WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results
November 17, 2023
Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
Commentary: Michael Cole, Road Dogg and Kevin Patrick
Results by: Roy Nemer of Wrestleview.com
WWE SmackDown kicks off with Damage CTRL walking down to the ring. Bayley welcomes everyone to the show. She says her plan to bring Asuka into Damage CTRL has to be one of the top moments in WWE history. She says the new and improved Damage CTRL is with no doubt in her mind, the strongest faction in all of WWE.
Asuka, IYO and Kairi Sane begin to speak in Japanese as Bayley laughs. Dakota says that IYO was saying this is not the new and improved Damage CTRL because someone in this ring is not part of the new and improved Damage CTRL. Dakota says that is because Asuka is not part of Damage CTRL since Bayley has not welcomed her. Bayley gets down on one knee with a tshirt in her hand and asks Asuka if she wants to be part of Asuka control. Asuka grabs the shirt as Bayley celebrates.
Dakota tells Bayley that the four of them, excluding herself, challenge Charlotte Flair to find tag team partners and to fight them at War Games.
Shotzi’s music hits and out comes the tank but no one is in it. Damage CTRL turns around and Shotzi is on the top rope and lands a cross body off the top rope. Out come Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair. They all fight in the ring until Damage CTRL roll to the outside.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from commercial and we see Shotzi, Bianca and Flair backstage. Bianca says they need a fourth member and she says she thinks Flair knows who that can be. In comes Nick Aldis who tells them he needs to know who that fourth member is by the end of the night.
Number one contender’s match – Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland and Butch)
The bell rings and we are under way. Butch, Dawkins and Prince start the match. Butch with chops to the chest but Dawkins with a shoulder tackle onto Butch. Ford is tagged into the ring and they double team Butch and Prince. Dawkins is tagged back in and he stomps on Butch. Right hands by Dawkins onto Prince and Ford is tagged back in. A clothesline by Ford onto Butch. Wilson is tagged in and they double team Ford and Butch. Wilson grabs Ford and Holland is tagged in. He hits Ford with a shoulder tackle. Holland with a DDT onto Wilson. He clotheslines Wilson to the ring apron. Butch grabs Prince as Butch and Holland go for the 10 Beats of the Bodhran but Street Profits break it up. The Brawling Brutes grab the Street Profits and hit them with the 10 Beats of the Bodhran. Pretty Deadline grab the Brawling Brutes to the outside and Holland is thrown into the ring steps.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Ford and Prince try to suplex Ridge in the ring but Ridge reverses it and hits them with a double suplex. Dawkins and Butch are tagged in and Butch with kicks onto Dawkins and Prince as Pretty Deadly fall to the outside. Butch with a jumping DDT onto Prince on the outside of the ring. Butch climbs the second rope and lands a moon sault onto Street Profits and Pretty Deadly on the outside. He throws Dawkins back into the ring. A reverses DDT by Butch. He goes for the cover but Dawkins kicks out. Butch with an arm bar as Dawkins gets to his feet and spins Butch, hitting him onto Prince and he slams Butch onto the mat. Holland, Ford and Wilson are tagged in. Holland knocks Ford down and Wilson knocks Holland down. Wilson climbs the top rope but Holland with a right hand. Holland climbs the second rope as Prince tags himself in. Holland with a suplex onto Wilson. Ford with a frog splash onto Holland. Prince goes for the cover but Butch breaks it up.
We cut backstage and we see Bobby Lashley watching the match. In comes B-Fab who asks her if she is watching. She says she is and that is all him. We cut back to the ring and Butch is thrown to the outside as Butch double clotheslines Street Profits and Pretty Deadly. Butch goes for a Brogue Kick onto Prince but he moves out of the way and he accidentally hits Holland. Street Profits throw Pretty Deadly to the outside of the ring and hit Holland with The Revelation. They go for the cover and get the pin.
Winners: Street Profits
They celebrate and out comes Bobby Lashley and they celebrate.
We see Bianca Belair speaking to Michin and they shake hands.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Damage CTRL are beating up on Michin and WWE officials break it up.
We see clips of last week’s show with Santos Escobar attacking Rey Mysterio. We cut to a clip of Dragon Lee speaking with Nick Aldis for a match to honor Rey Mysterio. Aldis says he will take on Axium from NXT.
Dragon Lee vs. Axiom
The bell rings and we are under way. Dragon Lee with a head lock as Axiom throws him to the ropes and Dragon Lee hits him with a drop kick and Axiom falls to the outside. Dragon Lee with a senton over the top rope onto the outside. Dragon Lee throws him back into the ring. A kick to the face and right hands by Dragon Lee in the corner. A dropkick by Dragon Lee as he goes for the cover but Axiom kicks out.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Axium with a drop kick and Dragon Lee to the outside of the ring. Axium runs to the top rope and lands a moon sault onto Dragon Lee. He throws Dragon Lee back into the ring. Axium climbs the top rope and jumps but Dragon Lee moves and Axium lands on his feet. Axium runs towards Dragon Lee and Dragon Lee hits him with a kick. Dragon Lee climbs the top rope but Axium with a right hand. Axium on the second rope but Dragon Lee gets him in a tree of woe and he stomps onto Axium. He goes for the cover but Axium kicks out.
