WWE Smackdown
March 19, 2010
Los Angeles, CA
Staples Center

Your hosts are Todd Grisham & Matt Striker.

Flashback to last week when Rey Mysterio brought his family into the ring to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to his daughter. Rey, Rey, Rey…you’re terrible. You can’t sing at all. This is why you’ll never work at Applebee’s. Hey look, its Dominic! He’s not a funny-looking chubby kid anymore. He’s just an awkward-looking teenager now. CM Punk and his Straight Edge Society come out to the ring to freak out Rey’s little family and then challenge Rey to a match at WrestleMania. But before WrestleMania, Punk wants a match right now. Of course Rey isn’t going to fight Punk in front of his family like this. Punk talking to Rey’s wife ~ “Feel free to cup your hand over your mouth to muffle the screams.” Punk continues on to slap Rey across the face, so now it’s time for the Mysterio family to leave. “So there goes your superhero! Watch him take his walk of shame.” Ever the caring person, Punk makes sure to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Rey’s daughter one more time while looking extremely unbalanced. Best heel in the US? DUH. He’s becoming almost Jack Nicholson good.

And now onto the show! Rey Mysterio comes out and announces that a street fight at WrestleMania might be a little more appropriate for CM Punk after his actions last week. Apparently CM Punk needs to learn a lesson that you don’t mess with a guy’s family. Hit that Killswitch Engage! Here comes the Straight Edge Society. Rey calls Punk a monster and considers going up the ramp to beat the crap out of Punk right now. Punk says if Rey touches him between now and WrestleMania, there will be no match. Punk sees a lot of potential in Rey Mysterio for the SES. He goes on to say that he doesn’t need to shut his eyes to relive last week, because he’s got pictures! And now they’re on the TitanTron. Hilarious. Hey, did that guy just whistle at Rey’s daughter? CM Punk tells Rey that he FAILED as a parent by not making the monster go away. Punk brings Dominic into this by saying that he stood up to Punk while Rey looked away. Punk just wants Rey to know that he can SAVE HIM. With his help, Rey can be the father his family needs. If he joins the Straight Edge Society, Rey can live up to this superhero status that the WWE Universe have built up for you. All Rey has to do is accept CM Punk as his savior. Rey says, YOU GONE LOCO, CM! Tonight, Punk says if Rey can beat Luke Gallows, Rey gets his street fight. If he loses tonight, apparently there will still be a regular match at WrestleMania. However if he loses at WrestleMania, Rey Mysterio has to join the Straight Edge Society! Rey will have to accept CM Punk as his savior on the grandest stage of them all! Maybe after all of that happens, Rey can forget about CM Punk ever confronting his family. They show a picture of CM Punk leering towards Rey’s family from last week, which Rey says will be all the fuel he needs going into WrestleMania. May God have mercy on your soul, CM Punk.

• MVP & Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler

These are a mix and match of four MITB contenders. Hardy and Ziggler start us off as they trade wristlocks. Swagger gets a tag and spins Hardy around into the corner through the ropes to bury a forearm in his lower back and then slings Hardy down to the mat. Commercial time! When we return, Swagger hits a pump splash for two. Russian legsweep by Hardy puts Swagger down as he makes the tag to MVP. He delivers a facebuster to Ziggler and follows up with BALLIN. MVP tries the PLAYMAKER, but Swagger steps in and breaks that up. Hardy runs over and spears Swagger to the floor, leaving Ziggler to hit ZIG ZAG on MVP for the 1-2-3. (4:25 shown) Just a way to get the MITB guys together and create some angst between everybody. Afterwards, Ziggler pulls out a huge ladder and climbs to the top to bring down the MITB briefcase hanging over the ring. A sign of things to come? Probably not. My guess is karma will enter in and show Ziggler a thing or two. *½

Flashback to last week’s Highlight Reel show where Edge was Jericho’s special guest. Edge brings up the ‘spear’ word and gets beaten down. Edgecution hits and he sets up for another SPEAR, but Jericho catches him running with the world title belt in the face! Now it’s Jericho who says the word ‘spear’ fifteen times.

The HBK-Taker hype video with Johnny Cash background music airs.

In the back, Drew McIntyre stops by Teddy Long’s office. Technically since Vince McMahon keeps erasing McIntyre’s losses on TV, he’s still undefeated. To get even, Long makes McIntyre a match with someone else who is obsessed with undefeated streaks – the Undertaker. Drew asks if Vince McMahon OK’d this decision. Teddy said he tried to get a hold of Vince on the phone, but all he got was a voicemail. HOLLA HOLLA HOLLA!

The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010 final inductees are announced for the Smackdown audience. That ceremony will be held next Saturday night at 11pm EST on the USA Network.

WWE’s Smack of the Night is brought to you by AutoZone! It comes from last Friday night when Vickie Guerrero ran over Tiffany! Beth Phoenix came down for the save and clotheslined Vickie down. EXCUSE ME!

• Michelle McCool & Layla vs. Beth Phoenix & Tiffany

McCool and Layla made some Glam-a-Man t-shirts just for fun. Looks like they’re using the same people Ole Anderson used in the ’80s when he wore his own assortment of t-shirts with awesome sayings on them. Of course Layla looks 100 times more attractive wearing them than Ole did. Beth starts off with Layla and gives her an Airplane Spin. Yes, an airplane spin. That gets Layla all dizzy for a flying bodypress by Tiffany for two. Tiffany hits a suplex, but takes a ride to the apron and gets kicked in the head by Layla. Tiffany catches Layla with a hotshot, but McCool runs Tiffany over on the floor. Back in, Layla gets two. Tag to McCool, she locks in a cravat (!) and knees Tiffany in the chest. McCool misses a legdrop, allowing the HOT TAG TO PHOENIX! STALLING SLINGSHOT SUPLEX to McCool for 1-2-NO! Layla makes the save and pays for it by getting pressed by Phoenix, but McCool kicks Beth in the gut to bring Layla down. FAITH BREAKER is countered, but McCool holds on for an O’Connor roll. Beth ducks the top rope which runs McCool throat-first into the top rope instead. GLAM SLAM! Cover, 1-2-3! (3:34) Kudos the ladies for a fairly competent tag match.

Out comes Vickie Guerrero demanding an apology from Beth Phoenix for what she did to her last week. Vickie feels all of her apologies are disingenuous, so she makes a match for next week: Beth Phoenix vs. VICKIE GUERRERO! Here’s to McCool-Phoenix for WrestleMania! Who’s with me!

Kevin Rudolf is in the audience. He’s the man responsible for the WrestleMania theme song “I Made It”.

Time for the Cutting Edge. Since Jericho had Edge on his show last week, now Edge invites Chris Jericho onto his show. Jericho brings his NXT protégé Wade Barrett with him to the ring. Edge says Jericho and Barrett look like they’re ready for the prom. BUT ANYWAYS, LET’S GET SERIOUS. Enough with this game of chess, Edge says he will beat Jericho with one move and everybody knows what move is going to be. First of all, Jericho thinks its retarded that Edge thinks that he’s going to win on the basis on one single move. Secondly, isn’t Edge still injured? Jericho tries to get into Edge’s head to convince him that he’s anywhere near 100% for their match at WrestleMania. David Beckham’s soccer career is over because of an Achilles tendon tear. What makes Edge think Chris Jericho won’t go right after Edge’s ankle to tear his Achilles tendon again? The only way to find out for sure if Edge is 100% is for Jericho to make his move right now. Jericho doesn’t make a move, so Edge makes it for him. He punches Jericho down but Barrett is there to assist in the distraction. Jericho CLIPS THE ANKLE, but Edge fights back and dumps out Jericho so he can SPEAR Barrett! As Edge turns around, he eats the CODEBREAKER. With Edge prone, Jericho STOMPS on Edge’s injured Achilles tendon to ensure that he won’t be 100% for WrestleMania. Jericho whispers the ‘spear’ word to Edge and stands over the challenger with the World title belt high above.

