WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from February 24
On the Road to WrestleMania, Rhea Ripley stopped by WWE SmackDown for a face-to-face confrontation with blue brand women's champ Charlotte Flair in a headlining segment Friday night.
What did the 2023 Royal Rumble winner have to say to The Queen ahead of their epic encounter at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles? How did the second-generation star respond?
Find out with this recap of a Fox broadcast that also featured a rematch between Rey Mysterio and Karrion Kross.
Match Card
1 of 7- The return of the Firefly Funhouse
- Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair face-to-face
- Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross
Braun Strowman, Ricochet and Madcap Moss vs. Imperium
2 of 7
Braun Strowman, Ricochet and Madcap Moss have found themselves in a battle with Imperium's Giovanni Vinci, Ludwig Kaiser and Intercontinental champion Gunther in recent months, and on Friday night, the six competitors came together in a huge tag team encounter to kick off the broadcast.
As has been the case more times than not, though, it was the trio of heels that emerged from the contest victoriously, despite the appearance of Drew McIntyre potentially causing a distraction.
Instead, Gunther shook off the unexpected arrival of The Scottish Warrior and downed Moss with a powerbomb for the win. After the match, The Viking Raiders attacked McIntyre, Sheamus made the save and Strowman bowled over Erik and Ivar before the babyfaces stood tall to close things out.
The match was the typically great affair from Imperium, and Ricochet and Strowman are really starting to jell as a team, to the point that they now match their ring gear.
The quality of the contest was never intended to be the point of this, though. Instead, it was all about McIntyre appearing and planting the seeds for an Intercontinental Championship showdown with The Ring General. Such a match would likely rule.
The post-match brawl not only continued McIntyre and Sheamus' feud with The Viking Raiders but also provided the emphasis for Erik and Ivar to segue into a feud with Strowman and Ricochet.
This was a useful segment that enhanced feuds and set other ones up, just in time for the biggest event of the year.
Result
Imperium defeated Strowman, Ricochet and Moss
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Ricochet got too flashy for his own good and Kaiser flattened him with a double thrust to the throat.
- Kaiser smacked Strowman in the face, causing a distraction that allowed Imperium to double-team Ricochet entering the break.
- McIntyre wandered into the entranceway, watching Gunther closely as he overwhelmed The One and Only.
- Strowman received the hot tag and exploded into the match, overpowering his opposition.
- The Viking Raiders attacked McIntyre after the match until Sheamus made the save.
- Backstage, Dominik Mysterio interrupted a respectful exchange between Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar.
New Day Interrupted LA Knight
3 of 7
Following a run in NXT as that brand's tag team champions, The New Day returned to SmackDown on Friday night, interrupting an LA Knight promo and setting up a match between the braggadocious bad guy and former WWE champion Kofi Kingston.
Xavier Woods watched from ringside as Knight controlled the pace and systematically worked over his opponent. The host of UpUpDownDown would prove to be the difference in the match, though, momentarily stunning Knight with his trademark trombone and allowing Kingston to score the win.
The match was longer than one would expect from the competitors involved, especially considering it lacked any real follow-up. There was no post-match angle, nor did Knight get his heat back.
It was a seemingly random promo segment that gave way to a seemingly random match, won by Kingston with no real point. Considering we are on the Road to WrestleMania, utilizing coveted television time on a match that does not have any real impact on the card is a questionable call.
That is unless Triple H and his creative team do have something in mind for New Day and Knight. If that is the case, this was a fine enough way to establish conflict.
Result
Kingston pinned Knight
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Backstage, Paul Heyman told Jimmy Uso that Solo Sikoa should stay with him while the tag team champ goes to the ring for his promo later tonight.
- "Being nerds made us a HELL of a lot of money," Woods said, responding to a half-hearted insult by Knight.
- "How did that whole Kofi-Mania thing work out for you anyway?" Knight asked, taking a swipe at the lackluster WWE Championship reign that resulted from the magical Mania moment.
- Both Woods and Kingston knocked Knight for his fake leather jacket, which he seemed to take personally.
- Knight wiped out Woods at ringside but Kingston took advantage of the distraction, flattening the heel on the floor.
Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley Face-to-Face
4 of 7
The advertised face-to-face between SmackDown Women's champion Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley was less a preview of their upcoming WrestleMania encounter and more an excuse for a Dominik Mysterio promo.
Mysterio cut a promo about his father messing him up, and when Flair threatened to get physical with the third-generation star, Ripley finally made her appearance. They had a brief staredown and that was...that?
This was a big misfire as there was plenty of opportunity to get into the heart of the issues between Ripley and Flair—that being the loss in 2020 by this year's Rumble winner and her quest to avenge that defeat.
Instead, it was an excuse to highlight Prison Dom, someone who will fit somewhere on the card but damn sure should not be in a position to take the heat off The Queen and her No. 1 contender.
A surprisingly ineffective segment.
