WWE Smackdown
February 13, 2009
Fresno, CA
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
?Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event?? The WWE video leads us into the show.
They play a little video hyping up the return of Jeff Hardy to Friday Night Smackdown. The video leaves us wondering what this will mean for Matt Hardy.
The Smackdown video plays and we?re brought into the arena with a great pyro display. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and Tazz welcome us to the show and thank us for watching. No need to thank me though. This show rules!
Edge’s music hits and he and Vickie make their way to the ring, just in time for Valentine’s Day according to Tazz. Tazz also mentions that if you look at her attire you?ll know who wears the pants in the relationship. Umm Edge isn?t exactly wearing a skirt there, Tazz.
Edge says that in two days he’s being forced to defend his WWE Championship inside the most brutal invention in WWE history ? the Elimination Chamber. It’s a ten ton metal edifice surrounded by two miles of steel chain, for those of you who didn?t know. This match would be difficult enough if he was going in 100%, but he’s not. Last week he suffered a neck injury at the hands of the Undertaker after he Tombstoned him on his head! How did he get to be in that position (you would know if you read this recap!)? After his tag team partner Big Show punched him in the face! The crowd cheers and Edge asks if they enjoyed that ? they did. Edge enjoys the fact that he’s still the WWE Champion and he enjoys the fact that he has the hottest chick in the game wearing his chain ? the love of his life Vickie Guerrero! Gross!
Edge says to Vickie that he knows she has a very special announcement and she does. She tries to speak but soon has to EXCUSE HERSELF! Edge even says, ?EXCUSE HER!? I love it! Vickie says that after consulting with Edge’s doctors, it has been confirmed that Edge can and WILL compete this Sunday. However, based on what happened this past week, she’s decided to not risk her husband’s health any further so Edge will not compete here tonight.
The crowd is getting real rowdy so Edge says that each and every one of us will respect her because she’s the General Manager of Smackdown. We?re all her guests so we should respect her. We should also respect the fact that he will walk out of No Way Out STILL the WWE Champion!
WELL it’s the Big Show and I just thought of Trey Dawg from WNL. Weird? Anyway Big Show comes out smiling and gets in the ring. Edge asks who he thinks he is coming out after what he did last week jeopardizing his career and health to which Big Show calmly puts Edge’s microphone down. Big Show tells him to relax because he’s too stressed out ? he may have a seizure. Show tells him to save his energy because after this Sunday he?ll have a lot to complain about when he’s not the WWE Champion anymore. He can hide behind Vickie tonight as far as competing goes but two days from now it’s a whole other story. Big Show says he’s sure he’s well aware that every brand has to have a Championship Elimination Chamber Match and that comes straight from the WWE Board of Directors. I guess they don?t consider ECW a brand. I always forget too. Big Show says, ?My long haired weasley friend,? he may have gotten by tonight, come this Sunday he?ll have No Way Out!
Edge smiles and says that’s cute because the Pay Per View this weekend is No Way Out! He says that’s intelligent and gives him a bravo. That was funny. Edge tells the audience not to feed his ego!
Edge says they had Undertaker and Triple H beat last week ? all he had to do was follow his game plan. However Big Show had to make a statement at his expense so now he has a statement for Big Show. He pauses and Big Show goes, ?Yeah?? Edge says he’s the WWE Champion. His entire career he’s defied the odds ? impossible odds ? and Big Show is wrong! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!! Because there IS a way out and he always finds it. Edge says he was literally sent to Hell but yet he stands here as WWE Champion. Edge says Big Show used to be a stand-up guy ? he used to be able to trust him and he took care of his wife while he was gone.
Things get tense here and Show and Vickie look a little weird. Before Edge says anything Big Show interjects that they should cut to the chase. Big Show says he made a promise to not walk out on him last week. He actually didn?t. Big Show says he?ll make another promise that Edge will NOT walk out of No Way Out with that WWE Championship! Show says he’s going to take pride in smearing him all over that cage, grinding his face with his boot, and wiping the walls with him!
Edge then goes crazy and tells Vickie to do something but Big Show says, ?You do something you coward!? Big Show tells him to quit hiding behind the woman! They go back and forth until Vickie EXCUSES herself! Vickie says he husband can?t compete tonight but he can! Tonight Big Show will take on the undefeated Vladimir Kozlov, Triple H, and the Undertaker! It’s every man for himself in a Fatal Four Way Match! Hopefully at the end of the night they all will make it to No Way Out!
