By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
AUGUST 20, 2010
TAPED TUESDAY IN BAKERSFIELD, CALIF.
AIRED ON MY NETWORK

[Q1]

-After the Smackdown open, pyro blasted as Todd Grisham introduced the show. They showed a freeze-frame of Kane standng over Rey Mysterio at Summerslam and the return of Undertaker from the casket. They hyped that Kane would explain why he did what he did later.

-Rey Mysterio came out to his full ring entrance. He said things didn't work out how he hoped at Summerslam, but he was relieved he didn't end up in the casket. He said it turns out Kane was lying about trying to find out the attacker of Undertaker, when all along he was running from his own guilt. Alberto Del Rio interrupted Rey. (Rey probably has a record for the highest percentage of his interviews being interrupted. Has he ever gotten to the end of a promo on his own?)

Del Rio said it was an honor to be in the ring with a Mexican idol such as Rey. He said they are both national icons. Del Rio talked about his royal bloodline coming from Kings. He said Rey's bloodlines are from the "horrible" streets of Tijuana and that Rey is like the little worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila. He patted Rey on the head patronizingly and called him a little joke of a man. He said by contrast he is rich and powerful. Mysterio fired back that his suit is nice, but his cufflinks are from a swap meet. They also broke into Spanish at times.


Del Rio got good heel heat. Rey said respect is earned in WWE, not demanded. Del Rio called Rey a peasant and said he will make Rey respect him. Rey challenged Del Rio to try to earn it in the ring later. Del Rio said he's stomp him like the cockroach he is. He then gave his signature wink at Rey. Rey punched him in the face and hit the 619. Rey returned to the back and Del Rio fumed in the ring.

[Q2]

-A Cody Rhodes grooming tip vignette aired where he rubbed facial cream on his face. The music start to finish on these segments is hard to take. The theme sounds like a bad '80s movie soundtrack.

1 -- DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- Intercontinental Title Match

Striker said he's rooting for Ziggler. Grisham couldn't have sounded less invested in what was going on when he said the IC Title was on the line in this match. It was like he was engaging in a disinterested rehearsal of voiceover work, not trying to convey the excitement and prestige of a title match on television. Ziggler knocked Kofi to the floor at 3:00. They cut to a break. [c] Ziggler had Kofi in a chinlock after the break. They showed a clip of Vickie grabbed Kofi's legs from ringside causing a distraction that Ziggler took advantage of. At 9:00 Kofi made a comeback with Thesz Press, which Striker called a Kingston Press. Kingston hit a Pele Kick in the corner, then climbed to the top. Vickie shoved him off the top rope. The ref DQ'd Ziggler as a result.

WINNER: Kingston via DQ in 9:00 so Ziggler retained the IC Title.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Not much spark in this one.

[Q3]

-Afterward Kingston confronted Vickie. She tried to talk her way out of it. She taunted him with her power and laughed maniacally, then Ziggler gave him a running knee from behind. Ziggler brought Kingston into the ring and hit a Zig Zag. Then he applied his sleeper. Striker said, "When Vickie smiles, it's like a little sun coming out." With Kingston knocked out, Ziggler measured and then stomped on his face with his boot. That looked nasty on replay.

-Grisham plugged Rey vs. Del Rio. [c]

-The Summerslam weekend video package aired.

-Backstage LayCool talked about whether G.M. Teddy Long would punish them for what they did to Melina at Summerslam. They hatched a secret plan that nobody could know about. When they left the room, though, Hornswoggle revealed that he was hiding in a planter. Does he hang out in locker rooms for weeks at a time hoping to overhear a secret plot, or did he just luck into this one. That's a little too stupid to be funny for anyone over age 9.

-They showed Grisham and Striker at ringside who recapped the return of Undertaker at Summerslam with still shots. Grisham said Taker was in an "obviously weakened state." Grisham said they hoped to find out Kane's explanation for what he did to Undertaker later.

-Backstage Luke Gallows told Serena and Mercury that he's not ready to face C.M. Punk again after he walked out on them at Summerslam. Mercury said they'd never do it to him. Serena said he was just testing them. Serena said tonight they'd prove they deserve Punk's admiration. She said she's been training for months and is ready for a match. Punk walked in and said nobody is deserving of his admiration. He said he happened to watch Raw on Monday and what The Nexus did peaked his interest. He told Gallows and Serena that if they lose to Big Show & Kelly Kelly later, they're out of the Straight Edge Society. Grisham said the stakes are high next. [c]

[Q4]

-WWE Fact: Last Sunday, "WWE Summerslam" was the no. 1 search return on Google.

2 -- LUKE GALLOWS & SERENA (w/Mercury) vs. THE BIG SHOW & KELLY KELLY

When Grisham said WWE surpassed 1 million fans on Facebook, Striker said he doesn't like Facebook. Show fended off an early attack by Gallows, so Gallows quickly tagged in Serena. Kelly also tagged in. When Gallows tried to interfere at 3:00, Show knocked him to ringside and beat him up. Serena avoided the K2 legdrop and then finished Kelly with her with a gut-buster. Punk stepped onto the stage and applauded their victory. Punk hugged Serena.

