WWE Smackdown
June 24, 2011
Hershey, PA
Report by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…” The WWE video leads us into the show.
The Smackdown video is played and we’re brought into the arena with some fireworks. Josh Mathews, Booker T, and Michael Cole welcome us to the show.
Theodore Long’s music hits and the General Manager makes his way down to the ring. Long says there was a controversial decision made by the referee in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Capitol Punishment. Long would like to address it and he asks Christian to come out to the ring.
Christian comes out to the ring and says he deserves one more chance to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Long says he’ll address that in a minute. Long mentions that Christian had his lawyers call him earlier in the week. Long shows the footage which clearly shows Christian’s foot under the bottom rope as the referee counted the pin. Long admits the referee made a bad call and he apologizes to the WWE Universe. Long says the referee’s decision is final.
Christian doesn’t care about what the WWE Universe thinks. He was the one screwed out of the World Heavyweight Championship, not them. Christian deserves one more shot when the referee made the bad call. He deserves the shot because he pinned Randy Orton on Raw in the elimination tag and he wants the match right now. Christian then mentions Orton hitting him in the head with the title at Capitol Punishment. Long agrees that Orton’s actions after the match were reprehensible and unbecoming that of a champion.
Christian is happy and asks when he’s getting his shot. Long says that depends on if he earns a championship match. Christian demands to know why he has to earn it when Long agreed with him that the referee messed up. Long mentions that he said the referee’s decision was final and Christian lost. If Christian is going to get a shot at the World Title then he’ll have to win his match against Kane tonight. Christian gets in Long’s face and argues with him. Long argues back and leaves the ring. Christian is left fuming in the ring.
Tonight we’ll see Ezekiel Jackson defend his newly won Intercontinental Championship against former champion Wade Barrett.
-Commercial Break-
They promote Raw Roulette and the fact that Shawn Michaels will be there. They also announce that Sin Cara will take on Evan Bourne due to the voting machine malfunction on Raw. They apologize once again.
Sin Cara vs. Ted DiBiase
The crowd is chanting for Sin Cara as the match begins. They lock up and DiBiase quickly wrenches the arm. Cara kicks, flips, and takes him down with an arm drag. Cara ducks a clothesline and hits a multi-turning head-scissor takeover that takes DiBiase out of the ring. Cara climbs the ropes and springboards to the outside with a cross-body on DiBiase. Cara throws him back into the ring for a near fall. Cara kicks and goes for a springboard cross-body but DiBiase dropkicks him out of mid-air for a near fall.
DiBiase takes Cara down with a chin lock but Cara gets to his feet quickly. Cara kicks but DiBiase gets him on the shoulders. Cara all of a sudden turns and rolls him up for a near fall. DiBiase quickly is to his feet and hits a big boot. DiBiase stomps and kicks him for a near fall. DiBiase grinds his forearms into Cara’s face and delivers a straight right hand. Cara ducks a clothesline but DiBiase follows him into the ropes and surprises him with a clothesline for a near fall. DiBiase punches him to the corner and sends him to the opposite side. DiBiase charges into an elbow and then into some boots. Cara then hits a missile dropkick and the crowd is pumped up.
Cara kicks away at DiBiase. DiBiase reverses a whip but Cara hits a springboard hurricanrana. Cara hits a handspring back elbow and hits an insane springboard reverse snapmare. Cara hits a Pelé kick and goes for a springboard maneuver but DiBiase catches him and hits a sit-out spinebuster for a near fall! DiBiase punches and sends him to the ropes. Cara ducks a clothesline and hits a spinning head-scissor arm trap face buster for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Sin Cara
Match Rating: **
They show a recap from Raw of Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes. They show Rhodes putting a bag over Bryan’s head after Ted DiBiase attacked him. Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes will fight next.
