411’s WWE Smackdown Report 09.18.09

> Hey Yo! It’s been a while since I did one of these things. I believe the last piece I wrote for this site was in early July, but the site needed someone to recap tonight’s episode of Smackdown and I decided to step up to the plate. So welcome, fine reader, to this report. I won’t be doing any star ratings or anything because it’s just a recap but if something is really bad or really good, I will point it out. On tap for the evening is Big Dave Batista’s return to the blue brand, Theodore Long’s reasoning for costing the Undertaker the World Championship and probably some boasting from the Straightedge Champion, CM Punk. Breaking Point was last Sunday so there will definitely be some fallout from the program.

So, with all of that said, let’s get to the program!

> The program opens up with the arrival of a limo and inside is Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long! The crowd boos as Long looks around in fear. He brought along a security squad and tells them to stick around.

> After the opening video, Justin Roberts introduces us to Batista. Todd Grisham calls him one of the most intimidating specimens in WWE history and the crowd eats Batista up. After a recap of everything The Animal did on Raw, Jim Ross says Smackdown just got a lot better. We’ll see. Big Dave finally speaks and says he was able to choose any brand to wrestle on because his Raw contract expired. He calls Smackdown the A-show and before he can say anymore, Chris Jericho cuts him off.

> Jericho sarcastically welcomes Batista back to Smackdown and lets him know he doesn’t like him. Y2J compares Batista to Edge and calls them both injury prone. Jericho gives his routine “hypocrite and parasites” speech and tells the crowd that he is the face of Smackdown. Batista says “to be the man, you have to beat the man,” and lets Chris Jericho know the two of them are scheduled to fight. Batista nails Jericho with a Spinebuster before leaving as Ross and Grisham put over the acquisition.

> Backstage, Chris Jericho yells at The Big Show for not being by his side. Chris Jericho brings up his Undisputed Championship reign and says he’s going to beat Batista by himself. After calling himself the best in the world, he leaves.

> Ross and Grisham let us know that later in the program, we get an interview with the worst referee in the WWE, Scott Armstrong. Seriously, this guy counts slow and ruins matches for me.

> Smackdown returns with Dolph Ziggler on commentary. As John Morrison makes his way to the ring, the announcers let us know that the Intercontinental Champion and Ziggler are going to wrestle at Hell in a Cell but don’t clarify if it is a cage match or not. Mike Knox and his beard are given a little pre-match promo where Knox talks about Restless Leg Syndrome. He informs us of the syndrome and lets Morrison know that there is no cure. Okay then.

>Match One: John Morrison versus Mike Knox (w/ Dolph Ziggler on commentary)

Morrison starts the match off with a headlock but Knox just shrugs him off. Knox stomps on Morrison in the corner until Morrison finds a way to deliver a kick to the bearded one’s head. Morrison tricks Knox into the corner, does some flashy counters and eventually delivers a bicycle kick to Knox’s skull. Knox charges at the Intercontinental Champion but is sent over the ropes. John Morrison sends us to a commercial break by delivering a moonsault to Knox.

The match returns with Mike Knox in command. Morrison tries to power out but Knox just nails him with a punch. He whips Morrison into the ropes and kicks him in the back of the head with a big boot. It gets a two count. Knox delivers some knees and a splash to a downed Morrison but it isn’t enough to get the win. Jim Ross puts over Mike Knox and says there has been a ton of improvement. Meanwhile, John Morrison is hit with a backbreaker. Knox stretches out the Guru of Greatness and maneuvers him again into a backbreaker. Knox goes back to what’s working and tries another backbreaker, but Morrison counters it into a DDT. Morrison goes for the cover but Knox kicks out at 2. Both men get up but Morrison is first to strike. Knox shrugs him off but Morrison hits him with a low dropkick. After another kick, Morrison throws a knee to the beard of Mike Knox. A Standing Shooting Star Press gets two while Dolph Ziggler berates Morrison for celebrating. The Moonlight Drive is countered by a huge cross body but Morrison kicks out at two. After countering out of Knox’s finisher, Morrison strikes with a springboard kick. This sets up the Starship Pain which gets John Morrison the win. Todd Grisham again says no one has ever kicked out of the move.

> After the match, John Morrison gets on the mic. He again gets the crowd to chant “Mr. Ziggles,” much to the chagrin of Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler storms off to the back as Jim Ross says the Ziggler-Morrison match has a chance at stealing the show.

> Grisham and Ross discuss the happenings of Breaking Point. JR lets the fans know he’s disappointed and a video package is shown of the match between the Undertaker and CM Punk. Clearly Taker tapped.

