WWE Smackdown
July 8, 2011
Tucson, AZ
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 video recaps last week’s contract signing for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Money in the Bank. Christian and Randy Orton went back and forth verbally before Sheamus made his return, destroying Christian, Orton, and the contract.
The Smackdown video plays and we’re brought into the arena with some fireworks. Booker T and Michael Cole welcome us to the show.
Josh Mathews is in the ring with seven of the eight participants in the Smackdown Money in the Bank match. Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Kane, and Sin Cara are in the ring. Sheamus is missing. Mathews puts over how every winner of Money in the Bank has gone on to become a champion. Mathews mentions that the briefcase contains a contract for a World Championship match to take place at any time and is valid for a year. Daniel Bryan is asked about his thoughts on competing in his first Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Bryan says he’s excited and a little nervous. He’s dreamed of being World Heavyweight Champion since he was a little kid. This opportunity is worth every single risk he’s going to take.
Cody Rhodes grabs the microphone and says Bryan is a common man, unable of exceptional things that exceptional people do. Rhodes is one of those exceptional people. He overcame grave personal tragedy so when he climbs the ladder and grabs the briefcase he’ll no longer be WWE’s blind spot. He’ll be the World Heavyweight Champion. Then we’ll all have to do what we fear the most: swallow our damn pride and look him in the eye.
Wade Barrett is asked about how he feels about competing in the match. Barrett says he’s sick and tired of hearing about what everyone else is going to do. The achievements of these men in the past twelve months pale in comparison to what he’s done. He won NXT Season One and then he spearheaded a revolutionary group –
Barrett stops talking as Sheamus runs into the ring with a chair. Sheamus quickly clears the ring of everyone, smashing Barrett on the back with the chair for good measure. Sheamus grabs the microphone and says he’ll tell us what is really going to happen at Money in the Bank. He’s going to win the match and when Orton beats that weasel Christian for the fiftieth time, he’s going to cash in his contract on Orton the same night to walk out the new World Heavyweight Champion. As far as Orton goes tonight, he’s coming for him, fella. Sheamus then shows a replay of Orton punting him in the skull a few weeks ago. Sheamus looks at the crowd as they chant for Orton. Sheamus says the biggest regret of Randy Orton’s career so far is that he didn’t kick him in the head hard enough because he’s back.
Christian’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Christian says Sheamus, along with the rest of the clueless morons, thinks he can’t beat Randy Orton at Money in the Bank. Christian says he couldn’t hear him in the back and asks what Sheamus called him. Sheamus says he called him a “scrawny, malnourished, googly-eyed, homely weasel.” Sheamus asks what he’s going to do about it. Christian says there’s not much he can do except say this: he’s the same scrawny, malnourished, googly-eyed, homely weasel who beat him right before Orton kicked him in the head. He’ll also be the new World Heavyweight Champion after Money in the Bank.
Christian wants to thank Sheamus for being a big part of that since he’s the one who tore up the contract. Because of that his legal team went back and added another stipulation. If Randy Orton is disqualified or there’s bad officiating, he automatically becomes the World Heavyweight Champion. Christian says since Sheamus is so smart he’d have probably added that stipulation to his contract. Christian then makes fun of him, asking if he can even read. Sheamus throws his chair at Christian.
Teddy Long’s music hits and he comes out to the stage. Long says Sheamus isn’t the number one contender – Christian is. It won’t be for the title but if Sheamus wants to face Orton then he’s sure Orton would oblige. That’ll be the main event tonight. Sheamus smiles and Christian looks pretty happy about that, too.
Kane will take on Mark Henry tonight. We’ll also see the Vince McMahon/John Cena confrontation from Raw.
-Commercial Break-
Highlights from the very first Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 21 are shown. Edge won that night in a tremendous match that set the bar for future MITB Ladder Matches. That was an awesome WrestleMania, by the way. They then showed that Edge won the WWE Championship using that MITB contract.
Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Daniel Bryan & Ezekiel Jackson
They made a point of letting us know that Booker T is not happy about getting a paper bag mask from the baggers.
DiBiase starts out against Bryan. They lock up and Bryan applies a hammerlock. DiBiase elbows out, goes into the ropes, and kicks Bryan in the face. DiBiase goes back into the ropes and Bryan kicks him down for a two count. DiBiase kicks Bryan and forearms Jackson. Jackson swats him away and Bryan tags him in. Jackson runs over him with a shoulder block and bounces him in the corner. Jackson punches and clubs him before throwing DiBiase across the ring. DiBiase knees him but quickly gets thrown over the top rope. Jackson knocks Rhodes off the apron and tags in Bryan. Bryan hits a suicide dive on both DiBiase and Rhodes as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Bryan viciously kicking Rhodes in the corner. Bryan whips him to the opposite corner. Bryan charges and Rhodes catches him with an Alabama Slam for a two count. DiBiase is tagged in and he kicks Bryan down. DiBiase puts him in the corner and stomps away at him. DiBiase picks him up and takes an uppercut. DiBiase quickly comes back with a backbreaker and a nice dropkick for a near fall. DiBiase applies a chin lock. Bryan fights up and elbows out. Bryan goes into the ropes and gets clotheslined down. Rhodes is tagged in and he drops a Ric Flair-style knee for a two count.
Rhodes kicks away at him and tags DiBiase back in. DiBiase kicks and chokes him in the corner. The referee backs him up and Rhodes chokes him behind the referee’s back. Jackson runs in and they double-team Bryan more as the referee deals with Jackson. DiBiase applies another chin lock but Bryan fights up. DiBiase whips him into the corner and runs into a back elbow. DiBiase charges again and eats a boot. Bryan then explodes out of the corner with a leg lariat.
Jackson is tagged in and he clotheslines DiBiase down a few times. Jackson clotheslines him in the corner and body slams him. Rhodes runs in and he takes a body slam as well. Bryan knocks Rhodes down as Jackson goes for the Torture Rack on DiBiase. DiBiase slides off and Rhodes hits the Beautiful Disaster out of nowhere. Rhodes knocks Bryan off the apron as DiBiase hits Dream Street on Jackson for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Match Rating: * 1/2
Cody Rhodes walks off as Ted DiBiase trails him. The announcers put over that both men have a pinfall victory over Ezekiel Jackson in the past two weeks.
The announcers talk about how unstoppable Mark Henry has been lately. They show a video of him destroying a bunch of superstars before showing him demolishing that audio technician last week. Booker T said that was borderline criminal.
Matt Striker is backstage with Mark Henry. Striker asks about him attacking an innocent civilian. Now Henry is facing fines, suspensions, lawsuits, and a potential criminal investigation. Then he’ll have to face Kane tonight and Big Show at the PPV. Striker wants to know how he’s doing all this. Henry stares at Striker menacingly until he runs away in fear.
-Commercial Break-
They show the video of The Great Khali turning on his brother Ranjin Singh two months ago to join forces with Jinder Mahal.
JOBBER ALERT: Trent Barreta is in the ring with no TV entrance.
Trent Barreta vs. Jinder Mahal w/ The Great Khali
The Great Khali joins the commentators. He’ll be doing commentary along with them. Yes, you read that right. They lock up and Mahal beats Barreta down in the corner. Barreta comes back with a forearm for a one count. Barreta kicks and uppercuts him. Mahal quickly tosses him into the corner and clotheslines him down. Mahal hits a high knee to the face followed by his Full Nelson Slam for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Trent Barreta
Match Rating: N/A
Khali gets in the ring and pushes Barreta into Mahal who hits his Full Nelson Slam again. They raise their arms in the air.
Sheamus is backstage with Todd Grisham who asks about his recent rampage. Sheamus puts his arm around him and says it’s an Irish thing. Grisham wouldn’t understand.
