The road to WWE SummerSlam 2023 continues tonight.
WWE returns to the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina this evening for this week’s edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.
On tap for tonight’s show is Asuka vs. Bianca Belair in a rematch for the WWE Women’s Championship, as well as the fallout from Jey Uso’s challenge to Roman Reigns from last week.
Additionally, tonight features the start of the WWE United States Championship Invitational, as well as Pretty Deadly vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland in tag-team action.
Featured below are complete WWE Friday Night SmackDown results from Friday, July 14, 2023. The following report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired live from 8-10pm EST. on FOX.
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN RESULTS (7/14/2023)
The “WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.” opening signature narrated by John Cena airs. We then shoot inside the PNC Arena where we see Jey Uso with his hoodie up walking the backstage area by himself as Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcome us to the show.
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair Kicks Off SmackDown
We shoot to the ring where the ring announcer introduces Bianca Belair. “The EST of WWE” emerges and heads to the ring to kick off tonight’s show.
The fans chant “EST!” after her music dies down. She talks about how she has had to wait forever for something that was rightfully hers in the first place — an immediate rematch for the title when she first lost it.
She talks about how tonight she finally gets that opportunity and because of that, tonight is when she recaptures the title and no one can stop her.
On that note, the theme for Charlotte Flair hits and out comes “The Queen.” She says Belair has her fired up the way she is talking. She says no disrespect to Asuka, she thinks Belair is gonna win tonight in Flair Country.
Flair says so there is no confusion, when Belair does win the title back tonight, she is first in line for the next shot at the championship. She asks Belair what she thinks. The two seem to agree that they’ll fight at SummerSlam if things work out that way tonight.
Sheamus & Ridge Holland vs. Pretty Deadly
Cole and Barrett run down the lineup for tonight’s show. We then shoot backstage and see The Brawling Brutes trio of Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch. Sheamus talks about Butch being in the WWE U.S. Championship Invitational and the other two are getting even with Pretty Deadly tonight.
The trio finish by doing a big hands-in, “It’s fight night!” chant. We shoot back inside the arena where Sheamus’ theme hits and Michael Cole says it like he always does. Kind of like Tony Schiavone’s “It’s STING!”
Sheamus and Ridge Holland settle inside the squared circle for our first match of the evening as we head to our first commercial break of the evening.
When we return from the break, we see The Brawling Brutes duo in the ring awaiting the arrival of their opponents as Michael Cole does a Progressive ad. Now their music dies down.
Pretty Deadly’s theme hits and out comes Elton Prince and Kit Wilson with an extravagant ring entrance. It’s douchechill-central. We see highlights of the recent interaction between these two teams from last week’s Sheamus vs. Austin Theory match.
Back live, the bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Sheamus and Elton Prince kick things off for their respective teams. Prince immediately runs out of the ring to avoid the fight from “The Celtic Warrior.”
We see The Brawling Brutes duo get off to a good start, as Sheamus hits a rolling senton and knocks Elton and Kit out to the floor.
The Pretty Deadly duo fight back, utilizing quick tags, but Ridge Holland takes over. He and Sheamus hit joint 10 Beats Over The Bowery spots as we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action in our opening contest continues.
When we return, we see Pretty Deadly has taken over control of the offense. They beat down Sheamus until he finally makes the tag. Ridge suplexes Kit into Elton and proceeds to manhandle both guys. Prince takes the turnbuckle off the top turnbuckle and Ridge gets slammed throat-first into it. Prince hits a top rope leg drop for the win.
Winners: Pretty Deadly
Grayson Waller With A Message For Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Progressive Match Flo segment of the week looks back at Grayson Waller’s impressive performance in a losing effort to Edge, who after the match told Grayson he could swim instead of sink.
After that wraps up, we shoot backstage to Cathy Kelley, who introduces her guest at this time, Grayson Waller. He is asked if he is surprised he’s already in the hunt for a title on the main roster, as he is part of the WWE U.S. Championship Invitational.
Waller talks about how he did expect it. He boasts main eventing at MSG last week against a WWE Hall of Fame legend in Edge. He talks about mixing it up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on social media. He vows to get his hand raised tonight and closes by saying, “If you smell what I’m cookin’.” We head to another commercial break.
