WWE Smackdown review
Dec. 16, 2011
Taped 12/13 in Raleigh, N.C.
Aired on Syfy
By Michael Cupach, PWTorch Contributor

[Q1] -WWE open.

-Smackdown opening. I want to say this is a new opening montage. In the arena, there is full pyro as Michael Cole welcomes everyone to Smackdown only 48 hours away from TLC. Josh Mathews plugs Big Show vs. Jack Swagger and Michael Cole announces that Randy Orton and Zack Ryder will take on Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett in the main event.

-In the ring, Mathews welcomes Booker T to the ring. Michael quips that Booker should watch his back as he makes his way to the ring, then throws to clips from the previous two weeks when Booker got jumped from behind by Cody Rhodes and then a clip from Tribute to the Troops where Booker got some revenge. Josh asks Booker the obvious question of if he is ready. T responds by asking the crowd if he looks ready. The crowd approves. Booker goes on to say that he didn’t want this match, he was happy sitting at ringside “commentating” on the matches, but Cody Rhodes decided to try to make a name for himself at Booker's expense. Josh asks Booker what will happen if he wins the Intercontinental Title this Sunday, will he return full time to defend the title. Booker says that he will cross that bridge when he gets to it. Can you dig it? Sucka!

Cody Rhodes's music hits and he says that that was a beautiful story. He says that the truth is that when his music hits on Sunday there might be a bit of nostalgia from the audience and that Booker might get some offense in, but in the end he will realize that he has old legs and ring rust, so the reality is that he will lose on Sunday. Booker comes back by asking if he would like the reality of him coming down and beating the hell out of Cody Rhodes. Cody finds that amusing. He goes on to say that the last two times he has faced Daniel Bryan, Booker interfered, so tonight Cody will face him a third time tonight and if Booker interferes he will lose his chance on Sunday. He then calls Booker a sucka and laughs maniacally.

1 -- Intercontinental champion CODY RHODES vs. DANIEL BRYAN – non-title match

Booker is on commentary. Yay. Bryan has taped up ribs and I can hear Diamond Dallas Page filing a lawsuit for gimmick infringement. Bryan goes for the LeBell lock early and Cody escapes to the outside as Smackdown cuts to an early break.

(Commercial)

Back to action, Daniel Bryan has a headlock cinched on Cody. Cody breaks out and shoots the ropes and runs into a dropkick from D. Bryan. Bryan tries an inverted surfboard, but can’t pull it off so he stomps on Cody’s back. Suplex attempt on the apron from Bryan gets reversed by Cody, who suplexes Bryan to the floor in a impressive spot. Back in the ring, Cody connects with a front face suplex that gets a two count. The cameraman is filming the match from over Booker's shoulder and it is rather annoying as Booker is very animated. Cole and Booker bicker about him coming back full time, but Booker won’t answer, so Cole digs into him.

[Q2] Back in the ring, where the action is happening, Cody and Bryan trade roll ups and pinning predicaments until Bryan stuns Cody long enough to go the top rope and hit him with a missile dropkick for a two count. Bryan traps Cody in the corner and unleashes with some stiff kicks to the midsection. Cody blocks one and knocks out Bryan with a right hand. Cody goes to the top and tries what looks like a moonsault, but Bryan goes to the top and Cody reverses a superplex into a pin attempt that gets a two. Cody picks Bryan up and delivers Cross Rhodes for the win!

WINNER: Cody Rhodes by pinfall in 8:00

Mike’s Reax: The match was all about Cole and Booker arguing about being a man, not taking guff, and arguing. Also, WWE overdid the shots of Booker T as they would show him for 15 seconds at a time while the match was in progress. Nonetheless this was another decent match from these two men. I don’t think they have had a bad match yet. Cody got a much-deserved clean win over Bryan, giving him some momentum going into TLC on Sunday.

-Alicia Fox is making her way to the ring; she takes on Natalya, next!

