The Princess SmackDown Rant for May 8, 2009
This is late because I enjoyed a great Mother’s Day weekend of shopping with my mom and mother-in-law. Credit cards are a beautiful thing!
Taped from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hosted by J.R. and his trusty sidekick Toad
We open the show with Theodore R. Long, our fearless General Manager. It’s amazing how far Teddy Long has come from being a crooked ref in the late 80s. He managed one of the most popular tag teams of the early 90s and has somehow kept a high-profile role on Television for over 20 years. Why do I think Teddy Long – Hall of Famer isn’t out of the realm of possibility?
Anyway he introduces the great Rey Mysterio. He calls SmackDown his home. Hmm, it’s sort of interesting how some guys react to certain shows. He’s cool with losing the four-way last week because Jeff Hardy was the better man. He’ll get his shot eventually and until then he’s taking on all comers.
Speaking of which Chris Jericho decides to join the party and he’s actually wearing wrestling gear for a change. Jericho says he’s the face of the SmackDown and this is HIS show. Actually it’s The Rock’s show, but whatever. He demands that Teddy introduce him as such, but Teddy says no and Chris says it’s because he’s prejudiced. Interesting theory I suppose. Cheap heat segment follows and he demands an apology from Teddy for getting disqualified from the 4-way match. As he said, no one ever gets DQ’ed from a 4-way and besides Rey had no shot of winning anyway.
Rey throws down Jericho’s bitch card and in reply Jericho cracks on his height. So Rey pushes him down and calls him out for being a loser and busts some Espanol out. Then he leaves. Jericho considers Rey’s rude exit as proof of his disrespect and before he can continue, Jeff Hardy walks out to take Rey’s spot of mocking Jericho. Hardy calls himself a charismatic number one contender? Ok. The crowd approves and Hardy calls Jericho the biggest liar and hypocrite he’s ever met in his life. He should probably get out more. Hardy makes the challenge and says he’ll put his number one contender spot on the line and then bitchslaps Jericho! Whoa. And Jericho leaves? Man why are they making Chris out to be such a pussy. Why stop with Hardy? Kenny Dykstra should walk out and kick Jericho in the nuts for shits and giggles.
After the commercial they explain that if Jericho wins it’s a 3-way match at Judgment Day.
R-Truth vs. Mike Knox. My husband thinks R-Truth, Cryme Tyme and Shelton Benjamin should band together and create a stable called “Those Kinds of People” as a rib on Triple H. Sure the next day they would all be in TNA but it would be funny. Toadie says that Knox “ran rough shot through the ECW roster”, well that sounds better than the actual truth, which is him losing to C.M. Punk like 154 times in a row. If Knox doesn’t make it in wrestling, he could definitely step in for the dead member of ZZ Top.
Knox overpowers Truth but a wicked back side kick changes the tide temporary. NASTY Alabama Slam by Knox puts Truth down and he drops some knees on him. Standing chinlock because restholds make sense 90 seconds into a match. Truth with a standing dropkick and a scissors kick for a two count. Truth goes up to the top and nails the missile dropkick for two. He pounds on Knox in the corner but the referee tries to pull him off and gives Knox the opening for a yakuza kick. Swinging STO or a reverse STO I guess, is all that’s needed for the three count.
(Knox def. R-Truth, pin, *1/2, Short but perfectly fine for an opener. I think they should invest in at least a mid-card push for Truth though. The crowd seems to like him and he’s a decent enough worker. Knox tries hard…yeah he definitely tries.)
Michelle McCool vs. Gail Kim. McCool starts strong with a hair toss but Kim counters a corner whip with a dropkick and McCool decides to take a breather. She hides behind Alicia Fox and Kim dispatches of both women. Back in the ring, Kim decides to get cute and McCool counters something with an inverted stun gun. McCool goes with a head figure four as her rest hold of choice. That one gets the Princess seal of approval. Kim fights back and catches McCool with a drop toe hold into the middle turnbuckle. Clothesline city for Kim and a corner whip into a spear. Blockbuster gets a two when McCool puts her foot on the rope. Kim goes for a hurricanrana but McCool is too slick for that and hits the faithbreaker for the pin.