-Commercial Break-
Tamina is in the ring with Alicia Fox with no TV entrance. I don’t think this is a jobber alert situation.
Tamina w/ Alicia Fox vs. AJ w/ Natalya
They lock up and AJ goes for an arm drag but Tamina doesn’t budge. Tamina picks her up by the head and puts her in the corner. The referee backs her up. Tamina charges into a boot and AJ forearms away. Tamina quickly back elbows her down. Tamina whips her hard into the corner and hits a running butt bump to the face. Tamina grabs her by the hair and slams her down for a near fall. Tamina applies a modified chin lock and powers her down. Tamina stomps her but misses a big splash.
AJ fights up and forearms her. AJ kicks her down and hits a running knee to the face but only gets a two count. AJ clotheslines her in the corner. Tamina reverses a whip to the corner and goes for a splash but AJ moves. AJ quickly rolls her up for the upset win.
Winner by Pinfall: AJ
Match Rating: 3/4 *
Alicia Fox gets in the ring and is berating her a bit for losing to AJ. Tamina looks wildly at her as Fox motions that AJ is so little yet she beat her.
We’ll see Kane take on Mark Henry next.
-Commercial Break-
Kane vs. Mark Henry
Charles Robinson, my favorite referee ever, is the official for this match. Kane kicks and punches away at Henry. Kane goes into the ropes and clotheslines him but Henry doesn’t go down. Kane uppercuts him and Henry bounces into the ropes, quickly coming back with a clothesline. Henry clubs him in the corner and chokes him with his knee. Henry punches and sends him to the ropes. Kane quickly comes back with a low dropkick to the knee. Kane dropkicks him down and hits another dropkick to the face for a near fall. Kane goes to the top rope and jumps into a belly-to-belly side suplex for a near fall.
Henry stomps him and stands on his face. Henry then stands on his chest. Kane blocks a punch and uppercuts him a few times. Henry pushes him to the corner and goes for a splash but Kane sidesteps him. Kane clotheslines him in the corner. Henry stops a whip and gets big booted down for a near fall. Kane goes to the top rope and hits his flying lariat. Kane signals for the finish but can’t get the Chokeslam. Henry powers him off and head-butts him. Henry goes for the World’s Strongest Slam but Kane gets out of it and Chokeslams him! Kane covers but Henry gets his foot on the bottom rope.
Kane stomps him and Henry falls out of the ring. Kane looks at the announcer’s table and takes the top off. Kane goes to Chokeslam him but Henry drives him into the apron. Henry then backs him into the ring post hard. Henry throws him into the ring and hits a big splash for a near fall. Henry screams in frustration. Henry waits for Kane to get up and he hits the World’s Strongest Slam for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Mark Henry
Match Rating: * 3/4
Mark Henry goes over the announcer’s table and intimidates them. Henry yells at Booker T and flings some water at him. Booker T acted like he’s really afraid of Henry.
Randy Orton is backstage with Todd Grisham. Grisham asks him about the new stipulation for the World Heavyweight Championship match. Orton says he can’t take it anymore with Christian asking for one more match. Orton doesn’t care what’s in the contract because the same thing will happen – an RKO and a 1-2-3. As far as tonight and Sheamus is concerned, there’s no denying that he’s the most fearsome brawler in WWE. Orton says he knows after he beats Christian he’ll have to eventually defend his title against Sheamus. Orton tells Grisham to wish Sheamus luck from Orton if he sees him.
-Commercial Break-
They show highlights from Raw’s Money in the Bank match last year, which was won by The Miz. They then show The Miz holding the WWE Championship later in the year.
JOBBER ALERT: Tyson Kidd, without that spiked up bang, is in the ring with no TV entrance.
