WWE: Smackdown
November 15, 2013
Manchester, UK
Phones 4u Arena
The current WWE champs are as follows:
WWE Champion: Randy Orton (10/27/2013)
World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena (10/27/2013)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Curtis Axel (6/16/2013)
WWE U.S. Champion: Dean Ambrose (5/19/2013)
WWE Tag Team Champions: Cody Rhodes & Goldust (10/14/2013)
WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee (6/16/2013)
Your hosts are Michael Cole and JBL.
– The Usos vs. Erick Rowan & Luke Harper (w/Bray Wyatt)
Lots of roughhousing to start. The Wyatt family boys try to contain Jey by wrenching on his neck, but to no avail. He flips out of a back suplex and tags Jimmy. Sunset flip spot doesn’t work, but they make it happen on the second shot. Rowan misses a butt splash and eats a dropkick. Still all hot and bothered, Jimmy charges Rowan and takes a hiptoss into the corner to take us into commercial. When we return, Harper is doing the Gator Roll on poor Jimmy. Rowan works the back with a pumphandle backbreaker. Jimmy uses a page out of the Shelton Benjamin playbook with a dragon whip kick. That sets up the Hot Tag to Jey! He nails Harper with a Samoan Drop, but quickly runs into a big boot. Rowan and Jimmy get knocked to the floor, but then Harper turns around into a superkick for a nearfall. Jimmy planchas onto Rowan, but Harper stops Jey with a forearm smash from the apron and then lands the Discus Clothesline to call it a day. (8:00 shown) Fun formula tag that puts Rowan and Harper a little higher up in the ranks before Survivor Series. After the bell, Jimmy Uso wasn’t going to take the Sister Abigail finish without a fight. With Jey out of it, that leaves Jimmy to take a beating all alone. Once that’s over, Bray cuts one of *those* promos directed at CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Follow the buzzards, mates. **¼
This Past Week on Raw: Paul Heyman returned in a wheelchair only to denigrate Ryback and receive a good caning by CM Punk. His reaction to Punk’s interruption was fantastic. The man clearly has no faith in the people he’s representing.
Backstage, Ryback tells Curtis Axel that he won’t show up for their tag match tonight if Axel’s still a “Paul Heyman guy”; and if he is, Ryback has a big problem with that. Axel assures him that he is in fact no longer a “Paul Heyman guy” and doesn’t need that man anymore. Haha, I beg to differ, pal.
Elsewhere, the Prime Time Players and R-Truth act like no one else does in real life.
– Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka (w/AJ Lee)
This Past Week on Main Event, Tamina cost Natalya the Divas championship by giving her a superkick to the jaw for the DQ when Natalya had AJ Lee in the Sharpshooter. I actually wanted to see this and now it’s happening. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. Tamina wrestles about as well as Chyna ever did, but that isn’t saying much. Anyways, this is real short. Natalya tries her best to put Tamina in the Sharpshooter and finally applies the hold for the win in 1:15. ¼*
This Past Week on Raw: The Big Show came for revenge on Randy Orton by beating the crap out of him and giving the Chokeslam through the announce table.
In the back, the GMs discuss the hellfire and brimstone that will surely rain down on each of them when the McMahon family return from vacation next Monday night.
– Prime Time Players & R-Truth vs. 3MB
3MB are wearing god-awful union jack outfits calling themselves the “Fab Three”. By the numbers match. O’Neil plays face-in-peril, Truth gets the hot tag, match breaks down, and Slater takes Truth’s finisher for the win. (3:30) Afterwards, PTP & Truth dance for the peoples in the union jack gear, which they have STOLEN. ¾*
– Arm Wrestling Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena
Time for a good old-fashioned arm wrestling match. I marked out for this. Cena channels the spirit of Lincoln Hawk and turns his hat around before they grip hands. If anyone wants to get me a Christmas gift, make it “Over the Top” on Blu-Ray, please and thank you. Cena doesn’t have to roll his fingers or anything as he beats Del Rio instantly – not once, but twice. Of course, this is professional wrestling, and an arm wrestling match always results in a fight. Del Rio nails Cena and looks to Pillmanize his good arm. Cena kicks him away, but winds up taking a spinebuster through the arm wrestling table instead. That’ll work. Del Rio drapes his shirt on Cena and tells him that he can’t see him.
