411’s WWE Smackdown Report 01.08.10

01.08.10

> After a lengthy little video recapping last week’s Beat the Clock competition, we’re met with the music of Big Dave Batista. Batista tells the production crew to cut the music and demands a spotlight. They oblige. He asks for his music. They oblige. He walks slowly to the ring with the spotlight following him. Matt Striker and Todd Grisham discuss Batista’s intentions and remind us Batista is taking on Rey Mysterio tonight.

Big Dave finally gets in the ring and says it’s a new year, but things are still the same. Fans still booing and Teddy Long still mistreating. Batista is angry at Long for not punishing Mysterio. He calls Teddy Long out. He says he walks if Long doesn’t come out and he takes the fans with him because they paid to see him.

Music hits but it isn’t Teddy Long’s, it’s Rey Mysterio’s. Rey says Batista isn’t World Champion because he’s blinded by selfishness and greed. Mysterio incites the rage of Batista by calling him a crybaby. Mysterio justifies his actions last week by calling it payback for Batista’s interference in Rey’s match with The Undertaker two weeks ago. Mysterio asks if Batista is scared to wrestle Rey tonight. He then asks the WWE Universe if they think Batista is scared. Batista says the match is still on and he is going to make sure Rey doesn’t walk out of the arena after the match. Mysterio says he’s going to be the one to win and shares a staredown with Big Dave.

> Graphic for Batista-Mysterio.

> The red pyro of Kane shocks either Grisham or Striker and he makes his way to the ring. Grisham says Kane isn’t happy after last week’s match with Dolph Ziggler. Speaking of whom, he’s Kane’s opponent tonight.

Match One
Kane v. Dolph Ziggler

Kane goes after Ziggler but he avoids. Ziggler attacks Kane and Kane shrugs him off. Ziggler avoids a clothesline but gets caught by Kane on another maneuver Kane slaps Ziggler with his uppercut. He fires another punch and then beats on the downed Ziggler. Snapmare takedown from Kane is turned into a headlock. SHADES OF LAST WEEK. Kane brings Ziggler to his feet and snapmares him into sitting position. Dropkick from Kane to Ziggler. Two count.

Kane lifts Ziggler only to hammer him to the ground with a punch. Ziggler tries to escape but Kane catches him. The Big Red Machine positions Ziggler on the turnbuckle but Ziggler fires back with some punches. He stuns Kane for a second and launches himself into Kane with a dropkick. One count.

Ziggler pounds on the upper back of Kane. He brings him to his feet by the ground and tries a neckbreaker. Kane stops it but Ziggler kicks the foot. DDT brings Kane down. One count. Kane gets in sitting position and Ziggler runs with a snapmare. Pinfall gets another one count. Ziggler tries to take Kane down but Kane endures and sends Ziggler flying. Kane tries to crash into the cornered Ziggler but Ziggler puts up an elbow. Dolph tries a sleeper hold but Kane takes him off by slamming him into the corner. Ziggler strikes with a kick and tries a DDT off the top rope Kane throws him to the ground. Multiple strikes from Kane to Ziggler. Kane sends Ziggler to the corner and catches him with his clothesline. Ziggler gets out of a side slam but Kane brings him down with a Big Boot. Two count.

Kane sends Ziggler into the corner and takes him down with a side slam on the rebound. Pinfall gets a one. Kane goes upstairs and connects with a flying clothesline. The Big Red Machine signals for the choke slam. Ziggler kicks Kane multiple times but Kane keeps the hold. Ziggler elbows out of Kane’s grasp and causes Kane to go into the corner. Zig Zag. Pinfall, one, two, kickout. Grisham thought that was over.

Ziggler goes back to a sleeper hold. Kane goes to his knees and Ziggler keeps it locked on. Kane gets to his feet and goes to the outside but Ziggler keeps the hold on. The ref starts counting both men out but Ziggler keeps the Sleeper Hold applied. Ref at five. Kane gets to his feet. Ziggler still on Kane’s back. 8 count now. Ziggler relinquished the hold and gets back inside. Kane does not make it in before the 10 count. Ziggler wins.

> Kane is upset after the match and Ziggler runs away. Ziggler comes off looking really smart and the announcers take notice.

> CM Punk saves a member of the WWE Universe is billed for later in the evening.

> Hero by Skillet is one of the official themes of the Royal Rumble if you care.

> We’re backstage with Beth Phoenix, Layla El and Michelle McCool. McCool and Layla are kissing up to Beth Phoenix and they say they have a gift for Mickie James. It’s a big stall with Piggy James written on it. It has lettuce and various greenery in it. Phoenix says they’re unbelievable. Layla should be serious because she has a match with Phoenix.

