WWE Smackdown Report
September 21, 2012
Taped 9/18/12 in Philadelphia, PA
Aired on Syfy
By Michael Cupach, PWTorch contributor

[Q1]

-No standard WWE opening this week, instead they went right to the Smackdown opening music video followed by full pyro. Josh Mathews welcomed everyone to Smackdown the week after Night of Champions. Michael Cole plugged Sheamus and Randy Orton taking on Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler tonight.

-Lillian Garcia introduces WWE Hall of Famer, Edge. He got a massive reaction from the crowd that did not expect to see him. Edge looked pumped to be there, but I will never get over seeing him with short hair. Sorry, I can’t do it! Edge played to the crowd for a minute or so and then got on the microphone and told the crowd that “that never gets old!” Edge started off by saying that 14 months ago he was forced into retirement and was unsure what he would do the rest of his life. He then did a cheap plug for Haven, which he is a part of. Edge then went on to say that recently for the first time in a while he has been able to watch WWE again as a fan and the thing he can’t understand that he saw was Daniel Bryan and Kane “hugging it out” in the middle of a WWE ring. He rhetorically asked how “The Devil’s Favorite Demon” and “Goatboy” became tag team champions because if he remembers correctly, it wasn’t something easily done!

Daniel Bryan’s music hits and he interrupts Edge. Bryan wants to correct Edge because “they” aren’t the tag team champions, “I’m” the tag team champions! Edge tells him to calm down after Bryan yells “I’m the tag team champions” over and over again. Edge asks how he pulled off getting the Tag Title and Bryan says he did it by being in control. Bryan calls himself an anchor, a rock, and one who is control of his emotions. Edge seems confused by that answer and then asks if he is joking. Bryan isn’t kidding and he lets Edge know that he knows how someone like him can be confused. Edge says “Excuse me?” and Bryan goes into a psycho-babble response linking Edge’s question and his ex-wife, Vickie Guerrero. Bryan then breaks down Edge’s theme and wonders if anyone truly knows him. Bryan tells Edge to go back to acting and back to retirement because there is nothing he can say or do to make Daniel Bryan snap. The crowd starts chanting “Yes!” over and over. Edge says that his intention wasn’t to make him snap, but it does sound like a challenge. They get into a back in forth of “no, it doesn’t sound like a challenge” and “yes, it does sound like a challenge” until Kane’s music hits and he enters the fray!

Kane stomps to the ring and tells both of them that they are wrong because he is the tag team champions and this leads to a argument between Kane and Bryan until Edge breaks it up. Kane asks Edge why he is so angry and then offers some relaxation exercises to Edge that Dr. Shelby has taught him. Edge quickly sums up the history between Daniel and Kane and he can’t figure out what they are doing together in anger management classes. Edge then goes over the horrible things he has done to Kane and the things Kane has done to him and Kane gets mad and says he should rectify the situation right now. Edge takes off his jacket to fight, but instead Kane wants to hug it out. Edge plays to the crowd like he doesn’t know what to make of this and then reluctantly hugs Kane with a scared look on his face. Meanwhile, Bryan is beside himself and yells “No!” over and over until Kane calms him down and calls for a group hug.

[Q2] Before the men can hug, Damien Sandow comes out to overwhelming boos. He calls his drama between them an abomination that has kept him up for a fortnight! Sandow calls the crowd a bunch of miscreants for eating this stuff up. Edge tells him to shut up. He then says that he can sit here all night and watch Bryan and Kane hug it out, but he can’t listen to Sandow for one more second. He tells Sandow that he should come to the ring and take on one of these men tonight. Sandow says he will not lower himself to facing either of these men, so Edge puts it up to a crowd poll and they pick Kane to take on Sandow.

Mike’s Reax: I enjoyed this opening segment. Bryan and Kane continue to be entertaining together and Edge kept up with them and added a lot with his confusion over how they can be champions. Things like this make me miss seeing Edge every week on Smackdown.

