WWE Smackdown review
February 4, 2011
Taped 2/1/11 in Long Island, NY
Aired on SYFY
By Greg Parks, PWTorch Columnist


- WWE Open.

- Smackdown Open.

- Fireworks shot off from the arena in Long Island as Josh Mathews opened the show by mentioning the Elimination Chamber PPV coming in a matter of weeks. Then they showed an image of Alberto Del Rio having won the Royal Rumble. There was a Wrestlemania piñata over the ring, sent to Long Island from Mexico for tonight’s celebration.

- The newest member of the Smackdown announce team was introduced: Booker T. He replaced Matt Striker on the broadcast. If Striker marked out at the Rumble for seeing Booker T, it’s a shame he can’t announce with him. Booker got in the ring and did a spinarooni. “Vinatage Booker T!” said Mathews.

- Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler came out just as Booker finished up. Mathews said Teddy Long is not doing well in his recovery from the mystery attack from two weeks ago. Vickie and Dolph got in the ring and said she has assembled qualifying matches to see who will be in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match for the World Title. Vickie also hyped the three-on-two handicap match for the World Championship tonight, in which Ziggler and LayCool will face Kelly Kelly and Edge. Vickie called Kelly a “tramp” and ordered her to come to the ring now. Finally, Kelly did so.

Guerrero said Kelly is the reason Ziggler is not the World Champ right now. Vickie said it would be easy just to fire Kelly, but, in the words of Stephanie McMahon, firing her would be too easy. Instead, Vickie wanted to make Kelly feel what it’s like to be the distraction to cost Edge his title tonight. Kelly said Vickie was trying to destroy her character, going through her stuff backstage and meddling in her personal life. Since when? Kelly said that maybe she could quit. Vickie called her a “little Barbie.” Kelly showed some fire on the mic, saying Vickie was a witch. Ziggler took over from here and said flat-out, Kelly was the reason he isn’t the World Champion. Ziggler cued up the still of Edge spearing him. Ziggler said Vickie can’t change the ref’s decision (hasn’t she done that before?), but he’ll get his revenge tonight. Ziggler said they had no more use for Kelly and told her to get out. She slapped Ziggler, then Vickie got in her face. Kelly shoved Vickie to the mat, bringing LayCool to the rescue. Then Edge ran out as LayCool laid the verbal smackdown on Kelly. Edge briefly attacked Ziggler, and everyone then dispersed with their respective teammates for later tonight. The camera picked up their reactions as they went to break.

[Commercial Break]

- The announcers were shown on camera, then they previewed the Handicap World Title match set for later tonight.

1- VLADIMIR KOZLOV & SANTINO MARELLA vs. HEATH SLATER & JUSTIN GABRIEL

Tamina accompanied the tag champs to the ring. As the champs came to the ring, they showed Randy Orton punting Husky Harris in the skull from Raw after the tag match. Kozlov kept Gabriel on the mat early on, but Gabriel rolled away and tagged Slater. Santino tagged in as well and took Slater down with a back-heel trip. Slater fired back with rights to the kidney area. Booker got the first Striker-ism of his new broadcast career, saying he’d been hearing about The Chaperone all over the social media networks and that it’s hot. Kozlov back in with a big kick to Slater’s chest. Big powerslam followed it up for two, with the count interrupted by Gabriel. After Kozlov kicked Gabriel out of the ring, Slater hit a reverse DDT then tagged Gabriel. That was a quick recovery. 450 splash connected for the pinfall win.

WINNERS: Gabriel and Slater, at 3:07. Sounds like Corre already has a slightly re-done theme song, and it’s not for the better. Good win for the Corre members.

- They focused on the piñata above the ring, previewing Del Rio’s celebration, still to come.

[Commercial Break]

2- KOFI KINGSTON vs. DREW MCINTYRE – ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFYING MATCH

Booker gave his strategy for the Chamber match, having been in the first Chamber match. McIntyre and Kingston went back and forth, with McIntyre getting the first real advantage. McIntyre with a bodyslam then a shoulder tackle. Kingston turned things around and began to work the arm. Kingston hit his flip kick in the corner, then clotheslined McIntyre over the top rope and to ringside. Kingston charged at McIntyre, who lifted Kingston up and brought him down chest-first onto the steel ring steps. Can Kofi recover?

[Commercial Break]

McIntyre went for a cover just after break. It only got two. McIntyre stretched out the mid-section of the Intercontinental Champion. Tilt-a-whirl gut-buster by Mac for two. Hard clotheslines to the throat in the corner by McIntyre. Standing dropkick by the Scot for a two-count. Kingston countered McIntyre for a DDT, but he couldn’t capitalize. He finally reached McIntyre for a pin, and Booker declared, “he got him.” Booker is learning quickly: McIntyre kicked out. Kingston hammered away at McIntyre in the corner and had to be restrained by the ref, which caused Michael Cole to lose it, saying he should’ve been disqualified. Boom Drop from Kofi. Trouble in Paradise swatted away and McIntyre grabbed the ropes. As Kingston tried to free McIntyre, Ricardo Rodriguez came on the Titan-Tron and introduced Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio smiled and winked, allowing McIntyre to take out Kofi’s knee and hit the Future Shock DDT to advance to the Chamber match.

