By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
MAY 5, 2009
TAPED IN NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. AT MSG
AIRED ON MY NETWORK TV

[Q1]

-The show opened with a video package hyping Kane vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio in a Fatal Four-way match to earn a World Title shot.

-The Smackdown opening then aired, followed by Jim Ross and Todd Grisham introducing the show. They hyped the four-way match and MVP vs. Dolph Ziggler, with Sherri Shepherd in MVP's corner. Ross added that Edge is the new Heavyweight Champion of the World.

-Chris Jericho walked out. Cliche-master Grisham said, "If you look up 'suit and tie' in the dictionary, Chris Jericho with a suit and tie on is probably the picture you will see." Ross said Jericho is an "egocentric winner, bottom line, and a huge acquisition for everyone on Smackdown."

Jericho summed up the entirety of the difference between Raw and Smackdown. "The day may have changed, the ropes may have gone from red to blue, the commentators are different, but one thing remains the same. All of you are still petulant hypocritical tapeworms and you are completely clueless and ignorant to how good I am." He said he's not going to introduce himself because that's beneath him. He said it's obvious the fans know who he is - the biggest Superstar to ever be drafted to Raw in the history of WWE. He told fans that he's taking over the show and the fans can't do anything about it. He said he was the 2008 Superstar of the Year and it's a travesty he has to compete in a Fatal Four-way match to earn a title shot. He said he will win the four-way and he will go on to become World Champion. Edge's music played and he walked onto the stage and toward the ring.

Edge said if Jericho won't introduce himself, he will for him. He said he's a tormentor of senior citizens the world over and a former World Heavyweight Champion. He asked him who beat him for the World Title. He answered his own question: John Cena. He said Jericho has never defeated Cena, but he did on Sunday. He made it clear to Jericho that he is the star of Smackdown and it's his brand. He said there's no better feeling than walking into the world's most famous arena. He paused as some MSG fans cheered. He said the arena is Air Canada Centre in Toronto. He said he can take all of his big speeches with big vocabulary words and scrap them. He said Smackdown isn't his to take because it already belongs to him. Jericho leaned in and said he disagrees with Edge. C.M. Punk's music then played and he walked onto the stage.

Punk entered the ring and introduced himself to the fans. He was carrying his Money in the Bank briefcase. He threw to the big screen from June 30, 2008 wen he won the World Title by beating Edge. Jericho said nobody cares what he has to say. He added that he is the best at what he does. He said he allows Edge to enter his ring because he is the World Champion, but Punk is not, so his best choice would be to walk out of the ring. He asked if he makes himself clear. He called the fans "recalcitrant frauds." Bob Backlund wants his gimmick back. Jericho told the fans he's done and he walked out.

[Q2]

Punk said as he was saying before being rudely interrupted, at which point Edge interrupted and said nobody cares what he has to say. Punk said Edge will want to hear what he has to say. He said it's a new era on Smackdown and his wife isn't G.M. of Smackdown anymore. He said that means Edge doesn't have anyone pulling strings for him anymore. He said Teddy Long wanted him to know that he will be wrestling tonight against him tonight. Edge said that's great. "That's what I like to call a warm-up match," he said. He said after he easily beats him tonight in a non-title match, he'll defend his title at Judgment Day. Punk said he shouldn't assume it's a non-title match because he could cash in his briefcase for a title match anytime he wants. He said after he knocks him out with the Go To Sleep, he's going to cash out his briefcase and pin him one more time to become champion. Grisham and Ross recapped the breaking news just revealed.

Good opening segment that established Jericho on the brand, reaffirmed Edge wants to remain the primary star, and introduced Punk as being a top tier player in the mix as the babyface contrast to them. And it did a good job setting up the show.

[Commercial Break]

-Ross and Grisham talked about Smackdown acquiring Rey Mysteiro, Candice Michelle, and John Morrison. Ross said he thinks Morrison will be one of the best.

1 -- JOHN MORRISON vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

Ross continued to tout Morrison as a future mega-star who Smackdown fans will have a chance to watch grow into his potential. Shelton opened up with a forearm and tossed Morrison to the floor. A frustrated Morrison charged right back in and speared Shelton and then hit him with a backflip dropkick for a one count. Grisham said he didn't know if he had ever seen that. Shelton went for a spin wheel kick. Morrison ducked, but Shelton returned with a boot to Morrison's face. Great opening minute on every level. Interesting, intense, realistic, athletic. Shelton settled into a chinlock. Morrison fought back with kicks leading to a two count at 2:00. Shelton came back with a sudden backbreaker. Morrison fired back with a springboard roundkick and his Moonlight Drive for the win.

WINNER: Morrison in 3:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Way too short. More of that, please. That's a real vote of confidence to Morrison's upward climb and a signal that the patience has run out on Shelton catching fire and really connecting with fans.

-Ross and Grisham hyped the key matches later on Smackdown.

[Commercial Break]

[Q3]

-WWE Fact: For males under 34, WWE.com ranked no. 1 for all Entertainment websites in February, beating out: AOL TV, Oprah.com, MTV.com, CBS.com, FOX.com, and TMZ.com. TMZ!!!

