Jonathan Dehn
WWE Smackdown
11/08/2013
Charlotte, North Carolina
-We begin the show with a badass video package for this Wyatt Family feud with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Punk comes out to the ring as we begin the arena show. CM Punk doesn’t care for the reason behind The Wyatt Family targeting him, and he just wants to fight. Curtis Axel interrupts Punk calling for Bray and his followers. Axel claims that he and Punk have unfinished business, with Heyman being laid up in Europe at the moment. Axel mentions that they have a match to start the show.
CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel
Axel gets Punk into the corner and stomps away to begin. Punk gets the back elbow up, out of the corner. Punk goes up and gets a double axe handle. Punk answers back an earlier knife edge chop. Curtis flips on the kick to the back of the leg from Punk, just like his father for a nice touch. Curtis trips up Punk in the corner and tosses him outside. Punk cuts a leg out and Axel comes outside to be dropped stomach first on the crowd barricade. We hit a break.
We return with Axel back in control with an armbar. Axel fights out of a GTS attempt, but takes a baseball slide on the outside. Curtis buys some time and drives Punk into the crowd barricade. Inside, Axel gets some elbow drops for two. Curtis hits a backbreaker and drops an elbow from the second buckle for two. Punk answers with a few chops and gets the boots up. Punk misses a crossbody and gets nailed with a clothesline for two that gets an exclamation from JBL. Axel grinds away with a crossface.
Punk battles out with a belly to back suplex and they both battle back to their feet. Punk gets a leg lariat and neckbreaker for two. Punk exposes his knee and hits the corner knee. Punk goes to the top for the Savage Elbow, but The Wyatts interrupt. It’s a false attack and Axel hits the Perfect-Plex for two. Punk gets away from the neckbreaker and hits the GTS for the win. After the match, Bray taunts Punk from the tron.
Final Thoughts: They had a good stew going up until the end of the match. **1/2. Still, there’s some good production here relating to the feud.
3MB vs. The Usos and R-Truth
We get an extended Truth rap on the entrance. Jey gets a quick rollup for two and brings in Jimmy for a corner splash. Heath grabs a side headlock and brings in Jinder, who hits a high knee and slugs away. Jinder gets a neckbreaker and drops a knee. Slater returns for the slingshot suplex and Drew enters with a stomp. Mahal returns and 3MB hit a triple team neckbreaker for two. We have a chinlock, but Jimmy gets out and hits an enzuigiri. Mahal breaks up the hot tag but gets dropped from the full nelson bomb. Truth enters and slugs way before getting his leg lariat and that suplex stunner. Slater breaks up the count and we break down. The Usos dive out onto Slater and Drew. Back inside, Truth hits the Flatliner to pick up the win.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. Weird that R-Truth won in his hometown. Then again, 3MB will win their next match in 2014, most likely.
The Funkadactyals vs. AJ Lee and Tamina
Cameron and Tamina start with a lock up, where Tamina takes control. Cameron grabs a side headlock, and Naomi tags in. They hit a double dropkick and dump Tamina outside. Naomi flips around to taunt Tamina, but gets pulled out and clotheslined in a welcomed spot. Back inside, Tamina batters away and brings in AJ. She immediately goes to the guillotine choke. AJ keeps Naomi away from the tag but hits an enzuigiri and brings in Cameron for some sloppy babyface offense. Cameron misses a corner splash and Tamina returns. Cameron hits a bulldog but gets caught on a ‘rana for a powerbomb. We break down, with Tamina taking out Naomi as well. Tamina follows with some headbutts and AJ tags in for the Black Widow for the win.
Final Thoughts: *, this was just there and everything, but wasn’t a complete disaster or anything. Also, it’s fun to watch Tamina tear people apart. Also, Cameron tapped out on AJ’s butt, so there’s that.
-Alberto Del Rio is out to perform a monologue. He’s better than the rest of the world since he’s a Mexican world class athlete. And John Cena is a thief, dammit! Del Rio was sick and dealing with injuries when he faced John Cena. But, he’s not a lazy American, he’s a prideful Mexican. And this monologue is no more, as Cena walks out and into the ring. John offers to send ADR a get well soon card and an edible arrangement, but not the best one. Del Rio doesn’t like these unexpected childish antics and tells Cena to leave his show. Cena tells him to just challenge him for his belt. Alberto Del Rio says, yeah sure. But Vickie is in charge! Cena tells Vickie to shut the hell up and let them fight. Del Rio and Cena are on the same page, and have terrific chemistry in there. Vickie says that Cena will wrestle Ryback and Antonio Del Rio will face The Great Khali right now.
