by Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor

WWE Smackdown review
November 13, 2009
Taped 11/10/09 in Sheffield, England
Aired on MyNetwork TV


-WWE Open.

-Smackdown Open.

-Todd Grisham and Matt Striker immediately hit on the number one selling point for this week, the first-time match-up of Chris Jericho vs. Undertaker. Also tonight, the contract signing between Batista and Rey Mysterio for their Survivor Series Match. And there’s more!: John Morrison puts his I.C. Title on the line against Dolph Ziggler. Talk about a stacked show.

-C.M. Punk came out. Oh, it’s for a match. He grabbed the mic and asked what had happened to the once-mighty United Kingdom. He said they used to rule the world, but now, they’re just as pathetic as the Americans. He talked about them holing themselves up in a pub, downing their pints of ale. He accused the fans of being weak-minded, all the while accusing him of being preachy. Punk called himself “perfect in every way.” He said he filed a formal complaint with the board of directors over the officiating of Scott Armstrong. Then he bragged that he’ll beat R-Truth tonight, at Survivor Series and that he could beat everyone in the arena too. Straight Edge is what’s up, according to Punk.

1- C.M PUNK vs. R-TRUTH

Prior to the match, Truth filed a complaint (an informal one, likely) before the match about Punk not being a real man. He said the fans came for action, not to see Punk preach. Once the bell rang, Truth went on offense. Punk got him up early for a Go To Sleep, but Truth got down and hit a kick to the face. Truth back-dropped Punk over the top rope and to the floor a little over a minute in. They took a break at this point.

[Commercial Break]

Truth went to the top rope, but Punk kicked him at the ankle, sending Truth spilling to the mat inside the ring. Punk controlled the match for the next few minutes after that. Truth began to make his comeback- weird to watch this match with very little crowd reaction. Scissors kick missed for Truth, and Punk signaled that it was time to go to sleep. He got Truth up, but Truth attempted a roll-up counter. Punk instead sat down and grabbed the middle rope for leverage, the ref not seeing it, and counting to three.

WINNER: Punk, at 9:15. Just a few months ago, Punk was World Champion. Now, he’s beating R-Truth by cheating. I’m assuming this demotion down the card won’t last for long.

-Striker and Grisham plugged the Rey Mysterio autobiography, “Behind The Mask,” on sale now.

-Tonight, Mysterio will have a contract signing with Batista.

-Backstage, Mickie James was walking. Layla interrupted and told Mickie to just leave. James told her she has a match next and Layla should get out of her face. Behind them, you could see Michelle McCool running into Mickie’s locker room. “Just remember, we warned you!” Layla shouted after Mickie.

[Commercial Break]

-Grisham touted Taker vs. Jericho, set for later tonight.

2- MICKIE JAMES vs. NATALYA

Natalya got no entrance. Natalya with a double-leg take-down and a “yeah, baby!” Striker evened mentioned Jim Neidhart, one night after he appeared on TNA Impact (even though the commentary is taped). Natalya lured Mickie to the outside, and shoved her into the ring steps. Surfboard applied by the daughter of the Anvil. She kicked away at Mickie in the corner, but Mickie fought back. Hurricanrana out of the corner by James, then a clothesline. Natalya threw Mickie out of the ring to stop her momentum, but not for long. Top rope Thesz Press for two as Michelle and Layla came to the ring, showing off some of Mickie’s clothing that they presumably stole from her locker room. The ladies took scissors to Mickie’s garments to distract her. Natalya snuck up behind Mickie and clotheslined her from behind. Sharpshooter finished Mickie off.

WINNER: Natalya, at 3:52. A different women’s match than you’ll see on Raw, and a good win for Natalya.

-A highlight package aired of the on-sale date in Phoenix for Wrestlemania.

-Striker plugged Morrison vs. Ziggler for the I.C. Title tonight.

[Commercial Break]

-Josh Mathews was standing by backstage with John Morrison. He seemed at ease, but he said he was nervous in facing a big challenge. But he said as nervous as he is, Ziggler is even more so. Morrison said he thrives on challenges like this. Morrison made some references to the United Kingdom and said Ziggler would be lying flat on the mat, looking up at Morrison, who would still be Intercontinental Champion. Good to see Morrison finding a distinct voice in interviews; it was the one thing holding him back, and he’s really improved.

