Super Smackdown Live: Blast From The Past
April 10, 2012
Hampton, Virginia
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 plays, and we’re brought into the arena with a big fireworks display. Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Booker T welcome us to the show. Tonight, we’ll have a bunch of legends for the “Blast From The Past” theme. We’ll also take a look at Daniel Bryan breaking up with AJ. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will have Daniel Bryan as his guest on Piper’s Pit.
“Mean” Gene Okerlund is in the ring. He welcomes us to Smackdown: Blast From the Past. Okerlund asks the crowd to welcome the new World Heavyweight Champion, Sheamus. Sheamus comes out to some cheers and a smattering of boos. Sheamus shakes hands with Okerlund, and he takes the microphone. Sheamus says it’s an honor to be in the ring with a legend such as Okerlund. “Respect” is a very important word around here. He represents the WWE as the World Heavyweight Champion, and there’s a code of honor you have to adhere to. Last week he didn’t respect that code, and he let everyone down. The referee made a bad decision last week, and he let his emotions get the better of him. There’s no excuse for his actions or behavior. Sheamus says he’d like to publically apologize to referee Chad Patton, WWE officials, and everyone all over the world. He’s sorry. Sheamus says he hopes we accept the apology because he’s a red headed Irishman. People make mistakes. Sometimes they learn the easy way and sometimes it’s the hard way. He’s always learned the hard way.
John Laurinaitis’s music hits, and he charges down to the ring. Laurinaitis shows footage from last week’s main event against Alberto Del Rio. Sheamus got disqualified after the referee thought he used a chair. Sheamus then gave the referee a Brogue Kick. Laurinaitis admonishes Sheamus for putting his hands on his referee. Laurinaitis wants him to publically apologize to Chad Patton. Sheamus says he just did. Laurinaitis says he didn’t hear it, and he orders Sheamus to do it again. Sheamus publically apologizes to referee Chad Patton again. Laurinaitis wants him to apologize to all the WWE referees. Sheamus says he did, and Laurinaitis says he didn’t hear it. Sheamus again apologizes to the WWE referees. Laurinaitis says it’s time to apologize to the world, and Sheamus smiles at him. Laurinaitis orders him to apologize, and Sheamus apologizes to everyone all over the world. Laurinaitis says that isn’t good enough. As of right now, he’s on permanent probation. If he touches another referee, even if by accident, he’s fired. Laurinaitis is also giving him the largest fine in WWE history: $500,000!
Laurinaitis wishes him luck in his match. Sheamus will face Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan in a tag team match. His opponent? “Mean” Gene Okerlund!
Randy Orton is backstage, and his father “Cowboy” Bob Orton comes in. His father wishes him luck in his match, and they hug.
-Commercial Break-
Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee, is the official for this match. They even say his name on air. They circle the ring and lock up. Henry powers Orton into the corner. Orton comes out swinging, and Henry shoves him to the corner again. Orton ducks him, and he punches him in the corner. Henry pushes him, and he head-butts Orton down. Orton punches back and tries to whip him, but Henry doesn’t budge. Henry throws him to the corner, but Orton sidesteps him again. Orton goes for the ten punches in the corner, but Henry counters into a powerslam for a two count. “Cowboy” Bob Orton is seen watching backstage.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Orton fighting up from a neck vice. Henry head-butts him down as soon as Orton gets to his feet. That gives Henry a two count. During the commercial, Orton gave Henry a drop-toe-hold into the steel steps. Later during the break, Henry viciously clotheslined him down. Henry goes back to the neck vice, but Orton fights out. Henry head-butts him and hits a body slam. Henry follows up with a big splash for a near fall. Henry pushes him to the corner, and he delivers some big shoulders to the midsection. Henry backs up and gives Orton an avalanche. Henry backs up again, and he hits a second avalanche. Orton goes down, and Henry gets a near fall. Henry goes for another big splash, but Orton moves.
Orton gets to his feet, and he gets Henry in the face with his boots. Orton hits some clotheslines, but Henry doesn’t go down. Orton kicks him in the knee, and he gives him a DDT for a near fall. Henry rolls to the apron, and Orton tries for the hanging DDT. Henry counters into a World’s Strongest Slam attempt, but Orton pops out. Orton goes for an RKO, but Henry throws him out of the ring. Henry follows him outside, and he goes to throw Orton into the ring post. Orton slides off, and he sends him into the post a few times. Henry falls to the floor, and Orton gets in the ring to take a count-out.
