Posted in: Smackdown SmackDown! Report (04/10/09): Hardys in the Stretcher Match!
By MIK
Apr 10, 2009 - 11:19:13 PM
First off, I would like to say that I had a blast attending the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. To be able to witness the HBK/Undertaker bout in person was is an honor! For those of you in Arizona next year, I am highly recommending you to attend this spectacle as it is one of those experiences you WILL be talking about in the years to come.
Friday 8/7 ET
Austin, Texas
Tonight’s show opens with a series of still images from the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania!
Firework’s quickly go off as JR welcomes us by saying, “Coming off an epic 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, we welcome you tonight to Friday Night SmackDown on MyNetwork TV!” JR then adds that later on tonight, the former World Heavyweight Champion, Edge, will host the Cutting Edge with the new champ, John Cena. “Can we expect yet another implosion?” JR asks.
Matt Hardy’s music hits and out he comes with a smile on his face. At this point, Todd Grisham introduces himself as JR’s commentary partner. Grisham mentions that for Matt Hardy, WrestleMania was very momentous. Matt grabs a microphone as the crowd boos…
Matt says that there were a lot great and unforgettable moments/memories that occurred at WrestleMania this past Sunday, some of which that will be burnt inside a WWE Fans head for the rest of their lives. Matt brings up the HBK/Undertaker match that people are calling the greatest WrestleMania match of all time, but he quickly overrules that by saying that the greatest WrestleMania moment of all time was when he, “beat the extreme enigma in an extreme rules match in the most extreme way possible with an extreme Twist of Fate.”
Matt pauses here as the crowd gives him a loud chant filled with boos.
“And you know what that means Jeff? It means that you’re nothing more than an extreme disappointment for all those 72,000+ fans of yours that were at WrestleMania.” Matt adds that finally after an extreme beating and 3 seconds, he has proven that he is and always has been the superior Hardy. “But beating you, Jeff, will never be enough. As long as there is a little boy wearing one of your silly armbands doing this [Hardy Boyz pose], or as long as there is a little girl chanting your name, it will never be enough. I have to erase you from the WWE. And until there is one Hardy in the WWE, you will always have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life, because I won’t stop or quit. I will be in every stairwell, in every corner. That’s just the way this has to end.” Matt then orders Jeff to make things right for once in his life by coming out and apologizing to not only the fans, but to Matt for attempting to be his brother. “Because if you don’t do this, I promise you this, you’ll leave this ring, strapped to a stretcher and you will never ever wrestle again.”
“We Want Jeff” chants break throughout the entire arena. Finally after a brief pause, “No More Words” hits and out comes Jeff Hardy.
Jeff slowly makes his way down the ramp and when he enters the ring, he quickly charges at Matt, but Matt leaves the ring and hustles back up to the stage area.
At this point, the new GM, Theodore Long, comes out to a nice pop.
Long stated that Matt had brought up something earlier when he mentioned that if Jeff didn’t apologize, he would be leaving tonight on a stretcher. “So, the only way that either one of you will leave here tonight will be on a stretcher, because Matt, for the first time ever on SmackDown! you will face Jeff in a Stretcher Match!”
The crowd erupts in massive amounts of cheers as Matt looks a little frustrated…
(Segment Rating: 4.5/5. Excellent kick off to the first SmackDown! after WrestleMania. Matt is becoming golden-like on the microphone nowadays. I am however a bit shocked at the fact that Theodore Long has been named new GM of the show as he had not been on TV much at all, even in his ECW days.)
-Commercial-
An image of John Cena lifting both Big Show and Edge for the Attitude Adjustment from WrestleMania 25 is shown as JR and Grisham further hype the Cutting Edge segment for later on tonight.
Backstage, Eve Torres welcomes Kofi Kingston to SmackDown! Eve asks Kingston what it like was to compete in his first WrestleMania match this past Sunday. Kingston states that as a child in Jamaica he made his own little wrestling ring with badminton nets, cords, grass and dirt. Kingston adds that he sat in his little ring and used to think about how he could shock the world and finally at WrestleMania, he got the chance to do so in the Money in the Bank Ladder match. “And even though I didn’t win, I can’t say I’m not disappointed with the result, because Money in the Bank is one of the most brutal and devastating matches of all time.” Kingston then turns his attention to his opponent for tonight, the Big Show. Kingston claims that tonight may be the night where he defeats the giant and shocks the world.
The 7 feet 441 pound Big Show slowly makes his way down to the ring.
“S.O.S” hits and out comes RAW’s Kofi Kingston. During his entrance, we see clips of Kingston’s performance from WrestleMania 25.
Match 1: Big Show v. Kofi Kingston
Bell rings and Kingston makes Big Show flinch a few times with his feet. As Show nears Kingston, the Jamaican superstar tries doing the same again, but Show power Kingston to the outside. Show then grabs Kingston by the head (from inside the ring) and brings him back in the ring. Show quickly tries for a punch, but Kingston ducks and attempts a few low kicks. Show quickly manages to club Kingston in the back and proceeds to send him to the corner. Here, Show forehand chops Kingston right across the chest and gives him a body punch for good measures. Show then attempts a Cobra Clutch slam, but Kingston lands on his feet and gives the giant two dropkicks. With Show dazed in the corner, Kingston leaps onto the shoulders of the giant and punches him in the head a couple of times. Show tries hurling Kinston off, but once again Kingston lands on his feet. Kingston tries for another dropkick, but Show swats the Jamaican superstar away. Show then lifts Kingston and throws him across the ring. At this point, Show picks up the hurting body of Kingston and Irish Whips him into the corner. Show charges at Kingston, but Kofi moves out of the way and kicks Show in the head. Kingston quickly goes to the top rope and strikes Show with a missile dropkick. Kingston then connects with the Trouble in Paradise kick which finally grounds Show. Kingston proceeds to hit the running jumping high-angle double leg drop and quickly goes for the pin, but Show powers out at 2. Kingston goes to the top rope again and tries for a cross body, but Show catches Kingston with the KO Punch in mid-air. Show pins Kingston for the win.
Post-Match: Show raises his hands up in satisfaction as we get replays of the match.
(Match Rating: 3/5. Not a terrible match, but Show completely dominated Kingston. I must say however, that after being apart of WrestleMania, he has indeed earned my attention)
A clip of the WWE Class of 2009 Hall of Fame is shown.
Still to Come: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy in a Stretcher Match.
-Commercial-
A clip of “Santina” Marella defeating Beth Phoenix from RAW is shown.
Santino Marella’s music hits and out comes the Italian Stallion to a rather nice pop. Marella grabs a microphone.
Santino says that there seems to be a whole lot of divas that are “a little bit upset and jealous that my twin sister, Santina Marella, became the first ever ‘Miss WrestleMania’.”
An image is shown on the titan-tron of “Santina” Marella winning the divas battle royal at WrestleMania 25 with the song, “You Look So Good to Me” playing in the background.
Santino then adds that even Beth Phoenix, who tried to get revenge the next night on RAW, couldn’t handle “Santina” Marella. Santino then adds that he came to SmackDown! this week, because there is a chance he may wind up here next week as well after the WWE Draft. “Plus, I wanted to show that there is more than one ‘Marella’ that you should be jealous of. I made an open inva-challenge to any superstar in the back, because I’m going to showcase my in-ring expertise. So bring that poor sucker out.”
The Great Khali, accompanied by Ranjin Singh, makes his way down to the ring. Apparently Khali has a new pair of tights.
Singh tells Santino that that Khali says that he does not have to fight the Punjabi giant tonight.
Marella says, “Okay Perfect” and quickly tries to leave the ring, but Singh stops him and tells him that under one condition…
“You see the Great Khali thinks that your sister, ‘Santina,’ is HOT!” Khali smiles, as Singh adds that if Santino could arrange a Kiss Cam between Santina and the Great Khali, then Khali won’t harm Santino at all.
Santino starts to twitch and he looks completely disgusted.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you some kind of pervert or something?” asks Santino. “You think my sister is some kind of woman of the night? You think my sister graduated from the University of Texas? Well, she didn’t. She went to the school of Hard Knocks. On behalf of my sister, I’m going to say ‘no’ she won’t kiss you. Why would she want to kiss a freak like you anyways? You could open your mouth and swallow her whole like Jonah the Whale. Maybe you have bad breath huh? Maybe you smoke cigarettes? Maybe cigarettes are going to stunt your growth?”
