WWE Smackdown
April 30, 2010
Hershey, PA
Report by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
We open up the show with a video recapping the WWE Draft. Smackdown lost John Morrison, R-Truth, Edge, and Chris Jericho and we gained Kelly Kelly, Big Show, Christian, and Kofi Kingston. That doesn’t sound like an even trade to me but I understand the reasoning behind it. Christian and Kofi Kingston are at least going to be entertaining.
The Smackdown video plays chock full of our new talents and we’re brought into the arena with some pyro. Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcome us to the show.
Tony Chimel asks us to welcome Smackdown’s General Manager Theodore R. Long. He comes out to a lukewarm reaction, and I’m being nice. Long says that the Draft was held this past Monday night and it was “off the hizzle, fo’ shizzle.” Long says Smackdown got the better of it. Gee it doesn’t take much to please this guy! That’s like saying your friend hit the jackpot and you lost your job… but you somehow got the better of it. Long introduces the newest member of the Smackdown roster Kofi Kingston.
Chris Jericho comes to the ring we see footage of him getting Trouble in Paradise from Kingston on Monday. Jericho gets into the ring and says he told us all twelve months ago that he would be the face of Smackdown and he has. Jericho says he dazzled us with his presence and brought it to another level. Jericho provided some of the greatest matches we’ve ever seen but unfortunately his work here is done. It’s time for him to go on and become the face of Raw. He doesn’t want us hypocrites to fret or be sad. He knows we’ll miss him (ain’t that the truth!) and there’ll be an empty hole in our hearts on Friday nights. Jericho tells us to move on and grow up.
Kingston grabs the microphone and tells him to shut up. Jericho looks confused. Kingston says if he doesn’t know how to do that then he’ll help him out with a BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho
The match begins and Jericho kicks him immediately. Jericho whips him to the corner and runs into some boots. Kingston leaps up to Jericho’s neck in the corner and punches away. Jericho counters with a nice powerbomb and attempts to gain his bearings. This will continue after the break.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Jericho punching Kingston down near the ropes. Jericho then baseball slides him out of the ring and taunts the crowd. Jericho makes fun of Kingston’s BOOM move and goes outside to throw Kingston back in. Jericho hits a few strikes before locking Kingston in an arm trap chin lock. Kingston fights up and elbows out. Kingston punches him into the corner and whips him to the opposite side. Kingston charges but Jericho moves and Kingston hits the turnbuckle hard. That gets Jericho a two count.
Jericho chokes Kingston on the second rope, nearly getting disqualified. Jericho talks some trash and Kingston hits a desperation dropkick to the knee. Jericho kicks Kingston away and locks another chin lock on. Kingston fights up again so Jericho whips him to the corner. Kingston counters and springboards off the second with a cross-body for a two count.
Kingston hits some chops to the chest before ducking a clothesline and hitting a flying clothesline. Kingston goes for the Boom Drop but Jericho counters into a Walls of Jericho attempt so Kingston counters into an inside cradle for a near fall! Jericho goes for an enzuigiri but Kingston ducks. Kingston goes for Trouble in Paradise but Jericho counters into the Walls of Jericho! Kingston claws his way to the bottom rope and gets there. The referee backs Jericho up. Jericho jaw-jacks with the referee before walking into a dropkick. Kingston goes for another Boom Drop but Jericho rolls out of the way and hits a Codebreaker that sends Kingston out of the ring!
Jericho goes outside and dead lifts him back into the ring. Jericho covers for a near fall. Jericho looks like he’s going to cry. Jericho kicks the bottom rope before kicking Kingston in the ribs. Jericho taunts the crowd a bit before turning into Trouble in Paradise, giving Kingston the win out of nowhere!
Winner by Pinfall: Kofi Kingston
Match Rating: **
World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger is backstage. He asks if we knew that after he won the Rose Bowl in 2002 he was personally invited to the White House by the greatest president in history George W. Bush. That’s a riot. Go on YouTube and look up “George Bush Fool Me Once.” Priceless.
-Commercial Break-
Chris Jericho is walking backstage and he runs into someone off camera. Jericho says he could have used him out in the ring and on Raw. Jericho says the show is nothing without him and he should have listened to him. Jericho angrily looks at the person and goes to walk away when all of a sudden Big Show’s fist comes and rocks him in the face, knocking him out. The person he was talking to was Big Show (duh) and he says he heard him. That was great.