(McCool def. Kim, pin, **1/2, this was actually pretty groovy)
Review of Superstars as Jeff Hardy beats up Edge during the Cutting Edge segment. And Shelton Benjamin distracting John Morrison long enough for Chris Jericho to hit the codebreaker and get a pin.
John Morrison vs. Charlie Haas. No silly gimmick from Charlie Haas tonight as he and his “coach” Shelton Benjamin are all business. Haas wins a wrestling sequence and slips it into a headlock and a couple of shots to the head. Morrison comes back with a European uppercut and slides out of the way of Haas’ charge. Springboard dropkick by Morrison gets two. HIGH back body drop keeps momentum on Morrison’s side. Another uppercut but Haas reverses the corner whip and adds a straight kick to the back while Benjamin intently looks own. Morrison tries to fight back but Haas gets a beautiful butterfly suplex for two. Morrison tries to fight back again but a straight kick and a tilt-a-while backbreaker by Haas gets another two count. Shoulder stretch by Haas as Benjamin shouts “PUNISH HIM”. Morrison fights out with a mule kick and a flipover drop kick. Morrison with a clothesline and a leg lariat. Haas tries a charge and gets caught. Morrison with a running knee to the head and a split-legged corkscrew moonsault (!!) ends this.
(Morrison def. Haas, pinfall, ***1/4, Alternate finishers can make a married woman blush. Post-match antics see a lot of shouting between Morrison and Benjamin but the Gold Standard decides they can do the physical thing another time)
C.M. Punk is NEXT!
Non-Title: C.M. Punk vs. Edge. We start out with a little wrestling sequence. These changes in SmackDown are going to be good for Edge because he can get back to less dangerous matches where he doesn’t have to use tables, etc. He needs to preserve his career and stay as healthy as possible at this stage. Of course when I say that Punk back drops Edge over the top rope and follows with a beautiful suicide dive. Back in the ring, Punk goes for a springboard something or other but Edge ducks it and hits the big boot flush in the face. A couple of elbows get a two count and Edge goes to a full nelson. Punk tries to fight out with the GTS but Edge counters that with a crucifix hold. While having Punk in the hold Edge adds a few elbows to the head. Both guys go for a cross body and collide in mid-air and do the double knockout. Edge tries a vertical suplex but Punk fights out with a running knee lift and a leg lariat. Springboard top rope clothesline gets a two count. Punk misses the running corner knee but counters an electric chair into a rollup for two. Another corner knee finds the mark but Edge fights off the bulldog. A GTS attempt is also countered but Edge misses the spear and flies through the ropes. Instead of making it back in the ring, Edge accepts a count out. There is a method to his madness of course, as Umaga attacks Punk again with the kick, whirlybird slam and samoan spike.
(Punk def. Edge, countout, ***, another very good match between the two that was just missing a good finish)
We do our Cryme Tyme fun segment as they present an arm wrestling challenge between Layla and Eve. Of course Eve wins again and of course Layla attacks again. Moving on.
Dolph Ziggler tells Jesse and Jimmy Wang Yang that he’s going to make everyone remember his name when we come back!
As promised Ziggler is in the ring and ready to throw down a challenge to anyone in the SmackDown locker room. J.R. says that Ziggler reminds him of a young Mr. Perfect. Huh? Saying shit like that should really embarrass Ross.
So who will answer the challenge?
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Great Khali. Well he’s definitely in the locker room. Dolph tries some hit and run tactics and gets clotheslined for his troubles. The sound of chop magnifies through the crowd but he misses the big boot and gets stuck on the ropes. Ziggler tries to go after the leg and instead grabs a chair and goes to town.
(Khali def. Ziggler, DUD, Yeah at least it wasn’t negative stars. Ross and Grisham try to talk up Ziggler’s brashness, but no one’s buying him or this push. He would have been a better fit on ECW where he could have recreated himself.)
Monday Night RAW review as the slithery viper-like Randy Orton attacks like a rattlesnake in a pond and injures Shane McMahon.
Main Event time.
Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy. Edge is at ringside doing commentary and says he doesn’t want Jericho involved in the match because it reduces his odds of keeping the title. I appreciate that sort of honesty in a man.
