6/14/13 Friday Night Smackdown Coverage

Smackdown opens with a video package that recaps the happenings during the Chris Jericho/Big E Langston match from this past Monday’s Raw. We then see that Alberto Del Rio will team with Chris Jericho to take on Big E Langston and Dolph Ziggler later tonight. It then transitions into the turmoil between Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton, and we see that those three will take on The Shield in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. We go into the arena in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Bryan’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring.

Bryan says he would have said “YES!” if he was asked if he thought he would win the World Heavyweight Championship, but would have said “No” if he thought he would lose it in 18 seconds. He says he would have said “Yes” if he thought he could win the Tag Team Championship with anyone on the roster, and that Team Hell No is one of the best tag teams ever. He calls Kane to the ring, and Kane makes his way out. Kane says he knows why Bryan called him out here, but it is not the time nor place and he is focused on The Shield tonight. Bryan says the last nine months has been an incredible run, and he is proud of everything they accomplished when they were tag partners. Bryan says Kane is not his partner on Sunday, and he is going to win the Tag Team Championship with someone else. Bryan says he won’t be teaming with Kane anymore. Kane asks Bryan if he is breaking up with him. Kane says the same thing will happen when he wins the U.S. title from Dean Ambrose. Bryan says he and Randy are going to be the Tag Team Championship, and says it’s going to be Team RK-No! Kane says Bryan and Orton will not win, because Bryan despises Orton. Kane says he doesn’t think Bryan can do it. Bryan accuses Kane of calling him the weak link again, and says he and Orton will win and he will prove that he is not the weak link. Bryan says Kane will have to sit back and realize that he and Orton will do something that he and Kane couldn’t do, which only means one thing. Kane asks Bryan if he’s saying that he is the weak link. Bryan says Kane is the weak link. They begin to fight, but Orton’s music hits and tells Kane to let go of Bryan. Orton says he needs Bryan at 100% for this Sunday. Orton says if Kane chokeslams Bryan, he will RKO him. Kane tells Orton to stay out of it. Bryan says he didn’t ask Orton to come out here. Orton says he saved Bryan’s ass from being chokeslammed. Kane tells them to work it out and goes to leave and Bryan tells him to run away like always. The Shield appears on the TitanTron and makes fun of Orton, Bryan, and Kane. Ambrose says every time they have tried to beat The Shield, they have failed. Ambrose asks them if they believe in The Shield. Ambrose says tonight will be just like every other night that they’ve faced The Shield.

We see Sheamus walking backstage. He will be in action after the commercial break.

Match #1: Antonio Cesaro vs. Sheamus
Before the match, Damien Sandow comes to the stage and praises himself and Cesaro and says he will play host to Sheamus’ Irish wake at Payback Kickoff.
Sheamus backs Cesaro against the ropes, but Cesaro reverses and backs Sheamus into the corner and slaps him across the face. Sheamus comes back and beats down Cesaro in the corner and delivers a big clothesline. Sheamus powerslams Cesaro to the mat and goes for the cover, but Cesaro kicks out. Cesaro comes back and takes Sheamus down to the mat and then tosses him across the ring. Cesaro tosses Sheamus out to the floor and then attempts a cross-body from the apron. Sheamus catches him and tosses him into the barricade as we head to a commercial.
We’re back and Sheamus is in control of Cesaro in the ring. Sheamus delivers the Irish Curse back-breaker and goes for the cover, but Cesaro kicks out at two. On the outside, Cesaro counters Sheamus and tosses him into the steel steps. Cesaro tosses Sheamus back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Sheamus kicks out. Cesaro gets Sheamus in a headlock in the center of the ring, and then slams him down for a two count. Cesaro goes back to the headlock, but Sheamus counters with a back-body drop. Sheamus takes Cesaro down with a few clotheslines and takes him into the corner. Cesaro reverses and slams Sheamus to the mat and goes for the cover, but Sheamus kicks out at two. Sheamus catches Cesaro with a high knee and tosses him onto the apron. Sheamus delivers his vintage ten clubbing shots to Cesaro’s chest and then delivers a back-breaker for a two count. Cesaro comes back with an uppercut and then he slams Sheamus to the mat and goes for the cover, but Sheamus kicks out at two. Sheamus comes back with a Brogue Kick out of nowhere for the pin fall.
Winner: Sheamus.
After the match, Sandow attacks Sheamus on the stage and leaves him lying and walks away smirking.