(Commercial)

2 - ALICIA FOX vs. NATALYA

Alicia Fox came out wearing am animal pelt. She looks like a character from Zoobalee Zoo. Natalya followed that act by coming out with a box of tissues. Natalya misses a change in the corner to start, then Alicia tries a sunset flip, but gets stomped in the stomach instead! Abdominal stretch by Natalya as Josh plugs a new project featuring The Divas of Doom and Perez Hilton. Alicia Fox gets a surprise roll-up on Natalya for the win. Alicia also rips out Natalya’s weave.

WINNER: Alicia Fox by pinfall in 1:30

-Post-match, Alicia Fox cuts a promo about Natalya being synthetic and being out-foxed by Alicia Fox. Nattie rolls back in the ring and Fox knocks her down and does a somersault legdrop!

(Commercial)

[Q3] -Tribute to the Troops replay is tomorrow night on NBC at 9:00 p.m.

-At ringside Michael, Josh, and Booker reminisce about their weekend at Fort Bragg. They segue into a recap of the Slammy’s from last Monday. Cole points to his three Slammy Awards at the announce table.

-Jack Swagger is backstage with Vickie and he is cutting a promo joined already in progress. Mark Henry saunters up and asks Jack for a favor. He says that last time he watched Jack against Show, he injured his ankle. So, Henry asks Swagger to break Show's ankle. If he does, he moves to the front of the line for a World Title shot. Swagger says that he will hurt Big Show, but not for Mark Henry; he will do it for his own career. He then says that he has beaten Big Show before, but Henry never has, so after he beats Show, he will then take Henry's World Title. Henry gets a little miffed and storms away.

(Commercial)

-The Usos are on the stage doing their Polynesian War Dance. That entrance is starting to grow on me. In fact, I do that battle cry before I start work everyday.

[Q4]

3 - THE USOS vs. EPICO & PRIMO (w/Rosa Mendes)

Epico and Jimmy start things off, but Jey tags in quickly and they double team Epico. Tag back into Jimmy and Epico takes control back and tags in Primo. He sentons Jimmy for a two count and tags Epico back in the slingshot dropkicks Jimmy for another two count. Epico slows things down with a headlock, Jimmy fights out and makes a hot tag to Jey, who cleans house on Primo, who also tagged in. Jimmy tags back in moments later and this brings everyone into the ring. A brawl on the outside then leads Jimmy to attempt a high-risk move, but Rosa causes a distraction and Primo gets a Backstabber for the win.

WINNERS: Epico and Primo by pinfall in 3:00

-At ringside, Michael Cole states that he thinks that Epico and Primo deserve a Tag Title shot in the near future. They then switch gears to refreshing the audience on the feud between Swagger and Big Show from last spring/summer. They replay Swagger almost breaking Big Show's ankle last year.

-Big Show makes his way to the ring. He faces Jack Swagger, next!

(Commercial)

4 - BIG SHOW vs. JACK SWAGGER (w/Vickie Guerrero)

If Booker calls Jack “Swag-man” one more time, I will quit watching this show. Before the men lock up, Mark Henry's music hits and he brings a chair down to ringside and – get this – he sits on it! Swagger tries sneak-attacking Big Show, but Show shrugs him off. Jack comes back by clipping the knee and taking Show off his feet. Show presses Swagger out of the ring on a pin attempt. Show gets out of the ring and throws Swagger back in the ring as Vickie yells at him. He proceeds to slap Swagger on the chest a few times and do some all around clubbering. Bodyslam by Big Show and he keeps looking out at Mark Henry, who tells him to focus on his match. Show gets back to Swagger and he chokes him out on the ropes a few times and comes close to not breaking on five. Show keeps chopping Jack and then looking out at Henry as if to say, “This will be you.” Henry doesn’t look impressed.

Show misses a splash in the corner and Swagger gets a knee breaker followed up by two Swaggerbombs for a two count. Jack isn’t able to really follow up as Big Show no sells and gets back to his feet. He tosses Swagger around the ring, splashes him in the corner, and calls for the chokeslam. Swagger rolls through the chokeslam and puts on the Anklelock, but Big Show won’t submit. Show looks out at Henry, who is talking trash and Show rolls to his back and kicks Swagger off. Show gets back to his feet and hits Swagger with the Weapon of Mass Destruction for the win!