Edge smiles and waves at Big Show as he leaves the ring with his wife. Big Show smiles and shakes his head at them.
Still to come tonight ? Jeff Hardy returns to Smackdown! JR says he’s heard rumors that he’s devastated but we?ll hear the former WWE Champion’s own words tonight!
:::Commercial Break:::
Just for Men Hair Color presents the Smack of the Night showing highlights of the match between MVP and Shelton Benjamin, showing MVP getting his third win!
Chavo Guerrero is in the ring and his opponent will be Montel Vontavious Porter ? MVP!
Chavo Guerrero vs. MVP
The bell rings and MVP comes at Guerrero with some kicks in the legs. MVP forearms him into the corner and whips him hard into the opposite corner, clotheslining him coming out of it! MVP hooks the leg for a one count. MVP goes for a whip but Chavo twists it and gets a weird kind of monkey flip on him but does it to MVP’s arm. That was a great move! Guerrero then baseball slides him out of the ring!
Guerrero now does a vaulting body press over the top rope to the outside on MVP! Guerrero stomps him, then stands him up, twists the arm, and punches him in the shoulder blade. Guerrero rolls him back in the ring and gets a two count as the fans chant for MVP! Guerrero stomps him in the head and then the arm. He then locks on an arm bar! MVP is able to fight it and not submit. Guerrero then releases the hold and continues stomping the arm. Guerrero then locks it back on and turns it into a variation of the Chicken Wing. Somewhere Bob Backlund is doing something insane. MVP is able to fight up and kick Guerrero a few times but Guerrero knees him in the chest and jumps on his back with a Sleeper Hold! MVP backs him into the corner and hits it hard, causing Guerrero to release the hold!
MVP clotheslines Guerrero and then back elbows him back down when he gets up! MVP blocks a punch, hits a right hand, a throat shot, and his knee to face buster! MVP gets the crowd into it and sets up for the BALLIN? elbow, which he hits! MVP covers for a two and a half count but JR and Tazz are too busy talking about the Elimination Chamber that they completely missed the near fall. A rare miss by the Hall of Famer!
MVP gets Guerrero on his shoulders and goes for something but Guerrero is able to reverse it into a hurricanrana! Guerrero charges MVP in the corner but MVP side steps him and he eats that top turnbuckle! MVP then hits a Drive By Kick and MVP waits for him to get up but before he can do anything Shelton Benjamin runs in and hits Pay Dirt on MVP, causing the DQ!!
Winner by Disqualification: MVP
Match Rating: * ?
Benjamin talks a little trash to MVP and then leaves the ring smiling. Guerrero now gets up smiling and goes to the top rope. A short haired Charles Robinson begs him not to but Guerrero doesn?t care! He then hits the Frog Splash on MVP! Guerrero taunts Shelton Benjamin that he wants the United States Championship but Guerrero hasn?t won a match in forever so I don?t see his why he thinks he deserves one. Benjamin raises his US Title over his head as we see replays.
A video hyping the Elimination Chamber plays. They show some of the best highlights of the match, including my favorite which is from last year where Finlay got chokeslammed over the top rope and onto the steel floor. Don?t tell me that wasn?t one of the sickest bumps in the Chamber’s history!
Our Main Event tonight will be Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Triple H vs. Undertaker! What a Main Event it will be!
:::Commercial Break:::
We?re celebrating twenty-five years of WrestleMania moments. Our Mania of the week is WrestleMania 13 ? quite fitting for today, Friday the 13th. We see highlights of the Chicago Street Fight with LOD and Ahmed Johnson vs. The Nation of Domination. We follow it up with the Five Star Classic (Four in my book ? it goes to four, don?t worry) which was a Submission Match between Bret ?Hitman? Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. That’s one of my all time favorites. The Main Event was Undertaker defeating Psycho Sid for the WWF Championship. How Sid Main Evented two WrestleManias is one thing I will never know. Anyway that was Undertaker’s SIXTH WrestleMania victory, a streak which obviously lives on today.
This segues us into an Undertaker promo! He’s surrounded in fog. He says tonight is a prelude to the pain and suffering his opponents will endure inside the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out. Inside the chamber he will have but one ally and he will use that demonic structure to administer pain so legendary that even the shadows will cower with fear! Victory is his destiny but as for the others their fate is sealed. Six will enter and five will REST IN PEACE! Undertaker rolls his eyes back and the TV goes static to end that one!
