ShareThisMarch 19/10 Smackdown
First off, let me apologize for the lateness of the report. I got caught up with some work and March Madness flipped around my viewing of the show. So, enough apologies, taped from lovely Los Angeles, California, lets ‘Layeth the Smackethdown’!!!
We’re starting the show with a big Rey Mysterio promo, introduced by our announcers, Matt and Todd. This is really getting the program over, and I really enjoyed the crazy Punk antics last week.
Rey comes down to the ring, rocking a great looking t-shirt, and his black mask. He ain’t happy, folks. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees his family in terror, and fear. All this because of one person, CM Punk. Rey says he has climbed mountains, won titles, taken beatings, been embarrassed and been afraid. But Punk crossed the line messing with the family. Rey accepts the match at Wrestlemania, but he wants a street fight, which I’ll pop for. I’m totally down to see these two just go at it all over the arena!
Punk arrives, The Society in tow. Gallows looks kinda like Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Drosse. But Punk delivers once again. He’s consistently the best promo guy on the show, along with Jericho. Not only that, but he works so hard to get the matches and the gimmicks over, he’s just everything the business needs right now, because he can STAY HEALTHY. That’s the biggest thing you can have on your side, is that horseshoe that keeps you uninjured and on the mark, every night.
This whole thing is going over like a superhero vs. diabolical villain, and I love this. He’s this crazy David Koresh nut bag, with the Howard Hughes beard. Punk says Rey needs to accept him as his savior. Rey says Punk is loco and that that’s not going to happen. So tonight, Luke Gallows is going to face Rey Mysterio. If Rey wins, he gets his street fight. But if Gallows wins, and then Rey loses at Wrestlemania, he has to join the Straight Edge Society. I believe I talked about this already a few months ago, and predicted the whole story here, so applause is welcome.
My only problem with this is I think it’s leading to Rey losing his mask. If he loses at Mania and he joins Straight Edge, then it’s going to be like shaving his head, and I think it’s the worst thing you can do to a luchador. This is going to ruin him with the kids, and it’s taking money out of the amount of merch you can sell based on the current gimmick. I realize Rey is getting closer to retirement by the year, but I don’t think you should be tearing the mask off now, just to freshen him up. Eric Bischoff tried that once before and it worked moderately, but not to the extreme as before.
Match One: Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger d. MVP & Matt Hardy
Apparently, the brand extension basically doesn't exist in March and April this year. They got about six minutes with a commercial mixed in after a minute. I never got into the match. When you do a hot tag after only a couple of minutes you have to assume it's going to be a quick contest. Ziggler eventually hit MVP with the Zig Zag for the win. After the match, Ziggler climbed a ladder and grabbed the briefcase. Good for him, because I think it’s the last time you’re going to get that chance. Show me a man that thinks any of these guys is winning the match, and I’ll show you a fool. I can’t possibly see it happening.
They do a fast recap of last weeks Highlight Reel with Edge and Jericho. This was awesome, and I loved his belt shot. Tonight, Edge will be hosting the Cutting Edge, and Jericho will be the guest.
As the Undertaker/HBK video package airs again, I have to say I love the work that’s going into what many are calling Shawn Michaels final match. If it is, I would say career well done. If it isn’t, then don’t let him stay long. I think he needs to go home for a rest. Cash is brilliant for this piece as well, I just wish they would have stayed with the Placebo song for the first half of it, and mashing them up. Mash ups work great in music, just not well in tag teams.
They show us Vince’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Someone should go by there and leave a ‘Sexy Bitch’ sticker or toy boat. Just a thought…
Teddy Long and Drew McIntyre are backstage and get into a roundabout conversation about winning and losing, based around Mr. McMahon’s intervention. So, based on winning streaks, Teddy is having Drew fight The Undertaker later in the evening. That should be a treat.
Match Two: Beth Phoenix and Tiffany vs. Michelle McCool and Layla
I don’t like Beth’s pose with the hands. It’s like she’s Wonder Woman or something. I loved the Airplane spin by Beth on Layla. Who doesn't love the airplane spin? Classic Rotunda. I'm impressed by Tiffany and not just because she's good looking, but the forearms she throws look crisp and she's surprisingly able to pull off the aggressive attacks. She got beat up by Michelle a bit, Beth got the hot tag and was able to finish off McCool with the Glam Slam for the win after about four minutes. This was actually a decent tag match. The girls have really picked up the ball and are running with it, while Mickie is out until after Mania. They worked well together and I would say that thanks to Fit Finlay. Vickie Guerrero came out, said she wanted an apology from Beth for attacking her. Beth gave her one, but of course, that wasn't good enough. Therefore, next week it's Beth vs. Vickie. This worked since the crowd hates Vickie, so that's helping Beth's face turn. I can’t wait until she gets the belt back. Maybe by then, Natalya Neidhardt can start working Beth long term. But I’m sure that won’t happen, Hart Dynasty get treated like a group of pariahs. It’s such a waste.
They showed Kevin Rudolf in the crowd while plugging his "I Made It" song. Lisa likes it, I think its ok. I would have liked something more from the Fozzy Album, but I guess that’s old news.