Grade
C-
Top Moments
- "I have a real Latino man at home who calls me Mami, with a much thicker...accent," Flair insulted Mysterio and referenced her husband, AEW star Andrade El Idolo, all at once.
- "Unlike you, Dom, I love my dad. He's 73—actually, he'll be 74 tomorrow. Happy early birthday, Dad," Flair paid homage to the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair.
Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler; The Firefly Funhouse Returned
5 of 7
A Twitter exchange between Natalya and Shayna Baszler led to a match between the two Friday night. Ronda Rousey seconded The Submission Magician while Tegan Nox vowed to have The Queen of Harts' back in the match.
Despite a clear effort by Natalya to overcome the effects of the Elimination Chamber match from last Saturday night, she ultimately fell via submission.
After the match, Baszler and Rousey attempted a two-on-one beatdown, but Nox made the save and took down Rousey, who could be overheard vowing revenge next week.
The match was too short to be good, but it featured some solid exchanges and transitions from the competitors. The bigger takeaway was that Nox was allowed to take down Rousey given how protected The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been.
There is no reason to believe this will turn out positively for Nox as the focus appears to be on Rousey and Baszler and establishing them as a team.
After the match, Bray Wyatt presented the return of The Firefly Funhouse and it was...intriguing if nothing else. The theme? "Can you keep a secret?"
It ended with Wyatt, in his new mask, asking, "If I tell you a story, can you keep a secret?"
Result
Baszler defeated Natalya
Grade
C for Natalya vs. Baszler; incomplete for the wild Firefly Funhouse segment
Top Moments
- Wyatt mocked the constant negativity of the news.
- "But who opened the door?" Wyatt asked Ramblin Rabbit.
- Uncle Howdy delivering the weather forecast was fun.
- The unidentified voice of a woman screaming for help as flashing video filled an open doorway created questions about who it was. It was fairly obvious that it was not Alexa Bliss.
Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross
6 of 7
Karrion Kross insulted Rey Mysterio's worth as a father, reigniting their feud and bringing about a rematch from their first contest a few weeks back.
Kross dominated the middle portion of the bout before Mysterio fought back and appeared poised to score the win. A distraction from Scarlett, interference from Dominik and the Kross Jacket submission proved Rey's downfall as the former NXT champion scored a much-needed victory.
After the match, Dominik repeatedly trash-talked his dad in an angle that saw Rey appear ready to physically respond to his son, only to walk out.
It appears as though we are inching closer to a father vs. son WrestleMania match or, at the very least, a tag team match that may also involve Santos Escobar in some form or fashion.
If that is the case, WWE may have one of the most surprisingly hot matches on its hands because Dominik is quickly developing into that self-centered, spoiled brat heel that will always generate heat.
Putting a beloved babyface like Rey opposite him, with the very real element of father vs. son, and you have a potential blockbuster on your hands.
Result
Kross defeated Mysterio
Grade
B-
Top Moments
- Kross sidestepped Mysterio and sent him crashing to the floor.
- Wade Barrett put over Kross' "long history of competing against luchadors in Mexico."
- Scarlett interfered, providing a distraction that allowed Dominik Mysterio to come from out of nowhere and cut off a 619 and then dare his father to "do something."
- After the match, Dominik taunted his father. "Get your ass up and be a man. Do something about it." He piefaced the legendary competitor, who finally bowed up to Dominik but refused to let his emotions get the best of him. He left while Dominik continued to taunt from the squared circle.
Jimmy Uso Promo
7 of 7
Undisputed WWE Tag Team champion Jimmy Uso hit the ring for a show-closing promo. He told his brother, Jey, that he needs him now. Instead, Sami Zayn entered the ring from the crowd and engaged his former "dawg" in a back-and-forth.
Jimmy blamed Zayn for his dismissal from The Bloodline, but the Underdog from the Underground insisted Roman Reigns has been manipulating everyone for years.
Jey Uso appeared, things turned physical and Solo Sikoa hit the ring and chased Zayn off.
This was more of the same great storytelling, with Zayn and Jimmy telling the story of their history, with each man expressing their anger and disappointment over their relationship's failure to maintain after Zayn's actions at Royal Rumble.
Jey remaining neutral but exchanging an intense look with Zayn worked well and continues the "whose side is he on?" narrative that should carry on through WrestleMania.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- "YOU made me the Honorary Uce. Remember that?" Zayn asked Jimmy.
- "You took me down with zero hesitation. Jimmy, I have to let you know, man. That hurt."
- "You made that choice. I did what I had to do. That's what family do," Uso said.
- "They don't manipulate you every single week like Roman Reigns did to me. Like Roman Reigns did to your twin. Every single week for years," Zayn said.
- Jey Uso appeared in the stands at this point.
- "There's a way out for you. You don't have to go down with the ship. I'm looking in your eyes and I know you know what I say is true," Zayn replied to Jimmy.
- Zayn and Jey exchanged a look as Solo Sikoa came to Jimmy's aid.
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