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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Ratings, Reactions & Highlights From October 7 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

October 8, 2022

WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Ratings, Reactions & Highlights From October 7

0 out of 7

Gunther has already devastated Sheamus, but The Celtic Warrior continues to rise. 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 on the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown.

Gunther and Sheamus would clash again for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. While The Celtic Warrior made a strong impression in the first match, they hoped to win the gold medal in the second.

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

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

It looked like a big night for WWE SmackDown with many eyes watching for what was to come.

Roman Reigns and Logan Paul come face to face

1 of 7

Logan Paul interrupted Roman Reigns only to refrain from stepping into the ring with the entire Bloodline. Paul Heyman spoke to The Ultimate Influencer until Paul responded with a dig at Jey Uso. Sami Zayn barely aired the tension of The Bloodline.

It started badly. Heyman went on an awkward tangent about other influencers Paul could be compared to. Paul had more “what” chants than anything else as he strangely caused tension in the bloodline.

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. It just didn’t do anything for Reigns against Paul.

To note

D+

Notable Moments

Triple H opened the show to welcome fans to the SmackDown season premiere. During her promo, a QR code popped up on her mic, leading here.
Michael Cole introduced Wade Barrett as his new commentary partner.
Paul tried to get the crowd behind him, but he got nothing as Zayn had a huge pop.

Solo score against Ricochet

2 out of 7

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

Solo Sikoa got frustrated early on with Ricochet’s speed, but he found the rhythm that allowed him to take over. He caught The One and Only mid-450 splash for the Spinning Solo to take the win.

It was a solid match, although Sikoa’s slow and stiff style meant Ricochet had to do a lot of the heavy lifting. The One and Only took a few hard knocks to sell just how dangerous The Enforcer can be.

WWE has heavily protected Sikoa since he joined the main roster. At this point, Ricochet has been clearly established as not performing on the same level as The Enforcer, so that should be the end of the short rivalry.

Results

Sikoa won. Ricochet by fall.

To note

Notable Moments

Sikoa hit Ricochet with a running crossbody before Ricochet was ready.
After the match, Sami Zayn praised Sikoa and Jey took offense at some word choices. Roman Reigns told Zayn he had to deal with Jey’s anger.
New Day taunted Jey, causing Zayn to later challenge them to a six-man tag.

Legado del Fantasma makes a statement at the expense of Hit Row

3 out of 7

Hit Row looked ready to compete before being attacked by three masked men. Zelina Vega arrived to introduce 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 haven’t followed Legado in NXT, they’re a talented trio of luchadors with some serious upside. While Triple H has made several exciting additions to the roster, Legado may have more of an impact than most.

This is especially true with Vega’s return to a managerial role to promote this band. She has always been the best in this role and can make this group special. This means Elektra Lopez is likely to return to NXT, which is for the best since she wasn’t ready for the main roster.

To note

Notable Moments

Vega sported a new look with blonde hair and a visible tan.
An animated bunny was shown hopping towards a purple “x” with the promise of something happening tomorrow at WWE Extreme Rules.

Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi vs. Sonya Deville and Xia Li

4 out of 7

Sonya Deville and Xia Li launched an aggressive game plan to isolate Shotzi, but Raquel Rodriguez made them pay with the hot tag. Rodriguez put Deville at bay with a Texana bomb.

It 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, as they will likely be taking on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships soon.

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

Results

Rodriguez and Shotzi defeat. Deville and Li by pinfall.

To note

Notable Moments

Shotzi and Raquel went out on the tank together. It’s so nice to see the tank again.
WWE showed a video package to highlight the rivalry between Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey.

Karrion Kross presents Drew McIntyre again

5 out of 7

Drew McIntyre ambushed Karrion Kross as he entered, hoping to make him pay for The Herald of Doomsday and Scarlett’s recent attacks. However, after a strap was attached to the two men, Kross took over and again presented The Scottish Warrior.

McIntyre vs. Kross is a feud that should be more interesting than it has been so far. Instead, each segment looks the same for the most part. Once again The Scottish Warrior attempted to jump to The Herald of Doomsday and failed.

The Strap Match will be a test for Kross at Extreme Rules, not least because WWE kept him out of the ring. He needs to show that he’s big enough to really challenge names like McIntyre and Roman Reigns rather than just exposing them with a few quick moves.

To note

VS-

Notable Moments

Kross’ entry remains distinctive among the WWE roster but doesn’t land as clearly as it should. Scarlett’s lip-syncing never helped.
Kross pointed to his wrist as if he had a watch, but usually he and Scarlett used an hourglass to tell the time. Apparently, all timing is fair game.

The Bloodline vs. New Day and Braun Strowman

6 out of 7

Sami Zayn tried to keep Jey Uso under control, but it didn’t work. On several occasions, he barked at The Honorary Uce rather than focusing on the game. Braun Strowman took out the arguing duo and Xavier Woods pinned Jimmy Uso after an overhand kick.

You can’t go wrong with New Day and The Usos. These are two silver tag teams with chemistry to spare. The action was secondary to the drama between Jey and Zayn, but that didn’t stop it from being good all around.

Kofi Kingston and Woods appear to be positioned for a future tag team title. However, New Day is technically not allowed to do so given a past match stipulation between the teams. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

Results

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

To note

B+

Notable Moments

Jey and Zayn traded aggressive tags throughout the match.
Strowman caught Jey and Zayn with a running body press that sent them onto the announce table.
The Viking Raiders appeared in a pre-recorded promo with the voice of Sarah Logan warning of what was to come when the band returned.
Max Dupri introduced Maximum Male Models and then told Maxxine Dupri his name was really LA Knight. Wade Barrett happily declared that “he knew it”.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus

7 out of 7

Sheamus and Gunther sent The Brawling Brutes and Imperium to the rear while brutalizing each other. After The Celtic Warrior almost had The Ring General slammed into a Cloverleaf, the two teams arrived and began brawling.

In the chaos of the away fight, Gunther countered the Brogue Kick with a shillelagh to the face behind the referee’s back, allowing the Ring General to hold on.

Sheamus and Gunther are fantastic together. Only two things kept this from reaching the same level as their classic and inevitable first 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 to create the premium live event to follow.

It’s suddenly much more likely for the Brawling Brutes to score a big victory over Imperium than it was a week ago. This feud has become hot and has a lot more to give. Hopefully Sheamus versus Gunther once again is the final step.

Results

Gunther won. Sheamus pinned to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

To note

A-

Notable Moments

Gunther caught Sheamus in a sleeping hold, but The Celtic Warrior fought his way to his feet with The Ring General on his back. The two then traded vicious chops.
Sheamus gave Gunther 10 Beats of the Bodhran on each of the ring’s three strings, and the crowd counted every time.
Gunther kicked a White Noise second string, and Sheamus kicked the Powerbomb and a diving splash. Sheamus’ kicks drove the crowd crazy.