What Brogues Around….
The 697th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial in Rochester, NY. On the final SmackDown of 2012, the “Most Must-See WWE Superstar” in the WWE, The Miz, would be looking for revenge stemming from the attack that he suffered during Miz TV on Super SmackDown LIVE last week as “The Awesome One” goes one-on-one with “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler, but Dolph will be flanked by his new bodyguard, Big E. Langston, and Dolph’s new beau, AJ Lee. Also, after engaging in one of the most physical rivalries of all-time throughout 2012, how will World Heavyweight Champion Big Show and “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus end their tumultuous year?
Match Results
- Brodus Clay def. Primo (with Epico) by pin following the Funkasplash.
- 6-Man Tag: Wade Barrett & Team Rhodes Scholars def. Kofi Kingston & Team Hell No by Wade Barrett pinning Kofi Kingston following the Bull Hammer Elbow.
- Non-Title: Antonio Cesaro def. Zack Ryder by pin following the Neutralizer.
- Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee & Big E. Langston) def. The Miz by pin following the Zig Zag.
- WWE Contract on the Line: Sheamus def. Brad Maddox by pin following the Brogue Kick. As a result, Brad Maddox does not get a WWE contract.
- Jimmy & Jey Uso def. The Prime Time Players by Jey Uso rolling up Darren Young.
- World Heavyweight Championship: Big Show (c) def. Alberto Del Rio by DQ after Sheamus attacks Big Show (c). As a result, Big Show (c) retains.
Detailed Results
At the tail end of a stellar year that saw him win the 2012 Royal Rumble Match before going to WrestleMania and winning the World Heavyweight Title from Daniel Bryan in just 18 seconds and hold the title for six months before losing it to Big Show at Hell in a Cell, the final SmackDown of 2012 kicks off with “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus. Sheamus says that the greatest Christmas gift that he received was defeating Big Show in a Lumber-Jack Frost Match on RAW, saying that his New Year’s Resolution is to regain the World Heavyweight Title. An eager Sheamus then challenges Big Show to a World Heavyweight Title match on SmackDown, tonight! World Heavyweight Champion Big Show then makes his way to the ring, asking Sheamus if he looks like Santa Claus and Sheamus says that Big Show does look like Santa, only fatter. Big Show responds by suggesting that Sheamus become a stand-up comedian, saying that the likelihood of Sheamus succeeding as a comedian is about the same likelihood of Sheamus getting another shot at him and the World Heavyweight Title. Big Show then accuses Sheamus of being in “denial”, claiming that he was on his “Christmas vacation” on RAW and was not taking the match seriously. Big Show continues, saying that the title was not even on the line, so the match did not “count” and Sheamus always comes up short when it counts, saying that Sheamus will never tell him when he will defend the title again or who he will defend it against. Sheamus then calls Big Show a “coward”, but Big Show argues that he is not afraid of anything. Sheamus then says that he came here for a fight and the World Heavyweight Title and, if he is not going to get the World Heavyweight Title, then he will surely get himself a fight.
SmackDown General Manager Booker T then comes out to diffuse the situation, saying that Sheamus had his shot at WWE TLC and lost, but also admits that Sheamus did pin Big Show on RAW. Big Show then interrupts the GM, saying that he meant it when he said that he is “done” with Sheamus, claiming that there is not a single Superstar in the locker room who is “worthy” of a shot at his World Heavyweight Title. Big Show continues to run down the locker room, saying the roster is filled with “losers” and “rejects” and, when he walks through the locker room, it “reeks of inferiority”. Booker says that he is sorry that Big Show feels that way, but he will be in action tonight and, when Big Show asks for the identity of his opponent, the GM reveals that he is going to bring out “every WWE Superstar” and they are going to put every Superstar’s name into a tumbler and, whoever’s name is randomly drawn from the tumbler will face Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title! The GM then orders the Superstars to join him on the staging area and, with Senior Advisor Theodore Long and Booker T’s Assistant, Eve, leading the pack, the Superstars do as they are told as Alberto Del Rio, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Primo, Epico, Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, William Regal, Zack Ryder, Brodus Clay, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, United States Champion Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, Darren Young, Titus O’Neil, WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan, and “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus all line up on the stage. Big Show puts a brave front, however, vowing to knock out whoever is randomly drawn to face him. Eve and Theodore Long then fight over who will get to open the tumbler, which leads to them inadvertently knocking the tumbler off of the table. After picking the tumbler up, Booker T draws the Superstar’s name himself, revealing that, tonight on SmackDown, Big Show will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Santino Marella! Realizing that he dodged a major bullet by getting Santino Marella as his opponent, Big Show laughs hysterically before getting serious and confronting Santino on the stage. Once confronted by the World Heavyweight Champion, Santino thinks twice about his golden opportunity. After seeing the fear in Santino’s eyes, Big Show laughs off the proposed challenge, confidently walking to the back.
“The Funkasaurus” was in action on SmackDown as Brodus Clay, with the Funkadactyls in his corner, went one-on-one with Primo, with Epico & Rosa Mendes in his corner. After a failed attempt at interference from Epico, Brodus Clay would hit the Funkasplash on Primo en route to picking up the win. After the match, Rosa Mendes would get in Brodus’ face and Brodus would step back, allowing the Funkadactyls to handle Rosa as Cameron & Naomi lay Rosa out with a double suplex before flattening Rosa with a unique, split leg drop maneuver.
