Jonathan Dehn
WWE Smackdown
10/11/2013
Columbus, Ohio
-Vickie walks out to the ring to start the show. We get a quick recap of her work with Del Rio, but right afterwards; Vickie speaks out against The Big Show for knocking out HHH. Vickie is happy to say that The Big Show has a “for sale” sign on his house, which is owned by HHH. “Put the house up for sale-uh!” Of course, there’s still the time needed to hire an agent and get it ready to be seen, but whatever. Alberto Del Rio steps out and begs for Vickie to save him from Cena. So Vickie forces ADR to kiss her on the lips. Human Resources are going to love this. Vickie makes him kiss her again, and asks him not to do it like a “gringo”. ADR adds in a dip for good measure. Vickie now tells him to kiss her butt. Human Resources is now lighting themselves on fire. ADR hesitates and Vickie tells him that she will not keep Cena away from him. This draws out Damien Sandow to start his face run by calling Del Rio a phony. Sandow praises Vickie’s intellect and trashes ADR’s less than honorable actions of a champion. Vickie makes a match for the two of later in the night, and a brawl breaks out between the two. ADR runs off after Damien starts to get the better of him.
Intercontinental Championship Match – R-Truth vs. Curtis Axel © w/Paul Heyman
They lock up to begin the match, and Axel gets some shoulderthrusts in the corner, and follows with a big chop. Truth ducks another and gets some strikes before getting a hiptoss for just one. Axel retreats outside, but Truth follows and throws Axel back into the ring. Curtis tries to beg off, but gets beaten around. Axel dodges a charge and knocks Truth off of the apron. We hit another early commercial break.
We return with Truth fighting back but taking a clothesline to the back of the head for two. Truth fights out of a headlock and whips Axel heavily into the corner. Axel gets a boot up and tosses Truth into the second turnbuckle. The two trade elbows from the floor and battle back to their feet. This is a bit different. Truth gets the upperhand. Truth gets a couple of clotheslines and a leg lariat off of a whip. That gets two. Truth ducks a right hand and gets a front dropkick for two. Axel misses the dropkick and Truth capitalizes with a nifty wheelbarrow slam for two.
Truth hits a scissors kick, but Axel grabs the bottom rope for two. Curtis battles back from the apron, and gets the neckbreaker for the win.
Final Thoughts: **. This needed five more minutes, as there was something good and different here.
Los Matadores w/El Torito vs. Los Locales
Los Locales are a masked jobber duo consisting of Ricardo Rodriguez and some dude. Fernando starts with Los Locales #1 (not Ricardo). Fernando gets a shoulderblock and a head scissors on our jobber friend. In comes Diego, and they hit a double backbody drop. Chop in the corner, and Diego flips out of the corner and gets a headscissors. Ricardo comes in and gets double teamed and destroyed with a flying chop. However, #1 gets the blind tag and hits a dropkick to break up a pinning attempt. #1 rolls through on a snapmare and hits a kick to the back.
In comes Ricardo, but he is no match for the quickness and gets run over. #1 comes in but gets backdropped into Ricardo, who then eats a chop from the top and takes the double Samoan drop for the win for Los Matadores. After the match, El Torito gets himself some of #1 and gets some offense in, finishing with an assisted slingshot splash.
Final Thoughts: Well, Los Matadores have already gone through 3MB a few times, so we get something from Superstars in 1993.
The Funkadactyls and Brie Bella w/Nikki Bella vs. Natalya, Kaitlyn and Eva Marie w/Jojo
Nattie and Brie start off with a handshake and Nattie shoots her to the mat and they trade holds. It’s some solid stuff. Brie rips off Lance Storm with the rolling half Boston crab. It’s fun to watch Brie pick up some new holds as she goes along. Nattie makes it to the ropes. Brie fights out of the Sharpshooter but gets a smack to the butt before Eva enters and drags the match down a bit. Kaitlyn enters, but Brie escapes and brings in Cameron, who gets slammed for two.
Cameron hits the weakest kick in the history of kicks and lazily rolls up Kaitlyn for one. Naomi enters but takes a spear from Kaitlyn. The action breaks down with bad dropkicks thrown by Cameron and Eva. Brie throws out Eva but takes a spinning clothesline from Nattie. Naomi hits the rear view, not at all phased by the spear, I guess. Naomi rolls through on the rollup from Kaitlyn and gets the win.
Final Thoughts: Well, this wasn’t too offensive, and at least Kaitlyn got on TV, even if it was just to job.
-Renee is backstage with Cody and Goldust. They thank all of those that helped them overcome the odds and defeat The Shield at Battleground. There’s a nice chemistry between the brothers, of course, with Goldust back to being his old bizarre self, and Cody just holding on for the ride.
Damien Sandow vs. Alberto Del Rio
Damien starts quick, beating Del Rio around the ring. Alberto bails, and Damien chases, rolling into the ring to get stomped by Del Rio. ADR gets the chinlock quite early on. Sandow fights out and gets a hiptoss. He follows with some right hands. ADR retreats and grabs his belt, looking to leave. Sandow runs him down and batters him outside before rolling him in for just one. “USA!” chants break out for some reason. ADR fights back in the corner with a dropkick to the face that gets two. ADR goes to the top and hits a double axe handle for just one. We’re back to the chinlock as I recognize Damien Sandow as this generation’s Jim Duggan.