-Commercial Break-
Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring with his assistants. Rhodes asks everyone to take a deep breath and forget about that embarrassing performance by his protégé Ted DiBiase. Rhodes says it’s time to talk about something worth talking about. He loves chocolate and he’d be remiss if he didn’t mention in Hershey, Pennsylvania that they are responsible for producing more chocolate than anywhere else in the world. That in turn makes everyone around the planet fat and ugly. Rhodes asks if they see the irony in the fact that a place all about chocolate is people with bleak expressions. Rhodes says as a service to all of them, just like he did to Daniel Bryan on Raw, he wants them to place the paper bags over their heads.
Daniel Bryan interrupts and says he’s so incredibly sick of this. He may never be on the cover of GQ and he isn’t the most fashion conscious person in the world, but even he knows that a cup doesn’t belong on your face. A cup belongs in your pants. Rhodes needs to learn that looks aren’t everything. Rhodes says that sounds like something an ugly person would say. Bryan asks how he explains this: a picture of Dusty Rhodes, Cody’s father, is shown on the screen. Bryan says he’s not the most attractive person on planet earth but he was charismatic, inspiring, and a good person, all things that Cody is not. What’s wrong with Cody isn’t the fact that he broke his nose. It’s the fact that he’s a bitter, arrogant jerk who will never live up to the standards of his father!
Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan
The match begins and they lock up. Bryan applies a hammerlock but Rhodes elbows him in the face. Bryan catches him with a pair of arm drags but Rhodes fakes him out of a third. Bryan stops a roll up and gets a two count. Rhodes gets a jackknife pin but Bryan lifts up and they twist. Bryan leap frogs him and hits a dropkick. Rhodes rolls out of the ring to recover. Ted DiBiase makes his way to ringside and helps him regroup.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Rhodes throw Bryan out of the ring. The referee argues with Rhodes as DiBiase kicks Bryan in the head. Rhodes goes outside and kicks Bryan. Rhodes bounces him off the apron and punches away. Rhodes puts him in the ring and elbows him in the face. Rhodes sends him to the corner and splashes him for a two count. Rhodes kicks him and hits a snapmare. Rhodes applies a modified arm bar but Bryan fights up. Rhodes quickly takes him down with a Russian Leg Sweep and he stomps his face. Rhodes knees him a few times for a two count. Rhodes hits a front suplex and goes for a knee drop but Bryan moves.
Bryan comes back with some punches but Rhodes takes him down and stomps away. Rhodes basically applies the LeBell Lock but uses his leg to trap the arm instead. Bryan fights up and Rhodes knees away at him. Bryan is sent to the ropes and he rebounds with a running elbow. Bryan kicks, counters a whip to the corner, and hits a Pelé kick. Bryan puts him on the top rope and they execute a poorly timed super hurricanrana for a near fall. This has been a sloppy exchange since they got to the corner.
Bryan gets himself pumped up and he kicks away at Rhodes. Rhodes ducks a kick and avoids a LeBell Lock attempt. Bryan rolls him up for a near fall. Rhodes then rolls him up for a near fall. They then hit the ropes and hit a double cross-body, knocking the wind out of both of them. The referee begins the count. They answer the count and trade punches. Rhodes sends him to the ropes and DiBiase grabs his foot. Bryan kicks Rhodes down and takes DiBiase out with a suicide dive! Rhodes catches Bryan coming back in the ring with the Beautiful Disaster. Bryan’s foot gets hung up in the ropes so Rhodes viciously stomps at him.
The referee finally frees Bryan’s leg and he’s in a lot of pain. Rhodes catches him with another Beautiful Disaster and hits the Cross Rhodes for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Cody Rhodes
Match Rating: **
Cody Rhodes grabs a paper bag mask and puts it over Bryan’s face once again.
Tonight’s main event will be Christian taking on Kane. If Christian wins then he gets another shot at Randy Orton. We’ll hear from Big Show next regarding Mark Henry’s attack at Capitol Punishment.
-Commercial Break-
Johnny Curtis says there are a lot of rumors as to why he hasn’t made his Smackdown debut yet. Maybe he’s too young, too inexperience, or too cocky. What he does know is they’re all wrong because he can do this. Curtis picks up a thing of ketchup and mayonnaise but leaves the mustard, “cutting” it.
