WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From Nov. 24
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.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced 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
Becky Lynch and Her Team Kicked Off SmackDown
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Bianca Belair, Shotzi, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch made their way to the ring to kick off SmackDown and, despite teased tension between the latter two, 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.
This was essentially any and every show-opening promo segment designed 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, but it was still a fairly uneventful in-ring promo to start the show that easily 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.
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- 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. The Queen responded by asking The Role Model where her teammates are, continuing the storyline dissension within Damage CTRL between Bayley and her partners.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Judgment Day vs. The Street Profits
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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 defeat The Street Profits' Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins and 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, for better or worse, 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.
A solid segment that accomplished what it intended in the sort-term but does create questions about The Street Profits and whether WWE is all-in on them being heels.
Result
The Judgment Day defeated The Street Profits to retain
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- This is an interesting tag match in that both teams entered as heels, and then Ford fired up the crowd like a babyface. Sure, one team is naturally going to be cheered over the other, but there are ways to have this match without undoing what got the two teams to this point.
- Priest absolutely bodied Ford on the announce table prior to the break, putting the challengers on the defensive entering the commercial.
- Ripley interfered to give Balor and Priest the assist and set up the win, while Bobby Lashley and B-Fab watched backstage, infuriated about the outcome.
The Grayson Waller Effect with Kevin Owens Devolves Into Tag Team Action
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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.
Result
Owens and Knight defeated Theory and Waller
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- We got a nice video package on Dragon Lee that clearly set out to explain his background and give him an opportunity to build a connection with the WWE Universe.
- "Make fun of me? Joke's on you, buddy! I've never looked better!" Owens said, pointing at Theory dressed as him.
- "You know what happens around here when you keep saying someone's name!" Owens said, foreshadowing the arrival of LA Knight, who received a deafening pop.
Santos Escobar Attacked Carlito
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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 the heel off and seemingly hinting at a potential change in the Survivor Series lineup.
The intensity here was great, Escobar is already one of the most hated guys in the company, and Lee stepping up to defend the LWO without being an official member of the faction to this point is a great way of building is presence on the show.
Great stuff.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Escobar asked Carlito where his LWO tattoo was and criticized him for not representing the LWO.
- "You love Rey so much, you're gonna meet him in the hospital!" Escobar was overheard saying as the show headed to break. Carlito clutched his shoulder following a sneak knee strike.
Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly
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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.
Result
Pretty Deadly defeated Brawling Brutes
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Holland entered the arena ahead of Butch, seemingly disconnected from his teammate.
- After Holland walked out on Butch, the former Bruiserweight fought off his opponents, showing great tenacity and resiliency before succumbing to the numbers disadvantage.
- Backstage, Nick Aldis officially announced that the match between Carlito and Escobar was postponed until Dragon Lee interrupted and implored him to add him to the match instead. Aldis obliged and Lee vs. Escobar was officially announced moments later.
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley and Asuka
7 of 8For the majority of the main event Friday night, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair were on the same page as they battle 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 question: are the babyfaces doomed to fail at War Games because two of the four cannot get along? It gives the match something for fans to sink their teeth into beyond the War Games gimmick, something that can only serve to enhance the bout, as we saw a year ago with The Bloodline.
Result
Bayley and Asuka defeated Flair and Lynch
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The commentary team continued to plant the seeds of dissension as Lynch failed to enter the arena with the rest of her team, to Flair's music, despite the fact that The Queen entered to her's earlier in the show.
- "I can't believe this match is still going on without all these women fighting at ringside," Cole said, apparently having paid attention to WWE programming over the last 20 years.
- A "CM Punk" chant was pretty quickly shot down.
- Flair exploded into the match and, just as Kevin Patrick put her over as the most decorated woman in WWE, Corey Graves interrupted and reminded him of how decorated Bayley is, and rightfully so.
- Flair speared Asuka into Lynch by accident, interrupting the pin and drumming up more tension between them.
Overall Grade
8 of 8This episode of SmackDown blew by, a good sign for WWE as it sought to put the final touches on the build to Survivor Series.
The Judgment Day looked strong, there continued to be substantial attention paid to the women's division and the storyline involving Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and we got a hot angle out of Carlito and Santos Escobar.
Throw in a fun Owens and Knight vs. Theory and Waller match and you have a show that was easy to watch and undoubtedly drummed up interest for one of the biggest shows of the year.
Grade: B+
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