(Commercial)

1 - WWE tag champion KANE vs. DAMIEN SANDOW

During the break, Booker T made the match official for tonight. Both men brawl on the outside to start the match, Kane rolls Sandow back into the ring and pounded away at him in the corner. Damien Sandow eats a big boot of Kanes, Kane then puts his head down for a back body drop, but Sandow kicks him in the face. Kane no sells the kick and Sandow retreats to the outside where he runs into Bryan. Back in the ring, Sandow gains the upper hand and unloads on Kane in the corner, but ends up getting back suplexed by Kane. Clotheslines in the corner by Kane followed by a sideslam for a two count. Top-rope clothesline from Kane leads into him calling for the Chokeslam, but Bryan distracts Kane by taking both tag titles. Kane and Bryan struggle for the title on the apron. Sandow then sneaks up behind Kane and clips the knee, then hits Kane with his neckbreaker finisher and pins him.

WINNER: Sandow by pinfall in 4:00.

-Post-match: Bryan has both Tag Titles and he declares himself the tag team champions while heading up the ramp.

-Michael Cole and Josh Mathews talk about October being Breast Cancer Awareness month and plug how the audience can help fight Breast Cancer.

(Commercial)

[Q3]

-Big plug for Saturday Morning Slam. Hey, plug appearances from The Miz, Zack Ryder, and C.M. Punk.

-Backstage, Kane is tearing apart the backstage area looking for Bryan. Dr. Shelby asks him to stop and Kane vows to never stop until he gets his title back. He calls Bryan a goatface, Bryan then pops out from his hiding spot and calls Kane a big red freak, Kane threatens to rip his beard off his face. They then bicker back and forth until Shelby has a breakdown and offers a solution that Bryan gives him back his title and Kane won’t rip his beard off. Kane says that there is still the issue of Bryan costing him a match tonight, Shelby then tells him that he will talk to Booker T to get Bryan a match tonight.

-At the announce table, Cole and Mathews review the history of Sheamus and Del Rio, they play up that the Brogue Kick has caused tons of controversy. I have a bad feeling that this will lead to yet another Del Rio vs. Sheamus match on PPV.

-In Booker T’s office, ADR is taking a look at Booker’s new book when Booker comes in. Del Rio asks him what he was thinking by reinstating the Brogue Kick seconds before the title match started last Sunday. Booker ultimately says that he feels bad about that and offers Del Rio a shot to get a title shot when he teams with Ziggler against Orton and Sheamus tonight. Del Rio mockingly tosses Booker’s book on the floor and saunters out.

-Eve makes her way to the announce table for the next match.

(Commercial)

2 - LAYLA vs. NATALYA

Layla starts off by being distracted by Eve at ringside. Nattie tries taking advantage, but Layla knocks Natalya down and goes back to staring down Eve. Natalya clotheslines Layla hard and then puts her in a modified abdominal stretch. Layla tries rolling Nattie up, but she kicks out at two. Sharpshooter attempt by Natalya gets fought out of. Layout (neckbreaker) from Layla puts Natalya down for the three count!

WINNER: Layla by pinfall in 1:30.

-Up next, Sheamus and Randy Orton vs. Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler!

(Commercial)

[Q4]

-Ricardo Rodriguez, still in a neckbrace, introduces Alberto Del Rio for his match. Michael Cole and Josh Mathews debate whether or not Del Rio has a legitimate claim to losing his match last Sunday and whether or not he should get a re-match. Meanwhile, I get a pit in my stomach thinking about another match between the two!

-Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, and Sheamus make their way to the ring. Smackdown takes a break before the match gets underway.

(Commercial)

3 - World Hvt. champion SHEAMUS & RANDY ORTON vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO & DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero)

The match is joined in progress. Del Rio aggressively backs Sheamus into the corner and unloads on him. The ref breaks it up and Sheamus explodes from the corner and clotheslines ADR down. Tag to Orton, who dropkicks Del Rio and then Garvin Stomps him. Tag back into Sheamus who misses a charge in the corner on Alberto, Del Rio then kicks him in the back of the left leg and then stomps away on him in the corner. Del Rio misses a charge in the corner, and Sheamus capitalizes with a rolling firemans carry. Vickie climbs the apron to cause a distraction, Ziggler cheap shots Sheamus. Tag into Ziggler who drops a big elbow on Sheamus and then goes for a rear chinlock.

