WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results
September 1, 2023
GIANT Center in Hershey, PA.
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick
Results by: Roy Nemer of Wrestleview.com
WWE SmackDown kicks off with clips of the Bloodline from three weeks ago. We see clips of SummerSlam and the next SmackDown when Jey Uso superkicked both Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso.
Live in the arena, John Cena’s music hits and out he comes to a loud pop from the crowd. The fans chant “Cena” as he says they have given him 20 years of moments and it never gets old when he comes out, it just gets better. That’s why he will do his best to say thank you. A thank you for all they have given and all they will continue to give.
Cena says they have given him the chance to come home to his WWE family. They gave him a chance to be part of SmackDown, not for one night only but for months. They are giving him the opportunity to go to India and have a match there for the first time. And to host Payback tomorrow night. Cena gives his word and says he will do his best to give back to them and that starts right here, right now.
He says they have questions and they will give them answers. Because of the energy, electricity, the noise, the WWE are giving them unforgettable moments. As he is speaking, Jimmy Uso with a new entrance music comes out.
Jimmy gets in the ring and Cena looks confused. The fans chant “we want Jey”. Jimmy asks Cena what he is doing here and the fans boo Jimmy. He tells the fans not to boo him, the fans came to see him, the top star. They are not just here to see him but to hear why. He says he will save his brother 10 times over if he has to, he did it because he loves his brother.
He tells Cena the funny thing is that he didn’t want Jey to be corrupt like Roman Reigns or be corrupted by John Cena. He looks at Cena and laughs. Cena says he has a certain fashion sense, he never gave up on it. Jimmy calls Cena a GOAT and tells him he is now in the ring with one of the best. He tells Cena that he and Roman are exactly alike. They take, take, take and take. The only difference is Cena does he his with a smile.
Cena tells Jimmy that Jimmy has had a lot on his mind. He is probably thinking about a lot of things. Cena says he has wanted to say this to Jimmy for three years because he has only been thinking about one thing. Cena tells Jimmy that the wrong Uso quit. To take that. Jimmy goes for a super kick but Cena blocks it and hits him with the AA and the fans pop for that.
We cut backstage to Kayla with Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. She asks them about John Cena being the host of Payback. They both look at each other and laugh. Theory tells her he beat Cena at WrestleMania. Waller says at Payback, people will talk about Theory getting his US title back and Cody Rhodes being on his show.
Theory tells Kayla if she is done fantasizing about Cena, to get ready to see the greatest tag team of all time beat Rey Mysterio and Santos uno-leg.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, we see Jimmy Uso is walking backstage and he looks angry.
Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar vs. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory
The bell rings and we are under way. Waller and Escobar start the match. Escobar with a drop kick as he goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Rey is tagged in as they double team Waller. Rey grabs Waller and throws him to the outside but in comes Theory and Rey throws him to the outside. Escobar is tagged in and he throws Rey over the top rope onto Theory and Waller.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Theory and Waller double team Rey in the ring. Waller with knees to Rey’s face. He goes for a right hand onto Rey but he moves out of the way and Waller accidentally knocks Theory out of the ring. Waller helps Theory back up. Waller gets back in the ring and Rey knocks him down. Escobar is tagged in and he hits a cross body onto Waller. He goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Theory gets in the ring but Rey throws him out of the ring. Escobar kicks Waller to the outside. Waller gets in the ring as Santos moves Rey out of the way and Theory with a chop block onto Escobar’s leg. Rey and Theory fight to the outside. Waller gets in the ring and hits Santos with a stunner. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winners: Austin Theory and Grayson Waller
We cut backstage and Michin is speaking with Adam Pearce. In comes Jimmy who interrupts. Adam says this is what he wanted to talk to him about, he can’t go around being rude to people. Jimmy leaves as Adam apologizes to Michin.
Back in the arena, Bobby Lashley’s music hits and out he comes.
-Commercial Break-
The OC are backstage and AJ Styles asks what is going on. Michin says Jimmy disrespected her earlier and AJ says that is a big deal and he walks away.
We cut to the ring and Lashley is standing with his music playing. He tells the fans they know how to make somebody feel good but they have some business to take care of. Every where he goes, everybody keeps asking him the same question. And that question is “Boddy, what’s going on with you and the Street Profits” and he is here tonight to give a straight answer. Real recognizes real. And great recognizes great and that is why he recognizes the Street Profits.
Out come the Street Profits, both of them wearing suits with cheers from the crowd.