All of a sudden, the ring posts explode with fire! Kane appears on the titantron, and he says he needed to beat Orton at WrestleMania to become whole. He needed to become the monster that he was always meant to be. He did that, but last week, Orton proved he could be every bit as vicious as he can be. Orton showed the world why he is the Viper. Kane says it would be a shame if it were to end now. After all, he’s having so much fun – the kind of fun that the entire family can enjoy. The camera pans down, and “Cowboy” Bob Orton has been laid out. Orton runs to the back.
No Contest
Match Rating: * 1/2
Randy Orton runs backstage frantically looking for his father. Orton finds him, and Kane blindsides him, hitting him in the front and back with a steel pipe. Kane squats next to him, and he says he’s a sucker for family reunions.
-Commercial Break-
They show a replay of what happened between Randy Orton, his father, and Kane. The announcers talk about what happened.
“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase is backstage with Tony Atlas. They’re talking about how the next match will be a squash match. A jobber named Benny Camer is out, and he talks about this being his first match in WWE. Hillbilly Jim and Pat Patterson join DiBiase and Atlas in laughing at this guy.
Benny Camer vs. Ryback
Ryback turns him inside out with a vicious clothesline. Ryback screams in celebration before hitting a modified fisherman’s suplex bomb for the win. The legends are shown laughing heartily backstage.
Winner by Pinfall: Ryback
Match Rating: N/A
Heath Slater is talking about how their next tag team match can be huge for them. Slater says Justin Gabriel is hurt, and he’s a loser. Slater says they have a Hall of Fame manager just for tonight, and he says the manager said he could be the next Honky Tonk Man. He also knows about Tyson Kidd and the Hart Family. It’s the “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart. Hart comes in with the megaphone, and he says he’s managed champions. Now he’ll manage them for tonight.
-Commercial Break-
Mick Foley’s music hits, and he makes his way to the ring. Foley joins them on commentary, and Michael Cole pokes fun at him for complaining in his book about being a commentator in 2008. It sounded like Foley got cut off as he tried to talk.
Tyson Kidd and Heath Slater w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso
Kidd starts out against Jimmy Uso. They lock up, and Jimmy gets a side headlock applied. Jimmy shoulder blocks him down, and they counter hip tosses until Jimmy puts him on the apron. Kidd tries for a roll up, but Slater blind tags in. Slater hits a neckbreaker, and Hart is going nuts on the megaphone. Slater elbows at him, and he applies a chin lock. Jimmy fights up, Jey tags in, and they clothesline Slater. Jey hits a nice spinning forearm. Jey hits a big running butt bump, and Kidd breaks up the pin. They catch Kidd with a nasty double-team Samoan Drop. Hart keeps screaming in Foley’s ear, and he says, “Enough is enough, and it’s time for a change!” Foley puts on Mr. Socko, and Jimmy Hart runs away. Jey hits a Samoan Drop, and they hit a big splash off the top for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Jimmy and Jey Uso
Match Rating: 1/2 *
Jimmy Hart gets in the ring, and he talks to Heath Slater. Slater then throws Hart into Mr. Socko. Foley gets on the megaphone, and the crowd was silent. Cole laughs at how that went over. Foley checks on Hart afterward.
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund will take on Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio later tonight. They then show footage of Daniel Bryan breaking up with AJ last week. He’ll be on Piper’s Pit, next!
-Commercial Break-
Piper’s Pit with Special Guest Daniel Bryan
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper makes his way to the ring, adorned with the trappings of Piper’s Pit. Piper says he missed the crowd. They chant his name. Tonight on Piper’s Pit, he has a man named Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan is a man that lost the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII in 18-seconds, and he blames it on his girlfriend. Piper shows footage of Daniel Bryan breaking up with AJ last Friday. Piper then introduces Daniel Bryan to the ring.
Daniel Bryan comes out to the ring screaming, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” He even has the new shirt on. The crowd chants the word. Piper says Bryan seems happy for a man who lost the World Heavyweight Championship in 18-seconds. Bryan says he just had a meeting with Mr. Laurinaitis, and he granted him his rightful return match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The crowd chants, “18-seconds.” Bryan says this new match will not allow Sheamus to fluke his way into a win. This will prove who the better man is. Not only does he want to pin Sheamus; he wants to make him tap out. Now he can do both. At Extreme Rules, they are going to have a two-out-of-three falls match. The reason he lost his title, AJ, will be nowhere to be found.
