Jonathan Dehn
WWE Smackdown
11/01/2013
Tampa, Florida
-We begin the show with John Cena coming out and reintroducing himself to the Smackdown program. He is interrupted by The Real Americans, who actually come out to offer John a place with the. Cena, refuses, of course, and makes fun of Swagger looking like Biff Tannen and Cesaro for having large nipples. Zeb gets made fun of as well, but it’s not that noteworthy. But Damien Sandow has something to say! He enters the ring and declares that his life work is ending John Cena, after calling him a hypocrite. Cena is outnumbered, but is joined by Cody and Goldust. We have ourselves a main event!
-Backstage, The Shield talk of taking care of The Usos, who have become a big nuisance. Ambrose takes Roman’s spot in the tag team with Seth, drawing looks of disapproval from the former tag team champions.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose w/Roman Reigns vs. The Usos
Dean and Jimmy begin the match. Dean gets a shoulderblock, but gets clotheslined down. Jey enters for a double back elbow and elbow drop. Dean fights out and Seth enters, but takes a hiptoss. Jey misses a corner splash and gets stomped. Seth charges but gets dumped. Dean gets the blind tag but gets hit with strikes. He fights back, however, and dumps The Usos. Reigns lurks on the outside, but Big E steps out to even the sides.
We return from break with Dean in control with an armbar. Dean gets a short armed clothesline to stay in control for two. Rollins comes in with a fist drop from the top for a short near-fall. Rollins hits a corner splash, but taunts for too long and leaps from the top into a Samoan drop. The hot tag is made, and Jimmy gets a full nelson drop on Dean, and follows with a corner butt smash for two. Dean catches a boot, but eats an enzuigiri and superkick for two. Rollins come in to get spinebusted and Jey splashes down to the outside onto Rollins and Reigns. Back inside, Jimmy rolls up Dean for the win. After the match, Ambrose is a sore loser and dumps Jimmy. Big E has none of that, and runs over Dean and goes for The Big Ending.
Reigns breaks it up, however, and winds up staring all three adversaries down. Ambrose and Rollins keep Reigns from fighting them, planting the seeds for the Reigns face turn.
Final Thoughts: **3/4. Some fun, quick stuff here that is beginning to tease The Shield breakup, with Ambrose interjecting himself into Reigns’ spot and failing, as well as Reigns showing a shred of bravery.
Prime Time Players vs. The Wyatt Family w/Bray Wyatt
Rowan and Darren begin the match, and Young is quickly whipped over the top and to the floor. Back inside, Rowan brutalizes Young and tags in Harper, double teaming with a corner splash and a big boot. Harper uses the alligator roll and tears Darren apart before Rowan returns. Rowan gets a big slam, but misses a corner splash. Harper returns with a chinlock. Young fights back with an enzuigiri and tags in Titus for the hot tag. O’Neil is a house of fire and get at both members of The Wyatt Family. Darren takes Rowan out of the ring, but Harper hits the big clothesline to beat Titus. After the match, Young runs in to help Titus but gets Sister Abigail for his troubles.
Final Thoughts: A bit of a squash, of course, but this was just there. It’s interesting to see just where this is going once Monday rolls around.
-Shawn Michaels is not available for Miz TV, so Miz runs down the result of the PPV. This brings out Randy Orton to say that Shawn probably didn’t care to go on an irrelevant talk show with an irrelevant host. Orton goes on to say that The Big Show is now banned for life from WWE. Orton asks Miz how that makes him feel. Orton gives the hapless Miz an RKO as I nearly roll over laughing.
-Dolph Ziggler hawks some merchandise at us. It’s kinda sad, but Dolph does a good job. The crowd does pop (Smackdown crowd, but still) at his talk of becoming World Heavyweight Champion.
