Results courtesy of WWE.com
OTTAWA – With Night of Champions two days away, The Great White would battle WWE’s submission specialist, Daniel Bryan, in a hard-fought WrestleMania rematch — without the help of his banned Brogue Kick. Meanwhile, The Viper, Randy Orton, looked to best Tensai and an explosive Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Title Match was created for the imminent pay-per-view.
With his strongest opportunity yet to overcome World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus at Night of Champions, Alberto Del Rio came before the WWE Universe, giving Booker T a nod for banning the Brogue Kick one week ago. The injured Ricardo Rodriguez then thanked his mother and all his “fans” for their support, while the now-injured David Otunga criticized Raw General Manager AJ Lee for putting him in a dangerous match against World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on Monday.
The Mexican Aristocrat then surprised all by presenting Christian via satellite — still recovering from a shoulder injury of his own. While Captain Charisma made no bones of the fact that he didn’t like Del Rio and that he hoped The Great White defeated him at Night of Champions, his feelings on the Brogue Kick were just as clear. Citing the maneuver as one of the primary reasons he lost a year of his career, the former World Heavyweight Champion stated that Sheamus’ finisher should remain banned.
Daniel Bryan then emerged, revealing that Booker T had granted him a WrestleMania rematch against The Celtic Warrior, so that he could prove that the 18 second World Title loss at The Show of Shows was only because he was caught by surprise.
Sheamus himself took the opportunity to join the party, informing both Bryan and Del Rio that, after he defeated them again respectively, they would understand that those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it. When Otunga tried to get The Great White to leave, the Harvard-educated Superstar found himself slingshot off the rope — as The Celtic Warrior pulled off his neckbrace and gave it to the crowd.
Sin Cara def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz in a Non-Title Match
One week ago in tag team action, The Miz was accidently kicked by his own partner, Cody Rhodes — a mistake that led directly to their loss. Then, three days later on Raw, after a distraction by Miz helped Rhodes overcame Rey Mysterio, The Awesome One was treated to the Cross Rhodes — courtesy of the grandson of a plumber.
In response to recent events, Miz looked to take out the full extent of his frustration out on the high-octane Sin Cara. However, an unorthodox style of his gravity-defying masked opponent allowed him to rise above the Intercontinental Champion for a huge upset pinfall!
Later, when Rhodes, Mysterio and Sin Cara all interrupted Miz’ interview with Matt Striker, Senior Adviser Theodore Long declared — on behalf of SmackDown General Manager Booker T — that the four Superstars would compete in a Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Championship Match at Night of Champions.
Kane def. WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston
Prior to Kane’s SmackDown match against Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan and The Devil Favorite Demon incorporated stress balls into their ongoing therapy, as Dr. Shelby continued to help the new No. 1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Titles deal with their anger management.
When The Big Red Monster finally did face Kofi one-on-one, he caught his high-flying Superstar off the top rope and leveled him with the Chokeslam for the win. After the bell, when Dr. Shelby appeared, the masked Superstar hesitantly re-entered the ring and gave his fallen opponent a post-match hug.
But, will Kane and Bryan be able to keep their anger under control and work together at Night of Champions to capture the WWE Tag Team Championships?
Randy Orton def. Tensai
Just two days before he will face Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler, at Night of Champions, Randy Orton asked to battle Tensai one-on-one for the first-time ever.
While Tensai truly threw his weight around, using every part of himself to overpower WWE’s Apex Predator to give him a brutal beatdown, The Viper would roar back. After knocking Sakamoto from the apron and withstanding a last ditch assault that nearly put him away, Orton overcame Tensai with the RKO.
As the smoke cleared, Vickie Guerrero emerged, speaking for Dolph Ziggler while, at the same time, claiming that he had taken the night off. Orton refuted The Queen Divas’ claims that he would be beat by Ziggler this Sunday and that he would never be the World Champion again, before anticipating The Showoff’s sneak attack and thwarting his efforts.
Tyson Kidd and Brodus Clay sent a message to United States Champion Antonio Cesaro
Angry that his Night of Champions challenger will be determined in a pay-per-view Pre-Show Battle Royal this Sunday, Antonio Cesaro shared his outrage in five languages. Before long, Tyson Kidd would emerge to take exception “in Canadian,” only to be hurled over the top rope by the irate United States Champion.
But, after Brodus Clay stepped through the ropes, the combined assault of the two Superstars ultimately sent the smug Swiss Superstar packing. And afterward, both The Funkasaurus and the last graduate of the Hart Family Dungeon got Funky, dancing all the way to Night of Champions.
Wade Barrett promised a demonstration of what he meant by being “open for business”
Stating that people were either too stupid or too scared to know what he meant when he said he was “open for business” last week, Wade Barrett promised that “one lucky person” will “sample the product” and that after that, “business would be booming.”
Kaitlyn def. Beth Phoenix
With Divas Champion Layla looking on in the back four days before their title clash at Night of Champions, Kaitlyn battled one of the most dominating former–Divas Champions in history, Beth Phoenix. However, when The Glamazon went for the Glam Slam on the No. 1 contender, Kaitlyn suddenly countered for a monumental victory!
Will Kaitlyn’s triumph over The Fabulous Firebird give her the momentum she needs to overcome the first English-born Divas Champion?
Eve and Theodore Long attempted to show their support for SmackDown General Manager Booker T
Despite the controversy surrounding his decision to ban the World Heavyweight Champion’s Brogue Kick, it is clear that Booker T’s administration is squarely behind him.
World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan
One week ago on SmackDown, Sheamus’ devastating Brogue Kick was banned by General Manager Booker T. This week, just two days before his World Heavyweight Title Match against Alberto Del Rio, The Great White found himself in a WrestleMania rematch against Daniel Bryan — the very Superstar he overcame in 18 seconds with the outlawed finisher to claim his illustrious title at The Showcase of the Immortals. Looking on, in the back, was Del Rio himself — with Ricardo Rodriguez and David Otunga in tow.
The hard-hitting showdown that ensued would be much longer than its predecessor on The Grandest Stage of Then All. Instead, the WWE Universe would bear witness to a tremendous back-and-forth struggle, both inside and outside the ring, between the Irish Superstar who loves to fight and the technically elite competitor who once stated that he know more than 100 submission maneuvers.
While Bryan proved very effective against The Celtic Warrior — including his constant efforts to control his anger management issues — in the end, it wasn’t enough. And after escaping a submission finisher, Sheamus would make Bryan tap out with the Cloverleaf for the huge victory.
Despite the win, it remains to be seen whether The Great White will be able to triumph over Del Rio at Night of Champions, without the crown jewel of his arsenal at the ready.