Smackdown starts off with a somber tone from our announce team as they intro a video package for CM Punk’s awesome interruption of the sing-a-long for Rey Mysterio’s daughter on last week’s show. After the video, Rey comes out to formally accept Punk’s WrestleMania challenge but he doesn’t want just a regular match he wants it to be a street fight. Punk and the SES join in on the fun to answer the street fight stipulations. Mysterio warns Punk about involving his family and calls him a monster. Punk’s has a requirement for their match and it is that Rey can’t touch him before next Sunday. Punks tells Mysterio that he could save him and help him live up to the superhero myth that the fans have built him up to if he would just accept him as his savior. Punk has a counter offer for Rey’s match stipulation; if he beats Luke Gallows tonight he gets his street fight at Mania with no strings attached. But if he loses to Gallows tonight, and loses to Punk at Mania, then he has to join the SES. The segment closes with Mysterio accepting his challenge and besides the normal awesomeness from Punk this was also very strong promo work from Rey as well.
Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger def Matt Hardy & MVP: The MITB briefcase is hanging over the ring for this match to set the mood as Ziggler starts off against Matt. Not that I mind the visitors from Raw, but they could have had a tag match featuring MITB competitors from the normal Smackdown roster instead. Hardy scores a back elbow early and then lays into Ziggler with a series of shots on the mat before trying a cover. Dolph backs Matt into his team’s corner but that advantage is short lived as Hardy comes out firing as Swagger is tagged in. But Jack puts Matt down after a reversal from a whip into the corner and we get a commercial break.
As we return to action, Swagger is still in control of Hardy and soon hits his splash in the corner for a two count. Swagger goes for a gutwrench maneuver but Hardy blocks and gets a side leg sweep and both men make warm tags. MVP comes in on fire and after a knee to the face hits the Ballin’ Elbow. MVP tries for the Playmaker but Swagger and Hardy both get involved and that provides enough of a distraction for Ziggler to recover and hit the Zig-Zag for the win. After the match, Dolph grabs a huge ladder and climbs up to retrieve and pose with the MITB briefcase.
After the Johnny Cash fueled Taker/HBK WrestleMania package, and a look at Vince’s star on the Hollywood walk of fame, we head to the GM’s office. Drew McIntyre enters shortly after the cameras and Teddy makes fun of his recent losses and all the help Vince has given him to qualify for MITB. Long then promises his undefeated streak will finally end tonight because he has a match with the Undertaker.
Beth Phoenix & Tiffany def Michelle McCool & Layla: Before Beth enters, we get a recap of last week’s Divas shenanigans and see that Lay-Cool now have shirts that make fun of her instead of Mickie James. Phoenix starts off against Layla and after delivering an airplane spin and a clothesline, she tags in Tiffany who enters with a flying crossbody for a two count. Tiff follows with a series of back elbows and a vertical suplex as the beatdown of Layla continues. After an exchange near the ropes leaves Layla down in the ring and Tiffany on the outside, McCool attacks as the ref’s back is turned. Layla gets Tiffany back into the ring and tags in Michelle who enters with a clothesline. McCool starts roughing up the former GM of ECW but gets over confident and misses a leg drop which allows Beth to tag back into the match. The Glamazon lays waste to the Women’s champ and hits a nice delayed vertical slingshot suplex but the cover gets interrupted by Layla. Beth press slams Layla but McCool kicks her in the gut and tries for AJ Styles’ finisher. But Phoenix powers out of it and nails her with the Glam-Slam to get the pinfall.
After the match Vickie Guerrero comes out to soil what was an otherwise decent segment with the Divas. Vickie wants an apology for her behavior last week, Beth actually apologizes but it is not good enough and makes a match between the two of them for next week’s show.
Edge comes out for his “Cutting Edge†interview segment accompanied by a video recap of Jericho’s “Highlight Reel†interview segment from last week. Jericho is accompanied by the rookie he is mentoring on NXT. Edge talks about spearing things, Jericho talks about re-injuring him and soon things breakdown into a brawl. Edge spears the guy from NXT but that only allows Jericho to hit him with the Codebreaker. Chris then attacks the formally injured leg of Edge before saying the magic word and taking his leave.
John Morrison & R-Truth def The Hart Dynasty: For the second week in a row the HD get a match but no entrance. Odd how their stock seems to have dropped with Uncle Bret back in the WWE instead of getting a push like many people expected. Truth starts against Smith but he quickly tags in Morrison so that they can combine for a double dropkick. Smith recovers quickly and hits an overhead belly to belly send John into his corner and Kidd tags in. Tyson grounds and pounds on Morrison for a bit and gets a two count from a snapmare/dropkick combo. R-Truth gets a blind tag from Morrison and then immediately hits Kidd with the Lie Detector for the pinfall victory.
Cryme Tyme joins the show for a Word Up segment that is actually just a commercial for a Slim Jim contest. Speaking of products related to wrestling…did you pick up a copy of WWE Heroes #1 at your local comic shop last week? If not you can check out a review here.
Luke Gallows def Rey Mysterio: Gallows is of course accompanied by Serena and CM Punk but enters to his own music and video which I didn’t even know he had. Rey fires away at Luke right as soon as the bell sounds and after getting him down in the corner hits a baseball slide into his crotch. This understandably pisses Gallows off and he decides to fight back. Rey reverses a slam attempt into a headscissors and gets the 619 set-up but Gallows blocks it by hitting a halfway around the world backbreaker. Luke slides Rey out of the ring beneath the bottom rope and then slams him into the barricade. Gallows tries to win the match by count-out but Mysterio beats the count by a half second before we take a commercial break.
When we return from the ads, Gallows has Mysterio locked in a bearhug in the middle of the ring. He puts Rey on top of the turnbuckle for a super-plex but Mysterio blocks it and punches him off. Rey follows up with a senton then hits a rebound crossbody for a nearfall. Gallows answers back with a flapjack and a big splash for a nearfall of his own. Rey stops two charges in the corner then hits his bulldog ddt and a slingshot leg drop for a long two count. Mysterio hits Gallows with the 619 but when he goes to Drop The Dime, Punk distracts the ref and Serena pushes him off the ropes. Luke then pins Rey to add the previously mentioned stipulations to the match. Mysterio goes bonkers after the match and beats the crap out of Luke Gallows as Punk watches.
Undertaker def Drew McIntyre: Taker actually enters first (both before and after a commercial break) and the Intercontinental Championship is not on the line in this match. McIntyre tries to start the match by ducking out of the ring but that backfires as Taker follows him out to start the beating. Once back in the ring, Drew is able to hit s body slam but after some punches Taker sits up and starts wailing on him again. Taker tosses Drew out over the top rope then hits his leg drop on the apron before forcing him back into the ring. Undertaker then unleashes a chokeslam before delivering a Tombstone and covering for the pinfall.
After the match, as Taker exits up the ramp, Shawn Michaels appears to deliver some Sweet Chin Music. However the Undertaker seems to have been expecting it and dodges it before trying to Tombstone HBK on the ramp. But Michaels slips out and nails Taker with the SCM to end the show.