Ezekiel Jackson will defend his Intercontinental Championship next against Wade Barrett.
Matt Striker interviews Big Show. Striker asks of his condition and Big Show quietly says he’s fine. Striker asks if Big Show can comment on knocking Mark Henry out last week. Show says Mark Henry was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Big Show asked him not to get in the ring and it could have happened to anyone. A lot of people are saying the attack on Mark Henry was unwarranted, lighting a fire in Mark Henry. They then show a highlight video of Mark Henry and it includes footage from Capitol Punishment of him slamming Big Show through the table.
Striker says the WWE Universe has never seen Big Show manhandled like this and he brought it on himself. All of a sudden Mark Henry spears Big Show through the interview set. A ton of pipes fall and Henry nearly falls down stepping over them a few times. The referees go to check on him and Henry threatens them, telling them to leave Big Show there.
-Commercial Break-
Intercontinental Champion Ezekiel Jackson makes his way to the ring and is attacked from behind by Wade Barrett. Barrett sends him into the barricade and the ring post. Barrett puts him in the ring and kicks him in the ribs. The referee backs Barrett away and checks on Jackson. Jackson says he’s good and gets to his feet.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Ezekiel Jackson (c) vs. Wade Barrett
Barrett immediately pounces on Jackson as soon as the bell rings, punching and stomping him around the ring. Barrett hits an old school neckbreaker for a near fall. Jackson punches back and stuns Barrett to his knees. Jackson clubs him in the corner and whips him hard to the corner. Jackson charges into a boot and takes a stiff clothesline from Barrett for a near fall. Barrett applies a modified camel clutch but Jackson fights up and elbows out. Jackson kicks him in the face and goes for a whip but Barrett reverses it and hits a Boss Man Slam for a near fall.
Barrett knees him in the face for a near fall. Barrett is getting frustrated that he can’t end the match. Barrett taunts the crowd, goes for a clothesline, but Jackson counters into the Book of Ezekiel. Jackson hits a trio of clotheslines and attempts to pump the crowd up. Jackson clotheslines him in the corner and Barrett falls out of the ring. Jackson goes outside and Barrett blindsides him with a kick to the temple. Barrett throws him into the ring and goes for The Wasteland but Jackson wiggles out. Jackson then applies the Torture Rack for the submission victory.
Winner & still Intercontinental Champion: Ezekiel Jackson
Match Rating: * 1/4
Randy Orton is backstage with Jack Korpela. Korpela asks what Orton thinks of Christian possibly getting another match against Orton. Orton says he’s a serious guy but this is becoming almost comical. He’s laughing on the inside. If Christian wins tonight then he’ll be more than happy to defend the title against him again. The closest Christian will ever get to the title is when he nails him over the head with it, again.
-Commercial Break-
A beaten Wade Barrett is walking backstage when he runs into Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, who are clapping for him. Gabriel makes fun of him for losing the title on Sunday and his rematch tonight. Slater says he really didn’t need their help. Barrett says he forgot they existed, just like he forgot about the Intercontinental Title. Barrett says he has bigger and better things in store for himself. They say they’re going to go out and do something Barrett couldn’t do – win.
Jimmy and Jey Uso dance on stage in Samoan style, which was to strike fear in their opponents before hitting the ring.
The Usos vs. Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater
Gabriel starts off against Jimmy. Jimmy chops him a few times and tags in Jey. Jimmy whips Gabriel into Jey who hits a flying forearm. Jey hits a body slam and a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Gabriel pulls Jey out of the ring but he lands on the apron. Jey takes him down and takes Slater out as well. Jey goes to the top rope and Gabriel knocks him off to the outside. Slater is tagged in and he hits a flying forearm off the apron. Slater rolls him into the ring for a near fall.
Slater pounds on him and tags in Gabriel. They hit a double team move for a near fall. Slater is tagged back in and he punches away at Jey. Slater applies a chin lock but Jey punches. Slater quickly takes him down by his hair. Gabriel is tagged in and he pulls him near his corner for a pin. Gabriel takes him down and applies an arm bar. Jey fights up and punches out. Gabriel puts him in the corner and splashes him. Gabriel then springboards off the top rope into a Samoan Drop!
