Jack Waynick on March 17, 2023
Coming to you live on Friday Nights, it’s WWE SmackDown and Ringside News has got you covered with live results.
Start time for SmackDown is 8:00 PM EST Match-by-match highlights and results from the show will take place on this very page. Feel free to leave any reactions in the comment section below.
SmackDown tonight will see Drew McIntyre go one on one with Sheamus for the opportunity to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania.
WWE has also advertised a face to face confrontation between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso as well as an appearance by Cody Rhodes.
It should be interesting to see how things play out on tonight’s show.
Adrenaline in my soul, SmackDown kicks off with Cody Rhodes….making his way down to the ring. Cody says the he hat the utmost respect for Roman Reigns, he says he looks forward to beating Reigns at WrestleMania. Cody calls out Kevin Owens to come out and join him in the ring.
Kevin Owens does come out to the ring making his entrance along with a video package showing him being brutally beaten by the Bloodline. Owens enters the ring and Cody tells Owens that this conversation involves three people, Cody then calls out for Sami Zayn who then comes out to the ring.
COdy says he has an incredible love and respect for Owens, Cody says that when he himself wished WWE help in their future endeavors, Owens ‘introduced him to some friends” and looked out for him in a favor he could never repay. Cody says that with the three of them in the ring, it’s time for “the conversation”.
Zayn says that him and Owens have done some unforgivable things to each other but they always make up for it, and Zayn cannot figure out why this time has to be any different, Zayn screams at Owens to do whatever he needs to do so that the two can get back to working together. Owens says he heard Zayn out and asks Cody if he can leave the ring now. Cody says that everyone there wants to see Owens and Zayn back on the same page. Zayn tells Owens if they work together, they can “be the ones who take down the ones”. Owens says the three of them working together is best for business and he knows that, but why would he fight for someone who doesn’t even want to be his friend? Owens thanks Cody for trying to bring them together, and Owens exits the ring to disappointment from the crowd.
*Commercial break*
SMackDown comes back on the air with Sami Zayn running up to Kevin Owens in the aprking lot. Zayn tells Owens to forget everything he heard in the ring, Zayn says he will always be his friend and that he loves him. Owens says nothing and gets in his car and speeds away.
Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley vs Santos Escobar & Zelina Vega
Our opening match begins with Dominik hitting a drop kick. Escobar ducks a lariat and hits a jumping forearm . Ripley enters the ring and Escobar catches the big boot. Vega tags in and hits a flying crossbody to Ripley. Ripley rolls out of the ring and Vega hits a moonsault off the top rope to Ripley outside the ring.
*Commercial break*
Back live with Dominik launching himself over the top rope for a splash like his father Eddie Guerrero. Escobar hits a huge dropkick and follows with a leg drop. Ecobar covers but Ripley breaks it up at two. Both men spring off the ropes and run head-first into each other causing both men to be knocked down. They both crawl to the corners and tag in Vega and Ripley. Vega plants Ripley with a tornado DDT and covers put Dominik pulls Vega off. Escobar goes to superplex Dominik but Ripley grabs Escobar to hit the tower of doom to a huge pop from the crowd. Vega hits a huricanrana to Dominik and Ripley immediately grabs Vega and hits the riptide, Ripley covers for the three count.
Winners: Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley
After the match Dominik grabs a mic and starts to insult Rey Mysterio, we cut to the titantron where we see Rey walking backstage, likely towards the ring to come out to confront Eddie’s son.
*Commercial break*
SmackDown returns with Rey Mysterio making his way out to the ring. Rey asks Ripley to leave him and Dominik alone. Dominik calls Rey a sad excuse of a father. Rey says he has missed a lot as a father, he knows he hasn’t been there for Dominik all the time, but that doesn’t take away the love Rey has for his son. Rey said that Dominik will found out how cruel this business can be, and that Rey made those sacrifices so that Dominik can live the life that Rey always dreamed about. Rey said the Mysterio name bailed Dominik out of trouble countless times. Rey says that his biggest regret is what Domini has become, Rey calls Dominik an ungrateful punk ass kid, but that Rey fighting his son would be the biggest disgrace as a father, Rey says he won’t fight Dominik at WrestleMania and he leaves the ring.
*Commercial break*
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs Emma & Tegan Nox
The match starts with Nox and Rodriguez in a lockup. Nox slaps Rodriguez across the face and Rodriguez laughs it off and slams Nox to the corner. Morgan tags in and hits an enziguri. Nox hits a running knee and Emma tags in. Emma hits a running splash in the corner and covers for a two count. Nox tags back in and Nox hits Morgan with a face buster. Morgan hits a backstabber and Rodriguez tags back in as Emma tags in. Rodriguez hits a fall away slam and then a corkscrew elbow splash. Rofriguez hits the Tejada bomb as Morgan tags in and hits Oblivion, Morgan then covers for three.
