Posted in: Smackdown SmackDown Report (09/25/09): To Hell and Back
By MIK
Sep 25, 2009 - 10:54:05 PM
Friday 8/7 ET
Tulsa, Oklahoma
A video airs recapping the abduction of GM Long from last week.
Justin Roberts asks everyone to please welcome the only Straightedge World Heavyweight Champion in history, CM Punk.
Punk’s music hits and out he comes to a chorus of boos from the live crowd. Punk gets in the ring and grabs a microphone.
Punk starts off by insulting the crowd by bringing up their addictions to drug and alcohol. “The reason I bring up your chemically induced minds is because a lot of you have forgotten my accomplishments. So please, allow me to jog your ailing memory. I am the only 3 time Straightedge World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. I am the only superstar in WWE history to win back to back Money in the Bank ladder matches at WrestleMania. Don’t forget, I even got rid of the Charismatic Enabler, Jeff Hardy, from this company forever! But that runs a close number 2 to my crowning achievement of using my Anaconda Vice and for the first time making the Undertaker tap out. I did that and I did it all without the use drugs and alcohol.” Punk then says that because of all of his success, he demands someone of high authority to come out and name the next challenger for his championship. Then as Punk laughs and thinks that there isn’t anybody left on this show, the lights dim and Punk looks on confused.
From the stage area, a group of druids come out with a casket and they roll it down to ringside. Punk quickly runs out of the ring, grabs a steel chair and gets back in the ring and starts to look around for the Undertaker. Once the druids leave and everything seems normal, Punk exits the ring and walks over to the closed casket. Punk hits the casket several times with the steel chair while shouting, “come on, get out, I know you’re in there!” At last, Punk opens the casket himself and finds GM Theodore Long strapped inside of the coffin. Punk then laughs and gets back in the ring and speaks on the microphone once again.
“Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, you got me,” Punk says, “I thought it was somebody else. Man you look terrible.” Punk then helps GM Long out of the casket and brings him into the ring. After untying GM Long, GM Long grabs the microphone out of Punk’s hand and falls down onto the mat below, still selling the abduction from last week.
GM Long explains that effective immediately, the Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate submission is no longer banned. In addition, GM Long says that in a week from this Sunday, Punk will face the Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. “But that’s not all. That’s not all Punk. You will also face the Undertaker tonight in a match right here on SmackDown.”
Punk is irate. He yells and holds his head in frustration while GM Long stumbles back up the ramp.
(Segment Rating: 4.5/5. Started off rather boring, but immediately got interesting following the druid’s appearance and the introduction of the coffin. GM Long also excelled in selling the Undertaker’s abduction. He deserves a raise! This was a good start that got the crowd out of their seats!)
Still to Come: Batista vs. Big Show
-Commercial-
Back, the announcers go over what had just occurred just moments ago in the ring.
The Intercontinental Champion, John Morrison, made his way down to the ring and received a nice ovation.
Finlay was out next followed by their opponents, Mike Knox and Dolph Ziggler
-Commercial-
Match 1: John Morrison & Finlay v. Mike Knox & Dolph Ziggler
Finlay and Ziggler start things off. Following a few reversals, Finlay quickly takes Ziggler down with a shoulderblock. Immediately afterwards, the Irishman punches Knox off the apron and catches Ziggler with a clothesline. With Finlay looking away, Knox re-enters the ring and kicks Finlay in the back of the head. Ziggler then corners Finlay and splashes onto him before getting a 2 count. Ziggler then applies a modified headlock as the announcers wondered if Ziggler’s athleticism would get his team the win…
-Commercial-
Back, Knox was in control of Finlay as he had sleeper hold locked in. After some time, Finlay reversed this hold into a jawbreaker, but Knox quickly recovered and took Finlay down with a clothesline before tagging Ziggler back into the ring. Ziggler came in and hit a standing elbow drop for a 2 count. Then, just as Finlay started fighting back, Ziggler tagged in Knox, who once again put the clamps on Finlay by applying another sleeper hold. With Finlay almost out of it, Knox tagged Ziggler back into the match and allowed Ziggler to hit a standing dropkick into the temple area of Finlay. 1..2..No! Finlay kicked out. Ziggler then sent Finlay to the corner and charged at him, but Finlay moved out of the way causing Ziggler to crash into the turnbuckle. As a stunned Ziggler tagged in Knox, Finlay quickly crawled over and made the hot tag to Morrison. As Knox charged at Morrison, Morrison slide in between the legs of Knox and kicked Knox in the head. With Knox dazed, Morrison leaped off the top rope and caught Knox with a hurricanrana. Then as Knox stood up, Morrison took him back down with a jumping leg lariat followed by a standing Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Morrison then set Knox up in the corner, but Knox shoved Morrison away. As Morrison came charging back, Knox drilled Morrison with a devastating bicycle kick! Knox then turned his attention to Finlay and punched him off the apron. But as Knox turned around, Morrison came back with the flying chuck kick. As Morrison pinned Knox, Ziggler came in, broke up the count and started pounding on Morrison with several punches. At last, Morrison started to fight back. Knox seen this and attempted his charging crossbody to Morrison, but Morrison moved out of the way causing Knox to crash into Ziggler. As the referee checked on Ziggler, Finlay entered the ring and drilled Knox with the Shillelagh. This set Morrison up for Starship Pain which led to the 1, 2, and 3.
