Posted in: Smackdown SmackDown! Report (07/24/09): Friday Night of Champions
By MIK
Jul 25, 2009 - 1:00:47 AM
At the conclusion of this report, I have posted my NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS predictions.
Friday 8/7 ET
Richmond, Virginia
“If You Rock Like Me” hits and the opening video plays as fireworks go off. JR and Todd Grisham welcomes everyone to another exciting edition of Friday Night SmackDown! The announce team hype our main event of the evening as Champion vs. Champion – CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio!
Jeff Hardy’s theme song hits and out comes the Charismatic Enigma to another rock-star like ovation. He grabs a microphone.
After greeting everyone, Jeff says that he is sick and tired of CM Punk trying to “preach his Straightedge lifestyle every week.” He adds that after Night of Champions, the preaching will be over because the WWE Universe will be “living in the moment with the Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy!” Jeff then turns his attention to his opponent for tonight, Chris Jericho. Jeff says that it’s time for Jericho’s wall to come crashing down.
(Segment Rating: 3.5/5. A good promo by Jeff. Only thing that was kind of disappointing was that it didn’t do too much to hype his match with Punk at NOC)
Pyrotechnics go off and out comes the Unified Tag Team Champion, Chris Jericho.
Match 1: Jeff Hardy v. Chris Jericho
Shortly after the bell, Jericho tries to flee to the outside, but Jeff follows him out there and does a number on Jericho. Jeff then brings Jericho back in the ring and attempts an Irish Whip, but Jericho reverses it and sends Jeff into the corner. As Jericho charges at Jeff, Jeff jumps and connects with a modified head-scissors takedown. Jericho tries to use the ropes to make it back to his feet, but Jeff clotheslines Jericho out of the ring. Jeff then attempts a baseball slide, but Jericho grabs Jeff’s feet and yanks him out of the ring and onto the outside floor.
-Commercial-
Back, Jericho connects with a reverse neckbreaker and proceeds to apply a modified headlock. After some time, Jeff breaks loose and catches Jericho with a running crossbody. Following a near fall, Jericho quickly gets back up and drills Jeff with an enzigiri. Jericho then mocks the crowd and kicks Jeff in the head a few times. Jeff tries fighting back, but Jericho eventually connects with a front elbow drop off the top ropes. Jericho then pins Jeff with his feet on the ropes, but the referee catches Jericho and stops the count. Jericho shows some frustration and goes on choke Jeff on the ropes. Shortly thereafter, Jeff suddenly catches Jericho with a running neck-breaker followed by a forearm smash. Jericho tries fighting back, but Jeff drops Jericho with an atomic drop that is followed by a drop kick to the face. After a 2 count, Jeff connects with a front suplex and goes up to the top rope in hopes for a Swanton Bomb. As Jeff comes down, Jericho moves out of the way and connects with the Lionsault. Jericho then tries for Walls of Jericho, but Jeff cradles Jericho up for a 2 count. As both men make it to their feet, Jeff catches Jericho with the mule kick that sends Jericho to corner. Jeff attempts his signature dropkick in the corner, but Jericho grabs Jeff’s legs and pulls him in for the Walls of Jericho. Jeff tries fighting out of it so Jericho decides to catapult Jeff into the turnbuckle. Jeff however leaps onto the ropes and connects with Whisper in the Wind. 1…2…NO! Jericho kicks out! Jeff then signals for Twist of Fate, but out of nowhere, Jericho reverses the maneuver and catches Jeff with a Codebreaker so devastating that it sends Jeff to the outside floor. Jericho then frantically looks for Jeff and tries to bring the dead-weight of Jeff back inside the ring. Finally when he does, Jericho pins Jeff, but Jeff kicks out at 2! Jericho tries pleading with the referee, but pays for it as Jeff catches Jericho with a Twist of Fate. Jeff then throws his shirt in the crowd and goes up to the top rope for another attempt at Swanton Bomb, but Jericho splits Jeff on the turnbuckle. Jericho then gets up on the turnbuckle with Jeff and tries for a superplex, but Jeff strikes at Jericho with some massive headbutts, eventually sending Jericho crashing into the mat below. Jeff then connects with Swanton Bomb and scores the 1, 2, 3 for the win.
Post-Match: Jeff celebrates back up the ramp in what was definitely a hard-fought match up. We get replays of the match as Jeff poses for the crowd.
