WWE Smackdown
April 20, 2012
London, England
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. The stage is adorned with the usual decorations they break out for the London television tapings. We’ve got a double decker bus, a bobby car, and an English-type phone booth. Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Booker T welcome us to the show. They announce that tonight’s main event will see Sheamus team with Randy Orton and The Great Khali to take on Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry.
Daniel Bryan’s music hits, and the crowd appears to be going nuts, but WWE has piped in fake boos over the “Yes” chants. Bryan gets in the ring, and he says, “Yes.” That’s what he was saying while he was walking down the ramp for his first ever WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion, and in 18-seconds it was as if that reign had never happened. It’s hard to talk about what Sheamus did to him. Sheamus didn’t outwrestle him or outfight him. He took the cowardly way out. He waited until someone distracted him, and he kicked him in the face, just like he did to Alberto Del Rio, referee Chad Patton (which got him fined $500,000), and like he did to him on Smackdown: Blast From The Past. At Extreme Rules, he will not be distracted. If Sheamus even so much as touches the referee, he will be fired.
At Extreme Rules, we return to the city where his rise to the top began. It’s the place where everyone thought he didn’t have a chance in hell of winning. We go back to where he won the Money in the Bank briefcase. We return to Chicago. At Extreme Rules, he plans on doing the exact same thing he did before: shock the world. They have a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match, and he will beat Sheamus not once, but twice. It won’t be a fluke victory like Sheamus had. It’ll be undeniable that he should be the World Heavyweight Champion. As an added treat, he gets to show everyone around the world what he does best: he will wrestle. He will outwrestle Sheamus face-to-face like a real man. All the questions will be answered. Does Sheamus take the cowardly way out every time he kicks him in the face? Yes! Does this 2-out-of-3 Falls Match give him the advantage? Yes! At Extreme Rules, will he walk out as the World Heavyweight Champion? Yes! Yes! Yes!
AJ comes out, and Bryan tells her to turn around and go away. She shakes her head “no” and gets in the ring. Bryan asks if she’s here to steal his spotlight or distract him so Sheamus can kick him in the face. Bryan yells for Sheamus to come out and kick him in the face. AJ denies that she’s out there for those reasons. She’s here because he won’t pay attention to her and this is the only way she can see him. She wants to talk about their problems. Bryan says he doesn’t have any problems. He HAD a problem, and he got rid of it. That problem was AJ. AJ shakes her head, and she says they can work this out. She also just wanted to wish him luck in his match against Sheamus at Extreme Rules. Bryan says he wishes she didn’t come out. He wishes he never met her. He wishes that when she asked him out, he never said, “Yes.” He wishes she were never even born. AJ looks like she’s going to cry, and Bryan laughs at her.
Bryan says now that he’s out here answering questions, he’s going to answer one more. Is there any hope that he would ever take her back? NO! Bryan drops the microphone and walks out on her. AJ stands in the ring looking devastated.
-Commercial Break-
AJ vs. Natalya
AJ seems really distracted before the bell rings. The bell rings, and she doesn’t react. Natalya tries to get her attention, but AJ doesn’t respond. Natalya puts a consoling hand on her shoulder, and AJ slaps her in the face! AJ pushes her to the corner, and she viciously unloads on Natalya with strike after striker. The referee pulls her back, but she screams, breaks through, and continues beating down Natalya in a blind rage. The referee calls for the bell, and he physically tears her off Natalya.
Winner by Disqualification: Natalya
Match Rating: N/A
AJ lies in a heap in the ring crying and pulling on her hair. Natalya is not moving in the corner. AJ gets out of the ring, and she backs up the ramp like she’s filled with regret over what just transpired. She eventually turns and runs to the back.
Big Show will take on Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match tonight.
-Commercial Break-
They air another Damien Sandow vignette. Sandow talks about ignorance, and he breaks out a Benjamin Franklin quote. He criticizes how people use the vast amount of knowledge that surrounds them. They could use it, but instead they prefer to watch celebrities dance a poor version of merengue. Sandow says he’s going to usher in a new era of enlightenment. This era will take us to new heights of moral and ethical capacity. “You’re welcome.”
JOBBER ALERT: Hunico, with Camacho at his side, is in the ring with no TV entrance.