-They showed an exterior scene of the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden. Grisham threw to highlight clips of MVP on "The View," including Sherri Shepherd (the one who wasn't quite sure the Earth was round or flat because she had never thought much about it) and Barbara Walters saying the letters "W-W-E."

-Ross and Grisham talked about more of their draft acquisitions, including Kane, Alicia Fox, Mike Knox. Ross called Knox "raw boned and potentially dangerous."

-Jericho confronted G.M. Teddy Long backstage, complaining about having to fight to be the no. 1 contender. He asked Long if he realizes he beat three legends in the same night at WrestleMania. The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh entered the room. Khali talked gibberish. Jericho said, "Thank you. At least someone is showing me respect around here." Singh said he actually said he should quit his whining and get over himself. He looked at Long and softly, humbly said, "All right then." And he walked out.

-Ring intros began for the Fatal Four-way. Rey came out first. Ross said Rey is arguably the most popular wrestler in the history of MSG. They cut to a break.

[Commercial Break]

2 -- KANE vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. JEFF HARDY vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Rey's ring intro continued after the break. Kane came out next. Ross boldly said he'd be the biggest and strongest wrestler in the match. Jeff Hardy danced out next. After four-way action early, Kane pressed Rey and threw him onto Hardy and Jericho on the floor. They cut to an early break at 2:00.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

Kane leaped off the top rope as they returned from the break. Hardy caught him mid-air with a dropkick. Rey then springboard legdropped Kane leading to a two count. It settled into Hardy vs. Jericho seconds later. Jericho applied a Walls of Jericho, but Kane went for a chokeslam to break it up. Jericho countered Kane into a near Walls of Jericho, but Kane powered out at 6:00. Rey set up a 619 on Kane, but Jericho tripped him. hardy then hit Kane with a Swanton Bomb. Jericho yanked Hardy off of Kane before the three count. Jericho slipped into the ring and made the cover for the pin, eliminating Kane. Kane, before leaving the ring, gave Jericho an uppercut. Kane threw a fit at ringside, tossing Rey into the security railing and then ripping apart the steps. He grabbed two chairs and threw them into the ring. The ref got rid of one of the chairs and ordered Kane to the back. Rey then gave a stunned Jericho the 619 for a pop. He dove at Jericho, who lifted the chair to block him. The ref DQ'd Rey. That left Rey vs. Hardy as Jericho protested to the referee, although it's hard to imagine what his case was. Grisham said Jericho might not have known the rules. Notice the announcers never name referees by name anymore. That's a new edict by Vince McMahon you might have read about in last week's PWTorch Newsletter.

[Commercial Break]

At 13:00 Hardy and Rey began their one-on-one battle by circling each other in the ring. Ross said the winner will go to Judgment Day and face the champion for the title. Ross got very excited about the quality and magnitude of the match. "Where else would you want to be but here tonight!" exclaimed Ross. There's a few people who's Friday night dates were cancelled who came up with an answer to that question. Lots of good near falls and back-and-forth action. Rey hit the 619. Ross made a reference to "calling collect" which is, for those of us in our 30s, a familiar term, but probably antiquated for anyone much younger. (Before cell phones, you see, people without a lot of money such as college kids would call their parents "collect," meaning the caller would be asked by an operator if they accepted charges for receiving a call from the party calling, and once they agreed, they could talk to that person. There used to be a ton of ads on TV - as many as there are now for cell phones - pushing college kids to use their collect calling service to "save" the recipient money. History lesson over.) Rey then went for a springboard seated senton, but Hardy turned it into a roll-up for the three count.

WINNER: Hardy in 16:00 to earn a WWE Title match.

STAR RATING: ***1/2 - Very good match, made better by Ross's ebullient commentary in the closing minutes. The four-way action was really strong, and the closing minutes with Hardy and Rey hit a great crescendo.

-Grisham plugged C.M. Punk vs. Edge, bringing up the question of whether Hardy would face Edge or Punk at Judgment Day.

[Q5]

[Commercial Break]

-This was a rare case of WWE going to a commercial break at the top of the second hour, something TNA does routinely. WWE doesn't live and die on weekly Smackdown ratings like TNA does for Impact or WWE does for Raw, but for a post-produced show, it's a bad idea because it costs them floating channel surfing viewers who get invested in another show instead at the start of the hour.

-Ross and Grisham commented over highlights of the previous match.

-Jericho confronted Maria in the locker room, demanding to know where Teddy Long went. She said she was waiting for him to give feedback on his clothing line. Jericho asked if everyone has forgotten what's important around here. He said Long hired incompetent referees and useless Divas. Edge walked in and Jericho left. Edge asked Maria where Long went. Edge complained about things to Maria who gave him a blank stare. Edge then said he was going to go call his wife.

-Ross and Grisham were shown at ringside. He said with all due respect to Raw and ECW, Smackdown is the place to be. Ross said the draft was "so good to Smackdown." They talked about adding C.M. Punk, Layla, and Cryme Tyme. Ross said despite their reputations, it's never been proven they actually have stolen anything. Will new sponsor Pepsi like WWE encouraging kids to cheer a tag team who's gimmick might on any given week includes stealing soft drinks from a vending machine or convenience store?

