WWE Smackdown review
April 22, 2011
Taped 4/19/11 in London, England
Aired on SYFY
By Greg Parks, PWTorch Columnist


- WWE Open.

- The Edge video package, featuring 3 Doors Down, aired, with highlights from last week’s battle royal spliced in at the end.

- Smackdown Open.

- Josh Mathews intro’d the show after fireworks, and Booker T. plugged the retirement party Alberto Del Rio will be throwing for Edge tonight.

- The World Title was shown hanging above the ring, symbolizing the title match ADR and Christian will have at Extreme Rules.

- Mathews and Booker were shown on camera and Mathews said it was championship night. Tonight, Big Show & Kane take on Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater for the tag titles, while Kofi Kingston gets a rematch against Wade Barrett for the IC Title.

- Tony Chimel introduced the “recently knighted” Sir Michael Cole. Cole came to the ring with a robe as Mathews said Cole “thinks” he was knighted on Raw. Nice to see everyone isn’t playing stupid here.

- As Cody Rhodes came to the ring for a Wrestlemania rematch, three men in suits followed him, one with a cart full of what looked like paper bags. Rhodes took the mic and said everyone can see that he’s wearing a mask, but it’s for protection. He said Rey Mysterio wears a mask because he’s hiding something. Rhodes suggested Rey was hiding his fears, his loathing thoughts for all his fans, and because he’s ashamed of himself, as he should be. He said that fans are wearing masks too, in a manner of speaking. He said he can see through their masks, and can see they are envious of him. He said he can see their looks of despair, knowing how miserable their lives are. He said people hope that it’s even worse for their neighbors, friends and family. Rhodes said he’d offer a remedy, at his expense. He showed off his paper bag, with a mouth, nose and eyes helpfully cut out. He asked his assistants to hand them out to the people in the crowd. They did so. He asked fans to cover their faces and their lying eyes. Makes me think of a Country song…. Rhodes described all of the imperfections that the fans will be covering, at least until he gets drafted to Raw or until he defeats Rey tonight. “Rey…this one’s for you!” he said, staring at a paper bag mask. That bordered on the edge of being a bit too hokey, and some will likely say it went over that line. Still, a nice promo, as we’ve gotten used to from Cody.

1 – CODY RHODES vs. REY MYSTERO

Mysterio went after Cody to start, then low-bridged him out of the ring. He dropped the dime on Rhodes at ringside as they went to break a meager 30 seconds into the match.

[Commercial Break]

Rhodes was on the advantage out of break, but the crowd was still with Rey. Rey sat down on a powerbomb attempt, getting him a near-fall just shy of the 5:20 mark. Back-breaker by Rhodes for two. More work on the back, but Rey set up the 619 at 6:30 of the match. Cody dodged it and the two fought on the apron. Rhdoes kicked Mysterio into the ringpost, with Mysterio’s back bouncing off and him landing at ringside. Another break was taken, just shy of seven minutes in.

[Commercial Break]

Rhodes had Mysterio in a submission move as they returned to action just under 11:00 in. Scoop slam for two by Rhodes. It’s weird hearing the announcers talk about Rey trying to “intentionally hurt” Cody…aren’t we supposed to believe that these guys are really punching and kicking each other? Wouldn’t that qualify as “intentionally hurting” someone? Harping on that point just drives it honme to viewers that everything else is fake. Hard whip into the buckle by Cody on Mysterio. Rey went to the top and dropped the dime again. Cross-body got him a two-count. Sunset flip by Rey, but Mysterio countered. Rhodes rolled him up for two, but then Rey kicked him in the head for a near-fall. Rey came off the top again, but Cody dropkicked him out of mid-air. Rey kind of lurched forward and fell after the kick, which made it look less-than-smooth. Rhodes set up for Cross-Rhodes, but Rey turned it into a hurricanrana and held on to Cody’s legs for the pinfall.

WINNER: Mysterio, at 14:42. A little different than their Wrestlemania match, thanks to the fact that they got more time, and got to open up the playbook a little more, so to speak.

Rhodes immediately attacked Rey after the match. The fight went to the outside, where Cody whipped Mysterio into the barricade twice. Then he threw Rey over the guardrail and into the crowd. Rey fought back and dove at Cody, with both of them tumbling over the barricade and back to ringside. Rey tried to send Cody head-first into the steel steps, but Rhodes turned it around and sent Rey into it head-first. Where are the officials to break this up. Both fought on top of the barricade, and Rey pushed Cody off. Cody was Irish whipped into a divider amongst the fans. Mysterio propelled Rhodes back to ringside, and Cody flew like a rocket over the barricade. Rey set himself atop the barricade, but Cody tripped him. Cross-Rhodes connected at ringside. Cody took a paper bag and put it over Rey’s head.

