WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 7

WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 7

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Gunther has laid waste to Sheamus before, but The Celtic Warrior keeps getting back up. Credit: WWE.com.

Just one day before WWE Extreme Rules, WWE would revisit one of the best matches of the year, and the world champion and his challenger would come face to face during the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown.

Gunther and Sheamus would collide once again for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. While The Celtic Warrior made an impression in the first match, he hoped to take home the gold in the second.

Roman Reigns’ next challenger, Logan Paul, is one of the most unusual he has ever faced. Social media star-turned-rising WWE talent, Paul has tried to make an immediate impression, but he would have to first stand toe-to-toe with The Head of the Table.

This show would also feature Ricochet vs. Solo Sikoa in a battle of growing rivals with Sami Zayn and The Usos watching closely. It was also expected that Liv Morgan, Ronda Rousey, Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross would make their presence felt before Extreme Rules.

This looked to be a big night for WWE SmackDown with many eyes paying close attention to what was next.

Roman Reigns and Logan Paul Come Face-to-Face

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Logan Paul interrupted Roman Reigns only to hold himself back from stepping in the ring with the full Bloodline. Paul Heyman talked down to The Ultimate Influencer until Paul responded with a dig about Jey Uso. Sami Zayn barely diffused The Bloodline tension.

This started poorly. Heyman went off on an awkward tangent about other influencers that Paul could be compared to. Paul got more “what” chants than anything else as he oddly caused Bloodline tension.

The only thing that worked was Reigns getting in Jey’s face and Zayn taking the mic. The Honorary Uce was the highlight of the segment and saved it as much as possible. This just did nothing for Reigns vs. Paul.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet

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Solo Sikoa and Ricochet have fought before and continue to get more physical. Credit: WWE.com.

Solo Sikoa was frustrated early by Ricochet’s speed, but he found the pace that worked for him to take over. He caught The One and Only mid-450 splash for the Spinning Solo to take the win.

This was a solid match, though Sikoa’s slow-and-stiff style required Ricochet to do a lot of the heavy-lifting. The One and Only took some rough bumps to sell how dangerous The Enforcer can be.

WWE has heavily protected Sikoa since his main roster arrival. At this point, Ricochet has been clearly established as not working at the same level as The Enforcer, so this should be the end of the short rivalry.

Result

Sikoa def. Ricochet by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

Legado del Fantasma Makes a Statement at the Expense of Hit Row

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Hit Row looked ready to compete before they were attacked by three masked men. Zelina Vega arrived to lay out B-Fab before introducing the group. Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro unmasked to reveal Legado del Fantasma on SmackDown.

For those who have not followed Legado in NXT, this is a talented trio of luchadors with serious upside. While Triple H has brought in multiple interesting additions to the roster, Legado may be more impactful than most.

That is especially true with Vega returning to a manager role to promote this group. She has always been best in this role and can make this group special. It does mean Elektra Lopez is likely returning to NXT, which is for the best as she was not ready for the main roster.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi vs. Sonya Deville and Xia Li

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Sonya Deville and Xia Li went in with an aggressive game plan to isolate Shotzi, but Raquel Rodriguez made them pay with the hot tag. Rodriguez put Deville away with a Texana Bomb.

This was basically a squash but only once Big Mami Cool got the tag. It would have been nice to see more of what this face team can do together since they are likely to go after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships soon.

Instead, it was just more opportunity to show why Rodriguez is the biggest rising star in the women’s division.

Result

Rodriguez and Shotzi def. Deville and Li by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

Karrion Kross Lays Out Drew McIntyre Once Again

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Drew McIntyre ambushed Karrion Kross during his entrance, hoping to make him pay for recent attacks by The Herald of Doomsday and Scarlett. However, after a strap was tied to both men, Kross took over and laid out The Scottish Warrior again.

McIntyre vs. Kross is a feud that should be more interesting than it has been to date. Instead, each segment looks mostly the same. Once more, The Scottish Warrior tried to step up to The Herald of Doomsday and fell short.

The Strap Match will be a test for Kross at Extreme Rules, especially because WWE has kept him out of the ring. He needs to show that he is big enough to truly challenge top names like McIntyre and Roman Reigns rather than just laying them out with a few quick moves.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

The Bloodline vs. New Day and Braun Strowman

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Sami Zayn tried to keep Jey Uso in check, but it did not work. Repeatedly, he would bark at The Honorary Uce rather than focus on the match. Braun Strowman took out the arguing duo, and Xavier Woods pinned Jimmy Uso after an elevated foot stomp.

You cannot go wrong with New Day and The Usos. These are two money tag teams with chemistry to spare. The action was secondary to the drama between Jey and Zayn, but that did not stop this from being good all around.

Kofi Kingston and Woods look like they may be positioned for a future tag team title shot. However, New Day technically is not allowed to do that given a past match stipulation between the teams. Hopefully, that will be addressed soon.

Result

New Day and Strowman def. The Usos and Zayn by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus

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Sheamus and Gunther sent The Brawling Brutes and Imperium to the back while brutalizing each other. After The Celtic Warrior nearly made The Ring General tap out to a Cloverleaf, both teams arrived and started brawling.

In the chaos of the fighting outside, Gunther countered the Brogue Kick with a shillelagh to the face behind the referee’s back, allowing The Ring General to retain.

Sheamus and Gunther are fantastic together. Only two things held this back from reaching the same level as their first classic, unavoidable commercial breaks and a chaotic finish.

The crowd was so behind The Celtic Warrior that it would have been nice to see WWE go for the title change. However, the end result was mostly about building to the premium live event to follow.

It is suddenly much more likely that The Brawling Brutes pull off a big win over Imperium than it was a week ago. This feud has become red hot and has plenty more to give. Hopefully, Sheamus vs. Gunther one more time is the final step.

Result

Gunther def. Sheamus by pinfall to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments