7/12 Barnett's WWE Smackdown on SyFy Live Review: Sheamus, Randy Orton, The Shield, Chris Jericho, Curtis Axel and at least six video packages on this go home edition of Smackdown

By Jake Barnett

WWE Smackdown on SyFy Live Coverage Review
Taped Tuesday 7/9/2012 in Hampton, Virginia.

[Q1] The WWE Smackdown intro played, and Daniel Bryan’s entrance theme welcomed us to the arena. Cole gave the official welcome and Bryan made his way to the ring for the opening segment. Cole plugged Sheamus vs. Orton in the main event, and Bryan led the crowd in a loud yes chant. Lilian Garcia gave Bryan a ring introduction, and the final moments of Raw were shown with Bryan climbing the ladder to retrieve the briefcase. After the video package, Bryan was shown as he stared up at the briefcase. Christian’s music played and he made his way to the ring as Cole and JBL plugged the All Stars MITB Match, and said they would have more info later on about Kane’s status in the match.

1. Daniel Bryan vs. Christian: Christian opened the offense after some chain wrestling with a drop kick from the second rope. Bryan avoided a charging Christian and kicked him to the mat. He followed up with some stomps and a running knee life. He then dropped a knee and covered for an early two count. Bryan stretched Christian on the mat, but he got to his feet and sent Bryan into the corner. Bryan took a run at him and got caught by a spinebuster.

Christian followed up with a reverse elbow from the second rope for a two count. Bryan charged at him again, but Christian dumped him to the outside. Bryan avoided a baseball slide and dropped Christian to the floor. He then quickly climbed onto the apron and hit a diving knee…[c] Bryan missed a dropkick in the corner, and Christian covered for a near fall. Christian hit some kicks to the back, but Bryan got to his feet and sent Christian back out to the floor. Bryan went for a suicide dive, but Christian caught him with a big right hand to the face.

Bryan recovered and pushed Christian into the stairs on the outside, and then delivered a dropkick to his shoulder against the steps. Bryan hit some kicks in the ring. Christian hit a sunset flip for a two count. Bryan hit a few more kicks, but Christian sent him onto the second rope and jumped to the outside for a slap to the face. Christian attempted and missed a cross body block from the top, then Bryan missed a top rope headbutt. Christian then went for a top rope tornado DDT, but Bryan tossed him away.

[Q2] Bryan hit some kicks, but Christian avoided the final kick to the head and hit an inverted neck breaker. Christian took a run at Bryan after he got to his feet, but Bryan hit a big kick to the chest. Bryan then hit a big kick to the head for a close near fall. Christian hit a beautiful looking spear for a two count a moment later for a big near fall that popped the crowd. Christian went for the Unprettier, but Bryan escaped. Christian attempted another sunset flip out of the corner, but Bryan caught him out of mid-air for the Yes Lock and a tap out submission.

Daniel Bryan defeated Christian at 12:26.

Barnett’s Brief: Wow, fantastic match that really told a fun story in the ring. Christian looked really sharp here and Bryan continues his run of really fun television matches. Christian sure seems to use that blind leap out of the corner to finish matches a lot, but it worked here and I enjoyed the match throughout.

Backstage, Teddy Long spoke to Dolph Ziggler, and told him he was giving him the night off. He said that Alberto Del Rio is competing later against Sin Cara, and he didn’t want him to interfere. Long said that Vickie got fired on Monday, and he didn’t want the same fate. Ziggler accused him of being Del Rio’s buddy, and Long told him to leave the building. Ziggler said on Sunday, he would become the World Heavyweight Champion. Cole plugged a recap of Vickie’s performance review after the break.

Barnett’s Brief: Seemed like they were foreshadowing with the line about Teddy not wanting interference. Also, I really don’t understand why WWE tries to sell people on staying tuned through commercials to see Raw video packages.

The Usos were already in the ring, and Seth Rollins will go head to head with Jay Uso. Rollins and Reigns made their entrance. Cole and JBL plugged the MITB youtube pre-show.

