WWE Smackdown
December 18, 2009
Laredo, TX
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
?Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event?? The WWE video leads us into the show.
A quick recap airs of the World Heavyweight Championship Chair Match at TLC this past Sunday. Batista won at first after hitting a low blow and a chair shot but Teddy Long nixed that. Long restarted the match and Undertaker won in swift fashion.
Tony Chimel asks us to welcome Smackdown’s General Manager Theodore R. Long. Long gets in the ring and says this past Sunday at TLC, the Undertaker successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Batista. Since Batista was unsuccessful, tonight we will determine a new number one contender to face Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Batista says, ?Hold on,? and makes his way to the stage. Batista says the number one contender is right here. Batista says Long robbed him last Sunday and he told him to make it right ? this isn?t his idea of making it right. Batista gets in the ring and says this is the last time he?ll tell him ? make it right. There’s no one on the roster who?d face him for the spot anyway so this is what Long will do. He?ll give him another title shot and make it right. Batista asks if he needs to get a chair. There’s no need for a match ? he’s the number one contender.
Rey Mysterio’s music hits and the master of the 619 makes his way out to the stage. Mysterio says Batista said there’s no one back there but he’s right here. He wants to challenge Batista. Mysterio says you don?t need to be 6?5 and jacked up with muscles to be a champion. Batista thinks because he dresses fly that makes him the man. Mysterio asks if Batista thinks he’s the man and Mysterio calls him a bully. There’s one thing Batista never understood about him because he only saw him as the little guy. Batista never saw what was inside him ? he has heart! Mysterio says his conclusion is the best way to get back at him is to make sure he never holds the World Title again. Mysterio calls for the match tonight and Batista looks like he doesn?t care.
Long says that he hears him and so can Batista. Tonight he will go one on one with Rey Mysterio and that will determine the number one contender. This is a straight wrestling match. There are no chairs ? he can lose the match by pinfall, submission, count-out, or disqualification. The person who becomes number one contender will get a special Christmas present next week when they face Undertaker for the title!
-Commercial Break-
The announcers recap that tonight it?ll be Batista vs. Rey Mysterio with the winner facing Undertaker for the title next week on Christmas.
John Morrison, Matt Hardy & R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre, CM Punk & Luke Gallows
As Drew McIntyre came out they showed still photos of him beating John Morrison with a thumb to the eye at TLC to win the Intercontinental Championship. CM Punk came to the ring with Luke Gallows holding his Slammy.
CM Punk will start out against Matt Hardy. They lock up and Punk gets a quick side headlock. Punk gets a quick hammerlock and pompously pushes Hardy away. Punk goes for a kick but Hardy blocks it and hits a punch. Hardy smashes Punk’s face off the turnbuckle and tags in R-Truth. They send Punk into the ropes and hit a double back elbow. Hardy then hits a falling fist drop as R-Truth hits a senton. Nice! Punk quickly powers R-Truth to his corner and Drew McIntyre is tagged in. McIntyre hits some punches and a head-butt before sending R-Truth into the ropes. Morrison makes a blind tag and R-Truth kicks McIntyre in the face.
Morrison comes in with a big clothesline and punches away at McIntyre. Morrison turns to see Luke Gallows swing at him but he misses. Morrison punches Gallows, riling him up. Gallows tries to get in but the referee stops him. As this happens Morrison hits a Russian Leg Sweep on McIntyre and a STANDING Shooting Star Press for a near fall. McIntyre quickly escapes from the ring as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Morrison hit a headlock takeover on Punk. Punk soon fights up and knees out. Punk whips him but Morrison hits a shoulder block. Morrison goes into the ropes, over and under Punk, and he takes him out with a jumping calf kick, giving Morrison a two count. Gallows distracts the referee. Morrison sends Punk into the ropes but he holds on. Morrison charges and Punk drops him to the apron. McIntyre capitalizes on the referee being distracted as he big boots him off the apron. Morrison crashes hard to the floor.
Punk bounces Morrison’s face off the apron and hits an elbow to the throat. Punk hits some forearms and shoulder thrusts in the corner. Morrison comes back with some punches and knocks all three men. Gallows already made a tag and Morrison turns right into a huge big boot. Gallows grounds and pounds until the referee gets him off. Gallows goes into the ropes and hits a second big boot. Gallows locks on a front face lock. Morrison tries to fight to his corner so Gallows knees him. Gallows sends him hard into the corner and tags in McIntyre.