(Match Rating: 4/5. OMG! What a great match! Folks if you just missed this match, go online and find a way to watch it. Great finishing sequence that was highly entertaining)
Backstage, Michelle McCool was with a makeup artist. McCool mentioned her accomplishments when Melina came by. Melina informed McCool that at Night of Champions, she will be exercising her rematch clause for the Woman’s Championship. Melina then poured makeup on McCool and walked off. McCool was furious.
(Segment Rating: 3.5/5. I guess now it’s the Blue brands turn to use the ‘diva gets temporary blinded gimmick.’)
Still to Come: Champion vs. Champion - CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
-Commercial-
A video aired hyping the Friday Night Delight, John Morrison.
The Punjabi Playboy, Great Khali, made his way down to the ring accompanied by Ranjin Singh.
Khali’s opponent was none other than Mike Knox.
Match 2: Great Khali v. Mike Knox
Shortly after the bell rang, Khali shoved Knox away. Knox came back with a kick, but Khali clotheslined Knox down. Khali then set Knox up in the corner and struck him with a few reverse back elbow shots before slapping him across the chest. Pyros then went off and Kane slowly started to make his way down to the ring. Knox clubbed Khali from behind and brought the Punjabi giant down to his knees. As Knox tried to do more damage, Khali grabbed Knox by the throat and shoved him away. Knox charged back at Khali, but Khali gave him a big boot to the face. Khali then clotheslined Knox down again before connecting with the Punjabi Plunge for the win.
Post-Match: Khali invited Kane into the ring. Kane put one foot in the ring and as Khali came closer towards Kane, the Big Red Machine backed off and headed back up the ramp.
(Match/Segment Rating: 2.5/5. Decent at best to be honest here. Just let the two giants wrestle already)
Still to Come: CM Punk Challenges the WWE Universe!
-Commercial-
We return with Cryme Time’s Word Up segment. This week’s word is “GOAT,” which is an acronym for the Greatest of All Time. Cryme Time hyped the World’s Greatest Tag Team DVD when the Hart Dynasty intervened. Natalya asked Cryme Time whether or not their family was in the DVD. Before being able to answer that question, Jesse, dressed up as a “G,” interrupted. Jesse insulted the Hart Dynasty which led to Natalya threatening Jesse. She called Jesse a misfit and added that the Hart Dynasty would see Cryme Time and Eve in the ring later on tonight.
Dolph Ziggler, who is accompanied to the ring by Maria, is introduced. He grabs a microphone.
“Hi, you know me as Dolph Ziggler and let me give you a little heads up. After Night of Champions, you’re all going to know me as Dolph Ziggler, Intercontinental Champion!” Ziggler then assisted Maria to a seat at ringside and awaited his opponent.
-Commercial-
With Ziggler already in the ring, Finlay made his entrance.
Match 3: Dolph Ziggler v. Finlay
Following an early lockup, Finlay took Ziggler down with a powerful shoulder-block. Finlay then sends Ziggler to the turnbuckle and charges at him, but Ziggler moves out of the way causing Finlay to crash into the ring post. Moments later, Ziggler strikes the injured shoulder of Finlay. Finlay tries fighting back, but Ziggler catches the Irishman with a clothesline. Ziggler then applied an armbar hold. After some time, Finlay punched out, but Ziggler hit a drop kick for one. Ziggler tried to work the arm on the rope, but Finlay fought out and hit several clotheslines. He dropped a cannonball for two. Finlay worked Ziggler in the corner and lifted him for the Celtic Cross. Ziggler grabbed the ropes so Finlay spilled him to the apron. Ziggler dropped down and tried to pull Finlay from the ring, but Finlay kicked him into the announce table. Finlay joined Ziggler on the outside as the referee started his 10 count. The two exchanged a few punches until Finlay drilled Ziggler with a clothesline. Finlay then went for a grapple maneuver, but Maria told Finlay to back off as she checked Ziggler’s condition. Finlay decided to go back into the ring, but right before he did, Ziggler got up and connected with Zig-Zag (Jumping reverse STO). With Finlay knocked out on the outside, Ziggler rolled back into the ring as the referee counted the Irishman out.
Post-Match: Ziggler and Maria celebrated up the ramp as we got replays of the match.
(Match Rating: 3/5. A good match that almost establishes Ziggler as a legit superstar. Maybe that day will come Sunday?)
Up Next: CM Punk Challenges the WWE Universe!
-Commercial-
The World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, made his way down to the ring and grabbed a microphone. The crowd can be heard booing.
