WWE Smackdown on The CW
Taped July 8 in Baton Rouge, La.

[Q1] Highlights aired from last week of the Edge and Vickie Guerrero squabble... Edge's music played and he walked to the ring in street clothes while Jim Ross and Mick Foley introduced the show. Edge said he's had a week to think about calling off the wedding to Vickie Guerrero. "I stand by my statement, the wedding is off," he said.

Edge said he loved Vickie, but he won't take orders from her. "I don't work that way," he said. "I am the Rated R Superstar." He said he's been happier since he made the announcement. "Let's face it, Vickie Guerrero is not good enough for me." He vowed to prove everyone wrong who thought that he was only World Hvt. Champion because he had Vickie in his corner.

Edge claimed that he's won more championships than anyone currently in the industry. An angry Vickie wheeled onto the stage and said she was giving Edge a warmup match for the Great American Bash. She booked him in a No DQ match against the Big Show. Edge said he's not afraid of the Big Show. "By the end of Smackdown tonight, Big Show is going to be just like you—a loser." Vickie had Edge's mic cut to close the segment... [C]

Powell's POV: Good mic work by Edge. The announcement of the Big Show match didn't get a big reaction from the live crowd. Jim Ross noted in his blog that the crowd wasn't overly enthusiastic. I think part of the problem is that Show just isn't as over as he was two months ago because WWE never capitalized on the momentum he had coming out of WrestleMania 24.

[Q2] A video hyped that Maria is coming soon to Smackdown...

Powell's POV: Wow, Maria just got more hype for her Smackdown debut than Rey Mysterio received for his on Raw.

1. Shelton Benjamin defeated Matt Hardy in a non-title match in 5:00. Ross and Foley did a nice job of explaining that Benjamin had a lot to gain by winning the non-title match. It was more effective than the typical Michael Cole non-title introduction in which he mentions it almost in passing as if he's trying to sneak it in and move on.

Benjamin had the more impressive offense and the live crowd reacted nicely to some of his bigger moves. He scored the clean pin out of nowhere, which left the crowd surprised and silent.

Powell's POV: Good, competitive match. I like the outcome because it instantly establishes Shelton as a legit contender to the U.S. Title.

Backstage, Zach Ryder and Curt Hawkins asked Vickie for a revenge match against Jese and Festus. She agreed. They comforted her by saying she deserves someone better than Edge... [C]

Ross hyped the Big Show vs. Edge main event... Ross introduced MVP as the guest commentator for the next match...

[Q3] 2. Mr. Kennedy pinned Domino in 3:00. Before the match, Kennedy did his mic work and took a minor shot by saying he's more valuable than MVP. He also teased the crowd before saying his name. MVP took offense on commentary. The production team hasn't bothered to change Domino's video. He's still using the Deuce and Domino entrance. Kennedy dominated the match and scored the clean pin.

Afterward, MVP left the broadcast table and jawed with Kennedy from ringside. Out of nowhere, Umaga hit the ring and attacked Kennedy. MVP sat on the announcers' table, smiled, and put on his shades while watching Umaga rough up Kennedy. After Umaga was finished with Kennedy, MVP taunted him briefly.

Powell's POV: Nice segment that established two potential opponents for Kennedy.

Backstage, Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely sat with Edge inside his locker room. Chavo took Edge's side and said Vickie didn't have the right to talk to him the way she did. He said he was going to give her a piece of his mind... [C]

After the break, Chavo sang a different tune in Vickie's locker room while Bam stood behind him. He badmouthed Edge, but Vickie wasn't buying it. "Chavo, cut the crap," she said. She booked him in a singles match against Triple H...

[Q4] 3. Finlay and Hornswoggle defeated John Morrison and The Miz in 3:15. Ross and Lawler didn't work as hard to establish what a non-title win would mean in his match. There was a nice spot early where Morrison knelt down and mocked Horny, who responded by giving him an enzugiri. Late in the match, Finlay hit Miz with the shillelagh behind the ref's back and the Horny hit the Tadpole Splash for the win... [C]

Powell's POV: It's the night of champions losing non-title matches. Maybe it's just me, but Shelton's non-title win doesn't feel as special now that Finlay and Horny pulled off a non-title win over the tag champs on the same show.

A video showed Jeff Hardy taking part in a video shoot for WWE Magazine. Cool video. He said he was doing a Tom Cruise (Mission Impossible) theme and they showed the before and after CGI shots... Triple H and Chavo made their entrances...