Brodus Clay comes out, and he cuts the music. Clay says his little brother was supposed to be here, and he asks where he is. Clay gets his girls to go get his brother. Clay says his brother is an entrepreneur. Clay introduces his little brother, and it’s Hornswoggle! Hornswoggle is dressed exactly like Brodus Clay, and they do dual-pterodactyls down the ramp.
Hunico w/ Camacho vs. Brodus Clay w/ Hornswoggle
Clay does his full body shake in the ring. Clay then calls Hornswoggle into the ring, and he shakes for Hunico. Hunico shoves Hornswoggle down, and Clay head-butts him down. Clay beats Hunico down in the corner, sends him into the ropes, and hits a back body drop. Clay knocks Camacho off the apron, and he hits Hunico with a she-plex. Clay hits the “What The Funk?” for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Brodus Clay
Match Rating: N/A
Brodus Clay celebrates in the ring with his dancers, but he stops to allow Hornswoggle to hit the Tadpole Splash on Hunico. They all celebrate, and Hornswoggle even breaks out a split.
Tonight, we’ll see Sheamus, Randy Orton, and The Great Khali take on Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry in the main event.
-Commercial Break-
Teddy Long is asking people if they’ve seen Aksana. Long then turns the corner and runs into Titus O’Neil and Darren Young of NXT. They criticize him for not signing them to Smackdown. They talk about how Long used to be the man, but now he’s fired. John Laurinaitis walks up, and he asks if Long knows them. Laurinaitis says they’re here because the new General Manager knows what the people want. They say the crowd wants fresh, young guys on Smackdown. Laurinaitis says he can’t believe Long didn’t sign them. As the General Manager, he has to wear a lot of hats, and he’s going to let Long do the same thing. He puts a Queen’s Guard hat on Long, and he reminds him that they don’t say a word.
Matt Striker is backstage with Randy Orton. Striker says this is the first time we’ve seen Orton since he viciously attacked him and his father. They show a replay for those that missed it. Striker asks how “Cowboy” Bob Orton is doing. Orton says his father will be fine in time, but he can’t say the same for Kane. At WrestleMania, Kane said that he had finally become the monster that he should have been all along. He even tried to prove it by attacking his father backstage with a pipe. At Extreme Rules, he and Kane are in a match where they can fight backstage or in the crowd because it’s Falls Count Anywhere. Kane is going to find out how sick and twisted he can be.
-Commercial Break-
Jimmy and Jey Uso vs. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee ever, is the official for this match. Darren Young starts it out against Jey Uso. Young gets a headlock applied, Jey whips him off, and he takes a shoulder block from Young. Young goes into the ropes, and he takes a spinning forearm. Jimmy is tagged in, and he clotheslines Young down. Young reverses a whip to the corner, Jimmy stops the momentum, and he punches away at Young. Jey is tagged in, and they hits a double-team back elbow/elbow drop combo for a two count. Jey goes for a splash in the corner, but Young gets a boot up. Young stomps away at Jey, and Titus O’Neil is tagged in. O’Neil slams him down by the hair, and he drops a leg for a near fall. O’Neil stomps away at him, hits an uppercut, and tags Young back in. Young hits a neckbreaker for a near fall. Young applies a body scissor, and he talks some trash. Jey fights up, but Young knees him in the midsection. Jey eventually hits an uppercut, and he tags in Jimmy.
Jimmy hits some clotheslines and a superkick. Young fights back, but Jimmy catches him with a Samoan Drop. Jimmy hits a running butt bump to the face in the corner, but O’Neil breaks up the pin. O’Neil pulls the top rope down as Jey dives at him. Jey hits the floor with a nasty splat. O’Neil blind tags in, and they hit a modified version of the Hart Attack for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Titus O’Neil and Darren Young
Match Rating: *
They play the Raw Rebound, which features Chris Jericho taunting CM Punk some more with alcohol. They then promote their Extreme Rules match.
Big Show is seen walking backstage. He’ll face Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match, next.