Piper says he doesn’t know if AJ will be at Extreme Rules, but he does know she is in the building. Piper likes AJ, and it’s his show. Piper introduces AJ to the ring. She gets a nice hand from the Hampton, Virginia crowd. AJ gets giddy, and she says she can’t believe she’s on Piper’s Pit. AJ says hi to Bryan, and Piper can’t believe she’s talking to him. AJ says she knows how he can come off sometimes, but Bryan is a good person deep down. Piper says this is Piper’s Pit where you leave the politically correct answers at the door. This is a guy who dumped her in front of the WWE Universe. This guy says she’s dead weight, and her kiss is the kiss of death. Piper can’t believe she said he’s a nice guy. AJ said it’s her fault, and Bryan smiles. She made a mistake at WrestleMania, and she’s so sorry. She gets choked up. AJ says if they could just talk, they could work it out. She can make it up to him.
Piper can’t believe what he’s hearing. Piper has been watching her since her debut. He saw when the Big Show mowed her down, but she got back up. That means she’s strong. It’s tough to be a lady in WWE, so she’s smart. She’s also beautiful, and she doesn’t need to make anything up to Bryan. Piper is going to tell her a secret. Bryan is using her, and Bryan speaks up. Bryan says he’s tired of Piper dragging his name through the dirt and AJ airing dirty laundry. Bryan says if she loved him then she would leave the ring. Piper says she doesn’t need to listen, but Bryan says her name firmly. AJ then leaves the ring. Bryan laughs as she walks to the back.
Piper says he’s not finished with Bryan. He sees the t-shirt. Piper, thanks to the WWE Universe, he has four children, three of them girls. Piper says he’s going to tell Bryan some “No’s.” You don’t tell a lady to shut up. That’s a no. You don’t yell at a lady. That’s a no. You don’t use a lady as a human shield because that’s a coward, and it’s a no. The only bright light he sees is the fact that at Extreme Rules, Sheamus will have a two-out-of-three falls match against him. The bright spot for Piper is he’ll get to watch Sheamus kick the head off Bryan’s shoulders not once, but twice. Bryan says at Extreme Rules, the fact that he’s better than Sheamus is going to slap the WWE Universe and Piper in the face. Bryan then slaps Piper in the face, and he quickly leaves the ring. Piper screams at him as Bryan goes up the ramp.
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund will take on Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan tonight.
-Commercial Break-
The Great Khali, Alicia Fox and Natalya vs. Drew McIntyre and The Bella Twins
Khali and McIntyre lock up. Khali powers him down, and he clotheslines him. McIntyre tags in a Bella, and he says he’s better than this. McIntyre walks off on them. Nikki takes Alicia Fox down, and Fox quickly hits a northern lights suplex for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: The Great Khali, Alicia Fox and Natalya
Match Rating: N/A
The Great Khali dances up the ramp with Natalya and Alicia Fox. All of a sudden, Mae Young’s music hits, and she takes Khali down to kiss him on the lips. She gives him some tongue as well! Mae Young celebrates with the divas.
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund will take on Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan.
-Commercial Break-
They air another Damien Sandow vignette. Sandow talks about sophistication, something he can bring to the WWE Universe. Sandow talks about social media and how it’s taking over everyone’s lives, in 140-characters or less. Sandow will be the light that guides us.
They show footage from earlier tonight of Kane’s assault on “Cowboy” Bob Orton and Randy Orton. They say that Bob Orton suffered abdominal injuries.
They air the Raw Rebound that featured John Cena and Brock Lesnar getting into a massive brawl. John Cena will take on Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules.
Sheamus is backstage with “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Okerlund is in a “Great White” shirt, and he looks nervous. Okerlund says he doesn’t like their chances tonight. However, he sees Sheamus smiling, and he asks if he has something up his sleeve. Sheamus says they’re probably not going to win. Sheamus says he won’t give John Laurinaitis the satisfaction of seeing him sweat this match. Plus, it’s not often you get to tag with Okerlund. He watched him as a kid, so it’s cool. If they survive tonight, the first pint is on him. Okerlund asks what he means by IF they survive. Sheamus says they’ll either have a drink to remember or forget.
