WWE Smackdown
August 13, 2010
San Jose, CA
Report by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
The Smackdown video plays and we’re brought into the arena with some fireworks. Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcome us to the show. We’re two days away from Summerslam.
EXCUSE ME! Vickie Guerrero is in the middle of the ring. She excuses herself a few times before introducing the new Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler to the ring. Dolph Ziggler comes to the ring wearing a Hawaiian shirt and with leis around his neck. They show replays of Ziggler’s huge win last week (it had a big assist from Vickie Guerrero).
Vickie says Ziggler is more electrifying than The Rock, has more heart than Bret, and is definitely sexier than Shawn Michaels. He is also all hers: her boyfriend. That’s nasty. Ziggler takes the microphone and says he has one special person to thank. Without this person he wouldn’t be the WWE Universe’s Intercontinental Champion. Without this person’s advice and backrubs he wouldn’t be the total package we see tonight. This person is the official consultant to Smackdown Vickie Guerrero. Vickie giggles and says he really deserves this. She can’t wait to leave this disgusting city (she stops to excuse herself when things get loud) and celebrate in Tahiti. The crowd is booing and they just showed some older lady going nuts. That was hilarious.
All of a sudden Kofi Kingston runs into the ring from out of nowhere and attacks Ziggler! Ziggler rolls out of the ring and eats a baseball slide. Vickie screams for help and finally some referees come down to restrain Kingston. Teddy Long, Smackdown’s General Manager, comes out to the stage. Long says if Vickie and Dolph think he’ll let things go down like this then they’ve got another thing coming. They’re going to have to cancel their vacation plans because Ziggler is going to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston at Summerslam. But first he’ll face Rey Mysterio later tonight!
Vickie says if Ziggler has to fight tonight then so does Kofi and she says he’s going to face Kane. Long excuses himself this time and reminds her that she’s only the consultant. He’s the man with the power. Kingston then goes up to long and says he’s not a coward like Ziggler. He has no problem faces Kane and says he’ll do it right now! Kingston gets in the ring and Ziggler quickly runs out of it.
A video package is shown of the Rey Mysterio vs. Kane feud. It culminates with Mysterio revealing the Undertaker’s true attacker: Kane!
-Commercial Break-
Kofi Kingston vs. Kane
It should be noted that the blonde girl from NXT is the ring announcer tonight. Where’s Tony Chimel?
Kingston starts out with some quick kicks but Kane grounds him with a nice uppercut. Kane punches him down before sending him to the ropes. Kingston makes him stumble with a dropkick and shoulders him in the corner. Kingston leaps up to Kane’s shoulders and punches. Kingston rolls off and Kane knees him. Kane sends him into the corner hard and hits a nice sidewalk slam for a near fall. Kane goes to the top rope and Kingston dropkicks him in the face, knocking him to ringside! Kingston then follows up with a nice suicide dive!
Kingston punches Kane a bit before being pushed off. Kane uses the ring post to keep himself up. Kingston goes for Trouble in Paradise but Kane moves and his shin hits the ring post! Kane chop blocks the injured leg and puts him back in the ring. Kane uses the bottom rope and ring apron to abuse the injured limb some more. Kane stands on the ankle and stomps his face. Kane body slams him into the ropes with his legs taking the brunt of that attack. Kane puts him in the corner and misses a splash. Kingston attempts to comeback but Kane throws him into the corner. Kane charges into a pendulum kick. Kingston climbs to the top rope and takes a super Chokeslam! Kane picks him up and hits the Tombstone Piledriver for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Kane
Match Rating: ** 1/4
Kane has a microphone and says Rey Mysterio attacked and incapacitated his brother. Mysterio’s guilt is flowing through his veins like a disease and desperation is his only recourse. It’s obvious that desperation was the motivation behind his actions. This Sunday he will pay for those actions. His lies are no match for the hellfire of the dark side. His lies will not protect him from his fate or the eternal darkness that awaits him in the casket. His brother found it within himself to reach out for the darkness to open his eyes and speak. He said but two words: Rey Mysterio. Even in his blackest of moments he could never imagine the pain his brother is enduring. The pain of knowing that he’ll never again be the phenom he once was. If his brother were here then he would punish the guilty. Kane warns Mysterio to make no mistake: vengeance will be delivered by the devil’s favorite demon!
Rey Mysterio comes out to the stage, interrupting him before he sets his pyro off. Mysterio says Kane is looking at one of God’s humble servants. If there was one person who had the motivation to take out the Undertaker then it was Kane. Mysterio asks who found Undertaker and wrongfully accused everyone of doing it. Mysterio also asks who has been living in the shadow of his brother since he was born. Mysterio says Kane had the most to gain from it. Mysterio says the title that Kane stole from him would be in the Undertaker’s hands if he were here. On Sunday the title will be back in his hands because he’s only one move away from the 619!
-Commercial Break-
Christian vs. “Dashing” Cody Rhodes
As Christian was coming to the ring they showed footage from two weeks ago when Drew McIntyre destroyed his shoulder. They then go backstage where Cody Rhodes is walking with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre says they’re on a rocket ship to the top. McIntyre says if he can’t beat Christian then he’s not dashing: just embarrassing.
The Goose is the referee for this match. Rhodes knees him in the midsection and punches him to the corner. Rhodes runs into boots but ducks a clothesline and takes Christian down. Rhodes lets Christian up and runs into a back body drop over the top rope! Christian then hits a nice plancha and gets back in the ring!
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Rhodes working on the shoulder that was injured by McIntyre two weeks ago. Rhodes knees him in the shoulder a few times before applying a submission. Christian fights up but gets kneed and takes a hammerlock body slam. Rhodes applies a hammerlock and McIntyre is seen watching backstage. Christian gets to the ropes and that necessitates a break. Rhodes lifts him up and kicks him in the midsection a la Bob Holly. Rhodes clotheslines him from behind and he hits the ropes with his injured shoulder. That gets Rhodes a near fall. Rhodes drops a knee on the shoulder and gets another near fall. Rhodes puts Christian in the corner and bends the shoulder some more. Rhodes puts him on the top rope and gets punched off. Christian hits a nice cross-body for a near fall.
Christian hits a clothesline and sends him into the ropes. Rhodes ducks a clothesline but can’t avoid a knee in the midsection. Christian hits a second rope diving uppercut before choking him on the ropes. Christian goes for his vaulting uppercut but Rhodes avoids it. Christian gets a sunset flip for a near fall. Rhodes immediately comes back with an Alabama Slam for a near fall. That’s a nasty move, boy. Christian tries to get him with the Kill Switch but his arm is hurt. Christian ducks the Beautiful Disaster and punches him in the face. Christian hits a reverse DDT for a near fall.
Rhodes is holding his face and looks scared that his supposed good looks could be ruined. The referee backs Christian up to give Rhodes some times. That distraction is enough for Rhodes to rake the eyes and send him shoulder first into the ring post. Rhodes hits the Cross Rhodes for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: “Dashing” Cody Rhodes
Match Rating: **
Tonight Drew McIntyre will rekindle his feud with Matt Hardy in a match. We’ll also see Rey Mysterio take on Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match.
-Commercial Break-
The WWE Smack of the Night comes from two weeks ago when the S.E.S. nearly broke Big Show’s hand.
Three on One Handicap Match
Big Show vs. Derek Werley, Jody Reese & Fernando Vega
These jobbers don’t have a chance in hell. This is Big Show’s warm-up for Summerslam. As the match begins the S.E.S. comes out to watch. Big Show tosses all the guys around and lays one out with a shoulder block. Big Show Chokeslams two of the guys and looks angrily at the S.E.S. Big Show then shows that his hand is fine by knocking the last guy out and picking up the extremely easy win.
Winner by Pinfall: Big Show
Match Rating: N/A
Luke Gallows has a microphone and speaks but CM Punk takes it from him and says he speaks when spoken to. If Punk wanted him to talk to Big Show then he’d have said something. Punk says he knows his hand is hurting and he also knows that his tiny pea brain is rattling around. Big Show can’t differentiate between the jobbers and his drug free stable that will crush him. At Summerslam he’ll be in the pit, surrounded by his orchestra of virtue. The conductor for the evening will be himself and they’ll conduct Big Show’s opus. The symphony will sound like his bones being broken under the S.E.S. It’s a symphony that he wrote for Big Show and he’ll call it “The Destruction of Big Show”. Big Show looks at them angrily as the S.E.S. poses on the stage.
Matt Hardy is seen walking backstage. Kelly Kelly wishes him luck tonight.
-Commercial Break-
Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre misses a big boot and Hardy punches. McIntyre stuns him with a quick kick and powers him down. McIntyre stomps and clubs him and has the early advantage. Hardy gets out of a powerslam and clotheslines him out of the ring. Hardy goes outside and gets sent into the barricade. McIntyre charges and gets back body dropped into the timekeeper’s lap. Hardy gets him up and hits a SICK Side Effect on the floor! Hardy rolls him into the ring and gets a near fall.