Sandow fights back on Del Rio’s corner charge, sending him over the top and down to the floor. Back inside, Sandow drops the knee and elbow, and gets a snap suplex. ADR gets the boots up in the corner and takes his turn beating down Damien. Sandow misses a corner charge and goes arm first into the post. Damien gets a boot up on the whip and clotheslines ADR out to the floor. I have to say that Sandow can work some fine babyface intensity. We hit the break with Sandow all sorts of fired up.
We return with Del Rio hitting a dropkick on Sandow. ADR gets Sandow in the ropes, but misses a charge and winds up at the announce table. ADR gets a superkick to keep Sandow at bay, but gets tossed back in. They slug it out and off of the whip; Sandow mixes in some babyface offense with The Elbow of Disdain for two. Sandow misses the kneedrop and gets nailed with the Si Kick for two. Sandow fights back, but takes away the arm and signals for the cross armbreaker.
Sandow dodges it and gets a reverse DDT for two. ADR reverses the Terminus into a backstabber for two. Sandow dodges the corner enzuigiri and hits a flipping neckbreaker for a near fall. ADR hides in the ropes and covers up from punishment and kicks at Damien’s injured knee. The cross armbreaker does the job for ADR.
Final Thoughts: **3/4. This was solid. Damien surprised me with his stamina and seemed to have an endless pit of energy. The only problem with Damien Sandow being a face is that he doesn’t have a finisher, and that he would need a complete gimmick overhaul, being Damien Sandow and all.
The Great Khali and Prime Time Players vs. 3MB
Heath and Khali begin the match. Heath is ineffectual. In comes Jinder, who is also ineffectual. If Jinder has so much money, WHERE IS MY 3MB MUSIC VIDEO??? Khali hits some elbows in the corner and chops at Jinder’s chest. Young enters and hits the corner clothesline and northern light suplex. Jinder backs Darren into the corner and brings in Drew. Darren hits a rolling elbow on Drew but takes a boot to the gut when trying to float over in the corner. Heath enters and they get a double slingshot suplex. Heath goes to the chinlock, and follows with a neckbreaker. Jinder comes in and hits a high knee for two.
Drew is back to do some work in the corner. He gets a short armed clothesline, but eats an enzuigiri that brings in Titus. Titus cleans house and hits the fallaway slam on Jinder. Drew breaks it up, and it breaks down. Heath kicks down Titus, but gets cocky and walks into a back bodydrop. Khali takes the tag and gets the brainchop for the win.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. It’s strange to see 3MB come out and put together a decent little match for their time, with crisp teamwork.
Goldust and Cody Rhodes vs. The Wyatt Family w/ Bray Wyatt
In the matchup screen, we noticed that Cody and Dustin have a family crest next to their likenesses, and it looks badass. Goldust begins with Harper, who slugs away in the ropes. Goldust gets a clothesline, and in comes Rowan. Goldust stares down Rowan as the mask comes off. It’s a cool visual. This should be a gimmicked PPV match, in my opinion. Goldust slaps the mask from his face and brings in Cody for an elbow from the second rope. Cody chops him down but gets turned inside out from a shoulderblock and gets knocked outside. We hit a quick break.
We return with Goldust getting a hot tag and putting in some work. Harper is in the backed into the corner and takes the ten punches with gusto. Harper shrugs off the bulldog and runs through him in the corner. In comes Rowan for a kneedrop. He gets two. Rowan gets a back elbow and carries Goldust into the corner, where Harper returns and continues the assault. Goldust fights out of a side headlock and gets a DDT after Harper misses on a dropkick. Luke cuts off the hot tag, knocking Cody down. In comes Rowan for a big slam that gets two.
Goldust takes a hard whip after building up some false hope. Rowan throws on a bearhug and shows some power with it. Goldust throws some elbows but gets pummeled in the corner. There’s a whip into the corner, but Goldust throws an elbow from the second rope. Rowan cuts off the hot tag once more. Rowan throws Goldust across the ring with the Iron Claw. I like that. Goldust gets the bulldog after Rowan misses a big spin kick.
Cody gets the tag and springboards in with a dropkick on Rowan and gets a “Harley Race” knee, as well. Cody hits the Goldust uppercut and follows with the Disaster Kick. Rowan breaks it up, but Cody sends him outside, along with Harper. Cody goes to the top and hits a crossbody on Rowan, but eats a big boot from Harper. Goldust pops into the ring to help but gets murdered with a spinning clothesline from Harper. Goldust’s distraction gives Cody the chance to get a sunset flip out of the corner for the win.
Final Thoughts: Look at that, Rowan and Harper can work on a big stage. ***. I certainly enjoyed the match, as they took their time building to the hot tag and everyone came out of this looking very good. It’s a lackluster main event in some ways, but definitely was fresh and made me look forward to Goldust and Cody trading the tag titles with Rollins and Reigns, which needs to happen.
–This wasn’t a great show on paper, but it definitely did the job with a couple of longer matches featuring fresh matchups. I have a big problem with Sandow’s hasty face turn, however. He proved that, in the ring, he can play a face. There’s just no build to it, or even momentum from where fans were beginning to cheer him organically. It’s going to fail, unfortunately. On the other side of the room, Cody’s face turn was saved by the ongoing Rhodes family feud and looks like great tagging alongside Dustin. WWE work so well with shocking heel turns and the slow burning heel turns, but suck at turning people face and booking face characters in general, but this is nothing new.
