Last week's Friday Night Smackdown was broadcast from WWE's capital city of Orlando, FL. The televised broadcast featured a ton of in-ring and backstage promo sessions and four live matches during the two-hour event on FOX. Carmelo Hayes finally got a victory over Andrade, Blair Davenport took out Naomi, Kevin Owens took out Grayson Waller and Street Profits earned a tag-team title shot by defeating DIY.
The primary superstars on the blue brand, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Nia Jax and LA Knight, only appeared in promos, although Reigns was in a non-sanctioned match with Solo Sikoa and the Bloodline which was clearly the highlight of the evening.
But still, those five encounters may seem light compared to how expensive WWE events are nowadays. To combat that, live attendees are treated to dark matches, which happen away from the camera lens to keep the night going. In last week's dark matches, fans were treated to a rare team-up, between Damian Priest and Jey Uso.
According to Sean Michael Sapp of Fightful Select (via Ringside News), Uso and Priest were supposed to face Gunther is a triple-threat match for Gunther's Heavyweight title. Santos Escobar, fresh off his skit, ended up facing Sami Zayn, which shifted the three-way match into a tag-team that saw Priest and Uso as partners.
Initially, two post-show dark matches were planned. The first was supposed to feature Sami Zayn against Ludwig Kaiser, followed by a World Heavyweight Title match involving Gunther, Jey Uso, and Damian Priest. However, these plans underwent notable changes.
While all the advertised performers participated, Santos Escobar was added to the mix. He ended up facing Sami Zayn, with Legado Del Fantasma accompanying him. The World Title main event was modified to a singles match between Gunther and Jey Uso, which ended in a no contest when Ludwig Kaiser and Damian Priest interfered.
This interference led to the match being turned into a tag team bout, with Priest and Uso teaming up to defeat Imperium. When asked about the reason for these changes, Fightful Select was informed that the goal was to ensure the fans left the event satisfied.
Related Links
- WWE Monday Night RAW (August 19, 2024 episode) Preview, Match Card, Results ft Wyatt Sicks 6?
-
Shawn Michaels sees NXT, TNA union as having ‘unlimited possibilities’
-
WWE legend Afa Anoa'i Sr, one-half of Wild Samoans and Roman Reigns uncle, passes away