[Q6]

-J.T.G. and Shad Gaspar came out and actually cut a mid-ring promo. They talked about this being their first night on Smackdown and, even better, it's in their hometown of New York, N.Y. He asked if the crowd wanted to see two of WWE's hottest Divas. They introduced Layla and Eve Torres. They had a dance off for no apparent reason. Ross said he threw his back out just watching them. I really think Eric Bischoff was onto something with the Nitro dancers because it incorporated the sex appeal of women without getting in the way of the product. They asked the crowd to cheer each, then awarded Eve the victory. Layla was a good sport at first, but then slapped Eve afterward, setting up a feud between them that will lead, I predict, to several forgettable two minutes televised matches.

-Backstage Sherri Shepherd invited MVP to a tour of "The View" since he gave her a nice tour of WWE.

[Commercial Break]

-Ross and Grisham touted the acquisitions of Melina, Chris Jericho, and Dolph Ziggler.

3 -- MVP (w/Sherri Shepherd) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Dolph Ziggler made his ring entrance. He introduced himself and said he's going to win the U.S. Title "right here in New Jersey." That got boos. Ross said, "I think his GSP broke." Ross said when he watches "The View" he learns things he shouldn't do as a chauvinistic male. MVP opened with a series of armdrags. Dolph threw MVP to the floor. Sherri, wearing a Ric Flair-like boa sequined robe, checked on MVP. She got in Ziggler's face. MVP saved her and they locked eyes. Ziggler took over at 2:00. Sherri got on the ring apron and distracted Ziggler, who fed into it and asked her to kiss him. She slapped him. MVP iht two clotheslines and a chop to the throat followed by his knee-drive to the chin. He then hit his signature elbow for a near fall. That needs to end a match now and then so it's not seen as an anticlimactic set-up for the eventual finisher. He swatted a last-ditch dropkick by Ziggler and finished him with the Playmaker. Sherri entered the ring as MVP held the ropes apart. They celebrated the win.

WINNER: MVP in 4:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 - Not a lot to the match, but it was fine. Sherri missed her calling as she was spot-on in selling, but not overselling, her enthusiasm for her man.

[Q7]

[Commercial Break]

-WWE Fact: WWE Television programs can be seen in 475 million homes worldwide - more than the NBA, Major League Baseball, and the NFL combined.

-Grisham and Ross hyped the Judgment Day line-up, beginning with Randy Orton vs. Batista and, well, that was it.

-Jericho got in Long's face backstage and called him a two-bit hack. He said if this is how he's going to treat the Superstar of the Year, maybe he should just quit. Morrison stepped out of the locker room. Jericho asked who he was looking at. Morrison: "I thought I was looking at a loser, but I guess I was looking at a quitter." Jericho slapped Morrison. Morrison shoved Jericho into the wall and they had a brief pullapart. Punk walked between them on his way to the ring and shrugged and whistled. Tony Garea, Charlie Haas, Charles Robinson, and J.T.G. were the puller-aparters. Interesting to see them plant a seed for a Jericho-Morrison feud. Will they move Morrison to a babyface role, smarting off to the heels with his dry sense of acerbic humor?

[Commercial Break]

[Q8]

4 -- EDGE vs. C.M. PUNK

Edge made his ring intro first. Punk took early control with kicks. Ross and Grisham talked about the Money in the Bank concept, with 100 percent going on to win a world title. Edge kicked Punk off the ring apron to the floor as they cut to a break at 2:00.

[Commercial Break]

At 8:00 Punk made a comeback by catching Edge with a kick, then a running knee in the corner, then a bulldog for a near fall. Punk went for his Go To Sleep, but Edge blocked it and applied the Sharpshooter. Ross cited Bret Hart as the master of the hold. Punk reached for the bottom rope, but he was stuck mid-ring. A minute later he managed to reach it to force a break. Punk came back with a Go To Sleep for the clean win. Ross said Punk could now possibly become World Champion by cashing in his briefcase. Edge was KO'd on the mat as Punk's arm was raised.

WINNER: Punk in 11:00.

STAR RATING: **3/4 -- Good match. Quite the early boost for Punk to score that type of win on his first week on Smackdown.

-Punk grabbed his briefcase. He told the ref he was cashing it in. Ross and Grisham built up the excitement. The ring announcer declared that Punk was cashing it in. Just as Punk entered the ring to start the match, Umaga came out of nowhere and attacked Punk. Grisham clarified that the bell never rang so this didn't count as cashing in the case. Umaga slipped out of the ring. Edge picked up the case and was going to use it against Punk. Hardy ran out and made the save, giving Edge a Swanton Bomb. His music played to end the show. Grisham called it "a dramatic, unbelievable turn of events." Ross seemed genuinely excited by this edition of Smackdown, one of the best in terms of athleticism, angles, and a sense of a new fresh start. This is the brand split flexing its muscles, being utilized well.

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