By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

WWE Smackdown review
April 9, 2010
Taped 4/6/10 in Chicago, Ill.
Aired on MyNetwork TV
By Greg Parks, PWTorch Columnist


- WWE Open.

- Clips aired of last week’s opening interview with Chris Jericho, followed by his interaction with Edge and his Championship loss to Jack Swagger.

- Smackdown Open.

- Tony Chimel introduced the new World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger. He’s in his wrestling gear, too. Todd Grisham plugged Chris Jericho vs. Edge for an opportunity to face Swagger at Extreme Rules later on in this show. Swagger said that he shocked the world last week by becoming World Champion. He said it doesn’t matter who wins between Jericho and Edge tonight, as he’s the odds-on favorite to walk out of Extreme Rules as champion. He said that being champion suits him. Swagger said there isn’t a WWE Superstar who can stop his momentum. That’s usually a cue for someone else to come out, but no one did. He once again mentioned Shawn Michaels’ retirement, saying he should be now known as the best pure competitor in WWE with Michaels gone. Then John Morrison’s music interrupted the promo and Morrison came out. Apparently, he’s Swagger’s opponent tonight.

Morrison questioned Swagger’s line where he said he deserved to be champion. Morrison said Swagger simply got lucky one night, and he didn’t look like a champion on Monday. They rolled footage of Swagger losing to Randy Orton on Monday night. Morrison said he looks like the same old Jack Swagger to him. Morrison made fun of Swagger’s speech impediment, and Swagger denied he had one. Swagger said Morrison’s only claim to fame is living in the shadow of The Miz, saying he’s jealous of his accomplishments. Morrison said he’s right…but at least he doesn’t have a speech impediment. Swagger tried to charge at Morrison, but Morrison threw him out of the ring. Swagger landed on his feet and had a temper tantrum. Still not digging them making fun of Swagger’s lisp. The one-on-one match between the two is next.

[Commercial Break]

1 – JACK SWAGGER vs. JOHN MORRISON

They tried to pass off Morrison making fun of Swagger’s lisp as “getting inside his head.” Quick pinfall for a two-count by Morrison, as the match was joined in progress. Swagger managed to slam Morrison to the mat, and both men were down. He started wrestling with Morrison on the mat, with a rear waist-lock. Morrison ducked two clotheslines, but fell victim to a knee-lift. Referee Jack Doan (named by Grisham) brought in a trainer to wipe some blood from the side of Swagger’s face. I didn’t even really notice it. It also caused Morrison to have to sell the knee-lift longer than normal. Another slam by Swagger, this time for two. Body-scissors from Swagger in an attempt to continue to wear down Morrison. To the top rope, where Swagger grabbed Morrison in a front-facelock. He knocked Swagger off the ropes, but Swagger leapt back up and took Morrison down with an overhead throw. Vader bomb, but Morrison got the knees up. Morrison got to a vertical base and began his comeback. Corner charge by Swagger missed and Morrison connected on a Flying Chuck kick. “It’s over here!” pronounced Grisham, so you knew it wasn’t. And it wasn’t. Moonlight Drive reversed and Swagger hung Morrison up gut-first onto the top rope. Gutwrench powerbomb, but Morrison slid out, landing hard on the mat. Swagger went for a pin and got two. Looked like Morrison was supposed to land safely there. Knee to the face by Morrison, who tried the Starship Pain. Swagger got out of the way and Morrison landed on his feet. The champ took a breather on the outside and Morrison went to the apron. Swagger tripped him, and Morrison fell back-first to ringside. Ouch. He put Morrison back in the ring and the Friday Night Delight seemed out of it. Gutwrench powerbomb was hit and Swagger got the win.

WINNER: Swagger, 9:08 shown. Solid enough match with a few hiccups (the blood, Morrison’s botched counter to the first gutwrench).

- Tonight: CM Punk will convert his NXT Rookie, Darren Young, to the Straight-Edge Lifestyle.

- Also, Jericho and Edge will square off in a #1 Contender’s Match.

[Commercial Break]

- Chris Jericho was backstage, ranting to his NXT Rookie Wade Barrett. Barrett promised he’d be #1 in the NXT rankings. Jericho said he should still be champion, and he’ll be #1 again soon enough. Swagger walked in and said he was pulling for Jericho tonight. He admitted that the only reason he cashed in his MITB against Jericho was because Jericho was hurt and it would be a sure thing. Jericho again tried to grab his title away from Swagger, but it didn’t work. Jericho attempted to convince Swagger that he wasn’t championship material, but Swagger pointed to the title as proof that he was.

