The Celtic Warrior and Drew McIntyre duke it out for a shot at the IC title?
What went down this week on SmackDown, with The Showcase of The Immortals just a few weeks away? Keep scrolling to find out the SmackDown Results and Highlights of 17th March 2023
The American Nightmare kicked off tonight by calling out Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to the ring. He tried to be the mediator between Owens and Zayn before their fight against The Bloodline at WrestleMania.
However, bringing together the former friends proved to be more of a hurdle than Rhodes originally thought. Zayn mentioned that they don’t have to be friends in order to bring down The Bloodline. Owens asked why should he align himself with someone who doesn’t want to be his friend, and walked out.
Sami and Owens definitely have some issues that they need to work on, mainly their communication. Owens clearly had his feelings hurt as he tried to rekindle his friendship with Zayn. This was a good segment to kick off the night. It brought some good old nostalgia seeing the two former friends in the ring together again. The crowd was clearly in favor of Owens and Zayn getting back on the same page again. How things will play out, however, remains to be seen.
Santos Escobar and Zelina Vega vs Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley
Zelina Vega really shined in this match. At one point in the match, she took out both Dominik and Ripley by laying out Ripley with a tornado DDT and landed a hurricanrana on Dominik.
Vega and Escobar almost got the upset win over their opponents. However, Ripley took advantage of a momentary distraction and landed the Riptide on Vega for the win. It was a hard-fought battle and while it would be a fresh change to see Escobar and Vega win, Judgement Day need to maintain their momentum heading into The Showcase Of Immortals.
After the match was over, it was time for another segment of Dominik trying to push his father to fight him at Mania. Rey continued to refuse, saying that he was being inducted into the Hall Of Fame and he would want nothing more than have his son by his side, while on the verge of tears.
At one point, Rey lashed out saying that if it was some other spoiled brat who wanted to fight him at Mania, he would gladly beat them up. However, it was his own son, and fighting him would be the biggest disgrace for him as a father.
This was another great segment between the father and son, as we see Rey slowly reaching his limit. Fans expect that the match between the father and son is definitely going to happen. It might just take another segment or two for that to happen.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs Tegan Nox and Emma
It was a match with an obvious outcome. And it played out that way too.
Nox and Emma gave their best effort against their opponents. However, Morgan and Rodriguez overcame their effort after pinning them for the three-count. This match didn’t do anything for Nox and Emma at all. If they were posed as legit threats prior to the match, maybe their loss would have meant something to them. In the end, it was nothing more than a squash match.
Charlotte and Ripley’s segment ended in a brawl
This was the first time their rivalry saw blows being exchanged between the two. The start of the segment was pretty much the same, with Ripley promising The Queen that she will make her feel fear during their match. She delivered a cheap shot to Charlotte and a brawl ensued between the two which could not be contained by the officials. It ended with the Queen staring down her opponent from the ring as Ripley and Dominik retreated.
Xavier Woods vs LA Knight
Woods and Knight continued their rivalry on this week’s SmackDown, in a singles bout. It ended with Woods surprisingly defeating Knight with the Back Woods.
Knight is one of the most underutilized wrestlers on the roster, as proved in this match. He could use a win for once and a win over Xavier Woods would have been a change for him.
No.1 Contender’s Match: Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre
This was another banger match between the two former teammates. But was it really necessary? Definitely not, as the match ended with a double count-out.
The Celtic Warrior and McIntyre went at it, pummeling each other, trading blows, and exchanging finishers. Both McIntyre and Sheamus hit each other with each other’s finishers, Sheamus with the Brogue Kick and McIntyre with a Claymore Kick, at the same time and as a result, knocking each other out. It ended with a double count-out as neither of the wrestlers was able to get up before the 10-count.
Gunther came out to the ring, demanding answers. He hit both of the potential challengers with cheap shots as they were already down. He got his answer, and he will be facing both McIntyre and Sheamus in a Triple Threat match. This outcome was expected from the beginning and came as no shock to anyone.
Sami Zayn and Jey Uso come face-to-face
For the first time since his betrayal, Sami Zayn comes face to face with the man he once considered his brother in The Bloodline, Jey Uso. Uso told Zayn that he never once trusted him. He did let his guard down at some point, but his suspicions of Zayn were proven right.
Zayn fired back, telling Jey that he had the choice to stop taking Reigns’ abuse and be his own man. He further said that Jey wasn’t mad at him for hitting Reigns with a steel chair, but rather because Jey didn’t get to do it first. Jey attacked Zayn, with Jimmy backing him up.
The two mauled Sami Zayn in the ring, till Kevin Owens came to Zayn’s aid and pummeled the tag team champions. He sent them out of the ring and embraced Zayn, after weeks of the fans questioning if they’ll ever get back together.
The crowd erupted in cheers, as the two former best friends finally reunited in the center of the ring, as Cody Rhodes watched from backstage with a smile on his face.
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