Tyson Kidd vs. Sin Cara
They circle the ring and Kidd gets a waist lock. Kidd quickly takes him down with a hammerlock but Cara quickly fights up. Cara elbows out and hits a high angle snapmare. Kidd hip tosses him onto the apron but Cara holds on, flips back in, and takes Kidd down with an arm drag. Cara ducks a clothesline and hits a twisting arm drag that takes Kidd out of the ring. Kidd avoids a plancha and rips him off the apron. Kidd goes into the ropes and eats a Pelé kick. Cara hits a slingshot corkscrew splash for a two count. Kidd avoids a splash in the corner and kicks him in the knee. Kidd hits a running dropkick to the side of the head for a two count.
Kidd forearms him in the face and kicks him down. Kidd applies a chin lock but Cara fights up. Cara goes for a victory roll but Kidd counters by dropping him on the ropes. Kidd goes to the apron and goes for a springboard elbow drop but Cara gets the knees up. Cara kicks away at him but has a whip reversed. Cara takes him down and punches away at him. Kidd kicks him and sends him to the ropes. Cara hits a handspring back elbow and a hurricanrana. Cara kicks him in the corner but has another whip reversed. Kidd runs into a back elbow and takes a modified roll up for a near fall. Kidd kicks Cara down and pushes him off the top rope when he tries to stop him. Cara dropkicks the ropes and Kidd is laid out up there. Cara then hits that backflip slam off the top for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Sin Cara
Match Rating: * 3/4
Teddy Long is walking backstage when Matt Striker stops him. Striker asks what he’s going to do about Mark Henry. Long says the investigation is ongoing and when they’re completed he’ll take the results under advisement. Striker says that’s a very politically correct answer and asks if Long is intimidated by Henry. Long stares at him and walks off.
Randy Orton will take on Sheamus in the main event.
-Commercial Break-
Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater vs. The Usos
Gabriel starts out against Jey. Jey takes him down with a northern lights suplex for a one count. Jey gets a front face lock applied but Gabriel quickly gets him in a side headlock. Jey whips him off and Slater blind tags in. Slater punches him down and kicks him in the ribs. Slater kicks away at him and stands on his hand. Jey comes back with some punches but Slater cuts him off quickly. Gabriel is tagged in and he clubs him for a two count. Gabriel gets a neck vice applied and Jey fights up. Gabriel gets a side headlock applied and Jey punches out. They then take each other out with dual big boots.
Jimmy and Slater are tagged in. Jimmy ducks a clothesline and punches away. Jimmy takes him down with a forearm and a kick. Jimmy hits a Bubba Bomb and a nasty Samoan Drop for a near fall broken up by Gabriel. Jimmy misses a splash in the corner and takes a neckbreaker. Gabriel is tagged in and he goes for a 450 but Jimmy is out of position. Slater goes to turn him but Jimmy kicks him into the ropes, crotching Gabriel. Jey is tagged in and he climbs the turnbuckle across from Gabriel’s. Jimmy superplexes Gabriel and Jey hits a splash for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: The Usos
Match Rating: * 1/4
We’ll see the John Cena/Vince McMahon confrontation next.
-Commercial Break-
Johnny Curtis says he still hasn’t made his Smackdown debut yet. He’s got the look and the perfect attitude to become a great WWE Superstar. He’s not sure what’s missing but what he is sure of is he’s going to take the cake. Curtis then takes a birthday cake from a man who looks devastated when he does. This was so bad.
They show a video highlighting Vince McMahon’s arrival on Raw this past Monday and his confrontation with John Cena.
Randy Orton makes his way to the ring. He’ll face Sheamus next.
-Commercial Break-
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
Before the match begins, Christian’s music hits and he makes his way to the announcer’s table to join in on commentary. In the ring they lock up and back to the corner. Orton unloads on Sheamus in the corner. Sheamus quickly comes back and uppercuts him. Sheamus sends him to the corner but Orton sidesteps him. Orton dropkicks him into the corner and goes for a punt but Sheamus gets out of the ring. Sheamus slowly gets in and misses a clothesline. Orton punches, sends him to the ropes, ducks a clothesline, and hits a Lou Thesz Press. Sheamus turns it and punches away at Orton. They roll out of the ring and Orton bounces Sheamus off the barricade and the apron. Sheamus then reverses a whip into the barricade and Orton hits hit hard.
