By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Smackdown TV Report
May 1, 2009
Taped April 28 in New York City

Tonight: The mood is always changing with a new season of Smackdown inside Madison Square Garden. #1 contender match is on the menu tonight. Jericho vs. Kane vs. Rey vs. Jeff Hardy.

In-ring: As Jim Ross reminded us that Edge is the new World's Hvt. champion, Chris Jericho started the show walking to the ring in a suit and tie. Jericho not in a good mood as he was embraced by a chorus of boos from the NYC crowd. Jericho opened by saying the lights are different, the ropes are different, the announcers are different, but the WWE fans remain ignorant to how talented he really is. Jericho said he's taking over the show and there's nothing anyone can do about it. He declared himself the next World Hvt. champion.

Edge's music interrupted and out walked the new World champion fresh off his victory over John Cena at Backlash. Edge said it's very rude for Jericho not to introduce himself. Heel vs. heel promo exchanges are always fun. Edge reminded everyone that Jericho's never beaten John Cena, but he just beat John Cena at Backlash for the World Title. He told Jericho to ditch his little angry man routine and recognize that "Edge" is the name on the marquee and he runs this show. Jericho maintained stern, unflinching eye contact. Crowd chanted for "Cena." No dice tonight.

Edge told Jericho to take his big speeches with big vocabulary words and scratch it. Smackdown belongs to him. Jericho stepped up to Edge's face and said he disagrees. Suddenly, C.M. Punk's music interrupted and the MITB briefcase holder interrupted. Punk introduced himself R-V-D style, then told Jericho and Edge they can call him Mr. Money in the Bank. Roll footage of Punk's awesome career moments, going back to June 2008 when Punk cashed in his MITB briefcase on Edge to win the World Title.

After the footage aired, Punk smiled in Edge's direction. Before he could go on, Jericho interrupted to tell Punk no one cares about what he has to say. Jericho claimed to be the best at what he does. He told Punk to turn around and leave the ring right now. Punk was done listening to Jericho, so he turned back to Edge. Jericho wasn't going to let Punk slip by, so he cut another verbally-proficient speech before saying he's done. Jericho stormed out of the ring. "That was awkward," Punk said.

Edge said he actually agrees with Jericho that no one cares what Punk has to say. Punk cut Edge off and told him he really needs to hear what he has to say. Punk said they're in the middle of a new era on Smackdown that has nothing to do with Edge because his wife, Vickie, is no longer SD GM. That means no one's pulling the strings for Edge in the office. Punk gave Edge a word from SD GM Teddy Long that they're having a one-on-one competition tonight. Edge shook his head and said that's just a nice, little warm-up match for Judgment Day.

Edge thought it was non-title. Punk said he could cash in the briefcase anytime he wants. As he was saying, tonight is going down with him pinning Edge, then he's going to cash in the briefcase, and call for a re-start to become new World champion. Crowd liked that. Edge just sneered, then left the ring as Punk's music played. Segment took forever, but good interaction between all three participants.

[Commercial Break]

Announcers: Ross and Todd Grisham discussed Smackdown's Draft picks. Rey Mysterio, Candice Michelle, and John Morrison. ... On cue, Morrison came out to the ring for the opening match. Morrison trying to look a bit more smiley and babyface-ish. Shelton Benjamin came out as the opposition.

1 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. JOHN MORRISON

Shelton tossed Morrison to the floor early on, then Morrison ran back into the ring and tackled Shelton. He then nailed a backflip dropkick for a one count. Shelton came back with a standing boot to the face in this very fast-paced match. Morrison then came back with the Moonlight Drive for a quick win in less than three minutes.

WINNER: Morrison in 3:00. WWE is definitely trying to present Morrison as a babyface, but I'm not feeling the change without an actual reason for him to change his attitude. Perhaps WWE will just take a shortcut and sweeten that audio in post-production on Friday nights to help fans "acclimate" to their plans. Good action for a short period of time. (*1/2)

[Commercial Break]

"The View" clips: They showed a video package of Sherri Shepherd hyping MVP on recent episodes of "The View." WWE showed some newspaper clippings to reinforce the "pop culture" newsworthiness of the angle.