Hardy applies a front face lock and McIntyre gets to the ropes. McIntyre charges into a back elbow and takes a headlock neckbreaker for a near fall. Hardy goes to the second rope but gets pulled off into a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. McIntyre stomps him in the head for another near fall. McIntyre applies an arm bar submission before releasing and stomping his face. McIntyre again applies the arm bar submission. Hardy fights off and arm drags him off. Hardy spears him through the ropes and almost lands on his head! That was nice!
McIntyre shoves Hardy into the ring steps and punches away. McIntyre puts Hardy’s foot under the steel steps and stomps down! Hardy removes his boot to alleviate the pressure and his sock is bloody. I guess they’re going for the Curt Shilling effect. Hardy nearly gets counted out before McIntyre interrupts the count. Hardy hobbles into the ring and takes the Future Shock DDT. McIntyre picks up the win from there.
Winner by Pinfall: Drew McIntyre
Match Rating: **
They showed a long video hyping up the Team WWE vs. Nexus match.
Rey Mysterio will take on Dolph Ziggler later tonight.
-Commercial Break-
The WWE Rewind is Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger’s No DQ match from two weeks ago. They fought all over the arena in an excellent match until Mysterio hit a hurricanrana that sent him into the Gulf of Mexico!
Jack Swagger makes his way to the ring and doesn’t look happy. Swagger says he looks at the crowd and sees people looking for excuses to say how sorry their lives are. Swagger says he’s not like us: he has a legitimate excuse. Swagger asks if we know what his life has been like for the past two weeks, no, two months. He’s had his title stolen, thrown into the Gulf of Mexico, and witnessed severe family trauma when his father was attacked by that sick freak Kane. He was up until 4 am dealing with chronic diarrhea last night: his father’s! Swagger reminds us that he’s a former World Heavyweight Champion who’s not even in the match at Summerslam. It’s official: Summerslam has lost its Swagger.
MVP’s music hits and he says no one cares about his problems. The WWE Universe doesn’t care, no one in the arena cares, and he really doesn’t care. Swagger says he should care, as well as everyone in the arena. Swagger asks what he’s doing out here and reminds him that they had this discussion last year. MVP says they did and a few weeks later at Summerslam MVP beat Jack Swagger convincingly. Swagger hits him with the microphone and throws him out of the ring! Swagger sends him into the barricade before talking a little trash.
-Commercial Break-
Jack Swagger vs. MVP
As we come back from the break The Goose is asking MVP if he really wants to go through with the match. He says yes and the match begins. Swagger immediately clotheslines him in the corner and pushes him down for a near fall. Swagger powers him into the corner and punches him down. Swagger grinds his knee in his face. MVP kicks him away but gets clotheslined down quickly for a near fall. Swagger applies a wrist lock. MVP fights up but quickly gets powered down. Swagger holds the wrist lock for a little bit but MVP eventually fights up. Swagger cuts off a comeback and catches him trying to slingshot over. Swagger hits a sit-out flapjack and goes for an ankle lock but MVP was already on the ropes.
Swagger hits a nice powerslam and taunts the crowd. Swagger goes for the Vader Bomb but MVP gets his knees up. Swagger misses a splash and runs into a t-bone suplex. MVP punches him a few times before hitting some clotheslines. MVP hits a throat thrust and a face buster. MVP goes for the BALLIN’ Elbow Drop but eats a big boot. Swagger stands on his ankle and goes for it but MVP rolls him up for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: MVP
Match Rating: * 1/2
Jack Swagger is livid in the ring and can’t believe what just happened.
“Dashing” Cody Rhodes has another video talking about keeping ear wax under control.
-Commercial Break-
Another Alberto Del Rio video plays. It’s pretty much a highlight video of every one of his vignettes. He’ll FINALLY debut next week.
The announcers run down the Summerslam card. I’m looking forward to the show.
Rey Mysterio makes his way to the ring. He’ll face Dolph Ziggler next in a non-title match.
-Commercial Break-
Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero
They circle the ring and lock up. Ziggler quickly gets a headlock takeover but Mysterio gets out. Mysterio hits a headlock takeover and Ziggler gets out. Ziggler whips Mysterio hard into the corner for a near fall. Ziggler stomps him in the corner and stuns him with a straight right hand. Ziggler whips him across the ring but Mysterio rolls him up for a two count. Mysterio gets a headlock but gets whipped off. Mysterio then comes back with a hurricanrana for a near fall.
