411’s WWE Greatest Moments Report: SmackDown The Second Decade

-Written: 06.15.26
-Source: A&E
-Run Time: 30 minutes (w/ commercials)

-Plug: Backstage Chaos

-Michael Cole is our host!

10. Undertaker’s Skin
-March 27, 2009

-The build to Mania XXV sees Shawn Michaels dressed as Taker, but in all white. The idea was heaven vs. hell and the fact that Undertaker had never beaten Shawn. Taker then rises through the ring and nearly gets a chokeslam, but Shawn escapes. Taker says the visual and the promo were one of the best Shawn has ever done.

9. Five Days at The Top
-May 6, 2011

-Randy Orton says Christian is one of his favorite opponents ever. This match was five days after Christian finally became a World Champion. I remember seeing spoilers and boy was the IWC PISSED! Big E says it was shocking while Gable says it enforced the idea that anything can happen. It worked out as Christian turned heel, wanted one more match and became World Champion again by getting kicked in the balls.

8. Batista Bites Back
-Feb. 28, 2014

-The WWE started to pivot for Mania XXX here as Batista leans heel and tears into the fans after they booed his Rumble win (I was there for that Rumble). Batista is appalled they would cheer 185 lbs Daniel Bryan over him. He wants to know where the real men are and what happened to the WWE. This was great as Hollywood Batista was amazing. He played a douchebag heel so well and looked like he would rip your head off and steal your girl.

-Commercials!

7. Laddering Her Story
-June 27, 2017

-The Women finally got their own MITB Ladder Match and it ended with James Ellsworth helping Carmella. That annoyed well, everyone, so they had a rematch on SmackDown. No Ellsworth this time and Carmella gets the win for a second time.

6. Straight Edge Shocker
-Jan. 22, 2010

-CM Punk leads the Straight Edge Society and pulls Serena out of the crowd and shaver her head as a method of pledging allegiance to his society. Punk says Serena was the hardest working girl in OVW and wanted to do whatever she could to get a chance. Punk says it was pretty wild that a pretty girl would willingly get her head shaved.

-Commercials!

5. Return of The Rock
-Jan. 25, 2013

-The Rock returns to SmackDown for the first time in years and is interrupted by Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow. Rock makes fun of Cody’s mustache and says Damian is what it would look like if Abe Lincon got busy with a gremlin. Huh, wonder if there is any money in a Rock/Cody feud? Rock lays both out and hits the catchphrase.

4. Manchester Miracle
-Nov. 7, 2017

-Jinder Mahal defends his WWE Title against AJ Styles in Manchester, England and for the first time ever the WWE Title changes hands outside of North America. AJ says is very proud of the match and says the fans were unbelievable that night. We were this close to getting Brock/Jinder on PPV.

3. The Edgy Announcement
-April 15, 2011

-Emotional stuff here as Edge talks as Adam and tells us that he has to retire due to a neck injury. Rey knows it was very tough for Edge. Bruce Prichard says he cried for Adam and he cried because we weren’t going to get Edge anymore. Lita: “Being able to get up and wall around is more important.” Whatever happened to that Edge guy?

-Commercials!

2. Steel Cage Goodbye
-Aug. 28, 2009

-CM Punk defends his World Title in a Cage Match with the loser having to leave WWE. These two were great together and Hardy put Punk over huge at the end. Punk notes trying to kill Hardy took years off his career. Punk wins a great match by escaping the cage. Obviously, Hardy would be back years later, and of course so would CM Punk.

1. The Ultimate Opportunity
-May 11, 2007

-Hey, I was there for this! Pittsburgh, PA: The Igloo! Undertaker survives a cage match and then gets attacked by a returning Mark Henry. Edge is out and cashes in his MITB on Taker for The World Title. Remember, Edge beat Kennedy for the briefcase on the previous RAW. Kennedy was injured (not as bad as they thought it seems) and they had to get the case off him. I told my cousin something was going down because it just seemed fishy and I just patiently waited for Edge’s music to hit and when it did, I went crazy. We cheered when Edge won and some poor kid was dressed as Taker, cried and told us we sucked. Good times! I also loved how Edge had a run of being involved in every cash in in some manner when they all happened at Mania. Go check: He won Mania 21 and cashed in, cost Cena the match when RVD cashed in, took Kennedy’s briefcase from 23, was cashed in on by Punk from 24, just lost the World Title to Hardy when Punk cashed in minutes later, and then cost Jericho when Swagger cashed in his Mania 26 contract.

-Good stuff here that gave me my fix of nostalgia. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything to unseat Edge’s cash in as number one. This era was fun as it was built around Batista, Taker, Edge, Punk, and Hardy. Thanks for reading!