World Wrestling Entertainment presents Super Smackdown
Date: 2/21/2012
From: Rockford, IL
Tonight, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan squares off against WWE Champion CM Punk in a champion vs. champion contest! Also, Mark Henry meets the Big Show in singles action. All that plus more on this LIVE edition of Smackdown!
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan makes his way out to the ring and is celebrating with AJ. As usual, he is over the top of the celebration. Bryan says that no one believed him when he said he was going to main event WrestleMania back in July. Bryan considers himself to be the real Rocky and not Santino Marella. He grabs AJ and says “Yo AJ, I did it!” His moment of celebration was ruined by Sheamus, who attacked him after the match. Bryan is confident that he will win at Mania. The Miz makes his way out and says that he believed that Bryan would become champion because he molded him into the wrestler he is today. Miz suggests that they form a team at some point after Bryan embarrasses Sheamus at Mania. Naturally, that brings out Sheamus who rips the microphone out of Miz’s hand. Sheamus considers Bryan to be a coward and not a role model. He says that Bryan will get exactly what he deserves at Mania. Miz cuts Sheamus off but Sheamus suggests Miz let the guys with a match at Mania do the talking. Bryan punches Sheamus and bails from the ring to allow Miz to attack Sheamus. Sheamus tosses Miz out of the ring and stares at Bryan as we go commercial.
Opening Contest: Sheamus vs. The Miz
Sheamus controls Miz early on with an arm bar. Miz is backdropped over to the apron where Sheamus delivers several clubbing blows to maintain the early advantage. Sheamus hits a slingshot shoulder block from the apron back into the ring for a two count. Miz runs into a clothesline after dropping Sheamus arm first across the top rope. Miz avoids a spear in the corner and Sheamus hits the ring post shoulder first. Miz hits an arm breaker back in the ring but Sheamus powers out before two. Miz hits a running clothesline in the corner and comes off the top to deliver a double axe handle. Sheamus clotheslines Miz several times and connects with a back breaker for a near win.
Miz counters a power slam attempt with a neck breaker but only manages to get a two count on the cover. Sheamus misses the Brogue Kick and Miz nearly rolls him up. Sheamus hits a backpack driver of sorts for the win.
Your Winner: Sheamus via pin fall
Match Rating: **
Backstage, Teddy Long is talking to Aksana who wants Long to be the general manager for both brands. She says that there is a good man on top of every man. Johnny Ace and David Otunga come in and call Long unprofessional. Long tells them they should hangout in the mens bathroom. Anyway, this basically sets up another David Otunga vs. Ezekial Jackson match later on in the program.
Second Contest: R-Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler & WWE United States Champion Jack Swagger
Truth and Swagger open up the contest. Swagger shoulder blocks Truth after he was distracted by Ziggler. Swagger follows up with a springboard splash out of the corner for a one count. Ziggler tags into the bout and delivers an elbow drop. Ziggler runs into a big boot but misses a splash. Kofi tags in and and hits a springboard over hand blow as he cleans house on everyone. Kofi misses a splash but kicks Ziggler in the face anyway. Kofi comes off the top with a cross body but Swagger breaks up the cover attempt. Truth is sent to the floor by Swagger. Kofi clotheslines Swagger over the top to the floor and Vickie Guerrero falls down as well. Ziggler plants Kofi with the Zig-Zag to win the match!
Your Winners: Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger via pin fall
Match Rating: *1/4
We get a Santino Marella warmup video like we saw at the Elimination Chamber. Heath Slater comes into the scene and knocks a bunch of cups off a table which Marella had set up. Naturally, the Cobra spits in Slater’s face to end the segment.
Third Contest: The Great Khali vs. Drew McIntyre
We all know how this one goes, right? Khali clubs McIntyre over the head and hits a Punjabi Plunge to win the match quickly. Moving along…
Backstage, Matt Striker interviews the Big Show. Show tells us that WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes is on the top of his list and whenever he finds Rhodes, he will break his neck.
