WWE Smackdown review
Sept. 9, 2011
Taped 9/6/11 in Toledo, Ohio
Aired on SYFY
By Greg Parks, PWTorch Columnist


- WWE Open.

- A video package aired on Mark Henry’s path of destruction so far. This is how you build someone as a title threat. It ended with Henry’s “Hall of Pain” comment and the words shown on screen.

- Smackdown Open.

- Josh Mathews intro’d the show and Mark Henry’s music hit soon after. Henry got the mic as Michael Cole plugged WWE’s Twitter and implored fans to use #Smackdown to discuss the show. Henry said he’s been in WWE 15 years so some people think his best years are behind him. He said to ask Kane and Big Show about that, then said each man has a special wing in his Hall of Pain. And at Night of Champions, Randy Orton will get inducted. He said that some people call his attack on Orton last week the worst beating Orton has ever taken. Henry said he’s more unpredictable and dangerous than he’s ever been. Henry said he’d be the new World Champion at N.O.C. Before he could go any further, Zack Ryder’s music interrupted him and Long Island Iced Z walked out.

Ryder said Henry was on a roll and the two of them could be Broskis. Henry said Ryder must have a death wish. Ryder, now in the ring, said as the assistant to Teddy Long, both Henry and Orton are in action tonight, but not against each other. He said Long made a no-contact rule between the two tonight. Ryder seemed a bit nervous as he attempted to exit after the announcement, but Henry called him back in. Henry thanked him for the heads-up. Ryder said “no problem” and tried to leave again and Henry asked why he was in such a hurry to leave. Henry asked Ryder who he thinks will win at Night of Champions. Ryder joked that if he had to pick, he thinks Beth Phoenix has Kelly Kelly’s number. But seriously…he said he can’t pick Orton, or Henry would attack him. He tried to leave the ring a third time, but Henry grabbed him by the collar. Henry said he can’t put his hands on Orton, so Ryder knows he’s going to have to put his hands on someone. Henry dropped the mic and Ryder went after Henry with a few pre-emptive rights. Henry just back-handed Ryder, then gave him a World’s Strongest Slam. They replayed the attack, then Ezekiel Jackson came out for a match. Nice segment and Ryder actually played his part well with some nice acting. Jackson flexed as they went to break before the match could begin.

[Commercial Break]

1 – MARK HENRY vs. EZEKIEL JACKSON

The bell rang as soon as the show returned from break. Henry wanted a test of strength(!) and Jackson agreed. Nice old-school move here. Jackson went down to his knees but a well-timed “Let’s Go Zeke” chant from the crowd got him to his feet. Henry suplexed him anyway. Jackson wanted another shot at it, and Henry locked hands, but then kicked Jackson in the leg. They struggled over a top wrist-lock, and Jackson went down again. Jackson with some body shots, then a Torture Rack attempt. No dice, as Henry was just too much man. Henry then went to ringside for a breather. Jackson came out after him, but Henry just put his boot up to knock Jackson down. He then rammed Jackson spine-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, big clothesline by Henry. Splash found the mark. A second one did the same. Next, and last, was the World’s Strongest Slam.

WINNER: Henry, at 2:59. Dominant performance for Henry. Wisely kept short.

- Tonight, IC Champion Cody Rhodes faces World Champion Randy Orton.

- Teddy Long was on the phone with someone, talking about the cover of WWE’s new video game. Aksana then walked in with her ever-present jazz music. She also had a microphone. She wondered what was on the schedule for her this week. Long said she was the special guest ring announcer last week, and if she did it again, it wouldn’t be special. Aksana said ring announcing isn’t the only thing she can do with her mouth…she can also sing. Surprised they got that one in there. Long, flustered, went to check on Zack Ryder.

- Sin Cara came out and the announcers immediately talked about his kick to Daniel Bryan after last week’s match. They even showed the finishing sequence of that match. Cara, on his way to the ring here, showed no signs of any heeling. Mathews called Cara’s actions “despicable” as they went to break.

