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KELLER'S WWE SMAKDOWN REPORT
JULY 31, 2009
TAPED IN BALTIMORE, MD.
AIRED ON MY NETWORK TV

WHAT HAPPENED

-The show opened with clips of C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy from Night of the Champions including Punk trying to walk out on the match and then Hardy capturing the title. As tey showed the Swanton that won the match for him, they cut away to a few clips of his looks over the years in his WWE career, then cut back to the Swanton landing and him scoring the three count.

-Jeff Hardy was introduced and made his way to the ring to his music. Jim Ross and Todd Grisham talked about Hardy's title win as Hardy slapped hands with fans. Grisham plugged that Hardy would be facing John Morrison in a World Title match in the TV main event. He said he's not dreaming, then thanked his fans. He turned to Punk, saying fans are sick of being force-fed his point of view. He said Teddy Long has given Punk a rematch. He said he can have it anytime he wants it against whomever is champion at that time. He then paid tribute to his scheduled opponent tonight, John Morrison. He added: "I want you to get ready. This man has beaten C.M. Punk twice. You might be in for one of the most breath-taking, amazing, death-defying main events in Smackdown history." Cryme Tyme walked out to their intro music and joined Hardy as they cut to a break. [c]

-A clip aired of Cryme Tyme's match on Raw with Chris Jericho, Big Show, and Shaq involved.

(1) Cryme Tyme defeated The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd w/Natalya) in 9:00. Ross said there's been a nice rivalry that's developed between these two teams in recent weeks. He talked up Smith being the son of "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Kidd avoided a tag request by Smith early in the match under the guise of encouraging Smith. Kidd then blind-tagged himself in seconds later and caught Shad from behind. Blind tags is the new thing going around in WWE these days. It must one of the producer's pet ideas right now. Smith whipped Shad into the ringside steps. He sold it like he was being electrocuted. They cut to a break. [c] J.T.G. battled Kidd after the break at a nice pace. When Smith interfered, Shad leaped off the ring apron with a clothesline. J.T.G. scored a near fall, meanwhile, with a schoolboy on Kidd. He then gave him the Shout Out for the clean win. Cryme Tyme thus earned the SummerSlam tag team title shot because of this win, which Ross called their "biggest victory ever." Better than average TV tag match. Only six out of nine minutes aired, but it was all good. (**1/4)

As Cryme Tyme celebrated, the Jeri-Show entrance music played and Big Show and Chris Jericho walked onto the stage dressed for a wedding. Jericho mock applauded their win. He said they're now dealing with the most powerful duo in sports today with a combined 40 titles between them. Shad said what he sees when he looks at them is Hans Solo and Chewbacca. He then spoke Wookiee. Jericho asked him if he thinks this is some kind of joke. J.T.G. said the joke is that when Shaq was around, he didn't have much to say. He called him Christina again and then blew Show a kiss, courtesy of Shaq. Shad said they'll be leaving SummerSlam with the tag team championships. Show finally spoke and said the only reason those two are running their mouths is because he's allowing them to do so. He said they're used to having gold around their wastes. Show touted Jericho's four world title reigns. He said he's the only man in history to have held the ECW, WCW, and the WWE world championship. "And not only that, I'm a giant, which means I'm bigger than all of you, and yes, that means I am better tan all of you." The fans booed. Jericho told him to enjoy their party "with all of these criminals here tonight," because the party ends for them at SummerSlam. [c]

Ross plugged the "scintillating main event" of Hardy vs. Morrison later.

(2) Eve Torres & Melina beat Michelle McCool & Layla in 4:00. After Melina did the splits, Ross said he wished he could do that. Eve and McCool battled at ringside with McCool getting the better of it with a kick to her face. Layla then tagged McCool, but when McCool lifted her for the Faith Breaker, Melina reversed her and powerbombed her for the win. (*)

Josh Matthews interviewed Punk backstage, introducing him as the former champion. Matthews asked if it's true he said earlier in the locker room Hardy's win was an upset. Punk said where he comes from it was an upset. He said the better man can't be someone who lives the lifestyle Hardy lives. Punk was at his sanctimonious best here.

They showed Dolph Ziggler kissing Maria's hand backstage. Then he headed toward the entrance tunnel. [c]

Ring entrances took place for the tag team match. Then they cut to another break a few minutes before the top of the hour. [c]

(3) Rey Mysterio & Finlay defeated Dolph Ziggler & Mike Knox when Rey pinned Ziggler in 9:00. Knox hit Rey with a nasty flying crossbody block early after getting a tag from Ziggler. At 2:00 Rey hot-tagged Finlay. The heels tagged in and out and controlled Finlay during the body of the match.