- Shad Gaspard came out, still with the Cryme Tyme music. Shad had the guys in the truck play his attack on JTG from last week. Shad said that was “all me.” His said some people can relate to him wanting proper respect. But there’s always someone getting all the attention, when you’re getting none. I didn’t see JTG getting any more attention than Shad. He told the fans they need to be more like him: Stand up, break out, and take what you deserve. Shad told the fans not to let people like JTG stand in your way. He said, “this ain’t no Cryme Tyme….this is my time.” JTG ran out to the ring to attack his former partner, but Shad fled the ring. JTG followed him out, only to be greeted by a big boot that sent him to the arena floor. “It’s my time!” shouted Shad at his former partner. They showed a replay, then showed Shad walking up the ramp and to the back.

[Commercial Break]

- Drew McIntyre came out for a match. They showed clips of him attacking Matt Hardy before their match last week. Mac had the mic, but took his time before speaking. He ended up saying nothing more than “I’m not going to waste my breath on you people.”

2 – DREW MCINTYRE vs. MATT HARDY

Hardy started off with right hands to the core of McIntyre. The two began brawling on the mat as the referee tried to separate them. McIntyre kicked Hardy to allow him some room, and that was all he needed to take over on offense. Hardy got his feet up on a charge by McIntyre, then clotheslined Mac off the second rope to garner a two-count. Hardy ended up clotheslining McIntyre over the top rope, and Hardy tumbled over with him. They went to break about 2:00 in.

[Commercial Break]

Hardy was shoved into the barricade during break, and McIntyre was working on his head and neck back in the ring. McIntyre got Hardy up for a back suplex, and gently dropped him on the back of his head on the top turnbuckle. The beating was so severe that Striker suggested the referee consider stopping the match. Another rear chin-lock by McIntyre. The referee backed McIntyre away so he could check on Hardy’s condition. Matt got to his feet and McIntyre gave him one stiff right hand to send him back down. Side Effect out of nowhere for a two-count by Hardy. Another one set McIntyre up to receive a second-rope leg-drop. Only two after that, however. Hardy countered a suplex and kicked McIntyre out of the ring. The fight went to the outside and both men ended up down after Hardy bounced his head off the apron with an assist from the IC Champ. McIntyre set up, then connected on his finisher on the outside. He shoved Hardy into the ring and picked up the win.

WINNER: McIntyre, at 10:15. Solid win for McIntyre. The finish was a bit similar to the first match, but a surprisingly nice match.

- Darren Young’s head-shaving is next. He was shown backstage, happy at first, but then he went into a “looking up and pondering the future” look. He’s got to work on that.

[Commercial Break]

- The Straight Edge Society came out, with Darren Young. Crowd was chanting “you suck” before Punk even got the mic. And in his hometown! Serena called them sinners and they cheered. She told the fans to find Straight Edge through Punk’s grace. She said the fans can better their worthless lives if they listen up. Luke Gallows said he realized Straight Edge was his destiny in and through C.M. Punk. Punk said there was a time when Luke and Serena were as weak and powerless as everyone in the crowd. He said he came along, and their lives changed forever. Haha, he said “betwixt!” Beat that, Jericho! Punk said that they now live in the Straight Edge Society. He said he sees loneliness and despair looking into Darren Young’s eyes. Punk said people who supported Young in NXT have fallen to the wayside, because he’s on the verge of being eliminated, and in dead-last. Punk said he was there in spirit when Young won his first match this past week and tonight, he’s giving Young a choice.

Gallows set the chair up in the middle of the ring. Young sat right down. He talked about the crooked path Young has been on, and how his hair represents his weakness. “All I ask is that you accept me as your savior.” Well, when you put it that way…. . No more late night partying, Punk told Young. “What it means is not being a loser anymore,” he told Young. Punk said Young’s hair has been mired and filthed-up by the fans and their civilization. He asked Young if he was ready to make the sacrifice and accept Straight Edge into his heart. He asked Young to raise his hand, “touch the stars,” and welcome to the first day of the rest of his life. Then, Young put his hand down. He stood up, took the mic and said he changed his mind. Big pop for that, but some boos. Punk got in his face for that comment, but Young shoved him to the ground. Of course, Gallows went after him and held him back while Punk kicked away at him. Even Serena got a shot in. As Punk was about to shave Young, Rey Mysterio came out. He took the fight to Punk and Gallows. The two faced off in the ring. They both eyed the razor on the other side of the ring at the same time. They both went after it, and Mysterio dropkicked Punk out of the way. He set Punk up to get shaved, only for Serena to pull him out of the ring at the last minute. Good timing on that and it looked difficult to pull off. Rey got the mic and accepted Punk’s proposal for a match at Extreme Rules, where Punk would allow for his hair to be cut if he lost. Mysterio promised to put an end to the Straight Edge Society. Really good segment, but unfortunately, they seemed to waste the “first person rebuking Punk,” as that took a back-seat to the Extreme Rules match between Rey and Punk.

- Still to come: Jericho vs. Edge, winner faces Jack Swagger at Extreme Rules for the World Title.

[Commercial Break]

- As they showed some video of Chicago, Striker enlightened us as to how Chicago got the nickname, “The Second City.”

