wrestling / Video Reviews
Hall’s WWE Smackdown Review 6.14.13
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Smackdown
Date: June 14, 2013
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
It’s the last show before Payback 2013 but the bigger story here is Daniel Bryan, who is on the roll of a lifetime and having issues with the Shield. He’ll need some friends to help deal with the three of them though and that sounds like the focus for a show. In addition, Dolph Ziggler is back from his injury and ready to defend against Alberto Del Rio. Let’s get to it.
We get an opening preview for the show, looking at what we’ve got coming and how we got here, including Ziggler vs. Del Rio, Bryan/Randy Orton/Kane vs. the Shield and….well that’s enough isn’t it?
Here is Daniel Bryan to get things going and he’s not looking pleased. He talks about the things he’s gone through in the last year plus (with various instances of YES and NO about whether he would believe those things could happen), including NO, he wouldn’t believe he and Kane would have been such a great team. They’re having issues though and he wants Kane out here right now (so he covers his ears).
Kane does indeed join him but doesn’t want to do this, as the only thing that matters is their six man tag tonight. Bryan talks about how they’ve been a great team, but he is teaming with Randy Orton at Payback. When they win the Tag Team Titles, they won’t be teaming together anymore. Kane: “Are you like, breaking up with me?” Kane is going to win the US Title at Payback, and the team will be done anyway. Bryan says he and Orton are going to win the titles and become RK-NO!
This is too far for Kane, who points out that Bryan can’t stand Orton. Bryan thinks this is Kane calling him the weak link and they get in another argument, with Bryan calling Kane the weak link. This has Kane choking Bryan so Orton comes out to say he can’t let that happen. Orton needs Bryan tonight and on Sunday so he’s ready to fight Kane if he has to. That has Bryan ready to fight Orton because he doesn’t need help so Kane goes to leave. They all argue but the Shield pops up on screen to say keep this up, because they’ll be dominant.
We look at Damian Sandow attacking Sheamus, who wrecked a computer rather than play chess.
Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro
Before the bell, here is Sandow, who says Cesaro can speak five languages while Sheamus can barely speak one. Sandow promises Sheamus’ wake at their Kickoff Show match and it’s time to fight over a lockup. Cesaro backs him into the corner for a slap and of course that doesn’t go overly well, with a ticked off Sheamus knocking him into another corner. A powerslam gives Sheamus one but Cesaro blocks a suplex and wrestles him down.
Cesaro clotheslines him to the floor, where Sheamus pulls a dive out of the air and hits a fall away slam into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus getting two off a backbreaker. They head outside again with Sheamus being sent hard into the steps and they head back inside, with Sheamus’ shoulder bleeding.
Cesaro grabs a chinlock and swings Sheamus around in his latest display of freakish strength. Sheamus fights up and sends him to the apron for the forearms to the chest, setting up the Irish Curse for two. Cesaro plants him right back down for the same and shoves him into the corner…with Sheamus bouncing back out with the Brogue Kick for the pin at 10:58.
Rating: B. I love seeing a finish where the answer to how to win a match is KICK THEM IN THE FACE. This was the hard hitting, violent match you would expect from these two and JBL was of course having a great time watching them beat the heck out of each other. Sheamus was great in this role and going by his scale of “the harder hitting the match, the flatter his hair looks”, he was putting in the work out there.
Post match Sheamus goes to leave and gets jumped by Sandow, which can’t end well.
There’s a weird guy in the swamps, talking about monsters and seemingly having various disciples. His name: Bray Wyatt.
Video on CM Punk, who is back on Sunday for the first time since his loss to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. It’s insane that he only had about six months left before his huge hiatus.
Teddy Long is about to enjoy some Hardees (sponsor) when Dolph Ziggler, with AJ Lee and Big E. Langston, comes in to complain about being in a tag match tonight. Long isn’t pleased, and it’s worse when Big E. steals his sandwich.
Heath Slater vs. The Great Khali
Slater has the rest of 3MB with him while Khali has Natalya and Hornswoggle. Believe it or not Khali shoves him down without much trouble and it’s time for the big chop in the corner. Slater actually comes back with some running shoulders in the corner but charges into an elbow. That goes so well that he charges again, this time into Khali’s raised boot. Khali knocks him down again but 3MB goes after Hornswoggle. The distraction lets Slater get in a cheap shot and DDT for the pin at 2:24. Somehow, that might not even be too much of an upset.
Alberto Del Rio/Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler/Big E. Langston
Ricardo Rodriguez is here with Del Rio/Jericho while the other two have AJ Lee. This is fallout from Jericho vs. Langston on Monday with the other two getting involved. Del Rio immediately backs Ziggler up for the tag to Langston. They take turns going into the corner for some alternating hard shots.
Jericho comes in for quite the reaction and the enziguri into a basement dropkick gets two. Langston gets back up to take over and hands it off to Ziggler to stomp away. That doesn’t last long either as it’s back to Del Rio, who is run over by Langston. The Backstabber connects to send Langston outside, with Ziggler being chased out with him.
We take a break and come back with Lee offering a distraction, allowing Langston to knock Jericho off the apron. Back in and Vader hits a Vader standing body splash for two and it’s back to Ziggler. A running bulldog gets Jericho out of trouble though and Del Rio gets the tag, with the basement superkick putting Ziggler down. Everything breaks down and Del Rio rolls Ziggler up for the pin at 11:19.
Rating: B-. This was a weird one as you have Del Rio vs. Ziggler already set for Payback, but at the same time Jericho is ready to face CM Punk, who had nothing to do with the match. What matters is building things up for Del Rio though, as weird as it is to see him as a good guy. I liked it at the time but yeah I’m not sure how well it holds up.
We look back at Kane/Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton arguing, plus the Shield’s response from earlier tonight.
Chris Jericho talks about how his upcoming match with CM Punk has taken on a life of its own. Yes the match is in Punk’s hometown of Chicago but Jericho had some great moments of his own there. It doesn’t matter what the fans think because this match will exceed expectations and you do not want to miss them. Paul Heyman (Punk’s friend) comes in to offer a handshake but as Punk has said, luck is for losers. Punk already has Heyman, who will be there to announce him as the winner, which earns him a slap from Jericho. I could go for more of them talking but Punk showing up will be the big game changer.
We look back at Big E. Langston teasing being Kaitlyn’s secret admirer but it was a ruse to get AJ Lee an advantage before their title match at Payback.
Kaitlyn vs. Aksana
Non-title and Kaitlyn jumps her before the bell and the brawl is on. Kaitlyn even beats up the referee for trying to break it up, including a heck of a slap. Aksana runs off and Kaitlyn looks ready to snap.
We talk about John Cena vs. Ryback in a 3 Stages Of Hell match for the World Title at Payback.
We look at Ryback attacking Cena at Extreme Rules and driving him through the set, resulting in Cena being taken out on a stretcher, but he wouldn’t get in an ambulance. As luck would have it, the third Stage on Sunday is an ambulance match. That led to Cena explaining the match and Ryback showing up in an ambulance on Raw. Naturally a big brawl broke out and my goodness between this and the recap of the long opening segment, this could not feel much more like filler.
Curtis Axel vs. Wade Barrett
Barrett’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line. Axel has Paul Heyman with him and is freshly added to the Intercontinental Title match on Sunday, but the important thing here is that it’s sponsored by Hardees, with JBL having some big burgers. Hold on though, as Barrett says they don’t need to have this match because one of them could get hurt.
That seems to make sense, but here is the Miz (also in Sunday’s title match), who asks if they would rather go to Starbucks or something. He wants to see them fight so the bell rings, with Axel hammering Barrett down in the corner. Barrett fights up and hits a kick to the ribs to send Axel outside, where Barrett knocks Miz down. The distraction lets Axel hit his running neckbreaker for the pin at 2:04.
Post match Miz lays Axel out and poses a lot.
We get another Wyatt Family vignette. They’re still coming.
Shield vs. Randy Orton/Kane/Daniel Bryan
Rollins pounds Bryan into the corner to start so Bryan flips over him and hits the running clothesline. Kane comes in for two off the basement dropkick so Ambrose comes in and gets booted in the face. Orton adds a suplex and it’s back to Bryan, who is taken into the wrong corner. That means Rollins can come in to stomp away, allowing Ambrose to drop an elbow for two.
Bryan knees Ambrose down and it’s back to Orton for the rapid fire clotheslines. A jumping enziguri cuts Orton off though and we take a break. We come back with Orton still in trouble as Reigns chokes him on the rope. Orton finally avoids a charge into the post though and it’s back to Kane for a bunch of right hands. A powerslam gets two on Ambrose and Rollins makes the save, which brings in Bryan as everything breaks down.
Bryan’s suicide dive hits Rollins and Reigns, followed by a running knee to Rollins in the corner. The Swan Dive misses to give Rollins two but Kane is back in, only to get shoved outside by Reigns. The spear cuts Orton down but Kane avoids a charge to send Reigns into the timekeeper’s area. Ambrose is launched out there as well, leaving Rollins to get shoved off the top (which he got to with an obvious edit) into the RKO. The YES Lock gives Bryan the win at 13:17 to stun the crowd.
Rating: B. This is still one of the weirder moments I’ve seen from WWE as Shield had to lose one day but they just….lost. On a taped Smackdown. Leading into a PPV where they all retained their titles. Now, that being said, WOW this was an outstanding moment with the fans absolutely losing it over Bryan getting the win. Maybe it was due to the utter shock, but the crowd reaction was outstanding here and the rise of Bryan continues. Heck of a moment here, as out of nowhere as it was, which seemed to be the point.
Results
Sheamus b. Antonio Cesaro – Brogue Kick
Heath Slater b. The Great Khali – DDT
Alberto Del Rio/Chris Jericho b. Dolph Ziggler/Big E. Langston – Small package to Ziggler
Curtis Axel b. Wade Barrett – Running spinning neckbreaker
Daniel Bryan/Kane/Randy Orton b. Shield – YES Lock to Rollins