> Now we’re with Chris Jericho. Camera pans out and we see the three members of The Hart Dynasty. He goes over his catchphrases at the beginning and discusses his mistreatment on Raw. Jericho asks the Hart Dynasty if they’re going to continue making an impact. Natalya says it’s the Dynasty’s time. David Hart Smith says the Bret Hart stuff on Monday was an embarrassment to the family. He says it would never happen to them because they are better than that Tyson Kidd ends the segment by saying they are better than the best.

> R-Truth is out to ask the WWE Universe what’s up. Grisham sends us to commercial but not before letting us know Cryme Tyme are his partners for the evening.

> Shad Gaspard and JTG join Truth after the commercial. The Hart Dynasty make their entrances shortly after and Chris Jericho decides to join in after them.

Match Two
R-Truth and Cryme Tyme v. Chris Jericho and The Hart Dynasty

R-Truth and Tyson Kidd start the match off. Truth dances for a bit until they grapple. Truth applies a short-lived headlock and transitions that into a hammerlock. Kidd reverses that and nails Truth in the back. Kidd gets sent against the ropes and eventually brought down by a dropkick from Truth. Truth tags in JTG and they double team Tyson Kidd with a flapjack. JTG pins and gets a one count. JTG lifts Kidd, knees him and tags in big Shad Gaspard. Shad sends JTG into Kidd and then clotheslines the cornered Kidd. Gaspard sends Kidd against the ropes but Kidd replies with a kick to the head. Kidd tries to mount some offense but Shad stops him with a big side elbow. Shad tags in Truth and Kidd meets him with a quick kick. Jericho goes in but Truth gets him down with a hiptoss. Truth beats on Jericho in the corner and tries to sends him to the opposite corner. Jericho reverses momentum but Truth maneuvers his way into a big kick to Jericho’s face. Two count.

Truth pounds Jericho in the head and sends him to the corner. Truth charges him but Jericho puts up a boot. Jericho tries a clothesline but Truth avoids. He delivers a kick that sends Jericho to the outside and the show to a commercial break.

Back from the break, we see Shad pounding on Jericho in the corner. The ref makes him stop and Shad turns his attention to the Dynasty. Shad turns back to Jericho and sends him to the corner. He charges at him with a clothesline. Kidd gets Shad’s attention but Shad just takes Jericho out with a gorilla press slam. Shad goes against the ropes for more attacks but David Hart Smith maneuvers the ropes so Shad falls outside. Natalya interjects herself into the scene by booting Shad in the ribs. Jericho goes outside and brings Shad back in. He boots Gaspard in the head and then in the ribs. Jericho tags in Tyson Kidd who continues the assault on Shad Gaspard. Flurry of boots there. R-Truth grabs the refs attention allowing Jericho to get in a cheapshot. Kidd boots Gaspard in the back and pins him. Two count.

Kidd takes Shad back into the heel corner and tags in Jericho. Kidd holds Shad down, allowing Jericho to nail him in the ribs. Jericho tries to follow that up but Shad blocks and punches Jericho. Shad gains some momentum but Jericho takes him out with a dropkick. Pinfall gets two.

Jericho slaps Shad in the head and then tags Kidd in. Kidd kicks Shad and then picks him up. Shad gets some punches in but Kidd kicks him low. Kidd takes Truth out and JTG gets the ref’s attention. It doesn’t have any effect on the match as Shad throws Kidd in the air. Clothesline from Gaspard to Kidd. Shad tags in JTG, Jericho is tagged in and JTG gets some face offense in. Dropkicks and everything in that flurry. He takes Jericho down with a modified neckbreaker and pins him. Two count until Kidd gets in. R-Truth tries to eliminate Kidd but Kidd holds onto the ropes. Shad boots Kidd out and Jericho clotheslines Shad out. JTG tries a quick roll up but Jericho kicks out at two. JTG goes upstairs and comes down into Jericho’s grasp. A wicked Walls of Jericho is applied and JTG is forced to tap out.

> Graphic for Mysterio-Batista.

> CM Punk and Luke Gallows are seen walking backstage.

> Commercial for Mike Tyson’s Raw.

