WWE Smackdown Live 12/9/22 December 9th 2022
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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades Reaction and Analysis from December 9
- Sana Ejaz Khan
- Credit: WWE.com
The Bloodline may have gotten the better of them at Survivor Series: War Games but The Brawling Brutes had the opportunity to get the last laugh Friday night on SmackDown by ending The Usos' historic reign as Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions in the night's blockbuster main event.
The high stakes headliner capped off a broadcast that also featured a special birthday celebration for WWE Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh's own, Kurt Angle.
What went down when the Olympic gold medalist returned to WWE and were Jimmy and Jey able to secure the continuation of their epic run as the top tag team in professional wrestling?
Find out now with this recap of the December 9 episode.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Sheamus and Butch vs. The Usos
- Butch unloaded on Jey with a barrage of forearms to the chest, well eclipsing the 10 that Sheamus typically delivers to opponents and drawing a pop from the crowd.
- The former Pete Dunne added a moonsault from the middle rope, onto the Usos at ringside, as The Brawling Brutes rolled.
- Zayn's antics at ringside, including yanking on the ring apron during near-falls, were great and only helped intensify the drama.
Credit: WWE.comWWE wasted little time Friday night, kicking off the show with the hotly anticipated title defense. Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa accompanied the champions while Ridge Holland seconded the challengers, the numbers game undeniably in the favor of The Usos.
A competitive match saw the Sheamus and Butch push their twin opponents to the brink of defeat, only for a perfectly timed 1-D from The Usos to the latter and some expert interference from Zayn as he prevented The Celtic Warrior from making the save to prove the difference and ensure the historic run of Jimmy and Jey continued.
Sheamus is in the midst of one of the great resurgences we have ever seen in WWE and that did not change here. He was, arguably, the best wrestler in this math and elevated from the already excellent product that we have come to expect from those involved.
Zayn assisting The Usos in retaining helped further that element of the storyline while protecting the babyfaces from a clean loss.
A great start to the show and the latest in the phenomenal in-ring output from both teams, which would have graded out even higher without the commercial interruptions.
Result
The Usos defeated The Brawling Brutes to retain
Grade
A-
Top Moments
Hit Row Interrupts Viking Raiders vs. Legado del Fantasma
- Valhalla fearlessly jumping on the back of Top Dolla, only to catch a beating from B-Fab was essential to proving there is no fear on the part of the latter.
- Backstage, Knight continued his pursuit of Wyatt, only to end up in a dark locker room, confronted by the masked Superstar.
Credit: WWE.comThe Viking Raiders returned to the squared circle, accompanied by Valhalla, looking to continue their establishing of dominance. To do so, they would have to defeat Legado del Fantasma's Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde, accompanied by Zelina Vega and Santos Escobar.
Before the match could really settle into its groove, Hit Row's B-Fab provided a distraction, allowing Top Dolla and Ashante Thee Adonis to attack from behind. The babyface tandem laid out the competition while B-Fab sent Valhalla into Vega as Hit Row finally stood up for themselves and refused to be walked all over.
It was nice to see these three teams featured in this segment, if only because it establishes the foundation of a tag team division on SmackDown. The Usos have reigned for so long, and have been so dominant, that it feels as though there is no competition for them.
Booking a segment like this keeps all three teams at the forefront and allows fans to get familiar with the next in line to Jimmy and Jey's throne. And in the process, sets up a series of fresh matches between those involved without things ever descending into repetition.
On top of that, it gives us the side feud of B-Fab vs. Valhalla vs. Vega, a program featuring women's wrestling that is not central to the title scene.
Result
No contest
Grade
C+
Top Moments
Ricochet and The New Day vs. Imperium
- "Have you ever watched wrestling?" Woods asked Adam Pearce during the failed contract signing, knowing full well the formality of it all would ultimately devolve into a match.
- Kingston and Woods paid tribute to the late Jason David Frank with green and white Power Ranger-inspired gear.
- The Street Profits and Alpha Academy had another confrontation, this time backstage at Kurt Angle's birthday festivities.