-Commercial Break-
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Hunico w/ Camacho
Hunico says he’s the future of WWE, and the legends are from the past. They don’t matter. Duggan punches away at Hunico, and he falls out of the ring. Duggan waves to the back, and Sgt. Slaughter runs down to the ring to be Duggan’s manager. Slaughter tosses Duggan the 2×4. Duggan hits Hunico and Camacho with it, causing a disqualification. Slaughter applies the Cobra Clutch, and they celebrate in the ring. Duggan gets the crowd to chant “USA!”
Winner by Disqualification: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Match Rating: N/A
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund will take on Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan later tonight.
-Commercial Break-
Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring. Rhodes says tonight is a “Blast From The Past,” but it’s really a waste of our collective times. It’s time to turn to the future when he’s once again the WWE Intercontinental Champion. It’s a future where Big Show doesn’t get a lucky punch, and it’s a future where the legends don’t take time away from the young guys. Dusty Rhodes’ music hits, and he makes his way to the ring dancing.
Cody says this doesn’t concern his father in the least. His father digresses. Dusty says he loves him, but he came into this industry as the most naturally talented man since Shawn Michaels. Cody wanted to poke a grizzly bear in Big Show. Cody says Dusty is embarrassing him. They can talk about this in the back. Cody walks off, and Big Show’s music hits. Cody goes back in the ring as Big Show comes out strutting with the title. Big Show does a nice Dusty Rhodes impression. Big Show says he knows Cody has been embarrassed lately, but he won’t ruin him tonight. He then shows a video of Cody Rhodes putting on lip-gloss when he was “Dashing.” Even Dusty is smirking. Big Show says that’s embarrassing, and he walks off. Cody stands around for a little bit, and then Dusty’s music hits. Dusty dances in the ring as Cody walks to the back embarrassed.
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund are walking backstage. They’ll be in action next.
-Commercial Break-
Daniel Bryan is already in the ring. He’ll face Sheamus in a two-out-of-three falls match at Extreme Rules for the World Heavyweight Championship. Ricardo Rodrigues then introduces Bryan’s tag team partner, Alberto Del Rio. Howard Finkel then does the introductions for “Mean” Gene Okerlund and Sheamus.
Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee, is back for another match. Del Rio quickly kicks Sheamus down. Sheamus reverses a whip, and he hits a back elbow. Sheamus scares Bryan off the apron, and Del Rio knocks him down. Bryan is tagged in, and he kicks away at Sheamus. Bryan kicks him in the corner, and Del Rio is tagged back in. They double-team Sheamus, and Del Rio applies a front face lock. Sheamus slams him off, and Bryan is tagged back in. Bryan kicks away at Sheamus, and he runs into a hammer throw. Bryan gets out of a powerslam, and Del Rio gets thrown out of the ring as he attempts to interfere. Bryan ducks a Brogue Kick, and he dropkicks him out of the ring. Del Rio then kicks Sheamus down at ringside.
“Mean” Gene sneaks into the ring, and Del Rio slaps him in the back of the head. Okerlund begs them off, and Ricardo Rodriguez gets in the ring. Rodriguez wants to fight Okerlund. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s music hits, and all the legends come down to the ring. They scare them off. Piper gets in Bryan’s face, and he turns into a Brogue Kick. Sheamus pins Bryan again!
Winners by Pinfall: Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Match Rating: *
The legends all take turns beating on Ricardo Rodriguez. Dusty Rhodes hits a Bionic Elbow, and Tony Atlas hits a press slam. Sheamus finishes it off with a Brogue Kick, and he celebrates with the legends.
Michael Cole asks for the crowd’s attention. He asks the crowd to give it up for the WWE Legends. He knows they have to get back to the retirement home, and they gang up on him. Pat Patterson punches him down, and Sheamus kicks him out of the ring.
Quick Match Results
Randy Orton NC Mark Henry
Ryback def. Benny Camer
Jimmy and Jey Uso def. Tyson Kidd and Heath Slater
The Great Khali, Alicia Fox and Natalya def. Drew McIntyre and The Bella Twins
Hunico def. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan via DQ
Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund def. Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio
Bump of the Night: Ryback beating up Benny Camer
Match of the Night: Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry * 1/2
Mike’s Thoughts
Woof – this was an awful show. What is it about these live Smackdowns? Why do they always break from their winning formula and try their hardest to be Monday Night Raw? Also, if they really wanted to do this “Blast From The Past” theme right, and this was something I forgot to discuss on Telemundo, they should have given it an old school type look, similar to what they did on Raw a year and a half ago. There was a lot wrong with this show, so let’s get to it.
