WWE Smackdown Report
March 30, 2012
Taped 3/26/12 in Atlanta, Ga.
Aired on Syfy
By Michael Cupach, PWTorch contributor

-WWE open.

-Smackdown open, but no pyro. Josh Mathews welcomes everyone to Smackdown. Tonight, Josh Mathews will be announcing with Matt Striker because Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are at Axxess and Booker T is already down in Miami getting ready for his match at WrestleMania. They then showed an inset promo from Zack Ryder saying that he is happy because of Eve and, even though they have had a bumpy relationship, he is still smiling. He says at WrestleMania he will help Team Teddy achieve victory.

1 - ZACK RYDER vs. DREW MCINTYRE

Collar-and-elbow tie-up to start and Drew over-powers Zack, then taunts him. Zack fights his way back to his feet and dropkicks Drew in the face, then pancakes him. Drew backs into the corner and Zack charges in, but Drew lifts him up and drops him face-first on the ringpost. Drew goes for a pin, but Zack kicks out at two. Tilt-a-whirl gourdbuster by Drew gets another two count. Drew moves Zack into the corner and stomps a mudhole in him, then drops a boot right on the side of Zack’s face.

Submission hold by Drew gets the crowd into the match - they chant “Woo-woo-woo,” but to no avail. Drew goes to the middle turnbuckle and jumps off into Zack's boot. Zack mounts a comeback with some running forearms followed by face-planting Drew to the mat. Broski Boot by Zack in the corner gets a two count and Drew tries leaving the ring, but Zack stops him and pulls him back into the ring. Drew kicks him in the face for a two count. Drew goes for what looks like a powerbomb but Zack reverses out, Drew runs into a knee from Zack and Zack hits the Rough Ryder for the win!

WINNER: Zack Ryder by pinfall in 6:00.

Mike’s Reax: Okay match, nothing special. But this gives Team Teddy the momentum heading into WrestleMania.

-Still to come: Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston.

-Up next: The End of an Era.

(Commercial)

-Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole are at WWE Fan Axxess. They talk a little about the fans who walk through the exhibits. They show The Undertakers Graveyard, which has 19 tombstones, which stand for the 19 matches he has won at WrestleMania. They then show a WWE entranceway where fans can imitate their favorite wrestler entrances. They then throw to a video package for the End of an Era Match - Triple H vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.

-Still to come tonight: Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston.

(Commercial)

-At Fan Axxess, they show a display of the WWE Titles, past and present. They also show the world biggest merchandise stand that has almost 30 different t-shirts! Wowee-zowee!

-Cole and Lawler plug the WrestleMania pre-show on WWE's website, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

-Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler then discuss the Divas tag match at WrestleMania between Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs. Eve and Beth Phoenix. They then go to a video package showing how this match came about on an episode of "Extra."

-Up next, a closer look at the WWE Title match between Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk!

(Commercial)

-At Fan Axxess, they show The Rock Experience, which is a trip down memory lane showing off props that The Rock has used in the past along with some costumes from some of his movies. They also show guys like Edge, C.M. Punk, and Triple H signing autographs for fans. They then show some clips from an online charity auction that Jerry Lawler hosted.

-Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talk about how personal the C.M. Punk and Chris Jericho has gotten. They introduce a video package with highlights from this feud. This was a great video package!

-Up next, Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy gets showcased.

(Commercial)

-WWE has taken over YouTube on Friday.

-They transition to Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny. Lawler gets a Team Teddy flag and waves it proudly, then Cole gets his flag and starts waving it around while Lawler cuts to last Monday's Raw when the last members of the teams were announced. They also show the brawl between the two teams that took place throughout Monday's show.

-Up next, Big Show will have some words for Cody Rhodes.

(Commercial)

-Back in the arena, Big Show makes his way to the ring for a promo. He has a big smile and starts off by saying that he has had an extra-ordinary career and has competed against the best. He says he won the World Title in his first professional match, but the one thing he never had was a WrestleMania moment. He says that Cody has called him a choke artist and a failure and that Cody plans on making a name for himself at Big Show's expense at WrestleMania. He says what he doesn’t plan on is stepping into the ring with the World's Largest Athlete. Big Show says that this Sunday will be different from what has happened in the past because Cody Rhodes is going to get chokeslammed and his career is going to be broken. Show says that he will walk out as the Intercontinental Champion and he will have his moment!

