Friday Night Smackdown!
Tucson, Arizona
July 8, 2011
results thanks to wrestleview.com
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.