> Tony Chimel introduces us to CM Punk. Punk and Luke Gallows make their entrance. It appears Gallows has a folding chair in hand. They eventually get to the ring and CM Punk asks the crowd for silence. Punk reminds us of his pledge last week to save a lost soul. He asks the crowd if they want to be saved. He says they can’t all be saved but he will save one person tonight. Punk points out to a person in the crowd. He instructs Luke to bring the individual into the crowd. Striker puts it over as an inspirational event. Punk requests security allow the person over the barricade and into the WWE ring. The man climbs the steel steps and into the ring. James is the name of the young man. Punk lets James know he has nothing to fear at all anymore because Punk is going to save him. Punk asks James to sit in Gallows’ folding chair and tells him this is the most important of his entire life. He is about to accept CM Punk and Punk is going to save him. Punk tells James to raise his right hand and asks him some questions. Punk ask James if he’s going to stop being a loser and James says he’s going to try. Punk screams at him saying it isn’t good enough. Punk tells James he has to stop trying and start doing. James tells Punk he’s ready to stop doing prescription drugs and he is going to just say no. 411’s Wrestler of the Year lets James know that he has to shave his head if he wants to join the Straight Edge Society. James resists Gallows’ initial attempt, citing a love for his hair. Punk instructs James to sit down. James eventually obliges and Punk says the shaving is a symbol against the poisonous lifestyle. He asks James if he unconditionally accepts Straight Edge into his life and James says yes. Punk shaves James and Punk lets him know he is stronger than the people in attendance. James has evolved far beyond what the sheep in the crowd have become. James thanks Punk and the three individuals stand in the ring holding their hands high. Segment was really, really long but okay. Striker calls it a touching moment. James hugs CM Punk as we get a graphic for a match between Luke Gallows and Matt Hardy that is followed up by a commercial break.

> We return to Smackdown lucky enough to catch Matt Hardy’s entrance. Striker calls him a brand new Matt Hardy and I’m not sure why. They remind us of the ECW Homecoming, which both CM Punk and Matt Hardy are apart of.

Match Three
Matt Hardy v. Luke Gallows

Bell rings and both men circle the ring. The tie up with Hardy wrenching Gallows’ arm. Gallows pulls his arm away from Hardy and Hardy goes behind Gallows. He applies a headlock. Gallows sends Hardy towards the ropes and down with a shoulder block. Gallows kicks the downed Matt Hardy. Back to his feet, Hardy gets taken down with an elbow. Gallows goes for a leg drop but Hardy avoids. Matt Hardy attacks the right leg of Luke Gallows. Hardy gets Gallows into the corner and tries to the foot in the ropes. He’s successful and follows it up with a kick to the leg. Hardy tries to build momentum on the leg but Gallows shrugs him off. Gallows misses a clothesline and Matt Hardy launches some punches. He tries a suplex but Gallows reverses and hangs him on the ropes. Gallows uppercuts Hardy causing Hardy to fall out of the ring. Gallows sends Hardy’s back into the apron multiple times before sending him back inside the ring. Back body drop from Gallows to Hardy. Two count.

Gallows wraps his arms around Matt Hardy and then wraps his legs around Hardy. Hardy gets to his feet and lands a few blows on Gallows. Gallows lands with a quick strike but Hardy fires back with a kick. Sunset flip from Hardy to Gallows doesn’t get a count as Gallows kicks Hardy off. Gallows mounts Hardy and lands some punches. Gallows knees Hardy into the corner and connects with several punches. Gallows brings Hardy down and locks in a side chinlock. Hardy gets to his feet and turns that into a jawbreaker. Gallows quickly attacks Hardy in the corner. He sends him to the other corner but misses a Stinger Splash. Hardy goes upstairs and comes down with a moonsault. Two count.

Hardy throws several punches at Gallows before taking him down with a lariat. Gallows gets up and punches Hardy. He tries to slam him down but Hardy counters. One count. Hardy clotheslines Gallows in the corner but cannot land the bulldog. Gallows sends Hardy into the corner but Hardy reverses a Gallows attack into a DDT. Pinfall gets two. Hardy climbs the ropes but CM Punk gets his attention. Gallows takes Hardy out with a big boot. The Gallows Poll finishes the match.

> Post match highlights follow. Grisham calls the Gallows Poll the 12th Step as soon as the match ended. I guess the move has two names. Gallows and CM Punk stand over as the ref checks on Matt Hardy.

> Maria and Teddy Long talk backstage about Maria’s participation in Celebrity Apprentice. Vickie Guerrero comes in and says she would have done the Apprentice if she wasn’t so busy. Guerrero uses this as a moment to pimp the new Mattel WWE toys.

The Great Khali and his brother Runjin Singh walk in. Khali says some stuff and Runjin reveals it was Khali’s admiration for the Mattel toys. Singh says Khali wants Vickie’s action figure because it reminds him of the cows back home.

> Beth Phoenix and her music greet the arena. We see a recap of last week’s interaction between Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Michelle McCool and Layla El. Todd Grisham really said h-e-double hockey sticks during this. Layla joins us after the video package.

