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KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
AUGUST 21, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO.
AIRED ON MY NETWORK TV

[Q1]

-The Smackdown opening aired, then Jim Ross and Todd Grisham introduced the show and hyped the six-man main event tag.

(1) Chris Jericho & The Big Show & Dolph Ziggler beat Rey Mysterio & Cryme Tyme when Ziggler pinned Rey in 15:00. With J.T.G. on offense against Ziggler at 5:00, they cut to a break. [c] Back from the break, Shad tagged in against Jericho. At 9:00 Show tagged in against J.T.G. and slapped him in the chest and drove him to the mat. He then wrestled him onto his side and J.T.G. didn't seem to know what was going on. Show leveraged him into an awkward position and chopped his chest a few more times.

[Q2]

At 12:00 J.T.G. finally hot-tagged Shad. Shad tagged in Rey and press dropped him into Jericho for a two count. A six-way brawl broke out. It settled on Rey and Jericho battling at 14:00. Rey hit the 619 which popped the crowd. Show, though, KO'd Rey from ringside with a right hand. Ziggler then scored the opportunistic three count. Ziggler celebrated like he just accomplished the win on his own one-on-one. (*3/4)

-A commercial aired hyping the broadcast network premiere of (an edited version) of WrestleMania 25. [c]

-They showed Grisham and Ross at ringside who wondered what Matt Hardy's agenda is. They threw to a video package on his unexpected return last week.

-Backstage Josh Matthews interviewed Hardy in a sitdown setting, asking him if he's had a change of heart. Matt said he was always a protector of Jeff. He said if anyone stepped on Jeff, they were stepping on him. Matthews said he tried to stop Jeff from winning the World Title all year. Matt said he wanted to be open and honest with everyone. He said it's tough going from being the older, more responsible, more competitive brother to seeing your younger brother win over a global audience. He said there's a competitive, nasty nature that surfaces. He said it created turmoil in his head. "Everything I did was a huge mistake," he said. "It was the biggest mistake I made in my entire life." He said he might not be big enough to forgive himself or even live with himself comfortably. He said Jeff has been willing to forgive him. He said they've decided to move on. He said tonight nothing will feel better than standing in a WWE ring alongside him once again. He said the Hardys are together again. Well-delivered and constructed promo. You come out of it with a feeling Matt's up to something, but you're not sure what, and he was just convincing enough there's even a chance you'd think he was sincere - a small chance.

[Q3] [c]

-A video package aired on the Kane-Great Khali saga.

-Kane entered the ring and said last week he proved there is only one dominant champion on Smackdown, and his name isn't The Great Khali. He said Khali's weakness is that he has compassion. Kane said he's never been afraid of Khali, but Khali better be afraid of him. Out walked Khali. Ross said he's not afraid of Kane. Kane grabbed a chair at ringside, but Khali swatted it away and beat on Kane. He stomped him in the corner. They're calling Ranjin Singh "Khali's brother" now. Kane retreated to the back. [c]

-WWE Fact: Last month WWE had more visitors than UFC.com, SI.com, NASCAR.com, NHL.com, and NFL.com.

-As Mike Knox made his ring intro, they showed an inset promo of Knox, wearing glasses and speaking like a college professor or coffee shop poetry reader. He said he knows what Finlay is going through, terrified and frozen. He said, "Don't worry, I'll move you." Ross said he'd enjoy dissecting a frog in biology class.

[Q4]

(2) Finlay beat Mike Knox via DQ in 5:00. Ross said they don't know much about Knox or what brought him to WWE. He said he apparently has studied pain. Grisham said he's "insanely intelligence," not to be confused with "controlled frenzy." Knox methodically beat on Finlay, giving him elbows to the kidney area and then a short-arm clothesline. At 3:00 Finlay made a comeback and out of nowhere hit the Celtic Cross for a convincing near fall. Knox mounted Finlay and pounded on him repeatedly. The ref made it to a five count while insisting Knox back off, and then he called for the DQ. Knox continued his attack afterward at ringside. He reached for the steps, but Finlay hit him with his shillelagh. Knox fired back with a kick to the chest and then shoved the top of the stairs at his head. Finlay went down. Knox smiled and walked away as Ross said he's a dangerous human being.

-They showed Jeff Hardy chatting backstage with John Morrison and Matt Hardy. Jeff then headed toward the entrance tunnel. Ross said he'd talk about tables, ladders, and chairs next. [c]

-They ring had tables ladders and chairs in and around it as Jeff walked out to his full ring intro including pyro. He slapped hands at ringside as his song played. He entered the ring after what seemed like twenty minutes and said he's pleased to say he and his brother are at peace. He said the Hardys made the TLC match famous. He said sometimes in life it's not fair, sometimes you're dealt a hand that's hard to play. He said doctors told him that at age 31 maybe it's time to retire before it's too late. He said he's never been one to follow doctor's orders and he doesn't plan on starting now. He climbed a ladder and told C.M. Punk there's no place to go and no time to plan. He said the space between the top of the ladder and the mat is his. He said he loves the sound of tables breaking and chairs crashing. He said it's going to take a lot more than a chair to stop him from competing at Summerslam in the TLC match. Punk's music played and he walked to the ring.

