WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 25

In a one-time event as Fox aired the World Series, Friday Night SmackDown headed to FS1 with one last show to build to WWE Crown Jewel.

The expectation of the night was to build for the future. Big stars including Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez, as well as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, promised to appear in the same ring to talk about their matches at Crown Jewel on Thursday.

While not too many major matches were announced, those that were focused on building momentum. Nikki Cross, as the new No. 1 contender to Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship, got a chance to continue her winning ways against Mandy Rose.

Ahead of a huge tag team turmoil match in Saudi Arabia, Kofi Kingston and Big E teamed together against Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler in a clash of former tag team champions.

This event had a chance to fly under the radar or rise to the occasion in a big way. The talent would decide whether fans would be invested in Crown Jewel come Thursday.

Team Hogan and Team Flair Both Promise Victory on Miz TV

Credit: WWE.com

Miz TV opened with Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan flanked by their SmackDown teams members for Crown Jewel and Jimmy Hart. The Real American and Nature Boy hyped up their teams. Sami Zayn was the first to cut in to insult Shorty G. Ali and Roman Reigns defended their partner even as King Corbin butted in.

The babyfaces goaded Shinsuke Nakamura, Zayn and Corbin into a six-man tag match in the main event. The Critic of the Critics agreed but announced he would not compete. Instead, it would be Cesaro. The heels tried to start a brawl, but the faces fought them off.

Grade

D

Analysis

This was all over the place and resembled some of the weakest Monday Night Raw openers. Hogan was stumbling on his words and missed his timing. No one had anything memorable to say, throwing generic insults at each other.

Zayn spoke the most for the heels and then backed out of wrestling so that Cesaro could awkwardly fit into the match instead. If The Critic of the Critics is not injured, WWE is wasting him.

The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E vs. Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode

Credit: WWE.com

Kofi Kingston and Big E tried to work cohesively without Xavier Woods by their side, but they ended up getting caught by Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode. The Showoff rolled up Kofi with a handful of tights for a surprise three-count.

As the heels tried to beat down the babyfaces after the match, Heavy Machinery made the save.

Result

Ziggler and Roode def. New Day by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Analysis

The match that looked the night's most promising was mostly a battle during commercial breaks. The TV time was limited, and the ending came abruptly. Given Kofi's recent WWE Championship reign, he should not be taking losses like this.

It is unlikely New Day will win at Crown Jewel because both members here look set to work as solo stars more often than as a tag team, so they could have easily taken the win to keep Kofi's momentum.

Lacey Evans vs. Local Competitor Cameron Connors

Credit: WWE.com

Lacey Evans refused to fight Cameron Connors on Friday, walking out as the bell rang. However, as the count got to nine, she got back in and knocked out her local competition with a Woman's Right, taking an effortless win.

Result

Evans def. Connors by pinfall.

Grade

D

Analysis

The Sassy Southern Belle showed off her strength on the mic and avoided having to get too physical. It was best for all involved, but Evans should not need to wrestle squash matches anymore. This was a crowd-killer on a night already starving for action.

Bray Wyatt Reveals That Nothing Is Ever Really Done in the Firefly Fun House

Bray Wyatt started The Firefly Fun House with a funeral for Ramblin' Rabbit. He kissed the poor rabbit, and he came back from the dead. The host revealed to the world that everything can come back if you just believe.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a bit underdeveloped for a Firefly Fun House. It felt like WWE didn't quite have time to put this all together and rushed it. The message made sense, though.

Wyatt has shown repeatedly that the Firefly Fun House is a world of its own where destruction and death is only temporary. In a similar fashion, this shows where The Fiend gets his power from. He keeps coming back because Wyatt believes in his ability to be unstoppable.

Drew Gulak vs. Kalisto (w/Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik)

Credit: WWE.com

Drew Gulak revealed his PowerPoint presentation for how Braun Strowman could lose to Tyson Fury. The Monster Among Men took umbrage and stomped to the ring. This distracted the former cruiserweight champion long enough to allow Kalisto to hit Salida del Sol for the win.

Afterward, Strowman planted Gulak with another running powerslam. He then grabbed a mic and stated he would do the same to Fury, who doesn't even deserve to be in a wrestling ring.