> We’re back with Josh Matthews and Scott Armstrong! Matthews asks him why he did what he did at the pay-per-view. Armstrong says he never was asked to do anything like what was asked on Sunday. He says he’s been refereeing for thirty years and was asked to do something he knew was wrong. After saying he wasn’t proud of his actions, he says he did what he had to do. This is similar to that Jason Giambi interview so many years ago where he apologized for doing something but didn’t exactly say what he did.

> We’re back with more emphasis on the Chris Jericho-Dave Batista main event. Grisham bills it as the match to determine the face of Smackdown. I always thought the World Champion would fit that part. Melina and Michelle McCool enter the ring.

>Match Two: Melina v. Michelle McCool (Non-title match)

JR questions the severity of Michelle McCool’s injury before the two tangle. Melina strikes first but McCool uses the ropes for protection. The two grapple with McCool getting the better of Melina. McCool gets in some offense until Melina counters a slam into a kick. McCool rolls out of the ring and the ref begins to count her out. Melina eventually gives chase but this allows McCool to gain the advantage inside the ring. Michelle McCool slams Melina by her hair a couple of times and then rolls her over for a barrage of punches. McCool kicks Melina a couple of times and then gives her a knee to the head. McCool goes for what looks like a dragon sleeper. Jim Ross confirms the move and the referee asks Melina if she would like to quit. Melina tries to power out with a kick but McCool kicks her down. After throwing Melina into the turnbuckle, McCool applies her boot to Melina’s face. McCool attempts a baseball slide but Melina moves out of the way causing McCool to slide out of the ring. Melina follows up by launching herself onto McCool and then rolls her back into the ring. Melina kicks McCool into the 619 position and then screams for no apparent reason. After launching a pair of knees to the back, Melina goes for a pinfall which only gets a two count. Melina lands some blows to the head but an attack is countered with an elbow. McCool goes for a big kick to the face but Melina avoids it all matrix like. This doesn’t stop McCool from landing a boot shortly after. McCool pins Melina but doesn’t get the three. She then puts Melina in Widow’s Peak position but this is reversed into a pinfall by Melina which ends the match. Melina stands victorious as Ross and Grisham recap the highlights of the match.

> After the match, we see Teddy Long conversing with his security backstage. Vince McMahon comes into the picture and asks the security to leave. McMahon asks where his portrait is at and talks about how Teddy Long came through on his promise to change Smackdown. McMahon seems pleased with the actions of Teddy Long but asks why he double crossed the Undertaker. Vince refuses to listen to Long’s response and talks about entertaining the WWE Universe. McMahon says he and the WWE Universe deserve an answer…the right answer. He demands Teddy Long gives the world an explanation in the ring.

> DID YOU KNOW: Over 15 million people watch WWE every week in the U.S…Okay then.

> Teddy Long and his security force make their way out to the ring. Ross points out that Long is not his normal “jovial” self. The announcers again recap the happenings of the Breaking Point main event.

> Long welcomes Batista back to Friday Nights which stops the booing a little bit. Long says all of the Breaking Point screwjob was pre-planned. Something in wrestling was planned ahead? Color me shocked. Teddy Long says he isn’t proud of what he did. He explains the security is around him because he is fearful of the Undertaker. Long lets everyone know that he isn’t the only one to blame as CM Punk and Scott Armstrong both knew what was going on. Long says he has a family that needs taking care of and apologizes for what he caused at Breaking Point. Teddy hopes the Undertaker can find it in his heart to forgive him. Seems legitimate to me. Long and his security leave as the crowd chants for the Undertaker.

> Jim Ross and Todd Grisham discuss everything Teddy Long just said and we’re shown camera of Long exiting the arena. Security escorts Long to his limo and the GM escapes without a beatdown from the Undertaker. Or so it seems, we’re shown footage from inside and we learn that the Undertaker is in command of the vehicle. He tells Teddy to buckle up and Long’s face is priceless. The limo fills with smoke and everything turns purple as the Undertaker leaves with Teddy Long.

> Justin Roberts instructs us to give a warm round of applause to the only Straight Edge World Heavyweight Champion in history as CM Punk makes his way to the ring. CM Punks absorbs the boos for a while and finally says he told everyone he was going to be World Champion after Breaking Point. Punk points out that he always does what he says he’s going to do. He mentions winning the title from Jeff Hardy, booting Hardy from the WWE and making the Undertaker tap out. Punk wants to confront Taker but unfortunately, he is busy with Teddy Long. Punk talks more of his straight edge lifestyle and how he is the only righteous individual in the WWE today. He berates the WWE Universe for taking prescription drugs and drowning out their sorrow with alcohol. He ends his speech by saying “if you’re not straight edge like me, that means I’m better than you.”

> A graphic for the rematch between The Great Khali and Kane is shown before the competitors for the next match enter the arena. The Hart Dynasty get “Welcome Home” chants.

>Match Three: Cryme Tyme v. The Hart Dynasty

David Hart Smith and Shad Gaspard start the match off with a grapple. Shad turns that into a headlock but Smith shoves Shad into the ropes. This backfires when Gaspard replies with a shoulder block. Gaspard follows that up with an Irish whip but Smith avoids it and knees Shad in the stomach. After an elbow to the head, DH Smith works Shad over in the corner. David Hart Smith is instructed to get off of Shad by the ref and then taunts JTG’s dancing. Smith gives his attention back to Shad with an uppercut. Shad is whipped into the corner but uses the momentum for a shoulder block. After some clotheslines, Shad slams DH Smith into the mat. A pinfall only gets two and Shad tags in JTG. The two use a double team maneuver where Shad launches JTG into DH Smith. After some taunting JTG tries to whip Smith into the ropes, this appears to backfire but JTG takes control and smacks Hart in the face. A dropkick from JTG forces David Hart Smith out of the ring. Tyson Kidd tries to get a cheap shot in on JTG but Shad enters the ring and delivers a gorilla press slam. Kidd rolls out of the ring and the show goes to a commercial with the Hart Dynasty in retreat outside.

When the action returns, the legal men are Shad and Tyson Kidd. Kidd immediately tags in David Hart Smith who nails Gaspard with a clothesline. A quick pinfall only gets one but Smith immediately attacks Shad with some elbows and a headlock. Gaspard tries to power out and eventually does with some punches. Unfortunately for Shad, Smith responds with some knees and tags Kidd back in. A double team maneuver sees two Tyson Kidd boots strike Shad in the head. Kidd immediately launches an assault on Shad’s head with a flurry of kicks. Kidd elbows Shad in the head and follows that up with a headlock. JTG and Brooke get the crowd to clap Shad some momentum but Smith gets tagged back in. David Hart Smith hits a snap mare on Gaspard and Kidd chips in with a cheap shot of his own. After a 2 count, Smith locks in a submission maneuver. Shad hits Smith with a punch, Smith hits Shad with a knee but Shad immediately responds with a big boot to the chest. David Hart Smith tries to keep Shad Gaspard from tagging in JTG and eventually stomps on Shad. Smith tags in Kidd once again and the pair slam Shad against the turnbuckle. After some kicks, Tyson Kidd pins Shad for two. Another headlock is applied to Shad Gaspard which is powered out of. Shad throws Kidd against the ropes and launches him in the air. Unfortunately for him, Kidd lands on his feet and delivers a kick to Gaspard. Kidd runs off the ropes with evil intentions but Shad levels him with a huge clothesline. Jim Ross compares the clothesline to one from Stan Hansen…okay. Both men are down but Shad tags his partner first. JTG launches his patented offense but gets booed from the Canadian crowd. He delivers a backbreaker to Kidd, a fist to Hart and then a leg drop off the top rope to Kidd. JTG goes for a pin but only gets two. Kidd counters a lift into a suplex which JTG counters out of. Eventually, Kidd gets a rollup but only gets a two. JTG follows up with another two count pinfall. Both men are up but JTG brings Kidd down with a neckbreaker. He goes for the pin but it is interrupted by David Hart Smith. Shad Gaspard enters to even the score but Smith throws Gaspard out of the ring. Natalya tries to interrupt the ref but Brooke takes her out of the equation. The ref then checks out the action between Shad and DH Smith. Tyson Kidd delivers a beautiful neckbreaker to JTG which gets the victory for The Hart Dynasty.

> After the match, a replay shows David Hart Smith hitting JTG in the head with a boot before the great neckbreaker from Tyson Kidd.

> Backstage, we are shown Melina walking through the hallway. She enters a room with pictures plastered all over the walls. The image saw Dolph Ziggler with a blonde female (not sure who it was). Maria enters and sees the pictures. Melina tries to comfort Maria but Maria tries to protect Dolph. Maria thinks Melina is the one who placed the pictures on the walls and Maria says she is done with Melina.

>Match Four: The Great Khali v. Kane

The Great Khali starts the match off with a flurry of offensive strikes. He backs Kane into a corner and slaps his chest with his hands. Kane staggers and Khali boots him in the face. The Great Khali signals for the Khali Vice but Kane leaves the ring. Khali joins him outside and slams Kane’s back into the announce table. Kane hits Khali with an uppercut and then nails Khali in the head with a steel chair. The match ends in a DQ.

> After the match, Kane drags Khali towards the steel ring steps. Kane positions Khali’s foot on the step and then slams Khali’s foot with the steel steps. He then proceeds to hit the foot several more times (with two or three appearing to miss completely). Singh screams at Kane and asks the ref to get a doctor for Khali. Kane stares at the Titantron and laughs at the destruction he caused.