-Drew McIntyre came out for a match. He spoke before the contest, saying that he had a change of heart from two weeks ago, when he didn’t let Finlay in the ring. McIntyre said Finlay loves to fight, but he’ll see how much he likes to beat him. Match is next.

[Commercial Break]

3- DREW MCINTYRE vs. FINLAY

Elbow to the nose right off the bat by Finlay. Clubbering European uppercuts followed that. McIntyre came back with a kick to the chest that sent Finlay to the outside. Striker made up the story that Vince McMahon met McIntyre at a golf tournament in Ayr, Scotland, and was impressed enough to sign him and bring him to Smackdown. I can’t imagine Vince ever golfing. The two continued to brawl inside and out of the ring. They didn’t adhere to the referee’s orders, and he rang the bell, throwing the match out. It was about 10-15 seconds after the bell rang that the announcers actually spoke and referenced the bell ringing, which was kind of weird.

WINNER: Double disqualification, at 2:16. A straight brawl to further this feud.

After the match, McIntyre came back for more, hitting Finlay in the chest with the Shillelagh a second time (first time was in the head, right after the match was thrown out).

-On deck is the contract signing for the Batista vs. Rey Mysterio match at Survivor Series.

-In a change-of-pace, they went back to Finlay being tended to by doctors in the ring. Striker even acknowledged that they’d usually go to a commercial at this point. They replayed the end of the match and showed Finlay being helped to the back.

[Commercial Break]

-Matt Striker was in the ring to host the contract signing. No Teddy Long? Striker brought out Rey Mysterio first, then Batista. Batista sat down and asked Rey how he’s been, said it was good to see him. Rey just wanted to get it over with. Batista signed first, then pushed the contract to Rey’s side of the table. After both had signed, Batista took out a folder he brought with him and wanted Rey to sign papers contained in it as well. He said it was a Hold Harmless agreement, where Rey would have to sign to prevent anyone from suing Batista for what he does to Rey at Survivor Series. Mysterio said he wouldn’t sign it. That pissed Batista off and Dave said Rey was a coward. If Rey didn’t sign it, Batista threatened to reach across the table and snap Rey’s neck like a twig. Mysterio stared at Batista, thought for a moment, then agreed to sign it. He said Batista is just trying to scare him, intimidate him. He said Batista is going to be the one who will be embarrassed at Survivor Series. Rey turned the table on top of Batista, knocking him backward in his chair, and stepped over him to get out of the ring. Batista did look silly, on his back with the table covering the top half of him, kicking from underneath it trying to get out. Dave had a proverbial cow when he got to his feet. Short segment, but a good one to get across what Batista could do to Rey at the PPV.

-Taker vs. Jericho is still to come tonight. But a split-screen showed that Ziggler and Morrison were on their way to the ring to do battle next.

[Commercial Break]

4- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. JOHN MORRISON- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Ziggler played the cowardly heel early on. Striker noted that the I.C. Title has changed hands there times in the United Kingdom. Flapjack followed by a legdrop from Morrison for two. The champ went to the top, but Ziggler tripped him up. He rolled up Morrison for two, then went for a gut-buster, which got two. They went to break about 2:00 in.

[Commercial Break]

Ziggler had what appeared to be a waist-lock with a bridge applied on Morrison. He tripped Morrison up charging into the corner, causing Morrison to nearly land on his head. He continued working on the mid-section of Morrison, dropping numerous elbows for a near-fall. They did the yeah-boo punches in the middle of the ring, and Morrison cracked Ziggler in the head with a flying forearm. Leg lariat for two. Face-buster by Ziggler, as he dodged the Moonlight Drive. Morrison lined Ziggler up for Starship Pain, but Ziggler tried to go for a roll-up with his feet on the ropes. Ref saw it and as Ziggler complained to the ref, Morrison landed the Flying Chuck kick for two. From the top, both men went spiraling down outside the ring, Morrison seeming to take the brunt of it against the railing. It must’ve knocked both men a bit wonky, as neither man even moved by the time the referee’s count made it to ten.