Bobby speaks about the Street Profits, calling them charismatic, athletic and more aggressive than they have ever been. Ford tells him to hold up. He says tonight is not about them, it’s about them giving the gratitude to him for everything he has given to them. It has been a long time since they have had this music success. They have fresh haircuts, watches, suits and are sexy.
Dawkins says Bobby has helped them see the bigger picture. They stepped over what was and stepped into what is. Ford repeatedly says “what to is”. He says it’s nothing personal, it’s just profits. Ford tells Bobby, they only have two words for him. Thank you and that makes Bobby smile.
Bobby says they don’t have to thank but they can thank him with their continued success. But they are sending a message to the WWE Universe. They are coming for power, control and Championship gold. They are coming for it all. They leave the ring and as they are walking to the back, out come Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. All five men go face to face and the Street Profits move out of the way as Owens and Zayn walk to the ring.
-Commercial Break-
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro
Wilde with a spinning elbow onto Zayn. He goes for the cover but Zayn kicks out. He runs to the ropes but Zayn with a clothesline. Owens is tagged in and he hits a swanton off the top rope. Owens goes for the cover but Wilde kicks out. Owens throws him to the ropes but Wilde hits him with a drop kick. Del Toro is tagged in and he hits Owens with right hands. Del Toro acrobatically gets on the ring apron and he kicks Zayn down. He gets in the ring but Owens hits him with a pop up powerbomb. Zayn is tagged in and he kicks Wilde off the ring apron and hits Del Toro with a Helluva Kick. Owens is tagged in and he hits him with a stunner. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winners: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
They celebrate as Zayn tells the Judgment Day that tomorrow will not be fun or pretty. To bring everything they have because tomorrow night will be the fight of their life.
We cut backstage and Jimmy has his bags and is leaving as AJ Styles stops him and asks him if he is leaving. Jimmy says he is as AJ tells him good because no one wants him here. He tells Jimmy he can’t disrespect Michin like that as Jimmy pushes him and AJ pushes him down to the floor.
In comes Solo who knocks AJ down. Solo tells Jimmy that he will leave the Bloodline when he tells him he can leave the Bloodline. Jimmy gets up and grabs his bags. He tells Solo that not he, nor Paul Heyman or Roman Reigns can tell him what to do. Jimmy grabs his bags and leaves the arena.
-Commercial Break-
Cathy Kelley is backstage with AJ Styles as he holds his neck. He says the Bloodline think they run SmackDown and WWE, they don’t. AJ says he wants Solo tonight. In come the OC as Anderson and Gallows tell him that they don’t need to get involved in the Bloodline stuff as Michin disagrees with them and agrees with AJ. He looks at them and says he has to remind everyone that this is the house that AJ Styles built as he walks away.
Back in the arena, out comes The Miz. He says tomorrow night at Payback, LA Knight will be competing in the biggest match of his career. The fans chant “LA Knight” as Miz says it’s not an insult, it’s a fact. Everyone saw how easy it was for him to be LA Knight on Raw. He says LA Knight is not on his level, he is not half the star he is, he is not half the star he was 10 years ago.
LA Knight’s music hits and out he comes with a loud pop from the crowd.
LA Knight gets in the ring as the fans chant his name. He looks at them and says “let me talk to you” and the fans cheer. He says here comes the Miz with his infamous dress up time. To go down the line, he has done The Rock, John Cena and now he has done LA Knight… Yeah. All three of those guys have something in common. Aside from the fact that Miz is skinny and can’t fill their clothes. But all three are guys that Miz wants to be but can’t.
He says he brought himself out of the sewer to stand in the ring. He has lived in the roach infested apartments, he has missed buses going to work, he has cashed his checks at the payday loan places. Miz got to walk in from a reality show, ride the elevator up. Meanwhile, he had to start from the bottom. It’s Miz that is not on his level.
Miz says LA Knight has failed where he has succeeded. He says LA Knight was on a reality show but he was the first eliminated. It took him three years to get to where he is. Movies, TV, he succeed because he is a star. LA Knight tells The Miz that he succeeded because he took advantage of every advantage he had.
LA Knight says the star of his show is his wife as he carries her bag and she carries his giblits. The fans chant “tiny balls”. LA Knight says he wants him to send Maryse his regards because after Payback, he will send her a broken husband, she is going to be empty inside, but with one call to him, they can fix that real quick.
Miz says after all those years of preparing promos, it paid off. These people love him, they relate to him because people are failures. They try, they fail, they settle for mediocrity. But LA Knight is different. He has had losses, hopes and dreams crushed, setbacks but he never gave up. And that gives him a chance to do something that these fans will never do and that is succeed. Unfortunately for him, he is going up against a superstar. And this Saturday, he is not only his opponent, he is a human time travel. When LA Knight loses his match, confidence, popularity, his job, he will go back to his roach infested apartment, cutting promos in the mirror like it’s 2003.