[Q5]

Punk said Jeff is probably drunk right now, just like all of the fans. The crowd cheered. Punk said, "Yeah, that's something to be proud of." He said the fans actually believe he can win at Summerslam. Hardy said he feels the same way. Punk said TLC may be his match, but it's his last match. He said he knows what he has to accomplish to get what he wants. He said he will take back his World Title at Summerslam and prove beyond a doubt that Straight Edge is the right way and it means he's better than him. He said he needs to beat him so the fans can begin to live in his reality instead of Jeff's moment of now. He vowed to hurt him at Summerslam and remove him the stain of his bad examples from WWE forever. Hardy said Punk can't destroy what he's created in his ten years in WWE. He said he will prove at Summerslam he is better than him at TLC. Punk said Jeff needs the fans to enable him and justify his reckless behavior. He harped on smoking, drinking, and use of prescription medication. Punk said Hardy thinks he can fly. Hardy said his spirit can fly. Punk said, "Let's find out." He tipped the ladder over, but Hardy landed on his feet and gave him a Twist of Fate. Hardy walked away from the ring as Punk winced in pain in the ring. Grisham said these two would be on opposite sides of a six-man tag later. [c]

[Q6]

(3) Maria & Melina defeated Natalya & Layla when Melina pinned Natalya in 3:00. Michelle McCool joined Ross and Grisham at ringside. During ring intros, McCool ripped on Maria's outfit. At 1:00 Melina shoved McCool at ringside. Layla jumped Melina from behind and took control of the match. Melina made a comeback and scored a pin on Natalya. (3/4*)

-They went to Slam Master J interrupting the Cryme Tyme & Eve segment defining the word "suspect." Slam Master gave CT a pep talk including computer images of Jericho in women's clothing and Big Show stuffing his mouth at a buffet. [c]

-Matthews interviewed Rey Mysterio backstage. He said Summerslam is taking place in Los Angeles, just a short drive from the 619. He said Ziggler has what it takes to be a champion, but he'll need to bring it to accomplish it.

-Grisham and Ross stood mid-ring and hyped Summerslam, beginning with hype for the return of DX. A video package aired on DX. Then they ran down the rest of the line-up.


[Q7]
-Punk's ring intro took place. They showed a clip from earlier of the Punk-Hardy confrontation. [c]

(4) John Morrison & Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy defeated Tyson Kidd & D.H. Smith & C.M. Punk when Matt pinned Punk in 16:00. Matt wrestled early in the match, seemingly way before his scheduled return from his injury. Jeff tagged in at 2:00 and clotheslined Punk to the floor. They cut to a break. [c]

[Q8]

The Hardys and Morrison dominated for a few minutes until Smith made a comeback against Morrison. Punk knocked Morrison to the floor where Smith gave him a running boot. They cut to another break at 7:00. [c] As Smith went on a flurry against Morrison, Ross noted that Smith doesn't say much, but he has a bona fide mean streak. At 12:00 Morrison hot-tagged Jeff who went to work on Kidd. Punk tagged in and went to work on Jeff a minute later, hitting a series of short rapid legdrops. Jeff tagged Matt in. When he scored a near fall on Punk, six-way chaos broke out. Morrison slingshot corkscrew dove onto Kidd and Smith on the floor. Meanwhile, Matt hit the Twist of Fate on Punk and scored the pin. The three winners celebrated together center-ring. Matt and Jeff hugged. The show ended with Jeff standing on the second rope holding his World Title belt in the air. (**1/2)

THOUGHTS, OBSERVATIONS, NITPICKS

THOUGHTS: Once again, the better of WWE's two main shows. A strong above-average main event, hampered only by the two commercial breaks knocking about seven minutes off of the match early in the first ten minutes. The Matt Hardy promo was well-delivered and found just the right balance between sincere and suspicious. C.M. Punk also delivered a strong promo, continuing to prove he's an effective heel on the mic with the perfect opponent to play off of. McCool is also effective at being a conceited heel. Mike Knox is intriguing and getting a deserved push.

QUOTEBOOK

C.M. Punk to Jeff Hardy: "What has living in the moment ever got you, Jeff? The adulation of these people? One brief moment of recognition?"

C.M. Punk: "I don't know what's more pathetic, all of these people hanging on your every word waiting for the next pitiful example for you to set that they can lead, or you and your egotistical addiction to their cheers and support and adulation."

C.M. Punk to Jeff Hardy: "I have to get rid of you to teach them to say Just Say No."

Michelle McCool: "The only thing worst than Maria's athleticism is that outfit she's got on."

Jim Ross on Layla and Maria: "If this were Jeopardy!, we'd be loaded with vowels."

Todd Grisham in response: "Isn't that Wheel of Fortune?"

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