Welcome to ThunderStruck! This one is a little late, but better late than never, right? I had to watch the show on dvr this afternoon to catch up, but here it is nonetheless!
We open Smackdown with a look back on the Big Show’s return and dominance on Mark Henry. Tony Chimel announces Theodore Long after the fireworks go off. Long is followed by John Laurinaitis. Cole calls him wonderful. Puke. Smackdown is now second all time for an episodic running tv show, only to RAW. JL bores us to death with his speech. Teddy Long announces the largest battle royal in WWE history! JL says the winner will have a title match against the champion of his choosing tonight on Smackdown!
All the superstars file out to Smackdown music and this thing starts. Cody Rhodes was surprisingly eliminated first. Sad to hear Cole call Christian/Orton the rivalry of the summer in WWE. Awful. What sense does it make that John Laurinaitis made this match anyway when he’s the interim GM of RAW? Damn WWE and their lack of explanation. Sheamus eliminates Christian to add to their rivalry. Orton eliminates Swagger and Mahal and then the Miz comes back into the match and they go back and forth until Orton gets the victory!
We come back from commercial and Del Rio is trying to leave. Teddy Long asks Del Rio where he is going. He says Orton chose Mark Henry so tonight Del Rio will go one on one with Sheamus! Out comes the glamazon next taking on Kelly Kelly in a non-title match. Phoenix dominated Kelly in a fast match and gained the pinfall.
Up next we had Black Sin Cara attacking Blue Sin Cara and stealing his mask. Black Sin Cara wrestled in the blue mask and defeated Justin Gabriel with a senton bomb in an impressive bout put on by these two superstars. I like the pop that Gabriel gets from the crowd and I’m not exactly sure what direction WWE is headed with him. We get a backstage segment where Teddy Long gives Evan Bourne the night off. This prompts Vickie Guerrero to demand a tag team title shot for Swaggler and Ziggler, and instead long books Swagger and Ziggler against Kofi and a volunteering Zack Ryder! Woo woo woo. Ryder and Kofi put on a decent match where they picked up the victory. I really like the tag team action, but isn’t it time for more than just the same tag teams every single week on both shows?
Up next we have Sheamus taking on Alberto Del Rio. Good match between these guys. Christian comes from under the ring and causes Sheamus to fall while on the top rope. Del Rio jumps up and does his patented kick to the head of Sheamus to score the pinfall. Christian delivers two spears to the vulnerable Sheamus after the match. I’m assuming these guys will have another match at Vengeance by the way this is setting up.
The main event of the night gives us Mark Henry taking on Randy Orton for the WHC. These guys give us a very solid match only to be interrupted by an intervening Cody Rhodes. Rhodes and Henry are dominating Orton when Big Show comes down to make the save! Show sets up Orton to get an RKO on Rhodes and Show is able to chokeslam Mark Henry. Great way to end Smackdown!
I like this Mark Henry and Big Show feud, and I’m hoping these two giants are able to give us a solid World Title match at Vengeance. I like the Sheamus/Christian feud being carried on a bit longer, as well as the potential show stealing match between Rhodes and Orton for Vengeance(I’m assuming here). I’m not sure what column will come next, but you can count on seeing my RAW Review late Monday night. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!
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