-Commercial Break-
Ricardo Rodriguez is in the ring to do the introductions for Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio drives into the arena with a beautiful Aston Martin.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show
Big Show quickly gets a headlock on Del Rio, and he head-butts him down. Del Rio ducks a chop, and he kicks Big Show. Big Show pushes him away, and he chops the chest. Big Show stands on Del Rio’s throat, and he quiets the crowd down before chopping the chest. Big Show hits a massive body slam, hits the ropes, and drops an elbow for a near fall. Big Show chokes him on the ropes, and he hits some body punches. Del Rio ducks a clothesline, and he hits a chop block. Big Show is down, and he’s trying to shake some feeling into the knee. Del Rio viciously kicks him in the face numerous times. Del Rio hits a double stomp, and he picks up a near fall. Big Show presses him off.
Del Rio begins working on his arm. Del Rios picks away at it before applying an arm lock. Del Rio kicks him and applies a hammerlock. Big Show powers him off, and he goes for a Chokeslam. Del Rio gets out of it, and he hits another chop block that takes him down. Del Rio picks up a two count. Del Rio hits an arm breaker, and he sets up for his finisher. Big Show counters the Cross Arm Breaker with a back suplex.
The referee counts them down, but they’re up by five. Big Show chops him down and hits some clotheslines. Big Show sends him to the corner, hits a running butt bump, and follows up with a spear. Big Show signals for the Chokeslam, and Ricardo Rodriguez gets on the apron to distract the referee. Cody Rhodes sneaks into the ring and drops Big Show with the Disaster Kick. Del Rio quickly picks up the pinfall victory.
Winner by Pinfall: Alberto Del Rio
Match Rating: *
Cody Rhodes stomps Big Show out of the ring. Big Show quickly gets up and stares at Rhodes. Big Show chases him and Rhodes runs away and into the crowd. Big Show angrily goes up the ramp.
Sheamus, Randy Orton, and The Great Khali will take on Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry in tonight’s main event.
-Commercial Break-
Heath Slater calls Drew McIntyre over to the screen. A skinny little kid is in the ring. McIntyre sarcastically wonders who is going to win. Lillian Garcia introduces him as Danny Lerman. Lerman says hi to his mum and dedicates the match to her.
Danny Lerman vs. Ryback
Lerman cautiously approaches Ryback and kicks him, but Ryback doesn’t feel it. Ryback blocks the next kick and shoves him down. Ryback picks him up by the head, slams him down a few times, and hits a fall-away slam. Ryback hits a nasty lariat, and he screams at the crowd. Ryback hits a modified fisherman’s suplex for the win. Slater and McIntyre are laughing backstage.
Winner by Pinfall: Ryback
Match Rating: N/A
They’ll re-air the Brock Lesnar interview from Monday Night Raw next.
-Commercial Break-
They show the Brock Lesnar interview from Monday Night Raw. Lesnar said that John Cena is only in the spot he’s in because he left the company. They’ll fight at Extreme Rules.
Teddy Long is dressed in a full Queen’s Guard uniform. William Regal walks up, and he tries to get him to talk. Aksana walks through the hallway with a man named Antonio Cesaro. Aksana asks why Long is wearing the costume. She introduces him to Antonio and says he’s a friend from a long time ago. He wants to be a WWE superstar. Aksana admires his muscles. Antonio says he didn’t imagine this was the job her boyfriend would have when she said it was important. Aksana says he used to be the General Manager, but now it’s John Laurinaitis. Aksana and Antonio go into John Laurinaitis’s office. Laurinaitis asks Long how it felt meeting Aksana’s friend. Long cannot react.
Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring. He’ll team with Cody Rhodes and Mark Henry to take on Sheamus, Randy Orton, and The Great Khali next.
-Commercial Break-
The Great Khali was the last one to make his entrance. As he was getting to the ring, Cody Rhodes snuck up from behind and hit a chop block. Khali immediately grabbed at his knee, and referees and a trainer ran down to help. Rhodes taunts the crowd as medical personnel tend to Khali. They help Khali to the back, and he is officially out of this match.
It looked like Sheamus and Randy Orton were going to go for this match as a 2-on-3 Handicap Match, but Big Show’s music hits. Big Show wants in this match, but the referee isn’t sure about it.