At this point, Khali cuts Santino off and says something in his native language.
“You Son Ah Ma Gun! You can’t talk to my sister like that.” Santino responds.
Singh tells Santino’s response wasn’t what Khali wanted to hear. So, Singh tells the referee to ring the bell. Santino freaks out.
Match 2: Santino Marella v. Great Khali
Santino is still panicking. He quickly charges at Khali with a big boot, but the Punjabi giant grabs his foot and hurls Santino down. As Santino gets back up, Khali grabs Santino by the neck and Santino starts to scream like a girl. Khali lifts Santino up and connects with the Punjabi Plunge.
Post-Match: Crowd applauds Khali as Santino is showed unconscious.
(Match/Segment Rating: 4/5. Let’s be honest, this wasn’t much of a match, but Santino completely made me laugh throughout the entire segment. His insult on the Texas Longhorns was priceless and his cigarette comment to Khali was tremendous!)
Up Next: We take a look back at the most dominant Streak in WrestleMania history.
-Commercial-
WWE Did You Know? Last Monday, WWE.COM broke its all-time record for page views with an astonishing 105,179,641.
A clip of Undertaker’s destruction at WrestleMania is played here. It concludes by showing Undertaker latest victim, Shawn Michaels. The Streak is indeed 17-0!
Gail Kim prepares for her match up next.
-Commercial-
The first-ever Divas Champion, Michelle McCool, makes her way down to the ring.
Match 3: Gail Kim v. Michelle McCool
As soon as the bell rings, McCool tackles Kim down and punches her in the face a couple of times before attempting the first pinfall of the match. McCool then lifts Kim up and corners here where she strikes at her with a few lethal kicks. Kim however quickly shoves McCool away. As McCool charges at Kim, Kim slips onto the apron and decks McCool. Kim then rolls back into the ring where she dropkicks McCool. As McCool makes it back to her feet, Kim connects with a nice standing hurricanrana. At this point, in the back, we see Maryse watching the match via a television set. The two divas continue fighting on the outside when eventually McCool rams Kim’s shoulder into the steel post. McCool follows this up by kicking Kim right in the jaw. McCool then throws Kim back in the ring for a 2 count. After the count, Kim suddenly starts striking back at McCool and proceeds to take her down with a clothesline. Moments later, Kim goes to the middle rope and connects with a nice cross body. After a 2 count, Kim goes back to the top ropes again and attempts a missile dropkick, but McCool moves out of the way. McCool quickly goes for the pin, but Kim reverses the pinfall into a pinfall of her own and gets the 1, 2, and 3.
Post-Match: Gail Kim rolls onto the outside where she starts celebrating. McCool argues with the referee as we get the replays.
(Match Rating: 2.5/5. Alright divas match here. There were a few botched spots, but overall it is a good singles match for the returning Gail Kim)
Edge is shown backstage making his way towards the ring.
-Commercial-
The 2009 WWE Draft is this coming Monday!
Edge is in the ring, finishing up his entrance. Everything is set up for the Cutting Edge. Edge takes a seat, takes off his sunglasses and looks around the arena. His music stops and “You Suck!” chants fill the arena. Finally, after some time, the former World Champion speaks…
“I haven’t slept in a week. I rolled into Houston expecting the biggest win of my life at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. But that win and World Heavyweight Championship, they were stolen from me. Stolen from me by my guest tonight, John Cena…”
“My Time is Now” hits and out comes the NEW World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena, to a massive pop. Cena gets in the ring and is all smiles.
Edge tells Cena to have a seat, but Cena quickly cuts him off by saying that, “THE CHAMP IS HERE!” Crowd is ecstatic.
“I said, have a seat,” Edge responds. And so, Cena takes a seat.
Edge says that he knows there are thousands of people here tonight that Cena panders to, but he doesn’t care about them. He is here tonight to talk to Cena, because the World Heavyweight Championship is his life. Edge emphasizes that the title keeps his heart beating, it’s his life preserver. “The wins, the losses, the blood, the sweat, the tears, the problems in my life, I can deal with that as long as I have World Title. And John, you stole that from me.”
Cena gets out of his chair and Edge quickly tells Cena to sit down.
Cena replies, “Really? That’s it? That I stole this from you? Get over yourself Edge. You lost at WrestleMania.”
“You ruined my life!” Edge restates.
Cena responds by laughing and asks Edge “how the hell did you think this was going to end up?” Cena then gets serious and pulls the chair closer to Edge to talk to him. “How many years have we been doing this? How many years have we been chasing each other’s tails? How many cities have we fought for the championship? We’ve had wives, girlfriends, managers, my dad, your hometown, my hometown, elimination chambers, tables, ladders, chairs, briefcases, history, championships, and WrestleMania. And through all that, throughout the years, the reason they all love this, whether they’re cheering for you or cheering for me, is because they know that every time one of us makes it a point to the other, we will raise the bar and try to go the extra mile. Tonight you had an opportunity to have me on your show and tell the WWE Universe about quite possibly what is the greatest rivalry in sports entertainment history. But you chose this time to tell me that I stole this from you? And that I ruined your life? Well then, if that’s all that you have to say, when we’re done here, you’re just wasting my time.” Cena sets the microphone down and prepares to leave the ring.
“I hate you,” Edge quickly says. “Hate is such a strong word that it sums up everything I feel for you. I hate your hat, I hate your t-shirts, I hate your wristbands, I hate your shoes, I hate your music, and I hate everything that you stand for. And John, whether you want to admit it or not, all the years between you and I, it’s exhausted you as much as it as done me. This cannot go on any longer; it has shortened both of our careers. And at Backlash, this is finally going to end. One of us will defeat the other so badly that they can’t get back up. And make no mistake about it, the one that’s going to be left standing, is ME!”
“NO!” Cena retaliates. Cena tells Edge that though he may be smarter than him, Cena is tougher than Edge and that is why Edge “hates” Cena. “It’s not the hat,” Cena throws his hat away. “It’s not the wristbands,” Cena throws that away as well. “It’s not the shirt,” Cena tosses that into the audience. “It’s the truth! Because you think of all those matches that we’ve had, you think about every time we beat the hell out of each other, every time you ran back and hit me with everything that you’ve had and then watched me get back up!” Cena then dares Edge to hit him right now. “You punch me right now and I will unleash hell on you! Come on!”
Edge takes his t-shirt off and prepares to punch Cena, but slowly leaves the ring and walks back up the ramp as Cena’s music hits. Edge turns around and looks back only to see John Cena hold up the World Heavyweight Championship.
(Segment Rating: 5/5. A golden segment here that would’ve been better if it was used prior to WrestleMania. Nonetheless, I am expecting this fight at Backlash to not only headline the show, but come off as perhaps the runner up of the “Match of the Year” award behind HBK/Undertaker at WrestleMania)
Up Next: Carlito & Primo vs. Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes.
-Commercial-
An image from WWE.Com is shown emphasizing the greatness that was WrestleMania 25.
The Colón brothers, the new unified WWE tag team champions, make their way down to the ring.
Two-thirds of Legacy, Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase, make their ways down to the ring.
Match 4: Carlito & Primo v. Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase
Carlito and Ted Dibiase start things off. Dibiase quickly gets in a cheap shot on Carlito and corners the Caribbean Bad Apple before tagging in Cody Rhodes. Rhodes works on Carlito in the corner some more and he makes the quick tag back out. Carlito starts to show some life by fighting back, but Dibiase trips Carlito and kicks him right in the face. Rhodes is tagged back in and he steps on the arm of Carlito. Suddenly, Carlito succeeds in connecting with an inside cradle, but Rhodes kicks out and takes Carlito down with a clothesline. Rhodes then bodyslams Carlito and tries an elbow drop, but Carlito moves out of the way. Carlito smashes Rhode’s head on the turnbuckle and tags in Primo. Primo splashes onto Rhodes and tags Carlito back in. As Carlito nears Rhodes, Rhodes connects with a quick jawbreaker to Carlito. Rhodes then tags in Dibiase and they try a double team maneuver, but Carlito springboards onto the ropes and drills them both with a reverse back elbow. Primo gets in the ring and the brothers take both members of Legacy out of the ring with a double clothesline. As Carlito starts to celebrate, Dibiase runs back inside the ring for a cheap shot, but Carlito flips Dibiase down to the mat. Carlito then backs off and allows Dibiase to make it back to his feet.