Chavo Guerrero is in the ring with a microphone. Guerrero says there’s no need to adjust our sets because it’s true: Chavo is back on Smackdown. Oh joy! No longer is he under the thumb of the Raw Guest Host. He’s back and it feels good. Guerrero makes some strange noises before saying there’s two Guerrero’s on Smackdown: he and Aunt Vickie. He knows we all want to join in so he invites the crowd to welcome back their favorite superstar.
Kane’s pyro explodes and he makes his way to the ring. Chavo doesn’t look too happy about this. Kane gets in the ring and gives him a huge Chokeslam. Kane takes the microphone and simply says, “Welcome back, Chavo,” and then makes the ring posts explode.
John Morrison will have his final match on Smackdown against Smackdown’s newest superstar Cody Rhodes. I’m glad that concussion from WrestleMania cleared up.
-Commercial Break-
Did you know that over the past six years, WWE has visited more than 300 military installations, hospitals, aircraft carriers, submarines, and the Pentagon?
Shad Gaspard is backstage in a cheap suit with sunglasses. He says all the new superstars from Raw think it’s their time but they’re wrong. It’s his time. How generic… I hate this guy.
John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes
The match begins and Morrison grabs the leg for a takedown but Rhodes holds the top rope. Rhodes pushes him and Morrison answers with a forearm. Rhodes catches Morrison with a drop-toe-hold and locks a headlock on him. Rhodes puts him in the corner and stomps him down. Morrison blocks some punches and gains some momentum. Morrison whips him to the corner but Rhodes slingshots over. Rhodes goes into the ropes and eats a jumping heel kick. Morrison follows that up with a STANDING Shooting Star Press for a near fall.
Rhodes rolls out of the ring and Morrison follows. Morrison hits him from behind and bounces him off the barricade. Rhodes blocks an apron shot and jumps off the steps with a kick to the head. Rhodes is looking good as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Morrison locking in a body scissors. Rhodes is also pulling back on his face. Morrison breaks out and rolls him off. Morrison walks into a dropkick for a two count. Morrison hits a front suplex and a Ric Flair Knee Drop for another two count. Rhodes locks on a chin lock but Morrison quickly fights up and out. Rhodes immediately slams him down by the hair and continues to assault the head. Rhodes punches him down and hits a big stomp to the chest.
Morrison hits some punches and sends him to the corner. Morrison charges into a back elbow and Rhodes hits him with a picture perfect moonsault block followed by some vicious punches to the face. Rhodes eventually covers for a two count. Rhodes rakes his face with his boot and picks him up for an old school body slam. Rhodes comes out of the corner but misses a knee drop.
Morrison hits a dropkick and starts firing back with big right hands. Morrison hits a clothesline and a shoulder tackle. Morrison then reverses a waist lock with a roll up for a near fall. Morrison then immediately gets up and connects with the Flying Chuck for a near fall. Rhodes counters a suplex into a Cross Rhodes attempt but Morrison counters into a flapjack for a near fall. Morrison goes for Starship Pain but Rhodes moves. Morrison lands on his feet and charges Rhodes, who sends him to the apron. Morrison goes for a slingshot hurricanrana but Rhodes counters into an Alabama Slam for a near fall! That’s a nasty move. I wonder what Hardcore Holly is up to…
Rhodes walks right into a kick to the midsection which takes him down. Morrison then hits a running knee to the face for a near fall broken up when Rhodes grabs the bottom rope. Morrison picks him up but is stunned by a jawbreaker. Rhodes grabs him and takes a nasty pele kick. Morrison goes for a clothesline but Rhodes ducks and connects with Cross Rhodes for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Cody Rhodes
Match Rating: **
Jack Swagger is backstage and he reminds us of his name. He asks if we knew that as team captain of the Oklahoma Sooners he led the wrestling team to three consecutive national championships.
Edge is backstage. We’ll hear from him next.
-Commercial Break-
The Smack of the Night is Edge Spearing Randy Orton to give Batista the win. Too bad Michael Cole wasn’t losing his voice sooner in that broadcast.
Edge’s music hits and he comes out to a great face pop. Edge says he was unfortunately drafted to Raw on Monday and he honestly doesn’t want to go. Smackdown is his home and we fans are like his family. Through all his injuries, trials, and tribulations, we’ve supported him, even when he didn’t deserve it. Edge says our support got him back as quick as he did from his last injury. Edge wants to thank us and from the bottom of his heart he loves us.