Sheamus gets to his feet with Dolph still on his back, Dolph climbs down and kicks the back of the knee to take Sheamus back to his knees. Tag into Del Rio who reapplies the chinlock, Ricardo and Vickie start to bicker on the outside, this distracts Alberto and that allows Sheamus to regain his composure and tag into Randy Orton. Dropkick and powerslam from Orton, he follows up with his middle rope DDT, he calls for the RKO. Ziggler tries to back jump Orton, but he saw it coming and goes for the DDT on Ziggler, but Del Rio catches him with a Backstabber.

[Q5] Tag into Dolph Ziggler who back elbows Orton and then knocks him down with a Hart Attack style clothesline. Orton back suplexes Ziggler who had him in a headlock. Ziggler tags into Del Rio who breaks up a tag between Orton and Sheamus. Del Rio goes to the middle turnbuckle and Orton dropkicks him to the floor. Ricardo helps ADR back into the ring, but it is too late, Sheamus gets tagged in! Sheamus cleans house of Del Rio and Ziggler. Ziggler tries a sleeper, Sheamus snapmares him off. Irish Curse backbreaker by Sheamus, but Del Rio breaks up the pin. Del Rio and Dolph double-team Sheamus for a second until Orton shakes the cobwebs and RKO’s Del Rio. Sheamus, then nails Dolph with a Brogue Kick and pins him for the win!

WINNERS: Sheamus & Orton by pinfall in 17:00.

-Just announced, Daniel Bryan will take on Cody Rhodes next!

(Commercial)

-Josh Mathews recaps the starts of Smackdown and how Bryan caused Kane his match with Damien Sandow.

4 - WWE tag champion DANIEL BRYAN vs. CODY RHODES

European uppercuts from Bryan to start, he then gets off topic and yells “No!” at the crowd. Rhodes hangs Bryan up on the top rope and tries to score a quick win, but Bryan kicks out at two. In the corner, Bryan and Cody trade kicks, Cody then whips Bryan into the far corner, Bryan does a standing flip off the top rope and then dropkicks Cody. Running dropkick in the corner by Bryan and he tries putting Cody in the No! Lock, but Kane’s pyro hits, Bryan starts yelling at Kane and that gives Cody the chance to hit Bryan from behind with Cross Rhodes for the win!

WINNER: Cody Rhodes by pinfall in 3:00.

[Q6]

-Kane points and laughs at Bryan who is losing it in the ring.

-Up next: C.M. Punked?

(Commercial)

-Just like the beginning of the show, Bryan is backstage looking for Kane. He finds Kane laughing maniacally and he asks Bryan what is wrong with him. Both men argue over the other causing them to lose their match. Bryan tells Kane that he belongs in the arena basement by himself where no one can see his freak face. Kane tells Bryan that he belongs in a petting zoo. They then notice that Cody and Sandow are laughing at them from afar. Cody says that it is just a matter of time before they lose their titles. Bryan and Kane then challenge both men to a tag title match tonight. Rhodes and Sandow scurry off and the tag champions go back and forth who Sandow and Rhodes were more afraid of.

-Recap of the drama between Cena and Punk from the last seven days.

-Josh Mathews breaks the news that on Tuesday, John Cena had elbow surgery and will be out for a few weeks.

-Brodus Clay shucks and jives his way to the ring. He is in action next!

(Commercial)

[Q7]

5 - BRODUS CLAY vs. HEATH SLATER

Dance-off from Brodus and Heath start thing off, it doesn’t last long as Clay bodyslams Slater and then knocks him back down with a knee lifter. Slater catches Clay with a boot to the face and a few right hands, he tries a running crossbody but Clay catches him and fallaway slams him across the ring. Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre run in jump Clay from behind, causing the DQ.