McIntyre hits a big stomp to the face before hitting a short-arm clothesline for a one count. McIntyre locks on an arm bar. Morrison fights up and arm drags him. Morrison goes for his corner but McIntyre drops an elbow and stops him from making the tag. Morrison nearly makes it until Gallows is tagged in. Gallows punches him down and drops an elbow for a near fall. Gallows hits an uppercut and tags in Punk. They pick up him by the ankles and sandwich him with a pair of kicks. This gets Punk a near fall. Punk locks on a neck vine. Gallows is tagged back in and he drops an elbow. Gallows hits a nice neckbreaker for a near fall. Gallows hits a backbreaker and Punk comes off the top rope with a knee drop! Nice! This gets Punk a near fall. Punk hits some kicks and punches. Punk goes for the GTS but Morrison elbows out and rolls Punk up. Morrison then tags in Matt Hardy.
Hardy comes in firing with some punches. Hardy hits a pair of clotheslines before whipping him into the corner and hitting a clothesline. Hardy follows up with a bulldog for a near fall. Hardy hits a second rope elbow to the neck and a nice neckbreaker for a near fall. Punk tries a clothesline but Hardy counters into a Side Effect. Hardy covers but Gallows breaks it up. R-Truth takes Gallows out with a dropkick. McIntyre throws R-Truth out of the ring and turns into a dropkick from Morrison. Morrison goes to the top rope but Punk slams him off. The referee is distracted as Hardy goes for a Twist of Fate but Punk escapes, hits him with the Slammy in the midsection, and covers for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: Drew McIntyre, CM Punk & Luke Gallows
Match Rating: **
Maria is backstage playing Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 with Mickie James. Maria is with her Slammy. All of a sudden the power goes out and they flip. Beth Phoenix appears holding the plug. Phoenix says this is why Mickie didn?t win the Women’s Title at TLC. Phoenix then says Maria was Diva of the Year. When she won that she got hungry and is the most dominate Diva in WWE. Phoenix tells them to enjoy their stuff because tonight Maria has a match with her. She?ll make sure her return to Smackdown is short lived.
Still to come tonight is Batista vs. Rey Mysterio with the winner facing Undertaker for the title on Christmas.
-Commercial Break-
Tribute to the Troops will air tomorrow.
DX is here with a backstage skit on Christmas. Shawn Michaels reminds us that last year he procrastinated on building the gifts and shows his Money in the Bank Ladder Match set. Triple H ?accidentally? destroys it and sits HBK down so he can wear the DX Snuggle. They then shamelessly plug ?The History of the World Heavyweight Championship? DVD. It shows Taboo Tuesday when HBK had the gimp knee. Triple H was beating him up. Hornswoggle shows up and gives them WWEShop.com gift cards. Hornswoggle shows off his ?illegal? merchandise and they try to attack him. Triple H beats up HBK accidentally in the melee and Hornswoggle runs away.
Next week the Unified Tag Team Champions DX will be on the Christmas Special of Smackdown.
-Commercial Break-
Did you know over 16 million people watch WWE every week in the U.S.?
Eric Escobar’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring to crickets. The fake crowd noises are pathetic. Escobar speaks some Spanish and says he knows Vickie is angry with the names he’s been calling her lately. He asks if she can blame him for calling National Geographic after seeing her in a negligee. Escobar says he doesn?t understand her problem but there’s no punishment she can give that would beat being in a relationship with her.
EXCUSE ME! Vickie comes out to the stage and says she’s tired of all the things he’s been saying. She’s brought him something since it’s his birthday so she brought him a gift. Vickie walks toward the ring as Kane’s pyro hits. That was a cool image.
