411’s WWE Smackdown Report 04.30.10

Welcome to this week’s edition of the 411 WWE Smackdown Report! I’m your reviewer, Michael Uphoff! With the draft in the books, Smackdown looks to have to rebuild its star power, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as young wrestlers now have the chance to step up and prove themselves. If you missed the draft on RAW, RAW got: R-Truth, John Morrison, Edge, and Chris Jericho, while Smackdown got: Kelly Kelly, the Big Show, Kofi Kingston, and Christian. I hope we see a Christian-Swagger feud for the World Heavyweight Championship. These two feuded over the ECW title in mid 2008, and produced several quality matches. With all that being said, let’s get to it! SMACKDOWN!

A recap of the draft picks is shown with who gets what. Also shown is Edge spearing Orton and costing him a shot at the WWE Title. Well, goodbye face turn. We hardly knew ye.

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker welcome us to Friday Night Smackdown, coming tonight from Hershey, PA. Tony Chimel asks us to welcome Teddy Long. Teddy says that last Monday, Smackdown got the better of the draft. He welcomes out Kofi Kingston.

Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho

Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t Jericho be on RAW? Oh, brand extension, how little you mean. Jericho says that a year ago, he told everyone that he would become the face of Smackdown. He provided everyone with some of the best moments and matches they’ve ever seen. He is going to become the face of RAW. He says that everyone will miss him and that there will be a hole that no one can fill on Smackdown when he’s gone. Jericho says that is time for them to move on, and it’s time for all of you to grow up. Kofi grabs his mic and says grow up? Why don’t you shut up? If you won’t, or can’t, or don’t know how, let me help you with the BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Bell rings, they lock up, and Jericho tosses Kofi into the corner, Irish whip to the corner countered by Kofi. Kofi with mounted punches in the corner, but Jericho powerbombs him off. We head to commercial.

Back from commercial, we see Jericho laying the boots to Kofi. A baseball slide sends Kofi to the floor. Jericho celebrates. Jericho throws him back in the ring. He locks in a modified sleeper on the mat. Kofi to his feet, fights out, rights and kicks by Kofi, Irish whip by Kofi, Stinger splash misses. Jericho works him over, and then in the ropes as well. Kofi fights back with a kick, but Jericho knocks him down and locks in a modified sleeper again. Irish whip, Kofi off the top with a flying crossbody! 1…2…NO! Kofi with some chops, goes for the Boom Drop, Jericho counters to the Walls! Inside cradle! 1…2…NO! Trouble in Paradise! Countered to the Walls! That was NICE. Kofi makes it to the ropes. Jericho argues with the ref, Kofi downs him with some chops, Boom Drop countered to a Codebreaker! Kofi rolls out of the ring. Jericho rolls him into the ring and Kofi kicks out at 2! Jericho with a kick to the ribs, one to the head, taunts the crowd, TROUBLE IN PARADISE OUT OF NOWHERE! 1…2…3!

Winner: Kofi Kingston via pinfall with Trouble in Paradise- Predictable ending. Nice little match between the two. Kofi didn’t get a lot of offense in, but Jericho made him look good. Kofi brought his usual, and the two meshed well together. I’d like to see a longer match between the two. **3/4

Swagger is in the back. He says he is the World Heavyweight Champion. After he won the 2002 Rose Bowl, he was personally invited to the White House by the greatest President of all time, George W. Bush.
A rewind of Extreme Rules is shown with Cena winning the Last Man Standing Match.

WWE.com has the draft broken down and everything that happened, including the supplemental draft.

Backstage, Jericho sees someone and starts talking to him. Jericho says he could have used his help out there. Who is he? He could have stayed on RAW and helped Jericho, or could have helped Jericho on Smackdown. Typical. You never listen. Did you even hear me? KO punch. “Yeah, I heard you.”- Show. Loved that.

Chavo Guerrero has a mic and says that there is no need to adjust the TV at home, because Chavo is back on Smackdown. No longer is he under the thumb of the RAW guest host. Not one, but two Guerreros on Smackdown. He asks everyone to welcome him coming back to Smackdown. Kane’s pyro hits and he makes his way to the ring. Kane chokeslams him. He gets the mic and says welcome back, Chavo. He does his ring pyro thing. Chokeslam was nice.

Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison is next.

WWE Magazine has lots of posters, or something like that. Wasn’t really paying attention. Besides kids and their parents, who buys those?

DID YOU KNOW…WWE visited more than 300 places including hospitals, military bases, and the Pentagon in the last 6 months.

Shad is in the back. All the faces coming from RAW think it’s their time. But it’s his time. HIS TIME. Okay then.

John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes

John Morrison comes out in his awesome slow-motion entrance. Cody Rhodes comes out with the Legacy music.

Bell rings, and Morrison grabs a leg. Cody gets to the ropes. He shoves Morrison who knocks him down. Cody grabs a headlock, but Morrison to the corner. Rhodes lays the boots in the corner. Morrison fights with rights and kicks. Irish whip countered by Rhodes, countered with a leg lariat by Morrison! Standing SSP! 1…2…NO! Rhodes out of the ring, Morrison follows, Rhodes with a jumping boot off the steps! That was innovative. Commercial as Rhodes rolls Morrison into the ring.