Alberto Del Rio vs. The Great Khali
There’s a feeling out process to start, but Khali clubs away at Del Rio. Del Rio bails after some hard chops to the chest. Outside, Khali puts Del Rio into the barricade. On the way back in, Del Rio works on the arm and keeps at it. Khali fights out with a couple of knees but gets kicked. Del Rio goes to the second buckle, but leaps to get kicked in the face. Ouch. Khali gets the elbow up in the corner and slugs Del Rio out of the ring. Del Rio gets a hard chop in the corner, but gets the cross armbreaker in the ropes. Khali powers out, but takes a corner enzuguiri. Khali gets caught with the cross armbreaker and taps out.
Final Thoughts: *1/2. This wasn’t half bad at all. It’s too bad that Khali’s body fails him as he develops.
Daniel Bryan vs. Luke Harper w/Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt
It’s kind of strange seeing Bryan’s hair tied back. It looks…good. HHH is gonna be so jealous. Bryan and Harper tussle in the corner to start, with Harper taking control with European uppercuts. We get that Gator Roll. Bryan battles out but gets sandwiched in the ropes. Harper hits a guillotine, but gets dumped during a charge. Bryan dives out, and hits the wrapped shoulder against the barricade. Harper breaks up the kicks on the outside and tosses Bryan into the barricade before we go to break.
We return with Harper working in the corner on Bryan. Luke tosses Bryan across the ring and onto the injured shoulder. Harper gets a big boot for two. Harper moves to the headlock. Bryan gets the boot up in the corner and chops away with hooks to the ribs and kicks to the leg. Bryan hits a couple of dragon screw legwhips and puts on an Indian Deathlock and unloads with a series of forearms that get two. Harper catches Bryan in the corner with a right hand.
Bryan flips out of the corner and hits the clothesline. Harper rises with the buzzsaw and hits a sit-out powerbomb on Bryan for two. Harper looks to attack, but gets caught with the Yes! Lock. Rowan runs in for the DQ, and we await the arrival of CM Punk. Punk runs in and kicks Rowan in the head as Bryan dispatches Harper. Bray, standing on the apron, has a stare-down with the stone-faced duo (really, they look legitimately formidable) before backing away with Rowan and Harper.
Final Thoughts: ***1/4. This was as hard hitting as good as you’d believe. I’d venture to guess that Harper is the best big-man worker in the company right now. What a great find for WWE. Furthermore, I’m actually enjoying this storyline, as Bryan and Punk standing tall in WWE, showcasing a prominent feud, is still surreal. Maybe we’ll get Harper and Bryan for twenty minutes someday.
-The Bella Twins hawk some merchandise to us. I want that Macho Man shirt in the corner. I’m gonna buy that.
John Cena vs. Ryback
Ryback grabs a side headlock to begin. I feel like…I’ve seen this match before. Ryback gets a shoulderblock and goes back to the headlock. Cena reverses with his own side headlock. There’s a stalemate on the shoulderblock. Ryback shoves Cena off on the bulldog attempt and slugs away. Ryback presses Cena and drops him to the mat. Ryback gets some shoulders in the corner, but misses a following corner charge. We go to break.
We return with Ryback countering the STF and getting a shoulderblock. Cena goes down from a hard whip into the corner. Ryback bullies Cena around a bit and gets another hard whip that gets two. Ryback snags a bearhug. Cena hits some headbutts and gets what turns into the usual fare…save for Ryback popping up on the fistdrop with a spinebuster. Cena gets out of Shell Shocked and hits a DDT. The Big Guy gets out of an AA and hits a suplex for two.
Cena ducks the Meathook and gets the STF. Ryback makes the ropes and gets a spear for two. He should’ve hit the you know what afterwards. Ryback calls for the powerbomb, but this doesn’t work, as he isn’t Sid. Cena gets two from that new half nelson neckbreaker. Cena gets a crossbody from the top. Ryback fights out of the AA and gets a running powerslam for two. This match really gets going after that bearhug. Before that, it was straight out of 1988. They slug it out in the middle of the ring.
Cena gets momentum, but Ryback nails Cena with the Meathook. Cena slips out of Shell Shocked at the last moment and hits the desperation AA for the win. Afterwards, ADR runs down and beats down John Cena. Alberto works on the arm with the ring post. Cena fights back with a couple of right hands and sends Del Rio scurrying. Well, that was easy.
Final Thoughts: **3/4. The beginning was slow and boring, but it really picked up at the end and turned into a suitable TV main event. Cena and Ryback had me going a few times towards the finish and pulled out some nice spots. However, Del Rio should have been able to perform a clean beat down of Cena. He just ran away after a few right hands. That’s on par with Bryan sending Orton scurrying with a few kicks to the leg. And, this is why WWE has no problem leaching the heat of guys like Bryan and Punk in a desperate measure to build new heels.
–This was a perfectly fine two hours of wrestling. I certainly enjoyed the care in crafting the video packages and camera angles for the Wyatt Family feud. Tamina got to beat up Cameron. There have been no signs of Los Matadores and The Miz, which was a plus. But, we didn’t get anything from Cody and Goldust, or The Shield. Still, this was a pretty coherent show that satisfied.
