WWE Friday Night SmackDown April 22, 2011 Results

Nine nights before WWE Extreme Rules, the 609th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from The O2 Arena in London, England. After the shocking announcement that, after thirteen years, the storied career of eleven-time World Champion Edge came to a surprising end last week, vacating the World Heavyweight Championship in the process and, nine nights before he faces Edge’s best friend Christian in a Ladder Match for the vacant World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules, “The Mexican Aristocrat” Alberto Del Rio would host a “retirement party” for Edge on SmackDown! With The Corre ever crumbling, the group would put their gold on the line on SmackDown as England’s own Wade Barrett would defend the Intercontinental Title against the man he took the title from a few weeks ago in Kofi Kingston and Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel would defend the WWE Tag Team Titles against the gigantic team of “The Big Red Machine” Kane and “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show! After using Rey Mysterio’s steel knee brace to pick up an upset win at WrestleMania, the rematch would take place on SmackDown as Cody Rhodes would go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio in a WrestleMania Rematch!

Match Results

• WrestleMania Rematch: Rey Mysterio def. Cody Rhodes by hurrincanrana roll-up.
• Jack Swagger def. Trent Barreta by submission to the ankle lock.
• WWE Tag Team Championship: Kane & Big Show def. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel (c) (with Ezekiel Jackson) by Big Show pinning Heath Slater (c) following the chokeslam to win the WWE Tag Team Titles.
• Drew McIntyre def. Chris Masters by pin following the Future Shock DDT.
• Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) def. Kofi Kingston by counter roll-up with the ropes to retain.

Detailed Results

Four nights after being “knighted” on RAW, the self-proclaimed Sir Michael Cole kicks off the show and takes his seat in his “Royal Cole Mine” as Cody Rhodes makes his entrance into the arena with a cart-full of paper bags brought in behind him! Rhodes states that his mask is for “protection and protection only” while Rey Mysterio wears a mask because he is “hiding something” as Rey is “hiding his fears” and is “hiding his loathing” for the fans and because Rey is “ashamed of himself and he should be”! Rhodes continues that, in a “manner of speaking”, the fans are all wearing “masks” as well, but he can see their “envy” of him and he can see the “despair” in their faces over their “miserable lives”! Rhodes continues that he is offering the fans a “remedy” at his “expense” before presenting a paper bag with a face cut out in it and ordering his three assistants to hand the paper bags out to all the fans! Rhodes continues that the bags will cover the fans’ “lying eyes” and he wants them to keep the bags over their faces until he defeats Rey Mysterio like he did at WrestleMania before proclaiming that the bag in his hands is for Mysterio!

After his poignant comments for the fans and for Rey Mysterio, the opening match of the night would see a WrestleMania Rematch as “The Ultimate Underdog” Rey Mysterio would go one-on-one with Cody Rhodes! In the end, it was Rey Mysterio coming out of nowhere with a hurrincarana roll-up to pick up the win over Cody Rhodes, but immediately after the match, Rhodes would attack Rey, sending Rey to the outside where Rhodes would send Rey into the ringside barricade twice! The attack on Rey would continue as Rhodes would throw Rey into the crowd, but Rey would fight back, taking himself and Rhodes back over the barricade, but Rhodes would battle back and would send Rey face-first into the steel steps before taking the fight into the crowd once again! Rey would continue the attack on Rhodes as Rey would send Rhodes back-first into a steel barricade in the crowd before sending Rhodes back over the barricade into the ringside area where Rhodes would regain the advantage and would plant Rey with Cross Rhodes on the arena floor! With Rey out of it, Rhodes would place a paper bag over the head of Mysterio! How will Rey Mysterio respond to this attack? Where will both Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio end up after this Monday’s WWE Draft?

With all the gold held by The Corre on the line later in the night, WWE Tag Team Champion Justin Gabriel confronts Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett and tells Barrett that it was “every man for himself” last week in the #1 Contender’s Battle Royal and Barrett would have eliminated him given the opportunity and tells him “nothing personal”, but Barrett states that maybe it was “personal” because he would not have eliminated Gabriel! The other half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, Heath Slater, then steps in and states that they would have both done anything to gain the opportunity last week and that they are supposed to be “equals” with “no leader”! Ezekiel Jackson would then come in and tell his fellow Corre members that as their “leader”, he is “there” for them before saying that he is just “messing around” and Wade Barrett states that maybe they are the ones who should be “messing around” with Ezekiel before they all share a laugh!

SmackDown would also feature footage from the latest couples therapy session between Layla and Michelle McCool as the war of words between LayCool would appear to cease as the two would embrace, but when Layla turned her back, McCool would attack her teammate, leaving Layla crying on the therapist’s couch!

Four nights after being “knighted” as Sir Michael Cole on RAW moments before having Jack Swagger force Hall of Famer Jim Ross kiss his diseased foot, Sir Michael Cole would introduce his trainer and tag team partner for his Street Fight against Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler at Extreme Rules as “The All-American American” Jack Swagger would be in action on SmackDown against “The Dude Buster” Trent Barreta! In the end, it was Jack Swagger picking up a dominant victory over Trent Barreta by forcing Barreta to tap out to the ankle lock!