Backstage Carlito and Primo are hanging with the Bella Twins. One of them thanks them for the flowers they sent and they act like they don?t know what they?re talking about but go with it anyway. One of the Bellas then wonder who actually sent them which is a cue for Miz and Morrison to walk up and say they did! Primo asks if they think they?re going to hit on their girls and Miz just goes ?Yeah!? Morrison says he figured they?d want to hang out with winners and not losers like them on Valentine’s Day! One of the Bella Twins says they?re already with winners but the other Bella says to hold on. Primo and Carlito didn?t send those flowers so to prove how bad they want them the two teams should have a match and they?ll go on a date tomorrow with the winners of that match! Primo agrees to it and Miz and Morrison walk away with Morrison saying, ?See you in the ring, Colons,? as in an actual colon. Carlito says its Col?n, with an accent over the ?o? and tells him to learn to speak Spanish. That was absolutely hilarious. The Bella Twins then converse as to whether that was the right thing to do.
:::Commercial Break:::
Did you know that last month over 100 million photos of WWE ringside action were viewed on WWE.com? Wow?
Tonight we?ll see the return of former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy!
Miz & Morrison vs. Carlito & Primo
This is a non-title match between the WWE Tag Team Champions and the World Tag Team Champions for a date with the Bella Twins!
The bell rings and Carlito will start this match out against Miz! They lock up and tussle into the corner, where the referee separates them. Miz goes for an illegal right hand but Carlito ducks it and fakes going for a left hand, scaring Miz and impressing the Bella Twins! Miz isn?t happy about that so he quickly locks up with Carlito and they tussle to the other corner where he fakes a right hand of his own and scares Carlito! Miz looks to the Bella Twins for approval and when he does Carlito clotheslines him down!
Carlito gets a side headlock on. Miz backs him up into the ropes and pushes him off. Carlito knocks him down with a shoulder block coming off the ropes, goes back into the ropes, jumps over Miz, goes back into the ropes where Miz leap frogs him trying to be impressive but Carlito just waits and hits Miz with a left hand, flooring him! Carlito has a whip reversed on him but he’s able to springboard off the second rope into a back flip and land on his feet when Miz moves out of the way! Miz then charges and is hit with a dropkick and Carlito immediately kips up! Carlito tags in Primo and hits a Spinebuster on Miz, setting up for Primo to vault over the top rope with a Hilo.
Primo covers Miz for a two count. Primo goes for something but Miz gets a knee in the midsection and tags in Morrison! Morrison comes in and slaps the taste out of Primo’s mouth! Morrison punches Primo and sends him into the corner. He charges but Primo hits him with a back elbow, goes to the second rope, and hits an impressive sunset flip! Morrison rolls through and goes for a jackknife pin but Primo is able to lift up at the two count and turn it into a backslide pin for a two count! Primo gets an inside cradle for a one count. Primo gets up and is taken down by Morrison for a pin but gets nothing. Primo ducks a clothesline and gets a school boy for a one count. Morrison quickly gets up and gets a kicked blocked. Primo then spins him around and slaps the taste out of Morrison’s mouth! Morrison angrily charges and hit with a headlock takedown! That was some great action. Morrison is quickly able to get to his feet and push Primo into the corner where Miz makes the tag in.
Miz comes in and punches and kicks Primo in the corner until the referee admonishes him! Miz kicks Primo and sends him into the ropes where Primo ducks a clothesline and hits a head-scissors takedown! Primo makes a timely tag to Carlito who takes Miz down with a clothesline and then a nice left hand! Carlito bounces Miz? head off the top turnbuckle but has a whip reversed on him however he’s able to counter with a second rope springboard back elbow! Carlito then gets Miz in the corner where he goes for 10 Punches but Morrison comes over on the apron and Carlito leaps, clotheslining him down in the process! Primo is in the ring trying to complain about Morrison so the referee’s back is turned while Miz ducks a clothesline from Carlito who then goes over the top rope when Morrison pulls it down! Nice bump!
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break to see Carlito being held in a Cobra Clutch by John Morrison! Carlito fights to his feet and tries to punch out but Morrison punches him in the midsection and turns him for a neckbreaker but Carlito counters it into a backslide pin for a two count! Morrison quickly grabs Carlito’s ankle before he makes a tag to Primo. Morrison then drags him across the ring and tags in the Miz.