2. Seth Rollins vs Jay Uso: There was some chain offense from both men to start the match. Jay hit a snap mare and a back elbow. He went up to the second rope, but Rollins ripped him off and covered for a two count. Rollins hit a pancake for another two count. He followed up with a splash in the corner for another two count. Jay hit some forearm shots and a big kick to the chest, followed by a splash in the corner.

He then backed up and hit a Rikishi butt smash in the corner. Reigns tried to interfere, but ate a kick form Jimmy on the outside. Jay hit a nice Samoan Drop for a near fall in the ring. Jay climbed to the top, but got distracted by Reigns on the outside. Rollins yanked him from the top rop and hit a running knee for the pinfall.

Seth Rollins defeated Jay Uso at 3:48.

After the match, they showed a recap of Vickie getting fired from Monday. It wasn’t any better with the edits, aside from being shorter. Cole and JBL plugged Jericho vs. Axel as next…[c]

Barnett’s Brief: The crowd was absolutely asleep for that match. I’m not sure if it was the acts involved or if they hadn’t recovered from Bryan and Christian yet. Rollins definitely needs a definitive finisher, as the flying knee just doesn’t seem to have enough impact. That could just be me, though.

[Q3] Chris Jericho entered to a loud reaction, while a recap of the first Axel and Jericho match from Monday was shown. Curtis Axel made his entrance with Paul Heyman and his black eye. The announce team plugged Axel vs. The Miz for Money in the Bank.

3. Curtix Axel vs. Chris Jericho: Axel kicked and stomped Jericho in the corner to start the match. Jericho hit a back elbow and some chops to fire back, and then hit a drop kick for a two count. Jericho avoided a charging Axel in the corner, who went shoulder first into the post. Jericho tried for a Codebreaker in the corner, but Axel avoided him and he went knee first into the turnbuckle…[c]

Axel dropped a forearm across Jericho’s chest, followed by a second rope elbow for a two count. Axel ground his forearm on Jericho’s brow, and then choked him and taunted the crowd. Jericho hit a Northern Light Suplex for a near fall. He then attempted the Walls of Jericho, but Axel quickly escaped. Axel missed a splash in the corner, which allowed Jericho to hit a top rope cross body for another near fall.

[Q4] Jericho got a running bulldog, but Axel avoided the Lionsault. Jericho managed to land on his feet, and quickly hopped out to the apron. Axel hit a neckbreaker using the second rope for a near fall. Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho again after a moment, but Axel escaped again. Jericho hit a nice enziguri for a fall, and the hit a high back body drop that sent Axel to the floor. Jericho missed a baseball slide, and Axel hit a hard clothesline on the outside.

Jericho hit Axel coming back into the ring with a Codebreaker, and Axel landed outside the ring. The ref counted a fast 10 count, and Jericho got a count out victory.

Chris Jericho defeated Curtis Axel at 10:51.

Axel flipped out at ringside and tossed around parts of the set and chairs. The crowd booed heavily as Heyman struggled to get him under control. Heyman finally talked him down and got him to head towards the back. Cole plugged a recap of the Wyatt debut for later. The Miz’s music hit and he made his entrance for the next match. Cole mentioned Kane again and said we would hear more later…[c]

Barnett’s Brief: Based on how weak Axel has looked and how strong Jericho has looked, I’m guessing Axel retains and Jericho loses to Ryback on Sunday. Another solid match from these two, and I think Jericho really sells Axel’s offense well. We also saw a nice mean streak from Axel in this match, which was more pronounced than I remember from previous TV matches.

A clip was shown of Ryback calling off his match with The Miz two weeks ago. He then made his ring entrance to boos. Cole and JBL plugged Jericho vs. Ryback for Money in the Bank.

4. Ryback vs. The Miz: The Miz avoided Ryback early on, and then dumped him to the outside. He went after the knee that was previously injured, but Ryback came back with a big powerslam. Ryback continued on offense by working his power. Miz slipped out of a powerslam and hit a chop block, but Ryback fired back with a big clothesline. Ryback slammed the back of Miz’s head into the mat several times, and then hit a big bodyslam. He then attempted a running splash, but Miz got the knees up.