Punk says that he has come out here tonight to challenge the WWE Universe into seeing things his way -- “to learn how to just say no.” Punk adds that the people that cheer for Jeff Hardy are just slaves to devices associated with Jeff’s ‘living in the moment.’ “I feel bad for you, I really do. You walk around almost blind and you wear your prescriptions proudly on your sleeves like their badges of honor. And what was it the doctor told you? Just take one every four hours right?” Punk said he was the only person in the arena that hadn’t abused a prescription drug or used a recreational drug before claiming that it was difficult being Straightedge. “It’s extremely difficult to be me, but what concerns me now is that none of you realize how much more difficult it is to live the life that you all live. I’m positive nobody in here takes into account the long-term consequences of alcohol on your liver. See and you cheer that, that’s nothing to cheer; you drink because it’s fun right? Eventually it’s not going to be fun anymore when it spirals out of control. Sooner or later, you’re just drinking to feel normal. Then there’s the smokers; I don’t know what’s more disgusting. Is watching a smoker pollute his/her lungs with over 4000 foreign chemicals or having to listen to that smoker convince themselves they can quit whenever they want to? It’s hard to quit. It takes a very strong person to quit, but even a stronger person would’ve never started smoking in the first place.”
Punk then pauses as the crowd chants for Hardy’s name.
“I didn’t want to come out here and be the bearer of bad news, but let’s face facts. Chances are pretty slim that any of you will ever get the monkey off your back.”
“No More Words” hits and it’s obvious that the crowd has heard enough.
Jeff says that Punk has forgotten what it’s like to be human. “People make mistakes and those people can change.”
Punk then cuts Jeff off and says that he’s going to do what he has always done and what Jeff should’ve done a long time ago, “Just say no.”
Punk then left the ring and headed back up the ramp as the crowd continued to boo the World Heavyweight Champion.
(Segment Rating: 4.5/5. Excellent segment. Man how hot is this rivalry? As Punk plays his ‘nice guy’ heelish role, Jeff’s appearance continues to impress)
-Commercial-
Cryme Time and Eve Torres made their ways down to the ring.
Natalya and the Hart Dynasty then followed.
Match 4: Eve w/Cryme Time v. Natalya w/Hart Dynasty
After an early lockup, Eve hip tossed Natalya and applied a sleeper hold. As Natalya tried to get to a vertical base, she shoved Eve into the corner. Eve quickly climbed the ropes and tried for a cross body, but Natalya reversed it into an Oklahoma slam. Natalya then pounded on Eve’s face before applying a Mexican Surfboard. Natalya then attempted a leg drop, but Eve moved out of the way and dropkicked Natalya down. Moments later however, as Eve tried to build momentum, Natalya clotheslined Eve off her feet. Natalya then set Eve up on the top rope, but Eve caught Natalya with a back elbow. Natalya fell down which allowed Eve to connect with a moonsault for the win.
Post-Match: Cryme Time and Eve celebrated in the ring as the Hart Dynasty looked on in frustration.
(Match Rating: 2.5/5. It was an okay match. I must however admit that I’m actually finding this feud between all 6 of these superstars enjoyable. Hopefully they will all be taken a lot more seriously by the time this is all set and done)
Backstage Chris Jericho approached the Great Khali and Ranjin Singh. Jericho asked Khali if he would like to be the other half of the Unified Tag Team Champion. Khali said something in his native language which Singh translated. Singh said that Khali would like to be a champion, but does not want to be partners with a man like Chris Jericho. Khali and Singh then walked off as Jericho looked on a bit disgusted.
R-Truth is in action next.
-Commercial-
Still to Come: Champion vs. Champion - CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
R-Truth made his way down to the ring rapping. His opponent, Charlie Haas, was already inside of the ring.
Match 5: Charlie Haas v. R-Truth
Bell rings and Truth mocked Haas. Haas retaliates with a shove and boasts. Truth quickly gets back up and decks Haas in the face. Truth quickly strikes at Haas with a spinning side-kick and while attempting a cartwheel, he tweaked his knee. Haas quickly attacked the injured body part and wrapped it around the post. Truth kicked away from another attempt, but Haas got in the ring and kicked the back of the leg. Haas worked strikes and holds to the leg. Haas tried for step over, but Truth kicked him to the corner. Truth tried to battle back and hit several strikes and then a back drop. He hit a big arm drag for two. He sold the leg injury and Haas hit a drop toe hold, sending Truth face first to the second turnbuckle. Haas then placed Truth in the corner and charged at him. Truth dodged it and Haas hit the turnbuckle chest-first. As the groggy Haas turned around, Truth caught Haas with the Scissors Kick for the win.
Post-Match: Truth celebrated his win by playing to the crowd as we got replays of the bout.
