Smackdown
Date:
March 15, 2013
March 15, 2013
Location:
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Commentators:
Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, Brad Maddox
Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, Brad Maddox
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Back
to Smackdown as we continue getting ready for Wrestlemania. Counting
this episode we have four episodes to go before the big show and a
lot of the card is already set. The main thing we still need to do
is officially announce the likely six man tag between Shield and
Orton/Sheamus/Big Show. We have a main event tonight of Ryback vs.
Mark Henry, which I have a feeling won’t happen. Let’s get to it.
to Smackdown as we continue getting ready for Wrestlemania. Counting
this episode we have four episodes to go before the big show and a
lot of the card is already set. The main thing we still need to do
is officially announce the likely six man tag between Shield and
Orton/Sheamus/Big Show. We have a main event tonight of Ryback vs.
Mark Henry, which I have a feeling won’t happen. Let’s get to it.
Sheamus/Randy
Orton vs. Rhodes Scholars
Orton vs. Rhodes Scholars
Before
the match we get a clip of Shield attacking Orton and Sheamus on
Sunday. We also hear from Sandow who complains about how bad things
went on Monday, but tonight the Scholars are going to ruin Orton and
Sheamus’ night. Rhodes and Sheamus start things off and after Cody
can’t get anything going he makes the tag off to Sandow. Damien
stomps Sheamus down in the corner but Sheamus comes back with the
knee lift and some running forearms.
the match we get a clip of Shield attacking Orton and Sheamus on
Sunday. We also hear from Sandow who complains about how bad things
went on Monday, but tonight the Scholars are going to ruin Orton and
Sheamus’ night. Rhodes and Sheamus start things off and after Cody
can’t get anything going he makes the tag off to Sandow. Damien
stomps Sheamus down in the corner but Sheamus comes back with the
knee lift and some running forearms.
Sheamus
hits the ten forearms to the chest of Sandow before they head to the
floor, allowing Rhodes to hit the Disaster Kick off the apron to take
Sheamus out. After a break we come back with Cody dropkicking
Sheamus down for two. Back to Sandow who pounds away on the pale
one, only to have Sheamus headbutt him from the mat to escape. A
front facelock keeps Sheamus in control but he punches his way out.
hits the ten forearms to the chest of Sandow before they head to the
floor, allowing Rhodes to hit the Disaster Kick off the apron to take
Sheamus out. After a break we come back with Cody dropkicking
Sheamus down for two. Back to Sandow who pounds away on the pale
one, only to have Sheamus headbutt him from the mat to escape. A
front facelock keeps Sheamus in control but he punches his way out.
Sheamus
is sent into the corner but the referee stops Sandow for a lecture.
Damien charges into an elbow in the corner followed by the top rope
shoulder from Sheamus to put both guys down. The hot tag brings in
Orton to powerslam Rhodes. A t-bone suplex puts Cody down again as
does the Elevated DDT. It’s a Brogue Kick for Sandow and the RKO to
Cody for the pin at 5:57 shown of 9:27. Cole: “HASHTAG CELTIC
VIPERS!” It’s time to push Twitter again apparently.
is sent into the corner but the referee stops Sandow for a lecture.
Damien charges into an elbow in the corner followed by the top rope
shoulder from Sheamus to put both guys down. The hot tag brings in
Orton to powerslam Rhodes. A t-bone suplex puts Cody down again as
does the Elevated DDT. It’s a Brogue Kick for Sandow and the RKO to
Cody for the pin at 5:57 shown of 9:27. Cole: “HASHTAG CELTIC
VIPERS!” It’s time to push Twitter again apparently.
Rating:
C. Basic tag match here to
establish the super team as a threat. Granted I’m not sure how much
of a threat you can prove yourselves to be when you beat a team that
loses every time they team up. Again, what was the point in
splitting them up if you’re just going to put them back together to
job them out all the time?
C. Basic tag match here to
establish the super team as a threat. Granted I’m not sure how much
of a threat you can prove yourselves to be when you beat a team that
loses every time they team up. Again, what was the point in
splitting them up if you’re just going to put them back together to
job them out all the time?
Post
match here’s the Shield…on the screen. They say Sheamus and Orton
should be afraid, but not tonight. Ambrose lists off all the people
they’ve taken apart and left laying in the ring like roadkill.