All of a sudden Christian’s music hits and Edge’s storyline brother (are they still?) comes to the ring looking perplexed. Edge is smiling and he simply says “Edge and Christian.” Edge says we remember everything they did. Edge says that Christian is his best friend and he wants to wish him luck on Smackdown. Christian says he appreciates that and he’s glad he brought up that they’re best friends. Some people may remember Edge and Christian and some may not. They met in the sixth grade and have been best friends since. They broke into the business and WWE together. They became seven time tag team champions together. That means that he knows Edge better than anyone, maybe even himself. It means that he knows every single word that came out of Edge’s mouth before he came out was a load of crap.
Edge asks what that was about. Christian says Edge has had an amazing career and he’s battled back from some serious injuries. The WWE Universe respected him so much for that but the problem is that Edge never respected them back. He did what Edge always does: use the fans to get what he wants. Edge says this isn’t about him: it’s about Christian. Christian has had a great career but Edge is a nine-time world champion. Edge asks how many world titles Christian has won. Christian says he hasn’t won any YET (ouch ECW and NWA!). Christian says he’ll win it on his own talent and not by stepping on people’s necks like Edge does. Christian is calling him out right now and he’ll tell him what he is: Edge is a liar.
Edge says that Christian is right and he can’t wait to get off this show. For the last few months he’s been the puppeteer and the people were the puppets. He had them going around chanting “Spear.” Edge says he’s a master psychologist, playing everyone, and enjoying every second of it. Christian says since he came back to WWE everyone’s been asking when Edge and Christian will get back together and become tag champs again. Christian says it dawned on him that Edge used him to get to the top. Christian says when he came back he thought it might be a possibility but now he doesn’t want to see Edge and Christian. He’d rather see Edge VERSUS Christian right here and right now!
Edge takes his jacket off and says “No” before dropping the microphone. Edge pretends to walk off before blindsiding Christian! Edge hits him with a big boot and sets up for the Spear. Edge charges and Christian kicks him in the face. Christian does a ground and pound before looking for a Kill Switch. Edge escapes from that and backs up the ramp. Christian gets the microphone and says he has a better chant than “Spear” (anything is better than that). It’s “Na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye”! A tad off key but it was enjoyable.
-Commercial Break-
Edge is walking backstage when Josh Mathews approaches him for an interview. Josh asks if we’ll ever see a one on one match with Christian. Edge says it wouldn’t work out too good for him. Edge then walks into the Big Show. Big Show says it’s too bad we won’t see Edge vs. Christian. It’s also too bad we won’t see a match between them either. Big Show then knocks Edge out cold!
Michelle McCool & Layla vs. Beth Phoenix & Kelly Kelly
Honest to god I completely forgot Beth Phoenix was the Women’s Champion and that they had a PPV match. Whoa!
It’s Kelly and McCool starting out. McCool gets a waist lock and powers her to the corner. McCool kicks her down and this already sounds like a tennis match between the Williams sisters. McCool sends her into the ropes and Kelly hits a head-scissors takeover. Kelly hits a clothesline and a hurricanrana for a near fall. McCool whips her to the corner and gets Kelly on the apron. Kelly knocks her down and dives off the apron onto Layla. Vickie Guerrero then runs over and steamrolls her while the ref is distracted.
McCool sends Kelly into the barricade and then back into the ring for a near fall. There’s so much noise in this match it sounds like a horror movie… or something like that. I’m trying to keep it PG here. McCool goes for a powerbomb but Kelly counters into a hurricanrana. McCool no sells it and grabs her leg. Kelly then gets out with an enzuigiri. Layla is tagged in and she stops Kelly from making the tag. Layla misses a leg drop and Beth Phoenix is tagged in.
Beth woman handles the two and knocks Layla down. Layla eventually slides off and dropkicks her. Beth back elbows her and comes off the second rope with a clothesline. Beth goes for a Glam Slam but throws Layla into McCool instead. Beth hits an old school Tully Blanchard Slingshot Suplex and tags in Kelly who hits the K-2 for the win. The only two face divas on Smackdown celebrate their win.