WINNER: Big Show by pinfall in 6:00

[Q5] Post-match: Big Show chokeslams Jack Swagger and kicks him out of the ring in front of Henry. Henry cracks Jack in the back with the chair, then hits a cameraman with it for good measure, and walks off. He yells to Show to “expect the unexpected” as he makes his way up the ramp. Show calls for medical attention for the cameraman.

-They show replays of what went down and Josh Mathews uses his serious “this wasn’t supposed to happen” voice.

-Still to come: Ryder and Orton vs. Barrett and Ziggler!

(Commercial)

-Did you know that WWE has less than 43,000,000 fans on Facebook? Losers.

-Backstage, Ryder asks Orton if they are on the same page. Orton coldly says “no.” Ryder asks if they are reading the same book, Orton responds with “maybe.” Ryder is ecstatic and gives a “Woo Woo Woo You Know It!”

-The DiBiase Posse gets some highlights. I guess he gives out free food and drinks as if he's running a homeless shelter.

5 - HEATH SLATER vs. TED DIBIASE

Both men trade roll-ups to start as Booker calls Ted the Tim Tebow of WWE. Slater slaps DiBiase and Ted shows some fire tossing Slater from the ring and whipping him into the barrier. DiBiase high-fives some military men at ringside, then rolls Slater back in the ring. Slater meets Ted with some right hands when he gets back in and kicks him into the corner. Heath stretches DiBiase's back across the ring post. Slater works over Ted’s back and puts him in the Camel Clutch-like maneuver to wear him down. Slater goes to the middle ropes, but gets caught in an inverted atomic drop by Ted. Ted then puts Slater on Dream Street for the win.

WINNER: Ted DiBiase by pinfall in 3:00

-Post-match: Jinder Mahal jumps Ted from behind and applies a Camel Clutch. Teddy Long’s music hits and he sets up an impromptu match between Jinder Mahal and Sheamus.

(Commercial)

-Raw Rewind: Jinder Mahal gets his head kicked off by Sheamus.

[Q6]

6 - SHEAMUS vs. JINDER MAHAL

The bell rings when Smackdown returns. Sheamus wrings Jinder's arms to start, Mahal counters with some forearms to the back of Sheamus. Sheamus no sells it and whips Jinder into the ropes and back elbows him. Sheamus ties Jinder up in the ropes and goes to club him, but Mahal elbows Sheamus in the nose and pisses him off! Sheamus chases Mahal around the ring and catches him then ties him up and clubs him across the chest. Sheamus then catapults himself over the top rope with a shoulder block for a two count. Jinder knees Sheamus in the midsection and sucks out of the way when Sheamus tries a charge in the corner. Submission move by Mahal gets fought out of easily by Sheamus. Sheamus temper gets the best of him as he beats the hell out of Mahal in the corner then hits an Irish Curse and Brogue Kick for the win!

WINNER: Sheamus by pinfall in 4:00

-They show a replay of the Brogue Kick, and Jinder's facial expression is priceless! His eyes bug out of his skull and he looks like he has seen a ghost. Excellent!

-Tonight: Ryder and Orton face Barrett and Ziggler in a match that will have major repercussions for TLC.

(Commercial)

[Q7]

-Tribute to the Troops on WWE.com plug.

-Josh Mathews then cuts to another Slammy video package. “Highlights” are shown. If they showed grass growing or paint drying instead, I don’t think too many people would complain. They also show the return of Kane who looks like a Hydra Agent from Captain America. Back at ringside, Cole brags that he is now a three-time Slammy award winner, but won’t say how he got the third Slammy. They then switch gears to talking about Big Show vs. Mark Henry and they use "WWE ’12" to show what the match might look like.

-Randy Orton makes his way to the ring. There are tables set up in the aisle and Orton acknowledges them on his way to the ring.

-The main event is next!

(Commercial)

-Weird viral video is shown and the announcers pretend like they don’t see it.

-Ziggler does the old Brock Lesnar entrance schtick. I wonder how intentional that was.