Draft recap: Kane is changing his colors from red to blue, Alicia Fox is coming over to SD, and Mike Knox is on Friday nights.

Backstage: Jericho berated Teddy Long for ruining his moment debuting on Smackdown. Jericho kept trying to talk over Long, then Great Khali and Sideburns interrupted. Khali talked turkey, then Jericho lightly patted him on the chest for showing some respect. Singh translated that Khali thinks Jericho should stop whining and get over himself. Jericho quietly just took it in stride, then walked off.

In-ring: Rey Mysterio came to the ring first for the #1 contender four-way match.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Kane came out next looking for his chance to become #1 contender. The wild Kane vs. Rey program now on Smackdown. Great. Jeff Hardy's music hit to a John Cena-like crowd reaction and Jeff came out to wait his turn for Chris Jericho to methodically make his way to the ring.

2 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. IC champion REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE vs. JEFF HARDY -- #1 Contender fatal four-way match

Bell sounded and Hardy was dumped to the floor. There goes one participant. Fans chanted his name, then Kane cleared the ring of Jericho and Rey. Kane in control heading to break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Kane was not in control as Rey dropped the dime for a two count. Jericho blocked a huracanrana attempt and slapped on the Walls of Jericho, but Kane grappled Jericho for a chokeslam attempt. Jericho slipped out and they had a stalemate. Kane then turned his attention to Rey for a chokeslam, but Rey set him up for the 619, only to have Jericho yank him to the floor. Hot action leading to Jeff nailing a top rope Whisper in the Wind and Swanton bomb, but Jericho pulled Jeff out of the ring to make the cover on Kane for himself.

After Kane was eliminated, he uppercut Jericho out of frustration before deciding to destroy people on the floor. Kane grabbed a chair or two as Grisham bailed from the announce table. Meanwhile, Rey nailed Jericho with the 619, then he wanted to smash Jericho, but Jericho grabbed one of the chairs and smashed Rey in the gut. Ref called for a DQ and Jericho snapped that he shouldn't be DQ'ed. Jericho aired his grievance in a non-productive way, then they cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

So, it's Jeff vs. Rey. Back from break, both men circled around the ring before going at it. They had a mid-air collision after each man held brief control, then Jeff went to work on Rey. More counters and nearfalls. Goodness, great exchanges in this match. Rey then hit the 619 and wanted the springboard splash for the finish, but Jeff rolled out of Rey's pin and trapped Rey's legs for the three count and the win. Afterward, Jeff sold exhaustion before clapping for Rey. They shook hands and congratulated each other on a fine match conclusion before WWE cameras stayed with Jeff for some time as he celebrated the win.

WINNER: Jeff Hardy in 15:00. Heck of a TV match. Excellent exchanges when it was a four-way, then when it was down to Jeff vs. Rey. Great action leading to Jeff becoming #1 contender to Edge's World Title. (***1/2)

[Commercial Break]

Replay: Ross and Grisham narrated clips from the four-way match. ... Backstage: Jericho barged into Teddy Long's office demanding a word on the rules. Maria was sitting there waiting for a word with Long about her clothing line. Jericho said Long is an incompetent GM who hires useless divas. Edge then quietly stepped in and stared down Jericho, who walked away. Edge tried to hold a conversation with Maria, who just stared at him with a blank stare. Edge declared he's going to call his wife.

Draft Recap: C.M. Punk came over to Smackdown. Layla also came over. So did Cryme Tyme. On cue, Cryme Tyme came out with Shad sporting a New York Knicks jersey, prompting Grisham to reinforce the lack of NBA Playoffs action for the Knicks. In the ring, CT took the mic and welcomed themselves to Smackdown. They booked a divas dance-off: the Brooklyn Breakdown on Smackdown. Our two competitors were Eve Torres and Layla. Just simply unfair for Layla as a professional dancer. But, Eve won thanks to the crowd response, which, of course, prompted a catfight that Cryme Tyme had to separate.