Winners by Pinfall: Beth Phoenix & Kelly Kelly
Match Rating: *
Jack Swagger asks if we knew that as a junior attending Perry High School he turned down scholarships from so many schools, like Texas and USC.
-Commercial Break-
Did you know that WWE.com has… oh who cares?
Chris Masters is backstage and says he’s going to give us something we haven’t seen on Smackdown. He makes his pecs dance to the Smackdown theme song. So we lost Chris Jericho and Edge and got this?
Dolph Ziggler comes out to the ring and grabs a microphone. Ziggler says he did everyone on Smackdown a huge favor and says it’s the proudest moment of his career. We see footage of Ziggler choking Hornswoggle out. God bless Dolph Ziggler. I hate Hornswoggle. Ziggler says we’ll never see that troll on Smackdown ever again. He’s in leprechaun heaven.
We see footage from last week when Drew McIntyre savagely beat down Matt Hardy, smashing his head into the steel steps numerous times.
Matt Hardy is backstage with Josh Mathews, who asks him about his health. Matt says he’s suffered a lot of injuries over his career but nothing like last week. It took a toll on him physically and psychologically. He’ll come back though and Drew McIntyre attacks him from behind. McIntyre then hits the Future Shock DDT on the concrete. Crickets…
-Commercial Break-
JTG is backstage in a pre-taped interview. JTG says he’s going to go for some gold.
The Straight Edge Society makes their way to the ring. CM Punk tussles his hair just to gloat a bit. Punk says everyone probably thought Rey Mysterio would defeat him and shave his head bald. The sobering reality is that he beat Mysterio singlehandedly. His symbol of purity stays on top of his head. Punk talks about how Luke Gallows and Serena were unfairly ejected from ringside yet he was still able to beat Mysterio all by himself.
MVP’s music hits and he comes out to the stage, hopefully to resurrect his career. MVP says the he’s back and Punk yells that he was talking. MVP says that’s the problem. Before MVP starts talking he wants to apologize to the Smackdown audience for having to listen to CM Punk and his followers every week. MVP asks him to just shut up. MVP says they don’t want to hear it. CM Punk calls himself a savior but he’ll be the savior tonight: he’s saving the crowd from listening to him. MVP remembers when Friday night was cool with the VIP Lounge. Now having Punk out there is like a wet blanket. MVP promises that Friday nights are about to get out again.
MVP punches Punk in the face and takes Gallows down. It doesn’t take long for the double team to catch up with MVP. All of a sudden Rey Mysterio runs down to the ring and evens things up. Mysterio gets Gallows out of the ring and kicks Punk in the head. Gallows pulls Punk out of the ring. It looks like we’ll have a match after the break.
-Commercial Break-
CM Punk & Luke Gallows vs. MVP & Rey Mysterio
My favorite referee in the whole world is back and refereeing this one (Charles Robinson). MVP and Luke Gallows will start this one out. They lock up and jockey for position. Gallows kicks and sends him to the ropes. MVP leap frogs over and hits a forearm. Mysterio is tagged in and they do a double team wheelbarrow splash for a two count. Mysterio punches away at Gallows but Gallows soon picks him up. Mysterio eats a big boot for a near fall. Gallows grounds and pound before tagging Punk in.
Punk comes in and grounds and pounds some more. Punk stomps him down in the corner before bringing him out for a back suplex. Punk drops a trio of legs for a near fall. Punk locks on a head-scissors and is looking to choke him out. Mysterio kicks him in the head a few times and gets out. Punk attacks him in the corner and tags in Gallows. Punk suplexes Mysterio and Gallows hits a big splash for a near fall. Gallows knees him down and chokes him with his foot. Gallows hits an uppercut and tags Punk back in. Mysterio fights back with some punches but Punk slams him down for a near fall. Punk knees him in the ribs a few times before sending him to the corner. Mysterio goes for a slingshot but Punk catches him on his shoulders. Mysterio then counters into a nice DDT.
Both men make the tags and MVP takes Gallows out with a belly to belly suplex. MVP hits a clothesline and forearm smash. MVP hits his throat and hits the BALLIN Elbow Drop for a near fall broken up by Punk. Mysterio springboards off the top with a senton on Punk and MVP sets Gallows up on the ropes. The referee is checking on Punk as Mysterio hits the 619. MVP follows up with the 305 (Shelton Benjamin’s Pay Dirt…that’s just mean) for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: MVP & Rey Mysterio
Match Rating: *
MVP and Rey Mysterio celebrate their win with the crowd. All of a sudden that mystery S.E.S. follower takes Mysterio out with a swinging neckbreaker! He takes off through the crowd so we still don’t know who he is.
