WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From October 23

This week's SmackDown put a heavy emphasis on the women's division, with three out of the four scheduled matches featuring the division.

Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's show:

• Chelsea Green vs. Roxanne Perez (Women's WWE Championship)
• The MFTs vs. Bakusai
• Giulia vs. Blake Monroe (Street Fight)
• Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley vs. B-Fab and Michin (Women's Tag Titles)

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's SmackDown.

Sami Zayn is Ready for Crown Jewel

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After a quick recap video from Raw, Sami Zayn came out with Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae by his side. Zayn got some boos, which was a little surprising given that the show took place in his home country of Canada.

Zayn spoke about his segment with Reigns and put over his WWE title as the top belt in the company that everyone wants. This led to Rey Fenix joining him in the ring.

Fenix said he doesn't know what Penta will do, but if Zayn disrespects his family, they will have a problem. He and Gargano almost got into it, but Zayn calmed them down. This is when Trick Williams decided to make his presence felt.

There was a lot of trash talk before Williams finally demanded a title shot. Zayn ended up taking a cheap shot at Williams as he was focused on Gargano. Nick Aldis came out and booked a tag match with Gargano and Zayn taking on Williams and Fenix.

This was all pretty textbook stuff, but at least it led to a semi-interesting match getting booked for the show.

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Zayn made a little flub during his promo and Gargano hilariously acted confused by his words. It was one of those little moments that would be easy to miss.
• Fenix and Gargano would have a hell of a match together.
• Williams listing off being married to Lash Legend as one of his biggest accomplishments earned him some husband points.

Chelsea Green vs. Roxanne Perez (WWE Women's Championship)

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The first match of the night saw Green put her WWE title on the line against Perez, who was getting her first shot at a world title since joining the main roster.

They locked up and fought in that position for a little while before they started trading counters and holds. They tried to make it feel competitive with some near-falls, while still pacing themselves so they could build momentum over time.

This match felt like a fresh combination, which is always welcome in the world title scene. Green has been great as the WWE champion, and Roxy is finally getting her feet wet in the main event scene after playing backup for Liv Morgan in Judgment Day for the past couple of years.

Raquel Rodriguez pushed Chelsea off the top rope while the ref was distracted, but Iyo Sky ran down to fight her off. Green was able to hit her finisher on Perez to retain the title. As soon as it was over, Morgan and Rodriguez attacked the champion. Tiffany Stratton showed up to even the odds.

Morgan escaped with help from Perez and Rodriguez before Tiffy could cash in the briefcase.

Result: Green defeated Perez

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• It was surprising to see Perez come out alone, but it definitely made sure all of the focus was on her instead of Judgment Day.
• Green hit a nice suicide dive.
• This match would have been much better without all of the shenanigans.

Giulia vs. Blake Monroe (Street Fight)

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WWE plugged the Street Fighter movie with Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns before Giulia faced Monroe in a Street Fight on SmackDown.

They started fighting before Monroe even made it to the ring, so the ref called for the bell to get things underway. Giulia had a pyramid of chairs she had built next to the ring during the break, but Monroe was able to avoid being thrown into it.

A couple of minutes later, Giulia successfully whipped her into the chairs to send the show into a break. They also brought some kendo sticks and a garbage can into the fight during the commercial.

They fought into the backstage area despite this not being a Falls Count Anywhere match. Monroe was driven into a mirror before being dragged back toward the ring.

They did their best to make this feel violent, but without a single drop of blood, there was only so much they could do. The fact that Monroe didn't suffer a single wound from being shoved face-first into a mirror really emphasized how restricted they were.

Giulia and Monroe did a good job making this feel like a personal fight, but it fell short of what we know these two can accomplish. Monroe scored the win with a Neutralizer.

Result: Monroe defeated Giulia

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• It's sad that WWE took so long to find a way to use Monroe. She's a great character and in-ring worker, so the delays never made sense.
• The chair pyramid seemed prime for a fall from inside the ring, so it was a little underwhelming to see them knocked down with an Irish whip. The suplex onto them was cool, though.
• Monroe's sold the stomp from Giulia like she was dead. It was great.