Backstage: MVP and Sherri Shepherd prepared for MVP's match against Dolph Ziggler. Sherri got a little too hyped about MVP taking it to Dolph in the ring. MVP calmed her down, then they walked off. Sherri certainly carried herself well as an over-the-top character.

[Commercial Break]

Draft Recap: Women's champion Melina is coming back to Smackdown. Chris Jericho is already here. Dolph Ziggler came over from Raw. Cue up Ziggler's theme music and he came to the ring as cocky as possible with his super-slicked-back hair. Dolph then took the mic while still chewing his gum and introduced himself. He vowed to win the U.S. Title right here tonight in New...Jersey. MVP's music interrupted and he came out on stage before bringing out Sherri Shepherd. Ross said tongue-in-cheek that he learned a lot about women by watching The View - things he shouldn't do since he's just a chauvinistic male.

3 -- U.S. champion MVP (w/Sherri Shepherd) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER -- U.S. Title match

Sherri was hanging on every move as MVP got his shine to start the match. Dolph then dumped MVP to the outside and Sherri checked on MVP until Dolph took his offense to the outside. Dolph then stalked Sherri until MVP made the save. MVP gave Sherri some instructions to stand in one place, then Dolph took control in the ring. Sherri then hopped on the apron to trash-talk Dolph, who stalked her until Sherri slapped Dolph across the face. Ref let it go, then MVP made his offensive comeback. He nailed the Ballin' elbow drop as his nose strip was hanging off to the side. MVP then hit the Playmaker on Dolph for the pin and the win.

WINNER: MVP in 4:00 to retain the U.S. Title. Harmless match to send MVP off to Raw after giving Dolph some rub being involved in a celebrity cross-over angle. Sherri brought some good energy to the match that didn't hurt things. (*)

[Commercial Break]

Backstage: Jericho was berating Long in the hallway while standing in front of an old-school N.Y. Rangers poster. Jericho said he should just quit if Long is going to run the show like an idiot. Long took the verbal beating in stride, then John Morrison walked out of a side door. He had a verbal exchange with Jericho that led to a brawl in the hallway. Charlie Haas and Ron Killings picked up some TV time helping in the pullapart. Punk then walked by and just kept on walking after laughing at Jericho. Jericho vs. Morrison...hm...

4 -- World Hvt. champion EDGE vs. C.M. PUNK -- non-title match

Ross said he's not Edge's biggest fan, but he respects him for competing five days away from the brutal match against John Cena at Backlash. With all the talk for the Judgment Day PPV, Backlash last Sunday seems so far away. Edge knocked Punk to the floor before they cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Edge was still in control. Edge wanted the spear at 10:00, but Punk blocked with a kick strike. He then nailed a knee strike in the corner, followed by a bulldog for a two count. Punk missed with a follow-up springboard smash, but caught a charging Edge for a powerslam. Punk couldn't score a three count, though, then he called for the Go 2 Sleep. Edge blocked, though, and slapped on the Sharpshooter in center ring. Punk fought and fought before reaching the bottom rope for a break. Edge then tried a suplex, but Punk slipped out and nailed the Go 2 Sleep in a nice finish for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Punk in 14:00. Good main event match. Edge is the best heel in the company at elevating an opponent without hurting himself in the process, even if he's going to take a clean loss. (**1/2)

Post-match: Punk picked up the MITB briefcase and said he wanted to cash in the briefcase. Ref Chiota confirmed it with Justin Roberts, who announced the World Title match. But, before the bell sounded, Umaga stormed the ring and superkicked Punk. Umaga popped Punk with more offense, then he took off. Grisham said the bell never sounded, so Punk still has the case to cash in. Edge came to, stalked Punk, and taunted him, but Jeff Hardy stormed the ring and dropped Edge with the Twist of Fate. He nailed Edge with the Swanton Bomb, then celebrated for the crowd to close the show.

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