The 595th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the BJCC in Birmingham, AL. After attacking Big Show last week during a #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, costing Big Show the title opportunity, SmackDown’s newest Superstar, Wade Barrett, would go one-on-one a revenge-driven “World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show!
Match Results
- Rey Mysterio & R-Truth def. Alberto Del Rio & “Dashing” Cody Rhodes by Rey Mysterio pinning “Dashing” Cody Rhodes following the 619 and Splash.
- Trent Barreta def. Drew McIntyre by sunset flip roll-up.
- Big Show def. Wade Barrett by DQ after Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel interfere.
- Beth Phoenix def. Michelle McCool by counter roll-up.
- Non-Title: Kofi Kingston def. Jack Swagger by pin following the S.O.S.
Detailed Results
One week after his questionable victory over Rey Mysterio in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match and four nights after being on the receiving end of Sweet Chin Music by the 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Michaels on RAW, SmackDown kicks off with “The Mexican Elitist” Alberto Del Rio as Del Rio reiterates that, in three weeks at the Royal Rumble, it is his “destiny” to win the Royal Rumble Match and become known as the “new Mr. WrestleMania”! RAW’s R-Truth, then interrupts as Truth states that Del Rio has “lost his mind” before calling Del Rio “poncho” and stating that Del Rio can not win the Royal Rumble Match by having “fancy cars” or a “creepy ring announcer” or because of “destiny” because a title match at WrestleMania is one thing that Del Rio can not “buy” or “inherit” as it requires “stepping up to the plate and becoming a man”, a “man” that Del Rio “can not be”! “Dashing” Cody Rhodes then interrupts and announces that he will be a part of the Royal Rumble Match and that, if a Superstar does not look like him, then they are going to lose! Rhodes then states that he has already been in three Royal Rumble Matches and he will be the one to headline WrestleMania! The winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble Rey Mysterio then comes out and states that winning the Rumble is not about looking like a “Diva” or “destiny” as it is about what a Superstar is “made of on the inside” and “beating the odds and surviving”, something that he has been doing his “entire life” before saying that he has actually won the Royal Rumble Match before! Rhodes then states that Rey’s Rumble win is “so 2006” and that Rey is “out of style” before mocking R-Truth by telling Truth that that’s “what’s up?”! Truth then states that he’s got a “dashing catch phrase” for Rhodes before delivering a right hand to Rhodes, sparking a brawl between the four Superstars! SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long then announces that the opening match will see R-Truth team with “The Ultimate Underdog” Rey Mysterio to face the team of “The Mexican Elitist” Alberto Del Rio & “Dashing” Cody Rhodes!
After all four Superstars staked their claim to winning the Royal Rumble Match, igniting a brawl between the Superstars, the opening match of the night would see RAW’s R-Truth team with “The Ultimate Underdog” Rey Mysterio to face the team of “The Mexican Elitist” Alberto Del Rio & “Dashing” Cody Rhodes! In the end, it was Rey Mysterio hitting the 619 on “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and following it up with a splash en route to picking up the win for himself and R-Truth!
Backstage, Wade Barrett is asked about his attack on Big Show last week and Barrett explains that, when he was on RAW, he was like “Julius Caesar” because he was an “all-conquering hero who was so powerful that everyone had to conspire against him because that’s how truly frightened they were of him” and, now, he is a part of SmackDown and his goal is to “own it”! Barrett then states that his attack on Big Show showed that he “respects” Big Show and that, like he did with John Cena on RAW, he only goes after “the biggest and the baddest” because anyone “less than that” is not even “worth” his attention! Barrett then vows to “take down the biggest, foulest, filthiest beast that there is” in Big Show and, when he is finished, everyone will proclaim “all hail Caesar”! Can the confident Wade Barrett take down “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show as he has claimed he will do?
After a vicious spill to the outside of the ring and a vicious Future Shock DDT on the arena floor two weeks ago, “The Dude Buster” Trent Barreta would be looking for revenge as Barreta would go one-on-one with the perpetrator of the DDT on the floor in “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre! After being dominated and bullied by Drew McIntyre throughout the match, Trent Barreta would come out of nowhere with a sunset flip on McIntyre en route to picking up upset win over the former Intercontinental Champion! How will Drew McIntyre respond to this loss?
Backstage, Trent Barreta is on his way to his locker room following his big win over Drew McIntyre when McIntyre would attack Barreta, but the attack would stop when Kelly Kelly sees McIntyre’s attack! McIntyre then tries to backtrack by saying that he just lost his head for a minute before saying that he really “cares about” Kelly Kelly, but Kelly Kelly states that she does not want to be around someone who “takes pleasure” in causing to others before shouting at McIntyre to “grow up”!
