SmackDown recap & reactions (Jan. 13, 2023): The Bloodline’s pawn - Cageside Seats

Sami Zayn was tasked with taking retired Kevin Owens connected this week’s occurrence of Friday Night SmackDown, an bid fixed consecutive from Roman Reigns himself. He recovered retired soon into the show, from nary different than Paul Heyman, that helium would beryllium going it alone, arsenic the remainder of The Bloodline wasn’t adjacent successful the building.

And truthful helium went it alone, and helium surely appeared to beryllium giving it his all, and his each was definite looking similar it was going to present a victory. But close erstwhile helium was mounting up for the Helluva Kick, the dogs were unleashed, with Jimmy, Jey, and Solo Sikoa hitting the ringing to unit a disqualification going aft Owens.

Zayn seemed confused and a spot displeased. Again, it felt precise overmuch similar helium was anxious to beryllium himself.

My work connected this is that this was conscionable different illustration of The Bloodline not really accepting Zayn successful the mode helium wants. They could person trusted him to get things done himself, and they didn’t. Instead, helium feels much similar a pawn here, the feline they sent successful to get bushed up to weaken Owens truthful they could tally successful and prime astatine the scraps close astatine the end.

There’s nary triumph for Sami here.

They assistance him up, and past they teardrop him down conscionable truthful they tin assistance him backmost up again. He is successful the rhythm of manipulation and possibly this was the nighttime helium yet started to spot it for himself, aft proceeding Owens effort to explicate it to him aggregate times now.

There’s inactive country to wiggle, though, and it seems wide they aren’t rather acceptable for the breakup conscionable yet. But this was different bully communicative beat.

I’m for damn definite staying tuned.

I’m giving this its ain abstraction due to the fact that sometimes I truly bash bask erstwhile Bray Wyatt is fixed the accidental to conscionable get successful the ringing and talk similar lone Bray Wyatt can.

The throwbacks to the Wyatt we utilized to cognize truly deed location for me, for reasons I’m not adjacent wholly definite of oregon could explain. I miss erstwhile Wyatt was twisting tales with his lingua and telling america to “RUN” earlier blowing retired electrical lanterns. That feline felt truthful special, similar a transcendent endowment whose imaginable conscionable needed to beryllium unlocked.

Maybe portion of our fascination with Wyatt is that it’s agelong felt that imaginable has gone unrealized. There’s conscionable thing to this guy, and I privation to acquisition it fully. This felt similar getting backmost to that successful immoderate way.

Here’s to hoping the aboriginal holds much similar this.

All the rest

• This amusement kicked disconnected with Braun Strowman challenging GUNTHER for the Intercontinental championship. They had a decent lucifer but it was reasonably modular considering the participants and it surely didn’t consciousness similar they gave everything they had to it. GUNTHER bushed Strowman cleanable — determination was immoderate Imperium interference during the match, but it didn’t look to impact the result — and near small country for a rematch. Perhaps this is implicit already? It decidedly doesn’t consciousness similar they request to spell backmost to it.
• Rey Mysterio is bully and fed up with Dominik’s crap but alternatively of letting his ain lad instigate him, he’s moving guardant by entering the Royal Rumble and trying to spell large and triumph the damn thing. Naturally, Karrion Kross interrupted to telephone him a atrocious begetter and past choke him retired erstwhile Rey responded with violence. This is doing a fantastic occupation of making maine consciousness truly atrocious for mediocre Rey. The feline is simply a legend, helium deserves amended than this, right?!?
• Liv Morgan slapped the sensation retired of Raquel Rodriguez’s mouth. Like, beatified shit, dude! That was brutal! But it was besides large due to the fact that it showed america a caller broadside to Rodriguez, who ditched the smiling blessed spell fortunate cognition successful favour of getting bully and pissed disconnected and anxious to punctual everyone she’s the biggest and baddest pistillate connected the roster. She showed that by beating Morgan successful a singles lucifer aboriginal successful the evening, though she was close backmost to cheesing aft doing it. Still, they showed it’s determination and that’s immoderate progress.
• Tegan Nox defeated Xia Li successful a modular singles match. Li has been getting connected TV a spot much lately but they’re doing perfectly thing with her.
• They announced a tag squad tourney volition commencement adjacent week to find the adjacent apical contenders to The Usos’ SmackDown tag squad titles (yes, they specified). Sheamus & Drew McIntyre volition get The Viking Raiders successful the archetypal round, based connected the second attacking the erstwhile aft past week’s show. They’re doing a batch of cinematic enactment to marque Erik & Ivar chill but adjacent with Valhalla, I’m conscionable not feeling it. Your mileage whitethorn vary.
• Sonya Deville wants her rematch with Charlotte Flair, truthful she campaigned for it to Adam Pearce — who indicated she’ll request to triumph the Royal Rumble for each that — and erstwhile that didn’t enactment she conscionable consecutive up brawled with her backstage. It was a beauteous damn bully propulsion apart. We’ll spot if it ends up with Deville getting different changeable oregon if she does so person tow successful the Rumble.

This was a coagulated show.

Grade: C+

Your turn.