Best and Worst of SmackDown: 35-year-old star teases character change, undeserving superstar to get a title shot at Royal Rumble? (January 13th, 2023)

It was the second episode of SmackDown of 2023, and amid all the backstage tensions in WWE right now, they managed to pull off an incredible show. Perhaps Triple H's reported backstage talk before the show helped boost morale because the beginning and the end were especially great.

So what were the ups and downs of the blue brand this week? Keep reading to find out.

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#3. Best: Bray Wyatt referencing his old characters

Bray Wyatt came out on the latest episode of SmackDown and cut an interesting promo. We understand that Wyatt's promos are a bit polarizing. While many, especially live audiences, are audibly captivated by him, a lot of fans on the internet groan, waiting for him to wrestle.

That wait won't be for long as he is set to compete against LA Knight in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event. We still have no idea what the match entails, but we'll see.

Either way, the QR Code in his entrance showed a photo of him as The Fiend while he sat in a rocking chair - a throwback to his days as The Eater of Worlds. The character change that was teased wasn't him reverting to his old gimmicks - it was likely to show that he would be incorporating them in some form into his current character.

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#2. Worst: Charlotte Flair vs. Sonya Deville at the Royal Rumble?

Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville continued their feud this week. It's better to frame it as Deville attempting to get a rematch against a woman who already beat her a week ago.

Adam Pearce called the 29-year-old out on this, telling her that she had no basis to ask for a rematch. Regardless, Flair and Deville had a backstage brawl, with the tease of a SmackDown Women's title match between them at the Royal Rumble.

There is no justification for the match to happen, and Adam Pearce even tweeted by saying that Deville doesn't deserve a title shot. So why continue the feud?

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#2. Best: A bad finish to the main event, but a logical one

We thought that the DQ finish to the epic Sami Zayn-Kevin Owens main event was bad. However, when done right, it can be the right finish. For context, Sami Zayn assumed that he would have no help as Roman Reigns purposely asked The Usos and Solo Sikoa to stay away and let him get the job done.

The Honorary Uce was ready for the task, and he was furious when The Usos and Sikoa barged in and attacked Owens to cause a DQ. It was done to protect both men, and in the context of the story, a DQ was a logical finish, especially since it also teased turmoil within The Bloodline.

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#1. Worst: A lose-lose situation for Xia Li and Tegan Nox?

Xia Li faced Tegan Nox this week on SmackDown and lost. While we're happy for Nox, the match itself was a lose-lose situation. Both women have been handled somewhat poorly so far, and while we're not expecting either to get a massive push, either of them losing was going to make fans unhappy.

Perhaps it's positive that they are simply getting screen time.

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#1. Best: The Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown

Gunther continues to deliver in big matches. In one of the biggest matches of his career so far (literally), he took on Braun Strowman and defeated him to retain the Intercontinental title. It was the perfect opening match for this week's SmackDown.

This was easily among Strowman's 5 best matches in WWE since 2015, and he looked good even in defeat. The decision to have The Ring General retained was the right one, and Imperium are looking like the most menacing force in the company heading into the 2023 Royal Rumble.

What does the road to WrestleMania have in store for the Intercontinental Champion?

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Did you enjoy SmackDown this week? Let us know how much you would rate the episode on a scale of 1 to 10!