[Commercial Break]

2 – SIN CARA vs. TYSON KIDD

Kidd’s entrance was not shown. Kidd flipped out of a wrist-lock and the two traded counters and reversals. Headscissors by Cara and Kidd went to the outside. Cara flew off the top rope and onto Kidd on the outside. In the ring, a pin by Cara got two at :56. Cole tried to get Mathews to interview Cara after the match about his actions. Mathews said Cara doesn’t speak English. Hip-toss by Kidd sent Cara into turnbuckle. Kick to the back by Kidd for two. Mathews finally said he’d do it if Cole would shut up. Kick to the back of the head by Cara, who made his comeback. Springboard headbutt to Kidd’s chest for two. Cole called Booker T. out for his over-use of clichés. Roll-through by Kidd for two. Booker followed up Cole’s comments by saying Cara dropped Kidd “like a bad habit.” Cara connected on his finishing sequence of the springboard swanton and springboard moonsault for the pinfall.

WINNER: Cara, at 3:33. Added some nice athleticism to the show, especially juxtaposed against the opening match.

Mathews went into the ring to get a word with Cara. Mathews spoke slowly and Cara seemed frustrated. Mathews asked if Cara could explain where his newfound intensity is coming from. Cara began to speak English, then went to Spanish. Cara said he held back out of respect when he first started in WWE, but now, no one is going to stop him. He said the aggression is him, the real Sin Cara. But then Daniel Bryan’s music hit and he walked to the ring. Bryan said he did not see it coming that Cara would speak English…but he didn’t see the kick to the head coming, either. Bryan said that kick was in a universal language. Bryan accused Cara of not respecting him. Bryan said it’s a problem that needs to be rectified, so he suggested a rematch for next week. Cara responded with several kicks, then hooked Bryan in the LeBell Lock. Bryan tapped. Referee Charles Robinson attempted to break it. Interested to see where this is going. I predicted the real Sin Cara would return, but while he did say “real Sin Cara” during his interview and he surprised people by speaking English, I don’t know if I’m as convinced that it’s the direction they’re going.

- Still to come, Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett.

- Also tonight, Orton vs. Rhodes.

[Commercial Break]

- Cole plugged the controversial WWE Divas story on WWE.com. Apparently, it has Superstars and Divas alike buzzing.

- They showed the exterior of the arena in Toledo.

- A hype video aired for Cody Rhodes.

- Matt Striker interviewed Randy Orton about Cody Rhodes. Orton said Rhodes is unstable, which can equal dangerous, and he knows about being unstable. As for Henry, he said attacking him last week was smart. He said Henry is at the peak of his career, and has people wondering what will stop him. He said the answer to that is an RKO.

- Kelly Kelly came out for a match against Natalya. It’s next. All three matches now have begun with at least one of the participants coming out before the break. Interesting.

[Commercial Break]

- They showed clips of Eve vs. Beth Phoenix in a #1 Contender’s match from Raw, then Natalya attacking Kelly after the match.

3 – KELLY KELLY vs. NATALYA

Phoenix accompanied Natalya to the ring. Face-buster out of the corner by Kelly for one at :16. Kelly choked Nattie with her legs in the ropes. However, Natalya kneed Kelly to the ringside mat. She then plowed into her again on the outside. Beth watched while sitting on the steps, legs folded. She looked very comfortable. In the ring, Nattie trash talked a fallen Kelly, then applied an abdominal stretch. Kelly tried to fight out, but was sent down by her hair. Hook of the leg, two-count at 2:01. Natalya trash talked some more, but Kelly slapped her. Nattie picked Kelly up for a possible Alabama Slam, but twirled her around anyway. Booker admitted to not knowing if Nattie was a second or third generation wrestler. She was about to lock in the Sharpshooter, but Kelly rolled her up for three.

WINNER: Kelly, at 2:56. Standard booking there, and Nattie doesn’t look too bad since it was a somewhat “lucky” finish.

- Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett is next.