Slater and Jimmy are tagged in. Jimmy hits a shoulder tackle, forearm shiver, sidekick, and a Bubba Bomb. Jimmy splashes him in the corner and does a little dance before hitting a running butt bump to the face. Gabriel breaks up the pin. Jey takes Gabriel out and Slater throws him out. Jimmy superkicks Slater and goes for a splash but Slater gets the knees up and picks up the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater
Match Rating: * 1/4
Christian will take on Kane in the main event. If Christian wins he’ll get another shot at Randy Orton.
-Commercial Break-
JOBBER ALERT: Yoshi Tatsu is in the ring with no TV entrance.
Jinder Mahal pushed Tatsu and clotheslined him down. Mahal punches away at Tatsu and hits a suplex. The referee (Nunzio) mentions that he didn’t ring the bell yet. Mahal whips Tatsu into Khali, who delivers a Brain Chop. Mahal hits a Full Nelson Slam and taunts the crowd. Mahal orders Khali to dump Tatsu out of the ring and he does.
Mahal grabs a microphone and says this is prime example of what one of the world’s most powerful and privileged man is capable. This is what will continue to happen until his potential and superiority is realized. The truth is he’s never had to strive to be the best because he was born the best. Mahal says no more Khali Kiss Cam and no more kissing fat, American women. Khali has had a rebirth. His only mission is to serve. Nothing can stop the Eastern winds from blowing through the entire WWE Universe. Mahal and Khali raise their arms up.
Christian will take on Kane next. If Christian wins he’ll get another shot at Randy Orton’s title.
-Commercial Break-
Kane vs. Christian
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee ever, is the official of the match. They circle the ring and Christian punches away. Christian goes into the ropes and runs into a shoulder block. Christian gets up in the corner and Kane punches him down there. Kane picks him up and Christian ducks a punch. Kane blocks a whip and sends him sternum first into the turnbuckle. Kane bounces him in the corner and stomps him. Kane sends him to the ropes but Christian slides through the legs and punches. Kane lays him out with an uppercut and goes for an elbow drop but Christian moves. Christian goes to pick him up but Kane grabs him by the throat and throws him to the corner. Kane clotheslines him in the corner and goes for a powerslam but Christian slides to the apron and snaps him off the top rope. Christian repeats the move and hits a missile dropkick for a two count.
Christian stomps away at Kane and chokes him on the ropes. Kane goes to the corner and Christian stands on his neck again. Christian goes to pull him to the center of the ring but Kane kicks him away. Christian quickly comes back with a stomp and applies a chin lock. Kane punches out and goes for a gorilla press but Christian gets out. Kane charges and Christian pulls the top rope down, sending Kane out of the ring. Christian follows him outside and spears him into the barricade. Christian gets in the ring and is looking for the count-out. Kane gets in the ring at eight.
Christian stomps away at him and goes to the top rope. Christian hits a diving head-butt for a two count. Christian goes to the chin lock as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Christian punching away at Kane. Kane pushes him and hits a sidewalk slam for a near fall. Kane hits a couple of punches and sends him to the ropes but lowers his head and eats a kick. Christian goes for a cross-body but Kane catches him and body slams him. Kane hits a low dropkick to the face for a near fall. Kane picks him up and Christian goes for a Kill Switch but Kane elbows out. Christian charges into a powerslam for a near fall. Kane sends him to the corner and runs into a kick. Christian goes for a springboard sunset flip but Kane doesn’t go down. Kane puts him into the corner and runs into a pendulum kick. Christian goes to the top rope and Kane catches him with a Chokeslam attempt but Christian fights him off. Christian hits a tornado DDT for a near fall.
Christian is a little frustrated at this point. Christian fights up in the corner and sets up for a Spear. Christian charges into a big boot for a near fall. Kane can’t believe it. Kane goes to the top rope and Christian slams him off for a near fall. Christian is really losing it and is arguing with the referee. Christian is frustrated and he goes to the top rope. Christian leaps into an uppercut for a near fall! Kane goes to the top rope once again and comes off with a flying lariat. Kane signals for the Chokeslam but Mark Henry runs in and clotheslines him down!