HOUR TWO

At 7:00 Finaly hot-tagged Rey who went to work on Ziggler. He pummeled Ziggler with a flurry of offense. He hit a nice springboard dropkick for a two count. Rey connected with a 619 and then splashed Ziggler, but Knox made the save and threw Rey out of the ring. Finlay clotheslined Knox out of the ring. Ziggler went after Finlay, but Rey re-entered the ring. Finlay elbowed Ziggler as Rey rolled him up for the pin. The beginning and end were good, but the bulk of the middle with Finlay was pretty bland. (*1/2)

Matthews interviewed Morrison backstage regarding his match with Punk in the main event. He congratulated Hardy on becoming World Champion. He said tonight he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He had a nervous laugh at the very end and lost his steam. He seemed almost ready to call for a second take at the very end because he stumbled over his final line. Otherwise, good. [c]

WWE Fact: More males (under 65) watched SmackDown last Friday than any show on ABC, NBC, Fox, or CBS.

(4) Dolph Ziggler (w/Ranjin Singh) beat Charlie Haas. Khali chopped away at Haas early. When Haas down in the corner, Kane entered the ring from behind. When Khali turned toward Kane, Kane bailed out and went after Singh. Khali pursued Kane, who tossed Singh aside. He then went to check on Singh as Kane retreated up the ramp. [c]

The Raw Rebound aired focused on Shaq.

John Morrison's ring intro took place. [c]

(5) Jeff Hardy defeated John Morrison. They left a lot of time for this match, as Morrison's ring intro took place 18 minutes into the second hour. The match actually began, though, with 30 minutes left in the show. Hardy was wearing hot pink sleeves. After some slow build with matwork, Morrison catapulted Hardy over the top rope to the floor, then gave him a springboard Asai moonsault. They cut to a break with Hardy down and Morrison celebrating. [c] Back from the break, Morrison had Hardy down with a headlock. Morrison set up Starship Pain, but Hardy avoided it, but Morrison landed on his feet. Hardy, though, landed Whisper in the Wind for a two count at 8:00. Ross talked about how title matches "back in the day" were two-out-of-three falls, so you could afford to make a mistake. (That was back before top wrestlers hated doing extra jobs the context of going to a third fall.) Morrison came back and hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. He hit more near falls and Grisham wondered if Hardy was second-guessing his decision to defend his title just five days after Night of Champions. Ross corrected Grisham nicely, saying it wasn't Hardy's decision, but rather G.M. Teddy Long's call. [c]

After a second commercial break, Morrison had the advantage until Hardy reverse-whipped Morrison into the ringside barrier at 17:00. Hardy then leaped off the ringside steps and dove at Morrison. Ross asked what Hardy was thinking. Grisham said, "Crash and burn." No, crash and burn is when a moves goes wrong, so Hardy wasn't thinking crash and burn, he was thinking launch and land safely without the crashing and burning. Morrison hit a springboard roundkick for a believable near fall at 20:00. Hardy made a comeback and hit a Swanton Bomb for a near fall. The crowd was into the near falls, but cheering for the action more than either wrestler. Ross said he wasn't sure if he's ever seen anyone kick out of the Swanton Bomb. Morrison came back and went for Starship Pain, but Hardy lifted his knees. Hardy then gave Morrison a Twist of Fate followed by another Swanton for the win. Very good TV match. Missing a little something to get it to four stars, including a sense that Morrison could win and any back story between the wrestlers. (***1/2)

Afterward Punk walked out to his music and raised the arm of a leery Hardy, then encouraged the fans to cheer him. Then he grabbed the house mic and the crowd fell mostly silent. Punk began to talk, but then hit Hardy in the head with the mic out of nowhere, his most blatantly heel move to date. He threw Hardy to the floor threw him around. Punk seemed like he was done with the beating, but then went back after Hardy. Ross declared "enough is enough" and was at his maximum outrage level. They showed a woman in the crowd looking on disgusted with Punk. Punk threw Hardy into the announce table area and then walked to the stage. He then closed with: "I want everybody all over the world to tune in to Smackdown next week because that's when I'm going to take my World Heavyweight Title back." During the replay of the attack, Grisham said it was hard to watch again and Punk really showed his true colors.

