Good Faith?
Two nights before WWE TLC, the 747th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Moda Center in Portland, OR. Before they wage war in what is, arguably, the most important match in WWE history this Sunday at WWE TLC where both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship will be hanging high above the ring with the first man to grab both title belts becoming the Champion of Champions, both the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion would appear on SmackDown for the last time as WWE Champion Randy Orton would make a special appearance on SmackDown to attempt to apologize to WWE COO Triple H for inadvertently knocking Stephanie McMahon down on RAW, while World Heavyweight Champion John Cena will appear to address the Champion of Champions TLC Match.
Match Results
- Daniel Bryan def. Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper) by DQ after Bray Wyatt interferes.
- Non-Title: The Real Americans def. Goldust & Cody Rhodes by Antonio Cesaro pinning Cody Rhodes following the European Uppercut.
- Mark Henry def. Damien Sandow by intentional count-out.
- AJ Lee & Tamina Snuka def. The Bella Twins by Brie Bella submitting to AJ Lee’s Black Widow.
- Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns def. The Usos by Roman Reigns pinning Jey Uso following the Spear.
- Big Show def. Ryback by pin following the chokeslam.
Detailed Results
With tables, ladders, and chairs surrounding the ring and the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship hanging high above the ring in a symbolic presentation of this Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view, SmackDown kicks off with the 2013 Superstar of the Year as the five-time Slammy Award winner, Daniel Bryan, would go one-on-one with The Wyatt Family’s Erick Rowan, with Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper in his corner. During the match, Daniel Bryan would get the better of Erick Rowan before taking Luke Harper out for good measure, but then Bray Wyatt would get involved, tripping Bryan in front of the referee, prompting the disqualification. After the match, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan would look to dismantle Daniel Bryan, but Bryan would dodge an oncoming Erick Rowan and would duck a clothesline from Luke Harper, quickly hopping out of the ring, knocking Bray Wyatt out of his rocking chair with the running knee! Bryan then makes a quick escape to the stage as Harper & Rowan help Bray Wyatt to his feet.
In tag team action, the 2013 Tag Team of the Year and reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, Goldust & Cody Rhodes, would take on The Real Americans, with Zeb Colter in their corner, in a non-title match. At the end of a competitive tag match, it was Antonio Cesaro catching Cody Rhodes with his signature uppercut, pinning Rhodes to pick up the win for The Real Americans.
With Intercontinental Champion Big E. Langston a guest on commentary, the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title, Damien Sandow, would go one-on-one with “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry on SmackDown. During the match, Damien Sandow would decide that he did not want any more to do with Mark Henry, taking a count-out loss. After the match, Big E. Langston would toss Damien Sandow back into the ring to get knocked down by Mark Henry, but Sandow would knock Langston off of the ring apron before making a quick retreat.
With #1 Contender Natalya a guest on commentary, Divas Champion AJ Lee would team with her bodyguard, Tamina Snuka, to face the 2013 Divas of the Year, The Bella Twins. In the end, it was AJ Lee locking in the Black Widow on Brie Bella, forcing Brie to tap out to pick up the win for herself and Tamina Snuka.
Two nights before he faces WWE Champion Randy Orton in the historic Champion of Champions TLC Match at WWE TLC, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena would appear on SmackDown. Cena says that this Sunday is “monumental” and Randy Orton does not know what it will take to become the Champion of Champions. Cena continues, saying that Randy Orton is “brutal” and he is what he says he is, but says that there is “nowhere to hide” this Sunday. Cena says that he was “built” to take the beating of a lifetime, vowing that he will “get back up” at WWE TLC. Cena admits that Orton is “great”, but that will be Orton’s downfall, saying that Orton will make an “excuse” and “take the easy way out”. Cena then boldly declares that, this Sunday, there will be one champion and that will be him.
Before all three members of The Shield face CM Punk in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match at WWE TLC, The Shield’s Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, with United States Champion Dean Ambrose a guest on commentary, would face The Usos on SmackDown. In the end, it was Seth Rollins mocking CM Punk before Rollins feeds Jey Uso to Roman Reigns, who blasts Jey with the Spear en route to picking up the win for Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns. After the match, CM Punk would take a page out of The Shield’s playbook, appearing on the Tron from an undisclosed location, telling The Shield that this Sunday will be a “wholesale slaughter” and advising The Shield to “believe in The Best in the World”.
With Rey Mysterio in his corner, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show would face Ryback, with Curtis Axel in his corner, on SmackDown. In the end, it was Big Show planting Ryback with a chokeslam en route to picking up the win. After the match, Curtis Axel would try to get the jump on Big Show, but Big Show would send Axel right into Rey Mysterio, who hits the 619 on Axel before Big Show leaves Axel laying with the Knockout Punch.
Backstage, an angry Bray Wyatt, flanked by Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, screams that he put his neck on the line for Daniel Bryan before singing a “special lullaby” for Daniel Bryan, saying that he sings the tune for his “pets” before he puts them down.
After suffering back-to-back losses to Sin Cara the past couple of weeks on RAW, Alberto Del Rio was set to go one-on-one with Kofi Kingston on SmackDown, but Kofi was ambushed by The Miz on his way to the ring as The Miz plants Kofi with the Skull Crushing Finale on the arena floor.
After inadvertently knocking down Stephanie McMahon on RAW, WWE Champion Randy Orton would appear on SmackDown to issue a public apology to Triple H & Stephanie McMahon. Orton says that he is thankful that Stephanie is okay after she was “trampled” on RAW, but says that he wants to do his apology face-to-face. This brings out WWE COO Triple H, who appears to still be angry over what happened on RAW. The WWE Champion tells the COO that, what happened to Stephanie on RAW, was an accident, even showing the footage from the incident to try and prove his point. Orton would then show the clip again, but from a different angle and in slow motion, saying that all he cares about is The Authority’s forgiveness, asking Triple H to accept his apology. The COO says that he did not need to see the footage, saying that he has already watched the footage many times. Triple H agrees that there are a lot of people who need to apologize, but he is not one of them, saying that he is in charge and he does not need to apologize for anything. The COO continues, saying that both he and Orton know that he could fire Orton for the incident, but he is not going to fire Orton because that it is not what is “best for business”. Triple H says that, for this “one time”, he is going to accept Orton’s apology. Orton then says that, when he came to on RAW, he saw The Authority standing with John Cena, asking what he is supposed to think. Orton continues, saying that he is Triple H’s “man”, vowing to be the Champion of Champions this Sunday, asking Triple H is The Authority has the same amount of “faith” in him as he does in himself. Triple H smiles and shakes Orton’s hands, telling the WWE Champion not to worry about it because The Authority knows where their “faith lies”.
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