(Match Rating: 3/5. Another good match. Haas can work and although he should be utilized more effectively, Truth should be the one getting over. Nice, logical move.)
-Commercial-
JR and Todd Grisham were shown in the ring. They went over the Night of Champions card.
CM Punk’s music then hit and out came the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.
-Commercial-
Next week’s guest host for RAW is none other than Shaquille O’Neal!
The Intercontinental Champion, Rey Mysterio, made his way down to the ring. The announcers mentioned that the mask Mysterio is wearing tonight was designed by a kid in the audience by the name of Max Sidoti.
Main Event: CM Punk v. Rey Mysterio
Bell rings and after a lockup, Mysterio takes Punk down with an over-head throw. Both men then separate and as they go at it again, Punk kicks Mysterio a couple times before applying a headlock. Moments later, as Mysterio breaks free, he shoves Punk, who retaliates with a more powerful shove of his own. Punk then quickly kicks Mysterio in the sternum and hurls him into the steel post. Punk then locked in a head lock, but Mysterio escaped and whipped Punk, but Punk kicked him and grabbed Mysterio’s hand for a wrist lock. Mysterio ran to the corner and up the buckles, but Punk pulled him down and wrapped the arm on the top rope. As Mysterio struggled to get back in the ring, Punk caught the Luchador with a baseball slide.
-Commercial-
Back, Punk was in control of Mysterio as he had an armbar applied. After some time, Mysterio kicked Punk in the side of the head and broke free, but as Mysterio charged at the World Champion, Punk grabbed Mysterio and rammed his back against the turnbuckle. Punk hit a low kick and a leg drop for two. He rolled Mysterio on his stomach and put on a hammer lock. Mysterio fought out, but Punk hit a tile-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Punk went back to the arm bar. Mysterio once again broke free and hit a drop toe hold that sent Punk to the corner. At this point, Dolph Ziggler appeared on the stage area and he started to head towards the ring. Punk and Mysterio traded kicks and Mysterio hit a springboard cross body for two. He hit a flying elbow for two. Mysterio hit a flying leg scissors for a 619 setup. Punk tossed Mysterio over the top, but he landed on the apron and hit the West Coast Pop. Ziggler jumped up on the apron but Mysterio kicked him down. Punk hit a jumping heel kick and regained control. He hit the knee lift in the corner, but Mysterio pushed off the bulldog attempt for a 619 setup. Punk hit a low headbutt on Mysterio and tossed him to the floor. Mysterio rolled through and launched back into the ring. Punk caught him position for the GTS. Mysterio rolled through and drilled Punk with a bulldog. As Punk tried using the ropes for leverage, Mysterio came from behind and hit the 619! Mysterio then splashed onto Punk and the referee started to count the pinfall. 1…2…DQ! Ziggler broke up the count.
Post-Match: Ziggler continued to assault Mysterio. The crowd is disappointed. Ziggler threw Mysterio to the ropes, but Mysterio held on. Ziggler charged at him and Mysterio tripped Ziggler in position for the 619. As Mysterio tried to do it, Punk clubbed Mysterio from behind. Punk then took the World title and slowly started to head back up the ramp. As a groggy Mysterio made it back to his feet, Ziggler caught Mysterio with Zig-Zag not once, but twice. Ziggler then tried to do it again, but this time Jeff Hardy ran from the backstage area, bumped into CM Punk and attacked Ziggler. Jeff then threw Ziggler outside of the ring as Punk came back inside of the ring. When Jeff turned around, Punk grabbed Jeff and hit the GTS! Punk walked back up the ramp and held the World Heavyweight Championship high above his head as the show came to a close.
(Match/Segment Rating: 4/5. A fun match and another exciting conclusion to SmackDown!)
Quick Match Results:
-Match 1: Jeff Hardy def. Chris Jericho
-Match 2: Great Khali def. Mike Knox
-Match 3: Dolph Ziggler def. Finlay
-Match 4: Eve (w/Cryme Time) def. Natalya (w/Hart Dynasty)
-Match 5: R-Truth def. Charlie Haas
-Main Event: Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk (DQ)
Smack of the Night: Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho
Nice show leading up to Night of Champions. Punk is great while Ziggler, Truth, and Morrison (I know he wasn’t here tonight) are being groomed for a bright future. A good effort from most of the superstars. I’ll see you next week for the fallout of Night of Champions! Goodnight! Final Rating: 8/10.