– The Bellas vs. The Funkadactyls
The Divas are just showing off in this one. Nikki gives Cameron an Alabama Slam. Cameron comes back with a nice flying bodypress. Naomi lands a pretty cool wheelbarrow into a stunner. Butt Bump by Naomi (or what Cole calls the Rear View) catches Brie for what I see as an upset win in 2:30. *
In the back, Renee Young speaks with the Beard and the Best. You know them as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. They can’t wait to go through the Wyatt family. But first, they must go through Heyman’s goons.
– Great Khali vs. Hunico & Camacho
Just a chance for the Indians of the UK to see their hero. Khali destroys the returning Hunico and Camacho with a Khali Chop for one and the Khali Bomb for the other in 1:10.
Time for the Raw Rebound, or as I (and particularly the legendary CRZ) refer to it as: FUHFUHWID. This segment of the show lasts over ten minutes. Just a brief rundown, they show Vickie Guerrero putting Randy Orton in a handicap match against the tag champs Goldust and Cody Rhodes. They then cut to the match and then show the resulting beatdown Orton faces at the hands of the Big Show. For more details, check out Scott’s Raw Recap.
– CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs. Curtis Axel & Ryback
Punk and Bryan do just fine against Axel and Ryback to start showing off their cohesiveness. Punk quickly looks to put away Axel with the running knee in the corner and perhaps the Macho Elbow, but Ryback wisely pulls Axel out to the floor, which proves to be *unwise* as Bryan and Punk make them pay with Stereo Suicide Dives to take us into commercial. When we return, Punk is stuck on the wrong side of town, but never close to the point of being put away. Punk hits Axel with the swinging neckbreaker and hot tags Bryan. Back flip out of the corner, duck under, and clothesline connects on Ryback. Running dropkicks are everywhere and Bryan finishes his kick combo on Ryback for two. While Punk takes care of Axel, Ryback finds himself stuck in the YES Lock. It looks like he might tap when the Wyatt family interrupts and the arena goes dark. When the lights come on, the Wyatt family, Axel, and Ryback are left standing in the ring while Punk and Bryan are nowhere to be found. Axel tries to help Ryback up off the mat, but Ryback unknowingly shoves Axel back into Harper to stir up some real problems. Harper and Rowan beat the crap out of both guys and then dump them out still waiting for Punk and Bryan to show up. With their backs turned, Punk and Bryan roll out from under the ring and sneak into the ring to kick both Harper and Rowan from behind. With the damage done, Punk and Bryan head back up the ramp to a chorus of YES chants while the Wyatt family look super pissed. Let’s just rule this a no-contest, shall we? (9:45 shown) You had to see the Wyatt family getting involved in the finish somehow. Pretty wacky stuff and really just another opportunity to push the Wyatt boys past another formidable team. **½
Final Thoughts: If you like the movie “Over the Top” as much as I do, then you might dig the arm wrestling match. Otherwise, you didn’t miss much. A lot of Wyatt family interactions here as they were put over strong all night. They should get back to focusing more on the build to the rest of the Survivor Series card next week because nothing really ever happens on these UK shows.
Matt’s Smackdown Top Five:
1) The Wyatt Family (Just plain dominant. Except for those two kicks at the end of the show.)
2) John Cena (Lincoln Hawk. That is all.)
3) Alberto Del Rio (Looked super strong leaving Cena the way he did)
4) CM Punk (Strong on the mic, put on a good performance in the main event)
5) The Usos (Always appreciate their energetic tag matches)