They double stomp Carlito a few times before Morrison leaves the ring. Miz hits an elbow and blows a kiss to the Bella Twins! One of the Bellas (I?m assuming Brie) liked it while the other didn?t. Miz forces Carlito to sit up by pulling his hair and hits him with a crossface! The referee turns his back for a second and Morrison gets a cheap kick on Carlito! Miz now sets Carlito up for a catapult and Morrison tags in. Miz catapults Carlito into Morrison’s forearm, causing Carlito to fall back onto Miz? knees and Morrison vaults over the top with an elbow! I love that move!
Morrison shoots a look to the Bella Twins and covers for a two and a half count! One of the Bella Twins looks extremely relieved and the other looks really interested in this match. Morrison gets Carlito in a front face lock and tags in Miz. They hit a double gut-buster and that never looks fun. Miz hits another crossface and gets in a headlock. The Bella Twins are now both rooting on Carlito (as is the crowd) and he gets to his feet and punches out but Miz just pushes him back into his corner. Morrison goes for a tag but Carlito fights them both off and a tag isn?t made! Carlito punches Morrison down on the apron and turns into a variation of the Stroke by Miz! Miz taunts the crowd, waits for Carlito to get up, and goes for the Reality Check but Carlito moves out of the way and hits him with a sit-out spinebuster and they?re both down!
Both men make tags and Primo vaults over the top rope, hitting Morrison with a Russian Leg Sweep! Primo then hits Miz with an Inverted Atomic then goes into the ropes and hits Morrison with a clothesline! He hits Morrison with some left hands and he goes into the corner. Primo whips him into the opposite corner and follows, hitting him with a high knee in the corner! Primo then goes into the ropes and hits a spinning back elbow! He then does a cartwheel, jumps and touches both of his feet, and hits Morrison with a dropkick! Primo covers for a two count! Primo whips Morrison into the corner and hits a monkey flip but Morrison lands on his feet and goes for something but Primo does a back heel sweep and covers for a two count when it’s broken up by the Miz!
Carlito comes in, ducks a clothesline from Miz, and hits a spinning neckbreaker! He turns and Morrison kicks him and throws him out of the ring! Primo goes to the top rope but Miz pushes him off! The referee didn?t see it because he was checking on Carlito! This allows Morrison to hit the Moonlight Drive and pin Primo to win the match and, more importantly, a date with the Bella Twins!
Winners by Pinfall: Miz & Morrison
Match Rating: ** ?
Miz runs and quickly puts his arms around the Bella Twins and they don?t look overly amused. Miz throws Carlito’s apple at him and he catches it. Carlito and Primo do not look happy about losing their Valentines.
Outside the arena Jeff Hardy pulls up in a Ferrari! He’s greeted by Jimmy Wang Yang and R-Truth first. Why are they outside? He then greets Great Khali, Eve, and Maria. He’s speaking next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Tazz thanks Saliva for the use of their song ?Hunt You Down,? the official theme song of No Way Out!
We now get a video package highlighting the Royal Rumble from three weeks ago, specifically the WWE Championship match. Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb but the pinfall is broken up by Vickie Guerrero. Matt Hardy comes out and wants to do a con-chair-to to Edge but instead double crosses his brother, destroying him with a chair shot! The package ends with Matt Hardy looking at his brother menacingly while clips of them are shown in happier times.
Jeff Hardy’s music hits and he gets a great pop from the crowd in Fresno, California! His pyro hits and he miraculously isn?t blown up! JR says Matt Hardy’s betrayal is of biblical proportions and I honestly don?t want to hear anymore biblical references after Hunter Golden on Wrestling News Live!
Jeff Hardy says it’s been a really weird time for him lately. He feels broken and left alone. He feels like doing bad things to bad people but something isn?t right. Matt Hardy is his brother. They made it to WWE together. They won and lost championships together. A big brother is someone you?re supposed to be able to look up to ? he’s someone who’s supposed to have your back. Evidently with Matt that isn?t the case. He isn?t sure if it’s jealously but whatever it is it’s messed up. The Royal Rumble used to remind him of good times. He and Matt would watch it every year as kids. However now all it reminds him of is betrayal, a chair shot to the head, and a broken dream. He says to Matt no matter what is going on inside his head he should know better than anyone how Jeff rolls. He’s not the type of person to live in the past ? he moves on. He’s moving on to this Sunday and the Elimination Chamber where he will become the WWE Champion for the second time whether Matt Hardy likes it or not! They did the dark music and inserted pictures of the brothers together during this promo much like Matt’s promo a few weeks earlier. Still it was very effective.