Back from commercial, we see Rhodes has a submission locked on Morrison. Morrison to his feet, elbows out, makes it to the corner, and rolls Rhodes off, but Rhodes with a nice dropkick for 2. Front suplex by Rhodes followed by a knee drop for 2. Same submission by Rhodes again. Morrison again fights out, but Rhodes throws him down using the hair. Body shots by Rhodes. Rights by Rhodes, then he drops a boot on Morrison. Morrison with rights and corner offense. Irish whip countered by Rhodes, moonsault by Rhodes! He adds some punches for 2. Scoop slam by Rhodes, but misses a knee drop. Dropkick by Morrison. Rights by Morrison, followed by a shoulderblock, go behind reversed, O’Connor roll for 2 by Morrison! CHUCK KICK! 1…2…NO! Cody floats over on a suplex, CrossRhodes countered, and Morrison counters with a DDT I think. Starship Pain, Cody moves, grabs Morrison, ALABAMA SLAM! 1…2…2.898! I thought that was it. Kick by Morrison to the head. Shining Wizard! 1…2…NO! Rhodes grabs the bottom rope. Jawbreaker by Rhodes, Pele kick by Morrison, both to their feet, CrossRhodes by Rhodes! 1…2…3!

Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall- Good match between the two. Lagged in some parts, but picked up at the end. I kind of missed a move there, but they worked well together. Nice midcard match. Kudos to Grisham for mentioning that no one has seen Rhodes since Wrestlemania when Orton punted him in the head. **3/4

Swagger is in the back again. He again says he is the World Heavyweight Champion. Did you know that as the captain of the Sooners, he led them to 3 straight wrestling NCAA championships?

Edge walks in the back.

The WWE Rewind shows the Triple Threat match between Orton, Batista, and Sheamus to decide Cena’s #1 contender, and how Edge cost Orton the match.

Edge’s music hits, and he is still over. He gets a mic and says “unfortunately this Monday I was drafted to RAW. I’ll be honest. I don’t want to go. Smackdown has always felt like it’s my show, my home. You people felt like my family. Through all of my injuries, my tribulations, you supported me even when I probably didn’t deserve it. You actually were the reason that I came back earlier. From the bottom of my heart, I love you.” Christian’s music hits, and he gets a mic . Edge says he knows why he’s out here. He says Edge and Christian. E & C! Listen, before you wish me luck on RAW, you’re my best friend. Because you’re my best friend, I want to wish you luck on my show. Christian says that they have known each other since the sixth grade. They went to high school, college and broke into the WWE together. They traveled the world together. “We were 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions. I know you better than you know yourself Edge. “- Christian. Christian says every word was a load of crap. He says the WWE Universe respected Edge for coming back, but Edge never really respected them. He used them to get what he wanted. Edge says this is about Christian, not him. He’s a nine-time world champion. How many world titles has Christian won? Christian says when he wins a world championship, he’ll win on merit, not stepping on other peoples’ necks. He calls him a liar. Edge says you know what, you’re right. He’s the puppeteer making these people dance. He can’t wait to get off this show. He played everyone and he enjoyed it. Christian says ever since he came back, everyone asked when E &C would reunite and go for the titles. He realized that Edge used Christian to get to the top. He doesn’t want Edge and Christian to reunite, he wants to see Edge vs. Christian. Edge says no, then attacks from behind. He goes for the spear, but Christian counters and lands some rights. Edge and Christian trade blows, Killswitch try, and Edge bails. Christian gets the crowd to chant Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye.

A package promotes the Wrestlemania DVD.

Edge is in the back and Josh Matthews asks if we will Christian will ever face Edge. Edge says it wouldn’t work out well for Christian. Show comes up from behind and says that it’s too bad that we won’t see that match, or a match between them. He then knocks out Edge.

Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly vs. Michelle McCool and Layla

Bell rings, and we have Michelle and Kelly Kelly to start. McCool with a go behind into the corner. Corner offense, and Kelly fights out. Headscissors by Kelly followed by a hurrancanrana for 2. Goes for another but McCool blocks using the turnbuckle, Kelly Kelly blocks a charge from McCool on the apron. Kelly Kelly knocks down Layla but Vickie cow rushes Kelly over. McCool works over Kelly Kelly for 2. Kelly Kelly counters a powerbomb attempt I guess. Enzuigiri by Kelly Kelly, but Layla off the tag prevents a tag to Beth. Kelly makes the tag anyway. Beth just dominates Layla, but Layla dropkicks her into the corner. Flying lariat by Beth. Glam Slam blocked, Slingshot Suplex! Kelly Kelly tags in and hits a modified leg drop for the win!

