WWE Smackdown alt. perspective review
August 30, 2011
Live from Wichita, Ks.
Aired on Syfy
By Michael Cupach, PWTorch Contributor

[Q1]
-WWE open.

-Voice-over guy opens the show to tell everyone that Smackdown is live! Voice-over guy then goes over the card for tonight: Randy Orton vs. Christian in a steel cage for the World Title, John Cena vs. Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara, and the contract signing between C.M. Punk and Triple H for Night of Champions!

-Smackdown music video and full pyro open the show in the arena and Josh Mathews welcomes everyone to this live edition of Super Smackdown. They show a wide shot of the cage where Randy Orton will face Christian and Michael Cole notes that this is the sixth time that they will be meeting.

-John Cena comes and he asks the camera if tonight is right night. Josh Mathews notes that Cena transcends pop culture and that no one elicits a response like John can. Cena mocks Tony Chimel when he says SOOOOPER Smackdown! Cena goes on to say that everyone from Raw, Smackdown, Heat, Velocity, NXT, Superstars, Shotgun Saturday Night, and the XFL are here.

Now that that is out of the way Cena gets serious and invites Alberto Del Rio to join him in the ring where he can give Del Rio a super beat down. Alberto’s music plays, but instead Ricardo Rodriguez comes down and in his first English sentence ever, Rodriguez says that if Cena wants to get his hands on Del Rio, he will have to wait until Night of Champions on PPV. Ricardo then goes into his Spanish spiel and ends it by saying Alberto’s name over and over again until Cena advises him to shut up. Cena deduces that Del Rio isn’t going to be here, so he has a gift for Del Rio that Rodriguez can give him: he punches Ricardo Rodriguez. Cole calls Cena a bully and I can’t argue.

Wade Barrett’s music hits and Cena cuts off his music and calls him a fat ring announcer. Barrett then says that apparently Cena never learned any lessons that he tried to teach him a year ago. Wade then reveals that he asked for tonight's match because Smackdown is his territory and because he used to own Cena and he will make him feel just as bad as when he owned him. Cena corrects Wade and says that it isn’t his show, it is the peoples show. Wade calls Cena pathetic, John gets serious and says that he owes Barrett some payback and he will find out tonight that payback is a bitch!

(Commercial)

1 -- JOHN CENA vs. WADE BARRETT

Cena starts off with some right hands and it makes Barrett think about what he got himself into. Wade powers Cena into the corner and cheap shots him when the ref calls for the break. Cena takes control back with a clothesline and a splash in the corner followed by a powerslam.

[Q2]

Cena shoots Wade into the ropes and Wade ducks a clothesline then nails Cena with a Bossman Slam! Barrett pounds away at Cena in the corner then misses a splash after shooting Cena into the far turnbuckle, Shoulder blocks by Cena followed by a pumphandle slam, five knuckle shuffle, and a Attitude Adjustment and Cena picks up the win!

WINNER: John Cena by pinfall in 3:30.

Mike’s Reax: Wasn’t this one of the top feuds from one year ago? Now Cena disposes of Barrett in less than five minutes? I guess this was a good enhancement match, but Wade isn’t enhancement talent.

-Post-match, Cena celebrates with some members of the Armed Forces at ringside.

-Backstage, Matt Striker is with Mark Henry and Striker looks nervous! He asks Henry for his thoughts on tonight's match between Orton and Christian, Henry says that he has no preference to who he inducts into the hall of pain. Striker then asks Henry his opinions on the steel cage match, Henry says that it is the most dangerous match, but it makes it even more dangerous when he is involved. He says as it pertains to whoever wins the Title tonight, it is like flipping a coin, no matter which side comes up, you lose!

-Cole sends to a preview of Ghost Hunters.

(Commercial)

2 -- SIN CARA vs. DANIEL BRYAN

So much for Alberto Del Rio taking on Sin Cara. Both men trade armbars under the ambiance of Sin Cara lighting. Bryan wins the battle of armbars and sends Sin Cara out of the ring with a drop kick and follows up with a suicide dive on top of Cara. Both men are back in the ring as Josh reminds everyone that Bryan is a vegan who doesn’t won a T.V. Cole then mention that Bryan’s YouTube channel has been cancelled because he showed everyone both the moves he knows. Sigh. Inverted surfboard by Bryan and he turns it into a wicked looking Dragon Sleeper and Cara rakes the eyes to break the hold. Bryan charges at Sin Cara who is resting on the ropes and gets back body dropped to the outside. Crossbody by Sin Cara to the outside and he rolls Bryan back into the ring and sentons onto him for a two count.