3 – CAYLEN CROFT & TRENT BARRETA vs. THE HART DYNASTY

Before the match, Croft got the mic and introduced the Hart Dynasty to their opponents: The Dudebusters. They have skills: Barreta beat Call of Duty 4 in one day. And Croft hit 12 3-pointers in a row in Barreta’s driveway….blindfolded. Croft told the fans to write down their names and Barreta said the Dudebusters would change our lives.

Kidd took Croft down with a shoulder tackle, then a snap suplex. Kidd tried to apply a Sharpshooter, but Croft kicked Kidd off and through the ropes. Barreta got some illegal offense in on the outside. Subtle dig by Striker saying Croft and Barreta don’t do some things that others do to make themselves look tough, like wearing Tapout t-shirts. Barreta came in and went on some offense, but Kidd flipped Barreta over his head and into the turnbuckle. He tagged David Hart Smith in, but the crowd didn’t seem pumped. They set up for their version of the Hart Attack, but Croft interfered, forcing Kidd to dropkick him. Tornado DDT by Barreta, but it was blocked and Smith landed an Alabama Slam. Sharpshooter by Smith for the submission victory.

WINNERS: Hart Dynasty, at 3:20. Seems like the Harts have fallen into a feud with the Dudebusters rather than Miz and Big Show.

- Josh Mathews was backstage with Dolph Ziggler. He asked Ziggler about beating The Great Khali with a sleeper last week. Ziggler told him: “It feels like this:” and applied the sleeper to Mathews, putting him out. No shooting on Ziggler from Mathews, with his two matches of experience.

[Commercial Break]

- Striker thanked Saliva for “Time to Shine,” the official Extreme Rules theme.

- The announcers talked on camera about Ziggler’s attack on Mathews, then they turned their attention to Raw before throwing it to a Raw Rebound.

- Grisham and Striker previewed the three matches thus far announced for Extreme Rules.

- Edge was getting ready in his locker room when Swagger walked in and said he was pulling for Edge tonight. He said if he were to face Edge at Extreme Rules, he’d put Edge back on the shelf. Edge said Swagger reminds him of him when he cashed in his MITB the first time: He was cocky, and it cost him, as he only held the belt for three weeks. Edge said he’d beat Swagger with the Spear at Extreme Rules. He repeated it, this time pronouncing it “thpear.” Come on, can’t they think of anything else to make fun of Swagger about?

[Commercial Break]

4 – CHRIS JERICHO vs. EDGE – WINNER FACES JACK SWAGGER FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT EXTREME RULES

Edge dodged a Jericho charge and sent him over the top rope and to the outside. Jericho was holding his ribs, which were still taped, as they went to break about a minute in.

[Commercial Break]

Back to the match, Jericho was taken down with a drop-toe hold and Edge splashed him with Jericho’s throat across the second rope. Jericho powered out of a pin attempt. Edge stretched Jericho’s ribs by pinning up against the ring post and pulling back on his arms and legs. Jericho fired back with a springboard dropkick, sending Edge off the apron and to the arena floor. Swagger was shown watching the match on a monitor backstage. Jericho was now in control and landed a back suplex for two. Edge regained control with right hands to the injured ribs. That didn’t last long though as Jericho clotheslined Edge down. A couple lucky near-falls from Edge on roll-ups, but he couldn’t sustain the momentum. Jericho baseball slid Edge out of the ring. Match continues after break.

[Commercial Break]

Jericho was still in control out of break. He even did some trash-talking to Edge, pulling the hair while doing so. He kicked Edge back out of the ring. Jericho was even confident enough at this point to jaw with the fans as well. Snap-mare out of the corner, into a rear chin-lock. Edge fired back with a few clotheslines and a flapjack. Impaler DDT for two by Edge. Jericho came back with a face-buster, but he couldn’t go for a cover. Lionsault, but Jericho stopped short as Edge put his knees up. Walls of Jericho, but Edge made the ropes after some difficulty. Back to their feet, Edge booted Jericho down for two. Modified inside cradle for two. Code-Breaker was hit, but Edge fell out of the ring. Jericho, instead of taking a possible count-out, ran outside and threw Edge back into the ring. A pin attempt got two. Jericho yelled for Edge to “stay down” and started slapping him in the back of the head. Knee to the ribs and another DDT. Edge set up for the Spear, but Jericho leap-frogged it and left the ring. Edge wasted no time and sent Jericho into the barricade. Then OVER the barricade and into the crowd, where they continued fighting amongst the WWE Universe.

WINNER: Double count-out, at 19:09.

The two men continued fighting and finally Edge hopped the railing at ringside. But then he spotted Jericho in the crowd at the side of the ramp and pulled him back over. A whip into the stairs was reversed and Jericho sent Edge crashing into the steel. Jericho retrieved a steel chair, but as he went to swing, Edge speared him out of nowhere. He raised his arms, and Edge’s music played. “Who is the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship?” asked Grisham as they went off the air.

Greg Parks has been covering WWE 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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