[Commercial Break]

- Christian came out just as Tony Chimel was going to announce the next match. Christian, in street clothes, said the match has been postponed. In fact, all matches for the rest of the night have been postponed because Teddy Long refuses to do the right thing. Maybe he’ll do a Macho-Man style sit-in, circa WCW. Christian talked about what happened last week when he was beat up on Raw, then had to fight in a steel cage on Super Smackdown, and he was still able to take Randy Orton to his limit. He hilariously said some “experts” even said he was ahead on the scorecards at the end of the match. Christian was about to say he deserved one more match, but Sheamus interrupted.

He told Christian to give it a rest and that Christian’s getting pathetic. Sheamus told a story about a litter of pups he had, with one runt. He said the runty pup had a nasty case of mange, and every time he barked, hot air came out of his rear. Christian got hot and said no one cares about Sheamus and his stories. Sheamus said he has a match right now that he really wants to get started. He said Christian isn’t going to get “one more match,” then said he speaks for everyone when he says Christian is out of matches, chances, excuses, and he better get out of the ring. Christian got the not-so-subtle hint and slowly left the ring. As Christian headed up the ramp, he passed Wade Barrett. Barrett is back to the black jacket, but sans the flower he had on NXT.

4 – SHEAMUS vs. WADE BARRETT

Crowd was solidly behind Sheamus. The referee demanded a break in the corner, and it was clean. Headlock take-over by Sheamus. Shoulder knock-down followed, good for a two-count. Some hard shots by both men in the corner, but a back elbow floored Barrett. Barrett fled to ringside, and the count was on. He got back in at six. Elbows to the back of the head of Sheamus. The Irishman came back with more forearms and knees. Barrett sent Sheamus hard into the corner, where Sheamus hit chest-first just over 3:00 into the match. Flying elbow by Barrett for two. Barrett had Sheamus in a rear chin-lock as they went to break at 4:01.

[Commercial Break]

Back at 7:33 of the contest, with Barrett still in control. Barrett had Sheamus wrapped in the ropes and rapped his head with knees. Running boot caused Sheamus to fall to ringside. Sheamus tried to fight back, and at 9:35, began to turn things around. He did run into a corner boot, but hit a powerslam anyway. Running knee by Sheamus with Barrett in the ropes. Off the top, he landed a flying shoulder tackle. As he signaled for the High Cross, Christian ran in for the DQ.

WINNER: Sheamus, via DQ, at 10:25. Very punchy-kicky, but other than that, nothing technically wrong with it.

Barrett joined in post-match for the double team, but Sheamus was able to fight out. Christian left the ring, so Barrett fell victim to the Brogue Kick. Christian then snuck to the top and tried to hit Sheamus, but Sheamus got the boot up. He set up for his finisher, but Christian snuck out the back to avoid further damage. The two men stared at each other, Christian on the ramp, and Sheamus in the ring, to end the segment.

- Orton vs. Rhodes, champion vs. champion, is still to come.

- The commercial for the WWE Network aired.

[Commercial Break]

- As the camera panned the crowd, Mathews plugged Edge on SyFy’s “Haven.” Then we saw a sneak peek of Edge’s role on the show.

5 – AIR BOOM vs. JINDER MAHAL & THE GREAT KHALI

This is a rematch from Raw, at the request of Mahal. Cole said Mahal was reading Khali the riot act backstage prior to the show. Bourne avoided a leapfrog and took Mahal down with a hurricanrana. Mahal pulled Bourne off the top by his foot, then clotheslined him out of mid-air, all in one motion. That was sweet. Tag to Khali, who kicked Bourne in the gut. Booker admitted he doesn’t care for the tag team name of Bourne and Kofi Kingston either. Khali worked over Bourne, then tagged Mahal again. Bourne countered a suplex and his jumping knee to the chin found the mark. Kingston got the hot tag at 1:52. Kofi was all over Mahal, then set up for the Trouble in Paradise. Mahal avoided it, but a springboard cross-body only got two. Bourne tried to cut off Khali, but Khali just tossed him out. Mahal took over and saw Khali in the ring. He screamed for Khali to get out, then slapped him. Khali pie-faced Mahal right into a Trouble in Paradise.