- Still to come tonight, Wade Barrett defends his IC Title against Kofi Kingston. Also, Big Show & Kane face Gabriel & Slater for the Tag Titles, while Alberto Del Rio holds a retirement party for Edge.

[Commercial Break]

- Rev Theory provides the Extreme Rules theme, “Justice.”

- Shots of the streets of England, including Big Ben, were shown.

- The Tag Titles were on display backstage. Gabriel took one, then walked up to Barrett in the locker room. He tried to tell Barrett that eliminating him in the Battle Royal last week was nothing personal. Barrett said he thinks it was. Slater walked up and he said both would’ve done whatever it took to win last week. But they need unity. Ezekiel Jackson then came up and said, as the Corre’s leader, he’s there for them. Barrett didn’t take kindly to that, and Jackson said he was just messing around. The four seemed to be on the same page by the end of the segment.

- The announcers were shown on camera, and they said Corre may need therapy like Laycool. Cole pitched it to a video of LayCool in therapy last week. Then, they showed what happened during Layla’s match with Kelly Kelly, and the aftermath of Michelle shoving Layla to the mat.

- LayCool was back in therapy and Michelle sarcastically said therapy was working wonders, as Layla lost another match last week. Layla said at least she was competing. McCool called Layla a “big dummy,” then accused Layla of riding her coattails. The therapist tried to intervene, but they told him to shut up. Layla said McCool needs to show her respect or they might not be able to stay together. McCool said maybe they should, as Layla may not even be flawless. Layla began to cry and started walking out. McCool stopped her and apologized, then hugged her. Layla thanked the therapist, but McCool grabbed her and shoved her hard into the couch, with Layla’s head hitting the arm of the couch. McCool walked out and Layla held her head in tears. Surprisingly good job acting here, especially by Layla.

[Commercial Break]

- Michael Cole was in the ring, asking for our attention out of break. He showed clips of him being knighted on Monday, and taking out Lawler and JR. Cole said while he was knighted, there can only be one All-American American, Jack Swagger. Swagger came to the ring for a match.

2 – JACK SWAGGER vs. TRENT BARRETA

Somehow, Barreta was already in the ring. Nice of him to get the spotlight to Cole prior to his match. Swagger had the advantage for the first 45 seconds, but he missed a charge and Barreta came back with a running elbow in the corner. Springboard by Barreta, but Swagger caught him and powerbombed him in one motion. Ankle-lock applied, tap-out followed.

WINNER: Swagger, at 1:14. Another fine squash for Swagger.

- They showed the Kids Choice Awards 2011 with Big Show making an appearance.

- Show and Kane were shown walking backstage via the low camera angle. The tag title match is next.

[Commercial Break]

- The Awesome Kong vignette from Raw aired.

3 – KANE & THE BIG SHOW vs. JUSTIN GABRIEL & HEATH SLATER – WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSIHP MATCH

Interesting that they have a tag title match positioned at the top of the second hour. The announcers had been pushing hard that this was Championship Night with two titles on the line. Suspiciously similar to Night of Champions. Kane went for a quick cover, then Big Show tagged in and they treated Slater rather poorly. Back to Kane, and as soon as he got an opening, he tagged out. Gabriel caught a right hand in the chops, then got squashed in the corner. Kane went to the top, possibly for his clothesline, but Zeke pushed him off the top rope. Slater provided the distraction for the ref, then capitalized by keeping Kane on the ground. Front chancery applied by Gabriel. Gabriel countered a side slam and got a near-fall. Slater tagged in and found no success. Kane made the hot tag at 3:20 and Show cleaned house on Slater. He signaled for a chokeslam. He stopped Gabriel in his tracks and tossed him into Zeke. Kane took Jackson out when he protested, then Show chokeslammed Slater and picked up the win.

WINNERS: Show & Kane, at 4:02. This could be used as more ammunition for a Corre break-up, but it could’ve been done to get Kane and Show, two top-tier utility players, on Raw as well. But with the Draft coming up, who knows.

- The Intercontinental Championship is on the line later when Wade Barrett defends against Kofi Kingston.

- Also, Alberto Del Rio pays his respect to Edge later tonight.

[Commercial Break]

- More exterior shots of London.

- Gabriel, Slater and Jackson were arguing backstage, or more specifically, Gabriel and Slater arguing with Jackson. Gabriel said Jackson needed to have their backs. Jackson called out Slater for getting pinned, then walked away. Slater asked Gabriel what he was looking at, then shoved Gabriel to the floor. Intense!