WINNER: Brodus Clay by DQ in 1:00

-After the match, Mahal and Drew continue the beat down on Clay, Heath gets up and joins in on the fun. Drew gives Clay a Future Shock DDT and Mahal puts Clay in the Camel Clutch. All three men celebrate as Cole contemplates whether this was premeditated or not.

(Commercial)

6 - U.S. champion ANTONIO CESARO (w/Aksana) vs. SANTINO – non-title match

Santino fails with a drop toehold to start, Cesaro knocks him down with European uppercuts and then gut wrench powerbombs Santino. Neck vice from Antonio, Santino fights out and hiptosses Cesaro. Santino calls for an early Cobra, Aksana distracts, Cesaro rips off the Cobra, and throws it to the ground. Aksana goes for the Cobra, but slips, then ref tends to her as Cesaro destroys Santino with his elevated European Uppercut. The ref doesn’t see the pin attempt, so Antonio pulls the ref over, but Santino rolls up Antonio Cesaro and scores a quick win over the U.S. champion!

WINNER: Santino Marella by pinfall in 2:00.

-Post-match, Antonio tells Aksana in five languages that he wants to break up with her. Aksana in all her acting skills fails to produce tears!

Mike’s Reax: I am a big fan of Cesaro ditching Aksana. She seems lower-cardish to me and was holding him back, in my opinion. To me, this is a big step toward Cesaro taking his career in the right direction. The next step is dropping the five languages gimmick!

[Q8]

-Kane and Daniel Bryan in the main event versus Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes next!

(Commercial)

-When Smackdown returns, Sandow and Cody were in the middle of the ring and all the “top” tag teams in the division had surrounded the ring to view the action.

7 - WWE tag champions KANE & DANIEL BRYAN vs. DAMIEN SANDOW & CODY RHODES

Kane and Rhodes start things off. Kane manhandles Cody with no problem, Cody quickly tags out. Sandow has no better luck against Kane who backs Damien into the corner and proceeds to clothesline him. Bryan tags himself in and gets in Kane's face, Cody gets tagged in and tries jumping Bryan from behind, but Bryan drop toe holds Cody and “No!” kicks him over and over. Bryan yells “No!” at Kane until Cody shoves Bryan into Kane and then hits Daniel with the Beautiful Disaster Kick for a two count.

On the outside, the Prime Time Players distract Kane as Sandow cheapshots him. Back in the ring, Cody and Bryan have a high-speed collision as both try crossbody blocks. Both men tag out to no reaction from the crowd. Kane cleans house of both heels, DDT’s Sandow, and tosses Rhodes out of the ring. Kane goes for a Chokeslam on Sandow, who blocks the first attempt, but can’t counter the second attempt. Cody Rhodes then brings in a chair, nails Kane, and causes a DQ.

WINNERS: Bryan & Kane by DQ in 6:00.

-After the match, Bryan rescues Kane and is about to hit Cody with the steel chair, but instead gives Kane the honors of hitting him. Kane is touched and lets Bryan waffle Cody! Bryan grabs a chair of his own from the outside and both men have a therapy session in the middle of the ring with the chairs by hitting Sandow over and over across the back. The crowd is eating it up! Kane rolls to the outside and rolls the Usos into the ring for a therapy session. The Prime Time Players try to interfere, but they get rolled in too and Bryan cleans house of everyone with his chair. Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel try helping out, but they get hit with chairs as well. Kane re-enters the ring and he joins in on the fun with Bryan. After everyone is laid out, Kane and Bryan look at each other, hold up their titles and the chairs as the crowd finally pops! Josh Mathews calls this a major break through as Smackdown fades out!

Thank you for reading, please follow me on Twitter @MJCupach. I tweet live during Raw and all WWE PPVs! Also check me out of the FTWPodcast as a semi-regular guest and for preview shows for all WWE PPVs. Go to FTWPodcast.com for more details!

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