-Commercial-
Back, Dibiase has an abdominal lock applied on Primo. After some time, Primo starts to break out of the hold, but Dibiase quickly takes him down with a knee to the gut. Rhodes is then tagged in and he comes off the top rope, taking Primo down with a double axe handle. Rhodes bodyslams Primo and steps on him before tagging in Dibiase. Dibiase comes in and starts pounding on Primo. Dibiase then Irish Whips Primo to the turnbuckle and tags Rhodes back in. Rhodes applies an abdominal stretch, but Primo quickly hip tosses the son of the American Dream. As Rhodes gets back up, Primo tosses Rhodes up and over the top ropes. Primo crawls towards Carlito, trying to get the tag. In the mean time, Dibiase brings Rhodes back into the ring. Carlito is tagged in and strikes at Rhodes with a knee lift followed by a power clothesline. Carlito then dropkicks Dibiase off the apron and decides to go up to the top rope. Rhodes tries to take Carlito down, but Carlito shoves Rhodes away. Behind the referee’s back, Dibiase recovers and chokes Carlito on the ropes. As Carlito turns around, Rhodes connects with Cross Rhodes (rolling cutter) for the win.
Post-Match: As Primo checks up on Carlito, Dibiase and Rhodes sneak behind Primo and start double teaming the younger Colon brother. Dibiase connects with Dream Street (Cobra Clutch Slam) and they continue to pound on Primo. Carlito gets back up and tries helping Primo out, but Rhodes and Dibiase beat him down as well. Randy Orton then makes his way down to the ring. He kicks both Primo and Carlito in the stomach once before raising the hands of both Dibiase and Rhodes.
(Match Rating: 3/5. A good tag team bout. I would like for these two teams to continue to challenge each other over the course of the next few weeks as this could turn out to be another excellent tag team feud.)
-Commercial-
Back, Randy Orton and the rest of Legacy are still in the ring. Orton grabs a microphone and is about to speak.
Orton says that at Backlash he will be teaming up with both Rhodes and Dibiase to take on the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista to determine who will be the WWE Champion. Orton also mentions that while Batista’s return was surprising, it was he who put the Animal on the shelf in the first place. Orton then adds that while his team is comprised of relaxed and well-talented individuals, Triple H’s team is composed of a bunch of hot heads may “explode” and get either counted out or disqualified. Orton then goes over the rules of the match and concludes that after Backlash, he will take his rightful place as WWE Champion.
(Segment Rating: 4/5. It is nice to see Orton appear on SmackDown! His promo here certainly sold some PPV buys for Backlash and he made a point that he is more than determined to win back the WWE Championship)
JR and Todd Grisham go over the Backlash card.
Todd Grisham states since we are moments away from witnessing the first ever stretcher match in SmackDown! history, it should be informative to go over the rules: One man must be laid upon a stretcher and rolled up the stage area where there is a finish line. The first person to do that will be declared the winner.
“No More Words” hits and out comes Jeff Hardy!
-Commercial-
WWE Did You Know? The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania was provided to our troops across 176 countries, 200 Navy ships at sea, and 76 bases worldwide via the Armed Forces Network.
Matt Hardy, in his new attire, makes his way down to the ring.
Stretcher Match
Main Event: Jeff Hardy v. Matt Hardy
As the bell rings, Matt charges at Jeff, but Jeff dodges it and tackles Matt into the turnbuckle. Jeff punches the heck out of his brother and proceeds to give him a clothesline for good measures. With Matt downed in the corner, Jeff attempts his signature dropkick, but Matt slides out of the ring and Jeff stops and lands on his feet. Jeff quickly follows Matt to the outside where he clubs Matt and slams his head onto the ring apron. Matt tries running away, but Jeff grabs him and suplex’s him right onto the stretcher. Jeff starts to roll the stretcher up the ramp, but Matt clubs Jeff and hurls him into the barricade. Moments later, Matt tosses Jeff back into the ring where he connects with an elbow drop. Matt then attempts a suplex, but Jeff reverses it into a sitout inverted suplex slam. Jeff then signals for a Twist of Fate, but Matt shoves Jeff off and winds up connecting with the Side-Affect. Matt then exits the ring and brings a stretcher nearby where he places Jeff upon it. After a few punches to Jeff’s head, Matt starts rolling him up the ramp. Just before the back two wheels of the stretcher crosses the line, Jeff manages to kick Matt in the head and get off the stretcher in order to take him down with a clothesline. Jeff then takes the stretcher up the ramp and hops onto it like a skateboarder would and slides down the entire ramp to take Matt down with a tackle.