> After the commercial break, we are shown footage of Khali leaving the arena on a stretcher.

> The Smack of the Night (brought to us by Just For Men Hair Color) focuses on the feud between Drew McIntyre and R-Truth.

>Match Five: R-Truth v. Charlie Haas

Charlie Haas is already in the ring when the show returns. R-Truth’s music plays but Drew McIntyre comes out instead. McIntyre says R-Truth was unable to make it to the ring because of an unfortunate backstage accident. He declares Charlie Haas the winner by forfeit and the two shake hands. McIntyre then hits Charlie Haas with a nice DDT. I’ve never seen Drew McIntyre but he looks pretty good.

> After commercial, we get another replay of the Undertaker’s abduction of Teddy Long.

> Chris Jericho is out first and the announcers discuss the upcoming bout. Grisham points out that Jericho has a victory over Batista. As Batista makes his way towards the ring, Ross and Grisham question if he is at 100%.

>Match Six: Batista v. Chris Jericho

The two circle around the ring until Batista attempts to grapple with Jericho. Y2J avoids it and slaps Batista in the head. Batista shrugs it off and slams Jericho into the corner. After some shoulder blocks, he whips Jericho into the ropes. Chris Jericho tries a cross body but Batista captures him and slams him to the mat. After a pinfall that gets a two count, Batista immediately goes after Jericho with some punches. The Animal whips him into the ropes but Jericho uses said ropes to avoid a rebound. Batista charges but Jericho hits him in the shins with a low dropkick. Jericho hits another kick that knocks Batista out of the ring. We’re shown Big Show backstage who is watching the match on a monitor. Jericho exits the ring and then kicks Batista. After slamming his face on the announce table, Jericho throws Batista back into the ring. Jericho lands some minor offensive strikes before finally throwing some more physical blows to the Animal. Jericho continues the offense by applying a headlock to Batista. Batista eventually powers out of it but Jericho hits him in the shin before the Animal can gain any advantage. Jericho continues with kicks and punches and goes for a cross body. This is countered by Batista into a spinning side slam. Batista is up first and he hits Y2J with an elbow. Jericho is again forced into the turnbuckle and Batista works him over with some shoulder blocks. After sending Jericho into the opposite turnbuckle, Batista tries another shoulder block. This time he is met by Jericho’s boot. Jericho follows up with a bulldog and works the crowd. He goes for a Lionsault but lands on his feet. He then walks into a Spinebuster. Batista sets up for the Batista Bomb but Jericho finds his way out. An enziguri from Jericho only gets a two count. Chris Jericho makes his way on top of the turnbuckle but launches himself into a Batista clothesline. Batista measures Jericho for a spear but Jericho moves out of the way and rolls Batista up. Despite extra leverage from the ropes, Jericho only gets 2. The fans chant Y2J as he kicks Batista in the side. Jericho nonchalantly goes for some attack but Batista kicks him. Big Dave sets Jericho up for a Batista Bomb but Jericho avoids it. Jericho countered the power bomb into the Walls of Jericho. Batista kicks Jericho into the turnbuckle and tries to attack him but is once again met by a Chris Jericho boot. Jericho goes for the Codebreaker but Batista catches him. He transitions it into a Batista Bomb and pins Jericho for three.

> After the match, Big Show is shown watching from the back. Josh Matthews interviews Show who informs everyone that Batista got lucky. Show says if Big Dave fights him, the luck won’t last. Smackdown ends with the camera focused on a celebrating Batista.

>QUICK RESULTS!

• John Morrison defeated Mike Knox via pinfall (Starship Pain)
• Melina defeated Michelle McCool via pinfall
• The Hart Dynasty defeated Cryme Tyme via pinfall
• The Great Khali defeated Kane via DQ (Kane introduced a steel chair into the match)
• Charlie Haas defeated R-Truth via forfeit (Drew McIntyre prevented R-Truth from appearing)
• Batista defeated Chris Jericho via pinfall (Batista Bomb)

> So that happened. All in all, it was an okay show. I have heard some internet fans complain that Batista’s addition to the Blue Brand is the death of “Smackdown’s Golden Era,” but I don’t necessarily find that true. It is kind of troubling that in one week, Batista beat both Randy Orton and Chris Jericho. I don’t believe these type of victories are necessary for an individual of Batista’s stature. The fans already know he’s a main eventer but it is what it is. Best match of the evening was the tag team match between The Hart Dynasty and Cryme Tyme and the trash of the night was that Khali-Kane match. At least it was short. I’m not sure who is recapping Smackdown next Friday, but if it’s me, I’ll see all of y’all then. Thanks for reading.