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SmackDown kicked off with Roman Reigns and the Bloodline heading to the arena, and they refused to talk about Jey Uso or Sami Zayn, who were not there with them.
We headed for the first match of the night shortly after.
WWE SmackDown Results (February 3, 2023): Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Imperium
Ricochet and Kaiser kicked off the match, and Vinci ran a distraction early on, letting Imperium get in control. Strowman took him out at ringside before Imperium hit dives on him.
After a break on SmackDown, Ricochet took Vinci down and hit a shooting star press before Gunther got into a fight with Ricochet outside, leading to Gunther being ejected from ringside.
Strowman tagged in and took Kaiser out with the Monster Bomb before Ricochet got on his shoulders and hit a Swanton Bomb for the win.
Result: Braun Strowman & Ricochet def. Imperium
Grade: B+
Charlotte was backstage and said that WrestleMania would be epic before hyping up her match with Rhea Ripley.
Sonya Deville rolled up and said she would take the title away from Charlotte before WrestleMania and face Rhea herself.
Charlotte (c) vs. Sonya Deville - SmackDown Women’s Championship match
Charlotte got the first takedown before Deville grabbed Charlotte by the hair and dragged her down. Sonya blocked a roll-up and attacked Charlotte's knees before taking some clotheslines and a Suplex.
Deville got a big boot before Charlotte got another clothesline and took Sonya into the corner. Charlotte went for the moonsault, but Deville got her knees up. Charlotte locked in Figure Eight and picked up the win.
Result: Charlotte def. Sonya Deville to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Grade: B
The Bloodline was backstage. Reigns asked Jimmy where Jey was. Jimmy said he hadn't heard from him since Rumble and Roman ranted about running away from obligations.
Reigns sent Solo and Jimmy to find Jey as SmackDown continued.
Brawling Brutes vs. Viking Raiders on SmackDown
Butch and Erik kicked off the match before Holland came in and hit a big vertical Suplex. Butch and Holland got Sheamus-style chops on the Raiders before Valhalla ran a distraction, allowing Butch to be sent to the barricades.
Holland hit the Raiders with Suplexes before taking down Ivar with an Alabama Slam for a near fall. Ivar came back with a big boot before The Viking Raiders hit Ragnarok and picked up the win.
Result: Viking Raiders def. Brawling Brutes
Grade: B-
Following the match, we saw a recap of the Pitch Black match between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight.
After the clip, Uncle Howdy appeared behind Wyatt and put his hands on his shoulders as the latter sat on a rocking chair.
Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya - Elimination Chamber Qualifier on SmackDown
The group went after Baszler early in the match. After she was ejected from the ring, Vega got some nearfalls on Natalya. Baszler came back and started dropping people before taking Natalya out with a massive knee strike.
Shotzi returned and got some big moves before Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Natalya. The latter broke out of it and locked in the Sharpshooter on Vega before picking up the win!
Result: Natalya def. Shotzi, Zelina & Shayna Baszler
Grade: B
Backstage, Roman was addressing The Bloodline and said that there was a lot of pressure on him at the moment. He said that he needed Jimmy and Solo to be strong during the crisis.
Roman sent Jimmy and Solo to the bus before heading to the ring himself to 'handle some business.'
Roman Reigns was out next, and the crowd was chanting Sami Zayn's name. He said that he would rather talk about Cody Rhodes but decided to answer the crowd instead.
He called Sami ungrateful and greedy before a guy in a hoodie attacked him.
The mystery attacker turned out to be Sami Zayn. He took Roman down before unloading on him and hitting a big spear. Roman managed to flee before Sami got on the mic and said that he had never wanted anything from Roman until now; he was coming for the Universal Title.
Solo and Jimmy showed up and attacked Sami, taking him down and setting up a chair around his neck in the corner. Roman came back and moved the chair before taunting Sami and blaming him for breaking up his family.
Roman said that they would face each other at the Elimination Chamber and put the titles on his face before SmackDown went off the air.
Episode rating: B+
We got some great matches tonight and a big closing segment with the conclusion of the Bloodline's downfall after the Royal Rumble.