Natalya and The Bella Twins vs. Alicia Fox, Tamina Snuka and AJ Lee
Nikki and Alicia begin. Nikki gets an elbow up in the corner and hits a bulldog for two. Nikki gets a monkey flip and tags in Brie, who springs in with a clothesline. Brie hits an arm drag, but Tamina gets the blind tag and takes Brie’s head off with a clothesline. Holy crap. Tamina follows with a suplex for one and brings in AJ. Snapmare and something of a dragon sleeper follows. AJ gets a guillotine choke but Brie runs her into the corner. Tag to Nattie for the snap suplex on AJ. AJ gets the boot up on the whip, but Nattie hits a kinda bad clothesline that’s broken up. It breaks down, and AJ gets a roll up for two. Tamina is taken down on the outside, and AJ walks into a Sharpshooter for the win for Nattie.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. This was just fine, and builds towards a title shot for Nattie. On that clothesline from Tamina, Brie landed right on the back of her head and turned into an accordion. It’s strange to see the wrestling styles of Cena and Bryan filtering into The Bella Twins, still. Pretty cool, to notice.
-Footage is shown of sit down interview between Cole and HHH, where HHH declares Big Show to be banned for life.
John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. The Real Americans and Damien Sandow w/Zeb Colter
Cody and Antonio start the match. Cody gets a shoulderblock off of a side headlock and reverses into a hiptoss. Goldust enters and grabs a snapmare and elbow drop. Cody returns and gets the high knee with an assist from his brother. Everyone enters the ring for a moment and the faces stand tall before we hit a break.
We return with Sandow holding an armbar on Cena, following with a single arm DDT for two. Cesaro enters and works at the arm. The two trade blows in the middle of the ring. Cena hits that surprising ‘rana of his and goes for the tag. Goldust and Swagger meet up, with Goldy taking it to the younger guy. Goldust gets a corner bulldog and dumps Swagger to the outside. Back inside, however, Swagger chops the leg and brings in Cesaro. Swagger returns after Cesaro keeps up the pressure. Swagger hits a clothesline on the outside and rolls Goldy back in. Goldust tries to fight out, but gets driven into the corner. Sandow enters with some strikes and knees. Sandow gets two and put on an arm scissors to welcome Swagger back in.
Swagger cuts off the got tag progress with a clothesline and brings Cesaro back in. We hit a chinlock. Goldust rolls out but gets caught and gutwrenched from the beastly Cesaro. We come to another break as Swagger reenters. We come back with a suplex from Cesaro and a chinlock. We get a false hot tag, since the referee’s back was turned. There’s a good use of one. Cesaro brings Swagger back in for a slam. Swaggerbomb and double stomp combo gets two for Cesaro. Goldust answers with a boot to the gut and a DDT. Sandow comes in and prevents the hot tag with strikes and a knee drop for two.
Goldy fights out of the chinlock and elbows out. Goldust gets the elbow out of the corner and gets the kneeling uppercut. Sandow takes out Cena to prevent the tag, but gets a powerslam. Cody finally gets the hot tag and leaps in with the missile dropkick. Cody gets two from the corner sunset flip and gets the moonsault for two. Cody looks for Cross Rhodes, but Damien snapmares out. Cross Rhodes, but Cesaro is the legal man, and he comes in for THE GIANT SWING.
Meanwhile, Cena spears Swagger on the outside to take him out. Goldust and Sandow fly out of the ring, leaving Cesaro and Cody alone. No one is available for the tag for Cesaro, and in comes Cena. Cena hits the usual stuff. Cesaro fights out of the AA and gets the gutwrench on Cena. Cena fights out of the Giant Swing, but Cesaro counters the AA. Everyone runs into the ring to hit finishers on each other, before Swagger tags himself in and stands over Cena, taking those Biff Tannen digs to heart.
Swagger puts on The Patriot Lock, but Cena reverses out and gets the Attitude Adjustment for the win.
Final Thoughts: This was a whole lot of fun and an entirely fresh matchup of guys. ***1/2.
–The show was pretty good, although it did have plenty of non-wrestling action, which is fine. It’s nice to see new guys into the main event every now and then, especially Cesaro. I, for one, would love to see Cesaro get the Royal Rumble push this year and eliminate an entire ringful of guys and make it to the final four in the match. And, I don’t know why Cena is talking the way that he is. Maybe, that’s what people think adding an edge is.
