Matt’s Smackdown Recap 7/11/14

WWE: Smackdown
July 11, 2014
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Canadian Tire Centre

The current WWE champs are as follows:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena (6/29/2014)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Vacant (6/30/2014)
WWE U.S. Champion: Sheamus (5/5/2014)
WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee (6/30/2014)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The Usos (3/3/2014)

Your hosts are Michael Cole and JBL.

To kickoff tonight’s show, Rusev and Lana meet with Roman Reigns for a big showdown. When a referee comes out to make this fight official, Lana decides to retreat and takes Rusev back to the locker room. If Roman Reigns is in training to be the next face of WWE, he’s got some promo skills to build.

–      Non-title match: WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Cameron

Pretty even match here for the two Divas. Cameron decides to bail out on the match until Naomi runs down and tosses her back inside for the Shining Wizard to give AJ the win. (3:15) Soon enough, the Funkadactyls will EXPLODE.

Backstage, Renee Young asks Randy Orton for his rebuttal to what Kane said this past week on Raw. Orton doesn’t have much to say on the matter. Instead, he turns his attention to tonight’s opponent: Chris Jericho. Some consider Jericho to be a legend. Well tonight, Orton says he’s going to introduce Jericho to the “legend killer”.

–      Fandango (w/Layla) vs. Adam Rose (w/Summer Rae)

So Summer Rae is hanging out with Adam Rose now? No real match to speak of here. Fandango has to go out and break up a catfight, which gets him counted out. (1:00) After the bell, Rose leaves Fandango laying with the Party Foul.

In the back, Renee Young meets with Chris Jericho. He sets the stage for the match he’ll have with Bray Wyatt at Battleground. Jericho vows to take action tonight against Randy Orton in his return match to Smackdown.

–      Non-title match: WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Heath Slater & Titus O’Neil

The obvious team for Slater and O’Neil? Ebony & Ivory. Ginger & Cinnamon? Nah, sounds like a stripper tag team. Anyways, I’m pumped about the Usos/Wyatt family 2/3 falls match for Battleground. Could be a classic if the MITB match is any indication.  This one is over in no time as the Usos deliver the Samoan Splash to Slater for the easy pinfall. (2:00) Afterwards, Byron Saxton meets the Usos in the ring for an interview. They do a goofy bit doing PBP for how they think their match at Battleground will happen.

–      Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

Bray and the Wyatt family get on the TitanTron to tell Jericho to “save himself”. After some feeling-out stuff, Orton bails to take us into commercial. When we return, he manages to come back and avoids a corner charge by Jericho that sends him all the way out to the floor. On the outside, Orton delivers a backbreaker onto the barricade. Back inside, he works a chinlock for a while. Jericho comes back building towards the Walls of Jericho. Orton escapes, but gets nailed with an enziguri for two. Jericho shoves off a superplex and delivers a flying bodypress for 1-2-NO! Orton rallies back with an inverted backbreaker, but the DDT through the ropes fails as Jericho finds the Walls of Jericho. Orton reaches the ropes and hits the DDT through the ropes anyways. RKO is shoved away allowing Jericho to land the Lionsault! Just as things are looking good, the Wyatt family music distracts Jericho, as Orton hops up and hits the RKO out of nowhere for the win. (11:45 shown) Good match for both men even though that finish is pretty much played out. Orton gave Jericho a ton of offense that he needed to reintroduce himself, but needed the Wyatts to get the win, which is really what Orton needs right now since he’s the fourth wheel in this upcoming fatal four-way match. **½

–      Special Referee – Fandango: Layla vs. Summer Rae

No match. When they try to run at each other, Fandango keeps them separated and puts the attention back onto him as he starts dancing. Looks like the chicks have had enough and turn on the poor guy. Even Layla has given up here. Once Fandango retreats up the aisle, Layla and Summer Rae dance together. If these two ladies can make peace, anybody can. It’s alright, Fandango. You’ll bounce back.

–      Curtis Axel (w/Ryback) vs. Goldust (w/Stardust)

Goldust gets dumped over by the announce table. To make sure there isn’t any funny business, Stardust slithers over and sits on the table before walking away wearing JBL’s hat. Back inside, Goldust quickly comes back and hits the Final Cut for the victory. (3:15) After the bell, Ryback jumps Goldust and looks to give him the Shell Shock until Stardust blows gold confetti in his face.

–      Handicap Match: Bo Dallas vs. El Torito & Diego

Tonight, Bo says he’s going to be “handicapable”. Dallas quickly hits Diego with the Bo Dog to pick up the win. (1:15) Afterwards, Dallas flips poor Torito in the ring by the horns and gives him the Bo Dog as well. Now run your victory lap!

–      Roman Reigns vs. Rusev (w/Lana)

This should be interesting. Rusev kicks Reigns into a corner, but he comes punching his way out to send Rusev to the floor as we take a commercial break. When we come back, Rusev catches Reigns with the spinning heel kick and works a nerve hold. He continues the violence by whipping Reigns from corner to corner. Reigns eventually gets a burst of energy and starts running around hitting clotheslines. He then delivers the Samoan Drop and the sliding dropkick on the apron. He follows up with the Superman Punch and howls for the Spear, but Randy Orton appears and attacks Reigns for the DQ. (7:00 shown) Reigns knocks Orton off the apron with the Superman Punch, but turns around into a superkick from Rusev. With Lana’s direction, Rusev heads back up the aisleway, leaving Reigns to take an RKO from Orton to close out the show. Kind of an old school-style encounter here. Rusev slowed down the action while Reigns picked everything up with his comeback. *½

Until next time, so long for now.