LA Knight was also in action and was equally impressive in his win over Santos Escobar.While Roman Reigns was missing, there was still enough quality on display to make for some excellent moments. Let’s take a look back at the show as we count down the top five moments from SmackDown (8/23)
Here are the five best moments from SmackDown (8/23)
1) LA Knight takes down Santos Escobar
Santos Escobar was willing to do anything to take the United States Championship from LA Knight last night. In fact, before the match even began, Berto and Angel attacked the Megastar and wore him down, even throwing him into the steel steps at one point. But, the referee interfered and threw Angel and Berto out of the arena.
Elektra Lopez was laughing while Knight took a beating, she even tried to protest Angel and Berto’s dismissal. But, the referee wasn’t having any of it and even threw Elektra Lopez out of the ring. When the match commenced, LA Knight was already on his last legs, but he showed a lot of resilience to overcome Escobar.
The kind of beating Knight took would’ve been an automatic loss for most stars in WWE. However, Knight overcame it all to retain his title in a gruesome yet quality matchup.
2) Kevin Owens asks for permission before assaulting Grayson Waller
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory invited Cody Rhodes to the Grayson Waller Effect and were trying to sway him against Kevin Owens. While Rhodes was already not interested in Waller’s words, Owens made a personal appearance and thwarted Waller’s plans for good. First, Kevin reassured Cody that he would never turn against him.
Next, Owens called Nick Aldis out and asked him for permission to punch Grayson Waller in the face. Aldis simply asked Owens to make it quick, and he slid into the ring, ready to destroy. Rhodes and Owens combined to run A-Town Down Under out of the ring. Owens asking Aldis’ permission before jumping in the ring to assault a fellow wrestler was easily one of the best moments from SmackDown this week.
3) Jacob Fatu goes on a rampage while wearing a walking boot
Jacob Fatu has been running around in a walking boot ever since his injury at SummerSlam 2024. However, his crutch didn’t hold him back from helping the Bloodline retain their Tag Team titles. Angelo Dawkins took down both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa outside the ring, and Montez Ford jumped in to deliver a finishing blow.
Surely, this was enough for the Street Profits to win, but Solo Sikoa had a plan of his own. Sikoa distracted the referee, and this allowed Jacob Fatu to get involved. Fatu delivered two superkicks with the same foot on which he’s wearing a walking boot before tossing Dawkins back into the ring.
A superkick from Fatu was too much for Angelo to tank. Tama Tonga added to the damage and pinned Dawkins for the win. Jacob Fatu taking people out while in a walking boot will always be a top moment.
4) Kevin Owens obliterates Grayson Waller and Austin Theory
Kevin Owens had already made his dislike for Grayson Waller and Austin Theory known when he appeared on the Grayson Waller Effect. However, we got a good look at just how much he dislikes A-Town Down Under when Owens and Cody Rhodes took them on to close the night.
Owens and Rhodes started off strong, but A-Town Down Under were able to corner Rhodes and take him out of the fight. Taking out Cody was their biggest mistake, because Owens, by his lonesome, was like a wild beast. Kevin threw the partners around the ring and went extra hard on Grayson Waller, even managing to nail him with a Swanton Bomb.
Theory saved Waller from being pinned, but Cody Rhodes had already recovered by now. Rhodes got up and hit Theory with a Cross Rhodes, then Owens hit Waller with a Powerbomb to finish the fight. Owens’ rampage tonight was surely one for the books.
5) Solo Sikoa asks Jacob Fatu to give up his belt
Before the Bloodline took on the Street Profits, Solo Sikoa took the ring and asked Jacob Fatu to hand over his championship belt to Tonga Loa. This change was made because Fatu is injured, and Solo wants him to be more of a personal enforcer for himself. Jacob was not happy about this decision, and his discomfort was all over his face.
Fatu handed over the belt, but did so with a look of disgust on his face. This moment in particular has been getting a lot of attention because it just might be the first time we’ve seen Fatu not agree with Sikoa. If Solo doesn’t get his act right, we might see Jaco betraying him and joining Roman. Surely, this would be a dream come true for many. Time will tell whether or not Solo Sikoa has dug his own grave by asking Fatu to give up his championship belt.
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