[Q3]

Knife edge chops in the corner by Sin Cara who then whips Bryan into the far corner only for Daniel to backflip off the top ropes and then both men collide mid-air on crossbody attempts. Both men to their feet and they trade stiff kicks on each other and Sin Cara puts an end to it by Samoan Dropping Bryan. Springboard Senton and Springboard Moonsault by Sin Cara on Bryan is good enough to pick up the win!

WINNER: Sin Cara by pinfall in 5:00.

-Post match Sin Cara cheap shots Bryan and Cole pops huge saying that Sin Cara is showing his true colors.

Mike’s Reax: Well that surprising. Short and sweet match and a shocking out of nowhere heel turn. Was this Sin Cara that turned the real or the jabroni? I smell conspiracy! Nonetheless I find this puzzling.

-Matt Striker is with Air-Boom backstage and he asks them how they are feeling. Evan says that it was a great feeling to not only win them, but to successfully defend them on Raw. Kofi then says that being a tag team is so different from being a single because now you have a partner to depend on and trust. Kofi runs down the great tag teams and then teaches Matt how to do his Boom Boom Boom with his hands.

-Still to come: the contract signing between Punk and Helmsley.

(Commercial)

-Raw has 953 episodes and Smackdown is about to be the number two longest running show in history.

-The Orton and Christian rivalry is highlighted in a vignette, going over the previous five times they have fought. It is hinted that tonight might be the last time these two face off for a while.

-Backstage, Striker is with Christian and he says that tonight will have no lawyers, no excuse, no way out, can he beat Orton? Christian says that everyone has been calling Christian names lately but what he will show them is that he is a fighter, he is a survivor, he is a winner, he gonna make it. Christian then says that he doesn’t need the World Title to validate that he is a great wrestler, but it comes down to the fact that he wants to be the World Champion and he gets what he wants.

(Commercial)

[Q4]

-Aksana is in the ring and she is the guest ring announcer and she has sexy saxophone music and mood lighting in a non-Sin Cara way. She introduces the Divas of Doom – Natalya and Beth Phoenix and their opponents – Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox. Booker gives a calm shucky ducky, quack quack. I advise anyone who doesn’t know what that means to check out urbandictionary.com and look it up.

3 -- Divas champion KELLY KELLY & ALICIA FOX vs. DIVAS OF DOOM

Kelly and Nattie start things off and Kelly gets a right hand on Natalya that seems to piss her off. Natalya swings wildly and Kelly ducks and catches Natalya with a Thesz Press. Natalya catches Kelly as she tries to floatover in the corner and pancakes Kelly and tags into Beth.

Double shoulder block by the Divas of Doom and Beth goes for a pin that comes up short. Beth chokes Kelly on the middle rope and tries another pin, but gets a two. Kelly escapes a suplex attempt and tags in Alicia who comes off the top with a crossbody that gets a two count. Springboard off the middle rope into a back elbow by Fox, she then tries taking out Natalya, but turns around into a Glam Slam and that its for Fox and Kelly.

WINNER: Divas of Doom by pin in 2:00.

-Backstage, Triple H and Teddy Long are walking down a hallway pouring over the last minute details of the contract to be signed by Punk and Hunter.

(Commercial)

-Teddy Long introduces Triple H who comes to the ring and reiterates that last night he cancelled the Nash vs. Punk match and made a match between him and Punk in what he calls a one night only affair. C.M. Punk then makes his way out.

[Q5]

-Both men sit at the table and I realize that this contract signing gimmick has been done to death this year. Punk says that Hunters word is gospel since he C.O.O. and he wonders why he is out to sign a contract. Hunter apologizes for catching him off guard last night and Punk comes back and says that he is never caught off guard because anything can happen in the WWE. Hunter starts talking about being disrespected and Punk tries interrupting, but Hunter tells him to shut up. He says that despite the fact that Punk has disrepute everyone in his family, been difficult to work with, and held the company hostage he has tried working with Punk by getting Living Colour to agree to let Punk use their music, he gave him the Best in the World shirt he wanted, and gave him Kevin Nash at Night of Champions, but he keeps getting disrespected. So now Punk has to deal with Hunter as man and the crowd pops when he says that.

