WWE Friday Night SmackDown April 15, 2011 Results

The 608th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Four nights after a shocking and emotional announcement on RAW that, after thirteen years in the WWE, the career of one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history is forced to come to an end as “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge made the stunning announcement that complications from his neck surgery eight years ago have led doctors to inform Edge that he must retire from in-ring competition forever or end up in a wheelchair and, on SmackDown, eleven-time World Champion Edge would be forced to relinquish the title that has defined his career as Edge will relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship!

Match Results

• Ezekiel Jackson def. Kofi Kingston by pin following the Book of Ezekiel.
• Rey Mysterio def. Drew McIntyre by pin following the 619 and Splash.
• Kelly Kelly (with Michelle McCool) def. Layla by roll-up.
• 20-Man #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: Christian def. Jack Swagger, Rey Mysterio, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Chris Masters, Kane, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Reks, Kofi Kingston, Brodus Clay, Chavo Guerrero, Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Cody Rhodes, Big Show, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Trent Barreta, & JTG to become the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules.

Order of Elimination

1. Big Show elim. JTG
2. Big Show elim. Trent Barreta
3. Big Show elim. Heath Slater
4. Big Show elim. Ezekiel Jackson
5. Big Show elim. Himself
6. Rey Mysterio elim. Cody Rhodes
7. Rey Mysterio elim. Curt Hawkins
8. Brodus Clay elim. Drew McIntyre
9. Brodus Clay elim. Chavo Guerrero
10. Kane elim. Brodus Clay
11. Wade Barrett elim. Kofi Kingston
12. Christian elim. Tyler Reks
13. Christian elim. Yoshi Tatsu
14. Wade Barrett & Justin Gabriel elim. Kane
15. Wade Barrett elim. Chris Masters
16. Justin Gabriel elim. Wade Barrett
17. Rey Mysterio elim. Justin Gabriel
18. Jack Swagger (with Michael Cole) elim. Rey Mysterio
19. Christian elim. Jack Swagger (with Alberto Del Rio)

Detailed Results

On a night where Edge would be left no choice but to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship due to an injury-induced retirement from in-ring competition, the show kicks off with the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Alberto Del Rio! Del Rio states that tonight is “not about” him, it is about “somebody else” as Del Rio states that, when Edge announced his retirement on RAW, the WWE “lost a hero”! Del Rio continues that Edge “gave everything” to the WWE and the WWE was his “passion” and his “love” and, while he wants to be the World Heavyweight Champion, he does not want to win it this way! Del Rio continues that it is only “right” that Edge come out there and “present” him with the World Heavyweight Championship! Instead of getting World Heavyweight Champion Edge, Del Rio gets the General Manager of SmackDown, Theodore Long, as Long enters the ring and tells Del Rio that it won’t be “going down like that” as no one will be “presenting” Del Rio with anything! Long continues that, when Alberto Del Rio won his match last week to become the new #1 Contender, he earned the right to compete for the World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules in a Ladder Match and Del Rio still will as Del Rio will face the winner of the main event, which will be a 20-Man Battle Royal! A frustrated Alberto Del Rio calls the ruling a “conspiracy” and utters that he “never liked” the GM before Del Rio smiles and says that he is “glad” that he “hurt” Edge and “forced” him to retire and it was Edge’s “destiny” to end up like a “crippled coward”, just like it is his “destiny” to be the World Heavyweight Champion, but Theodore Long would interrupt and tell Del Rio to “shut up” before making his exit! Who will be a part of the 20-Man Battle Royal in the main event? Who will face Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match at Extreme Rules for the World Heavyweight Title?

With Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett and WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel guests on commentary, their fellow Corre teammate, Ezekiel Jackson, would go one-on-one with Kofi Kingston! During the match, Ezekiel Jackson and Kofi Kingston find themselves battling on the outside of the ring where Ezekiel lifts Kofi up over his head and intentionally throws Kofi on top of his Corre teammates at ringside! Wade Barrett would then try and enter the ring, but the referee would keep Barrett at bay while Ezekiel hits the Book of Ezekiel on Kofi en route to picking up the win! After the match, Ezekiel Jackson tells Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, and Justin Gabriel that, after the 20-Man Battle Royal, he will prove to them why he is the “personification of domination”! With all four members of The Corre in the #1 Contender’s Battle Royal, could Ezekiel Jackson be the one advancing to Extreme Rules to face Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title?

Cody Rhodes would make an appearance on SmackDown as Rhodes states that, after he defeated Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania, he thought he would feel “vindicated”, but, instead, he feels “nothing”! Rhodes continues that he will be a part of the 20-Man Battle Royal in the main event and Rhodes asks if, if he becomes the World Heavyweight Champion, will it be “enough” to “erase” his “disfigurement” after Rey Mysterio “purposefully” crushed his face! Rhodes continues that Rey tells his kids that there are “no monsters” under their beds and he is “not stopping” until he makes Rey a “monster” and make Rey’s kids “horrified” by the sight of Rey’s face, just like he is “horrified” by his own face! This would bring out Rey Mysterio, who would attack Rhodes and hit a modified 619 to the mid-section of Rhodes!

A creepy and uncomfortable vignette would air on SmackDown as a blonde doll is shown in the grip of a scarily sized dreadlocked Diva as the mystery woman flicks the head off of the doll before laughing maniacally! Who is this mystery woman and what does she have in store for the WWE?

After his attack on Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio would be in action on SmackDown as “The Ultimate Underdog” would go one-on-one with “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre! In the end, it was Rey Mysterio hitting the 619 and following it up with a splash en route to picking up the win! Can either Rey Mysterio or Drew McIntyre win the 20-Man Battle Royal to become the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title?

