Welcome to The Pulse’s WWE Smackdown recap for June 10th, this is my first time so be gentle. All of this was taped way back before the WWE started their latest overseas tour, so despite spoilers being online for weeks lets spend our Friday night watching wrestling anyway.
We open the show with Todd Grisham and Jim Ross welcoming us to the show as Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring wearing an eye patch. Jeff gets his usual strong reaction and Todd and JR both play dumb as to why he might need this extra eye protection. We get a brief recap of the tag-match from last week’s Smackdown main event. He cuts a short promo about how his eye injury is about as realistic as CM Punk’s. This also leads us to our first match of the evening.
First Match: Jeff Hardy vs Kane:
Hardy goes right after Kane to start and gets a brief advantage but a big right hand soon gives Kane the advantage. A nice forward vertical suplex onto the ropes followed by a big boot off the ropes firmly puts the Big Red Machine in control as we hit our first commercial break of the night.
We rejoin the action as Kane hits a spry move off the ropes with a dropkick to a sitting Hardy as JR assures us Kane has shown no surcease with his offensive attack while we were away. Jeff makes a brief comeback with a jawbreaker and dropkick to the knee. But Kane quickly takes advantage with a gut buster for a two count. He then tosses Jeff into the corner and follows that with a baseball slide as he continues to work on Hardy’s back. A back breaker on Jeff leads to another 2 count as Kane seems to be rolling. But Hardy makes another comeback, stopping Kane from a top rope maneuver and following a ddt with his “whispers in the wind†move to gain the advantage for the first time in the match.
But as Jeff climbs the turnbuckle to go for his Swanton, Punk’s music hits and he comes out to observe from the stage. This serves as just enough of a distraction for Kane to rise and chokeslam Jeff for the pinfall victory and the creepy smile as we head to another commercial break. This was a pretty good match with a much more active Kane than I can remember seeing for quite awhile.
We return to the show with Cryme Tyme (and Eve) backstage to define “bromance†for us as a means to diss their opponents for the night the Hart Dynasty. Eve starts to turn the phrase back on them, but Jessie interrupts trying to join in on the fun before they ditch him. Meanwhile in one of the locker rooms we see John Morrison and GM Teddy Long reminiscing back to their awkward tribute to Michael Jackson from last week. Basically this is just to confirm that John ill challenge the winner of the world title match at Night of Champions. Sadly this also leads to our discovery that Dolph Ziggler seem to have been enjoying some private time in the locker room closet with Maria.
Second Match: Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison.
We get a basic feeling out process to start before Ziggler tries to take advantage after a cheap shot. It does not last long as he gets dumped outside and John hits a nice dive to the outside. As both men re-enter the ring Dolph again goes to the cheapshot and this time is able to take advantage.
Ziggler takes control as we get the now standard comparison of Morrison to Shawn Michaels followed by JR saying that Dolph reminds him of a combo of Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect. Hadn’t heard that before but I guess I can see how they are steering him towards the Rude type character.
Morrison gets back into it with two variations of Pele kicks followed by a series of moves off the ropes. Dolph briefly stops his momentum by reversing a Morrison jump into the turnbuckle into a nice suplex. Ziggler gets another nice reversal and use it to get a roll-up (and a handful of tights) that leads to a pinfall win. Good match, both guys showed off the characters and ability that is behind their recent pushes. I think this could be a decent IC title feud in the future.
Now back from commercial, we are shown segment from before the event with R-Truth calling himself “Pretty Ricky†goofing around before the event outside and with security. Not sure what that is all about but I’d rather have had extra commercials.
Third Match: Melina & Eve Torres vs Michelle McCool & Layla
Eve and Layla start us off and Eve is in control with a flurry of offense. She goes for 2 quick roll-ups, hits a dropkick and a bodyslam on Layla maybe before the match is more than a minute old. Layla gets dumped outside and when Eve follows to toss her back in the ring, McCool takes advantage of the situation by getting a cheapshot on Eve and then tagging into the match.
Michelle takes control and works Torres over for a bit before allowing Layla back into the action. This only leads to Melina getting the lukewarm tag and dominating with her usual offense. The heels turn the tables again (for about 30 seconds) thanks to interference from McCool, but Layla cannot take full advantage as Melina turns a reversal into a roll-up for a three count and the win.
Afterwards we get your basic post match cat-fight between Michelle and Melina to remind us that this match was really just to continue their feud. But speaking of the match it was short and attempted to be fast paced, it is the weakest so far of the night but not bad either.
We return from commercial break to highlights of last week’s main event tag-match and Jeff Hardy at the announce table to watch our next match. Our World heavyweight Champion CM Punk heads down to the ring, still to a mixed reaction and cut a pre-match promo on Jeff Hardy. The promo is a good one and maybe the longest of Punk’s WWE career to this point. I’m not going to transcribe the thing but he basically calls Jeff out on having two strikes and past drug use while letting everyone know that that would never happen to him. While I’m not happy Edge is injured, I am excited to see CM Punk and Jericho take over as THE heels on Smackdown.
Fourth Match: The Great Khali vs World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
This is of course non-title. The match starts exactly as you would expect with Khali taking control using his size. Punk gets going with a few kicks and a springboard clothesline that Khali gives an interesting selling job to. Punk hits the high knee in the corner but tries for a second attempt and pays for it as Khali retakes control and hits his finisher. But before a pinfall can be attempted, Kane joins us to continue their feud and I assume this match has ended in a DQ but no winner is actually announced. This actually had some decent action in it, but way too short to really mean anything.
Fifth Match: Cryme Tyme vs The Hart Dynasty
Anyone besides me wish they’d just call them that Hart Foundation instead? Fast paced action between JTG and Hart to begin the match. Smith tags in and gets a 2 count with a nice vertical suplex but JTG escapes the enemy corner quickly and tags in Shad. Some back and forth action quickly leads to having all 4 men in the ring and Miss Neidhart ads to the confusion by distracting both the ref and JTG. Hart and Smith use this to their advantage to hit a high clothesline/low kick combo for a quick pinfall victory.
That was much shorter than I expected and probably much shorter than it should have been. Hopefully we will get a longer match between them in the future and a lot more ring time on Friday night with the Hart Dynasty.
We return from a commercial break and are treated to the RAW Rebound and this week it is only about the main event from Monday’s show and how that shaped the main event for Night of Champions. While I can’t say I am pumped for the triple-threat match, I will say that it is a better call than yet another Orton vs Triple H match. Jericho joins us for a brief pre-match promo simply to remind us of his resume and that he is the “best he is at what he does†which I assume is an interchangeable catchphrase for all Canadians. Mysterio will join us to get the match started after another commercial break.
Main Event: Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho
The title is on the line as Jericho is invoking his rematch clause from their match at The Bash PPV. We get some faced paced back and forth action both in and out of the ring to begin with neither man really finding any advantage. Eventually Jericho is able to send Mysterio into the turnbuckle while he is standing on the ring apron to take advantage as we hit another commercial break.
We return from the break with Chris firmly in the driver’s seat as he baseball slides Mysterio outside the ring. The “619†chants begin as Mysterio gets an enziguri to seemingly set-up an attempt for it but Jericho is looking for it and hits a nice spinning torture rack like backbreaker. Rey makes another comeback attempt with a springboard crossbody for a 2 count and then his bulldog for another quick two count. Jericho puts an end to that rally with a powerbomb off another Mysterio offense attempt. Jericho locks in the Walls of Jericho on another reversal but Rey fights out and sends him into the ropes in another set-up for the 619. But Chris is of course waiting for it and dumps Mysterio outside again as we take another commercial break.
Jericho is in control when we return as he continues to work on the lower back of the champion. Chris hits a muscle buster on Mysterio and continues to dominate the action usually having a reversal for all of Rey’s usual offense. But Mysterio is able to conjure a reversal of his own that sends Chris into the steel post. He is able to follow up with a few springboard maneuvers but it is short lived as Jericho quickly regains the momentum. Another nice series of reversals with both men eventually leads to Jericho again locking in the Walls. Rey does eventually reach the ropes and both men soon find themselves back inside.
Mysterio tries another springboard move which Jericho reverses into the Codebreaker for another long two count. Chris is getting frustrated now with his inability to put Rey away and that leads to yet another set-up for the 619 which Rey finally hits with the following bodysplash and gets the pinfall victory. This was a lengthy and very great match but the finish was kind of weak and out of nowhere.
Post match Edge comes down to attack Mysterio but he slides outside of the ring and heads up the ramp. However Dolph Ziggler also joins the fun attacking Rey and sending him back into the ring and into a spear from Edge. Jericho is now back up and the unified tag-team champions hit a nice codebreaker combo maneuver on Rey. The champs then allow Dolph into the ring to hit his finisher on Mysterio and get the verbal spotlight from JR and Grisham as the show ends. Good show this week with nothing really to complain about and a lot to like as has become the norm for Smackdown.
