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WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Nov. 14
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on November 14.
John Cena's farewell tour will culminate with a match against the winner of a tournament that will take place across all WWE brands.
Friday's SmackDown featured two matches for the tourney. Here's a look at what WWE advertised for this week's show:
- Jey Uso vs. The Miz
- LA Knight vs. Mystery Opponent
- B-Fab vs. Jade Cargill
- Sami Zayn gives a message to Solo Sikoa
Let's take a look at what happened on Friday's episode of the blue brand.
Opening Segment
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SmackDown opened with a recap of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair losing the tag titles last week before Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky came out together to kick things off in the ring. They were soon joined by their WarGames teammates, Flair and Bliss.
Flair said she trusts Bliss, but she does not trust Ripley and doesn't want to be on a team with her. The Queen left as Bliss, Ripley and Sky looked confused. That is how the segment ended, so we will have to wait to find out if someone replaces her.
This was the kind of segment that could have accomplished the same thing in a quick backstage moment. It didn't do anything to make us look forward to the match, but it did leave us with questions, so at least it created a little intrigue.
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ripley was wearing a protective mask again. How is she the only person who makes that stupid mask look decent?
- It's nice to see people on the same team acknowledging their history and how much they dislike each other. Sometimes it feels like people get on the same side and suddenly all of their previous animosity means nothing.
Jey Uso vs. The Miz
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Last time in action: CM Punk and Uso vs. Vision ended in a no contest (Raw, Nov. 3), The Miz and Carmelo Hayes lost to The Street Profits (SmackDown, Sept. 26)
The first tournament match to find John Cena's final opponent saw The Miz take on Uso. As Uso was hyping up for an encore of his song, The Miz's music interrupted him.
The match started off slow but picked up steam before it cut to a break. We returned to see The A-Lister in control. He scored a two-count with a nice DDT, but Uso began to make a comeback once he recovered.
The Miz hit his finisher but couldn't get the pin. Once Main Event Jey got his footing back, he was able to score the win to advance in the tournament. This was a solid match, but nothing to write home about. Both guys looked good, but there was a lack of urgency in this one.
Result: Uso defeated The Miz
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The Miz should have had a match with Cena during this run. He has more history with Cena than most people.
- Corey Graves joked that The Miz has fought Cena over 100 times but the win-loss record wasn't available.
- It's hilarious that The Miz is still using the kicks he took from Bryan Danielson.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Axiom
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Last time in action: Dragunov defeated Johnny Gargano (SmackDown, Nov. 11), Axiom lost to Jasper Troy (NXT, Oct. 26)
During a backstage segment, Cody Rhodes ended up agreeing to defend the WWE title against Bronson Reed later.
The next match saw Ilja Dragunov defend the U.S. title against Axiom in another open challenge, much to the chagrin of DIY.
From the moment the bell rang, this was a fast-paced and entertaining match. Axiom is one of the best high-flyers in WWE, and Dragunov has proved he is one of the most versatile, so it took them no time at all to find their groove.
We keep saying that Dragunov has been the most consistent wrestler on SmackDown, and that was proven again this week. He and Axiom stole the show.
The champion was able to retain the title after a tough fight against a game opponent.
Result: Dragunov defeated Axiom
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Tommaso Ciampa called Ilja Dragunov a muppet during a backstage segment and we can't stop thinking about it.
- Dragunov has so much more power than most guys his size. He's deceptively strong and uses it wisely.
- Axiom hit a really stiff chop at one point.
- The springboard DDT spot was nuts. They almost didn't land it, but it worked and looked brutal.
Sami Zayn Calls Out Solo Sikoa
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Zayn came out to the ring to address Sikoa in a promo. It didn't take long for Solo and the MFTs to come out and respond. Sikoa said he would wait until Zayn is medically cleared before coming for him. Zayn revealed he has been cleared and dared him to take a shot.