4 – DREW MCINTYRE vs. CHRIS MASTERS

Cole speculated that either of these guys could get drafted to Raw on Monday. McIntyre, from the apron, sent Masters head-first into the buckle, but Masters came back by nailing McIntyre. Mac hot-shotted Masters over the top rope, then got a cover back in the ring. Only two, though. Hard uppercut by McIntyre for a near-fall. He set Masters up for the DDT, but Masters surprised him with an inside cradle for two. Sky High by Masters for another near-fall at 2:20. Masters went to the middle rope and downed McIntyre with a jumping shoulderblock. Crowd was not into him at all. Masterlock attempted, but McIntyre used the corner to flip out. He grabbed Masters and executed a beautiful Future Shock DDT for the win.

WINNER: McIntyre, at 3:36. Most of this match was used as fodder for the announcers to talk about the Draft.

- Still to come, will the crumbling of Corre continue, as Wade Barrett faces Kofi Kingston for the IC Title.

- Edge’s retirement party, hosted by Alberto Del Rio, is also tonight.

[Commercial Break]

- The Raw Rebound aired.

- The announcers previewed the Triple-Threat Steel Cage match for the WWE Title at Extreme Rules. Booker T. said he mentored R-Truth, so he’s surprised at his attitude as of late.

- Highlights aired of Cody’s attack on Rey Rey from earlier tonight.

- It was announced that at Extreme Rules, Mysterio will meet Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Those who listened to last week’s edition of Gonzo & The Greg here on the Torch know how I feel about that kind of match.

- Kofi Kingston made his entrance for the IC Title match. It’s next.

[Commercial Break]

5 – KOFI KINGSTON vs. WADE BARRETT – WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

No home cooking for Barrett here, unless WWE production is covering it up. Kingston missed a charge in the corner as Barrett elbowed him down. Barrett was on the outside, and Kingston flipped over and kicked Barrett through the ropes. Barrett took a cross-body off the top like a MAN on the outside, falling back first on the mat. They cut to break about 1:25 in. I thought I was going to have to juggle covering this match and watching Anibal Sanchez’s ninth inning for the Marlins online, since he had a no-hitter going, but he gave it up on the first pitch. So this match has my full attention!

[Commercial Break]

Back with Barrett in control, and they showed how he did it during the break. Low-bridge sent Barrett over the top rope. Kofi went out to get him but Zeke Jackson, who came to ringside with Barrett, charged at Kofi. Kofi moved, and Jackson hit Barrett. How did the ref not see that? Back in the ring, Barrett and Jackson argued (but not about an auto auction), and Jackson walked to the back. Small package by Kingston back in the ring, for a two-count. Kingston went into his finishing sequence and set up for Trouble in Paradise. He missed, and Barrett got Kingston on his shoulders. He set Kofi on the top rope. Kofi came down in a roll-up, but Barrett sat down and grabbed the middle rope for leverage, picking up the win.

WINNER: Barrett, at 8:30.

- Alberto Del Rio’s hosting duties will call him to the ring next, as he will be presenting Edge’s retirement party.

[Commercial Break]

- Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Alberto Del Rio. Brodus Clay was in the ring, which was covered in black and had two columns made up of yellow balloons. He also had several items covered in black covers. Del Rio uncovered one, and it was a Grandfather clock. It sounds like the Spanish-sounding music playing in the background was added in post-production. Not WWE’s best work. Del Rio said that when you get older, you tend to lose control of your lower body, so under the second cover was adult diapers. Classy. Del Rio said you need friends in retirement, and Edge has one for Edge tonight. Lita’s music played and they showed a video of her Titan-Tron, but some fat lady walked out. She did Lita’s hand signal and I guess was dressed like Lita. Del Rio said she never looked better. Are Edge and Lita even established to be on talking terms in WWE world at this point? When was the last time, aside from Edge’s retirement speech, they mentioned the two together? How can this be a big insult to Edge? Anyway, Del Rio brought out a walker was well, but then instead showed Edge’s new ride…Rodriguez rode out in a scooter to some lounge music. Ricardo posed as Edge’s pyro went off. They even showed Rodriguez’s handicap parking pass.

Del Rio posed as Edge’s music played and he came out. And yes, it was him. On the stage, Edge commented that Del Rio looks surprised to see him…after all, he went on Facebook and RSVP’d. Edge said Del Rio is a lousy human being and a lousy party host. Del Rio said the entire party looks like one big flaming bag of poop. This segment just keeps getting worse and worse. Del Rio instructed Brodus clay to go after Edge. Christian came from behind with a ladder in the aisle and attacked Clay. He then fought off Del Rio in the aisle with said ladder. After the beating, Christian put the ladder in the ring, climbed it, and grabbed the belt. That’s the kiss of death for his match at Extreme Rules. They showed Christian posing with the title as the last image before they signed off.


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. His new audio show, “Gonzo and The Greg,” is available for download on the Torch VIP page. Give it a listen! Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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