Eric Escobar vs. Kane
The match begins and Escobar hits some quick strikes. Kane pushes him away and Escobar comes right back. Kane simply takes him down with an uppercut. Kane sends him to the corner and clotheslines him. Kane then charges and clotheslines him over the top rope. Kane exits the ring and smashes his face off the apron. Kane puts him in the ring and stares down Vickie for clapping. Kane charges Escobar in the corner but Escobar elbows him. Escobar hits a jumping calf kick and goes into the ropes but eats a big boot. Kane hits a sidewalk slam and signals for the end. Kane hits a Chokeslam for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Kane
Match Rating: ? *
Kane quickly leaves and Vickie Guerrero gets in the ring. She cackles as Escobar writhes in pain. She says maybe he?ll choose his words more wisely. He grabs the microphone and speaks Spanish. Escobar says she’s right ? he’s been talking himself into some brutal beatings so he?ll watch it. Escobar then says tomorrow he?ll wake up sore but still standing, ready to fight another day. The bad luck for her is she?ll wake up still looking like herself. Vickie yells to give her the microphone but Escobar leaves with it.
The Great Khali returns to Smackdown to face Chris Jericho next.
-Commercial Break-
Matt Striker thanks Switchfoot for ?Bullet Song,? the official theme song of TLC.
Chris Jericho’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring with his Slammy. Jericho says he was unfairly ejected from Raw due to a legal loophole. He and Show never lost their rematch for the titles against DX. They were the victim of the biggest screw-job in WWE history. Even though he was embarrassed and humiliated in front of millions of hypocrites and parasites this is not over because he will leave Raw when he’s ready and not a minute earlier. He knows what’s going on ? he’s being punished for being the best in the world at what he does. He’s ganged up on by General Managers, guest hosts, the WWE front office, and us mucilaginous troglodytes. The bottom of the barrel is the fact that Big Show, his best friend and partner, has been taken away from him. They were the Slammy Award winning Tag Team of the Year and says his partner is gone. This is one of the worst moments of his life and career, and he knows we love it. He tells us to mark his words ? this is not over. He?ll continue to dominate Friday nights as the face of Smackdown.
Chris Jericho vs. The Great Khali
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee, starts the match. Jericho immediately leaves the ring. Jericho almost gets in the ring but thinks about it. Jericho goes to the apron and finally gets in. Jericho kicks at Khali and punches. Khali simply pushes him and hits a clothesline. Khali hits a back elbow in the corner and some stomps. Khali steps on Jericho’s chest and Jericho gets out. Khali pulls him back in the ring but Jericho snaps the neck off the top rope. Jericho jumps of the top rope into Khali’s grip. Khali sends him into the ropes and hits another clothesline. Khali goes for the Punjabi Plunge but Jericho escapes the ring and is counted out.
Winner by Count-Out: The Great Khali
Match Rating: ? *
The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh dance in the ring to celebrate the win, even though it was cheap.
Rey Mysterio takes on Batista to determine the number one contender.
-Commercial Break-
The Hart Dynasty vs. Jimmy Wang Yang & Slam Master J
Ugh ? this Slam Master J garbage is still going on? Slam Master J will start out against Tyson Kidd. They lock up and Jesse gets a waist lock. Kidd gets one of his own on and Jesse takes him down. Jesse gets an arm wrench and tags in Yang, who continues. Kidd punches away at Yang and whips him into the ropes. Yang slides through the legs and hits a hurricanrana. Yang clotheslines him over the top rope and hits David Hart Smith with a huge kick to the temple. Yang and Jesse then hit stereo suicide dives. Kidd is sent back into the ring and Yang hits some stomps. Kidd winds up sending Yang face first into the corner and dropkicks him in the spine.
David Hart Smith is tagged in and they go for a double suplex but Kidd cuts out quickly and Smith hits a delayed vertical suplex for a near fall. Impressive. Smith hits some knees to the spine and a trio of impressive belly-to-belly suplexes for a two count. Smith bounces his face off the turnbuckle and hits some shoulder thrusts to the corner. Yang finds an opening and hits a springboard tornado DDT.
Both men make tags and Jesse hits a pair of shoulder blocks. Jesse avoids a clothesline and hits a head-scissors takeover. Jesse takes his shirt off to near silence and hits a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Jesse runs into a kick and Kidd goes for a springboard but Jesse knocks him to the outside. The referee is distracted and Natalya pulls him off the apron. Natalya then slams him on the ground! Yang confronts her and Kidd hits a baseball slide. Smith is tagged in and they hit the Hart Attack on Jesse for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: The Hart Dynasty
Match Rating: * ?