In 6-Man Tag action, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston would team with WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No to face “The Bareknuckle Brawler” Wade Barrett and Team Rhodes Scholars. At the end of a chaotic match, it was Kofi Kingston hitting Trouble in Paradise on Cody Rhodes, but that would allow Wade Barrett to set Kofi up as Barrett puts Kofi down with the Bull Hammer Elbow, pinning the Intercontinental Champion for the win.
After injuring himself trying to mimic Sheamus’ Brogue Kick, Santino Marella was deemed unable to compete in the planned World Heavyweight Title match, Big Show confronts Booker T, telling the General Manager that it looks like he has the night off. However, the GM says that Big Show will still defend the title before having Theodore Long bring the tumbler into his office. Booker then draws another name from the tumbler and, moments later, Theodore Long brings in the challenger for Big Show’s title, none other than Ricardo Rodriguez! Big Show erupts with laughter at his even more ridiculous opponent, putting the title on Rodriguez’s shoulder, making Ricardo announce himself as the new World Heavyweight Champion, but, in the middle of the announcement, Big Show drops the personal ring announcer with the K.O. Punch right in front of the General Manager! An outraged Booker T warns that Big Show just got himself into a lot of trouble, calling the situation “ridiculous”. Big Show just smiles at the GM before walking out of Booker’s office.
Before he faces the daunting task of defending his United States Title against The Great Khali on next week’s WWE Main Event, Antonio Cesaro was in action on SmackDown as the United States Champion went one-on-one with Zack Ryder in a non-title match. In the end, it was Antonio Cesaro hitting the Neutralizer en route to picking up the win over Zack Ryder.
After getting laid out by Big E. Langston, per the orders of Dolph Ziggler, on Miz TV last week, The Miz would be looking for revenge as “The Awesome One” would go one-on-one with “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler, with his beau, AJ Lee, and AJ’s “friend”, Big E. Langston, in his corner. During the match, The Miz would toss Dolph Ziggler over the top rope and, without moving an inch, Big E. Langston would catch Dolph, keeping Ziggler from landing on the floor! Later on in the match, The Miz blows a kiss to AJ Lee at ringside and AJ responds by sending Big E. Langston to distract The Miz. Langston complies and the distraction allows Dolph Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag on The Miz en route to picking up the win. After the match, The Miz would manage to grab a microphone and lay another insult on AJ, which would result in Dolph Ziggler heading back to the ring. However, The Miz would spring up and take it to Dolph, but AJ would order Big E. Langston to come to Dolph’s aid and Langston does just that as the big man levels Miz with an avalanche splash before leaving Miz laid out with his signature Big Ending maneuver, much to the delight of AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler!
Backstage, Booker T is in the trainer’s room with Ricardo Rodriguez as a member of the medical staff says that Rodriguez will recover, but he should not compete tonight. The recent thorn in Booker’s side, Brad Maddox, then confronts the General Manager, asking Booker for one more shot. However, the brash hopeful does not take “no” for an answer, even mocking the GM! Maddox’s plan may have worked as Booker grants Maddox one more shot at earning a WWE contract, telling Maddox that it will absolutely be Maddox’s last chance, barking at Maddox to leave. An outraged Alberto Del Rio then enters the trainer’s room to check on the well-being of his friend and personal ring announcer as Del Rio vows revenge against Big Show and the quick-thinking GM decides that Del Rio will be the one to challenge Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title tonight!
After enraging Booker T to the point of the GM giving him one, last chance to earn a WWE contract, the cocky, wannabe Superstar, Brad Maddox, would have to find a way to defeat the former World Heavyweight Champion, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus! To no one’s surprise, Brad Maddox did not stand a chance against Sheamus as “The Celtic Warrior” levels Maddox en route to picking up the win and thwarting Maddox in his final shot at becoming a WWE Superstar.
In tag team action, Jimmy & Jey Uso would face The Prime Time Players on SmackDown. During the match, Jimmy & Jey Uso would use their similarities to their advantages as Jimmy Uso would roll his identical twin out of the ring, taking Jey’s place in the ring as Jimmy Uso plays possum, surprising Darren Young with a roll-up to pick up the win.
Then it was time for the final SmackDown main event of 2012 as, after Big Show knocked out his friend and personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Alberto Del Rio would be looking to exact the ultimate revenge on Big Show as “The Mexican Aristocrat” would challenge Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship! During the match, Alberto Del Rio would nearly get the cross armbreaker on Big Show, but Big Show would counter and knock Del Rio out of the ring. After coming so close to losing his title, Big Show decides to walk out on the match, but when Big Show gets to the entranceway, he is blindsided by Sheamus, resulting in a disqualification. However, Big Show would be able to temporarily take Sheamus down on the outside as the World Heavyweight Champion looked to make his escape, but Big Show’s comments from earlier in the show would come back to haunt him as the giant was met on the stage by a wall of Superstars, all of whom Big Show referred to as “losers” and “rejects”! The wall of Superstars then turns into an angry mob of Superstars as Kane, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Antonio Cesaro, Brodus Clay, 3MB, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Primo, Epico, The Prime Time Players, William Regal, Zack Ryder, and Dolph Ziggler all get a piece of Big Show before they roll Big Show back into the ring, where he finds himself at the mercy of Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio! Del Rio lands the first shot, taking Big Show down with his step-up enziguiri and Sheamus follows it up with the Brogue Kick, leaving the World Heavyweight Champion laid out in the middle of the ring, much to the approval of the WWE roster!
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