By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

WWE Smackdown review
April 2, 2010
Taped 3/30/10 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Aired on MyNetwork TV
By Greg Parks, PWTorch Columnist

- WWE Open.

- Smackdown Open.

- Tony Chimel introduced the World Champion, Chris Jericho. Matt Striker and Todd Grisham talked on-camera about Jericho retaining the title at Wrestlemania, while they showed stils of the finish of the match, and the spear by Edge after the match. Jericho reminded the fans of the promise he made before 'Mania, and how he fulfilled it by wrestling a perfect match on Sunday. He talked about Edge trying to permanently injure him post-match and seemed disgusted about such a thing. Jericho called the fans losers for chanting "spear" after his injury. The champ basked in the jeers until Edge's music cut him off and the 'Mania challenger came out.

Edge conceeded that Jericho made a valid point about he and the fans having a lot in common, one being that they both like seeing Jericho get speared. He even said they'd want to see him spear Jericho again tonight. He wanted a re-match right now. Jericho responded by saying Edge doesn't hold the cards, and by losing at 'Mania, it put Edge in the back of the line. He called Edge a loser several times and told him to get out of his ring. Edge went on the attack, stripping Jericho of his dress clothes, revealing Jericho's taped ribs. Edge set up for a spear and the crowd was behind him almost 100%. He connected on a spear. Edge's music played as they showed a replay of the attack.

As Edge was walking to the back, Jack Swagger came out of nowhere and nailed Edge in the back of the head with the MITB briefcase. He came in the ring and called for a referee. Mike Chioda came down and cleared the ring of the debris, much to the chagrin of Swagger. The ref finally called for the bell when Jericho made it to his feet.

1 - CHRIS JERICHO vs. JACK SWAGGER - WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Swagger Bomb and a three-count was all that was needed.

WINNER: Swagger, at :08. There's your shocker of the year, folks.

Swagger walked past Edge, still laying prone in the aisle, on his way up the ramp. He stood at the top, raising the belt over his head.

[Commercial Break]

- They showed what happened moments ago, beginning with the Edge spear of Jericho, and ending with Swagger beating Jericho. Grisham said it was the shortst time a MITB winner has waited before cashing in the briefcase.

2 - R-TRUTH & JOHN MORRISON vs. CRYME TYME

Shad pressed Truth over his head, but Truth got down and took Shad to the mat. Tag in to Morrison who immediately hit Starship Pain for the win.

WINNERS: Morrison and Truth, at :44. Uh....what was that?

JTG tried to cnosole Shad after the match. The two had words, but it didn't look serious. That is, until Shad grabbed JTG by the throat. JTG backed off, but Shad booted JTG in the face. Knees to the face by the big Shad, then a straight right hand to the chin. STO followed that up by Gaspard. They probably could've built a little better to get to this point, since this came out of nowhere, but I guess this spells the two men going their separate ways at the Draft Lottery. They showed a replay of Shad's attack on JTG. Referees tended to JTG in the ring while Shad looked on from the top of the ramp.

- The new champion was walking backstage when he came upon Slam Master J, Tony Atlas and Mickie James. Did they try to find the three most random people to pretend were having a conversation? Swagger waited by them until they congratulated him. He walked by Shelton Benjamin and said maybe now, he should be called the Gold Standard. Then he walked away.

[Commercial Break]

- They replayed the Shad Gaspard heel turn that just took place.

- Josh Mathews was backstage with Gaspard. He interrupted Mathews and said, "No more Cryme Tyme." He said, "this is my time." This would make more sense if JTG was the one who got pinned and Shad was angry about this. Doesn't make much sense that he'd want to separate after such a convincing loss.

- Drew McIntyre and Matt Hardy made their entrances for a one-on-one match. McIntyre jumped Hardy before the bell, and before Hardy even got into the ring. He threw Hardy into the ring-post, then DDT'd him in the ring. Grisham played up Hardy preventing Mac from winning the MITB. No match, as McIntyre walked away with his I.C. Title in hand.

- They aired a video of John Cena guest-starring on a Nickelodeon show, True Jackson VP. If only he would've guest starred on the Nick shows from when I was a kid, like Salute Your Shorts, or The Adventures of Pete and Pete.

