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WWE SmackDown – July 2, 2010
Phenomenal Surprise
Another thrilling Friday night has come and gone on the blue brand. It was quite the eventful night that saw the crowning of a new champion, a new match set for the Money in the Bank PPV, the World Heavyweight champion continuing to be bombarded by his challengers, and the start of the SmackDown portion of the inaugural WWE World Cup.
Theodore Long announces main event
With three episodes of SmackDown left to go before Money in the Bank, General Manager Theodore Long has decided to build up to that match with some big main events. Each of the next three weeks will see the participants in the World Heavyweight title match square off in singles action. Tonight, champion Jack Swagger will face “The Big Red Machine” Kane.
Women’s Title Match: Beth Phoenix def. Layla
For weeks its looked as though “The Glamazon” was destined to win back the Women’s Title that was robbed from her, and on this night the destiny became a reality. Michelle McCool’s efforts to interfere couldn’t save her Team Lay-Cool partner as Phoenix won back her belt in short order with the Glam Slam.
WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group B: CM Punk (1-0) def. JTG (0-1)
CM Punk was last seen losing his spot in the SmackDown MITB match due to interference from Rey Mysterio. Tonight was a chance at redeeming himself to kick off the SmackDown segment of the WWE World Cup. Facing off against JTG is never an easy outing, but Punk showed some extra fire tonight and there was simply no way he was going to be denied. With the Straight Edge Society looking on, the savior connected with the GTS for the win.
CM Punk and Rey Mysterio confront once more, PPV match booked
After his victory, CM Punk addressed Rey Mysterio. Punk stated that he has spent entirely too much time attempting to convert Mysterio, and it has become abundantly clear that he lacks the strength and reserve to be saved. However, he cannot have his last memory of Mysterio be him costing Punk a chance at MITB. So he had one more proposition. They have met one-on-one in the last four PPV events, and they currently have two wins apiece. Punk wants his shot at retribution, and he wants the score to be settled once and for all. Never one to back down from a challenge, Mysterio appeared on the Titan Tron remotely from his home, and he accepted. He wants closure just as badly as Punk does, and at Money in the Bank, he will show once and for all why he is the better man.
WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group C: Shad Gaspard (1-0) def. MVP (0-1)
The last time these two men faced off, MVP came up victorious, leaving Shad Gaspard aghast. They met again tonight with World Cup implications on the line. Shad couldn’t seem to put MVP away, and choked out MVP on the ring ropes until the count of four. While arguing with referee Justin King, a man recognized as NXT Season 1 rookie David “A-List” Otunga dropped MVP’s throat on the ropes. Gaspard took advantage by hitting MVP with a GTO for the victory. Hopefully we will learn about Otunga’s actions in the near future.
Finlay & Big Show def. Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer
With Hornswoggle on the sideline, Finlay was given the option of selecting his own partner to face off against Hawkins & Archer, the men responsible for injuring his son. Certainly, the egotistical new tag team couldn’t have predicted the Finlay would one-up them by selecting “The World’s Largest Athlete”. Show appeared to have a chip on his shoulder as he tried to make a statement before Money in the Bank. He was dominant as per usual, knocking out Archer with a huge right hand and then Chokeslamming Hawkins on top of him for the victory.
Christian hypes up Money in the Bank and World Cup
Captain Charisma was not in action tonight, but he was given a few minutes of interview time backstage. He said this is a great time to be a Peep, because he’ll be winning his World Cup debut match next week and then go on to become SmackDown’s Mr. Money in the Bank. Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston stopped by to shake Christian’s hand. He thanked Christian for being a good partner on last night’s WWE Superstars, but it will be HIM that achieves all of the accolades, not Christian.
WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group D: Bryan Danielson (1-0) def. Dolph Ziggler (0-1)
Quite simply, Bryan Danielson continues to show why he is ready for the big time of WWE. These two SmackDown MITB participants put on a clinic that saw Danielson continue to apply various holds that have never been seen before in WWE. Danielson once again locked in the Cattle Mutilation, leading to Ziggler tapping out. It may be fitting if the worldwide experience of Bryan Danielson can lead him to a World Cup victory.
WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group A: Drew McIntyre (1-0) def. Matt Hardy (0-1)
The Intercontinental champion seems to have everything handed to him on a silver platter, including cheap entry into MITB last week. But credit must be given where it’s due. Tonight he was on his A-game and he truly earned a hard-fought victory over rival Matt Hardy. McIntyre avoided a Twist of Fate and threw Hardy off his game. McIntyre parlayed that confusion into a Future Shock to get his World Cup off to a good start.
Non-Title Match: Jack Swagger def. Kane
An entertaining styles clash in this bout saw “The All-American American” consistently being overpowered in his attempts to out-wrestle the monster Kane. The crowd got very much into it after a series of nearfalls from both men. Swagger was able to ground Kane and connect with a slingshot splash from the corner, and as the fall was being counted he put his feet on the ropes for extra leverage to get the cheap victory. Swagger grabbed his belt and tried to get out of dodge only for the lights to go out. When they came back on, Undertaker was at ringside, standing right in Swagger’s path. Undertaker delivered a Chokeslam on the outside before staring at his brother in the ring. The Brothers of Destruction will collide next week! You don’t want to miss it.
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