• John Morrison & R-Truth vs. The Hart Dynasty (w/Natalya)

Here is WWE’s lame attempt to get Morrison and R-Truth an actual win together in time for WrestleMania. Rock N Rap connect with a DOUBLE DROPKICK on DH Smith to start. Smith sends Morrison to his corner with an overhead suplex and tags in Tyson Kidd. Morrison flips out of a back suplex and blind tags R-Truth who connects on Kidd with the LIE DETECTOR (twisting flying forearm smash). Morrison slides out and grabs hold of DH Smith while R-Truth covers Kidd for the 1-2-3. (1:39) It shows off their quickness, but can they use that to defeat Show-Miz? I think a competitive match would have proved more to me than a glorified squash. ½*

Cena-Batista hype video is shown.

The WrestleMania Recall moment is from WrestleMania XIV where Pete Rose made some Boston jokes and took his first Tombstone Piledriver (besides the one Cooperstown gave him) from Kane.

• Rey Mysterio vs. Luke Gallows (w/CM Punk & Serena)
  

So if Rey wins, Punk-Rey at WrestleMania will be a street fight. If he loses, it will be a regular match with the stipulation that afterwards Rey Mysterio must accept CM Punk as his savior and join the Straight Edge Society. Rey is wearing the PURPLE AND YELLOW colors tonight! WCW LIVES ON! Am I the only one who thinks CM Punk resembles Tom Green when he was in Stealing Harvard? Anyways, Rey is all fired up and beats Gallows down into a corner so he can baseball slide into his nuts. Gallows punches back, but Mysterio puts him in position for the 6-1-9. Gallows moves, blocks a tilt-a-whirl, and drops Rey into a backbreaker. Rey takes that slip N slide dump to the floor and gets dropped on the barricade. Can Rey beat the ten-count? Yes he can. Commercials! We come back to see Rey fighting out of a bearhug. Gallows pushes him back into the corner and sets up for a superplex, but Rey headbutts him down and delivers a seated senton, followed by a springboard crossbody for 1-2-NO! Gallows catches Rey charging off the ropes and launches him into the air. Big splash by Gallows gets two. Gallows eats a boot off a corner charge and takes the Wheelbarrow Bulldog. Rey Drops the Dime for 1-2-NO! 6-1-9 connects and Rey goes for the Springboard Splash, but CM Punk distracts the ref while Serena trips him up! Once Rey crashes to the mat, Gallows covers Rey for the 1-2-3 and the biggest win of his life. (6:00 shown) Rey forgets about Punk or Serena, he takes Gallows to the floor and beats him over behind the announce table! That LATIN TEMPER continues to flare up while CM Punk watches on with disappointment and disgust. Just let him be your savior, Rey! Once Rey cools down, Punk drops to his knees to help Gallows and shakes his head at Rey. AWESOME. **½

RAW REBOUND: Highlights of the Bret-Vince contract signing is shown.

Grisham and Striker run down the WrestleMania 26 card set for March 28 in Phoenix AZ.

WWE Title: Batista© vs. John Cena
World Heavyweight Title: Chris Jericho© vs. Edge
Career vs. Streak – Must Be A Winner: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
No Holds Barred: Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart
Triple H vs. Sheamus
If Rey loses, He Must Join SES: Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes
Unified Tag Team Titles: Show-Miz© vs. John Morrison & R-Truth
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Jack Swagger vs. MVP vs. Matt Hardy vs. Evan Bourne vs. Drew McIntyre

• WWE Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre vs. The Undertaker
  

Naturally, this is non-title. McIntyre can run, but he can’t hide. Taker clotheslines him in the corner, but comes off the ropes into a powerslam. Delayed cover gets two. Taker SITS UP and takes some jabs to the stomach in the corner. Legdrop on the apron connects. McIntyre gets away, but staggers into the Chokeslam. TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER gets the easy 1-2-3. (2:14) Dang, so much for McIntyre’s undefeated streak and any credibility the IC title had after its awesome revival it went through last year. I’m sure since Vince didn’t OK the match, it will get removed from the record again, and they will continue to say he’s undefeated. ¾*

As the Undertaker leaves, Shawn Michaels comes out of the tunnel to deliver Sweet Chin Music just like last year. This time Taker GOOZLES Shawn instead. Taker kicks HBK away and wants a Tombstone, but Shawn slips out and hits Sweet Chin Music after all. He celebrates like that’s all he needs to do to beat Taker, but somebody needs to remind him that it didn’t put UT away last year. Oops. A crotch chop ends the show as we fade to black.