- Up next, clips from Shawn Michaels' farewell from Raw.

[Commercial Break]

- They showed the exterior of the Vegas skyline, then showed what happened at the beginning of the show, with Edge's attack and Swagger as champion. They also showed Jericho throwing a temper-tantrum afterward.

- The video that has aired all week on Shawn Michaels' retirement aired again here. Another A+ effort from Adam (and presumably others).

- Vickie Guerrero was talking with Simply Flawless about how awesome Wrestlemania was. Guerrero complained about people callling her frog splash a hog splash. Jack Swagger walked in and the heels clapped for him. He asked for Teddy Long, but Vickie said she can help him. He wanted to conduct a State of the Championshp address tonight. Vickie said he could have all the time he wanted. Then he kissed Vickie on the cheek before leaving. The ladies all giggled like school-girls after he left.

- The Great Khali made his entrance for a match with Dolph Ziggler. It's next.

[Commercial Break]

3 - THE GREAT KHALI vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Ziggler went right to ringside as soon as the bell rang. He tried to use his speed, but Khali clobbered him with a fist atop the head. Hard chop in the corner from the big man. Big boot followed that. Ziggler, from outside the ring, choked Khali on the top rope. He climbed to the top buckle and applied a sleeper hold. Khali was able to flip Ziggler off of him after a couple seconds. Ziggler tried again, and got Khali to the mat. Ziggler hooked his legs around Khali's waist. Khali tried to get to the ropes as the crowd chanted for him. He got his leg very near the ropes, but couldn't make it there. The ref rang the bell to end the match when Khali was not responding.

WINNER: Ziggler, at 2:26.

Khali addressed Ranjin Singh after the match and apparently said that he was going back to his native India to re-group and build up his strength and stamina. Khali said (through Singh) that he'd come back and become World Champion.

- The Straight Edge Society was walking backstage. They're going to issue a special challenge to Rey Mysterio next.

[Commercial Break]

- The Straight Edge Society came out. Luke Gallows got the mic first, talking about how Punk saved him and he can do it for everyone else too. He said he would pretty much be a nobody without Punk. He passed the mic to his leader, but Serena took it and told the fans to show Punk some respect. She called Punk the perfect man and she said that the audience needs to be saved and to listen to Punk. Punk finally took the mic from here and began his sermon.

He started by chastising the city of Vegas, which you'd expect. He talked about the excesses that Las Vegas represents and said the fans watching on TV should count themselves lucky that they're not in that city. He finally turned his attention to Mysterio, saying Wrestlemania was supposed to be where he saved Mysterio. Whether Rey knows it or not, he needs the Straight Edge Society, according to Punk. He asked Rey for a re-match and said he was willing to put his hair on the line if that's what it takes. He said if he loses, he'll cut his hair.

- Jack Swagger's Championship Address is still to come.

[Commercial Break]

4 - MICHELLE MCCOOL & LAYLA vs. TIFFANY & BETH PHOENIX

Vickie Guerrero came to the ring with team LayCool. McCool backed Tiffany into the corner, then shoved her. Drop-toe hold by Tiffany, then an atomic drop. Tiffany tried a monkey flip out of the corner, but McCool just dropped her face-first on the mat. Take-down by McCool, who then slammed Tiffany's head into the mat several times. Tag to Layla, and they sent Tiffany face-first with a double-team stroke-like move. They counted to three then said "sorry Tiffany" before they did it too. That was clever. Layla applied a rear chin-lock. Tiffany got to her feet and flipped Layla forward. She made the tag to Beth, who gave a beating to Layla, which included the vaunted airplane spin. Beth knocked Michelle off the apron, then dodged a spin kick from Layla, finishing her with the Glam Slam.

WINNERS: Phoenix and Layla, at 3:07. Fine for what it was. Building more toward Beth vs. McCool, which should be decent.

- Teddy Long was shown watching the proceedings on a monitor backstage. Chris Jericho walked up to him and demanded Long reverse the decision and give him back the World Title. Long said he wouldn't do that. He asked if Jericho wanted a re-match tonight, but Jericho cited injured ribs as a way to get out of it. Long said he's got nothing else to talk with Jericho about then. Jericho said Swagger would not get away with this.

