WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction, Highlights from March 10

The road to WrestleMania is only paved for so many, and everyone was fighting for their opportunity on the March 10 edition of Friday Night SmackDown.

Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, LA Knight and Kofi Kingston all laid down their claim for a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

This week, they would fight in a Fatal 5-Way match to determine the No. 1 contender, though Xavier Woods needed to step in on behalf of Kofi following his friend's foot injury during last week's brawl.

Jey Uso turned his back on Sami Zayn to rejoin The Bloodline on Monday Night Raw. He would return to face Roman Reigns after walking out on the family last month.

Braun Strowman and Ricochet teamed together to take on The Viking Raiders. The Judgment Day looked to take down Legado del Fantasma in a growing feud of factions.

WWE SmackDown had a loaded card, including many exciting appearances from top names. With WrestleMania Goes Hollywood on the horizon, this show needed to keep building a monumental event.

IC Title No. 1 Contender: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Kross vs. LA Knight vs. Woods

After LA Knight and Karrion Kross turned on each other, Sheamus and Drew McIntyre took over the action. The Celtic Warrior delivered a Brogue Kick to Xavier Woods, and The Scottish Warrior Claymored Knight. Both picked up the three count at the same time.

This was everything one could have hoped for as an opener for SmackDown. The action was fast and fun, building up a hot crowd. It would have been nice to see more from Woods, but he was clearly not going to win.

The action did slow down at the end to get to the choreographed finish, but WWE needed to establish both The Celtic Warrior and The Scottish Warrior as challengers for Gunther.

The only matches that made sense for WrestleMania for The Ring General involved either Sheamus or McIntyre. A triple threat is an easy story to tell as well.

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Result

Sheamus and McIntyre def. Kross, Woods and Knight by simultaneous pinfall. The two will face off next week to determine the true No. 1 contender.

Grade

A-

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Notable Moments

• The show started with The Usos arriving to a greeting from Paul Heyman, who told Jey Uso he was proud of him. Jey promised to explain his actions in the ring.
• Knight and Kross worked together until The Million Dollar Mega Star got a little too opportunistic and tried to steal a pin on Sheamus.
• Imperium appeared midway into the match to watch from the ramp.
  
• Knight jumped over McIntyre to set up a superplex on Woods, but McIntyre planted both men with a spider superplex.
• After the finish, the crowd chanted repeatedly "triple threat".
• RIdge Holland and Butch had to separate Sheamus and McIntyre backstage.
• Gunther questioned Adam Pearce on his decision-making. Pearce decided next week Sheamus would face McIntyre, and the winner would go to WrestleMania.
  

2023 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee - Rey Mysterio/Legado del Fantasma vs. Judgment Day

A video package was shown to highlight the career of Rey Mysterio, The Master of the 619 came out to celebrate with the fans, but Dominik Mysterio and Judgment Day interrupted. Legado del Fantasma evened the odds.

Santos Escobar challenged The Judgment Day to start their six-man tag team match early. Damian Priest caught Cruz Del Toro with a superkick, setting up The Ex-Con to pin him and win.

The talent in this match far eclipsed the action. The rushed nature of the encounter easily devolved into a series of spots that led to the finish. It would have been nice to see more cohesive wrestling.

However, the continued story of Rey vs. Dom was what mattered most, and SmackDown has done more than enough to sell this feud as WrestleMania-worthy.

The Master of the 619 is going into the WWE Hall of Fame, which may be a little early given he still has a couple years left in the ring. However, it was a perfect set-up for The Ex-Con to complain about his father.

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Result

Dom, Finn Bálor and Priest def. Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Del Toro by pinfall.

Grade

C+

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Notable Moments

• The Ex-Con questioned why a "broken down old man" was being inducted into the WWE Hall of Famer, clearly not understanding what a Hall of Fame is for.
• Michael Cole has never hated any heel in wrestling more than Dom.
• Escobar and Wilde caught Bálor and Priest outside with suicide dives. Ripley powerbombed Vega on to Legado. In the chaos, Dom caught Rey with a baseball slide.
• After the match, The Ex-Con demanded Rey hit him, but he still refused.
  