[Q5] Miz hit a dropkick to the knee, and then hit a clothesline that sent Ryback down. He then hit his running clothesline in the corner, followed by a double axe handle. Miz continued to work the leg to set up the figure four. He wrapped it around the rope and hit kicks, followed by a knee buster that had Ryback writhing on the ground. Ryback told the ref he was hurt and that he felt something pop.

He told Charles Robinson not to stop the match, and then hit a meat hook clothesline. He then hit shellshocked, with his knee partially buckling, to get the win.

Ryback defeated The Miz at 6:03.

Backstage, Renee Young interviewed Sheamus. She asked him what he thought about Sunday’s MITB match, and his opponent tonight Randy Orton. He told a goofy story about Paddy running the snakes out of Ireland, and said he would do the same tonight. He then said he’s not the type to bring a briefcase to work, but he might put a few pints in the briefcase. He then told Renee Young she was pretty cute, and walked off. Cole and JBL plugged a contract signing between Kaitlyn and AJ for next…[c]

Barnett’s Brief: Ryback’s faked injury finish worked pretty well. It’s actually one that Chris Jericho used on Ric Flair a decade or more ago. I don’t really get the new Ryback character, but I’m interested to see what exactly they have planned for him. I still don’t think Miz is a particularly convincing babyface, but I liked that he isolated the knee during the match and that it played into the finish. Sheamus was lucky charms as always backstage.

The Divas roster, Big E and Teddy Long were in the ring with Kaitlyn and AJ Lee. Teddy said they had already seen the contract, and asked that they sign quickly. AJ grabbed a microphone, and said the sisterhood of the sparkling pants. She said half the girls out there didn’t like her, and half didn’t like Kaitlyn, but none of them cared about the Divas division until she won the Title. She said they could thank her on Sunday, but Teddy interrupted and said they didn’t have time for all that and asked her to wrap it up.

AJ finally signed it and told Kaitlyn not to do it, because she would embarrass her worse than ever before on Sunday. Kaitlyn blew her off and signed the document. AJ then said she tried to help her, but she didn’t listen. AJ then had a cell phone in her hand, and read off some of the texts that Kaitlyn sent to her fake boyfriend. In the texts, she trashed Natty Neidhart and the Funkadactyls in messages. She also showed some embarrassing mushy puppy love messages as well.

[Q6] AJ offered to stop airing the laundry if Kaitlyn would tear up the contract. Kaitlyn said she lost her title, her friends and herself because of this. She then said she wouldn’t let it happen again, and said that AJ would end up rocking in the fetal position in a padded cell. AJ slapped her, and Kaitlyn pushed her into the corner and trapped her with the table. She slapped AJ a few times and Big E pulled her away. She slapped the taste out of Big E’s mouth and hit a spear on AJ before exiting the ring. Fandango was shown backstage as being out next…[c]

Barnett’s Brief: That segment started out lame, but once business picked up it was pretty good. I liked Kaitlyn dropping the toddler tantrums and using her strength advantage over AJ to intimidate her. It’s funny how an actual wrestling promo and contract segment was miles better than any of the catfish gimmick segments they did before.

Wade Barrett was in the ring for a match. Zeb Colter, Antonio Cesaro and Swagger joined on commentary. Fandango then made his ring entrance with Summer Rae. They showed a clip of how the match got booked from Monday, when Barrett hit Fandango in the mouth with an elbow.

5. Fandango vs. Wade Barrett: Barrett started out with a big boot for a two count. Barrett then hit some stomps and a backbreaker for a near fall. Barrett continued to work power with some knees and a short arm clothesline. He then taunted the crowd and hit some more knees to the gut. Barrett hit some punches to the kidneys with Fandango draped over the top rope, when Team Rhodes Scholars ran down and jawed with Cesaro and Swagger at ringside. Fandango used the distraction and rolled up Barrett with the tights for the surprise win.

Fandango defeated Wade Barrett at 2:32.

After the match, Cole said that Kane is out of the Money in the Bank match on Sunday. They then showed the Wyatt’s debut and their attack on Kane as an explanation.