WINNERS: Gallows & Serena in 3:00. [c]

-Kane stood in the ring with special effects on the mic making his laugh sound like it was coming from inside a dungeon. The lights in the arena were red. Kane said his favorite of the seven deadly sins was "the sin of pride." He said his big brother's pride weakened his powers over his decades of destruction. He said it was his pride that allowed him to put him in a vegetative state. He said he knew because of his pride he'd come back before he was ready, and he was able to drop him on his head at Summerslam. He asked him if he remembered how his downfall started. He said for years he was nothing more than some vague memory in the back of his mind. A clip aired of Kane with a mask walking to the ring with Paul Bearer. He said Undertaker wanted to keep him in his shadow forever. He said everything he did to him in those early years made him stronger and made his legend greater. He said when Taker set him on fire, he knew it was his efforts that pushed his darkside to the limit. "It took your little brother to separate you from your last vestiges of humanity," he said. "It was your most magnificent moment." He said that's when he realized what he had to do and his master plan was set in motion. He said with every victory his collection of souls grew, but so did his weaknesses. He said even in victory it was clear he was losing his grip.

[Q5]

Kane said when Taker forced him to remove his mask and show the world his true face was the day he unleashed the monster capable of finally ending his reign of darkness. He said, "When we met for the second time on the grandest stage of them all, the time was not right, but the plan continued to evolve." He said he positioned himself at his right hand so he could gain his confidence, but even then he watched and waited. He said their reunion was nothing more than a vehicle for his vengeance. He said he knew no matter how many times he was sent crashing down, he'd always get back up. He said his pride forced him to get back up. He said his pride is his undoing.

He said when he was allowing himself to be disgraced by those beneath him, he was biding his time and he knew his time had finally come the moment he showed Shawn Michaels an instant of mercy. He said he knew that moment that his plan that he hatched over a decade ago had finally come to fruition. He said he knew last Sunday when he saw that shadow of his former self rise up out of that coffin and he felt his weak grip on his throat, he knew it was over. He said he had his vengeance, which had alluded him for so long. He said the shadows in which he once labored at now cast upon him. He said his holy grail - said while patting the World Hvt. Title belt wrapped around his waist - is now his. He said they used to be called The Brothers of Destruction, but now he is nothing but the brother he destroyed.

He said for 15 years he dreamed of the day The Phenom would be no more. He said he relished the thought of being the dominant brother. He said he knew this day would come and he dedicated his life to making this moment reality. He said it's the moment his brother would be cast down with great vengeance and furious anger. He said he would replace him as the devil's favorite teammate. He threw down his arms and the flames shot up from the ringposts. [c]

[Q6]

3 -- CHRISTIAN vs. DREW MCINTYRE

Cody Rhodes joined Striker and Grisham at ringside. He wore a suit, then complained about a long black hair in Grisham's nose. He presented Grisham with a small grooming kit with cotton swabs. When Grisham asked if he could have some of that cucumber moisturizing cream, Cody said that was a little out of his price range. [c] At 9:00 Christian rallied and played to the crowd after stomping Drew in the corner. He hit a running basement dropkick to Drew's face. He flew off the top rope with a missile dropkick for a near fall. Drew avoided Christian's next top rope move. Cody said Christian ranks about two levels lower than his self-image. Christian set up the Kill Switch, but Drew escaped and then lifted Christian. Christian reversed the momentum and pinned Drew with a crucifix.

WINNER: Christian in 12:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2

-Afterward, Cody approached Christian at ringside. That distraction left Drew an opening to jump Christian. They double-teamed him with stomps in the ring. Matt Hardy charged to the ring and made the save despite wearing a special boot to protect his injured ankle. The heel duo removed the boot and stomped away at his ankle. This apparently sets up Hardy being off the active roster for a while due to a Wellness Policy violation.

-Grisham hyped Del Rio vs Rey up next.

[Q7] [c]

-Backstage they joined Jack Swagger in the middle of a rant about how bad his summer has been, how he started as champion and ended not even part of Summerslam. MVP walked up to him to accept his loss and move on. MVP said he probably is better than him at some things, but lately the only thing he's good at is his incessant whining. Swagger said he's better than MVP in every way. He challenged him to a shootout. They agreed if Swagger won, he gets to host the MVP Lounge. If MVP wins, Swagger has to pay for his end of a big summer bash.

-Grisham threw to the Raw Rebound.

-Backstage Long told Kane that he has it on good authority that next week his brother Undertaker is returning to Smackdown. The crowd popped. Kane said next week Smackdown will be hell on Earth. [c]

[Q8]

-An ad aired for the 900th episode of Raw a week from Monday.

4 -- ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. REY MYSTERIO

Del Rio's own personal Latino ring announcer introduced him. He then drove into the entrance area in a fancy car. He walked to the ring as if he was royalty. Striker talked about Del Rio's royal lineage. Grisham said Del Rio won the gold medal at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Greco Roman wrestling. Del Rio got in early offense, but then Rey knocked him to the floor at 2:00. They cut to a break. [c] Striker said he didn't know what to expect from Del Rio in the ring, but what he's now seeing is a star. Del Rio then missed a top rope senton splash. Rey went for a 619 at 8:00, but Del Rio blocked it. Rey climbed the top rope, but Del Rio knocked him off the top rope. Rey sold an arm injury after landing. Del Rio smiled and gave Rey a boot to the face. He then applied a cross armbreaker and got a sudden tapout. He cranked on it a few times more before releasing, then he celebrated. Then he reapplied the cross armbreaker again. Rey yelled in agony.

WINNER: Del Rio in 11:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Okay debut for Del Rio. With Rey needing time off, this was smart booking to give Del Rio a win over a big name. He carries himself in the ring in a way that matches his persona.

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