Punk says he doesn’t want the C.O.O. at N.O.C., he wants to Cerebral Assassin. Punk goes on to say that just like his predecessor, he can’t separate business from his personal life. He thinks Hunter sucks as the C.O.O. and Punk wants that to change, he wants things to be better. The crowd chants Punk’s name. Hunter thinks that Punk is doing this for himself and that some people like WWE the way it is(crowd pops) and that, yes, it can be better and he will work as C.O.O. to make things as good as they can be.

Triple H goes on to say that the two men are alike in that they want to be on top, but unlike Punk, Triple H told everyone he would step on them to get there, while Punk stabbed people in the back and pretended to be a martyr. Punk non-nonchalantly says that he doesn’t think he tries to be a martyr, he sees himself as a catalyst for change because he wants everyone to turn into Smackdown and Raw and like what they see. He says before he was the best wrestler in their world, he was a fan and he knows what to do to make things fun.

Punk then says that since he started as C.O.O. he has gone out of his way to push his buttons and Triple H failed his trial by fire because of his ego. Punk says that if he has to go through Hunter to cause change, so be it, this fight has been a long time coming, he asks Hunter to not fire or fine him after he kicks his ass on PPV. Hunter then starts to kiss Vince McMahon's ass by thanking Punk for comparing him to Vince. He starts to says why is different from Vince, but C.M. Punk interrupts and says that the problem with Hunter is that he respects Vince and that they are both stuck in the past. Hunter says that the different between him and Vince is that Vince would have gotten in the ring with Punk and let him kick his ass, but Hunter won’t do that, he will just kick Punk’s skinny fat ass.

NWO music hits and Nash storms to the ring (when I say storm I mean it takes a little while) and Hunter tries restraining Punk, but that lets Nash get some shots in on Punk and a big boot, Hunter tries getting Nash off Punk, so Nash shoves Hunter down and storms out of the ring. Hunter looks like he can’t believe that his friend would do such a thing! Josh Mathews asks has Hunter lost control of his own company?

-Still to come: Randy Orton vs. Christian and Great Khali vs. Sheamus. So much for Punk vs. Khali...

[Q6]

(Commercial)

-During the commercial break, Striker caught up with “Kev” and asked him for a word on what happened out there, but Nash no-sells Matt and keeps walking.

4 -- GREAT KHALI vs. SHEAMUS

Someone alert DDP, let him know that Sheamus is stealing his taped ribs gimmick! I just realized that despite the brand split being wished well in future endeavors, only one match tonight featured a “Raw” vs. “ Smackdown” wrestler. Chops from Khali on Sheamus in the corner as Booker T recaps why Khali is with Jinder Mahal and says that Khali is on fire lately. By on fire, does he mean that I can’t remember the last time Khali has won a match? Sheamus dropkicks the knee of Khali to take him down, he ties Khali up in the ropes and pounds away on the chest of the Punjabi Playboy and follows it with a running knee and a shoulder block from the top rope. Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick and Jinder Mahal runs in and interferes to cause the DQ.

WINNER: Sheamus by DQ in 3:00.

-Post-match, Mahal and Khali lay a beatdown on Sheamus around ringside. Sheamus ducks a Khali Chop and Khali hits his hand on the steel post. Jinder presses the attack on Sheamus, but Sheamus turns the tables and puts Jinder down with a Celtic Cross in the ring!

-Tonight: Steel cage match for the World Title, Randy Orton vs. Christian.

(Commercial)

-Wide shot of Intrust Bank Arena is shown and Josh Mathews throws to the trailer of Inside Out starring Michael Rappaport and Paul Levesque. I believe that this is Hunter's second movie in a row where he was in prison. Makes me wonder if Hunter has some kind of fascination with jail or being in a jail.

[Q7]

-A WWE poll shows that only 15% of people think that Christian has a advantage in the steel cage match tonight.

-The cage is lowered and Booker goes over *every* possible injury one can have in the cage. Jamming your fingers in the mesh is left off the list for some reason, too bad Cole didn’t correct him there. (WrestleMania 15, Hell in a Cell callback there.)

-A commercial for the new Randy Orton DVD is shown. It looks to me like it is three discs of Randy staring into the distance menacingly. Some people are into watching that kinda stuff, but not me.

(Commercial)

5 -- World Hvt. champion RANDY ORTON vs. CHRISTIAN -- World Title match in a steel cage

This rivalry is reminding me of Kane and Edge from late last year where they blew off the feud in gimmick match while the announcers mentioned all the times they have faced each other in a short period of time and hinted that tonight was the last time. Tony Chimel introduce both guys to start and it looks like Orton has some kind of snake skin on the back of the belt which looks pretty cool. Match starts with Christian kicking Orton in the gut and making a mad dash for the door, but gets foiled by Orton. Christian then cheapshots Orton in the corner and makes a break for the outside again which Orton breaks up. Dropkick by Christian is blocked and he ends up kicking out of a pin attempt as Smackdown takes a break 45 seconds into the match.