Winner by Disqualification: Kane
Match Rating: ** 1/4
Mark Henry hits a big splash and beats on him a bit. Christian gets in Henry’s face for costing him the match and they then double-team Kane. They throw Kane out of the ring and Teddy Long comes out. Long says Christian lost, again, but he understands that it wasn’t his fault since Mark Henry got involved. Long is giving Christian another opportunity. If he wins this tag team that he’s booking right now then he’ll get another shot at Orton’s title. It’ll be Christian and Mark Henry taking on Kane and Randy Orton!
-Commercial Break-
Christian & Mark Henry vs. Kane & Randy Orton
Charles Robinson is still the referee. Christian starts off against Randy Orton. They circle the ring and lock up. Orton quickly gets a side headlock applied but Christian whips him off. Orton hits a shoulder block for a two count. Christian goes to the corner to recover. Christian kicks and punches Orton before sending him to the corner. Orton explodes out with a clothesline and he stomps away at Christian. Orton drops a knee for a near fall. Orton gets a side headlock but Christian backs him to his corner and tags in Mark Henry.
Henry clubs Orton down and punches him. Henry stands over him and tags in Christian. Christian stomps at Orton and walks into an inside cradle for a two count. Christian quickly clotheslines him down and tags in Henry. Christian stretches Orton out for Henry to stomps him. Henry clubs the chest and slams him down. Henry stands over Orton and goes for a cannonball but Orton moved.
Kane is tagged in and he punches away at Henry. Henry blocks a whip and sends Kane to the apron. Kane snaps Henry off the top rope and punches Christian down. Kane goes to the top rope and hits a diving lariat on Henry for a near fall. Kane goes for a body slam but can’t handle the weight of Henry, falling back with him on top of him. Henry stomps him and kicks him in the ribs. Henry head-butts him and tags in Christian. Christian clubs at Kane and shoulders his lower back. The referee yells at Christian, allowing Henry to head-butt Kane. Christian picks up a near fall. Christian stomps away at Kane and clubs him down for a one count. Henry is tagged back in and he stomps Kane in the ribs. Kane comes back with an uppercut but Henry head-butts him down for a near fall. Kane goes to tag in Orton but Henry just kicks him in the ribs. Henry clubs the chest and sends him to the corner. Kane catches Henry with a Chokeslam and both men are down!
Randy Orton is tagged in and he scares Christian away. Orton gets in position for an RKO on Henry. Orton notices Christian coming in and hits some clotheslines and a powerslam. Orton hits a Lou Thesz Press and a draping DDT. Orton then turns into a World’s Strongest Slam attempt but he gets to his feet. Henry sends him away and Orton RKOs Christian! Orton then turns into the World’s Strongest Slam! Mark Henry picks up the win for his team, giving Christian another championship opportunity at Randy Orton!
Winners by Pinfall: Christian & Mark Henry
Match Rating: **
Christian grabs the World Heavyweight Championship and holds it up to Randy Orton. Christian says it will be his again.
Quick Match Results
Sin Cara def. Ted DiBiase
Cody Rhodes def. Daniel Bryan
Ezekiel Jackson def. Wade Barrett to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater def. The Usos
Kane def. Christian via DQ
Christian & Mark Henry def. Kane & Randy Orton
Bump of the Night: Sin Cara’s cross-body block to the outside!
Match of the Night: Christian vs. Kane ** 1/4
Mike’s Thoughts
This was a really good edition of Smackdown. It was a very wrestling heavy edition of the show and that’s never a bad thing. We kicked the show off with one of the few talking segments of the show with Teddy Long coming out to talk about the controversy coming out of Capitol Punishment. Christian came out and talked about being screwed once again in his rematch. I really get a kick out of Christian complaining about his shortcomings and blaming them on everyone else. I wouldn’t mind seeing one more match between him and Orton because they have yet to have a bad one. Both are great workers and it’s made for some entertaining television. It’s a very simple storyline and it works.
