WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from June 16
One week after making her return, Charlotte Flair joined The Grayson Waller Effect Friday night on SmackDown with Asuka and the WWE Women's Championship on her mind.
What did The Queen have to say about her familiar foe and how did The Empress of Tomorrow respond?
Find out with this recap of a show that also featured the latest in The Bloodline saga, which included the return of Roman Reigns.
Match Card
1 of 9Announced in advance for Friday's show were:
- The return of Roman Reigns
- The Grayson Waller Effect with Charlotte Flair
- Tag Team Gauntlet to Determine the No. 1 Contenders to the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: LWO vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Street Profits vs. Brawling Brutes vs. The OC
- Mixed Tag Team Match: AJ Styles and "Michin" Mia Yim vs. Karrion Kross and Scarlett
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match
2 of 9
The top contenders to the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were determined at the top of Friday's show in a Gauntlet Match.
The Brawling Brutes' Sheamus and Ridge Holland looked to sweep the field, starting with The Street Profits and rolling all the way through Hit Row.
Unfortunately, Kit Wilson and Elton Prince of Pretty Deadly had other plans.
The heels narrowly escaped with a victory when Prince took advantage of Sheamus not knowing which of the heels was the legal competitor and scored the pinfall victory over the former WWE Champion.
Pretty Deadly has been great since their call-up to the main roster, though that should be of no real surprise to anyone. They were tailormade for Raw and SmackDown and since joining the blue brand, have risen to the occasion.
Putting them in the ring with Zayn and Owens while continuing their program with the Brutes is the right call and will only further establish them as a significant heel act on Friday nights.
Result
Pretty Deadly earned the tag team title opportunity
Order of Elimination
- The Brawling Brutes eliminated The Street Profits
- The Brutes eliminated The OC
- The Brutes eliminated LWO
- The Brutes eliminated Hit Row
- Pretty Deadly defeated The Brutes
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Owens and Zayn watched from backstage as Pretty Deadly and The Brawling Brutes battled for the title shot.
- Sheamus delivered stereo Beats of the Bodhran to Prince and Wilson, only for the former to drop off the apron. He would ultimately lay out an unsuspecting Celtic Warrior to narrowly escape with the victory.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Congratulated Pretty Deadly
3 of 9
Just in case the win did not convince you that management has big things in store for Pretty Deadly the brief promo segment involving Zayn and Owens should have.
The back-and-forth saw the new No. 1 contenders seemingly try to break the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions with their over-the-top promo before Zayn unleashed Owens on them.
The heels escaped any physicality but the stage was set for a match that should be tremendously entertaining and, based on the in-ring talent of all four men, damn good to boot.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- "How is it that we just beat five other teams and our hair is drier than that mess of a man right there?" Prince asked the tag champions.
- "You keep telling me to calm down so I'm trying to stay calm but looking at them makes me want to run in there and punch them in their stupid faces!" Owens exclaimed.
- The heels bailed out of the ring before the champs could get their hands on them.
Zelina Vega vs. Iyo Sky
4 of 9
Bayley's interference once again backfired, this time costing Iyo Sky a match against Zelina Vega as tensions in Damage CTRL heightened.
The Role Model has, potentially not-so-coincidentally been involved in a few Sky losses of late, the most notable coming at Backlash, when The Goddess of the Sky lost the Raw Women's Championship Match to Bianca Belair.
The argument between teammates continued backstage, leading to Shotzi interrupting and challenging Bayley to put her spot on the line next week. Sky accepted on her behalf, claiming she was "just trying to help."
Bayley will almost certainly lose the match, Sky will feel the brunt of her teammates frustration and revenge in London, and the feud will continue in the weeks and months following Money in the Bank.
If there are no plans for either woman to be in the title picture any time soon, a secondary program with great in-ring action and established back history is exactly what the women's division needs to improve over the last six-to-eight months of so-so action.
Result
Vega defeated Sky
Grade
C
Top Moments
- A video from last week's SmackDown Lowdown set the stage for the match.
- Bayley attempted to interfere, distracting both Sky and the official and setting up Vega's upset victory.
The Grayson Waller Effect Featuring Charlotte Flair
5 of 9
The Grayson Waller Effect had very little to do with the Superstar for which the talk show was named. Instead, it was all about rising tensions between Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair, both of whom are seeking a shot at the WWE Women's Championship currently held by Asuka.
Belair took a shot at Flair leaving after WrestleMania. The Queen responded by questioning what kind of champion The EST is without a title, to which Belair said she did not need to win a title 14 times to make history.
The jabs were fun, Waller's facial expressions sold them well and Belair warning Flair that she will be ringside to watch her challenge Asuka in two weeks before walking out, the clear star of the segment, was exactly what this segment needed.
Good stuff from all involved, even if Waller continues to be underutilized in this role.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- "I lost to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania and I didn't get my rematch so aren't I owed...a rematch?" Flair asked.
- "I didn't run away and hide. I stayed," Belair said, knocking Flair's recent vacation.
- "I am a champion with or without the title. Are you a champion with or without a title?" Flair asked.