We see that we will look at the return of CM Punk after the commercial break.

We see a vignette for The Wyatt Family, followed by a video package for CM Punk, who returns this Sunday at Payback.

Match #2: Heath Slater (w/Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) vs. The Great Khali (w/Hornswoggle and Natalya)
Khali tosses Slater to the mat, and Slater comes back with a slap to the mat. Khali chops Slater to the mat and then chops him across the chest. Khali takes Slater to the corner and chops him again. Slater comes back and drives him shoulder into Khali’s midsection in the corner. Khali takes Slater down with a few clothesline. McIntyre and Mahal go after Natalya and Hornswoggle and it distracts Khali. Slater delivers a DDT to Khali and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Heath Slater.

Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho will take on Big E Langston and Dolph Ziggler after the commercial break.

Match #3: Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Big E Langston and Dolph Ziggler (w/AJ Lee)
Del Rio and Ziggler start the match. Ziggler backs away and tags in Langston. Del Rio and Langston tie up and Langston backs him into the corner and beats him down. Del Rio comes back and delivers some right hands to Langston and tags in Jericho. Jericho chops Langston and delivers an enzuiguri. Langston comes back and takes Jericho to the corner and beats him down. Langston tags in Ziggler, who comes into the ring and stomps away on Jericho. Ziggler drops an elbow on Jericho and goes for the cover, but Jericho kicks out at two. Ziggler tags in Langston, but Jericho takes control and dropkicks Langston. Jericho tags in Del Rio, but Langston gains control back. Del Rio comes back and delivers the backstabber to Langston. Ziggler checks on Langston on the outside as we head to a commercial.
We’re back and Langston is in control of Jericho, but Jericho quickly sends him over the top rope. Jericho goes out after him and slams him into the steel steps. AJ distracts Jericho after he tosses Langston into the ring, and Langston knocks Jericho down to the floor. Langston goes to the outside and slams Jericho into the barricade. Langston tosses Jericho back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Jericho kicks out at two. Langston slams Jericho down to the mat again and goes for the cover, but Jericho kicks out again. Langston tags in Ziggler, who drops Jericho with a neck-breaker for a two count. Ziggler tosses Jericho into the corner and charges, but Jericho moves and delivers a running bulldog. Jericho tags in Del Rio, who beats down Ziggler and delivers a back-breaker. Langston drops Del Rio, Jericho sends Langston to the outside, and Ziggler dropkicks Jericho. Ziggler screams at Jericho, and Del Rio rolls Ziggler up for the pin fall.
Winners: Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho.

We take a look back at the turmoil between Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton from the beginning of the show., and are reminded that those three will take on The Shield in the main event tonight.

We will take a look back at the reveal of Kaitlyn’s ‘secret admirer’ from this past Monday’s Raw after the commercial break.

We go backstage where Renee Young is interviewing Chris Jericho. Jericho says his match with CM Punk has taken on a life of it’s own. He says he has had a lost of classic moments in Chicago, and it doesn’t matter how the crowd reacts, because his match will exceed expectations. Paul Heyman walks up. Heyman wishes Jericho the best of luck and extends his hand, but Jericho doesn’t shake it. Heyman says the odds are against Jericho because they will be in Punk’s hometown and Heyman will be in Punk’s corner.

Match #4: Aksana vs. Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn attacks Aksana before the bell rings. They fall to the outside and Kaitlyn beats down Aksana. They fight back into the ring and the referee pulls Kaitlyn off of Aksana. Kaitlyn takes Aksana to the outside again and slaps the referee. Aksana runs away and Kaitlyn is left lying in the ring.
Match Result: No Contest.

We take a look at the video hype package for the feud between John Cena and Ryback.