Winners: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
*Commercial break*
SmackDown returns with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair in the ring. Charlotte says that when she was a baby, this business was built by Rhodes as a challenger and Flair as a champion, just like Wrestlemania is this year. Charlotte says Ripley wants to be the star but can’t until she goes through Charlotte, just like she tries and failed to do three years ago.
Ripley then comes out to the ring with Dominik Mysterio by her side. Ripley says when she walks in the locker room, everyone turns away in fear, except for Charlotte, and that pisses Ripley off. Ripley says Charlotte is a champion for a reason, because she is a superstar. Ripley says that Ripley is after the title, not being a superstar, and that at WrestleMania Charlotte will call Ripley champion and learn to fear her. Dominik the gets in Charlotte’s face and off the distraction Ripley takes a cheap shot to knock Charlotte down.
Ripley walks to the back but Charlotte runs out of the ring to attack Ripley forcing WWE officials to try and separate the two, emphasis on try because the brawl goes on for a very long time and spills into the crowd as Charlotte ends up getting the better of Ripley as Ripley is finally contained by WWE officials.
*Commercial break*
LA Knight vs Xavier Woods
The match begins with a lock up, Knight hits a big right hand strike and follows with a DDT. Woods hits a missile drop kick off the middle rope. Knight hits a neckbreaker and follows with a face buster, Knight covers for a two count. Woods gets a surprise roll up fo the three count.
Winner: Xavier Woods
We then go to commentary where Michael Cole officially announces the second inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2023, The Great Muta!
*Commercial break*
Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre
The match kicks off with McIntyre holding out his hand which Sheamus refuses to shake. McIntyre hits a snap suplex. McIntyre goes for a hip toss but Sheamus counters with a lariat. McIntyre hits a kinfe-edge chop and Sheamus counters with an Irish Curse. Sheamus tosses McIntyre over the top, hits just one beat before McIntyre counters and goes for his own Bodhran beating but Sheamus grabs McIntyre and throws him back in the ring. Sheamus goes to the top rope and McIntyre runs up and hits Sheamus with a superplex.
*Commercial break*
Back live with Sheamus hitting a back breaker and covering for two. Sheamus is then able to hit 10 beats of the Bodhran, actually 10 this time. McIntyre dodges the Brogue kick and hits a neck breaker. McIntyre goes for the Claymore but Sheamus counters with a knee strike and Sheamus covers for a two count. McIntyre hits the Glasgow kiss and Sheamus immediately responds with a knee strike to the head. Sheamus hits the brogue kick as McIntyre hits the Claymore at the same time. The ref begins to count both men out but Gunther runs into the ring to stop the ref from counting. Gunther encourages both men to fight for their spot at WrestleMania….before Vinci and Kaiser run in to attack Sheamus and McIntyre and cause the match to end in a no contest.
Gunther powerbombs McIntyre onto Sheamus and Gunther leaves the ring with his Intercontinental title belt in hand. Adam Pearce then appears on the titantron, Pearce says Gunther’s actions leave him with no choice but to announce that Gunther will defend his title at WrestleMania against both Sheamus and McIntyre in a triple threat match.
*Commercial break*
SmackDown returns with Jey Uso already in the ring with Sami Zayn making his way down to the ring. Jey says that from day one he never trusted Zayn, he never wanted him as a part of the family. Jey says that as time goes on everyone else in the Bloodline started to like Zayn. Jey says that the second he let his guard down Zayn betrayed him, Jey says from day one Zayn has always been a “fake ass Uce” zayn says that Jey always had a choice, and he continues to choose to accept Reigns’ abuse, Zayn says Jey isn’t mad at him, he’s mad at himself and mad that Jey didn’t get to hit Reigns with a chair first. Jey attacks Zayn but Zayn gets the better of Jey before Jimmy Uso runs in the ring to help Jey. The Usos beat down Zayn together before Kevin Owens runs into the ring from the crowd. Owens knocks Jimmy out of the ring and starts to beat down Jey. Owens hits Jey with a pop-up powerbomb. Zayn gets back to his feet and Owens and Zayn hug in the middle of the ring to a huge pop from the crowd. SmackDown goes off the air with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn standing tall, together.
That’s it for this week’s SmackDown. Let us know what you thought and we’ll see you back here next Friday for more SmackDown coverage. Until then, stay safe!
March 17, 2023 7:00 pm
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