- "I am the longest reigning women's champion of this generation and I didn't need to do it 14 times, either." Belair responded.
AJ Styles and "Michin" Mia Yim vs. Karrion Kross and Scarlett
6 of 9
Instead of writing the latest chapter in the rivalry between AJ Styles and Karrion Kross, the Mixed Tag Team Match also featuring "Michin" Mia Yim and Scarlett accomplished nothing of note.
It was too short to.
Kross and Scarlett scored an underhanded victory but even it did not really present them as a cheating tandem lucky enough to escape with a win, nor was it overly dominant enough to establish them as the threat they were 10 months ago.
The match just...was and while there will likely be some blowoff between the heel and Styles, WWE Creative will have to work overtime if it hopes to convince fans that Kross is a top-tier villain or anything remotely close to it.
Result
Kross and Scarlett defeated Styles and Yim
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Scarlett broke up a pinfall off the Styles Clash by raking The Phenomenal One's eyes.
- Kross capitalized on a ringside distraction and flattened Styles for the win.
Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight
7 of 9
Santos Escobar dedicated his Money in the Bank performance to those who had a dream and dared to chase it.
LA Knight was less concerned about the babyface pandering and more about sending a message to the rest of the ladder match field, starting with a win over the former NXT North American Champion.
Escobar put a damper on that, though, scoring the pinfall victory over the loudmouth villain with a victory roll.
The match was solid, if unspectacular, but again suffered from a lack of time.
Escobar picked up a quality win but Knight restored some heat with the cheap post-match beatdown that ended with Rey Mysterio rushing to the air of his protege.
Knight vs. Mysterio would be a fun extended feud and may be the direction this is headed, but it still feels like the latter is destined to win Money in the Bank in London. Otherwise, the company kinda deserves the backlash it will receive from fans tired of seeing the talented Knight wasted.
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Knight interrupted a babyface promo from Escobar about chasing dreams.
- The heel tried to counter a victory roll but Escobar reversed it, hooked both legs and scored the victory.
- Mysterio made the save, sending Knight scurrying to the floor.
Did Jey Uso Fall In Line?
8 of 9
Nope.
And with that, The Bloodline was no more.
At least not as we had known it before Friday's show.
Jey Uso staved off Roman Reigns manipulation and gaslighting one last time to partner with his brother, Jimmy, and leave The Tribal Chief lying unconscious in the center of the ring. Ditto Solo Sikoa while Paul Heyman slithered to the floor like the snake he is.
It was the moment that The Bloodline saga has built to for three years and the fans in Kentucky reacted appropriately, erupting as The Usos stood tall in the center of the ring to close out this episode of SmackDown.
Jey did what he needed to and, just as he did three years earlier when he chose the safety and wellbeing of Jimmy by falling in line as part of the group in the first place, he again opted to stand by his sibling and strike down the outside force that threatened their bond.
It was masterful storytelling; storytelling that is not finished yet.
There will be a match, a blowoff to all of this that will likely feature The Usos against Reigns and Sikoa. Maybe it happens at Money in the Bank, perhaps WWE saves it for SummerSlam.
Whatever the case, this one segment was what fans had waited for and, after committing themselves to this narrative for so long, the moment they deserved. A masterpiece.
Grade
A+
Top Moments
- Backstage, Jey walked toward the arena, only to stop for a staredown with Sami Zayn. Neither man said anything, exchanging looks until Zayn walked off. The power of storytelling and the little moments that say it all.
- "I was only meant to get us to the promised land. You're meant to keep us here," Reigns said. "Wiseman said we would start grooming you but nah, we've been grooming you for three years now!"
- "You're meant to lead. Just not yet," The Tribal Chief told his cousin.
- "The problem is not your brother, Jey. They problem is our cousin," Jimmy interrupted.
- "You can't be a Tribal Chief and a twin at the same time," Reigns said.
- "In reality, I've been trying to keep up with your ass," an emotionally hurt Jey told his brother.
- "Guess what! You're out...and I'm out, too!" Jey said to Jimmy before uncorking a superkick on Reigns.
Overall Grade
9 of 9Friday's episode of SmackDown needed to accomplish two things: hype Money in the Bank and, more importantly, stick the landing with the culmination of the Bloodline family drama.
It did both, highlighting some of the men and women that will compete in the namesake ladder matches on July 1 at the premium live event before wrapping up with a moment the company has spent three years building.
Jey Uso striking down Roman Reigns alongside his brother, Jimmy, was executed excellently. For a moment, it appeared as though WWE might look to extend the story by having a dismayed Jey stick it out with The Tribal Chief but it is a testament to his performance and conviction that he was able to suck the audience in before pulling the proverbial trigger by way of a superkick that will be replayed for months to come.
That one moment elevated the entire show and helped make the episode one of those landmark broadcasts in modern WWE history.
Throw in the elevation of Pretty Deadly, Bianca Belair standing up for herself against Charlotte Flair, and an appropriate spotlight for the LWO and you have a strong show from WWE's most creatively on-fire brand.
Grade: A+
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