(Commercial)

[Q8] Christian gives Orton some shots in the corner as Smackdown comes back. Booker says that this has been a back and forth match during the break. Escape attempt by Christian gets broken up again and he then walks into a high back body drop from Orton. Randy calls for the door to be opened and he tries to non-nonchalantly walk out, but Christian hooks a ankle. Orton tries his hangman DDT, but decides to smash the back of Christians head into the cage, then tries it again, only for Christian to reverse into a backdrop into the cage. Christian chokes Orton with his boot and breaks on four, then tries a escape, Orton pulls him back in the ring and school boys Christian for a close two count.

Spinebuster by Christian gets a two count and Booker references his homeboy Ole Anderson! Captain Charisma mounts Orton and unleashes some deliberate right hands, then lets The Viper to his feet, only to give him a vicious looking neckbreaker! Christian calls for the door to open and Orton pops right up and puts the kibosh on the escape. Christian fights off Orton and climbs the cage where Orton stops him and both men battle on the top rope and then Randy superplexes Christian to the mat as Smackdown takes another break!

(Commercial)

Christian is almost out the door as Smackdown returns, his hands are touching the ground as Orton drags him back in. Cole reiterates that it was even more of a back and forth battle during the commercial. Orton sends a running Christian head first into the steel cage, then clotheslines him a few times, and fires him into the cage one more time. Powerslam by the champion comes up short. Christian blocks the hangman DDT again and puts his hands up when Orton tries sending him face first into the cage and turns his block into a inverted DDT! Nice counter!

Another escape by Christian is thwarted quickly by Orton and both men trade blows on the turnbuckle, Orton gets sent off the turnbuckle and Christian follows up with a D’Lo Brown style Frog Splash! Excellent! Orton stops another escape and Christian calls for a spear that Orton leapfrogs, RKO attempt is blocked, then Christian hits that spear for a long two count! Nice sequence as the crowd chants “this is awesome!”

Christian calls for a Punt, Orton moves out of the way, so Christian tries climbing out, Orton grabs him and gives Christian a neckbreaker! Killswitch is countered and Christian is sent head first into the cage and on the third try, Orton hits the hangman DDT! The crowd is hot for this match! Christian pushes Orton off a RKO attempt and Christian tries escaping *again* and this time Christian and Orton are straddling the top of the cage, trading shots.

[Q9]

Orton pulls Christian back into the cage and Christian tries a Killswitch from the top rope, Orton fights out of it, and RKO’s Christian from the top rope!!! Orton gets the pin!

WINNER: Randy Orton retains the World Title by pinfall in 18:30

-Post-match, Mark Henry’s music plays and he makes his way to the ring, gets in the cage, and beats down Randy Orton as Christian slinks out. Henry puts Orton on his shoulder and rams him into the cage a few times before Orton blocks Henry, but it is short lived as Henry headbutts Orton, and gives him a big splash. Mark kneels over Randy telling him “c’mon champ, get up” as the ref tries to get Henry out of there. Henry picks up Orton and sends him facefirst into the cage again then delivers the Worlds Strongest Slam as Smackdown goes off the air!

Mike’s Reax: Great TV match from Orton and Christian; it looks like this will be the end of this feud for now, and they were sent off in grand fashion! Good psychology from Christian trying to weasel his way out of the cage multiple times only to be cut off by Orton. I’m also glad that Orton pinned Christian instead of walking out the cage door. I think only heels should escape the cage; faces should try to win the match straight up.

Overall, I thought this was a star-studded show that was light on wrestling before the main event and seemed more like a lite episode of Raw. I’ll give this episode the benefit of the doubt with it being a super show, hopefully going forward we will see more of a balance of wrestling. I thought the Punk/Hunter promo was good enough, I would like to see a heel and a face established because I don’t think this shades of gray, back and forth pandering to the crowd will do much to draw. I also feel like Hunter and Punk is being hot-shotted. In my opinion, this is a rivalry that would be best if it simmered for a few months. Bottom line though, good Supershow, very newsworthy, and I’d like to see Smackdown continue live on Tuesdays.

Follow me on Twitter @mjcupach as I tweet live during Raw and WWE PPV’s!

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