On his way to relinquish the World Heavyweight Title, Edge is applauded backstage by several of his fellow Superstars and legends, including Chavo Guerrero, Matt Striker, and Dean Malenko before Edge is confronted by “The Big Red Machine” Kane as the two former rivals actually shake hands!

After his shocking and emotional announcement on RAW that, due to the surgery he had eight years ago to repair his neck, the doctors have given him no choice but to retire from in-ring competition forever, “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge would appear on SmackDown to give up the one thing that has defined his career as a main event Superstar as the eleven-time World Champion would be forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship! Edge states that, regardless of the insane and barbaric matches he has been in his career, his entrance music by Alter Bridge and the “energy” of the WWE fans gives him “goosebumps”! Edge would then do his pre-match ring entrance, including the pyro and slide into the ring!

Edge would then continue that many people are “sad” that his career is being forced to end, but he is “happy” that the WWE doctors were able to find the problem with his neck and, had they not found it, he could have wound up in a wheelchair after taking a bad fall in a Ladder Match. Edge continues that he is “happy” that he got to come to Albany because Albany is the city that he won his first WWE Championship before Edge points out his emotional mother in the front row as the crowd chants “thank you, mom” before Edge states that, without the support of his mom, he never would have been able to make it to where he is. Edge continues that the World Heavyweight Championship has meant “everything” to him, but it is not “just” his as “each and every” one of the fans hold a “piece” of the World Heavyweight Title as it is “symbolic”. Edge then states that it is time to do what he came out there to do and relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship before Edge would thank the fans for “one hell of a career”. Edge would then proceed to set the World Heavyweight Title in the center of the ring before heading to ringside to hug his mom before making his final walk up the entrance ramp and making his exit from the arena as the fans applaud an unparalleled thirteen year career that no one will ever forget.

Moments after having no choice but to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship, Edge is confronted by Alberto Del Rio who offers his hand to Edge, but Edge turns and walks away from his rival!

After a tumultuous first week of couples counseling, LayCool would appear on SmackDown as Layla, with Michelle McCool a guest on commentary at ringside, would go one-on-one with Kelly Kelly! During the match, the action would spill to the outside where Kelly Kelly would shove Layla into the “Cole Mine” at ringside, but at the referee’s count of nine, Michelle McCool would get up and throw Layla back into the ring, which would allow Kelly Kelly to roll Layla up for the win! After the match, Michelle McCool would confront her teammate, Layla, but McCool would try to leave and Layla would grab the arm of McCool and McCool would respond by shoving Layla to the mat! Is this the end of LayCool or can Layla and Michelle McCool patch up their friendship?

Then it was time for the main event as, in a 20-Man Battle Royal, the #1 Contender for the vacant World Heavyweight Title would be determined as “Captain Charisma” Christian, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, “The Big Red Machine” Kane, Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel, “The Ultimate Underdog” Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre, “The All-American American” Jack Swagger, Chris Masters, JTG, Curt Hawkins, Trent Barreta, Yoshi Tatsu, Chavo Guerrero, Tyler Reks, & Brodus Clay would all compete with the winner advancing to Extreme Rules where they will face Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship! Big Show would be on a roll during the match as “The World’s Largest Athlete” would eliminate JTG, Trent Barreta, and one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater before Big Show would target Ezekiel Jackson, but Big Show’s momentum in eliminating Ezekiel would take Big Show over the top rope, eliminating himself! The next elimination would see Rey Mysterio eliminating his rival, Cody Rhodes, as well as Curt Hawkins! Brodus Clay would then score some eliminations as Del Rio’s protégé would eliminate both Drew McIntyre and Chavo Guerrero!

Brodus Clay would then find himself face-to-face with “The Big Red Machine” Kane and, despite an impressive fight against the monster, Kane would heave Brodus Clay over the top rope, eliminating Alberto Del Rio’s protégé! The next elimination would see Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett eliminating the man he took the title from, Kofi Kingston! The best friend of Edge would then score an elimination as Christian would eliminate Tyler Reks from the match before eliminating Yoshi Tatsu as well! Despite the growing dissention among the members of The Corre, Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel would work together to eliminate Kane!

The teamwork between Corre members Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel would be short-lived, however, as, after Wade Barrett eliminates Chris Masters, Justin Gabriel would come up from behind to eliminate Wade Barrett from the match, leaving only Christian, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, and Justin Gabriel left to battle for the #1 Contender’s spot at Extreme Rules! Rey Mysterio would then narrow the field to three as the 2006 Royal Rumble winner would show his Battle Royal experience by eliminating Justin Gabriel from the match! Rey Mysterio would then set his sights on eliminating Jack Swagger, but with Swagger set up for the 619, Michael Cole would exit the “Cole Mine” and would actually sacrifice himself for Swagger, taking the 619, which would allow Swagger to eliminate Rey Mysterio, leaving only Christian and Jack Swagger left in the match! Later on in the match, with Christian on the ring apron, Alberto Del Rio would get up from his seat at ringside and would hold the leg of Christian in place, but Christian would shake loose from Del Rio’s grip and would send Jack Swagger over the top to the outside to become the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules! After winning the match, Christian’s best friend, Edge, would come out and embrace Christian before raising the new #1 Contender’s hand in victory! The match is set for Extreme Rules as it will be Christian going one-on-one with Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match with the winner claiming the vacant World Heavyweight Title! Can Christian make his retiring best friend, Edge, proud by capturing his first World Heavyweight Title in his specialty, a Ladder Match, or will Alberto Del Rio’s “destiny” finally be fulfilled at Extreme Rules?

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