As their war with The Corre continues, the monstrous team of “The Big Red Machine” Kane and “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show would challenge Corre members Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel, with Ezekiel Jackson in their corner, for the WWE Tag Team Titles! During the match, Kane would head to the top rope, but, with the referee distracted, Ezekiel Jackson would shove Kane off of the top rope! Later on in the match, it was Kane tossing Justin Gabriel over the top rope onto Ezekiel Jackson before knocking Ezekiel down off of the apron that would allow Big Show to plant Heath Slater with the chokeslam en route to Big Show pinning Slater to make Kane & Big Show the new WWE Tag Team Champions! Now that Kane & Big Show are the WWE Tag Team Titles, is there any team out there that can stop these two giants’ reign? The Corre is now without the WWE Tag Team Titles, but will they also lose the Intercontinental Title when Wade Barrett defends the gold against Kofi Kingston?

Moments after losing the WWE Tag Team Titles to Kane & Big Show, The Corre would further implode backstage as Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel would confront and blame Ezekiel Jackson for their loss and Ezekiel would tell the former tag team champions that they should look in the mirror for blame, especially Slater because he got pinned before Slater would shove Gabriel down!

Drew McIntyre would be in action on SmackDown as “The Chosen One” would go one-on-one with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters! In the end, it was Drew McIntyre spiking Chris Masters with the Future Shock DDT en route to picking up the win! Where will Drew McIntyre end up following the 2011 WWE Draft this Monday night?

Following their brawl throughout the crowd and ringside area earlier in the night, it was announced during SmackDown that, in nine nights at Extreme Rules, Rey Mysterio will go one-on-one with Cody Rhodes, but this time, it will be in a Falls Count Anywhere Match! What will happen when these two bitter rivals square off in a match that can end by pinfall or submission anywhere in the arena at Extreme Rules?

After Kane & Big Show defeated The Corre’s Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel to take the WWE Tag Team Titles from The Corre, Corre member Wade Barrett would be looking to hang onto his gold as Barrett, with Ezekiel Jackson in his corner, would defend the Intercontinental Title against Kofi Kingston! During the match and with both Superstars on the outside of the ring, Ezekiel Jackson would try and level Kofi Kingston with a clothesline, but Kofi would dodge the move and Ezekiel would inadvertently hit Wade Barrett with the clothesline, which would lead to an argument between Barrett and Ezekiel, leading to Ezekiel heading to the back! In the end, it was Wade Barrett blocking a roll-up attempt by Kofi Kingston and grabbing the middle rope for leverage, allowing Barrett to successfully retain the Intercontinental Title!

Nine nights before he faces Christian in a Ladder Match for the vacant World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules, “The Mexican Aristocrat” Alberto Del Rio would appear on SmackDown with his protégé, Brodus Clay, to present a “retirement party” for Christian’s best friend, the retiring eleven-time World Champion, Edge! Del Rio states that no one throws a “fiesta” like he does before welcoming everyone to Edge’s “retirement party”! Del Rio would then present a grandfather clock for Edge as Del Rio states that Edge can use it to watch his life “tick away” before Del Rio presents a package of diapers! Del Rio continues by introducing a “good friend” of Edge’s as the music of the legendary Lita would hit, but instead of the former Women’s Champion, a very heavy set middle-aged woman would make her way to the ring! Del Rio then states that Edge and the faux Lita will now be able to go on a “romantic stroll” with his third present, a walker! Del Rio would then present his final present for the retiring “Rated-R Superstar” by having his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, drive a Rascal scooter, complete with oxygen mask and tank, to ringside as Del Rio has Rodriguez show a special handicapped tag to allow Edge to use the handicapped parking spot before proclaiming that he will be the new World Heavyweight Champion come Extreme Rules!

Alberto Del Rio’s “retirement party” would then grind to a halt with a shocking interruption as “The Rated-R Superstar” himself, eleven-time World Champion Edge would come out! Edge would call Del Rio a “party pooper” as, with Brodus Clay, “the weird-looking Ricky Martin guy” Ricardo Rodriguez, and the fake Lita, they all look like a “flaming bag of poop”! Alberto Del Rio would respond to this by sending Brodus Clay out to get the injured Edge, but Christian would intervene, taking Brodus Clay out with a ladder shot to the back! Christian would then attack Del Rio, sending Del Rio into the ringside barricade before blasting his Extreme Rules opponent in the mid-section with the ladder! With his friend looking on, Christian would set the ladder up in the middle of the ring and would symbolically retrieve the World Heavyweight Title belt from its hanging position above the ring as Edge applauds! Could this be the scene in nine nights at Extreme Rules? When there is guaranteed to be a new World Heavyweight Champion, can Christian prevail in his specialty, a Ladder Match, to win his first World Heavyweight Title or will Alberto Del Rio overcome the experience of Christian to win the World Heavyweight Title and fulfill his “destiny”?

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