Friday Night Smackdown!

Cleveland, Ohio
September 4, 2009
results thanks to pwtorch.com

-WWE Open.

-A highlight package aired of the Punk vs. Hardy match from last week’s Smackdown.

-To the arena they went, where Jeff Hardy’s music played and out came Hardy.....no wait....it’s C.M. Punk, dressed like Hardy and doing all of Jeff’s mannerisms. It took the fans a few seconds to realize it. He’s even got the face paint. That’s pure evil right there, folks. Punk got on the mic and reminded the fans that Hardy is gone. He said like a junkie waiting for his next fix, the fans were waiting for their idol Hardy. Punk said that means no more ridiculous face paint (and he wiped it off)....no more stupid arm bands (he removed them) and no more excuses. Punk accused the fans of being not strong enough to be like him and he said he knows how weak they really are. He had timekeeper Mark Yeaton hand him the title and said the fans at least have a champion they can be proud of. He said he’s the only one strong enough to pull the fans up from their downward spiral lives. He said he won’t miss a show because of getting caught at an airport and won’t miss a Wrestlemania because he failed a drug test. Oh, we’re getting specific now.

Punk turned his attention to Undertaker and Punk said he’s no longer the solitary icon on Smackdown. Punk listed his credentials and said if Taker wants to come down and test his breaking point (hey, that’s the name of the PPV!), he’ll be waiting. He said he knows Taker is in the arena and dared him to come meet him man-to-man. When he didn’t come down, Punk said Taker would rather lurk in the shadows and play psychological games. Fans were still chanting for Hardy here. That can’t be good for Undertaker. Punk said the people sit on their couches waiting for the Taker to do his supernatural stuff, but he’s not buying it. He said at Breaking Point, it would be two icons in a fight to the finish. He said Taker has never faced a guy like him before. Punk said he has laughed in the face of temptation time-and-time again and he’s never tapped out to society’s attempts at schoolyard pressure. He continued talking about the fans and their vices. He said instead of a monkey on their back, it’s more like an anaconda.....Anaconda Vice maybe? We’ll never know, as Matt Hardy’s music interrupted and he came out.

Hardy took off his shirt and headed right to the ring where he and the straight-edge champion brawled. A few referees finally came out to break things up and had to physically hold the two back. Punk left up the ramp first. The brawl kinda fizzled and the segment seemed to drag near the end of Punk’s speech.

-Jim Ross hyped the Undertaker’s return to Smackdown tonight.

[Commercial Break]

-They hyped up John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio for the I.C. Title tonight in the main event. Todd Grisham said Rey made a vow to take on all challengers, and he accepted Morrison’s challenge for tonight.

-Punk was backstage, walking up to Teddy Long, quite distraught about being attacked in the last segment. He accused Matt of being “hopped up” on something. Long said if Punk has a problem with what just happened, they need to settle it in the ring. Not for the title, though. Long made the match for tonight and Punk didn’t seem to mind.

-Great Khali came to the ring for a match- they also noted that Khali vs. Kane in a Singapore Cane Match had been booked for Breaking Point. Oh, goody.

1- GREAT KHALI & FINLAY vs. MIKE KNOX & KANE

Knox once again gave some more facts about the human body and bones in his inset interview. Interesting dichotomy as Kane and Knox are both big monsters, but Kane is much more gimmicky and cartoonish as far as the angles he’s involved in, whereas Knox seems like a character more grounded in reality. Kane tagged out when Khali tagged in, so he didn’t have to face the big man. Knox ran into a big boot from Khali. Vice grip applied, but Kane pulled Knox out of the ring. They went to break about 2:00 in.

[Commercial Break]

Back in with Khali and Kane. Gee, you’d think they’d want us to see them tangle up as soon as it happened, since that’s the match at the PPV being plugged here. Hard chop by Khali to Knox. Finlay came in and had his way with Knox, until Kane knocked Finlay off the top rope and to ringside. Knox began to work the arm of Finlay. The heels double-teamed Finlay and continued to work on the injured left arm. Finlay began to come back until Knox hit one of the most violent cross-bodies I’ve ever seen. Knox missed a charge in the corner, then Finlay low-bridged Kane. Kane grabbed Ranjin Singh at ringside and Khali went after him. As the ref was distracted by that, Finlay used the shillaleigh to hit Knox with and get the pin.

WINNERS: Finlay & Khali, at 9:46. I don’t get why they continually book Finlay, a face, to use a weapon behind the ref’s back.

-Teddy Long greeted Vince McMahon in his office; he was just watching the Rise and Fall of WCW DVD. McMahon reminisced about the title match last week on Smackdown. Vince complimented Teddy on that and for putting Punk vs. Taker on the card for Breaking Point. McMahon made a note of Teddy’s conservative dressing- Vince had on a pink jacket and a white collared shirt unbuttoned quite a ways. McMahon tried to accuse Teddy of making fun of the way he dressed, then left by saying he needed to go get lucky. What the hell was that?