Jericho comes out strong, pounding on Hardy in the corner and choking him along the ropes. Hardy comes back with a spear and throws Jericho in the corner. Jericho misses a dropkick and Hardy hits his double leg drop for two. Jericho back on the attack with a headbutt (?), a bodyslam is reversed, however, but Jericho decides to head to the floor when Hardy goes up two. Rey Mysterio comes to the ring and distracts Jericho long enough for Hardy to take control again. Jericho reverses a corner whip but misses the splash. Back out on the floor and Hardy whips Jericho into the barricade but misses the leap of faith on the floor. Hardy beats the count, however, and Jericho gets a couple of two counts.
Commercial
We’re back. Jericho takes time out of beating up Hardy to mouth off to Edge. Back to the action and Jericho does that slingshot clothesline spot that I love. Hardy tries a comeback but a kitchen sink knee stops that and gets another near fall for Jericho. Chinlock time. Hardy fights back with a short-armed clothesline. Hardy botches the whisper in the wind and Jericho improvises the blown spot into a top-rope back suplex. Hardy fights that off and finally hits the whisper in the wind. That’s why they are professionals folks. Jericho did a great job of on-the-fly thinking. Hardy misses an enziguri and Jericho slaps on the Walls. Edge’s encourage of Hardy (“Don’t be a coward Jeff!”) is pretty funny. Hardy makes his way to the ropes. Jericho kills time by arguing with the refs and its long enough for Hardy to get a facebuster suplex. Swanton misses the mark but the lionsault hits solid for two. Jericho misses his own enziguri but counters a twist of fate into another Walls attempt, Hardy counters THAT into an inside cradle, which Jericho counters into a two count of his own. Cactus clothesline from Hardy sends both guys to the floor. Jericho tosses Hardy into the broadcast booth, including Edge. Ross says that was intentional. Good call. Back in the ring the move gets two. Edge is on the ring apron to distract Jericho and it gets two for Hardy in a roll up. Jericho tries a rope-assisted pin but Mysterio is there to warn the ref. The distraction helps Hardy hit the twist of fate and the swanton for the victory.
(Hardy def. Jericho, ***1/2, they were rocking and rolling in that one).
Post-match antics see Hardy chase Edge to the locker room and while Jericho is recovering from the shock of his loss, Mysterio adds on to his bad night with a top rope sit down splash to close the show.
The Bottom Line: Man there’s so much to like on this show. The new additions fit in like a glove and it’s really allowed Edge to wrestle some basic matches and remind people that he can work a good, entertaining match without it being some crazy brawl. Jericho has found new life on SmackDown as his gimmick was starting to get stale on RAW. Some don’t like the Morrison face turn, but he would get lost in the shuffle behind alpha-heels like Jericho and Edge. His gimmick is unique as a face, not so much as a heel.
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`Tags: Chris Jericho, ECW, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Locke, Lost, Monday Night RAW, Mr. Perfect, Randy Orton, RAW, Shane McMahon, Shelton Benjamin, Slick, Smackdown, Sting, The Rock, TNA, Umaga, WWE
although there’s not a reincarnation of some new Smackdown Six (yet?), this show is on such a roll now. like that 411mania report dude wrote, most of the show is basically an IWC’s wet dream come true: the right guys (Jericho, Edge, Punk, Hardy, Morrison, ….) are pushed, almost no “big monsters” in the upper card regions, no Triple H!, a lot of actual WRESTLING…. if the WWE does not fuck this up badly, 2009 will be the best season Smackdown has seen in years.
Really enjoyed the main event. I was actually surprised to see Jeff win, usually in a match where one wrestler has nothing to lose he ends up losing. Good stuff that made Jeff look strong heading into Judgement Day.
I think a Jericho-Mysterio feud should be great – I don’t believe they’ve ever crossed paths in WWE. But I’d prefer if the IC title wasn’t involved, it makes no sense for Jericho to be interested in that title when he was recently in the world title picture.
I have no problem with Jericho being involved in the I-C chase. I had no problems when C.M. Punk went from World Champion to I-C champion.
In Jericho’s case his world title run seems so FAR in the rear view mirror at this point. He was basically stuck without a program after he lost to Cena in November and created one for himself by going after the legends. If there’s any downside to having the lion’s share (no pun intended) of your character’s creative control is that not everyone is willing to go along with it and in his case he had to figure out a way to stay in the limelight when everyone else on the top card was occupied.
So yeah, a win over Mysterio in this program could set up an Evil Canadian clash between he and Edge by Summerslam or something.