The opening segment I did not enjoy at first. I thought it started off fine, but it dragged when John Laurinaitis came out. Now, after having a little time to think about it, I don’t think it was that bad. John Laurinaitis’ General Manager on Smackdown gimmick is in its infancy, and this was a good way to get him some face time with Smackdown’s top babyface. It also established the main event, established that Sheamus is the face of this show, and “Mean” Gene Okerlund is still the man after all these years. I love that guy’s voice.
The match between Randy Orton and Mark Henry wasn’t that bad. I felt there were some miscues and it looked like they were moving in slow motion at times, but they did their best for a crowd that was a huge dud. Granted, they weren’t given any great material, but when actual good stuff was happening, they still weren’t responding. I’ll admit that I’m a little disappointed that they’re continuing on with the Kane/Orton stuff. I was hoping that this was finished after their match on Friday, but they’re definitely continuing on with this. I guess they need something to keep Orton busy before he moves back to Raw. I can’t help but admit this was an incredibly cheesy little segment, and Kane’s line at the end was brutal. Is this a 1950’s serial flick or a wrestling show?
What in god’s name is the Ryback gimmick all about? It’s the second week in a row, and I have no idea what the hell is going on with this. The former Skip Sheffield is an impressive guy, but I’m not sure I’m feeling this gimmick… whatever this gimmick is.
Man, Jimmy Hart has still got it. The guy is 68-years old, and he looks and acts like he could be an everyday member of the roster. I loved him out there, and I’d love to see him manage Heath Slater, even if it’s just for a few months. On the other hand, I didn’t love Mick Foley. That’s tough for me to say because I’ve been a Foley fan forever, but since coming back to WWE last year, he has been a shell of his former self. He’s not funny, he’s grossly out of shape, and he gets zero reaction. He has no pulse with the WWE crowd anymore. They showed a wide angle of the crowd when his music hit and not one member of that crowd got out of their seat. It was embarrassing. Oh yeah, a tag match happened. They didn’t pay any attention to that. Why should I? The guys tried at least.
Piper’s Pit is the greatest thing to come out of this show. This was an emotional, hang-on-every-word Piper’s Pit. Roddy Piper is such a powerful tool to have on standby whenever you need to add some realism and intrigue to a storyline. This Daniel Bryan/AJ storyline is one of my favorite things going in WWE and having this Piper’s Pit segment made it even better. When Piper was talking to AJ and trying to empower her to forget Bryan, I was hanging on every word. She doesn’t do much, but she was emoting really well here. Bryan also played his part well. Piper was killing it, though. When he prefaced his list of “no’s” with the fact that he’s a father of three daughters, it makes it feel that much more real. You’re able to suspend your disbelief and get into it. This was an amazing segment, and I cannot wait to see what they do next with Bryan and AJ.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, we go to Mae Young kissing The Great Khali. A match happened, but no one cares about that. Mae Young was out, and she was really feeling the Punjabi Playboy! I love Mae Young and her awesome theme song.
I’m not sure why they sent Hunico out there to face the USA nuts in “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter. The logical choice (and the one they usually go with) is to put Jinder Mahal out there to get his lunch handed to him. I thought the United States had good relations with Mexico? Whatever. This was a really lame segment.
Cody Rhodes out there with Dusty Rhodes and Big Show can best be described as awkward. I was a segment that was seemingly written without an end. It just kind of happened, and that was it. The lack of crowd reaction really hurts this. No one knew who in the hell Dusty Rhodes was. That made it feel so awkward and sad when he was “dancing” in the middle of the ring.
I enjoyed the little main event with Sheamus and “Mean” Gene Okerlund beating Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan. What can you really do when “Mean” Gene is your hot tag? The legends made the save, and the good guys prevailed. The beat down of Ricardo Rodriguez was great. The crowd was into it, and the show should have ended there, but it didn’t. They tried to catch lightening in a bottle twice, and they sent Michael Cole in there. You know it’s quiet when you can clearly hear every word the wrestlers were saying. That was a horrible reaction, and a tough way to end the show since they could have ended it on a positive. It also doesn’t help that Pat Patterson, of all people, was the one to throw Cole the punch. Good lord.
Final Rating: * 3/4
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E-Mail – MikeTedesco@wrestleview.com
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