Natalya grabs a microphone and says revenge is a dish best served cold. After over a decade they finally get their opportunity with Degeneration-X. While next week may be a DX Christmas, it?ll be the Hart Dynasty’s time to celebrate. Smith asks what better way to top off DX’s Christmas than ending their final run as Tag Team Champions. Unlike their fathers they will not be intimidated nor back down. Tyson Kidd says this is a new era in the Hart family. What they wouldn?t and couldn?t do, they will do because they are better than the best ? PERIOD! This was a nice promo. It?ll be The Hart Dynasty vs. DX for the titles next week.
Still to come is Batista vs. Rey Mysterio.
-Commercial Break-
The Smack of the Night is Maria winning the Slammy.
Michelle McCool and Layla ask Beth Phoenix if they rubbed her the wrong way. McCool and Layla crack jokes about Mickie James and says she’s big boned. Phoenix sarcastically says no one wants to see a big girl shut their mouths in a big way. She meant herself, of course. McCool and Layla wonder what went wrong.
Maria vs. Beth Phoenix
Beth immediately shoves her down. Beth hits some elbows and sends her to the corner. Beth charges into some boots. Maria goes for a cross-body but Beth catches her and hits a reverse fireman’s carry slam. Phoenix gets her on the apron and Maria gets out. Maria charges into a forearm smash. Maria gets a quick inside cradle for a one count. Maria hits a kick to the chest and charges but Beth slams her into the corner. Maria gets on the shoulder but Phoenix pushes her off onto her bottom. Beth hits the Glam Slam, adjusts her hair, and covers for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Beth Phoenix
Match Rating: ? *
The Marine 2 trailer plays. Terrorists fighting the spread of Western civilization fighting with Western technology? yeah. They don?t mind the webcams to tape their threats or the rocket launchers. Whoever wrote this crap should get the hell out of Hollywood. They?re probably on the Raw Creative Team.
Still to come tonight is Batista vs. Rey Mysterio.
-Commercial Break-
The embarrassing Raw Rebound is shown.
Next week DX will defend their Unified Tag Team Titles against the Hart Dynasty. Also Undertaker will face either Batista or Rey Mysterio, pending their match next, for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Rey Mysterio makes his way to the ring. He?ll face Batista next!
-Commercial Break-
Tribute to the Troops airs tomorrow on NBC at 9.
As Batista makes his way to the ring the stage goes black right when you?d expect his pyro to hit.
Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
The match begins and Mysterio ducks a clothesline. Mysterio hits some kicks before going into the ropes. Batista catches him and slams him into the corner. Batista bounces his face off the turnbuckle and grinds his knee on his head. Batista punches him down and slides him out of the ring but Mysterio lands on his feet. Mysterio charges into a boot and Batista goes for the Batista Bomb but Mysterio holds the top rope. Mysterio hits a shoulder thrust and snaps the neck off the top rope. Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick, sending Batista out of the ring. Mysterio then springboards off the top rope to the outside with a seated senton!
Mysterio gets in the ring and goes for a baseball slide but Batista sidesteps him. Batista sends him into the ring but Mysterio kicks him coming into the ring and dropkicks him off the apron. Mysterio hits a moonsault off the apron but Batista catches him and slams him into the barricade! We?ll take a break here.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Batista club Mysterio’s back. Batista whips Mysterio hard into the corner and Mysterio face plants. Mysterio rolls out of the ring and Batista follows. Batista scoops him up and slams his back into the steel ring post. Batista sends him into the ring and follows. Mysterio comes back with punches and goes for a cross-body block but Batista holds him and hits a backbreaker. Batista stretches him over his knee. Mysterio punches out but runs into a big boot for a near fall.
Mysterio is in the corner so Batista charges but Mysterio moves. Mysterio tries to roll him up but Batista stomps him and chokes him with his foot. Batista then puts his neck on the bottom rope and chokes Mysterio again. Batista hits some punches and sends him into the ropes. Batista lowers his head and eats a kick. Mysterio goes into the ropes and gets taken out by a huge clothesline for a near fall. Batista hits a huge body slam, picks him up, and repeats the move. Batista does it a third time and goes to the second rope. Mysterio quickly fights back while Batista is on the second rope and goes for a top rope hurricanrana but Batista holds on to the ropes. Batista jumps off and eats a dropkick!