Rollins wants to know why Shield doesn’t have a match at Wrestlemania
because that’s the biggest injustice of all. Ambrose tells Sheamus
and Orton to find a partner for a six man tag. Orton and Sheamus say
they’re in.
match here’s the Shield…on the screen. They say Sheamus and Orton
should be afraid, but not tonight. Ambrose lists off all the people
they’ve taken apart and left laying in the ring like roadkill.
Rollins wants to know why Shield doesn’t have a match at Wrestlemania
because that’s the biggest injustice of all. Ambrose tells Sheamus
and Orton to find a partner for a six man tag. Orton and Sheamus say
they’re in.
Fandango
debuts tonight. Again.
debuts tonight. Again.
We
recap Lesnar’s beatdown of the Outlaws from Raw as well as Heyman
accepting Lesnar’s challenge for Wrestlemania.
recap Lesnar’s beatdown of the Outlaws from Raw as well as Heyman
accepting Lesnar’s challenge for Wrestlemania.
Sheamus
and Orton talk about making the right choice when Big Show comes up.
He offers his services even though he doesn’t trust either guy.
Instead though, Sheamus and Orton have apparently picked Ryback.
and Orton talk about making the right choice when Big Show comes up.
He offers his services even though he doesn’t trust either guy.
Instead though, Sheamus and Orton have apparently picked Ryback.
Kaitlyn/Layla
vs. Tamina Snuka/Aksana
vs. Tamina Snuka/Aksana
Tamina
shoves Layla down to start but Layla comes back with some kicks.
Tamina slams Layla as he blocks a kick before bringing in Aksana.
The crowd is dead for this. The Funkadactyls are watching in the
back. Aksana puts on a lame bow and arrow hold before it’s back to
Tamina for another suplex. Layla whips Tamina into the corner,
allowing for a hot tag to Kaitlyn. She fires off kicks and right
hands to Aksana and spears her down, but Layla tags herself in and
hits Lots of Layla (that bouncing cross body out of the corner of
hers) for the pin at 3:52.
shoves Layla down to start but Layla comes back with some kicks.
Tamina slams Layla as he blocks a kick before bringing in Aksana.
The crowd is dead for this. The Funkadactyls are watching in the
back. Aksana puts on a lame bow and arrow hold before it’s back to
Tamina for another suplex. Layla whips Tamina into the corner,
allowing for a hot tag to Kaitlyn. She fires off kicks and right
hands to Aksana and spears her down, but Layla tags herself in and
hits Lots of Layla (that bouncing cross body out of the corner of
hers) for the pin at 3:52.
Rating:
D. This was a rather boring
match with things continuing to lead up towards Layla vs. Kaitlyn,
but again there’s no reason to care about these girls. Tamina and
Aksana are very boring as villains to be beaten up and Layla does
nothing of note either as a challenger. The match was boring on top
of having a played out premise to it.
D. This was a rather boring
match with things continuing to lead up towards Layla vs. Kaitlyn,
but again there’s no reason to care about these girls. Tamina and
Aksana are very boring as villains to be beaten up and Layla does
nothing of note either as a challenger. The match was boring on top
of having a played out premise to it.
The
Bellas come in to see the Funkadactyls and the dancers say the Bellas
were big influences on them. The Bellas call the Funkadactyls
hoochie mamas who dance for a dinosaur and a man who thinks he’s
Japanese. A brawl erupts and the Bellas leave the Funkadactyls
laying.
Bellas come in to see the Funkadactyls and the dancers say the Bellas
were big influences on them. The Bellas call the Funkadactyls
hoochie mamas who dance for a dinosaur and a man who thinks he’s
Japanese. A brawl erupts and the Bellas leave the Funkadactyls
laying.
We
go back to Raw to recap the events with Punk, Kane, Undertaker and
the urn during the tribute to Paul Bearer.
go back to Raw to recap the events with Punk, Kane, Undertaker and
the urn during the tribute to Paul Bearer.
Kane
vs. Dolph Ziggler
vs. Dolph Ziggler
Kane
takes him into the corner to start and fires off some knee lifts
before punching away in another corner. An uppercut puts Ziggler
down on the floor for a bit but he fires off some right hands back
inside to get himself a breather. A big boot puts Ziggler down again
though as does a slam. Dolph fires off more right hands but gets
backdropped out to the apron. He comes back in with a missile
dropkick for two before kicking Kane in the face.
takes him into the corner to start and fires off some knee lifts
before punching away in another corner. An uppercut puts Ziggler
down on the floor for a bit but he fires off some right hands back
inside to get himself a breather. A big boot puts Ziggler down again
though as does a slam. Dolph fires off more right hands but gets
backdropped out to the apron. He comes back in with a missile
dropkick for two before kicking Kane in the face.