Still to come tonight is the Fatal Four Way Match featuring Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Big Show!
:::Commercial Break:::
We?re back from the break and Ezekiel Jackson is in the ring with The Brian Kendrick. His opponent is R-Truth. We then see a highlight from last month where R-Truth defeated The Brian Kendrick only to be destroyed by Ezekiel Jackson immediately after. This is the payoff.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. R-Truth
The bell rings and R-Truth immediately gets in three unanswered, powerful right hands on Ezekiel Jackson! R-Truth kicks him in the midsection and goes for a whip but Jackson doesn?t budge and instead sends R-Truth into the corner but R-Truth is able to catapult over a charging Jackson, who hits the corner sternum first! R-Truth does a cartwheel (Primo loses his girl AND has his gimmick stolen?!) causing Jackson to go for a clothesline but R-Truth splits out of it! He then hits Big Zeke with a jumping calf kick! R-Truth wonders if anything is up before going into the ropes and being destroyed by a shoulder block from a VERY angry Ezekiel.
Jackson stomps R-Truth and picks him up just to club him back down. Jackson body slams him hard and covers for a two count. Jackson waits and locks in the tried and true Full Nelson. Oh wow JR just said the same thing I just typed! R-Truth stomps on both of Ezekiel’s feet and elbows him in the face a few times to get out of it. Somewhere every idiot who was unable to escape the Masterlock is shaking their heads. Now he won?t get booked like Dennis Stamp! He’s still not booked!
R-Truth hits Big Zeke with a right hand and goes into the ropes. Big Zeke grabs him and lifts him up for a Military Press and slamming him back down to the mat! That’s impressive! Jackson goes into the ropes and hits an elbow before locking on a waist lock. R-Truth fights to his feet and tries to elbow out but Jackson simply throws him into the corner sternum first. Jackson charges and gets a back elbow in the face! He charges again and gets a boot in the face! R-Truth charges out and gets caught in another Military Press!! Ezekiel goes to throw him out of the ring but R-Truth slides down and rolls him up for a two count! R-Truth quickly gets up and quickly goes down with a HUGE clothesline!
Jackson goes for his Uranage (even though it really isn?t a TRUE Uranage) but R-Truth is able to counter it into a rolling cradle and Ezekiel Jackson suffers his first loss in singles competition!!
Winner by Pinfall: R-Truth
Match Rating: * ?
Ezekiel Jackson can?t believe it as R-Truth gets out of the ring smiling!
Eve Torres is backstage and she is joined by Maria. Eve says that Maria is up against Michelle McCool, a lady they?ve both had problems with lately. She asks how Maria plans on dealing with this new bullying, overpowering Michelle McCool. Maria says she’s going to prove to Michelle that she’s not going to be pushed around and is going to give the fight of her life. She says she has the desire, passion, and heart and hopefully she?ll be victorious. Eve says hopefully she?ll have some luck on her side. And you think MSNBC presents biased journalism?! Maria thanks her and walks away.
:::Commercial Break:::
Time for a WrestleMania moment! There have been a few good Super Bowls, movies, and happenings but none as big as WrestleMania III (according to WWE). This was a tremendous event and it’s amazing to remember a time when the Intercontinental Championship actually meant something. Ricky ?The Dragon? Steamboat vs. ?Macho Man? Randy Savage was one for the ages. This event also saw Hulk Hogan BODY SLAM Andre the Giant and pin him for the first time ever in case you new fans didn?t know that.
You?re not enough for her. Don?t worry ? Undertaker isn?t either. ZING!
We see highlights the Michelle McCool vs. Eve Torres match last week, which saw Eve lose her debut match by submission with a Brazilian Heel Hook. Tazz mentions that McCool calls this the Mad-T ? Make a Diva Tap. Creative!
Michelle McCool vs. Maria
What’s the deal with Maria’s ring jackets? It’s a hood with short sleeves and no jacket. That’s not exactly practical.
The bell rings and McCool gets in Maria’s face, pushing her. Maria pushes back and McCool leaves her feet! Maria peppers in the forearms but has a whip reversed on her but Maria is able to counter with a head-scissors takedown! Maria hits a kick and goes into the ropes for a clothesline which McCool ducks and hits Maria with a knee in the midsection. McCool then body slams Maria legs first into the ropes! Maria holds her left leg in pain. Maria pulls herself up by the ropes and McCool kicks her in the back of the leg! McCool drags her by the leg into the center of the ring and hits an elbow on the injured knee joint. She then hits some knees on Maria’s knees and then wrenches it. She kicks her to the corner and goes to the outside where McCool kicks Maria’s legs into the steel steps a few times!