WINNER: Double count-out, at 11:37. Solid match, but I’m going to start calling Ziggler “Lex Luger.” Not sure what stopped them from booking the title change here. And how ‘bout a DDQ and a DCO in the same show?

-Undertaker…..Jericho….one-on-one….tonight!

[Commercial Break]

-A plug for Art of Dying’s album, since they supplied WWE with the Survivor Series theme, “Get Thru This.”

5- BETH PHOENIX vs. LISA TAYLOR

Forearm shots to the face by Phoenix, followed by a shoulder-breaker. She put Taylor in the Tree of Woe in the corner. Neck-breaker out of it in a nice-looking spot. Glam Slam was next, and last.

WINNER: Phoenix, at 1:25. Effective squash.

-Chris Jericho was prepping for his match backstage when Josh Mathews intruded. He asked if Jericho was worried, considering this was his first one-on-one match with the Dead Man. Jericho again countered by saying that Undertaker is not truly dead, nor does he have any mythical powers. He said Taker can, and will, be beat.

[Commercial Break]

-Surprise, surprise: An Intercontinental Championship re-match has been made for next week, and it’ll be two-out-of-three falls for Morrison vs. Ziggler.

6- CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE UNDERTAKER

Jericho suckered Taker into the corner and worked him over. But then Taker did the same, except he put Jericho in the corner a tad more physically. Taker then clotheslined Jericho over the top rope and to the arena floor. Striker quoted Hall-of-Famer Buddy Rogers talking about the World Heavyweight Championship. Legdrop with Jericho draped over the apron, vintage Undertaker there. Back in the ring, the (alleged) Dead Man worked the left arm of Jericho as Chris hollered at the ref to make Taker give him some room. Old School time, but Jericho climbed up and pulled Taker down with the arm. They went to break 2:40 into the contest.

[Commercial Break]

Jericho was slugging Taker in the head out of break, seemingly keeping the big man grounded. Middle-rope dropkick by Jericho for a two-count. After a quick chin-lock, Jericho kicked Taker out of the ring, then celebrated with a simple raise of the arm in the ring to draw some heel heat. Into the barriers went Taker courtesy of the former Y2J. Back in the ring, Jericho choked Taker on the middle rope. Jericho tried to trade soup-bones toe-to-toe with Taker, a battle he wasn’t going to win. Taker is, after all, the best pure striker in the game today. Snake Eyes for Jericho, but he dropkicked Taker as he was going for the big boot. A minute later, Undertaker successfully connected on the boot. But he missed one in the corner and crotched himself on the top rope. Taker picked Jericho up out of the corner for the Last Ride, but Jericho got out and hit the Codebreaker on Taker. He was slow to react though and only got two on a pin attempt. It appeared that Jericho was going for a Tombstone on Undertaker, who reversed it into one of his own. Jericho got out and landed a Lionsault. As Jericho sat up, Taker did too and grabbed Jericho by the throat. Counter by Jericho into a Walls of Jericho attempt. He did lock it in. After some struggling, Taker countered by grabbing Jericho and putting him in the Hell’s Gate. Jericho tried once to get to the rope but when he couldn’t, he tapped out.

WINNER: Taker, at 14:00. Not sure what this accomplished- were they looking to pop a rating for a show that ratings generally don’t matter as much as Raw? Why else would they give away a match between Taker and Jericho, first-time ever, with nothing at stake and on free TV?

Big Show came out immediately after the bell rang and he and Jericho double-teamed Undertaker in the ring. Eventually, Kane came to make the save. Show took off, leaving Jericho in the ring to take a big boot. He managed to leave after that.

-Backstage, Vince McMahon was watching on a monitor. He called up Teddy Long to run an idea by him: Next week, The Brothers of Destruction vs. Jericho & The Big Show. Long apparently approved and is under the weather. He asked if Long had Graves’ diesease, distemper (a quick Google search tells me this infects dogs, cats and seals) or Swine Flu, but apparently, Long said he’d be there next week. McMahon reminded Long he was still on probation.

Back to the arena, as the two teams stared each other down from afar.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007. You can also read his frequently updated blog in the VIP forum. Check out his column each week in the PDF-exclusive version of the Torch Newsletter. Also, look for his Tuesday chats with James Caldwell each Tuesday afternoon on the Torch. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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