< h1 >WWE SmackDown Recap: Judgment Day Prepares for Survivor Series Main Event
Just 24 hours before its Survivor Series premium live event, WWE hit the FS1 airwaves Friday night from Chicago’s AllState Arena with a go-home broadcast headlined by Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Balor and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day defending against The Street Profits. Were Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins able to pay off their recent success with a championship victory or did Judgment Day build momentum entering War Games and the Survivor Series main event? Find out with this recap of the November 24 show.
Announced Matches and Segments
< p >Announced in advance for Friday’s show were: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn Balor and Damian Priest (c) vs. The Street Profits The Grayson Waller Effect with Kevin Owens< /p >
SmackDown Opening Segment
< p >Bianca Belair, Shotzi, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch made their way to the ring to kick off SmackDown. Despite teased tension between the latter two, they appeared to be on the same page. Bayley, master manipulator and quality villain, arrived on the scene and tried to poke and prod at the delicate partnership, leading to the making of a main event for later in the show pitting The Queen and The Man against any two of the Damage CTRL War Games team.< /p >
< p >This was essentially any and every show-opening promo segment to set up the night’s main event. This one had a little bit more substance to it, with the teases of remaining tension between Flair and Lynch, and the obviously absent Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane backing up The Role Model. It was still a fairly uneventful in-ring promo to start the show that could have been a far shorter backstage vignette. At least the chemistry between the characters, including Shotzi’s unbridled energy in comparison to her more reserved partners, was fun.< /p>
Top Moments and Takeaways
< p >Lynch refusing to say Flair’s name while explaining her decision to team with the babyface team was a nice touch of continuity. “What Shotzi said,” The Queen said after a rambling rant of revenge on the part of the Ballsy Badass. Bayley curiously entered the arena alone, made her way to the ring the same way, and tried stirring things up between Lynch and Flair. This was an interesting tag match in that both teams entered as heels, and then Ford fired up the crowd like a babyface.< /p >
Judgment Day vs. The Street Profits Match
< p >The Judgment Day secured momentum ahead of Saturday’s War Games main event as Finn Balor and Damian Priest benefited from an assist by Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. The match had a quicker pace than most, and the crowd ate it up. Ford and Dawkins were the de facto babyfaces, and the Chicago chapter of the WWE Universe wanted to see the team regain the titles they had worn previously. Instead, Balor and Priest overcame their challenge and sent a message to Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and the returning Randy Orton with a quality victory.< /p >
Hijinx on The Grayson Waller Effect
< p >Hijinx on The Grayson Waller Effect gave way to a tag team match pitting the egotistical Aussie Grayson Waller and his insufferable bestie Austin Theory against Kevin Owens and LA Knight, two men who have gotten the best of them in recent weeks. The match was a great showcase for four guys inexplicably absent from the Survivor Series card. The Chicago crowd was red-hot for the babyfaces, especially Knight, and stayed with the action the whole way through. The babyface comeback was hot, the heels bumped all over the ring while never losing any credibility, and the right team went over. A successful segment, even if the promo segment that preceded it was mostly unnecessary.< /p >
< h3 >Santos Escobar vs. Carlito – Match Postponement and Alteration
< p >Santos Escobar interrupted Carlito’s promo Friday night and by the end of the segment, would add injury to insult. An exchange of insults in Spanish, and the insistence by Escobar that Rey Mysterio is gone forever, led to a brawl. A sneak attack by the heel left Carlito clutching his arm and teasing that he would be unable to compete in Saturday’s scheduled match with his former LWO teammate. Backstage, following a commercial break, Escobar looked to further injure Carlito until Dragon Lee made the save, fending off the heel and seemingly hinting at a potential change in the Survivor Series lineup.< /p >
Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly Match
< p >Might The Brawling Brutes be no more? After last week’s loss, in which Butch errantly blasted Ridge Holland with a Brogue Kick, the powerhouse of the team walked out on his partner, leaving him to fend for himself against Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince and Kit Wilson. Butch turned in a spirited performance, fighting the posh and pretty off before a blind tag and rollup spelled the end of The Bruiserweight’s inspired showing. This would seem to suggest one of two things: Butch and Holland are poised to go their separate ways or Sheamus is going to return and bring them back together. If the split brings us one step closer to rechristening Butch as Pete Dunne, so be it.< /p >
Main Event: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Asuka and Bayley
< p >For the majority of the main event Friday night, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair were on the same page as they battled Damage CTRL’s Asuka and Bayley. At one point, it even looked like The Man would pick up the win for her team, delivering a Manhandle Slam that would put Bayley away. Then, Flair errantly speared Asuka into her and the tension that defined their relationship prior to a momentary makeup once again reared itself. The heels took advantage and scored the win. The outcome creates an intriguing cliffhanger that begs the…< /p >