-Commercial Break-
Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and Cody Rhodes vs. Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Big Show
We come back from the break to join the match in progress. Orton is giving Rhodes the classic ten-punches in the corner. Rhodes reverses a whip to the corner, but Orton explodes out with a clothesline for a one count. Rhodes gets away and tags in Daniel Bryan. Bryan immediately runs into a hip toss from Orton. Orton tags in Sheamus, and Bryan immediately tags Rhodes in. They lock up, and Sheamus powers him to the corner. Sheamus gives a clean break, and Rhodes asks Bryan why he can’t handle Sheamus. Rhodes applies a waist lock, but Sheamus fights out of it. Sheamus stomps him down in the corner, and he counters a slingshot attempt into a rolling fireman’s carry for a near fall. Sheamus applies an arm lock, but Rhodes backs him into the ropes. Rhodes knees him, but Sheamus sends him to the ropes. Rhodes hits an uppercut, and Sheamus comes back with a clothesline. Sheamus drops a knee for a two count.
Sheamus sends him to the ropes, but Rhodes goes for a neckbreaker. Sheamus counters out, and he throws Rhodes to the apron. Sheamus viciously clubs the chest, and he goes for a suplex, but Rhodes lands on his feet. Rhodes dropkicks him out of the ring, and he quickly follows up with a baseball slide. Rhodes distracts the referee, and Bryan hits Sheamus with a running dropkick outside the ring. Bryan is tagged in, and he sets Sheamus up on the apron. Bryan elbows him in the throat and gets back in the ring. Bryan stomps away at him. Mark Henry is tagged in, and he stomps Sheamus. Henry stands on him, and he yells at the referee. Henry chokes him on the ropes for a few illegal seconds. Rhodes is tagged in, and he punches away at Sheamus. Rhodes stomps him down in the corner, and he applies a modified hammerlock/chin lock combo. Sheamus fights up and backs him to the corner. Rhodes quickly takes him back down, and he applies a front face lock. Sheamus powers him off, but Rhodes lands on his feet. Rhodes quickly goes for the Disaster Kick, but Sheamus counters with a mid-air clothesline.
Randy Orton is tagged in, and he hits a bunch of clotheslines. Orton quickly follows up with a powerslam. Orton hits a draping DDT, and he sets up for his finisher. Bryan runs in, but Orton immediately powerslams him. Henry quickly clotheslines him down, and Rhodes picks up a near fall on Orton.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the final break to see Orton trapped in a neck vice from Henry. Orton tries to fight out, but Henry head-butts him down. Bryan is tagged in, and he stomps away at Orton. Bryan sends him to the corner, screams “Yes,” and hits a running dropkick for a near fall. Bryan hits a body slam, and he goes to the top rope. Orton avoids the diving head-butt, and they’re both down.
Big Show and Mark Henry are tagged in. Big Show hits some clotheslines, and he sends him to the corner for a butt bump. Big Show goes for a spear, but Rhodes kicks him in the back. Henry clotheslines Big Show down, and Rhodes is tagged in. Rhodes drops a knee on the arm, and he tags in Daniel Bryan. Bryan stomps the arm, and Henry is tagged in to continue the onslaught. Henry stomps him and talks some trash. Rhodes is tagged back in, and he stomps at him. Rhodes works on Big Show’s legs, and he applies the figure-four leg lock. Big Show screams in pain, but he doesn’t quit. Henry is tagged in as the hold is still applied, and he hits a big splash for a near fall. Bryan is tagged in, and he DDTs Big Show for a near fall. Big Show presses him out of the ring with the kick-out.
Sheamus is tagged in, and he clubs away at Bryan. Sheamus gets him in the corner, and he continues beating on him. Sheamus hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam, but Rhodes breaks it up. Rhodes celebrates outside until he turns into the WMD! Bryan goes for the Yes Lock, but Sheamus whips him off. Bryan ducks the Brogue Kick and tags in Mark Henry. Henry takes Sheamus down with a head-butt. Sheamus quickly ducks a clothesline and hits the Brogue Kick. Orton is tagged in. Big Show gives Henry a WMD, and Orton quickly hits the RKO for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Big Show
Match Rating: ** 1/4
Quick Match Results
Natalya def. AJ via DQ
Brodus Clay def. Hunico
Titus O’Neil and Darren Young def. Jimmy and Jey Uso
Alberto Del Rio def. Big Show (non-title)
Ryback def. Danny Lerman
Sheamus, Randy Orton, and Big Show def. Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and Cody Rhodes
Bump of the Night: Jey Uso’s nasty spill over the top rope!