Pos t Match: As the replays were shown, Finlay and Morrison celebrated their win in the ring together.
(Match Rating: 3/5. Following a slow start, the pace of the match picked up thanks to Morrison. It could have been better, but it wasn’t that bad. To be honest, Finlay’s gimmick has just worn out for me and Knox isn’t very believable in his role)
Backstage, Cryme Time and Eve were standing outside of GM Long’s office when Slam Master J walked by. The trio told Slam Master J that if he wanted to be with them, then he had to prove himself by going into GM Long’s office and spray-paint the wall with graffiti. Slam Master J realized GM Long was not in his office and so he went in, spray-painted the wall and even stole a couple of DVD’s in the process. Cryme Time and Eve was impressed, but they seen GM Long walk back into his office and so the trio ran. When GM Long came out of his office, Slam Master J proudly said that he did it and asked GM Long what he was going to do about it. GM Long said that he would put him in a match next.
(Segment Rating: 4/5. Pretty funny. I love seeing GM Long angry. Maybe Taker should kidnap him every now and then)
Still to Come: Undertaker vs. CM Punk
-Commercial-
Slam Master J was shown already in the ring awaiting his opponent.
Huge Pyro’s went off as the Monster, Kane, was introduced as Slam Master J’s opponent.
Match 2: Slam Master J v. Kane
Slam Master J tried a few punches, but they had no effect on Kane. The Monster quickly grabbed Slam Master J and connected on a sidewalk slam before signaling for the Chokeslam. As Slam Master J stood up, Kane grabbed him by the throat and hit the chokeslam for the easy win.
Post Match: As Kane walks back up the ramp, Cryme and Eve were shown backstage looking on a TV set of what just happened to Slam Master J. JR then pointed out that since returning to SmackDown, Kane has yet to be pinned or made submitted.
(Match Rating: 1/5. What was that!?!? A glorified squash. This is a sign that Jesse is on his way out the door)
-Commercial-
Justin Roberts asked everyone to please welcome the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, Mr. McMahon!
The boss made his way down to the ring and grabbed a microphone as he received a nice ovation from the crowd.
After mocking the Oklahoma crowd, Mr. McMahon shifts his attention to business matters. “I would like to invite you (WWE Universe) to a very special presentation of a Decade celebration of SmackDown here next week, because next week, we will honor those who have paved the way here on SmackDown. Mr. McMahon then adds that in honor of this celebration, superstars like Undertaker, Batista, D Generation X, and John Cena will all be present.
Mr. McMahon then introduces a man that he says will be a future World Heavyweight Champion, Drew McIntyre!
The Scotland native makes his way down to the ring dressed up in formal clothing as the crowd boos him.
McIntyre gets on the microphone and says that there isn’t anyone on the roster that could match his potential as well as his aggression. He then adds that in the weeks to come, he will be the only thing that people will talk about, because “the party has just begun.”
At this point, R-Truth’s music hits and he makes his way down to ringside through the crowd. He then welcomes McIntyre to SmackDown by engaging into a brawl with him. Referees and other officials run down to the ring and separate the two as Truth looks dares McIntyre to get back into the ring.