WINNER: McIntyre, at 12:58. Is McIntyre in WWE’s good graces again? Hopefully Kingston gets a secondary match on the Chamber PPV. McIntyre got a lot of offense in this one.

- The three-on-two Handicap match was plugged again.

- The mysterious vignette from Raw aired. My money is on it being Percy Watson. I also bet on the Broncos for the Super Bowl.

[Commercial Break]

- Mathews thanked Finger Eleven for “Living in a Dream,” the official Royal Rumble theme.

- Photos from the Rumble are available exclusively on WWE.com.

3 – REY MYSTERIO vs. JACK SWAGGER – ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFYING MATCH

Cole announced that Cody Rhodes will be undergoing facial reconstruction surgery next week due to injuries suffered at the hands of Rey Mysterio. Mysterio kicked Swagger, getting Swagger angry. He charged at Mysterio and Mysterio low-bridged him out of the ring. They went to break under a minute in. Is that really necessary?

[Commercial Break]

Both men circled the ring after an apparent stalemate upon return from break. At least that’s a unique way to bring the show back. Bulldog by Rey for two. The announcers said Ziggler was automatically qualified for the Chamber match. Mysterio set Swagger up for the 619, but Swagger fled to ringside. Mysterio kicked him through the ropes and went for a springboard moonsault. Swagger tripped him up and twisted his leg in the ropes. Back in the ring, more work on the knee from Swagger. He even wrapped Mysterio’s knee around the ring post. At ringside, Mysterio grabbed at his knee. At the 7:00 mark, Swagger slammed Mysterio’s head into the announce table. He tossed Mysterio back in the ring and hit the Vader Bomb. The camera angle they had made the move look even more impressive. The leg of Rey continued to be the focal point of Swagger’s onslaught. Big beal out of the corner by Swagger, but he missed a second Vader Bomb at the 9:00 mark. Spinning DDT from Mysterio got him two. Swagger was set up for the 619, but Swagger caught Rey. He grabbed the ankle and applied the ankle-lock. Rey countered, sending Swagger head-first into the buckle. Swagger was dazed, and Mysterio kicked him in the shoulder, then rolled him up from behind for the win.

WINNER: Mysterio, at 10:20. A little better than the first Chamber qualifying match. Both had similar stories, with the heel working a specific body part for the middle portion of the match.

- They showed Edge and Alberto Del Rio’s skirmish from Raw, where Del Rio ended up hitting Edge in the arm with a guitar, then locking in his finisher.

- Del Rio’s fiesta is coming up tonight.

- Edge and Kelly were chatting backstage. Edge seemed resigned to the fact that he would lose his title tonight. Kelly accused him of not having faith in her. She brought up Drew McIntyre, and Edge wondered why she brought him up. She wanted to show Edge she could trust her not to lose the match for him tonight.

[Commercial Break]

- The announcers were again shown on-camera, with Cole ridiculing Jerry Lawler. They previewed the WWE Championship match.

- Hornswoggle and Rosa Mendes came out and were throwing free stuff to the fans. They were in the ring, which was readied for Del Rio’s celebration. Ricky Rodriguez came to the stage and introduced Del Rio. He drove out in a 2010 BMW convertible. How is Alberto going to top these cars for his Wrestlemania entrance? Hornswoggle and Mendes were still in the ring. Del Rio introduced himself to the crowd, as per his usual. He reiterated that it was his destiny to win the Rumble match this past Sunday, and to go on to Wrestlemania to win the World Heavyweight Championship. He said he planned to have his celebration later on, but when he saw Horny, he decided to come out right away. Del Rio said he had a present for the little man. He pointed to the piñata, which was filled with candies and toys. Holy cow, terrible jump cuts here as Del Rio pretended to not know where they were and ended up saying New Jersey. That was a TNA-level editing job there. Del Rio talked to Hornswoggle as if he were a small child. They blindfolded Hornswoggle and Rodriguez gave him the stick. Rodriguez twirled him around, but Horny couldn’t reach the piñata. Del Rio told them to bring the piñata to “this thing’s level.” Hornswoggle swung and hit Del Rio right in the crotch. Horny thought he hit the piñata. He didn’t take the blindfold off, which was a mistake, as Del Rio kicked Hornswoggle right in the face. Del Rio pounded away on Horny as Kofi Kingston’s music played.

He came to Hornswoggle’s rescue and clotheslined Del Rio over the top rope. Kingston checked on Hornswoggle but Rodriguez distracted him long enough for Del Rio to re-enter the ring. He took a few shots at Kingston with the stick, which seemed to be the equivalent of a Singapore cane. Del Rio applied the cross arm-breaker, which caused four referees to charge the ring to break it up. Also of note here: The official Smackdown TV debut of Nunzio (Little Guido) as a WWE referee. They showed replays of Del Rio caning Kingston. I like how they’re continuing the Del Rio-Kingston program, even though they seem to be headed in different directions. Something they can call upon down the line.

- Still to come, a three-on-two handicap match for the World Title.