Medical Update On Jey Uso
We return from the break and Cole and Barrett introduce a lengthy highlight video package showing everything that went down last week within The Bloodline.
When we return, they inform us that today marks the 1,048 day of Roman Reigns’ title reign. They also give a medical update on Jimmy Uso, saying he suffered ruptured rib cartilige last week.
Charlotte Flair Is …Not… Leaving
Now we shoot backstage where Adam Pearce sees Charotte Flair with her suitcase leaving. She assures him there won’t be any interference in the women’s title match tonight with Belair and Asuka because she’s leaving.
Bayley walks up with Iyo Sky and the Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase laughing and teasing a cash-in for the match tonight. Charlotte re-appears and says on second thought, she’ll hang around.
Zelina Vega vs. Bayley
The theme for Zelina Vega hits and we settle back inside the PNC Arena. The LWO member makes her way to the ring as we settle into a pre-match commercial break.
When we return, we see Zelina in the ring when Bayley’s theme hits and out comes the Damage CTRL leader with a lock of Shotzi’s green hair. Highlights are shown of she and Iyo Sky cutting it off of her weeks ago.
Back in the ring, Bayley and Zelina are ready for action, with Iyo Sky and the Women’s Money In The Bank briefcase at ringside. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
Bayley immediately takes Zelina out to the floor and beats her down, taunting her in front of Michael Cole, who shouts, “That’s very funny, Bayley!” in sarcastic fashion. Back in the ring, Bayley continues to dominate. Zelina tries to fight back but Bayley connects with her finisher off a distraction from Iyo Sky for the win.
Winner: Bayley
Shotzi Is A Little Weird …And A Lot Bald
We shoot to a video package of a crazed Shotzi asking if Bayley thinks she and Iyo Sky can scare or intimidate her by cutting a lock of her hair. She says no one can control her.
She says she’s a bit crazy and shows just how in control she is as she shaved her head while screaming like a psychotic about being in control. She admits she might be a little weird. We see a nervous look on the face of Bayley and Iyo Sky at ringside after the video wraps up.
Jey Uso Confronted By Solo Sikoa & Paul Heyman
Now we shoot back inside the PNC Arena where the familiar sounds of The Usos’ theme hits. Out comes Jey Uso by himself as the crowd sing along with The Usos theme song.
Cole and Barrett hype us hearing what Jey has to say after the attack that hospitalized his brother and resulted in him challenging “The Tribal Chief” last week. We head to a quick commercial break on that note.
When we return, Jey talks about being the new Tribal Chief, “Main Event Jey Uso,” he says Paul Heyman has been the puppet master for his family for 40 years and all that stops now.
“Ladies and gentlemen … my name is Paul Heyman.” Out comes “The Wise Man” with “The Enforcer” of The Bloodline, Solo Sikoa. Heyman says Solo is here to enforce the peace.
Heyman says Roman Reigns and Jey Uso will go face to face next week and discuss the rules of engagement. He says tonight they’ll just have a little conversation about things.
After telling Jey he is sounding more and more like a Tribal Chief. He then blames Jey for Jimmy getting beat up last week. He decides it’s pointless to talk to Jey. He talks to the camera and tells Jimmy it’s his favorite Jew-so here. He says it’s all Jey’s fault and he doesn’t know how Jimmy will ever forgive him. He says his father will never forgive him. Nor will his mother.
Paul continues talking and then Solo stops him and grabs the mic. Solo gets in Jey’s face and says what happened to Jimmy is Jey’s fault. He says he’ll never forgive him either. The two start brawling. Jey beats Solo down and out of the ring. He glares at Heyman, who looks like he’s seen a ghost. Jey slowly creeps towards Heyman but Solo comes in from behind and attacks him.
Jey is nearly hit with the Samoan Spike but he fights back and takes out Solo. He then turns and blasts Heyman, knocking him out with a super kick. He turns and does the same to Solo. The fans loudly chant “Uso! Uso!” Jey notices a chair and Heyman pleads for mercy. Solo comes in and Jey blasts him with it as Heyman runs out of there.
WWE United States Championship Invitational
AJ Styles vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Grayson Waller
We see Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Bianca Belair and the duo of Bayley and Ms. Money In The Bank Iyo Sky all backstage as Cole and Barrett hype tonight’s women’s title match main event.
