Friday Night SmackDown aired this week from inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. With Charlotte Flair reuniting with Alexa Bliss, IYO SKY, and Rhea Ripley earlier this week on Raw, the four still had one more member to pick for next week’s WarGames match.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair were walking backstage, with Bliss telling The Queen how proud she was for saving their team on Monday, but Flair said she only did it for her, and it doesn’t mean she trusts anyone else. Bliss understands that, as the two walked near a closed door, with Bliss opening it to reveal Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY chatting inside. Flair is dismayed upon seeing Ripley, but Bliss and SKY both leave, allowing them to have a conversation off-screen as the segment ends.
Alba Fyre was talking to a backstage employee when Chelsea Green came in running to hide behind the door where Fyre was talking. It wasn’t long before Kiana James and Giulia walked into the shot to ask the Slaygent where Green was. Fyre lies, saying that she’s been planning her championship celebration all day and has not seen her. James bites back by saying “How convenient”, with Giulia speaking to Fyre angrily in Japanese before they leave.
Green then emerges from the door and realizes she’s not feeling okay – in her words, “the vibes aren’t vibing, the moon isn’t mooning”, and she doesn’t think they should throw the celebration tonight. While Fyre maintains that there has been a lot of preparation, the “greatest Women’s United States Champion of all time” says it is her duty to make sure the fans have the perfect experience, because she’s a selfless person, asking Fyre to reschedule.
As Green walks off, she is immediately cornered by the Women’s Champion, Jade Cargill, who simply mocks her. This scares Green and Fyre away, ending the segment.
Candice LeRae appeared to accompany #DIY for their tag team match against Fraxiom. The Poison Pixie’s role was rather limited, save for pulling Axiom’s mask off. As Axiom covered his face in response, it resulted in Tomasso Ciampa pinning him to give #DIY the win.
Charlotte and Rhea were back to have their conversation. The Eradicator tells Flair that whatever went down between them in the past, it was to prove who was the best. They both wanted to be the best, and Ripley’s not saying that they won’t be back on that path at some point, but for WarGames, Ripley is willing to put it all to the side. Whether or not Flair knows, after everything that they’ve been through, Ripley has always respected her, and honestly, if someone were to ask “who’s someone she’d go to war with, someone to stand there side by side with”, she would say Charlotte Flair. Flair agrees with that sentiment, and the two shake hands.
Alexa, IYO, Charlotte, and Rhea then made their way out in the show’s final minutes to announce who was joining their WarGames team. Ripley takes the mic to say that at Madison Square Garden, the Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend didn’t realize how united the babyface team was, and that’s a real big problem for them. It’s moments like those that you find out who is real and who is fake, and if she’s going to war with someone, she’s going in there with the right people.
Ripley then brings attention to IYO SKY, someone who is skilled as they are dangerous, and Ripley knows if anything were to go down, she would be the first one to come in swinging. Then there’s Alexa and Charlotte, two of the most decorated women in the division, and while they might not be the best of friends, but at the end of the day, she knows she can trust them, and they can trust her. With that being said though, that only makes up four women, and at WarGames, you’re gonna need five, which is why Ripley announces her fifth partner: AJ Lee.
Lee’s music hits, and she skips out to the stage, but as the babyfaces cheer her on, the heel team comes attacking from behind. As Lee starts running to their aid, Becky Lynch attacks her out of nowhere, with commentary mentioning Lee’s role in helping Maxxine Dupri win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from Lynch last Monday.
The Kabukis, Nia, and Lash continue to attack in the ring; Rhea gets up, but is also ganged up by them when Becky held her leg, allowing Jax to ram her body against Ripley and causing her to fall, allowing Jax to hit the Annihilator on her. Lynch lastly shakes the hand of Asuka, with the heel team proudly showing unity in the ring.
Friday Night SmackDown will air next week, remaining in Denver as WWE is taping next week’s episode tonight due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Women’s segments are currently unknown for next week’s episode, but it will most likely feature the final build for the women’s WarGames match.
As always, make sure to share your thoughts on this week’s episode of SmackDown in the comments below.