-Commercial-
The debut of WWE’s newest programming, WWE Superstars, is next Thursday!
Back, Matt Hardy slams Jeff’s head into the turnbuckle. Matt then attempts an Irish Whip, but Jeff retaliates with multiple clotheslines. Jeff then tries for an atomic drop, but Matt reverses it into a dragon sleeper with bodyscissors. This brings Jeff down to the mat. Matt finally releases the hold and brings another stretcher near the ring. Jeff is placed on this stretcher and as Matt starts to roll it up the ramp, Jeff gets off and connects with the leg-feed spinning mule kick. As Matt slowly makes it to his feet, Jeff grabs him and throws him into the steel steps. Jeff then places Matt onto the stretcher and begins to roll it up the ramp, but Matt gets off and pushes the stretcher into Jeff’s abdomen. Matt then punches Jeff down and rolls the just the stretcher up the ramp. With Jeff down on the floor, Matt releases the stretcher from up the ramp in order to take Jeff’s head off. Just barely at the last second, Jeff moves out of the way! Matt quickly gets back on the offensive as he tosses Jeff back in the ring. Matt then grabs a steel chair and attempts to get back in the ring, but Jeff strikes at Matt with a forearm shot sending Matt onto the stretcher. Jeff then goes up to the top rope and Matt sees this so he quickly gets off the stretcher. Jeff however, still decides leap off the ropes and leg drops the stretcher’s top part, thus catapulting the bottom portion of the stretcher into Matt’s face! Slowly after making it back to his feet, Jeff places Matt onto the stretcher, but Matt grabs onto the ring apron. Then, instead of rolling the stretcher up the ramp, Jeff rams the stretcher with Matt on it, into the steel steps causing to Matt to fall off awkwardly on the floor. Jeff then places Matt back onto the stretcher and goes up to the top rope. Jeff signals for the Swanton Bomb and he jumps off, but at the last second, Matt moves off the stretcher causing Jeff to crash on top of it. Matt starts to roll Jeff up the ramp, but Jeff tries to get back up. Matt however punches Jeff and proceeds to roll the stretcher back up the ramp. Jeff again tries getting off the stretcher, but this time Matt grabs a steel chair and smashes Jeff over the head! Matt finally rolls the stretcher up the ramp and past the finish to win the brutal match.
Post-Match: The crowd is in awe. Matt gets his hand raised and he is all smiles. But he is not done yet. Matt kicks the stretcher from the stage area and it comes rolling down the ramp, with Jeff still on it, and crashes into the ring apron. The camera zooms into Matt’s face and he is foaming at the mouth. Matt raises his hands up once more to end the show.
(Match Rating: 4.5/5. One of the best SmackDown! TV bouts that I have witnessed in a very long time! Man, it was spectacular. The Swanton Bomb onto the stretcher was insane. Add that to the fact that the crowd was involved throughout the entire match made it a really enjoyable match.)
Quick Match Results:
-Match 1: Big Show def. Kofi Kingston
-Match 2: Great Khali def. Santino Marella
-Match 3: Gail Kim def. Michelle McCool
-Match 4: Ted Dibiase & Cody Rhodes def. Carlito & Primo
-Main Event: Matt Hardy def. Jeff Hardy in a Stretcher Match
Smack of the Night: Stretcher Match
Wow! Tonight’s episode of SD was excellent! It featured 3 outstanding segments and 1 superb match that could have been a potential show stealer for many at WrestleMania 25. If this is any indication for the upcoming weeks of SmackDown! then I am more than excited to write up the reports. Once again, tonight’s show was an excellent broadcast coming off of WrestleMania. Final Rating: 8.5/10
Do you have any questions, concerns, or comments? If so, feel free to email me, MIK, at mik123@ymail.com