Dragon Lee with a chop to the chest but Axium with a chop and right hands. He throws Dragon Lee to the ropes and Axium with a drop kick. Axium with a snap German suplex followed by a kick to the face. Axium grabs Dragon Lee but Dragon Lee with a brain buster. Dragon Lee lifts Axium up but Axium reverses it into a pile driver. He goes for the cover but Dragon Lee kicks out. Dragon Lee rolls onto the ring apron and he kicks Axium in the face. Dragon Lee climbs the top rope but Axium with a kick to the face. Axium climbs the top rope and Axium with a Spanish fly. Axium goes for the cover but Dragon Lee kicks out. Axium with a kick to the face. He runs towards Dragon Lee but Dragon Lee moves out of the way and he slams Axium onto the mat. He goes for the cover but Axium kicks out. Dragon Lee with a running knee to the face. Dragon Lee hits him with the Operation Dragon. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: Dragon Lee
Axium rolls to the outside of the ring. Dragon Lee stands in the ring, they look at each other and both men with a thumbs up.
-Commercial Break-
Out comes Santos Escobar to the ring. Loud boos from the crowd. He says never to meet your heroes. And his family is full of licha libre heroes and his hero is Rey Mysterio. He says he wanted the next generation to see him the way he saw Rey Mysterio.
Santos says Rey became a father figure to him and he made him feel at home. But after last week, he realized that he was right. Everything he said about him was right. Dominik was right. He says he deserved to be the United States Champion but Rey became the Champion. He wanted to rebuild the LWO but Rey brought in new members like Carlito. He tells Carlito as of this moment, he is his worst enemy and what happened to Rey will happen to him. He says Rey sided with an outsider like Carlito over him.
He tells Rey all of this pain Rey is suffering, he hopes it reminds him in how he felt when Rey betrayed him. Santos says he apologizes for not doing more damage. And this one, from the bottom of his heart, he hopes his surgery doesn’t go well. He hopes he gets an infection and they have to amputate his leg. He hopes he never has to come back.
We see the LWO watching backstage and out comes Zelina Vega. Santos tells Rey he will never forgive him. Santos and Zelina argue in the ring. He says they are done as she slaps Escobar and leaves the ring.
Out come Joaquin and Del Toro. He tells them they exist because he allowed them to exist. They get in the ring and they argue in the ring. Santos tells them to leave, he doesn’t need them, he never needed them, they are dead weight, they are done. As they are leaving, Santos hits them both.
Carlito’s music hits and he runs down to the ring. Escobar slides under the ring and walks away through the crowd.
-Commercial Break-
Grayson Waler vs. Camerone Grimes
Austin Theory is on commentary. The bell rings and we are under way. Grimes with an arm bar but Waller with a right hand. A head lock by Waller but Grimes with an elbow. He trips Waller up and goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Grimes with a right hand and an atomic drop. A kick by Grimes. He runs to the ropes and he hits Waller with a drop kick. Grimes slams Waller onto the mat. He goes for the cover but Waller kicks out. Waller rolls to the outside of the ring. Theory holds Waller. Grimes gets on the ring apron and goes to kick Waller but Waller moves out of the way and he kicks Theory. Waller trips Grimes up and Grimes appears to land on the back of his head onto the ring apron and he gets in the ring. Waller with a rolling thunder stunner. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: Grayson Waller
We see Bianca Belair talking to Zelina Vega backstage.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, we see Damage CTRL celebrating in front of Zelina Vega who is down backstage.
Solo Sikoa walks down to the ring with Paul Heyman and Jimmy Uso. Heyman introduces himself and he says he has a surprise tonight. An acknowledgement ceremony for the winner of the match at WWE Crown Jewel via pinfall through several Samoan Spikes direct from the island of relevancy and on behalf of the Bloodline, the winner Solo. Heyman says that the surprise of the night, joining them live tonight, the 16 heavyweight Champion of the world, John Cena. Heyman points to the stage and he says Cena is not here this evening. And that is all thanks to Solo. Heyman says Cena will never appear in a WWE ring ever again and that’s all thanks to Solo. Heyman says he sees a little kid in the front row crying, he says Cena can barely speak and that’s all thanks to Solo. And even if John Cena could speak, he wouldn’t. Cena has hustle, loyalty, respect, love and admiration for every fan but Cena does not have the heart to say goodbye to the Cenation or the WWE Universe. Heyman says he gets to say goodbye to John Cena and goodbye to the fans for John Cena. On behalf of their tribal chief Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Solo, he says John Cena, goodbye.