McCool gets back in the ring and tells Maria that she doesn?t belong before hitting a Russian Leg Sweep and covering for a near fall! I love near falls in Diva matches! McCool now locks on an Achilles Heel lock and really wrenches it! McCool then releases it and slams Maria’s knee into the mat and goes for another one but Maria AMAZINGLY counters and rolls McCool up for a two count! Now that’s what I?m talking about in a Diva’s match! Good, clean, connected moves and a really good story being told! I?m into it now!
McCool continues the assault on the leg and stomps her legs into the corner until the referee forces her out. McCool charges but Maria is able to hit her with a back elbow! McCool then grabs the leg and Maria counters with an enzuigiri! McCool gets up quickly and charges but Maria counters it into a roll up for a one count. Maria hits some forearms and a knee to the midsection but McCool is too crafty as she hits a low dropkick in Maria’s kneecap! McCool pulls her up by the hair and throws her into the corner. She now pulls down her knee pad to go for something.
At this point Eve Torres runs down to help! McCool leaves the ring to greet her with a forearm and a European Uppercut! She throws Eve into the ring and the referee restrains her. Eve leaves the ring as Maria rolls McCool up and pins her for the upset!
Winner by Pinfall: Maria
Match Rating: **
That was a good Diva’s match. McCool angrily looks on as Maria raises her arms in the air.
Todd Grisham is now interviewing Triple H. He asks him how confident he is heading into the Fatal Four Way just two days away from the Elimination Chamber match. Triple H says he’s extremely confident tonight because as I can see (you can?t because you?re reading this) he’s wearing the brand new Triple H T-Shirt, available on WWE.com. Triple H then asks Grisham to read the back. It’s a Latin word which Grisham can?t read (Eversoris) and Triple H says it means ?Destroyer,? which is exactly what he?ll do this Sunday. Five other men will join him in the most barbaric structure in the WWE ? the Elimination Chamber. He holds the distinct advantage because of all those men, Undertaker, Big Show, Jeff Hardy, and Edge have only been in one Elimination Chamber. Kozlov hasn?t even been in one. Out of all those men he holds the advantage because this will be his SIXTH one! He knows what they?re thinking ? the same thing he was thinking after his first Chamber ? ?I hope to God I never have to go inside another Elimination Chamber again.? They?re dreading stepping into that Chamber Sunday except for him. As strange as it is, he’s grown to like that Chamber, the pain, and anguish. This Sunday he?ll revel in every minute of it because he?ll walk out the WWE Champion!
:::Commercial Break:::
Did you know that last Friday, more males (under 50) watched Smackdown than any other show on CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC? What did the ones over 50 watch?
It’s time for the Raw Rebound presented by WWE Mobile. I only cared about Raw this Monday because Undertaker was representing Smackdown on the show. Smackdown won, by the way, but the overbooking of the McMahons almost hurt his character as if that’s even possible. Undertaker really needed to be saved by Shane McMahon?
JR and Tazz run down the No Way Out card, which looks pretty good however I still feel as if No Way Out is an unnecessary distraction on the way to WrestleMania. They need to get more than one Smackdown match on that card, by the way. Maybe Shelton Benjamin defending his United States Championship against MVP?
Triple H is making his way to the ring. Its Main Event time, baby, and its coming after this break!
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break and Big Show is already in the ring and Vladimir Kozlov is making his way to it at the moment. Undertaker’s entrance is next and, as usual, it is amazing.
Fatal Four Way Match
Triple H vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Undertaker
The bell rings and its chaos immediately. Triple H and Big Show lock up and so do Kozlov and Undertaker! Triple H and Big Show go into the corner where Triple H ducks a Big Show slap and begins punching Show in the corner. In the opposite corner Kozlov is hitting Undertaker with shoulder blocks. Big Show reverses Triple H’s punches and begins hitting him with body shots. Big Show hits a head-butt on Triple H.