Barnett’s Brief: That was a bizarre segment between the Smackdown Money in the Bank competitors. I have no idea how that was supposed to put over the match. It was just a few minutes long, and Colter didn’t really do much on commentary to get the whole thing over. Nobody actually involved in the match looked particularly strong or got to show off any personality, unless you want to count Fandango’s entrance.

[Q7] Alberto Del Rio made his ring entrance. Sin Cara made his ring entrance, but immediately attacked Del Rio. It became obvious that it wasn’t Sin Cara based on skin complexion. Ziggler put a beating on Del Rio and hit Del Rio with the Zig Zag. Vickie Guerrero grabbed a microphone at ringside and got mega heat. She said since she got fired on Monday, no one has shown her respect. She said Teddy Long made her buy a ticket. She demanded Teddy Long be fired, and said he was a liar. She called him a spineless puppet. Teddy Long came out and reminded her that she was fired. Teddy called for security and had Vickie escorted from the ringside area.

Cole and JBL plugged the main event between Orton and Sheamus as next…[c]

Barnett’s Brief: That was a fun segment, but the crowd was onto it right away. Ziggler looked pretty convincing other than the skin color. Vickie got great heat from the crowd. I hope they have more in mind for her than this, though. She can be an effective heel manager for the right wrestler.

Backstage, Teddy Long caught up with Sin Cara and called him Dolph. Sin Cara looked confused, and Dolph Zigger walked up and said he left his cell phone in the locker room, but he was leaving again. He told Sin Cara that he never saw him look better with a big smile. Sheamus made his ring entrance, followed by Randy Orton.

[Q8] 6. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton: They tied up to start, and Sheamus backed Orton up into a corner. Both men traded blows until Sheamus hit a suplex for a two count. Sheamus hit a nice powerslam for another two count a moment later, and then the action spilled to the outside. Sheamus slammed Orton into the announce table. Orton reversed an Irish Whip and sent Sheamus toward the steps, but Sheamus stopped himself. Orton caught him with a hard clothesline as he turned around that looked really good…[c]

Orton had Sheamus in a chin lock, but Sheamus fought to his feet and immediately ate a standing dropkick. Orton went right back to the chin lock, but Sheamus powered out again. Sheamus missed a high knee, and Orton hit two clotheslines followed by a powerslam for a two count. Sheamus telegraphed a back body drop and ate a boot, but recovered and hit the Irish Curse for a two count of his own.

Sheamus picked up Orton for a rolling senton, but Orton slipped out and hit an inverted backbreaker for a near fall. Sheamus rolled to the apron, and Orton set up for his second rope DDT, but Sheamus turned the tables and hit clubbing blows to the chest. He then followed up with a rolling senton, and signaled for the brogue kick. Orton ducked, but Sheamus hit him with a back elbow. Sheamus climbed to the second rope, and got a hanging DDT for his trouble.

Orton fired up for an RKO and attempted one, but Sheamus shoved him away. Sheamus went up top again, and Orton crotched him on the top turnbuckle. Orton climbed to the top for a superplex, but both men fell off the ropes and tumbled out to the floor. The ref started a ten count, but Daniel Bryan ran down and grabbed a ladder to interrupt the count.

Bryan used the ladder to knock down both men, and climbed to the top of the ladder. Sheamus pulled Bryan down from the ladder and sent him out to the floor. Sheamus then tried to climb the ladder, but Christian knocked him off and made an attempt at climbing the ladder. Sheamus and Christian brawled on the ladder, and Sheamus fell down. Bryan tipped over the ladder to prevent Christian from grabbing the briefcase, and then Orton hit Bryan with an RKO. Orton then climbed the ladder and grabbed the briefcase and celebrated with it.

The match ended in an apparent no contest at 13:05.

Barnett’s Brief: A good match that was definitely reminiscent of their previous encounters. I like the ladder mayhem to close the show, and I think it definitely helped sell the all star Money in the Bank match. The second Money in the Bank match with the up and coming stars got very little play, in fact I think the one segment they were in might have taken away some of my interest in their match. Overall, I think this show was successful in adding some interest to the PPV, especially the all stars match and the divas match.

Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Contact me at barnett.jake@gmail.com or on twitter @barnettjake.