Result

Kalisto def. Gulak by pinfall.

Grade

D

Analysis

The sad state of Gulak's main-roster run continues. He got embarrassed by a man who could not defeat him in 205 Live while being more focused on a running gag than wrestling.

Strowman had to find some way to get on TV. Having Gulak suffer for it in back-to-back weeks, though, was unnecessary. It would have been more interesting if The Monster Among Men wrestled and showed why he, unlike Fury, deserves to be in a WWE ring.

Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura Offer Daniel Bryan a Fresh Start

Credit: WWE.com

Michael Cole interviewed Daniel Bryan about the next step in his career, wondering whether the "Yes Movement" is back. Sami Zayn interrupted with Shinsuke Nakamura to offer him an opportunity to join them in saving the world while ignoring the WWE Universe.

The Planet's Champion needed more time to mull it over, walking past Nakamura and Zayn without an answer.

Grade

A

Analysis

While Nakamura and Zayn are wasted in the battle of Team Hogan and Team Flair, they are preparing for a story that could be the best angle on SmackDown, elevating their standing. There's an air of greatness when these stars are in the ring.

The Artist once stated that the man he wanted to wrestle most in WWE was Bryan. At that time, The Planet's Champion had recently retired. Now he's back, and Nakamura has a chance to realize his dream. Hopefully, he brings out the best version of himself again.

This promo was perfect. The Critic of the Critics played to Bryan and made clear how much he respects him, while Bryan remained conflicted, unsure in his slow face turn.

Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose

Credit: WWE.com

Bayley and Sasha Banks talked down Nikki Cross as she managed to overcome interference by Sonya Deville to once more pin Mandy Rose. She hit The Purge for the win, and the SmackDown women's champion remained unimpressed.

Result

Cross def. Rose by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Analysis

This was a fine match, but it did not feel like it got time to be anything more than that. It was often more interesting listening to The Hugger and The Boss on commentary than watching the action. Still, the company is doing a solid job building up Cross without relying on Alexa Bliss.

Brock Lesnar Refuses to Share Ring with Cain Velasquez, Beats Down Dominic

Rey Mysterio called out Brock Lesnar on behalf of Cain Velasquez for their scheduled face-off. Paul Heyman and The Beast Incarnate appeared on the Titantron, refusing to meet Velasquez in the ring. Instead, they revealed Lesnar was beating down Mysterio's son, Dominic, backstage.

The two rushed to find Dominic and got him help. However, in the trainer's room, The Beast struck again, slamming Mysterio into a wall then F5ing Velasquez on to Dominic.

Velasquez yelled in Spanish backstage after the attack, angrily promising to hurt Lesnar.

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a fun segment, even if it continues the odd trend of WWE refusing to let Velasquez speak for himself. It is likely to parallel Lesnar's refusal to speak for himself, but at least he laughs occasionally or make a comment away from the mic.

It's hard to invest in a guy who has no character beyond what Mysterio says about him. He needs to sell who he is on his own if he is going to become more than the MMA guy Lesnar fears. That has to be more than yelling in Spanish at a camera.

Roman Reigns, Ali and Shorty G vs. King Corbin, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura

Credit: WWE.com

Ali was trapped in the ring with the heels as King Corbin made sure Roman Reigns could not get involved in this match. Shorty G got a huge hot tag to spell Ali and put down The Lone Wolf until Shinsuke Nakamura ran in and flattened him with a Kinshasa.

Shorty escaped the heel onslaught and finally got The Big Dog involved. The Swiss Superman stopped Reigns on a Spear and hit a European uppercut for a near-fall. Reigns managed to finally connect with the Spear and then allowed Ali to win with the 450 Splash.

Result

Reigns, Ali and Shorty def. Corbin, Nakamura and Cesaro by pinfall.

Grade

B

Analysis

This match featured the strongest wrestling of the night, though it hardly mattered. With nothing on the line and not much drama, it was more a showcase of the best moves each man has in his arsenal.

After all the talking down of Shorty, you would have assumed he would take the win, but Ali also deserved a big victory. Hopefully, the underdog babyfaces get as much of a spotlight at Crown Jewel in a match that could easily become indulgent.