A
front facelock by Ziggler is easily thrown off by Kane but Ziggler
counters with the jumping DDT for two. Kane comes right back with a
delayed vertical suplex for two. A powerslam attempt is countered
into the sleeper by Ziggler but Kane flips him down onto his back for
two. Kane’s top rope clothesline puts Dolph down but an AJ
distraction breaks up the chokeslam. Langston throws Bryan into the
timekeeper’s area so Kane kick Big E. down. Back inside Ziggler hits
a Fameasser and the Zig Zag for the pin at 7:17.
front facelock by Ziggler is easily thrown off by Kane but Ziggler
counters with the jumping DDT for two. Kane comes right back with a
delayed vertical suplex for two. A powerslam attempt is countered
into the sleeper by Ziggler but Kane flips him down onto his back for
two. Kane’s top rope clothesline puts Dolph down but an AJ
distraction breaks up the chokeslam. Langston throws Bryan into the
timekeeper’s area so Kane kick Big E. down. Back inside Ziggler hits
a Fameasser and the Zig Zag for the pin at 7:17.
Rating:
C. Not bad here but the
distractions got to be a bit much. It was nice to see Ziggler
getting a win here and it appears we’ll be getting Ziggler and
Langston vs. HELL NO at Mania for the tag titles. The formula worked
for Shawn and Diesel twenty years ago so why not do it again here?
C. Not bad here but the
distractions got to be a bit much. It was nice to see Ziggler
getting a win here and it appears we’ll be getting Ziggler and
Langston vs. HELL NO at Mania for the tag titles. The formula worked
for Shawn and Diesel twenty years ago so why not do it again here?
Post
match Langston lays out Kane.
match Langston lays out Kane.
We
get another parody video from Del Rio and Ricardo, this one about
evil Canadian immigrants. Apparently they’re crossing the border and
bringing in maple syrup. Is this supposed to be amusing?
get another parody video from Del Rio and Ricardo, this one about
evil Canadian immigrants. Apparently they’re crossing the border and
bringing in maple syrup. Is this supposed to be amusing?
Jericho
and R-Truth are laughing at the video in the back when Jack Swagger
and Zeb Colter come in. Swagger talks about putting the weight of
the country on his back and fighting for America’s soul. They accuse
Jericho of sneaking across the border and stealing American jobs, but
Jericho points out that he was born in New York. Jericho tells
Swagger to focus on his match with Del Rio at Wrestlemania but not
until after their match tonight.
and R-Truth are laughing at the video in the back when Jack Swagger
and Zeb Colter come in. Swagger talks about putting the weight of
the country on his back and fighting for America’s soul. They accuse
Jericho of sneaking across the border and stealing American jobs, but
Jericho points out that he was born in New York. Jericho tells
Swagger to focus on his match with Del Rio at Wrestlemania but not
until after their match tonight.
Fandango
still debuts tonight. Allegedly.
still debuts tonight. Allegedly.
Great
Khali vs. Fandango
Khali vs. Fandango
I’m
sure you know the drill by now. Khali can’t pronounce Fandango’s
name so no match. The idea is starting to get old in a hurry. We
waste another five minutes on this.
sure you know the drill by now. Khali can’t pronounce Fandango’s
name so no match. The idea is starting to get old in a hurry. We
waste another five minutes on this.
We
get the Rock vs. Cena video from Raw.
get the Rock vs. Cena video from Raw.
Sheamus
and Orton talk about being excited for the six man when Shield jumps
them. Ryback comes up but Booker tells him to go fight Mark Henry
instead of worrying about Shield.
and Orton talk about being excited for the six man when Shield jumps
them. Ryback comes up but Booker tells him to go fight Mark Henry
instead of worrying about Shield.
Mark
Henry vs. Ryback
Henry vs. Ryback
They
lock up and fight into the corner but here’s Shield about thirty five
seconds in. No match for all intents and purposes.
lock up and fight into the corner but here’s Shield about thirty five
seconds in. No match for all intents and purposes.
Henry
bails and Ryback clears out Shield. Henry gets back in but Shield
comes back in to beat Ryback down. The TripleBomb lays Ryback out
and the Shield leaves, allowing Henry to hit a pair World’s Strongest
Slams for good measure.
bails and Ryback clears out Shield. Henry gets back in but Shield
comes back in to beat Ryback down. The TripleBomb lays Ryback out
and the Shield leaves, allowing Henry to hit a pair World’s Strongest
Slams for good measure.