Both men are down as the fans cheer. Mysterio begins kicking away but Batista hits a knee. Batista sends him into the ropes but Mysterio holds on and back elbows him. Mysterio boots him and hits a springboard seated senton. Mysterio then hits a wheelbarrow bulldog for a near fall! Batista looks dazed as Mysterio dropkicks him in the face. Mysterio hits a springboard leg drop for a near fall. Batista blocks a kick and sends Mysterio into the corner. Batista goes for a powerslam but Mysterio counters into a DDT for a near fall!
Mysterio slides through Batista’s legs and dropkicks him into position. Mysterio hits the 619 and springboards with a splash but Batista gets his knees up! Batista covers for a near fall. Batista picks Mysterio up and hits a powerslam for a near fall! Batista can?t believe it. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb but Mysterio slips out. Mysterio goes into the ropes but Batista counters him with a Bossman Slam! Batista covers but Mysterio gets his foot on the rope. Batista goes for a Batista Bomb but Mysterio counters with hurricanrana out of the ring! Batista is livid as he grabs a chair. Mike Chioda, the referee, admonishes him. Batista rips Mysterio in half with a spear and STILL can?t get the win! Batista goes for a Spinebuster but Mysterio counters into an inside cradle for the win!!
Winner by Pinfall: Rey Mysterio
Match Rating: ** ?
Batista cannot believe what just happens as Mysterio immediately bolts from the ring. Rey Mysterio will take on the Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship on Christmas night next week on Smackdown!
Quick Match Results
Drew McIntyre, CM Punk* & Luke Gallows def. John Morrison, Matt Hardy* & R-Truth
Kane def. Eric Escobar
The Great Khali def. Chris Jericho via Count-Out
The Hart Dynasty def. Jimmy Wang Yang & Slam Master J*
Beth Phoenix def. Maria
Rey Mysterio def. Batista
Bump of the Night: Rey Mysterio hits a seated senton to the outside on Batista!
Match of the Night: Rey Mysterio vs. Batista ** ?
Mike’s Thoughts
After the week from hell with all the finals I had to take, I?m glad I got to enjoy some wrestling at least once. This Smackdown was pretty darn good.
I?ll start off with the shock of the night. Rey Mysterio will take on Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship next week on Christmas. That’s going to be a good match. These two, to my knowledge, have only faced in singles competition once. That was back in 2003 during a WWE Championship Tournament. I think it was the night after WrestleMania 19 or thereabouts. Undertaker handily beat Mysterio. I don?t think it?ll be that way this time around. They?ll have a good contest. Mysterio is the man at working with big men and Undertaker is simply the man. He can work with anyone. That should be a nice Christmas gift for all wrestling fans. I just hope the ending isn?t cheap with a Batista run in. Let’s be a little more creative.
The actual match to determine the number one contender was great. This was the match they should have had at Survivor Series. Something athletic and competitive. They worked hard tonight and the results were great. Batista is getting more and more awesome as the weeks go on. I can?t stress enough week in and week out how much better he’s become as a heel. The mannerisms are spot on. He’s pulling this thing off in a big way. Mysterio is a great foil for him as well.
The opening six man tag was really good. I enjoyed the match. My only problem was Drew McIntyre didn?t get enough recognition as Intercontinental Champion. McIntyre spent most of the match on the apron and wasn?t even involved in the finish. I?d have liked to have seen a little more follow up on that win. On the other hand I really enjoyed Luke Gallows in the ring tonight. The former Festus is looking better than ever in his new role with CM Punk.
I?m interested to see what route they take with the Hart Dynasty vs. DX next week. Is it going to be another squash or a competitive match? They cut a great promo about it tonight so hopefully it?ll be a serious affair. We?ll see.
Chris Jericho cut a good promo tonight, reinserting himself back as the face of Smackdown. They then followed it up by making him wrestle Great Khali. I?m not sure what the hell they?re going to do with Khali now that he’s back. No more World Title programs for him!
The low part of the show was Eric Escobar. This guy, even though they?re trying to give him good material with Vickie Guerrero, simply isn?t cutting the mustard. I?m pretty sure they want the fans to sympathize with him but he’s just unlikable all around. Why should we sympathize with him? We don?t even know him. He’s never proven himself. FCW! FCW!
I?ll be recapping Tribute to the Troops tomorrow night. I hope you all get a chance to check it out.
Final Rating: ***
E-Mail ? MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Be sure to check out yesterday’s Superstars recap.
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