[Q5] 4. Triple H pinned Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neely) in a non-title match in 4:00. Hunter dominated the offense until Neely reached in and tripped him when the ref wasn't looking. In the end, Hunter hit the Pedigree for the win...

Powell's POV: The live crowd was really into Triple H. Huge pop before and after the match. They've been more lively than J.R. made them out to be in his blog.

Ross hyped Edge vs. Big Show again... [C] A "Did You Know?" fact stated that WWE video games have sold over 39 million copies in this decade... The announcers stated that Natalya vs. Michelle McCool for the new Divas' Title will take place at the Great American Bash pay-per-view...

5. Natalya and Maryse defeated Michelle McCool and Cherry in 2:15. Natalya locked Cherry in the Sharpshooter and she tapped out instantly. Afterward, Natalya attacked McCool and snap suplexed her on the floor. She pointed at the Diva Title that was positioned in front of the announcers and said it would be hers. Oh, and she did that husky laugh thing...

[Q6] [C] Highlights aired from last week of Edge attacking Jesse and Festus...

6. Jesse and Festus beat Zach Ryder and Curt Hawkins via countout in 2:15. Festus flipped to start the match and dominated the heels. Ryder and Hawkins got together and decided let the referee count them out. Afterward, they attacked Jesse and threw him to ringside. They attacked Festus, who was in comatose mode because the bell rang for a second time. However, Jesse rang the bell at ringside and then Festus cleared the heels from the ring...

Ross and Foley hyped the Edge vs. Big Show main event... [C] A Triple H video aired...

Powell's POV: Why do they continue to show Triple H in that ridiculous Conan The Barbarian outfit he wore at WrestleMania 22? By the way, we're getting some bad weather in my area, so if I just top updating, that means my house blew away (or the power went out).

[Q7] 7. Vladimir Kozlov pinned Stevie Richards in 2:40. More of the same from Kozlov. Richards snuck in a little offense, but Kozlov regained control and finished him off.

Backstage, Edge spoke with the other disgruntled LaFamilia members. He said Vickie has been screwing with all of them. She rolled into the picture and said she would fire anyone who tried to help Edge during his match against Show. She also threatened to fire Edge if he didn't take the match. "Now go out there and take your beating like a man," she told him. "If you are a man"... [C]

Powell's POV: I'm not sure what Ryder and Hawkins were upset about. Vickie gave them the match they wanted and she seemed to accept their support earlier in the show.

Highlights aired from Raw of Kane flipping out at the end of the show. They also showed him roughing up Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler making the save. The King is suddenly a big heel to longtime Smackdown viewers... At ringside, Ross and Lawler discussed the Kane angle and then ran through the pay-per-view lineup...

[Q8] 8. Edge fought Big Show to a no-contest in a no DQ match in 11:40. Vickie sat at the top of the stage to watch the match in her wheelchair. Show and Edge brawled to ringside. Edge speared Show and the show cut to break. [C] After the break, Show regained control. He motioned the crowd to be quiet and then he slapped Edge's chest. I always like that one.

Foley said he thinks Vickie has convinced herself that she's the force behind Edge's success, but he doesn't feel that's a fair assessment. Nice call. Meanwhile, Vickie was at the bottom of the ramp and watching from ringside.

Later, Show and Edge fought inside the ring. Show tried to pick up Edge for a chokeslam, but Edge kicked him below the belt. Edge struck Show with a chairshot. He placed the chair underneath Show's head and then grabbed a second chair. Before Edge could hit the Conchairto, Show grabbed him by the throat and chokeslammed him.

Show tried to return the favor by setting up Edge for the Conchairto, but Vickie screamed for him to stop. Vickie entered the ring and called off the match. She knelt down by Edge and caressed his hair as he sat up. The camera picked up her saying that she loves Edge. He slowly came to and then returned the favor by saying he loves her. He asked Vickie to marry him and she said yes. They made out to close the show as the crowd booed...

Powell's POV: A predictable makeup moment, but not as predictable as it would have been if La Familia had taken advantage of the No DQ stipulation by attacking Show and revealed that it was all a swerve. I'm fine with it. The main event featured enough action that I can live with the cheap finish. Honestly, I think it's better than having Show do the job given how poorly he's been used lately.

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