From Friends to Enemies to Friends to Enemies Again

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Randy Orton came to the ring after the break to talk about Cody Rhodes and what he did to Baron Corbin last week when he punted him.

The Viper said Cody can attack anyone he wants, but it means nothing because hs isn't attacking the one person who matters.

Cody came out and gave a speech about all of the people he has watched Orton betray over the years. He insulted The Viper as officials surrounded the ring, ready to jump between them if things got out of hand.

Aldis booked them in a match at Crown Jewel to settle this once and for all. Rhodes said he would only do it if it was Last Man Standing.

Orton and Rhodes are both capable of keeping the crowd invested, but they had no new ground to cover in this segment. This was just a rehash of everything they had said to each other in previous exchanges.

Grade: C+

Tatum Paxley and Alexa Bliss vs. B-Fab and Michin (Women's Tag Team Titles)

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Charlotte Flair was unable to be at ringside for Bliss and Paxley's title defense against Michin and B-Fab, but Jade Cargill was there for her allies.

B-Fab took control right away and hit a series of strikes, but Little Miss Bliss was able to tag Tatum and hit a double-team combo in the corner.

All four women made sure the pace was quick, but it felt like they were going through the paces. It should have felt much more competitive, especially since a title change was coming.

Cargill helped with a cheap shot to Paxley, which allowed Michin to hit a Styles Clash for the pin to win the tag titles. The match had good energy, but it fell short in just about every other aspect.

Booking a title change so soon after the last one was also a strange decision, but at least Michin finally has a title after all this time in WWE without one.

Result: B-Fab and Michin defeated Bliss and Paxley

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

• B-Fab spinning corner kick looked way too slow to be effective.
• It feels like they took the tag titles off Fatal Influence too quickly. Having all three women holding titles made them feel important.

The MFTs vs. Bakusai

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Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki got another shot at Tama and Talla Tonga this week, but before their match could begin, Kyoki stole Haku's walking stick.

A fight broke out in the aisle, and officials scurried out from the back in a futile attempt to break it up. The match never ended up happening because they couldn't get them to stop fighting.

Michael Cole and Corey Graves then plugged new merch from Danhausen as the fight continued near the stage. It was a strange way to end the segment.

Result: No Contest

Grade: N/A

Rey Fenix, Penta and Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn, Ricky Saints and Johnny Gargano

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CM Punk and Kevin Owens had a backstage segment with Aldis to hype their upcoming match.

The main event was the tag match that was booked in the opening segment with Fenix and Williams taking on Zayn and Gargano.

The match barely got started when Ricky Saints showed up and attacked Fenix to cause a disqualification. Penta came out to make the save and proposed that they turn it into a six-man match.

The match got started with less than 10 minutes left in the show, and it went right into a commercial break, so we knew we wouldn't get much out of this main event.

They had to rush, but they were able to make this feel competitive with a limited amount of time to work. Williams scored the win by pinning Saints with the Book End.

Result: Williams, Fenix and Penta won

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Fenix has somehow made the AAA cruiserweight title the most visible on WWE television, which is ironic when you consider how much trouble WWE has had maintaining a cruiserweight division every time it has tried.
• The way WWE has chosen to use the Lucha Bros is strange, but letting them have some singles success has been nice to see.

The Final Word

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As of now, WWE is still planning to hold Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, so a lot of this week's show was spent hyping the PLE. 

The title match between Green and Perez was a strong performance, but it was hurt by a lackluster interference ending. 

The Street Fight between Monroe and Giulia felt lifeless at times, the women's tag title change seemed random, and the men's tag match being canceled did little to help that feud. 

The final match of the night with Zayn. Gargano, Saints, Penta, Williams and Fenix was the best thing on the show, but it wasn't a high bar to clear. Green vs. Perez was better in some aspects, so it may come down to personal preference. 

WWE has all of the tools to deliver a great show every week, but it feels like the last couple of episodes have been booked on autopilot. Let's hope things pick up as we get to the end of 2026. 

Grade: C+