-JR and Grisham plugged Matt Hardy vs. Punk as well as the Undertaker’s return.

[Commercial Break]

-Maria was doing her makeup backstage and Eve was there talking about wanting to get her hands on Natalya. Michelle McCool barged in and told Eve to hold one of her crutches. She made fun of Eve then said Dolph Ziggler won’t be able to take his eyes off her. McCool said Maria was just Dolph’s “flavor of the week.” Maria called McCool spotlight-hungry and then Melina walked in. Melina got in Michelle’s face and McCool told her she’d be arrested if Melina put her hands on her again. Michelle left and Melina turned her attention to Maria and asked if she talked to Ziggler. Maria said she’s a big girl and can take care of herself. She asked Melina to stay out of her business. Then Eve and Maria left.

-John Morrison and Rey Mysterio came out for the I.C. Championship Match.

[Commercial Break]

2- JOHN MORRISON vs. REY MYSTERIO- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Morrison and Rey shook hands as the bell rang. Quick roll-up from Rey for only one. Morrison did the same as the fans chanted “Let’s go Morrison.” Monkey flip by Morrison as the two men had their hands interlocked. Rey got rolled up for two after trying one of his own. Dolph Ziggler was shown backstage, watching the match on a monitor. Shoulder take-down by Morrison, but the two men traded offense. Rey missed a dropkick as Morrison held onto the ropes on a whip into them. La Magistra cradle for two. The men were at a stalemate as they went to break just over four minutes in.

[Commercial Break]

JR said that neither man was able to build momentum during the break. Mysterio took Morrison in a headscissors and both men went tumbling over the top rope and to the floor. Referee got to nine when both men rolled back into the ring. Mysterio crashed into the ring post and Morrison got two on yet another roll-up. Morrison worked the arm, but Rey took him down with a headscissors for two. Morrison snuck under Rey for a roll-up but Morrison got kicked in the face and Rey hit a springboard moonsault for two. Rey landed three running leg-drops to gain a two-count. At just over the 10:00 mark, they went to a rear chinlock. Morrison back-flipped out of an arm-stretcher and in doing so, dropkicked Rey on his way around. Impressive. Johnny Mo fought back with a leg lariat, then a standing shooting-star press for two. Morrison threw Rey under the ropes and this time, he didn’t flip and get up. Morrison held onto him until the last minute, perhaps that’s why. Smart move to give a subtle difference between that and how its usually done. Morrison went after Rey and brought him in the ring to pin him- he got just two. Flipping leg-drop for two. Rey was bleeding from the mouth as Morrison tried to wear him down, but Rey fought up quickly. Roll-up for two by Rey. Another one for two. Morrison flipped Rey over his head but Rey landed on his feet on the apron. He set Morrison up for the 619, but Morrison broke it up. The two men both went for a cross-body and collided in the air. They were both down at the 16:00 mark when they went to break.

[Commercial Break]

If there was any doubt on how they’d handle Rey’s situation, they aren’t doing so in a way to impact him negatively, that’s for sure. Anyway, they came back nearly 19:00 in. Body-scissors applied by Morrison. Rey came back and tried to throw Morrison out of the ring, but he landed on the apron. Rey solved that problem by dropkicking the legs of Morrison, sending him face-first into the apron. Rey with a hurricanrana on Morrison outside the ring. Springboard legdrop for two back in the ring for Rey. Morrison slammed Rey face-first in a wheelbarrow-like maneuver for two. Running knee to the face for two. If that was William Regal, it’d be over. Mysterio struggled to get back to his feet. Morrison missed a charge in the corner and Rey hit a springboard cross-body for two. Seated dropkick from Rey. JR called this an “amazing, amazing championship match.” Rey off the top, but Morrison dropkicked him in mid-air for two. Morrison missed Starship Pain, but he landed on his feet. Seated senton by Rey, then into the 619. Rey connected, but he couldn’t capitalize. He went springboarding but no one was home. Flying Chuck kick for two- Rey did get his hands up to protect him on that one. “This is awesome” chant from some fans. The camera made sure to focus on them. Tilt-a-whirl back-breaker by Morrison, who then went to the top, but Rey stopped him. Mysterio tried to hurricanrana Morrison facing the other way but Morrison held on and landed Starship Pain for the win and the title.

WINNER: Morrison, at 25:22. Well, give Rey credit, as upset as he was about the suspension, he sure as hell didn’t half-ass it out there. Hell of a contest, a match-of-the-year contender for sure. Barring some unforseen personal issues/injury, Morrison is a slam-dunk future World Champ.

They showed a few replays and also Morrison embracing Mysterio after the match. Morrison was nearly in tears as he held the title up.

