Even the New Day made an appearance in the Miracle on 34th Street Fight (Picture: WWE)
WWE SmackDown delivered high drama and top class in ring action on the final show before Christmas.
From Bray Wyatt snapping and attacking a cameraman to the festive main event – a Miracle on 34th Street Fight pitting Ricochet and Braun Strowman against Imperium duo Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci – there was plenty to enjoy on Friday night.
The main event itself delivered the whacky Christmassy chaos fans have come to expect at least once over the festive season with cookies, candy cane kendo sticks, Christmas trees, ballerinas in giant boxes and more.
In a brilliant moment, current NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day appeared as nutcrackers, as everyone involved did a stellar job of creating something ridiculously fun in time for Santa Claus coming down the chimney.
In the end, Ricochet picked up the win for his side with a Shooting Star Press before he and Strowman celebrated their victory in a feelgood moment.
It appears things are building up to the Monster of All Monsters getting an Intercontinental Championship match against GUNTHER, which should be coming sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, the One And Only has still remained a focus and been presented as a threat even after losing his own IC Title shot following his World Cup win.
He’s such a talented wrestler, and deserves the changes he’s getting lately to prove how special he is in between the ropes – and diving off them.
Bray Wyatt attacks cameraman, Raquel Rodriguez earns title shot and The Bloodline send a message to John Cena
The show started with The Bloodline in full force as they hyped up Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns’ match with Kevin Owens and John Cena next week in Tampa, Florida.
The Tribal Chief promised to smash Cena and KO, while the Honorary Uce delivered a scathing promo on his longtime friend and rivals Owens.
He described him as a ‘dark cloud’ hanging over his career, putting his emotion on display in another career making performance near the end of a year littered with them.
Sami Zayn had a word of warning for Kevin Owens and John Cena (Picture: WWE)
In the opening match, The Usos successfully defended their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against Hit Row.
Top Dolla and Ashante Thee Adonis rose to the occasion here, putting in a great performance as Jimmy and Jey Uso retained the gold.
A Gauntlet Match determined the next challenger for SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, with Raquel Rodriguez – still suffering from a storyline injury – getting the win.
Raquel Rodriguez picked up a dominant win (Picture: WWE)
Emma and Xia Li started the match with the latter scoring the pin before Tegan Nox came out, although she soon fell to a kick to the back of the head.
Rodriguez was out next and eliminated Li, while Liv Morgan helped the former NXT star deliver the best part of this bout before she too was eliminated, and Sonya Deville met the same fate.
Ronda Rousey appears and brought out Shayna Baszler, who lost to a roll-up, giving Rodriguez a big win in a match that was full of talent and fun moments but lacking in real drama and investment.
Bray Wyatt showed his more sinister side (Picture: WWE)
Bray Wyatt came out to address his issues with LA Knight, showing how conflicted he’s been about the ‘real’ Bray before demanding an apology over people assuming he was Uncle Howdy.
In the end, he snapped and assaulted the cameraman, locking in the Mandible Claw until officials put a stop to the attack.
In the next match, Rey Mysterio beat Angel in a fun showcase which highlighted the legendary luchador but still gave his opponents moments to shine.
The focus was on the presence of Karrion Kross and Scarlett in the stands as they continue to stalk Mysterio, while Emma tried to stand up for the masked icon backstage and slapped Scarlett.
WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
WWE SmackDown results and grades – December 23, 2022
Gauntlet Match: Raquel Rodriguez defeated Shayna Baszler, Liv Morgan, Xia Li, Tegan Nox and Emma (B-)
Rey Mysterio pinned Angel (B)
Miracle on 34th Street Fight: Ricochet and Braun Strowman beat Imperium (A-)
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The last episode before Christmas delivered in a fun way.