[Commercial Break]

- Cole announced that Stone Cold Steve Austin would be hosting the reincarnation of Tough Enough this Spring. Booker also announced that he’d be a coach on the show. Looks like they’re going more the Ultimate Fighter route with coaches rather than trainers.

4 – CHAVO GUERRERO vs. KANE – ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFYING MATCH

I get that Vickie would give Chavo the opportunity to be in the Chamber, but you’d think she’d give him an easier road to the PPV match. A few seconds in, Chavo already lasted longer than his ECW Title match against Kane at Wrestlemania a few years ago. Chavo brought Kane’s arm down across the top rope, then went for a Frog Splash. It looked like he hit it, but Kane had him by the throat. On his feet, Kane chokeslammed Chavo for the win.

WINNER: Kane, at 1:01. Kane gets to re-assert his dominance after a pedestrian Rumble performance (for him).

- The trailer for The Chaperone, starring Triple H, aired. It also stars the lady who does Lisa Simpson’s voice. The announcers discussed the movie on camera. It’s in theaters on February 18th. I know you, the loyal readers of the Torch, were just waiting to find out when that in-theater date was. You can thank me later.

- The Elimination Chamber is almost set…one more match will determine the final entrant.

[Commercial Break]

- Wrestlemania XXVII is just 58 days away.

5 – THE BIG SHOW vs. WADE BARRETT – ELIMINATION CHAMBER QUALIFYING MATCH

The rest of Corre accompanied Barrett to the ring. Hard chop to the chest by Big Show on Barrett in the corner, then a punch to the gut. Another chop followed that. Barrett countered a third chop and worked the mid-section of Show. Barrett ducked a clothesline and dropkicked Show’s leg. Barrett ran into an elbow and Show whipped Barrett into the ref in the corner. Corre tried to interfere, and Ezekiel Jackson was the one who was successful, clotheslining Show to the mat. Barrett covered but only got two. Barrett then connected with a DDT while Show was on his knees, and picked up the win.

WINNER: Barrett, at 1:59.

Show attacked the Corre after the match, dumping Barrett to ringside. He fought off the others, but Jackson picked him up, held him for a few seconds, and bodyslammed him. Impressive. Jackson then got the mic and said Show’s time has come to an end.

- The field is now set for the World Title Elimination Chamber match.

- Next, Edge’s World Title is on the line as he and Kelly Kelly face Dolph Ziggler and LayCool.

[Commercial Break]

- The much talked-about cabin vignette aired again.

6 – DOLPH ZIGGLER & LAYCOOL vs. KELLY KELLY & EDGE – HANDICAP MIXED TAG MATCH FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Mathews obnoxiously claimed it was obvious there would be a new champion tonight, and they should just switch the titles before the match. Tony Chimel handled formal ring introductions. Before the match, Vickie declared that if Edge uses the Spear, he’ll be stripped of the title immediately. As soon as the bell rang, Edge threw Ziggler around the ring. He set up for the Spear, but realized he couldn’t do it. Baseball slide to Ziggler outside the ring, then he tossed the challenger back in the ring. A tag was made to Michelle McCool. Edge hesitated before getting out of the ring. Kelly came into the ring as Mathews announced that she was now defending the World Title. Decent hook as they went to break about two minutes in.

[Commercial Break]

The show returned with McCool working over Kelly in the corner. Kelly came back by using her athleticism to choke McCool in the ropes. Kelly pounded McCool’s head off the ringside mats, but Layla tripped her up on the apron. Kelly had McCool in position for a hurricanrana, but McCool twisted her around and slammed her head into the barricade. Layla tagged in and clotheslined Kelly for a two-count. Belly-to-belly throw by McCool. Kelly countered a suplex and slapped McCool. McCool was back in control, eight minutes in. Head-scissors applied by Layla. Kelly appeared to be losing consciousness, but the fans (and Edge) tried to keep her into it. Face-buster by Kelly. Everything started breaking loose with the ref not seeing Edge tag in. McCool accidentally kicked Layla in the face, allowing Kelly time to recover. She crouched in the corner and a few fans picked up on what was going on…she ran at and speared Layla for the win.

WINNERS: Edge and Kelly, at 10:13. Kelly’s new aggressive personality is the most interesting she’s been in a long time. Nice finish, too.

Vickie Guerrero did the slow clap as she entered the ring, then fired Kelly. Kelly began to cry as Vickie yelled at her. She said Kelly always had it in for her, and that this is Vickie’s show. Kelly backed up the ramp in tears. Edge was standing behind Vickie, appearing ready to spear her. Instead, Vickie turned around and addressed her former husband. She said next week, Edge will be the former World Champion. She made Edge vs. Ziggler for the title next week, with her as special referee. She cackled as she made the announcement, then Ziggler came from behind and gave Edge the Zig Zag. They went off the air with the heels standing tall.


What do you think? If you saw this show, we invite you to send your thoughts. Send your name, hometown, a 0-10 score rating the quality of the show, your picks for best and worst segments, and then a brief paragraph of thoughts on the show that we can publish in the Reader Reax segment later tonight or tomorrow. Send to pwtorch@gmail.com.

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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