Match Four
Beth Phoenix v. Layla El

Layla tries to shake hands with Beth but Phoenix’ll have no part of it. She clotheslines Layla down. She follows that up with an airplane spin. A kick from the ribs is delivered by Beth Phoenix causing Layla to go to the outside. Phoenix draws an invisible line in the canvas and invites McCool to cross the line. McCool sends Layla back inside the ring, allowing Phoenix to drag her across the ring. Phoenix lifts her up but Layla delivers several kicks. Phoenix blocks a punch and sends Layla into the corner. She tries to follow it up but Layla moves out of the way. Layla connects with two kicks and jumps on the back of Beth Phoenix. Phoenix throws her off and picks her up by the hair. The Glam Slam finishes the match and gives Beth Phoenix the win.

> McCool goes inside the ring and Phoenix stares her down. Layla grabs Phoenix’s feet and McCool kicks her in the head. The ladies double team Phoenix until Mickie James runs in for the save. James attacks McCool while Phoenix takes care of Layla. Beth Phoenix and Mickie James stare each other down for a few seconds. Beth inches towards James so Mickie kicks her in the face.

> A promo for Mike Tyson’s Raw is followed up by Grisham and Striker re-living the events of Monday Night Raw. The Raw Rebound is shown shortly after.

> Josh Matthews is backstage with Drew McIntyre. We then see a recap of last week’s Morrison-McIntyre bout where McIntyre caused John Morrison to be disqualified. McIntyre says he dominated Morrison last week and proved he was the better man. This caused John Morrison to snap. McIntyre vows to become the first Intercontinental Champion to win the Royal Rumble.

John Morrison interrupts the two. He wants McIntyre to say it to his face and not to Matthews. He dares McIntyre. McIntyre says nothing and Morrison says he expected that. Morrison makes fun of McIntyre’s accent some more. McIntyre says he’s moving on to bigger things than John Morrison. Morrison says one of them is going to lose their temper so he slaps McIntyre. They brawl until backstage hands separate the two.

> Tony Chimel lets us know the winner of the next match is going to face The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. Rey Mysterio makes his entrance first. The Animal and his spotlight join Rey Mysterio and we’re ready for the main event.

Match Five
Rey Mysterio v. Batista
#1 Contenders Match

Scott Armstrong rings the bell and Rey Mysterio immediately rolls to the outside. Batista gives chase and Rey rushes back inside the ring. Batista tries to get back in but Rey is there with a kick. Rey tries a baseball slide kick but Batista avoids. Batista misses a clothesline and Rey gets a couple of kicks in. Mysterio bounces off the ropes for an attack but Batista catches him and sends him into the corner. Big Dave lifts Mysterio and sends him flying into the opposite corner. Back breaker from Batista follows that. Batista pounds Mysterio in the face and then lifts him for another backbreaker. Batista goes outside to nail Rey Mysterio. Back in the ring, Batista sends Rey into a corner. He charges him but Rey puts up a boot. Rey tries a springboard hurricanrana but Big Dave catches him. Mysterio punches his way out of Batista’s grasp and puts Batista down against the ropes. Batista goes to the outside to avoid the 619 but Rey flies off the apron for a crossbody. The Animal catches him and sends him into the steel post. Commercial break.

We return to see Batista punch Rey Mysterio who was perched on top of the turnbuckle. Batista climbs up to be with Rey but Mysterio kicks him to the ground. Mysterio flies off for a frogsplash and it connects. Grisham says Big Dave got the shoulder up to hurt Mysterio on the splash. Both men get to their feet. Batista misses a clothesline allowing Rey to attempt a springboard assault. Batista catches him and brings him to the ground. He picks Rey up and takes him down with a spinebuster. Batista measures Rey for a spear and snaps Mysterio in half with it. Batista wastes some time taunting the fans and puts Rey in position for the Batista Bomb.

But the lights go out. The Undertaker’s gong strikes and when the lights return, both Mysterio and Batista are down on the ground. Batista is holding his head to the ground. Mysterio takes advantage and beats Batista in the head. Batista shrugs him off but Rey fires back with a clothesline. Rey Mysterio bounces off the ropes and lands a springboard bulldog. Big Dave picks Rey up but Mysterio counters that into a facebuster. Both men slowly get to their feet but Rey strikes first. Big Dave is put into 619 position and it connects. Mysterio appears to be lining up for the springboard splash. But the lights go out. The Undertaker’s gong strikes and when the lights return, we see Mysterio down on the ground with Batista. Taker’s gong strikes again, the lights go out again and we see the Undertaker’s titantron. Show ends with us seeing Batista and Mysterio down on the ground.

> Kind of an okay show. Sucks to tease the fans of an Undertaker appearance but I’m sure the guy came out after the cameras stopped rolling.

Quick Results
» Dolph Ziggler def. Kane (Countout)
» Chris Jericho and The Hart Dynasty def. R-Truth and Cryme Tyme (Submission, Jericho made JTG submit)
» Luke Gallows def. Matt Hardy (Pinfall)
» Beth Phoenix def. Layla El (Pinfall)
» Rey Mysterio and Batista ended in a NC