Do you have any questions, concerns, or comments? If so, feel free to email me, MIK, at mik123@ymail.com
Here are my Night of Champions predictions:
Christian vs. Tommy Dreamer for the ECW Championship: This match could foreshadow events that may come about later in the night (see Unified Tag Team Match) which is why I am expecting this bout to being either one of the first two bouts to the PPV. Expect a good match up between these two and for Dreamer to pull out a hard fought win to retain his title. Oh and…expect Christian to show some frustration, maybe even attacking Dreamer after the match. Prediction: Tommy Dreamer
Melina vs. Michelle McCool for the Women’s Championship: Seeing as though Melina got the better hand on McCool tonight, I am expecting McCool to walk away from this match the winner. It’s likely McCool will resort to some sort of cheating.Prediction: Michelle McCool
Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship: Now that this belt has some added prestige to it, it would be wise of WWE to give the title to a rising superstar. Possibly, you can expect some sort of interference from Maria and for Mysterio to drop the title. This would allow the Mysterio and Ziggler to engage in short-term rivalry that would no doubt benefit Ziggler. Prediction: Dolph Ziggler
Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. The Miz vs. Carlito vs. Jack Swagger vs. Big Show in a Six-Pack Challenge for the United States Championship: As I understand it, a Six-Pack Challenge is a match in which 2 superstars compete at a time while the others await a tag from either of the two combatants until a pinfall is scored. Elimination rules may or may not be a part of this match. Now seeing that the RAW roster is lacking heels, I think this match could play a role in adjusting that problem. This is why I believe a heel will walk out as the champion, more specifically, Jack Swagger. He’s a great athlete and I could see him and Orton working together, or maybe even Swagger going solo against guys like Michaels, Triple H, or Cena. This guy has “it” and WWE should not ignore it.Prediction: Jack Swagger
Maryse vs. Mickie James for the WWE Diva’s Championship: I don’t know why, but for some reason I like the way how this feud has been built as opposed to the other divas’s match. James had the upper hand on Maryse for 2 weeks in a row until Maryse finally showed some aggressiveness and not only garnered a pin fall victory over James, but even went as far as to attempt to temporary blind James not once, but twice. As for the winner, I think it is about time for Mickie James to win the title and end Maryse’s 7 month reign as champion. Prediction: Mickie James
The Legacy (Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase) vs. Chris Jericho & ??? for the WWE Unified Tag Team Championships This match could be very fun considering who Jericho’s partner may be. While some are assuming that either Rhodes or Dibiase will turn on each other and join forces with Jericho (don’t forget, this type of situation did occur a year ago), my instincts are leaning towards two other superstars. The first would be Christian, a former teammate of both Edge and Jericho. Christian would lose his match against Dreamer, show some frustration, and ultimately side with the best heel in the WWE. Not only would this mark the beginning of Christian’s return to SmackDown!, but could also lead to a feud between Edge and Christian down the road, something many are hoping to see. Then, there is option number 2. It’s an individual who hasn’t been seen on WWE television in about 2 years. It’s the “Masterpiece,” Chris Masters. Yes, he has re-signed with WWE and his return should be a good one, so why not become a champion on his first day back? The blue brand could really use him considering the fact that both Edge and Jeff Hardy will be nowhere to be seen in the months ahead. Who’s more likely to do the job? I think it will be still be Christian; he’s done everything there is to do in ECW and it’s time for him to come to SmackDown! Prediction: Chris Jericho & ???
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship: What a tremendous rivalry this has been! It’s a shame that this feud will come to an end with the way it will as many are already aware of Jeff Hardy’s contract situation. So, expect a great story to be told here and for CM Punk to retain the title and head into SummerSlam as the champ.Prediction: CM Punk
Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship As much as I enjoy the SmackDown! main event, I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t the best match on the card. In my opinion, this is the most intriguing match because it has the potential of planting the seeds to for an imminent HBK return. Think I’m crazy? I strongly believe that Triple H will win the title here and then the next night on RAW, the Legacy will emerge and attempt to injure Triple H the same way they did to Batista. But this time, things will be just a little bit different as HBK would make his long awaited return and assist his DX partner in evening the fight. SummerSlam is on the horizon and seeing how company officials would want SummerSlam to feel like WrestleMania, a DX reunion wouldn’t be a bad start. The only thing that gives me doubts about this whole scenario is what will become of the WWE Championship’s status at SummerSlam (because if a DX reunion is planned and Triple H is champion, will they put the title on the line again in another tag team match?) and how will they utilize John Cena afterwards (Swagger/Cena anyone?) Oh well, one can hope right? Prediction: Triple H
You can agree, disagree, or comment on these predictions however you wish. If you would like to shoot a message at me regarding these predictions, you can always email me at mik123@ymail.com