THOUGHTS, OBSERVATIONS, NITPICKS

-HARDY INTRO: The video package at the start was nicely done. The footage of him early in his career was a good touch to show how long his voyage has been... Sometimes WWE makes getting a world title shot seem like such a big deal, such as at the Royal Rumble or via no. 1 contender's matches, but then there are times like this week where it seems world title shots are a dime a dozen when Morrison gets one without a real backstory to justify him being given such a supposedly precious opportunity on a random TV show... It was a good idea to say Punk was given a rematch anytime he wants against whoever the champion is, giving the impression Hardy wasn't taking for granted victory over Morrison later in the show...

JERI-SHOW AND CRYME TYME: After a good tag match, the promo with Cryme Tyme and Jeri-Show was well done. It's just nice to see (a) the tag team titles treated as something top names find worth fighting over and (b) it's nice to see top names such as Jericho and Show involved in a full-fledged rivalry with a mid-card act that benefits as a result. Cryme Tyme are also doing well on their promos without resorting to the "hey kids, stealing and petty crimes are totally cool!" aspects of their act...

MORRISON VS. HARDY: Slow opening few minutes, but it picked up nicely. Because of the format of WWE shows, any slightly experienced viewer knew this match was going to last 30 minutes, which took all of the drama out of the near falls at the 10 and 15 minute marks. It'd be a good idea for WWE to do one of the old tricks from the 1980s televised wrestling and talk about "a standby match should this match end early" and then occasionally have a main event end early and add the "stand-by match" at the end. It might make for a TV show that ends on less than an emotional climax, but it'd add credibility to near falls earlier in matches for months and even years to come if they did that now and then. The good part is that the TV time doesn't affect the live crowd's pops for near falls since they don't know "how much TV time is left" when they're watching at the tapings... Grisham compared Hardy's title defense to boxing, saying boxers often go six months between title defenses. It's interesting to hear WWE refer to boxing, but not MMA, when more viewers would probably relate to the MMA schedule at this point. It's also interesting to hear Grisham say Hardy defended the title in "less than seven days" after winning it rather than say specifically five days. Was he trying not to fib since Smackdown was taped two days after NOC, but aired five days after NOC... Before Hardy hit his match-ending Swanton Bomb, Morrison ever-so-slightly, yet annoyingly, shifted himself into "better position" to take the Swanton. That should be up to the wrestler executing the move because nothing breaks the suspension of disbelief more than a wrestler moving into position to take a move like that. Maybe it was subtle enough in this case so most didn't notice, but it probably caught some eyes. Considering he moved about two inches, it also seems totally unnecessary... Really good post-match beat-down by Punk on Hardy. Basic paint-by-numbers booking at its most effective and well-executed. Hardy took a great beating and Punk paced it well and expressed the right notes of emotion throughout...

OTHER THOUGHTS: Morrison stumbled at the end of his promo. He's still rough at times on the mic, but his issues are the type that experience should smooth out. He has the right kind of charisma on the mic and a unique cadence to his speaking that, when it comes together, can stand out in a good way... The Kane-Singh angle was the most basic of stuff, and hardly scintillating. Kane beating up Singh isn't exactly going to get him any heel heat because it's not as if Singh has exactly bonded with WWE fans in any way...

QUOTEBOOK

Jeff Hardy: "If this is a dream, don't wake me because I'm just chillin' in the ima-gin-na-tion, kickin' it Jeff Hardy style."

Jeff Hardy: "I would like to thank all the outcasts, all the rejects, all the freaks, all the people that have stood with me through thick and thin and always believed in what I stand for. Thank you."

Jeff Hardy: "If everyone in the world was just like C.M. Punk, what a boring world it would be. Hey, we're different. That's why this life is cool.

Jeff Hardy: "I can assure you the only thing I'm high on is being World Heavyweight Champion for you. I was born a free spirit and I've beat to my own drum ever since because I'm a human, you're all a human, and you have god-given right to live the way we choose and be who we want to be!"

Todd Grisham with TMI: "Layla and Eve Torres have certainly had their battles recently here on Smackdown. I still wake up at night thinking about the dance off they had."

C.M. Punk: "Some people say last Sunday he was the better man. I just have a hard time thinking that the better man lives the type of lifestyle Jeff Hardy lives. I can't really respect anybody who lives that type of lifestyle. The facts are I wish everybody was straight edge... This isn't be being preachy."

C.M. Punk: "Jeff likes to say he lives in the moment. I just want Jeff to know he should enjoy this moment because it's not going to last very long."

John Morrison: "Before he can have the picnic with his freaks on top of the mountain, he and I have a date with destiny."

Todd Grisham: "Great Khali's hands are the size of a laptop computer."

Todd Grisham: "We've seen world heavyweight champions boxers go five, six, seven months without a title defense. Jeff Hardy, less than seven days."

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