In the opposite corner, Kozlov hits Undertaker with some punches before being grabbed by the throat and thrown back into the corner where Undertaker hits him with some big right hands! Undertaker brings him out of the corner and throws him over the top rope! Undertaker hits Big Show from behind and they trade blows with Undertaker coming out on top doing the rope-a-dope! Undertaker turns to Triple H and they double clothesline Big Show over the top rope!
Undertaker and Triple H now have a stare down! They go nose to nose and the intensity is great! Undertaker strikes first with a kick to the midsection! They then go back and forth with punches with Undertaker coming out on top! He punches Triple H to the corner and whips him into the opposite one hard. Taker then scoops him up and hits Snake Eyes and goes into the ropes for the big boot but Triple H counters with the Double-A Spinebuster!! Triple H does his pose afterwards and Undertaker sits up!!
Undertaker stalks Triple H but Big Show comes back in and hits Undertaker from behind, as well as hitting Triple H with a head-butt! Big Show whips Triple H into the corner, hitting a stomp and another head-butt. Big Show hits a body shot as we go to a break.
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break to see Undertaker have a whip into the steel steps reversed on him by Vladimir Kozlov! Inside the ring Big Show is hitting Triple H with some furious body shots! He backs up and goes for a splash in the corner by Triple H moves out of the way!
Kozlov now enters the ring and Triple H begins concentrating on him with right hands. Triple H goes into the ropes, ducks a clothesline from Kozlov, and is hit with a side slam from Big Show! Kozlov hits three elbows as Big Show directs the traffic. Big Show directs Kozlov to double whip Triple H into the ropes and they hit a double shoulder block! They stand over Triple H who tries to come back but they both beat him down. Kozlov puts Triple H in the corner and hits some shoulder thrusts. Kozlov now backs up and Big Show whips Kozlov into Triple H hard! Kozlov backs up and taunts the crowd. He turns around and is hit with a Showstopper!! Big Show covers Kozlov for a two count which is interrupted by Undertaker with a punch from the outside!!
Undertaker punches Big Show into the corner but has a whip into the corner reversed on him. Big Show charges and eats Undertaker’s boot. Undertaker then goes into the ropes, ducks a clothesline from Big Show, and hits Big Show with his flipping clothesline! Undertaker hits a splash in the corner and goes for a second but Big Show grabs him by the throat and goes for a Showstopper but Undertaker counters into a DDT! Undertaker covers for a one count when it’s broken up by Vladimir Kozlov!
Kozlov hits Taker with some forearms and body shots but Undertaker comes back with some right hands of his own! Undertaker’s whip is reversed and Kozlov hits a powerslam for a near fall! Kozlov can?t believe it and goes for something but Undertaker counters it into the Devil’s Gate! Big Show quickly breaks it up before anything happens.
Undertaker sits up and Big Show grabs him by the throat. Big Show is on his knees when he grabs him so Undertaker props himself on Big Show and locks him in Devil’s Gate! Triple H breaks it up this time! Kozlov now charges Triple H and he pulls the top rope down, sending Kozlov flying to the outside!
Triple H hits Big Show with some right hands, going into the ropes to try and knock him down. Big Show teeters so Triple H kicks him in the midsection and goes for a whip but Big Show doesn?t budge and whips him instead but lowers his head and Triple H hits him with the jumping face buster! Triple H sets him up for a Pedigree but Big Show lifts him up for an Emerald Fusion but Undertaker big boots Big Show and both he and Triple H go down hard!
All men are down now and Undertaker covers Triple H for a near fall! Big Show goes to the outside and Kozlov pushes him into the steel ring post! Kozlov gets in the ring and assaults both Triple H and Undertaker. Kozlov hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner as the crowd chants ?USA.? Kozlov has a whip into the corner reversed on him by Undertaker, who proceeds to hit him with Snake Eyes and a big boot! Undertaker hits a legdrop and covers for a two count which is broken up by Big Show!
Big Show waits for Undertaker to get up and hits him with a head-butt, staggering Undertaker into the corner! Big Show then hits some fast and furious body shots followed by three head-butts and even the Deadman can?t withstand that kind of punishment! Big Show goes for a Vader Bomb on Undertaker but misses!
Kozlov now hits the Battering Ram on Big Show! He taunts and Triple H hits him with a Pedigree!! Undertaker now lifts Triple H up and delivers the Tombstone Piledriver!!! Undertaker covers but Big Show grabs him by the throat and hits the Showstopper!!! Big Show catches his breath and when he turns around he is Speared by Edge and the referee throws the match out!!