(Segment Rating: 3.5/5. WOAH! Hold up there! Vince’s announcement regarding the celebration for next week set well for me, but McIntyre as World Champ? It’s a little too early to say. Let’s just say for Vince’s sake, he’s right or it will make him look stupid for publicly announcing him signing McIntyre only to be released from his contract.)
Up Next: Batista vs. Big Show
-Commercial-
“Crank it up” hits and out comes the Largest Athlete in the World, Big Show! Chris Jericho is already in the ring dressed up in his Armani suit applauding his partner.
The Animal, Batista, is then introduced and he receives a good ovation from the crowd.
Match 3: Batista v. Big Show
As the bell rings, Jericho badmouths Batista from the outside of the ring and the Animal laughs. “Batista” chants break out as he turns his focus onto Big Show. The two lock up, but Show manages to shove Batista away with his power. The two then lock up again and this time, Show bullies Batista down to the mat with even greater emphasis. Jericho tells JR to call it that Show is treating Batista like a ragdoll. Batista quickly gets back up and throws his elbow pad at Show and then charges at him for a shoulderblock attempt, but Big Show maintains his vertical base and drops Batista back down to the mat before choking him on the ropes. Show then corners the Animal and slaps him across the chest not once, but twice! Batista however started punching back, but it didn’t take long before Show clotheslined Batista back down. Moments later, Show sent Batista to the ropes, but Batista held on so Show charged at him with a big boot. Batista moved out of the way as Show got tied up on the ropes. The Animal then tackled Show over the top ropes and onto the floor as the crowd erupted in massive amounts of cheers.
-Commercial-
Back, Show is in control of Batista as he has a sleeper hold applied. As Batista starts to fight back, Show catches the Animal in a bear hug. After some time, Batista broke Show’s grip, but once again got thwarted with a huge bodyslam. With Batista down near the corner, Show decided to climb to the middle rope. As Show attempted a splash, Batista moved out of the way causing Show to smash into the mat below. Show slowly stood up and charged at Batista, but Batista dodged him again causing Show to hit the turnbuckle this time. With Show stumbling, Batista charged at Show and took him down with a spear! The crowd is going crazy. Batista then signals for the Batista Bomb, but gets caught by the throat. Batista breaks loose of the Chokeslam and trips the leg of Big Show. The Animal then quickly grabs Show’s feet and applies an ankle-lock! At this point, Jericho gets into the ring and charges at Batista. The Animal sees it and catches Jericho with a spine-buster! As the referee calls for the DQ, Batista applies an ankle-lock on Jericho and Jericho starts tapping out.
Post Match: Batista releases the ankle-lock on Jericho as his music hits. The Animal is declared the winner as Show is shown walking towards the back.
(Match Rating: 3/5. Uhm, these two lack chemistry when in the ring together. Once again, not bad, but not very good either. Kinda slow to be honest)
-Commercial-
Still to Come: Undertaker vs. CM Punk
Backstage, GM Long is shown sitting on his couch appearing to be relieved when Mr. McMahon enters. Mr. McMahon questions why GM Long looks so miserable and Long replies that he has been to hell and back. Mr. McMahon understands and says that he still doesn’t want to be GM Long and then asks him where his picture is. GM Long says that it is here, but it is not finished yet and so he suggests showing it to Mr. McMahon when completed. Mr. McMahon doesn’t want to hear any of it and says that he wants to see it now. GM Long brings it out and it has spray-paint all over it (thanks to Slam Master J), making Mr. McMahon look like the devil. An enraged Mr. McMahon leaves…
JTG makes his way down to the ring accompanied by Shad and Eve Torres.
David Hart Smith is then introduced as JTG’s opponent. Tyson Kidd and Natalya accompany Smith to the ring.
Match 4: JTG v. David Hart Smith
As soon as the bell rings, JTG takes Smith down with not one, but two dropkicks. As Smith slowly uses the ropes to get up, JTG corners Smith and connects with Mug Shot (Facebuster) for a 2 count. As JTG then lifts Smith up, Smith suddenly strikes JTG with a clothesline. Smith then kicks JTG several times before connecting with a powerslam for a 2 count. JTG tries to fight back, but Smith tackles JTG into the turnbuckle. As Smith then tries for an Irish Whip, JTG bounces back with a running somersault shoulder block. JTG continues to build his momentum with a diving leg lariat. As he covers Smith, Natalya puts Smith’s foot up on the rope which makes the referee count to 2. Eve Torres then runs over and starts a brawl with Natalya. Natalya flees into the ring where the referee tends to her while Shad takes Eve to the side. Through all of this distraction and chaos, Tyson Kidd sneaks in and kicks JTG in the head which sets up Smith for a Saito suplex. 1…2…3, match over.
