WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades and Highlights From Oct. 24
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on October 24.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for this week's show:
- Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre make appearances
- Kiana James vs. Tiffany Stratton
- Ilja Dragunov holds U.S. title open challenge
- MFTs vs. Rey Fenix and Shinsuke Nakamura
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.
Cody Rhodes Kicks Off the Show
1 of 6
SmackDown opened with the usual recap of last week and showing arrivals at the arena before we went to the ring for a promo from The American Nightmare.
He spoke for about a minute before McIntyre interrupted him from the crowd with a mic. He questioned the crowd for cheering Rhodes and called the accomplices in Cody's crimes.
McIntyre said he needs to finish his story next weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event. He denied being the one to attack Jacob Fatu last week and implied it might have been Jimmy Uso.
Rhodes tried to goad McIntyre into a fight, but before he could get to the ring, Jimmy showed up and attacked him for accusing him of attacking Fatu. As the chaos was settling, Solo Sikoa and the MFTs came to the ring for the first match.
This was similar to the interaction Drew and Cody had last week in a lot of ways. Adding Jimmy to the mix helped, but not much. They did a good job getting the crowd pumped for the show.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Cody made a reference to Dustin Rhodes but didn't outright mention him.
- You could see Drew watching Cody backstage from far away.
MFTs vs. Rey Fenix and Shinsuke Nakamura
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Last time in action: Fenix lost to Grayson Waller (Main Event, Oct. 10), Nakamura lost to Sami Zayn (SmackDown, Oct. 10), MFT lost to Street Profits (SmackDown, August 22)
Tama Tonga and Nakamura started this tag match for their teams. They traded strikes and had a nice back-and-forth before both men tagged out to JC Mateo and Fenix.
The babyfaces had the upper hand as the show went to a break, but during the picture-in-picture portion, the MFTs took control and isolated Fenix.
The luchador began making a comeback when we returned, but the tide didn't shift until The King of Strong Style got the tag and started unloading on Mateo with kicks.
The pace picked up in the second half and made this a much more exciting bout, but it felt like it took them too long to make this feel competitive. They were just going through the motions until after the break, but once they started picking up steam, this turned into a fun encounter.
Sikoa distracted the ref while Talla Tonga chokeslammed Fenix on the apron, allowing Tama to hit a running elbow for the win.
Result: MFT defeated Fenix and Nakamura
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Michael Cole mentioned United Empire, which was very surprising.
- It's much harder to tell Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa apart than it used to be because Tama put on some muscle during his hiatus.
- Sikoa sitting in a chair at ringside instead of being more animated and vocal like he usually is was surprising.
- The face paint really makes the MFTs stand out. It's a good look. It makes them memorable.
Kiana James vs. Tiffany Stratton
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Last time in action: Giulia and James lost to Stratton and Stephanie Vaquer (SmackDown, Oct. 10)
The second match of the night saw James take on Tiffy in a non-title singles bout. Giulia's representative was talking a lot of trash before they locked up and Stratton put her in a wristlock.
The champion maintained control with some arm drags while Giulia cheered James on from ringside. James missed a moonsault from the apron, but a distraction from Giulia helped her drive Stratton into the barricade.
James had the upper hand throughout the break, but Tiffy began to build some momentum when we returned. She scored the win with a swanton followed by the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
The best thing about this match was that it reminded fans that James is actually a good performer who has had very few chances to really show it on the main roster. Both women put in a good effort, but this match was as predictable as it gets. However, the post-match angle was surprising.
Giulia attacked the champion, but Jade Cargill came out to make the save. As they were celebrating, Cargill ended up attacking Stratton, turning heel for the first time in her WWE run. It took several security guards to stop Jade, but the damage was done.
Result: Stratton defeated James
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Chelsea Green was trying to join forces with Giulia and James backstage, but she was rebuffed. Nikki Cross was seen but not heard.
- There were several ads for Braun Strowman's food show, which aired its premier after SmackDown. He seems genuinely excited for this project.
- James doesn't need her glasses to wrestle, so it feels like she's wearing them just to remind us she is supposed to be smart.
- James recovered from the missed moonsault nicely.
United States Championship Open Challenge
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Last time in action: Dragunov defeated Zayn (SmackDown, Oct. 17), Black defeated Damian Priest (SmackDown, Oct. 10)
Dragunov found Zayn backstage and thanked him for the opportunity last week. Zayn told him to be careful because the open challenges can be unpredictable.
The new champion came to the ring and gave a promo about his recovery over the past year before issuing an open challenge for the title, which was answered by Aleister Black. Zelina Vega accompanied him to the ring for the first time.
This was the first time these two have had a singles match, and they wasted no time getting right to the good stuff. They didn't try to ease into it with a lockup and some holds. They started throwing punches, chops and kicks right away.
Vega took the champion down with a hurricanrana while Black distracted the ref, allowing The Dutch Destroyer to take control as the show went to a break.
The match lasted through two breaks, so they had plenty of time to work. Black and Dragunov are obviously both talented performers, and WWE may have found a great feud by pairing them together.
In just two matches, Dragunov has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting people to watch on SmackDown, and with Black as a dance partner, they ended up stealing the show.
Vega was caught tripping Dragunov and was ejected from ringside. That was when Priest came out looking for some revenge. The distraction allowed the champ to hit Torpedo Moscow for the win.
Priest took out his frustrations on Black after the match, but Vega saved her husband and they escaped through the crowd.
Result: Dragunov defeated Black
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The replay of Cargill stomping Stratton's knee looked so much more brutal because it was a better angle of the attack.
- It's too bad WWE released Scarlett and Karrion Kross. They could have had an awesome feud with Vega and Black.
- Dragunov sold Vega's hurricanrana perfectly.
- The sequence of kicks right after the break was awesome.
Jimmy Uso vs. Drew McIntyre
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Last time in action: Uso lost the Battle Royal (Raw, Oct. 20), McIntyre defeated Rhodes by DQ (SmackDown, Oct. 17)
This week's main event was the No Disqualification match between Uso and McIntyre that was booked by Nick Aldis after they fought in the opening segment.
Jimmy met Drew in the aisle and the fight started early, but the Scottish Warrior got the upper hand as soon as they got to the ring. It didn't take long for the fight to spill back out of the ring and into the crowd.
We returned from the break to see McIntyre controlling the pace until Uso sent him out of the ring with a kick to the head. Jimmy had some help from a fan running across the barricade, but he ended up jumping right into a belly-to-belly suplex.
This was a hard-fought match with some good spots. Uso and McIntyre are both veterans at this point, so it wasn't surprising to see them put on a good show for the crowd.
As it looked like Big Jim was about to win, McIntyre threw a chair into his face and then hit the Claymore for the pin.
Result: McIntyre defeated Uso
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- McIntyre's entrance jacket was cool, but the gauntlets were a bit much.
- Ever since the Slim Jim partnership, WWE has been finding a lot of excuses for people to use tables.
- The way McIntyre took the drop toe hold into the chair looked great.
The Final Word
6 of 6
On paper, this week's SmackDown doesn't look like anything special. No titles changed hands and all of the results were predictable.
However, the matches were good, and we got some solid storyline developments, especially with Cargill's heel turn finally allowing her to be the dominant force she should be.
The tag match was decent, James looked good in the ring with Tiffy, and Jimmy and Drew put on a solid main event. But nothing came close to the fight between Black and Dragunov.
The two former NXT standouts delivered what was easily the best WWE match of the week. If you missed this episode, try to make sure you at least see this bout.
Grade: B