-Chris Jericho is shown walking backstage. He faces Kofi Kingston tonight!

(Commercial)

-Back at Fan Axxess, they show kids playing at the Cenation Action Zone and another fan singing Cena’s theme in a soundbooth. Cole also tries singing Cena’s theme until Lawler makes an awful joke to get him to start. They plug the WrestleMania pre-show again.

-A video package of Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan is shown. Both men have come such a long way even in the last few months; I am really looking forward to this match!

-Still to come: Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho and the final confrontation between Rock and Cena!

(Commercial)

-Cole and Lawler run down the Hall of Fame Class of 2012. The induction ceremony can be seen Monday before Raw.

-Another video package for Triple H vs. Undertaker is shown. This one has comments from past and present Superstars about last year's match and what can happen in this year's Cell match.

-Back at Axxess, Cole asks Lawler why this is dubbed an End of an Era match. Lawler says it is because they don’t make wrestlers like they used to, and Taker and Hunter are the last two guys made that way.

Mike’s Reax: Wait…what???

(Commercial)

2 - CHRIS JERICHO vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Jericho has some words for Kofi to start the match, then both men trade chicken wings until Jericho makes it to the ropes. Shoulder block by Jericho takes Kingston down then Kingston's clotheslines Jericho to the floor and baseball-slides Jericho right in the face. Kofi slides Jericho back into the ring and tries a springboard maneuver, but Jericho shakes the ropes and hangs Kingston up on the ropes as Smackdown takes a break!

(Commercial)

Back on Smackdown, Jericho catapults Kofi under the bottom the rope, then kicks him onto the floor. Jericho plays to the crowd as Kofi lies on the floor. Chris heads outside to retrieve Kingston and he bounces Kofi’s head off the announce table, then introduces Kofi’s face to the barricade outside the ring. Back inside the ring, Jericho punts Kofi in the ribs, then puts him in a rear chinlock. Kofi fights to his feet, but runs into a knee to the gut.

Jericho starts choking Kofi Kingston on the middle rope as the ref breaks it up with a five count. Jericho does that three or four times. Kingston then comes back with some high-octane offense – clotheslines, running chops, and S.O.S. - for a two count. Kofi then nails Jericho with the Boom Drop.

Kofi calls for Trouble in Paradise, but Jericho catches Kofi’s legs and tries putting him in The Walls of Jericho, but Kofi powers out and goes to the top rope and connects with a high cross-body for a two count. Both men are out on the mat for a few seconds. Jericho is the first up and he tries the Lionsault, but Kofi gets his knees up. Another Trouble in Paradise attempt gets turned into The Walls of Jericho and Kofi taps out!

WINNER: Chris Jericho via submission in 11:00.

-Jericho does some good ol’ WrestleMania sign-pointing. Because of the WWE drinking game, that means I have to do a shot.

-Up next: The final confrontation between The Rock and John Cena.

(Commercial)

-Back at Fan Axxess, they show a Money in the Bank exhibit. Cole then asks Lawler if he is a member of the Cenation or Team Bring It. Lawler says he will tweet Michael Cole his answer. They then show the final confrontation between The Rock and John Cena from last Monday in its entirety to close out the show.

Mike's Reax: This was the usual filler/PPV preview Smackdown show before WrestleMania. If you missed Raw and Smackdown for the last seven weeks and wanted to catch up for WrestleMania, then this is the show for you. In my opinion, this show needed more of a hook for the audience and needed more than a hype job for Fan Axxess. If I am watching Smackdown, that means I am probably not going to buy a ticket for Axxess and I don’t need to see people having fun 1,200 miles away while I watch a stale episode of Smackdown. Of course, WWE hopes it plants a seed with viewers for future Manias.

With WrestleMania coming up this Sunday, I will give my quick predictions for the show. If you want more in depth predictions, check out my blog on the PWTorch VIP page or check out the WrestleMania preview show over at FTWPodcast.com .

Quick predictions: Cena over The Rock, Undertaker over Triple H, C.M. Punk over Chris Jericho, Sheamus over Daniel Bryan, Beth Phoenix and Eve over Kelly Kelly and Maria, Big Show over Cody Rhodes, No contest/double DQ/double count-out in the Orton vs. Kane match, and Team Teddy over Team Johnny.

Thanks for reading and please check me out on Twitter @MJCupach. I’ll be tweeting live during WrestleMania this Sunday and Monday during the Hall of Fame and Raw!

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