WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Feb. 17, 2023) with a live show emanating from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring the go home show for tomorrow night’s Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event.
Advertised for tonight: Ronda Rousey is back in action for the first time in 2023. She teams up with Shayna Baszler to take on the team of Natalya and Shotzi.
Elsewhere on the card, Madcap Moss challenges GUNTHER for the Intercontinental championship, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus combine forces to do battle with Erik and Ivar of the Viking Raiders, Asuka vs. Liv Morgan, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR FEB. 17
I get the same old dreams same time every night, fall to the ground and I wake up. So I get out of bed, put on my shoes and in my head, thoughts fly back to liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a memorial graphic for Memphis wrestling legend Jerry Jarrett.
We get a recap of the Usos successfully defending their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship last week and all the drama that goes with that scenario.
Thence to the intro video.
Natalya & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
Natalya and Shayna to start, mat grappling with Neidhart going for early pins. Baszler with attempted arm work but Nattie snapmares her right into a tag! Back and forth, stalemate over a Sharpshooter attempt and tags are made. Blackheart coming out how, rolling elbow and a roundhouse kick, Jim Breaks Special backs her into the corner and the heels do quick tags to work her over!
Shotzi cuts Ronda off and puts her in Cattle Mutilation! Rousey bridges out of it but Blackheart sends her flying to the floor in turn! Off the ropes, suicide dive wipes Ronda out! Ducking a lariat from Shayna and Nattie takes Baszler out with a discus lariat!
Blackheart off the top with a crossbody that takes both heels out and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Baszler has a kneeling armbar in on Blackheart, who fights to her feet and throws elbows to try and get away! Slinging Shayna off of her earns her a shove into the heel corner and more heat segment. To the apron, Shotzi hits the apron DDT picture perfect!
Tag to Natalya, working Shayna over, German suplexes, duck a knee, Liger Bomb out of the corner… SO CLOSE! Sharpshooter blocked, discus lariat ducked, looking for the Kirifuda Clutch, back into the corner, Rousey with a blind tag! Crossbody off the top, Nattie ducks under, Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring in Montreal!
Ronda gets away, babyfaces thinking Hart Attack, Shayna pulls Neidhart off the turnbuckles and Rousey reverses…
Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler win by submission with the armbar from Ronda Rousey on Shotzi Blackheart.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package covering the rise and fall of Sami Zayn in the Bloodline, covering up to the Trial of Sami Zayn.
Hit Row are in the ring and Top Dolla asks the DJ to “drop that,” which leads to a rapped promo denigrating Canada and insisting that Bret screwed Bret.
The lights go down and Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy appear on opposite sides of the apron to “Holy shit!” chants so thunderous the audio dies entirely for a good thirty seconds. Wyatt puts Top Dolla over the top rope with the Mandible Claw and Howdy hits Sister Abigail on Ashante Adonis!
Bray grabs a mic and tells Montreal they’re welcome before saying that now that he’s back in control of himself and his family he wants to tell Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar that whichever of them wins tomorrow night that they should run.
Brawling Brutes are backstage with Drew McIntyre and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get some more hype for the recent sporting champions showing off their WWE Championship title belts.
A recap of last week’s #1 contender’s match for the Intercontinental Championship follows..
Madcap Moss cuts a promo backstage where he admits nobody believed he was gonna win last week.
Emma gives him a pep talk and he’s into it, talking about how he’s gonna win the match tonight because he’s a superstar.
Ariel Helwani is in the crowd and talks about how Montreal is buzzing to see their guy win the Universal Championship.
Banger Bros (Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Chaotic brawling to start, McIntyre throws Erik into the barricade, Sheamus gets Ivar in the ring and they trade blows! Valhalla tries to get her boys back in it and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Warbeard has a trapezius claw in and is in control of Sheamus. Breaking it for right hands, into the corner, big back elbows, tag to Erik and he claws at the Celtic Warrior’s face! Desperate right hands get an elbow, tag to Ivar, corner body avalanche and he clears the apron!
Tags made, McIntyre lights Erik up with forearms, big back elbow takes the Viking off his feet, Stinger Splash sets up a belly-to-belly suplex out of the corner! Neckbreaker for Warbeard, one for Erik as well, kip-up, fired up! Future Shock blocked, trading forearms and chops, off the ropes, scoop and a Michinoku Driver… SO CLOSE!
Tags, Ivar lays Sheamus out and goes up top but the Celtic Warrior cuts him off. Climbing up with him, fireman’s carry… AVALANCHE FINLAY ROLL SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Banger Bros with stereo Beats of the Bodhran on the big Vikings, Sheamus off the top with a Bombs Away knee drop but Erik breaks it up! Brogue Kick countered with a rough-looking powerbomb, Erik follows it with a second powerbomb… NOPE!