Post Match: The Hart Dynasty celebrates as they head back up the ramp.
(Match Rating: 3/5. Seems to be the story of the night thus far. It was good while it lasted, but it was too short.)
Backstage, Josh Matthews informs us that joining him after the break is Batista.
-Commercial-
The announcers hype the Decade of SmackDown celebration for next week.
Backstage, Josh Matthews interviews Batista. Matthews says that he heard Batista say that at the Hell in a Cell PPV, he will be challenging the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho and the Big Show. As a result, he asks Batista who his partner is going to be. Batista replies that his partner’s number is “619.”
The World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, made his way down to the ring.
-Commercial-
The Demon of Death Valley, the Undertaker, made his way down to the ring and received a crazy reaction!
Main Event: CM Punk v. Undertaker
As the bell rings, Undertaker attempts to corner Punk on two occasions, but Punk somehow manages to escape both times. Suddenly, Undertaker grabs Punk, hurls him into the corner and starts punching him several times. The Dead-man then Irish Whips Punk to the opposite corner and charges at him, but Undertaker puts his feet up and catches the Phenom in the face with a boot. With Undertaker dazed, Punk kicks him numerous times until Undertaker grabs Punk by the throat and manhandles him to the outside…
-Commercial-
Back, Punk was in control, but it didn’t take Undertaker long too before he regained control by choking Punk on the top rope. The Phenom then set Punk up on the apron and connected on the guillotine leg drop. After bringing Punk back in the ring, Undertaker started working on the shoulder area of Punk. This led to an Old School attempt, but Punk tripped Undertaker’s leg on the top rope. Punk then tried for a superplex, but Undertaker punched Punk back down. Punk however came back with multiple heabutts and this allowed him to connect on a superplex! Following a 2 count, Punk hit a leg drop on the Phenom and applied a figure Figure Four Head Lock. Taker managed to slip out and grabbed Punk’s throat. Punk kicked out and they traded blows. Taker whipped Punk to the corner and hit the splash. He followed with Snake eyes, a big boot, and a leg drop for two. Vintage Undertaker! Taker stood Punk up and Punk kicked him in the temple. Taker fell down and Punk went to follow up. Taker grabbed him and locked in Hell’s Gate. Punk was right beside the ropes and grabbed them with his feet, causing the break. At this point, Punk escaped the ring and grabbed his World Heavyweight Championship, but Undertaker punched him down and took the title. After raising the title above his head, the Phenom threw the championship inside the ring and grabbed Punk for the Last Ride (onto the announcers table). BUT!!! Punk jumped off and ran inside the ring. As Undertaker tried to do the same, the referee counted to 10. The Undertaker lost by count out!
Post Match: Punk grabbed his championship and ran back up the ramp as Justin Roberts announced CM Punk as the winner of the match. The Phenom looked on in frustration from the ring as Punk smiled from the ramp.
(Match Rating: 3.5/5. Ending was cheap, but it was expected. I love this feud and these two are the reason to watch this show)
Quick Match Results:
-Match 1: John Morrison & Finlay def. Mike Knox & Dolph Ziggler
-Match 2: Kane def. Slam Master J
-Match 3: Batista def. Big Show (DQ)
-Match 4: David Hart Smith def. JTG
-Main Event: CM Punk def. Undertaker (Count Out)
Smack of the Night: CM Punk vs. Undertaker
Tonight’s show had its fair share of fun moments, but it also had some dismal points. Punk/Taker at HIAC is going to tear the house down next Sunday. The return of Mysterio also sparks interest some interest. I wonder if WWE is going to take the belts off of Show and Jericho. Anyway, please join me next week for my final report! Final Rating: 7/10.
Do you have any questions, concerns, or comments? If so, feel free to email me, MIK, at mik123@ymail.com