-They hyped up Hardy vs. Punk tonight, as well as Taker’s return to Smackdown.

[Commercial Break]

-R-Truth rapped his way to the ring for a match, but was once again attacked by Drew McIntyre in the middle of his spiel. It would appear that McIntyre wasn’t the scheduled opponent for Truth. Double-arm DDT by McIntyre, who then retrieved a microphone from ringside. He said he was overlooked last week, so he decided to make a statement at the hands of the dancing fool in the ring. Tokyo Magnum? Drew was mad that Truth had a match but he wasn’t on the show. He said he’d ruin all the fans’ parties until someone recognizes him as the superstar he is.

-Another plug for Undertaker making his Friday night return.

[Commercial Break]

3- EVE TORRES & MARIA vs. NATALYA & LAYLA

Maria tried a cross-body, but Natalya caught her and slammed her. Maria came back with a few dropkicks. Instead of a bronco buster, Maria bounced up and down in the corner with her foot on Natalya’s throat. I’m saddened by some of the adjustments needed to make the show PG. Maria chased Layla around the ring and ran into a Natalya clothesline. Dragon-sleeper by Nattie as she screamed “ask her!” Tag in to Layla as she wrapped her legs around Maria’s throat and hung upside-down over the top rope. Double axe-handle to the back for two. Snap suplex by Natalya, back in, for two. Snap-mare by Layla after a tag, and she proceeded to stretch the leg and arm of Maria, with her foot in her back. Jaw-breaker by Maria allowed her to finally make the tag. Eve came in with forearms and a one-legged dropkick. She knocked Natalya off the apron as well. Low dropkick by Layla for two. Layla missed a kick, then Eve slammed her. Natalya came in and Maria cut her off. Both went outside the ring. Handspring splash by Eve where her legs got more of Layla than anything else, got the pin.

WINNERS: Eve and Maria, at 4:41.

-Josh Mathews was backstage with Matt Hardy. Hardy said Punk would likely be worried about the presence of the Undertaker, but he should also be worried about him. Hardy said he will take Punk’s health, well-being and livelihood. Hardy said he’s going to take from Punk what Punk took from Jeff: his career.

[Commercial Break]

-Another plug for Undertaker returning to Smackdown tonight. Well, the main event is next, so when would they plan to fit him in?

4- C.M. PUNK vs. MATT HARDY

Punk avoided Hardy at the outset, but Matt was able to finally get offensive. Punk turned things around and kicked away at Matt on the mat. Hardy with a swinging neckbreaker. Matt jumped on Punk’s back with C.M. throat across the middle rope. Punk elbowed out of a Hardy hold, then was too slow in going to the top rope. JR name-dropped the Anaconda Vice during the match. Hardy with a middle-rope suplex on Punk. Hardy began holding his side after a pin attempt. Punk got Hardy up for a suplex and dropped him stomach-first over the top rope. Punk then ran into him and knocked him out of the ring and into the retaining wall at ringside.

[Commercial Break]

Back to the match with Hardy in an abdominal stretch. Punk kicked him right in the gut, focusing on that abdomen that was previously injured. Snap mare then a body-scissors by Punk. Hardy got his knee up in the corner and fought back against Punk. That lasted until Punk whipped him chest-first into the buckle. Three shots to the abdomen, then he double-stomped the injured mid-section of the elder Hardy. Hardy attempted another comeback, but was too slow and Punk continued his aggression, locking Hardy again in an abdominal stretch. Hardy countered and fell back onto Punk. Irish whip by Punk, who took his time getting ready to charge. That cost him, as he went shoulder-first into the steel post. Bulldog out of the corner by Hardy. Hardy seemed to struggle to get the fans behind him for most of the match, but did hit his second-rope leg-drop for two. Twist of Fate blocked, but so was Punk’s backslide. Hardy flipped over and got an inside cradle for two. Talk about slow getting to the three count. Punk with a kick to the head of Hardy for two. Another long pause between two and three. Scott Armstrong has to get that hitch out of his giddy-up. Punk was caught coming off the top and Hardy gave him a Side Effect for two. Hardy followed Punk to the outside. Hardy dove off the apron, but Punk got a foot into the bread basket of Matt. He then dropped him abdomen-first onto the ringside barrier. Punk grabbed a steel chair and hit Hardy with it a few times. No bell rang here, either. Punk tried the “chair around the neck and into the ring post” thing, but before he could complete the task, Undertaker’s bell tolled and the lights went out. They came back on with Taker putting Punk in a choke. He chokeslammed him through the announce table.

WINNER: Hardy, by DQ, at about 16:45. I’m going to assume that was the call anyway. Good, methodical match that was solid in a different way than Rey vs. Morrison. Not nearly on the same level of course, but still decent.

Taker posed as his music played and fire shot up from the stage. Having them plug his appearance throughout the show and up to the main event really was silly and made it obvious how the end was booked.