Jack Swagger asks if we know he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He was also invited back to give the keynote speech at the 2010 commencement ceremony.
-Commercial Break-
Tony Chimel asks us to welcome World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger. Swagger says when he was a young boy growing up in Perry, Oklahoma, he was about two years old when his father sat him down… and we don’t hear the rest because the crowd is booing him out of the building. Swagger asks them to listen to him and looks angry. Swagger angrily yells at the crowd to sit down. They chant that he sucks. Swagger continues by saying his father sat him down and told him that one day he’ll be a world champion. By the time he was five he was the tallest kid in first grade. When he was twelve he won some NFL competition. He also achieved the Boy Scout’s highest honor: Eagle Scout. Swagger says when he was sixteen he scored a 1510 on his SATs. Because of that he was admitted early to the University of Oklahoma on a full scholarship. Three years later he graduated magna cum laude (top of the class). He was also the premier collegiate athlete in the country as a two-time, two-time All American.
Swagger says since he’s pouring his heart out he’ll tell his favorite and greatest achievement. It was when he won the World Heavyweight Championship. Thirty days ago when he won it he sat down with his dad and he wanted to talk to him again. His father said “Son, I told you so.” Swagger says that he is the World Champion and he’s going to be champion until he retires.
Theodore Long’s music hits and mercifully he’s breaking this up. Long says he’s heard enough from Swagger. He knows what everyone wants to hear: the introduction of the new number one contender who will face him for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Big Show’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring smiling to a face pop. Big Show tells the crowd to give Swagger a round of applause or a golf clap. Big Show says the doctors said when he was born “Oh my god… did you see the size of him?” Big Show says Swagger isn’t like him. He’s the World’s Largest Athlete. That’s not to take anything away from any of his accomplishments. Big Show says Swagger went to college, got a degree, was an Eagle Scout, and he’s the World Heavyweight Champion. Big Show says there’s one little thing missing: EARLY RETIREMENT! Big Show promptly knocks Swagger out with a nasty right hand and the crowd loves it!
Quick Match Results
Kofi Kingston def. Chris Jericho
Cody Rhodes def. John Morrison
Beth Phoenix & Kelly Kelly* def. Michelle McCool & Layla*
MVP* & Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk & Luke Gallows*
Bump of the Night: McIntyre giving Hardy the Future Shock backstage!
Match of the Night: Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison ** ¼
Mike’s Thoughts
Well even though I came into tonight’s show thinking that the show got screwed on Monday and the days of Friday nights being fun were over for the time being, I’m happy to report that the show actually was enjoyable. It was a show of transition and I like where the direction is going. I’m really upset that we lost Jericho, Edge, and John Morrison but we actually did get some good picks. It’s great to have Kofi Kingston and MVP on the show. Those were two guys who could have been great on Raw but for whatever reason got lost in the shuffle. I think now that they’re on Smackdown their careers are going to be resurrected and they’ll flourish. MVP looks like he could have a nice little feud in the future with CM Punk and Kofi Kingston would be a good match up with Jack Swagger. There are a lot of options here.
I’m happy to see Big Show back as a face. I don’t think it’s a secret that Big Show wants to be a funny face but it hasn’t worked out because, as he said on the Smackdown DVD, he’s trapped inside a monster’s body. It’s not going to last long but it’ll be fun while it lasts. I’ve always liked Big Show and I think he’s one of the most talented big men ever to be in the business. I for one loved Swagger’s matches against John Morrison but to be a legit world champion you’ve got to take on challengers of all shapes and sizes. We know Swagger can wrestle the regular guys. How will he fare and perform against a guy like the Big Show? It’ll be ugly but fun to watch.
Cody Rhodes opened my eyes tonight. I knew he was talented but he looked like a star tonight. Rhodes is going to be something special just based on what I saw tonight. I don’t recall seeing him wrestle like that on Raw. Rhodes will be a champion and soon I think. It’s time to take some gold off Drew McIntyre.
Final Rating: **
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Be sure to check out Tuesday’s NXT recap: click here.
Thanks for reading!