The first match was a short but fun match between Sin Cara and Ted DiBiase. I had the opportunity to see Sin Cara at the Supershow in East Rutherford this past Saturday and he just has to be seen to be believed. The guy moves through the air so smoothly it almost looks fake. Sin Cara looked great tonight but so did Ted DiBiase. I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I like DiBiase and I think he has a lot to bring to the table. I heard the rumors about them possibly giving him a bit of a push and I think that’s the right move. The more relevant wrestlers on this brand the better. It’s just such a pain to write his last name. Still, it was a very entertaining, short little match to kick off the wrestling portion of the show.
Cody Rhodes was up next and he cut his usual promo that was interrupted by Daniel Bryan. Bryan brought up a picture of Dusty Rhodes and mentioned that good looks don’t exactly run in the family. Bryan then said that Cody will never live up to the standard of his father and I thought that was a really strong promo. That was some really great interaction between the two. They followed that up with a nice match that kind of faltered at the end. It got a little sloppy when they went to the corner late in the match and then Bryan got his foot caught in the rope. I’m not sure if that was planned or not but that totally killed the flow of everything. It made the ending seem so anticlimactic. This happened two weeks ago with that six-man tag match that had a bad ending. It’s a taped show. You have a team of editors that do such a tremendous job you should let them do their jobs and make it look good.
How many more promos like that can Johnny Curtis keep cutting?
There’s not much to really comment on in terms of Big Show’s promo. Big Show is kind of playing the silent but deadly gimmick so one word answers don’t leave me with much. Mark Henry then attacked him, putting him through the set. That was a little bit sloppy and potentially hazardous to Henry’s health. The guy has had so many injuries through the years the last thing he needs is to tear up his knee slipping on a pipe. He almost tripped at least three times.
The Intercontinental Championship match was the one match that I could have absolutely done without. There hasn’t been one point of the Barrett/Jackson feud that I’ve been interested and I really hope this is the end of it. At least it was short.
The tag match with Slater and Gabriel taking on the Usos was pretty decent. The Usos continue to really impress me. I definitely like their intensity. They’re trying their hardest to get over but I think the audience is just trained to not care about tag teams anymore. There was nothing wrong with the match – it just had zero heat.
Jinder Mahal destroyed Yoshi Tatsu (with Great Khali’s help) and made mention that he wants to be a big time player. I think Mahal has a great look, as I mentioned last week, and I think he could be something special. Maybe not in time for Summerslam but definitely in the fall he could do some good things, main event-wise.
Christian and Kane had an awesome match that was given a lot of time only to end by disqualification. Usually when the restart a match to make it a tag team match they keep the first match quick but this was given fifteen-plus minutes. They worked hard and that match by itself was excellent. I wasn’t too happy with Christian joining forces with Mark Henry so soon after he ruined his chance of getting at Orton but whatever. It made sense since Teddy Long came out to make it a tag team match.
The final match was really good with some fun action. Mark Henry pinned Randy Orton so Christian will get another shot at Orton for the title. However, since Henry pinned Orton will he want to get himself into the match since he pinned the World Champion? Henry has his hands full with Big Show and Kane at the moment but it’s definitely an interesting idea and I wonder if they’ll go with that.
Final Rating: ***
You can follow me on the Twitter by finding @MikeTedescoWV. As always you can e-mail me at the link below.
E-Mail – MikeTedesco@wrestleview.com
Did you miss last week’s Smackdown? Check it out here!
Be sure to check out the Win-Loss Record of your favorite WWE Superstar on the main page!
Also be sure to check out my podcast with Nick Teodoro called “Behind The Barricade”. This half-hour podcast has us talking about CM Punk leaving, the problems with Raw’s voting system, and Matt Hardy’s suspension. Nick also provides us with some updated lyrics to Matt Hardy’s entrance song that needs to be heard. I hope you enjoy it. Check it out here.
Thanks for reading!