Winner: No Contest
Match Rating: ***
Edge raises the WWE Championship over his head as the rest of his challengers in the Chamber (except for Jeff Hardy) are laid out in the ring!
Quick Match Results
MVP def. Chavo Guerrero via DQ
Miz & Morrison* def. Carlito & Primo* (non-title)
R-Truth def. Ezekiel Jackson
Maria def. Michelle McCool
Triple H vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov vs. Undertaker *No Contest*
Bump of the Night: Carlito flying over the top rope and landing with a thud!
Match of the Night: The Fatal Four Way *** (Honorable Mention goes to the tag match tonight ? great stuff!)
Mike’s Thoughts
Excellent Smackdown tonight! Lots of great matches, some talk segments but they weren?t obnoxious and didn?t take too much time up, and a great go home show for No Way Out! We also got the return of Jeff Hardy and watched some great mid-card feuds!
Smackdown’s portion of No Way Out, even though we only have one match, is going to be solid. With the amount of talent in it I?m not expecting anything less! If that Fatal Four Way is any indication of how the Chamber is going to be then it’s going to be a solid and memorable effort. I?m hoping they add one more Smackdown match to No Way Out ? perhaps Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP for the United States Championship? How about Umaga squashing somebody??
Jeff Hardy’s return was great. The promo he cut was short but effective. The sappy music and pictures shown during his promo could have constituted overkill but it actually worked well tonight. Very effective return and I?d love to see him leave the Chamber as the WWE Champion and defend it against his brother at WrestleMania. I know ? not a chance but I can dream! Where was Matt Hardy tonight, by the way? No doubt planning his next dastardly deed to do to his brother ? or his not brother!
What’s going on with Big Show, Edge, and Vickie Guerrero? Did Vickie cheat on Edge when he was in Hell? This is a very interesting situation!
The mid-card really has some TREMENDOUS stuff going on. We?ve got this mini feud with Carlito & Primo vs. Miz & Morrison. They?ve been going at it for a bit and it’s been fantastic. Throw in a classic stipulation like ?Winner takes the girls? and it’s even better. Their backstage vignette tonight was hilarious and the match was super fantastic. They?re breathing some life into the tag division however they can?t fight each other for the rest of their tag careers ? we need more tag teams! Still that was fantastic and I can?t wait to see how the Valentine’s Day date went. Please film some vignettes!
Another great mid-card feud is MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin. MVP is doing a great job with this face character of his. The good thing is he doesn?t have to change hardly any of his mannerisms. But that guy can wrestle, man! MVP is a tremendous talent and I?m happy he’s getting back to his old self. Shelton Benjamin is no slouch either and things are a bit interesting with the Chavo Guerrero situation as well, even though he hasn?t won a match in forever.
The Divas had a tremendous match tonight. Maria has really improved but I?m not sure if that’s just editing. It doesn?t matter ? it was still well done. Michelle McCool is really proving her weight in gold with the way she keeps things together in the ring. Props to her and Maria! Another ** Diva match!
Where’s Mr. Kennedy been lately? He was showing up in January before the Rumble but has since disappeared. Has Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia bombed that bad that they?ll just wait until he’s ready to wrestle to bring him back? Also no Umaga squash match tonight? You couldn?t have had him come out after the R-Truth match to squash The Brian Kendrick or something like that? I know he has some heat on him! Punish him more with an unnecessary Umaga beat down! I love Umaga ? can you tell?
One thing I must mention is that Smackdown has been considered the ?kid? show of WWE. I completely disagree! We have our ?edgy? storyline with Vickie and Edge and their disgusting, hinted love triangle with Big Show. Just a few weeks ago we were seeing ?nude? pictures of Vickie Guerrero! How suitable is that for kids? Smackdown has a lot of great wrestling, some good, short promos, and some interesting storylines that take time to play out. We don?t need to have courtroom dramas and wrestlers with lawyers and the McMahons or even Christian for that matter to make this show great! It just is! If a lot of kids happen to watch then so be it but this is not a kiddy show! Not that having kids watch is a bad thing?
All in all it was a tremendous go home show for Smackdown. No Way Out looks good for us.
Final Smackdown Rating: ***
As always I?d love some feedback to the recap. Do you agree with what I?ve said? Do you like the way I recap? Let me know!
E-Mail ? MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers out there. For all the single folk I wish you a Happy President’s Day? I guess?
Thanks for reading! Enjoy No Way Out 2009!