Winners: Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix- Okay tag match. I couldn’t really follow it because of my roommates. From what I saw, it was all right. *1/4

Jack Swagger is in the back again. Did you know as a junior at Perry, Oklahoma, he turned down numerous scholarships from Texas, Miami, USC, and Stanford.

DID YOU KNOW…that WWE.com had more visitors than any of the ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and so on websites in the first 3 months of 2010?

Chris Masters is going to show the moobs dance. Oh God.

Dolph Ziggler is in the ring. He has a mic and says he did everyone a huge favor on RAW when he used the sleeper hold on Hornswoggle. It’s the proudest moment of his career. He put him to sleep and now he is in leprechaun heaven.

A recap is shown of McIntyre taking out Hardy during their tag match last week. Matt is in the back with Josh Matthews and he says that he’s suffered injuries, but nothing like last week. He says he will be back and Drew McIntyre will….Drew attacks from behind and Future Shocks him on the ground. OUCH.

JTG is in the back and says that he is going after some gold. I think.

CM Punk makes his way to the ring. He grabs a mic and says that last Sunday was Extreme Rules and everyone thought Rey would win and shave his head bald. The sobering reality is that Punk won and did so single-handedly. He won, even after Luke and Serena were ejected, by himself. MVP’s music hits. He comes out and interrupts Punk. Punk says excuse me I was talking. MVP says I know, that’s the problem. He apologizes to everyone because they have to listen to his crap. MVP runs down Punk and the SES, calls Punk a wet blanket, promises that Friday nights are about to get hot, and then goes after Punk and Gallows. They double team, and Rey makes the save. Rey and MVP go after Punk, but Gallows saves him.

MVP and Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk and Luke Gallows

The bell rings and we get MVP and Gallows to start. Lockup and Gallows with a boot an Irish whip, MVP jumps over . Flying lariat by MVP. He tags in Rey who hits a doubleteam move on Gallows. Gallows hits a big boot for 2. He tags in Punk, who works over Rey in the corner. Leg drops by Punk get 2. Ground headscissors by Punk. Rey uses some kicks to get out. Running knee by Punk, who tags in Gallows. Suplex by Punk, followed by a splash by Gallows for 2. He works over Rey in the ropes. Uppercut by Gallows and he tags Punk in. Punk works over Rey, Rey fights out, but couldn’t make the tag. Punk covers for 2. Knees by Punk, Irish whip, float over by Rey, Rey counters into a tornado DDT! MVP gets the tag! Over head belly suplex by MVP! Clothesline! Jawjacker sets up the Ballin Elbow! That gets 2 as Punk breaks it up! Rey flies in! MVP sets Gallows up in the ropes, 619 to Gallows! 305 by MVP! 1…2…3!

Winners: MVP and Rey Mysterio via pinfall- Ok little tag match. Everyone worked hard and it was a decent tag match. Could’ve been better though. **

After the match, Rey gets taken out by the mystery masked man.

Swagger in the back again. DID YOU KNOW that I graduated from Oklahoma with academic honors, a perfect 4.0, and was invited to be the keynote speaker at the 2010 commencement ceremony?

Tony Chimel asks us to welcome the World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger, to the ring. Swagger in a spiffy suit slowly makes his way to the ring. He gets a mic and says that when he was a young boy in Perry, Oklahoma, he was two and his father sat him down. BOOS are almost deafening. SEE, SHEAMUS? THIS IS HEEL HEAT. Swagger can barely get a word in. This is great. His father talked to him man to man when he was two. He said son, someday you’ll be a world champion. By the time Swagger was five, he finished the first grade and was six inches taller than everyone else. By the time he was twelve, he won the Punt, Pass, and Kick contest. That same year he became an Eagle Scout. “When I was sixteen, I scored 1510 on the SAT. I got a full scholarship to Oklahoma. I graduated magna cum laude. That’s the highest you can get.” No, it’s not, you dumb fuck. Summa cum laude is the highest. “I was a two-time All-American. Since I’m honest, my favorite achievement and greatest and crowning achievement was when I won the World Heavyweight Championship.”- Swagger. He once again sat with his dad, talked man to man, and his dad said son I told you so. I told you so. He’s telling everyone that he is Jack Swagger, your World Heavyweight Champion until I retire. Teddy Long comes out and introduces the new #1 contender to Swagger’s title, the Big Show! Swagger’s expression is priceless. Show says round of applause for Swagger, maybe a golf clap. Show says that Swagger is not like Show, he’s not the world’s largest athlete. Let’s list your accomplishments. Eagle Scout, college, college decree, World Heavyweight Champion. You need to add one thing to that resume. Early retirement. Show KO’s Swagger, then poses. That’s how the show ends.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I missed some stuff in the show due to roommates, so my apologies if the recap is a little short today. This was a decent show at the beginning, got a little sidetracked, had some decent to good matches that were a little short, but the closing promo saved the show. Swagger gets better on the mic every week, and Show is a great face foil to Swagger. They might not have great matches, but it’s fresh and new. Smackdown may be like this for awhile, as superstars adjust with the draft and look to prove themselves. Thumbs slightly up.