Heyman counts down to three, two, one and says that was Cena’s cue. That was his cue for Cena’s music to hit, come down, hit Jimmy and Solo with the five moves of doom and celebrate. Heyman says if Cena ever does come back, Solo has to be his opponent, his target. He says Cena is always Cena but he can’t communicate and that is all because of Solo. Heyman tells Jimmy it would have been the greatest promo of Cena’s career, he just had to acknowledge the real goat but now he can’t say goodbye since Solo hit him in the throat. You won’t see John Cena in Hollywood or anywhere. As he is talking, LA Knight’s music.
LA Knight tells them let me talk to you. He says they are out here talking about cause and effect but the one they have not mentioned is no matter how good Roman Reigns has been, everybody knows the only reason Roman Reigns is still Champion today is because of the Bloodline. Yeah. Everybody here knows that’s a problem, the whole world knows that’s a problem, he knows that’s a problem. He says if he has a problem, he has a problem solver and his name is LA Knight, yeah. And that means that he is standing on SmackDown because he made it that way. He stood across the WWE Champion because he made it that way. And the Bloodline will not exist because he will make it that way. But the first stop on that path, Jimmy, Solo, Paul, each of them will fall until it is him and Roman. And the first one on that path tonight is Jimmy Uso. He says he heard MC Boss Hog give his lyrical stylings. LA Knight says “He says yeet or no yeet, Jim is him but Jim going to be real dim after all the drama and he meets BFT and Blunt Force Trauma, yeah.” LA Knight says and by the end of it, they will all be saying LA Knight, yeah.
-Commercial Break-
Backstage, we see Bianca Belair, Shotzi and Flair. Bianca tells them that Michin and Zelina are attacked. She tells Flair she has to make that call and Flair says she will.
LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso
Michael Cole says on commentary that Paul Heyman had a call during the commercial break and we see Heyman and Solo walking to the back. LA Knight with a suplex. He goes for the cover but Jimmy kicks out. Jimmy rolls to the outside of the ring and LA Knight with a right hand. He throws Jimmy back into the ring. LA Knight on the ring apron and he hands Jimmy up on the top rope. LA Knight with a jumping shoulder tackle over the top rope. He goes for the cover but Jimmy kicks out. LA Knight runs to the ropes and Jimmy with a Samoan drop. Jimmy goes for a right hand but LA Knight blocks it and hits him with a right hand. LA Knight runs to the ropes and Jimmy with a chop to the chest. Jimmy runs towards LA Knight but LA Knight throws him to the outside. LA Knight with a kick to the face on the outside of the ring. LA Knight slams Jimmy face first onto the announce table. LA Knight throws Jimmy over the announce table.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Jimmy with a kick to the side of the head. He goes for the cover but LA Knight kicks out. Jimmy grabs LA Knight but LA Knight with an elbow. LA Knight to the ropes, Jimmy goes for a Samoan drop but LA Knight lands on his feet and hits Jimmy with a DDT. LA Knight with a clothesline. LA Knight goes for the cover but Jimmy kicks out. Jimmy rolls to the ring apron but Jimmy with a kick to the face. Jimmy climbs the top rope but LA Knight with a right hand. LA Knight on the second rope and Jimmy pushes him down. LA Knight runs and jumps onto the top rope. Jimmy pushes him down, LA Knight lands on his feet, Jimmy jumps and lands on his feet. LA Knight goes for the BFT, Jimmy pushes him to the ropes, Jimmy goes for a clothesline but LA Knight hits him with the BFT. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: LA Knight
Solo’s music hits after the match and he walks down. Jimmy hits LA Knight from behind and LA Knight falls to the outside of the ring. Solo hits him with the Samoan Spike. Solo clears the announce table and Jimmy grabs LA Knight. Solo places LA Knight onto the announce table.
Cody’s music hits and out comes Cody Rhodes. Cody with right hands onto Solo and Jimmy. Cody throws Jimmy into the ring steps. LA Knight and Cody get into the ring as Solo stands on the outside of the ring.
We see Charlotte Flair telling Bianca Belair and Shotzi that she called her but she doesn’t know if she will make it on time.
-Commercial Break-
Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes are backstage. Aldis tells him he has to go as Cody apologizes and leaves.
-Commercial Break-
Bianca Belair’s music hits and she walks down to the ring. Shotzi’s music hits and out she comes to the ring. Charlotte Flair’s music hits and out she comes and all three women stand in the ring as Flair grabs a microphone. Flair says they can stand and talk about what Damage CTRL have done but they are running out of time. She says they accept their War Games challenge and she knows a thing or two about turning on a best friend and there is a thin line between love and hate. But if they are going to war, there is only one person she wants on their side.
Damage CTRL’s music hits. Bayley says she knows Flair is bluffing. Bayley says they are not going to make it out of the building tonight. Damage CTRL stand on the ring apron and Becky Lynch walks through the crowd and gets in the ring, standing with Flair, Shotzi and Bianca. All eight women fight to the outside of the ring. Flair with a moon sault off the top rope onto Damage CTRL. Flair and IYO are standing on the outside of the ring and Flair throws her into the barricade and into the ring apron as SmackDown goes off the air.