[Commercial Break]

- Striker hyped WWE.com, your resource for all things Wrestlemania XXVI.

- Grisham and Striker talked about Mr. McMahon vs. Bret Hart from 'Mania, and they showed stills of the match.

- Josh Mathews was backstage with a "jubulant" Hart Dynasty. Pretty sure that's not a word, Josh. Each member of the Dynasty talked briefly about carrying on the tradition of the Hart Dynasty and really making an impact. Jack Swagger walked into the screen and stood in front of them, holding up his World Title. And that was it.

- Kane came out. He got the mic and said he was getting bored and frustrated. A frustrated monster is not good for anyone. He said he needed to take his frustrations out on someone, and the more the better. He said he'd take on the entire NXT roster, all eight of them. They all came out - the match is next.

[Commercial Break]

5 - KANE vs. THE NXT ROSTER

The bell rang as soon as they came back from break. Daniel Bryan started the match and got caught on a cross-body attempt. Low dropkick by Kane and Bryan tagged out. Darren Young didn't fare much better, getting hip-tossed into the corner. Wade Barrett stole a tag from Justin Gabriel and wanted to try his hand. He showed some fight with rights in the corner. He hit the ropes and Kane hit him with a big boot. That finished off Barrett and apparently this is an elimination match. They went to break after Barrett's elimination, about 3:00 in.

[Commercial Break]

Skip Sheffield was the next shown to tangle with Kane. He did not have any more success. Heath Slater tagged himself in but came off the top and into a chokeslam. Slater eliminated at about 8:22. Michael Tarver came in and was thrown over the top rope. David Otunga stepped into the ring, then stepped back out. The rest of the rookies huddled at ringside to decide what they'd do. Looks like they decided to all attack him. They surrounded the ring and went after him. Kane fought them off at first, but the numbers game got to him. The ref called for the bell to disqualify the rookies.

WINNER: Kane, via DQ, at 9:25. Kane got to eliminate a few guys to keep his heat.

The rookies hit Kane with their finishers after the match, including a splash by Sheffield, a dropkick off the top by Bryan and a 450 splash from Gabriel. Kane didn't sell for too long, as he tried to chase the rookies up the ramp and to the back.

- They again showed what happened earlier tonight when Jack Swagger cashed in his MITB contract and won the World Title. They also showed Jericho throwing around some stuff at ringside in anger.

- Swagger's State of the Championship Address is next.

[Commercial Break]


- Jack Swagger came out for his State of the Championship Address. He came out with a folder and said this is the first of many addresses he'll be giving. He said he prepared a few statments for the ocassion. He congratulated the fans on being a part of history and saying tonight could be the apex of their lives. When the fans booed, he said he'd be champion for a very long time, so they should give him respect by staying silent until the speech is over. He went over his resume as the crowd drowned him with boos. He said there could've been 100 men in the MITB match, he still would've won. He called himself the replacement for Shawn Michaels as the greatest living wrestler on the planet. Great line. Chris Jericho's music interrupted before Swagger could get any further.

Jericho looked like he was about to cry. He told Swagger to give the belt back to him and acted quite desperate trying to peel the belt off Swagger's waist. Jericho said he was the champion, not Swagger. He said Swagger committed the greatest crime in WWE history by stealing that title from him. Jericho called Swagger lucky for him being injured tonight, because when he's healthy, he'll take that belt back. Edge then came out to further complicate things.

Swagger went to ringside as Edge and Jericho held court in the ring. Edge said if Swagger wants to show what kind of champion he is, he'll face him. He said Swagger wouldn't be champion if it weren't for him. Jericho said he has no right to request that match because Jericho beat Edge at 'Mania. Edge countered wtih saying he hit Jericho with the two spears that caused him to be an ex-champion. Teddy Long came out to hopefully provide some levity to the situation. Long said that Jericho has a re-match, but doesn't want it. Edge wants a re-match, but doesn't have one. So, next week, Jericho will face Edge, with the winner getting a shot at Swagger. Edge liked the sound of that, but Jericho didn't. Swagger hopped up on the apron, which distracted Edge. Jericho gave Edge the Codebreaker, but Swagger came in and gave both men a Swagger Bomb. The show ended with Edge and Jericho down and Swagger standing in mid-ring with the belt over his shoulder.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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