• In a backstage interview, Paul Heyman warned Cody Rhodes that after he lost, he would need to acknowledge The Tribal Chief.

The Viking Raiders (w/ Valhalla) vs. Braun Strowman and Ricochet

The Viking Raiders executed a flawless game plan, isolating Ricochet. Valhalla saved Erik from a charging Braun Strowman, who ran into the chairs at ringside. Ivar finished off The One and Only with a diving splash.

Ricochet remains one of WWE's best underutilized stars, and he carried this action in what often felt like a two-on-one handicap match. He kept the action moving, even while he was getting beaten down.

It was nice to see The Viking Raiders picking up a victory for once. Erik and Ivar's presentation has improved immensely in recent months, but they need serious credibility. WWE should not waste this by giving Ricochet and Strowman the win back.

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Result

Viking Raiders def. Ricochet and Strowman by pinfall.

Grade

B

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Notable Moments

• Ricochet and Strowman have been a tag team for months, but their entrance is still simply The Monster of Monsters entrance. Ricochet just walks with him.
• Ivar grabbed the leg of Strowman on the apron to allow Erik to knock him off then set up Ivar for a running crossbody into the screen outside.
• The One and Only got a big pop when he lifted Erik on to his shoulders.
  

Charlotte Flair vs. Shotzi

Charlotte Flair tried to keep focused as Rhea Ripley kept a close eye on the action. The Queen finally caught Shotzi with a Spear followed by locking in the Figure-Eight to force a submission.

After the match, Ripley warned Charlotte that she could see all of her insecurities. The Queen refused to admit to any weakness.

This was a squash match that went far too long. Shotzi never looked like she was making any impact on Charlotte. The Queen can have a great match with select stars, but she had no chemistry with Shotzi, who pulled too short on her strikes throughout.

Not many are good promos after a match, and Charlotte was clearly struggling to stay on script throughout. This was all together an awkward way to keep building this feud that does not have a WrestleMania spark yet.

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Result

Charlotte def. Shotzi by submission.

Grade

D

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Notable Moments

• Charlotte found Adam Pearce in his office and requested a match for the night.
• The Nightmare arrived as The Queen went for a Figure-Eight and nearly distracted her into falling for a school boy.
• The crowd fell into the very unwelcome "what" chants while Ripley talked.
  

Cody Rhodes Joins Sami Zayn's Fight Against The Usos

Jey Uso admitted that he didn't want to do what he did, but Jimmy Uso is his brother. He would do anything for his brother. Jimmy turned his attention on Cody Rhodes, who arrived in a suit.

The American Nightmare took off his jacket, then he prepared for a fight. Sami Zayn appeared from behind to attack Jimmy while Cody and Jey brawled into the crowd. Zayn and Rhodes finally took the ring and stood tall together.

The Bloodline segments always have a bigger aura than anything else in WWE. However, this was more of a filler segment than a true standout moment. While Kevin Owens refuses to fight with The Honorary HAB, The American Nightmare is glad to help him.

It is good to see Rhodes more directly involved now. By helping Zayn, he is reinforcing the stories already in place while growing his own story with The Bloodline.

In the end, Rhodes cannot help Zayn and focus on Reigns once The Tribal Chief returns, so it will be up to both The Honorary HAB and The American Nightmare to continue selling The Prizefighter on joining this fight together. That's good TV set up for next week.

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Grade

B

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Notable Moments

• In their promo, Jey looked uncomfortable, even conflicted, while Jimmy smiled.
• Jey blamed Zayn for pushing him into this position, calling him selfish.
• Rhodes came out to his full entrance, complete with pyro.
• Michael Cole harped on the same line repeatedly, questioning if Rhodes made a "critical mistake" by getting involved in the business of The Bloodline. This doesn't make much sense as he was already in the crosshairs of Roman Reigns as the next challenger.