Erik off the second, Sheamus cuts him off with a knee, tag to McIntyre! Drew counting down but Ivar helps his pal out of the ring, so Drew shrugs, off the ropes… BIG MAN TOPE CON GIRO! Back inside, Vikings get Drew up top… AVALANCHE WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM CONNECTS BUT SHEAMUS BREAKS THE PIN UP!
Headbutt gets a reverse roundhouse, Ivar consults with Valhalla on his next move and goes up top, 747 Splash… MCINTYRE KICKS OUT! Getting him up for Ragnarok, Sheamus breaks it up with a Brogue Kick, Drew off the ropes…
Banger Bros win by pinfall with a Claymore from Drew McIntyre on Erik.
The next part of the Sami Zayn Bloodline video package follows.
Asuka makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Rey Mysterio is interviewed backstage.
We see a video of Santos Escobar and Rey Mysterio having a heartfelt exchange of masks as a sign of respect that was apparently filmed last Friday.
Tonight, Rey says he knows that meant a lot to Santos and it meant the world to him, because competition is always welcome here, and respect–
Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux roll up on him.
Kross says he used to want to be a father but seeing Dominik’s lack of respect for him made him second guess that and calls Mysterio a pathetic excuse of a father who has to hide behind a mask.
Asuka vs. Liv Morgan
Carmella is on commentary for this one.
Morgan with a headlock takeover, Asuka reverses to a headscissors and they stalemate. Asuka denies her a handshake, duck a lariat, Liv ducks a couple strikes of her own, the Empress pulls her back in and gets it in the chops! Kicks, but Asuka perserveres and connects with a German suplex for two!
Kneeling armbar follows, Raquel Rodriguez comes to ringside and Nikki Cross appears to kiss Michael Cole’s forehead and get up on the announce desk to be a goof. Asuka with a whip to the corner, knee up, under the stomp, kick to the midsection but Liv cuts her off in the corner!
Avalanche Codebreaker connects and gets Morgan a nearfall as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Asuka working a kneeling armbar, Morgan fighting back with slaps, whip reversed, backsplash, Liv with a rising knee, but Asuka gets one of her own for a nearfall! Empress with chest kicks, Morgan fired up and screaming for more and she powers up with a slap across the face!
Asuka laughing, jawing at her, uraken after uraken, kick combination, Liv with right hands and kicks and an enzuigiri staggers the Empress! Backsplash sets up the rising knee, Morgan off the second with a missile dropkick! Pop-up turning Codebreaker, Oblivion blocked, back and forth, folding press reversed into a scissored armbar…
Asuka wins by submission with a scissored armbar.
Post-match, Natalya hits the ring, as do Nikki Cross and Raquel Rodriguez to give us a preview of tomorrow night. Raquel helps Liv up and Morgan hits a Codebreaker! Asuka takes Rodriguez out with a kick and she and Liv share a moment.
Ariel Helwani is in the crowd again talking about how hyped the crowd is for Sami Zayn.
GUNTHER is interviewed in Gorilla.
He says he doesn’t care what Madcap Moss has to say, because one victory and some encouraging words doesn’t change a thing. He’s been dominating and just like everyone else, Moss will fall to the Ring General.
GUNTHER makes his entrance and we go to break.
GUNTHER (c) vs. Madcap Moss (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
GUNTHER overwhelming Moss into the corner, laying huge chops in, Madcap with a double leg into mounted punches but the Ring General fends him off. Shoulder thrusts in the corner, snapmare from the champion into a side headlock! Off the ropes, trading shoulder blocks and GUNTHER stuns him with a shoulder block and gets a big boot and a nearfall!
Side headlock, wrenching it in, back and forth in the aftermath, big spinebuster for two and then a pounce shoves the champion out of the ring and sends us to break.
Back from commercial, GUNTHER chops Moss down, but Madcap gets a vertical suplex and follows it with Punchline… THE RING GENERAL KICKS OUT! Wrestling Moss around, he clubs him down hard and takes a moment for a breather before heading up top. Madcap rushes to meet him, jockeying… AVALANCHE FALLAWAY SLAM BUT GUNTHER KICKS OUT!
Ring General sticks on him…
GUNTHER wins by pinfall with a Tenryu Powerbomb to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes next week’s show up for us.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance and takes in the atmosphere for a long moment before getting on the mic.
OLE! chants dominate and the feed breaks for just long enough to put the fear of god into your friendly neighborhood liveblogger.
He gets on the mic and says this time of year everybody points to the sign and it’s the most important show of the year and that’s true, but for him and for this city, tomorrow night is once in a lifetime. He says something to Roman Reigns that ends in tabernak, which I know is a swear word in Quebecois because Harry Turtledove taught me French Canadian swears.
Tomorrow night, Roman doesn’t just face Sami Zayn, he faces Sami Zayn and all the good people of Montreal, and Reigns is going down.
That’s the show, folks.
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