Ziggler pulls Mysterio face first into the turnbuckle and grinds his knee in his face. Ziggler hits a nice neckbreaker for a near fall. Ziggler drops some knees on Mysterio’s face and clubs away. Ziggler applies a chin lock but Mysterio fights up and elbows out. Mysterio goes into the ropes, through his legs, slides through a body slam, and dropkicks him into position. Mysterio goes for the 619 but Kane’s pyro hits! Kane wheels a casket down to the ring smiling!
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Mysterio trapped in a chin lock. Kane is standing at ringside with the casket open. During the break Mysterio missed a seated senton to the outside and he got clotheslined down by Ziggler. Mysterio fights up from the chin lock but gets a flapjack into the top rope. Ziggler clubs the chest and covers for a near fall. Ziggler stomps him and drops some elbows. Ziggler drops a big elbow for a near fall. Ziggler applies the chin lock once again. Mysterio takes some time but eventually fights out of it. Ziggler cuts off the comeback but Mysterio slingshots over him. Mysterio then sends him into the ring post shoulder first!
Mysterio hits a picture perfect seated senton and a springboard cross-body for a near fall. Ziggler attempts a sunset flip but Mysterio rolls through and kicks him in the face. Mysterio then hits a low seated senton for a near fall. Kane is seen smiling at ringside. Mysterio goes for a wheelbarrow bulldog but Ziggler counters. Ziggler gets him on his shoulders and drops back for a near fall. That’s nastier than I made it sound. Ziggler looks to have applied his Sleeper Hold but Mysterio blocked it. Mysterio springboards with a moonsault into a sleeper hold. Ziggler snapmares him off and waits for him to get up. Ziggler applies the Sleeper Hold but Mysterio gets him in position. Ziggler cuts the 619 off but Mysterio still rolls him up for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Rey Mysterio
Match Rating: **
Kane immediately tries to get into the ring but Mysterio stops him. Mysterio hits a 619 and a springboard dropkick that sends Kane into the open casket! Kane quickly gets up and backs up the ramp.
Quick Match Results
Kane def. Kofi Kingston (non-title)
“Dashing” Cody Rhodes def. Christian
Big Show def. Three Jobbers
Drew McIntyre def. Matt Hardy
MVP def. Jack Swagger
Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler (non-title)
Bump of the Night: The Side Effect on the ground!
Match of the Night: Kane vs. Kofi Kingston ** 1/4
Mike’s Thoughts
This was an excellent go home show for Summerslam. We had four quality matches out of six and the two matches that didn’t quite measure up weren’t that bad either.
Smackdown opened up with something a little different: a segment putting the spotlight on the Intercontinental Championship match at Summerslam. I would’ve thought they were going to open up the show with Kane. I’m really enjoying Kofi Kingston’s edge. He should’ve retained this unstable look from the Randy Orton feud. This is what he’s needed since losing his steam on Raw and coming to Smackdown. Hopefully this is the start of bigger and better things for him. He then went on to have a really nice match against Kane.
Speaking of Kane, I’m actually looking forward to his match at Summerslam against Mysterio. The feud has really been carried by Kane (he’s really been carrying Smackdown for two months) so it’s a testament to how great he’s been. He singlehandedly sold me on the match. Mysterio’s promos have been brutal leading up to tonight but he finally got a good one out. He then got some steam by dropkicking Kane into the casket.
The two undercard matches were great with Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. I really am enjoying Rhodes’s “dashing” gimmick. He’s been hilarious and making the most out of this ultimately overdone gimmick. I usually hate the narcissist thing but he’s been making it work. On top of that the guy is tremendous in the ring. McIntyre also had another good match against Matt Hardy. I’ve got to say one thing about Matt Hardy, though. I feel really bad for the guy. Every week the announcers try to paint him as the heart and soul of Smackdown but you know that it’s a stretch and so does the crowd. No matter how hard he tries he just can’t get any true steam. It’s sad to watch sometimes. He just could never step out from Jeff’s shadow.
What was the point of Jack Swagger losing to MVP tonight? MVP hasn’t been relevant in months and now he picks up a win over the former champion? That wasn’t the best booking in the world.
Final Rating: *** 1/4
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Be sure to check out Tuesday’s NXT recap.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy Summerslam 2010!