Jack
Swagger vs. Chris Jericho
Swagger vs. Chris Jericho
Feeling
out process to start as they fight for control via a hammerlock.
Swagger takes over with a big right hand in the corner but Jericho
clotheslines him to get a breather. The springboard dropkick sends
Swagger to the floor and we take a break. Back with Swagger hitting
a running knee in the corner before hooking a double chickenwing.
Jericho finally rolls his way out of it but gets kicked right back
down for two.
out process to start as they fight for control via a hammerlock.
Swagger takes over with a big right hand in the corner but Jericho
clotheslines him to get a breather. The springboard dropkick sends
Swagger to the floor and we take a break. Back with Swagger hitting
a running knee in the corner before hooking a double chickenwing.
Jericho finally rolls his way out of it but gets kicked right back
down for two.
Off
to a front facelock by Jack but Jericho rolls over into a near fall.
Jack takes out the knee with a chop block to set up the Patriot Lock.
Chris kicks off and gets two more off a small package, only to be
suplexed down for two for Swagger. We take another break and come
back with Swagger hitting a running splash in the corner but Jericho
comes back with a DDT for two. Chris fires off some kicks but
Swagger grabs the gutwrench, only to have the powerbomb countered
into the Walls of Jericho.
to a front facelock by Jack but Jericho rolls over into a near fall.
Jack takes out the knee with a chop block to set up the Patriot Lock.
Chris kicks off and gets two more off a small package, only to be
suplexed down for two for Swagger. We take another break and come
back with Swagger hitting a running splash in the corner but Jericho
comes back with a DDT for two. Chris fires off some kicks but
Swagger grabs the gutwrench, only to have the powerbomb countered
into the Walls of Jericho.
Swagger
blocks those though and puts on the Patriot Lock but Jericho rolls
through THAT and puts on the Walls. They’re not on tight though and
Swagger makes a rope. Out to the floor we go with Jericho sending
Jack into the steps. Back in and a top rope cross body gets two for
the Canadian but Jack blocks the Codebreaker. The gutwrench
powerbomb is enough to end Jericho at 10:03 shown of 16:33.
blocks those though and puts on the Patriot Lock but Jericho rolls
through THAT and puts on the Walls. They’re not on tight though and
Swagger makes a rope. Out to the floor we go with Jericho sending
Jack into the steps. Back in and a top rope cross body gets two for
the Canadian but Jack blocks the Codebreaker. The gutwrench
powerbomb is enough to end Jericho at 10:03 shown of 16:33.
Rating:
C+. This started slow but the
stuff after the second break was much better. This is where Jericho
is so valuable: he could (and often does) lose like 80% of his
matches but he’s such an established star that it doesn’t hurt him at
all. The win doesn’t do much good for Swagger but it’s better than
losing I guess.
C+. This started slow but the
stuff after the second break was much better. This is where Jericho
is so valuable: he could (and often does) lose like 80% of his
matches but he’s such an established star that it doesn’t hurt him at
all. The win doesn’t do much good for Swagger but it’s better than
losing I guess.
Overall
Rating: C-. The show was ok but
there was nothing on here that got me excited for the most part. It
was mainly Wrestlemania build but the focus was on everything but the
Smackdown world title match. Del Rio wasn’t even on the show and the
only mention of the match was the unfunny Canadians video. Then
again, it’s not like this match means anything so it doesn’t make
much of a difference.
Rating: C-. The show was ok but
there was nothing on here that got me excited for the most part. It
was mainly Wrestlemania build but the focus was on everything but the
Smackdown world title match. Del Rio wasn’t even on the show and the
only mention of the match was the unfunny Canadians video. Then
again, it’s not like this match means anything so it doesn’t make
much of a difference.
Results
Sheamus/Randy
Orton b. Rhodes Scholars – RKO to Rhodes
Orton b. Rhodes Scholars – RKO to Rhodes
Kaitlyn/Layla
b. Tamina Snuka/Aksana – LOL to Aksana
b. Tamina Snuka/Aksana – LOL to Aksana
Dolph
Ziggler b. Kane – Zig Zag
Ziggler b. Kane – Zig Zag
Ryback
vs. Mark Henry went to a no contest when Shield interfered
vs. Mark Henry went to a no contest when Shield interfered
Jack
Swagger b. Chris Jericho – Gutwrench Powerbomb
Swagger b. Chris Jericho – Gutwrench Powerbomb
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