Credit: WWE.comWhat started as a contract signing for next week's Intercontinental Championship match between Ricochet and Gunther ended with New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods backing up The One and Only and a verbal exchange giving way to a six-man tag team match.
The match, featuring the aforementioned babyfaces battling Gunther and Imperium teammates Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser, was as good as one would expect from the six competitors involved. The heels built heat by isolating Woods and Kingston at different points in the match before a hot tag to Ricochet and the showdown with The Ring General.
The action intensified with every passing moment, escalating until Kingston rocked Kaiser with Trouble in Paradise and Ricochet put him away for the win.
This was a nice table-setter for next week's title match.
Ricochet looked great, building momentum for himself while the booking positioned him as a real contender to Gunther's title.
Does he stand a chance in actually beating the unstoppable Austrian? No, but the wrestling-loving Chicago fans should be red-hot for The One and Only in his quest to dethrone The Ring General.
This also highlighted New Day, who will challenge Pretty Deadly for the NXT Tag Team titles Saturday at NXT Deadline, so it served as a two-headed
Result
Ricochet and New Day defeated Imperium
Grade
B-
Top Moments
Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox vs. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler
- A quick video clued the audience into the plight of Nox's character and her return on last week's show.
- Another Lacey Evans video aired, teasing her second reboot this year.
Credit: WWE.comBackstage, Karrion Kross issued a word of warning to Rey Mysterio, ominously staring at his injured foot as he walked out of the trainer's room. If this is the next direction for the former NXT champion, it is a great call and should help him get over as a top-tier heel exponentially, if for no other reason than the audience's clear adoration for The Master of the 619.
In the arena, Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox made their way to the ring for a tag team showdown with Shayna Baszler and SmackDown Women's champion Ronda Rousey.
The heels worked over Nox early and often, cutting her off from her partner until a hot tag sparked a comeback for the babyfaces. Morgan exploded into the ring, taking the fight to Baszler after spending several moments mocked and taunted by Rousey.
Late in the match, Raquel Rodriguez made her way to ringside, distracting Rousey and allowing Nox to deliver the Shiniest Wizard to Baszler for the pinfall victory.
Like most segments featuring the SmackDown women's division, this was rushed and underdeveloped. Worse yet, it placed the newly returned Nox in a position of weakness as the babyface-in-peril rather than letting her receive the hot tag.
Yes, Morgan is more recognizable and has the stronger connection with the fans, but the best way to establish one of those is by spotlighting talent, as she was over the summer. Nox could have benefited exponentially from that but was, instead, lucky to score the win after interference from Rodriguez.
It is backward booking that helps no one and makes the babyfaces look amateurish, an ongoing problem for anyone not-named Rousey on Friday nights.
Result
Nox and Morgan defeated Rousey and Baszler
Grade
C-
Top Moments
Kurt Angle's Birthday Celebration
- "The Alpha Academy better MOOve!" Cole said before adding, "Angle is MILKing this for all it's worth. This is UTTERly ridiculous. Angle is MILKing this for all it's worth."
Credit: WWE.comKurt Angle celebrated his birthday in the closing angle of Friday's show.
It was...not great.
The Olympic gold medalist's homecoming was interrupted quickly by Chad Gable and Otis of Alpha Academy, who then dominated the segment, leaving Angle without any input of any real significance.
Ultimately, he headed to the back before re-emerging with fellow Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, then proceeded to douse the heels in milk as an ode to the timeless 2001 angle.
The Hall of Famer was barely allowed to address the fans in his hometown, instead playing second- or third-fiddle in a segment that was hyped on his name. It was suspect and a continuation of the questionable use of a legendary figure like Angle that dates back to his previous run with the company.
Angle deserves and, more importantly, has earned better than this.
Yes, it put the great Gable at the forefront and let him have the opportunity to shine, and gave fans the image of Steveson standing alongside Angle, but there are times when a legend should be highlighted and this was one such moment.
This was a rare miss from Triple H and, arguably, the worst segment of television in his regime.
Grade
D
Top Moments