Fourth Contest: Mark Henry vs. Big Show
Show splashes Henry in the corner to open the bout but misses a right hand. Henry clotheslines Show and stomps away on Show. Henry abosrbs a few body shots and clotheslines Show again. Henry is now just choking Show with his knee under the middle rope. Henry is talking a lot of smack to Show during the beat down. Show spears Henry out of the corner and signals for a choke slam. Wait a second, Cody Rhodes comes out with a microphone and taunts Show about his WrestleMania record. He shows footage from WrestleMania XXI. Big Show lost a sumo match against Akebono. They show the video during the match! Henry scoop slams Show and hits a big splash. Henry goes for the cover but Show kicks out before three.
Show knocks Henry out with a right hand and leaves the ring to go after Cody Rhodes, who bails to the backstage area. I guess we don’t get a winner for this one.
Your Winner: No Contest
Match Rating: *
Fifth Contest: David Otunga vs. Ezekiel Jackson
Jackson shoulder blocks Otunga after absorbing a few body shots. Jackson clotheslines Otunga in the corner a few times before hitting a big splash and a side slam! Jackson goes for a Torture Rack but Otunga grabs the ropes to break free. Otunga plants Jackson with a spine buster to win the match.
Your Winner: David Otunga
Backstage, Matt Striker is with the WWE Champion, CM Punk. Punk is happy to be back on Smackdown and believes that Long should be running both shows. Punk believes the championship has gone to Daniel Bryan’s head. He also says that if Bryan has AJ shave her head, he will sue for gimmick infringement. Tonight, he is going to teach Bryan how to lose.
Main Event: WWE Champion CM Punk vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan
The match starts off with some basic holds and they trade rollups and quick holds before we go to a commercial. Bryan has a headlock on Punk but runs into a knee lift from Punk. Bryan kicks Punk’s left arm and begins to kick Punk in the corner a few times. Bryan runs into a big boot but avoids a springboard cross body attempt. Bryan continues to focus on Punk’s arm and kicks Punk in the chest a few times. Punk makes his comeback with several kicks and a spinning heel kick. Punk ducks a kick but can’t get the GTS. Bryan bails to the floor and wants to leave but Sheamus sends Bryan into the ring. Punk delivers a roundhouse kick and wins the match! Not so fast, Johnny Ace comes out again and says that the match will continue due to outside interference.
Punk shops away on Bryan and delivers a knee lift. Bryan rolls through a rollup and uses the ropes for leverage to pin Punk! Wait, not so fast folks. Long restarts the match again!
Bryan and Punk exchange blows in the ring until Punk sends Bryan over the top with a back suplex! Punk takes Bryan out with a suicide dive! Punk hits a springboard clothesline but Bryan kicks out before three! Punk nails Bryan with a knee in the corner but Bryan slams Punk shoulder first down to the mat. Bryan knocks Punk silly with a running dropkick in the corner for a two count. Bryan hits a top rope hurricanrana but Punk rolls through for a near win! Bryan gets out of a rollup and tries to lock in the LeBelle Lock but Punk breaks free and catapults Bryan into the corner before hitting another roundhouse kick but Bryan gets his foot on the bottome rope! Punk looks for a top rope elbow drop but Bryan gets up and knocks Punk off. Punk knocks Bryan off the middle rope with a headbutt. Bryan comes back and is knocked off again by Punk. Bryan forearms Punk again and finally hits superplex! They both roll each other up and the referee counts the fall, but the referee doesn’t know who won. So, this is a draw.
Your Winner: DRAW
Match Rating: ***1/4
After the match, Teddy Long is arguing with Johnny Ace over who won the match. Ace enters the ring and awards Bryan the match. Long enters and awards Punk the match. Long tosses his jacket at Ace and leaves the ring. The fans start a Teddy chant as the show comes to an end.
Final Thoughts:
I thought it was a decent overall episode of Smackdown this week. The main event was obviously a good television match, and I enjoyed the opening segment. It looks like Rhodes is going to have a Mania match with Show, and I think I’m behind that idea. Aside from those three segments, there wasn’t really anything developing on the program. I’ll give the show a thumbs in a middle.
Thanks for reading.