The Motor City Machine Guns, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Fenix showed up to take out the MFTs while Zayn fought Sikoa in the ring. That babyfaces made the heels retreat. It looks like we might have a big match setup forming.
This was a decent segment to get this feud going in the right direction. It was predictable, but it had a couple of fun moments.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- It must feel a little weird to go through the whole face paint process on weeks when the MFTs are not in action but still appear.
- Sikoa almost tripped getting into the ring.
LA Knight vs. Mystery Opponent
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Last time in action: Knight lost to Bron Breakker (Raw, Oct. 27),
The next matchup saw Knight take on a mystery opponent in the Last Time is Now tournament. The mystery man ended up being Matt Cardona, who the announcers were calling Zack Ryder despite his recent appearance in NXT as himself.
These guys both use a similar style in the ring, so they were able to develop chemistry quickly so they could make this a competitive fight.
Knight and Ryder seemed to be on equal footing. Neither man could get the upper hand for too long before their opponent would make a comeback. It made the outcome a little harder to predict, which is always a good thing.
Ryder put up a good fight, but he was unable to kick out after the BFT. Knight scored the win and advanced to the next round.
Result: Knight defeated Ryder
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Cardona came out to a remix of his old Zack Ryder theme.
- Ryder and Knight could actually be a great tag team together. They have so many similarities.
- The fact that WWE had a remix of his theme ready, and he had Ryder-specific gear might be an indication that he is on his way back to the company to join his wife.
Jade Cargill vs. B-Fab
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Last time in action: Cargill defeated Tiffany Stratton (SNME), B-Fab and Michin lost to Giulia and Kiana James (SmackDown, Sept. 26)
Cargill's first match after winning the WWE title from Stratton was against B-Fab this week, a woman who has been trying to build some momentum for quite some time without much luck.
Cargill looked confident and dominant right away. B-Fab tried to bring the fight to her, but the champ quickly took control and hit a chokeslam.
The Storm started taking her opponent apart while talking trash the whole time. She hit two powerbombs before hitting her finisher for what was as close to a squash as you can get.
This match was short and had several moves that did not look right. Cargill looked dominant, but that was the only upside.
Result: Cargill defeated B-Fab
Grade: D
Notable Moments and Observations
- B-Fab's gear was cool.
- The dropkicks from B-Fab didn't connect enough. She needs to get closer to her opponent so it doesn't look like she is barely touching them.
- Cargill's powerbombs looked weird but it was hard to tell if it was her of B-Fab making it look that way.
Cody Rhodes vs. Bronson Reed
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Last time in action: Rhodes vs. Aleister Black ended no contest (SmackDown, Nov. 7), The Vision vs. Punk and Uso ended no contest (Raw, Nov. 3)
This week's main event was the WWE title bout between Rhodes and Reed that was booked earlier in the show at the request of Rhodes.
The American Nightmare immediately found himself being overpowered by The Auszilla. Unfortunately, the match did not have a definitive conclusion.
Logan Paul interfered and attacked Rhodes to cause a DQ, but The Usos both came out to try to even the odds. Drew McIntyre showed up despite being suspended and went after the Usos.
The little bit of match we got was good, but it ended too soon and in a dirty way, which has become a little too commonplace in WWE these days.
Result: DQ
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- The way Reed moves around is so impressive for a guy of his size. He has actually slimmed down a bit, too. The difference between a few months ago and now is very evident.
The Final Word
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Friday's SmackDown was a bit of a mixed bag. We did get a couple of good matches and some storyline developments, but a couple of bouts fell short and the main event had a lackluster ending.
We all knew Reed wasn't going to win the title during a random match set up the same night, but that doesn't mean WWE has to book another interference finish.
The best thing we got on the entire show was Dragunov vs. Axiom, which shouldn't surprise anyone who has been watching The Mad Russian's run as United States champion.
The WarGames matches are beginning to take shape, so we should find out who the final members of both teams are next week.
Grade: C