Sheamus puts Orton back into the ring and Orton nearly catches him with a draping DDT. Sheamus gets out, shoulders him, and sends him shoulder first into the ring post. Christian gets off commentary to get a closer look at Orton who is in pain outside. Sheamus gets in between him and they exchange words. Sheamus sends him into the ring post as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Orton punching Sheamus but Sheamus quickly comes back with an arm breaker for a near fall. Sheamus drops a knee on the injured shoulder a few times. Sheamus applies an overhead wristlock. Orton fights up and punches out. Orton has a whip reversed and Sheamus drives a knee into his midsection. Sheamus goes for another arm breaker but Orton holds on to the ropes. Orton drops Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus grabs the arm and snaps it off the top rope. Sheamus goes for a slingshot shoulder thrust but Orton avoids it.
Orton clotheslines him a few times and hits a nice powerslam. Orton charges into a boot but quickly comes back with a belly-to-belly side suplex for a near fall. Orton approaches Sheamus and he kicks him in the knee. Sheamus skins the cat to the top rope and hits a diving shoulder tackle for a near fall. Sheamus sends him to the ropes but lowers his head and eats a kick. Sheamus hits the Irish Curse for a near fall. Sheamus gets to his feet and hits a pair of running hammers. Sheamus hits a bunch of knee drops on Orton’s face and taunts the crowd. Christian is smiling at ringside. Sheamus stalks Orton and goes for the Brogue Kick but Orton ducks it. Orton goes for an RKO but Sheamus pushes him off and goes for a powerslam. Orton slides off and hits his patented backbreaker. Orton gears up for an RKO when all of a sudden Christian runs into the ring and kicks him in the head.
Winner by Disqualification: Randy Orton
Match Rating: * 3/4
Christian viciously punches away at Orton until Sheamus pulls him off and hits a Brogue Kick. Sheamus then turns into an RKO. Orton stands tall in the ring over Christian and Sheamus. Orton raises his championship in the air as the show ends.
Quick Match Results
Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase def. Daniel Bryan & Ezekiel Jackson
Jinder Mahal def. Trent Barreta
AJ def. Tamina
Mark Henry def. Kane
Sin Cara def. Tyson Kidd
The Usos def. Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater
Randy Orton def. Sheamus via DQ (non-title)
Bump of the Night: Daniel Bryan’s suicide dive
Match of the Night: Three matches came in at * 3/4
Mike’s Thoughts
Yikes this was a totally boring Smackdown tonight. There’s just no sugarcoating it. They were getting ready for a big overseas tour, they had to produce four two-hour episodes in three days, and they just phoned this one in. This was the last one to be produced and they were tired so they just put a bunch of matches on the show with a few talking segments thrown in.
The show kicked off with all the participants of the Smackdown Money in the Bank match in the ring minus Sheamus. Josh Mathews went around interviewing some of them about the match and it was just pure boredom to kick off the show. The material given to the guys that were talking was just so generic it was sad. They should have just started it out with Sheamus because that was some pretty decent interaction with Christian. All they did by having Sheamus clear the ring of them was make seven guys look totally weak going into a PPV match. It was just a nothing segment that was thrown in because they needed something to promote the two PPV matches.
The matches for tonight were, for the most part, subpar. There was a squash match, a showcase match, two lackluster tags, a diva match, and two almost good matches. There’s really not much else to say. It’s definitely the worst Smackdown they’ve done in a while. Hopefully it’s just an anomaly due to the big overseas tour and they’ll get back on track next week.
Final Rating: * 3/4
E-Mail – MikeTedesco@wrestleview.com
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