Match #5: Curtis Axel (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Wade Barrett
Before the match, Barrett gets a mic and says he and Axel should not have this match so they can save themselves for Sunday, because he can very easily injure Axel right now. Heyman and Axel talk it over in the corner, but The Miz comes to the stage. Miz asks them if they’d rather share a latte at Starbucks or compete on Dancing with the Stars. Miz says everyone wants to see them fight.
They tie up and Axel backs Barrett into the corner. Axel beats down Barrett before the referee pulls him off, and Barrett takes control. Axel takes Barrett down with a dropkick, but only gets a two count. Barrett comes back and kicks Axel out to the floor. Barrett goes out after him, but Axel slams his head into the steel steps. Axel nails The Miz on the floor and Barrett goes after Heyman. Back in the ring, Axel drops Barrett with the swinging neck-breaker and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Curtis Axel.
After the match, The Miz drops Axel with the Skull Crushing Finale. The Miz celebrates as Heyman pulls Axel out of the ring and Barrett is down on the outside.

We see another vignette for The Wyatt Family.

Match #6: Six-Man Tag Team Match – Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton vs. The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins)
Bryan and Rollins start the match. Rollins tosses Bryan into the corner, but Bryan goes over the top of Rollins and takes him down with a clothesline. Bryan tags in Kane, who takes Rollins down with a suplex and goes for the cover, but Rollins kicks out at two. Rollins gets away and tags in Ambrose, but Kane controls him and tags in Orton. Orton tosses Ambrose into the corner and beats him down. Orton delivers a series of headbutts before the referee pulls him off. Orton takes Ambrose down with a suplex and tags in Bryan. Ambrose takes Bryan to the corner and tags in Reigns. Reigns slams Bryan down to the mat and goes for the cover, but Bryan kicks out at two. Reigns tags in Ambrose, who continues to work over Bryan. Ambrose locks Bryan in a submission down on the mat. Ambrose drives his knee into Bryan’s midsection, but Bryan gets away and tags in Orton. Orton takes down Ambrose with a powerslam, and then delivers one to Rollins as well. Orton goes for the middle-rope DDT on Rollins, but Ambrose stops him. Ambrose goes for the cover on Orton, but he kicks out at two as we head to a commercial.
We’re back and Ambrose has Orton in a headlock. Ambrose turns it into a pin attempt, but Orton kicks out at two. Ambrose gets Orton in a wrist-lock and tags in Reigns. Reigns beats down Orton and goes for the cover, but Orton kicks out at two. Reigns chokes Orton over the middle rope and then tries to slam him down to the mat, but Orton fights out. Reigns charges at Orton in the corner, but Orton moves and Reigns goes shoulder-first into the corner. Reigns tags Ambrose and Orton tags Kane. Kane takes Ambrose down with an uppercut and a side-slam, but only gets a two count. Kane goes up top and dives off, but Ambrose moves out of the way. Bryan tags in and takes Ambrose down. Ambrose tags in Rollins, but Bryan keeps control. Bryan takes Ambrose and Reigns down on the outside and goes after Rollins again. Bryan goes for the cover, but Rollins kicks out at two. Bryan kicks Rollins in the cheap repeatedly and then kicks Reigns and Rollins in the head. Bryan goes for the cover on Rollins, but he kicks out at two again. Bryan goes up top, but Ambrose tries to stop him. Bryan fights him off and dives, but Rollins moves. Rollins goes for the cover, but Bryan kicks out at two. Kane takes Ambrose out and Reigns takes Orton out. Kane takes Reigns out and Rollins sends Bryan into the corner. Rollins goes up top, but Bryan catches him and Rollins taps out.
Winners: Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton.
After the match, Bryan and Kane hug and they celebrate with Orton. Smackdown comes to a close with Kane holding up Orton and Bryan’s hands in the middle of the ring.

Quick Results:
1. Sheamus def. Antonio Cesaro
2. Heath Slater def. The Great Khali
3. Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho def. Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston
4. Aksana vs. Natalya went to a No Contest
5. Curtis Axel def. Wade Barrett
6. Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Randy Orton def. The Shield in a Six-Man Tag Team Match