After being cost the #1 Contender’s spot for the World Heavyweight Title by Wade Barrett last week, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show would be out for revenge as Big Show would go one-on-one with “The Jackal” Wade Barrett! In the end, it looked like Big Show was set to deliver the chokeslam to Wade Barrett to end the match, but former Nexus members Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel would come out of nowhere and attack Big Show, resulting in a disqualification win for Big Show! However, the attack by Barrett, Slater, & Gabriel would cease once they spotted a returning Ezekiel Jackson standing on the apron as “Big Zeke” would stare down “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, but Barrett, Slater, & Gabriel would resume their attack on Big Show, but Big Show would manage to fight off all three Superstars! Ezekiel Jackson would then enter the ring and level Big Show with a clothesline, which would lead to Barrett, Slater, Gabriel, & Ezekiel all stomping away at Big Show! Slater would then deliver his STO to Big Show before the powerhouse Ezekiel Jackson would deliver a scoop slam to Big Show, leaving Show vulnerable to the 450 Splash by Justin Gabriel! Wade Barrett has seemingly picked up where he left off on RAW as Barrett has forged a new group aligning himself with Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and the powerhouse Ezekiel Jackson, but what does this new group have in store for SmackDown? How will Big Show respond to this attack?
With fellow Slammy Award winner Layla in her corner, the 2010 Diva of the Year Michelle McCool would go one-on-one with “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix! In the end, it was Beth Phoenix countering a roll-up attempt by Michelle McCool into a roll-up of her own en route to picking up the win!
One week after defeating Dolph Ziggler twice in a row to become the new Intercontinental Champion and successfully retain the gold in a second title match, the new Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston was in action on SmackDown, but before his match, Kofi would comment on his title win as Kofi states that, after five long months, he has done everything to regain the Intercontinental Champion and now he can finally say he is the Intercontinental Champion once again! Kofi then thanks the fans before he is interrupted by “The All-American American” Jack Swagger as Swagger states that 2011 is the “year of the All-American” as he will be “raising the bar” on SmackDown! Swagger then delivers a “public service announcement” as Swagger explains the dangers of the ankle lock, but Kofi tells Swagger to “shut up” and face him!
Familiar rivals would then face off as the new Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston would go one-on-one with “The All-American American” Jack Swagger in a non-title match! In the end, it was Kofi Kingston hitting the S.O.S. on Jack Swagger en route to picking up the win!
Then it was time for a special edition of The Cutting Edge as World Heavyweight Champion Edge would host the new #1 Contender for his World Heavyweight Title with a shot at the gold just three weeks away at the Royal Rumble as Dolph Ziggler and Dolph’s girlfriend, and Edge’s ex-wife, Vickie Guerrero would be the guests on the show! Before introducing his guests, Edge reminds everyone that, last week, he was the “last man standing” in his match against Kane, meaning he is still the World Heavyweight Champion! Edge then states that he will turn his attention from one “monster” in Kane to another “monster” in Vickie Guerrero before Edge introduces his guest, #1 Contender Dolph Ziggler and Dolph’s girlfriend Vickie Guerrero! Edge then brings up the “controversy” surrounding Dolph Ziggler becoming the #1 Contender last week and Vickie Guerrero responds by saying that there was “no controversy” last week as Dolph became the #1 Contender and he will beat Edge to become the World Heavyweight Champion at the Royal Rumble! Edge responds by saying it is just like “old times” as he sees the “look” in Vickie’s eyes before saying that the “ship has sailed” in that regard before calling Vickie a “man-eating beast” and states that a person could go “parasailing” with a pair of her underwear! Vickie then reminds everyone that her and Edge used to be married, but she was “young and naïve” and everyday she “regrets” it! Edge then states that Vickie is “ten years older” than him and wears a necklace that says “cougar” before Dolph Ziggler interrupts and states that “how dare” Edge not appreciate “breathing life” into Edge and “resuscitating” Edge’s “entire career” before vowing that, at the Royal Rumble, he is going to “pull the plug” and watch Edge’s reign as champion “flat line”! Vickie then introduces a clip from their wedding in 2008 where Edge ruined their wedding day when a clip surfaced of Edge kissing then wedding planner Alicia Fox! Edge then states that, maybe Dolph is “more of a man” than him before introducing a clip of his own that shows Dolph making out with Kaitlyn a couple of months ago on NXT! Edge would then tease Dolph & Vickie about the footage, prompting Dolph to attack Edge, but Edge would get the better of the situation, sending Dolph out of the ring! Vickie would then repeatedly slap Edge and jump on the back of Edge, but the World Heavyweight Champion would dislodge Vickie from his back and would look ready to deliver the Spear to Vickie, but Dolph would pull Edge to the outside of the ring where Dolph would deliver a modified version of the Zig Zag to Edge, bouncing Edge’s head off of the steel steps! Dolph and Vickie would then proceed to stand over Edge and kiss each other! What is the status of Edge following this attack by Dolph Ziggler? Can Edge overcome both Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero at the Royal Rumble to retain the World Heavyweight Title or is Dolph Ziggler on his way to being crowned the new champion?