WINNERS: Air Boom, at 3:11. Seems early for a break-up of the heels.

After the match, Khali stood over the fallen Mahal. He then left the ring, leaving Mahal to seethe in the ring.

- The announcers discussed the Night of Champions card.

- Cody Rhodes came out with his baggers. The baggers gave Booker a bag, as usual, then they went to break.

[Commercial Break]

- Mathews congratulated The Rock for surpassing 1,000,000 followers on Twitter. Yay.

- They showed two weeks ago, Cody Rhodes turning on Ted DiBiase, then bagging his former charge.

- Back in the ring, Rhodes said he’s an inspiration. He said he’s been surrounded by people jealous of his youth and success throughout his career. He said he tried to inspire DiBiase through his success, but Ted was happy being Ted. He wouldn’t be happy being Ted, and he wasn’t going to let DiBiase sink him. Rhodes said when that anchor sunk to the bottom, the Intercontinental Championship floated to the top. He said that’s what you call an inspiration. He reminded fans that Orton called him “unstable” earlier tonight, but said there’s a thin line between “unstable” and “thriving.” He said Orton has inspired him to show just how unstable he can be. Orton then made his entrance for their match. It’s next.

[Commercial Break]

- A commercial aired plugging Edge’s return to Smackdown as a “special guest superstar” next week. They hinted at a confrontation between him and Christian.

6 – CODY RHODES vs. RANDY ORTON

Quick roll-up by Rhodes for two. Mathews said Rhodes underwent “mandatory facial reconstruction surgery.” Is “mandatory” really the best word to use there? Orton booted Rhodes in the gut. Overhead forearm on Rhodes, then a hard whip into the buckle. Rhodes reversed one, but Orton charged out of the corner with a clothesline. Thesz Press and Orton hammered away with rights. Rhodes headbutted Orton down. Orton came back and even headbutted Rhodes, despite the mask. High knee-drop, but Rhodes moved. Rhodes then went on the attack, looking to take out the knee Orton came up favoring. Orton attempted to set up Rhodes for the rope-assisted DDT, but Orton found himself on the apron and Rhodes hit the springboard enziguiri. Orton recovered on the outside as they went to break at 5:08 of the match.

[Commercial Break]

Back at 9:34 with Rhodes sending Orton face-first into the buckle. Arm-lock by Rhodes, a unique submission maneuver. Top wrist-lock, but Rhodes used it to jam his knees into the mid-section of Orton. Rhodes continued to stay aggressive, not giving Orton much time at all to recover. Back to work on the left arm, after working the knee earlier on. Orton fought back with rights, but Rhodes connected with a knee-lift. Arm-bar by Rhodes. Rhodes missed a corner shoulder charge, but it barely slowed him. Alabama Slam for two at 13:06. Orton shoved Rhodes off on a bulldog attempt, but he fell to the mat as well. Orton slithered into position and landed some offense, including his rope-assisted DDT. He set up for the RKO at 14:40. Rhodes tried to avoid Orton by going out of the ring, then coming back in. Cross-Rhdoes was set up, but Orton countered. Springboard kick missed, but the RKO did not.

WINNER: Orton, at 15:20.

Right after the match, Mark Henry’s music hit and he walked to the ring. He entered the ring and the two men circled each other. Orton pounded away on Henry, but the RKO was avoided. Henry clobbered Orton. This all despite the “no-touching” edict laid out by Smackdown GM Theodore Long. World’s strongest slam by Henry, then another. The announcers were silent throughout this, including when Henry went to ringside to retrieve a chair. Henry sat down over Orton with the bottom part over Orton’s throat. He said he could’ve broken Orton’s leg, but he wants the title, the only reason he’s not going to break Orton’s leg. They went off the air right after Henry’s speech.


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. Follow him on Twitter @gregmparks for live Tweeting during Raw, Impact, and PPVs, as well as other bits of wisdom. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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