Jericho as a guest on the Cutting Edge
The only difference between last week and this week was the guest got introduced to be on the show whereas last week they both came out at the same time. Jericho's brought his NXT rookie Wade Barrett, just to take a Spear. And obviously, Edge's set doesn't contain an obscenely expensive screen like the Jeritron 3000. Other than that, it was more or less the same thing. They have had several face to face promos with one another and they're always good but, in this instance, they really focused on the left foot injury. Once it got physical, Jericho got sent down to the floor while Edge hit the Spear on Barrett. Jericho got back in and gave Edge a Codebreaker to send him down. Then he stomped on the ankle. I would have loved a chair shot to the ankle, like the Brian Pillman angle but perhaps that’s a bit much. It was basically the same thing they've been doing except they focused more on the ankle injury, which is a good thing. That’s how you build sympathy for the face. I hate how Batista uses the Spear as a set up move but Edge uses it as a finisher. If anything, it would be more deadly coming from the Animal than the Ultimate Opportunist. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Match Three: Hart Dynasty vs. Morrison and R-Truth
So, I guess Truth and Morrison are going into Mania to face MizShow, but I can’t see them pulling the win. In fact, I would think this might lead to a Morrison heel turn so he can go and do 5 Star matches with Truth until time ends. This was more or less a squash, but there were some good spots from the Dynasty before Truth hit the Lie Detector, at about two minutes in. Remember when the wrestling media and the online wrestling community thought that Bret Hart coming back would benefit the kids in some way? Yeah, hasn’t happened. Maybe post Mania, but I wouldn’t count on it. Hell, I’m still waiting to see Jim Neidhardt show up on TV!
Cryme Tyme’s Word Up Segment was reduced to being a commercial for Slim Jim and their Wrestlemania Sweepstakes. Honestly, give me a good old Hot Rod any day.
Match Four: Rey Mysterio vs. Luke Gallows
This was the longest and best match on the show but Rey’s colors make him look like a court jester or clown. These two do have great chemistry, since Mysterio's such an awesome worker against the bigger opponents. I mean, he pulled magic out of Kevin Nash. I've said in recent weeks, I'm impressed by Gallows' mobility. He's tall, but in no way slow. He has great ring mobility and always gets in the right spot to either hit moves or take the bump. That's very important for a big guy. It's what differentiates him from a guy like Chris Masters who is immobile with poor timing. About eight minutes in, Mysterio hit the 619, which was the cue for the interference as Punk distracted the ref, Serena tripped Mysterio up and Gallows capitalized to score the pin. I always love outside interference to push a stable. This means if Punk wins at Mania then Rey joins the Straight Edge Society. Again, if this leads to him losing his mask, I’m not going to be happy. I’ll keep watching to see where it goes, but I won’t be happy. I believe in the luchador tradition.
Match Five: Undertaker vs. Drew McIntyre
In two minutes of squash, Drew catches an apron leg drop, a chokeslam, and a Tombstone piledriver, just for coming out. I still see Christian winning the MitB, but Drew might be a close second. The office loves him, but I think he might be better served finding a tag team for a bit, if only that division really existed. It’s a bookmark at this point.
Shawn Michaels comes out of NOWHERE post match, and misses the Superkick, they tussle and then he nails it on the second shot. He talked trash to end the show while Undertaker raised his fist up in the air. This was a good ending to the show although to those that think it means HBK will go into WM as a heel you're sorely mistaken. This is a case of getting the upper hand before the match and I would expect to see Undertaker on Raw this week.
SHOW OVERVIEW
I have to give this show a weak 7. It did what it was supposed to do, and that’s push the Mysterio/Punk angle, but I think the rest of the show suffered for it’s length and involvement. Hart Dynasty once again takes a loss, and of course it pisses me off. They are the best pure athletes on the show, and I think they should be showcased in the best possible way. I just wish they could have pushed the McMahon/Hitman angle on Smackdown instead.
Remember, that while Wrestlemania is just a week away, April is going to be hot in Southern Ontario. Alpha 1 is featuring their second show in Hamilton, at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Parkdale and Queenston on April 11th, featuring Soldier Ant from Chikara, Sabian aka Blk Jesus from CZW, and all your other Alpha Superstars! Also, the earth shattering rematch of The Hacker vs. Josh ‘The Ronin’ Alexander, not only friend against friend, but each of these young lions is trying to carve their own legacy in Ontario.
April 26th, the Iroqouis Lacrosse Arena will be rocking and rolling to raise funds for Cancer. Hagersville will be hosting the likes of The Highlanders, Doink the Clown, Native Legend Tatanka, The King of Old School Steve Corino, Hillbilly Jim, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, and just announced, former Hart Foundation member Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhardt will be on hand to lay the beat down on any punks that get in his way. TNA’s Cody Deaner and Johnny Devine will be on hand, as well as some explosive young talent. The entourage, Ethan Page and Joey King of KO’s Kings will be there, along with Asian Nightmare Kwan Chang, Tyrant Eric Dawson, Outlaw Scott Chase, and Rip Impact. The Facebook event is available at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=358463572573&ref=ts
And I’ll be posting some interviews, previews, and information about the upcoming event in the coming weeks at http://jeffgoodridge.blogspot.com/
Hope to see you all here next week for another rousing edition of the Smackdown Rundown.
Jeff Goodridge is a freelance writer and a lifelong wrestling fan. He and his friend Blair will be posting an epic dialogue about their Wrestlemania predictions in a few short days, so stay tuned.