Now we return inside the PNC Arena where Austin Theory’s theme hits. Out comes the WWE United States Champion, as he will get an up close and personal look at our next match of the evening. The WWE United States Championship Invitational kicks off next.
On that note, we head to a quick pre-match commercial break. When we return, we see Santos Escobar and Butch in the ring, as Austin Theory joins the gang on commentary. Grayson Waller makes his way to the ring and finally, AJ Styles comes out.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with our first of two fatal-four-way matches, where the winners meet to determine the next title challenger for U.S. Champion Austin Theory.
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory jaw at each other straight out of the gate, as Cole tells Theory on commentary that many often compare the two. Theory is of course insulted, pointing out he actually beat Edge and John Cena. We see Waller perform some big spots and Waller admits that they were actually impressive.
Styles hits a big spot as we head to a mid-match commercial break as this high stakes four-way showdown continues. When we return, we see Butch snapping the fingers of Waller. Butch then is launched into Styles off the top-rope via a hurricanrana from Escobar.
Theory keeps threatening Michael Cole’s job on commentary if he doesn’t shut his mouth. Butch hits a step-up enzugiri to Waller and Escobar, who are both sitting on the top rope. With Butch standing on the ring post, we see a sunset flip into a triple power bomb as the crowd goes nuts.
We see a bunch of back-to-back high spots and then Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm and has Escobar in position for a Styles Clash, but Karrion Kross appears on the big screen attacking The O.C. This lures Styles to the back and allows Escobar to hit his top-rope finisher for the win.
Winner and ADVANCING: Santos Escobar
AJ Styles Isn’t Done With Karrion Kross
We shoot to AJ Styles and Michin, who catches up with Anderson and Gallows after they were attacked by Karrion Kross. Styles assures them things aren’t done between he and Kross yet.
Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits Head Out To Talk
Now we head to The Street Profits, who are shown heading outside and approaching a limo. Out pops Bobby Lashley. He invites them into the car and they drive off together.
Part Two Of U.S. Title Invitational Next Week
From there, we shoot to video messages from Rey Mysterio, Cameron Grimes and Sheamus, who talk about being in the other U.S. Championship Invitational for next week’s SmackDown.
Back in the arena, LA Knight’s theme hits. Out he comes talking about being the best decision the company has ever made. He tells Austin Theory his U.S. title is in trouble because he’s in the Invitational as well next week.
WWE Women’s Championship
Asuka (C) vs. Bianca Belair
It’s main event time!
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett run down the lineup for next week’s show on FS1, which features Roman Reigns and Jey Uso in the Rules of Engagement, as well as the aforementioned second U.S. Title Invitational bout.
Bianca Belair’s theme hits and out comes “The EST of WWE” for our final match of the evening, which features the WWE Women’s Championship on-the-line. As she settles into the ring, we head to a pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, the theme for the reigning and defending champion Asuka hits. Out comes “The Empress of Tomorrow” for our scheduled main event, with her WWE Women’s Championship on-the-line.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Bayley and MS. Money In The Bank Iyo Sky are shown with tickets arriving in their seats in the front row for this one.
Belair takes it to Asuka with ten punches in the corner as the fans count along with each shot that lands. Belair whips Asuka into the corner again but gets drop toe-holded into it face-first. This allows the champ to take over on offense.
Now we see Belair knock Asuka down and out. Both ladies are down and recovering and as they do, Cole and Barrett point out that Charlotte Flair has also purchased a ticket and is taking her seat in the front row. On that note, we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
As we settle back in from the commercials, we see Asuka and Belair fighting back and forth, with no one clearly in control of the offense. Belair hits a nice moonsault for a close pin attempt. Cole points out Bayley, Iyo Sky and Charlotte Flair all hanging around in the front row.
Things continue until finally we see Bayley hop the rail to get involved. Charlotte Flair hops the rail and takes her out, but then Iyo Sky blasts Belair with the briefcase, so the ref calls for the bell. Bayley tells Iyo it’s time to cash in. Bayley grabs the briefcase as Iyo drags a lifeless Asuka into the ring.
Asuka springs to life and mists Bayley in the eyes and runs off with her title. That’s how this week’s show goes off the air. Thanks for joining us!