Match of the Night: The six-man tag team match ** 1/4
Mike’s Thoughts
WWE really hates the “Yes” chants apparently. They made a shirt that promotes it, but they completely ruin a great entrance by piping in fake boos over an audience that is clearly smiling and chanting, “Yes.” I get that it’s WWE’s show and they want to control everything, but this isn’t right. I understand they can’t have “Yes” chants at every given second, especially during serious segments, but what was the harm in letting these chants be heard as he’s making his entrance? If I were a casual fan turning this on, I’d be intrigued by how much fun the crowd was having with this. Maybe it would compel me to buy a ticket. It also looked bad visually. You show a bunch of people chanting the word, yet there is an overwhelming amount of boos. It was two-minutes into the show and already I was taken out of it. Luckily, Daniel Bryan and AJ got me right back into it with another tremendous segment. This storyline is red hot right now in my eyes. It feels so raw and real, and that’s a credit to them as performers. Both are hitting their spots well and are on a roll. Every week I tune in, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Will AJ continue to take this abuse? Is it all a ruse to trick Sheamus at Extreme Rules? I love it!
Speaking of things I love, I loved how they followed up that great segment with the mental breakdown of AJ on Natalya. That may be one of my favorite diva segments of the past few years. I covered NXT season three (the diva only one) for four painful weeks, and I never thought that AJ would be as far along as she is now. She’s arguably the top diva in the company right now. Kudos to her! She’s a treat to watch every week.
Good god, Hornswoggle is adorable. I wanted to reach through my screen and just pinch his cheeks until they turn black and blue. That was amazing and fun to watch. This will disappoint people calling for Brodus Clay to get a little serious and involved in a feud, but I can wait one more week for that because this was good, clean fun.
That was a good showing from Darren Young and Titus O’Neil tonight. No one cares about tag teams, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction after being stuck in the purgatory that is NXT. Young was trained at the local wrestling school in my area so I’m definitely intrigued to see what he can accomplish on Smackdown. He seems to me like he’d be the better option coming out of this team, but that could just be bias. I just don’t think Titus O’Neil looks that great. They talked about how he’s this powerhouse when he was tagged in, but as they were saying that, all he did was drop a leg and punch. He didn’t do anything that could be deemed “powerful.” Granted, I don’t remember much about him from when I covered NXT a few years ago, and I haven’t watched one episode of NXT since, except the one I was forced to watch at the Smackdown taping I went to. Oh, and doesn’t it sound like the Uso brothers are saying a certain colorful phrase at the beginning of their entrance? Tell me it doesn’t sound like it!
So is Alberto Del Rio a member of the Smackdown roster now or what? I’m not sure what his deal is unless he’s just killing time until he can get involved in a serious feud. This wasn’t a bad little match, and it gave a good opening for Cody Rhodes to run in and keep his feud with the Big Show front and center in people’s minds. Ok, maybe it’s not front and center, but you are reminded of it. At the same time, Del Rio beats the Intercontinental Champion, and back in the day, beating the champion in a non-title match automatically made you the number one contender. Nice touch by Booker T at the end of this talking about how Rhodes cost Big Show the money you get when you win a match. Booker T actually added some realism to a show. Maybe the world is going to end in December.
I still don’t get what they’re doing with the Ryback character. What’s the point of a bunch of jobbers laughing at other jobbers getting destroyed? In like two weeks it’s going to be them. As for Ryback, I’m not feeling his look, specifically his tights. Those things look like a leftover from the early-90s. I just don’t think they can do much with him long term.
So it looks like The Great Khali is down with another storyline injury. This guy is best used in short spurts. It helps the aura, I suppose. I’m guessing Khali will go back to India, do some more of his charity work, and come back again. I think the only reason he came back in the first place was because everyone was getting injured on Smackdown in late-January, early-February. He did his part, filled a hole in the roster, and after they added a whole bunch of new guys tonight, he can take off.
The main event was a lot of fun. This was your standard Smackdown main event tag team match, but it never really disappoints. It was a fun main event that probably satisfied the London crowd that only gets WWE action twice a year. The good guys win so they can go home happy. A good match and a fun way to end the show.
Final Rating: ** 1/2
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E-Mail – MikeTedesco@wrestleview.com
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