7 - RANDY ORTON & ZACK RYDER vs. WADE BARRETT and U.S. champion DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero)

Dolph and Ryder start things out. Ziggler takes control early with a headlock takedown. Both men get back to their feet and Ziggler knocks Ryder down with a shoulder block, then shows off a little bit. Ryder then ducks a haymaker and plants Ziggler face-first into the mat and tags in Randy Orton. Orton stomps on a fallen Ziggler and then stares at Barrett. Suplex by Orton gets a two count.

[Q8] Ryder gets tagged back in, Ziggler with a front facelock and he pounds on Ryder's back, then drags him to the heel corner and tags in Wade Barrett. Barrett stomps away at Ryder as Cole sings his praises, saying that he is really coming along on his own. Ryder ducks a right hand and kicks Wade in the gut, then takes him out with a running fist to the mouth. Both men then tag out, Ziggler gets some right hands, but Orton shoves him off, and tries getting his hands on Barrett and Ziggler attacks him from behind. Orton reverses an Irish whip in a backbreaker, but Dolph slips out of it and Ryder comes in and dropkicks Dolph out of the ring. Ryder plays to the crowd with some fist pumps as Smackdown takes a break!

(Commercial)

Orton is on the middle rope standing over Ziggler, pounding away at him as the crowd counts the shots when Smackdown returns. Orton tries a back body drop, but Ziggler kicks him in the face when he puts his head down. Tag to Barrett, who clotheslines Orton and gets a two count. Orton fights out of a sleeper attempt, but Barrett knees him in the stomach to take him back down. Tag to Dolph, who shows off a little and then drops a big elbow on Randy. Dolph gets some precision boots on Orton, then chokes him out on the bottom rope. Beautiful dropkick by Ziggler gets a two count and he tags Wade Barrett back in. Barrett cuts off Orton, who tries tagging Ryder in.

Orton gets a back suplex out of nowhere and he tags Ryder, who clotheslines Barrett a few times and then connects with the Broski Boot in the corner. Rough Ryder misses on Barrett and Wade tags in Ziggler, who blindsides Ryder. Ziggler mounts Ryder and tees off on his face while Vickie laughs at Zack. Neckbreaker by Ziggler gets countered into a roll-up by Zack for a two count. Ziggler grabs his ankle and twists him into a single leg Boston crab, keeping Ryder from making a tag. Barrett comes back in and gets a vertical suplex on Ryder for a two count. Headlock by Barrett keeps Zack in the middle of the ring while the crowd gets behind Ryder.

Wade Barrett tries Wasteland, but Ryder counters into a DDT and both men are out in the middle of the ring. Ryder slowly crawls to Orton and tags him in as Wade tags in Ziggler. Powerslam on Dolph and then a neckbreaker for a two count that gets broken up by Barrett. Ryder is back on his feet and he tosses Barrett outside and both men start brawling around ringside. RKO by Randy Orton on Ziggler, then he makes the pin as Barrett watches from the outside, refusing to break up the pin. The announcers play it up like Orton's stare froze Barrett, rendering him useless.

WINNERS: Randy Orton & Zack Ryder by pinfall in 16:00.

-Orton and Barrett stare each other down as Smackdown goes off the air.

Mike's Overall Reax: I liked the wrestling-heavy final 75 minutes of the show. The first 45 minutes of the show was storyline and promo-heavy with a good Bryan vs. Rhodes match mixed in. Those two guys bring it every time they cross paths! I would like to point out that WWE needs to find a better path with Natalya. She is currently Beth’s gatekeeper and she does the job to whatever flavor of the month is challenging Beth. Natalya is over and should be dominant, not losing by fluke every week. How hard would it be to have Nattie and Beth be uber-dominant heel Divas until Kharma is ready to return? As for the rest of the show, I liked what they did with Show and Henry, with Henry continuing to be an unpredictable monster heel. Then, the way that Swagger stood up to him made me think that there might be a face turn in the future for him if this lasts beyond one week. Thumbs up show, especially after the drek that was the Slammy Awards!

Follow me on Twitter @MJCupach as I Tweet live during Raw and most WWE PPVs!

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