LA Knight says of all the stupid things he said, there was one true thing and that is that he doesn’t quit. He doesn’t know how to quit. While Miz is living in the past, he lives in himself. He tells Miz his present is trash and his future is going to be worse. Because at Payback, he will get stomped out and he will learn in the present and future, who’s game is it, with everybody saying. Miz goes for a right hand, LA Knight ducks, he goes for a right hand but Miz with a punch to the throat and he hits him with the Skull Crushing Finale.
Miz tells LA Knight if he wants to talk about the future, this is his future. Miz throws the microphone and leaves the ring. Miz starts to walk to the back as LA Knight gets up, runs and attacks Miz from behind. WWE officials come out and break it up as Miz runs to the back.
-Commercial Break-
Shotzi vs. Bayley with Damage CTRL
The bell rings and we are under way. Bayley goes for a kick but Shotzi ducks. Shotzi with right hands but Bayley pushes her away and she slaps Shotzi in the face. Shotzi laughs and hits Bayley with a clothesline. Right hands by Shotzi but Bayley kicks her away. Bayley stomps on Shotzi in the corner. Bayley gets Shotzi up but Shotzi with a kick to the side of the head. Shotzi to the outside as she grabs Bayley and throws her onto the floor. Shotzi gets on the ring apron and a rolling cannonball onto Bayley.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Bayley gets Shotzi in a tree of woe. She hits her with an elbow drop and goes for the cover but Shotzi kicks out. Bayley goes for the belly to belly but Shotzi blocks it and she suplexes Bayley. She hits Bayley with a cannonball in the corner. Shotzi climbs the top rope but IYO SKY distracts her and Bayley knocks her down. Bayley asks IYO for her Championship belt but Charlotte’s music hits and out comes Charlotte Flair. IYO approaches Flair but Flair hits her with a big boot. Dakota distracts the referee as Flair gets on the ring apron and hits Bayley with a right hand. Shotzi hits her with a modified DDT and gets the pin.
Winner: Shotzi
Flair gets in the ring and raises Shotzi’s hand in the air.
-Commercial Break-
AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa
The bell rings and we are under way. AJ with chops but Solo pushes him away and Solo with a shoulder tackle onto AJ Styles, knocking him down. Solo goes for a headbutt but AJ gets his knees up and he knocks Solo down with a kick. AJ goes for a slam but Solo with an elbow and Solo with a slam.
Solo with a chop to the chest. He throws AJ to the ropes and AJ with a kick to the face. AJ with a dropkick followed by a splash in the corner. Paul Heyman starts to walk down to the ring and that distracts AJ Styles as Solo knocks AJ down. Solo runs towards AJ but AJ lowers the top rope and Solo falls to the outside. AJ on the ring apron and he hits Solo with a sliding knee to the face. AJ with a forearm over the top rope onto Solo on the outside.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, AJ jumps off the second rope but Solo with a right hand. Solo slams AJ ribs first into the bottom turnbuckle an AJ falls to the outside of the ring. Solo slams AJ face first onto the announce table and he throws him back into the ring. Solo with the Spinning Solo. He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Solo throws AJ to the ropes and a back body drop. Solo goes for the Spike but AJ with a kick followed by an overhead kick to the face and both men are down.
AJ with right hands and he runs to the ropes and dropkicks Solo onto the knee. AJ with a running forearm. AJ with a splash in the corner. AJ to the ropes but Solo with a Samoan drop. He goes for the cover but AJ kicks out. Solo runs towards AJ in the corner but AJ moves out of the way and he hits Solo with a clothesline. AJ with a moon sault off the second rope as he goes for the cover but Solo kicks out. AJ goes for the Styles Clash but he can’t lift Solo up. Solo lifts AJ up but AJ grabs the ropes and gets on the ring apron. AJ with a forearm. Solo distracts the referee as AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm but Jimmy out of nowhere trips AJ up and he falls onto the mat. Solo hits him with the Samoan Spike. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
Jimmy gets in the ring and hugs Solo from behind as Heyman stands on the ring apron. Solo looks angry as he grabs Jimmy and goes for the Spike but Heyman yells at Solo telling him not to do it. Solo and Heyman leave the ring as Jimmy hits AJ with a super kick followed by an Uso Splash off the top rope as SmackDown goes off the air.