Princess,
Can you clarify what this means exactly:
“If there’s any downside to having the lion’s share (no pun intended) of your character’s creative control is that not everyone is willing to go along with it and in his case he had to figure out a way to stay in the limelight when everyone else on the top card was occupied.”
I don’t get any of the inside dirt sheets or anything like that; but are you saying that Jericho has some kind of creative control?
tks, great review and for that blogger who recommended watching Smackdown on justing-tv…THANK YOU!
Just saw this on inside pulse (which came from wrestling observer):
“Chris Jericho has requested a lengthy feud with Rey Mysterio. Just like his program with Shawn Michaels last year, Jericho is going to be hands-on with the creative process. Following Mysterio’s accidental unmasking during a house show match with Jericho on the recent European tour, the feud is expected to involve Rey’s mask to start with.”
I hope that the WWE allows more and more guys to get more personal input into their character, storylines and promo work. That would be a change for the better.
A mask feud huh? Reminds me a bit of the classic Jericho heel run in WCW against the lucha cruiser weights. Can’t wait.
I’m pretty sure that one of the parts of his comeback were that he was given some creative control over his character and his promos and some of the programs he wanted to be involved in.
I don’t think it’s a Triple H level of authority, probably a notch or two below what Bret Hart had.
I notice he’s choosing to work with guys he feels very comfortable with and has great chemistry with like HBK and Rey Mysterio.
BTW, a couple of YouTube channels has Smackdown uploaded a few hours after the show every week in case you can’t watch it on Fridays or it isn’t available.
Jericho even had a fair amount of control over his character before he left – the whole feud with Christian, and eventually Trish, was something he came up with himself. But the Shawn angle was essentially all his doing, as well.
(Geez, does Inside Pulse just reprint passages from the Observer now? Just pay up already and get the actual thing!)
“(McCool def. Kim, pin, **1/2, this was actually pretty groovy)”
Another good show this week, but I totally disagree here. Another boring match between these two just like on the April 10th show, and putting them in the ring together just exposes the fact that both of them have the charisma of lint.
Plus, they need to ban McCool from using her current finisher just like they banned her last one because it looks like she’s going to kill someone with it.
That’s cool. You can disagree. I enjoyed it and I thought the closing sequence was pretty strong. I probably overrated it a smidgen, but I was feeling generous.
That being said I’d trade either for Mickie James in a millisecond.
This reminds me, when is Melina actually going to show up? Is she still crying about being removed from RAW.
“That being said I’d trade either for Mickie James in a millisecond.”
Me. too. Speaking of her, reading the reports of the Raw house shows that happened over the weekend, lots of positive reviews for Mickie’s matches with Maryse. Apparently, they were given about 9-10 minutes at each show, Mickie was getting huge pops, and Maryse was heeling it up like crazy, even offering to let a male fan kiss her, then pulling away and laughing at the poor schmuck.
As for Melina, yeah, I read she’s being left off TV because of her bitching about the draft. I bet WWE won’t just forget about it after she returns, either.
I caught Survivor Series on 24/7 last week….Maryse is an awesome heel. That women’s match was total garbage but she rose above it and made people care. I haven’t seen her in too many longer matches but she definitely has the heel mannerisms and character down.
And I think she’s by far the hottest woman on the roster.
I’m a huge Mickie fan…I like her enthusiam as weird as that sounds. I think she’s developed a fan base because she actually looks like she gives a shit in the ring and that sort of charisma is pretty infectious.
I’ve noticed on many RAWs that she would be one of the top 3 people over on any given night just because she’s such an active worker. She got over by working hard in the ring and showing a level a passion that I wish everyone had.
Glad to hear Maryse is doing well too. Her act is pretty funny and I love how she goes over the top with it. Glad to see some the better females on the roster getting more time to get over without going through the silly oil wrestling shit.
The women’s division wouldn’t be bad at all if they’d just consolidate and shrink it. But Maryse finding new ways to work her pose into every match is one of the best things about her as a worker – it’s endlessly amusing.
But we’re into one of those periods where Smackdown BEATS THE CRAP out of Raw on a weekly basis, which is usually a good sign. I love it when Vince stops caring about Smackdown, because it usually means that the show’s going to get really good for a few months. Too bad there’s no Lesnar equivalent around these days.