8/2/13 Friday Night Smackdown Coverage

We see the Smackdown opening video, and then we go into the arena in Houston, Texas, where Michael Cole welcomes us to the show. He is joined by Alex Riley on commentary. We see that CM Punk and Fandango will go one-on-one later tonight, in addition to AJ Lee defending the WWE Divas Championship against Kaitlyn.

Alberto Del Rio’s music hits, and the World Heavyweight Champion makes his way to the ring. Del Rio says he wants to say thanks for nothing, and there is nothing we can do about him being the World Heavyweight Champion. Del Rio says he wants to thank Vickie Guerrero for allowing him to choose his opponent for SummerSlam. Del Rio says John Cena wasted his pick by picking Daniel Bryan and says Cena only did it because he is afraid of Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio says he told himself to pick Brock Lesnar, but Lesnar has different plans for SummerSlam. He then says he told himself to pick Booker T, but then he remembered that Booker T, like everything else that comes out of Houston, is a big disappointment. Del Rio says his pick is Ricardo Rodriguez. Vickie Guerrero comes to the ring saying “Excuse me!” Vickie says Del Rio is trying to disrespect her. Vickie calls Rodriguez a little man-child, and Del Rio begs her to not be mad at him and that he wasn’t trying to disrespect her. Del Rio says he can pick someone else right now. He names The Brooklyn Brawler. Vickie says Vince McMahon wouldn’t like Del Rio’s choice either, and has a backup plan. Vickie names a Triple Threat Match for later tonight between Rob Van Dam, Christian, and Randy Orton, where the winner will go on to face Del Rio at SummerSlam.

We are reminded that AJ Lee will defend the WWE Divas Championship against Kaitlyn later tonight, and that CM Punk will go one-on-one against Fandango as we head to a commercial break.

We take a look back at Smackdown last week, where Cody Rhodes stole Damien Sandow’s Money in the Bank briefcase, and the aftermath that followed with Sandow jumping into the water to save the briefcase after Rhodes threw it into the water.

Match #1: Cody Rhodes vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter)
Rhodes delivers some right hands to Swagger and then an uppercut. Rhodes knees Swagger in the jaw and goes for a cover, but Swagger kicks out at one. Swagger comes back and slams Rhodes down to the mat. Swagger backs Rhodes into the corner and delivers knee shots to Rhodes’ midsection. Swagger drops Rhodes with a clothesline and goes for the cover, but Rhodes kicks out at two. Swagger applies a submission down on the mat, but Rhodes fights out. Rhodes comes off the ropes for the Disaster Kick, but Swagger counters and slams him to the mat. Swagger delivers the Swagger Bomb and goes for the cover, but Rhodes kicks out at two. Swagger chokes Rhodes over the middle rope and goes for the Gutwrench Powerbomb, but Rhodes rolls through and gets the quick pinfall on the roll up.
Winner: Cody Rhodes.

We are reminded of the Triple Threat Match between Christian, Randy Orton, and Rob Van Dam as we head to a commercial break.

We’re back and we see the finish of the Rhodes/Swagger match from moments ago. We go backstage and Josh Mathews is with Cody Rhodes. Mathews asks Rhodes why he threw Damien Sandow’s briefcase into the Gulf of Mexico. Rhodes says he doesn’t blame Sandow for what he did at Money in the Bank, but he just heard and seen enough of Sandow’s attitude. Rhodes says the best part of Team Rhodes Scholars, and the best part of that was himself. Sandow attacks Rhodes from behind and beats him down before trainers are able to hold him back.

Match #2: Big E. Langston vs. Sin Cara
Sin Cara comes off the ropes, but Langston drops him with a big shoulder block. Langston sends Sin Cara off the ropes, but Sin Cara counters with a dropkick. Sin Cara goes for the cover, but Langston kicks out at two as we see Dolph Ziggler watching the mat backstage. Langston grabs Sin Cara and applies a headlock and then powers him down to the mat. Langston attacks Sin Cara on the apron and then stretches him under the bottom rope. Langston applies an abdominal stretch to Sin Cara in the middle of the ring and then uses the ropes for leverage. Langston slams Sin Cara down to the mat again. Langston goes for a big right hand, but Sin Cara counters with a few kicks. Sin Cara goes up top and dives off, but Langston catches him. Langston goes for the Big Ending, but Sin Cara escapes. Sin Cara goes for a springboard off the ropes, but Langston catches him again and delivers the Big Ending for the pin fall.
Winner: Big E. Langston

We are reminded once more that AJ Lee will defend the WWE Divas Championship against Kaitlyn and that CM Punk will go one-on-one with Fandango later tonight as we head to a commercial.

We’re back and we see a vignette for The Wyatt Family, focusing on the destruction that they have caused since they arrived on the scene.

We go backstage where Renee Young is with Kaitlyn and Layla. Renee asks Kaitlyn her strategy for tonight’s match. Kaitlyn says she’s ready this time and history will repeat itself when she wins the Divas Championship in Houston again. Layla says Kaitlyn is the real deal and they share a hug.

We see Alberto Del Rio walking in Vickie Guerrero’s office. Del Rio asks her what kind of General Manager she is. She asks him if he’s afraid of a little competition, and he says he’s not afraid of anything. Brad Maddox walks up and asks Vickie how she is. He says he thinks she made the right decision, and Del Rio asks him who he thinks he is. Maddox says he is the General Manager of Raw, and Del Rio will be under his authority on Monday. Del Rio storms off and we go back into the arena.

Match #3: CM Punk vs. Fandango (w/Summer Rae)
Punk delivers a few kicks to Fandango and then takes him down with a scoop slam. Punk chops Fandango and connects with some right jabs. Punk tosses Fandango to the mat and applies a headlock, but Fandango reverses into his own headlock. Punk sends Fandango of the ropes, but Fandango takes him down with a shoulder block. Punk comes back and delivers a kick and back elbow to Fandango that sends him down to the mat. Punk goes for the cover, but Fandango kicks out at two. Fandango comes back and beats down Punk in the corner. Fandango picks Punk up, but Punk kicks Fandango and picks him up for the GTS, but Fandango escapes to the outside as we head to a commercial.
We’re back and Fandango attacks Punk after Summer Rae caused a distraction. Fandango slams Punk into the steel steps and rolls back into the ring. Punk gets back into the ring, but Fandango continues the beat down. Fandango slams Punk into the corner and Punk crumples to the mat. Fandango slams Punk into the opposite corner and Punk crumples again. Fandango applies a headlock down on the mat, but Punk fights out. Punk comes off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, but Fandango escapes. Fandango beats down Punk and goes for the cover, but Punk kicks out at two. Fandango applies another headlock down on the mat. Punk fights to his feet and delivers a few elbows and chops Fandango into the corner. Punk delivers a series of forearm shivers that sends Fandango to the mat in the corner. Punk tosses Fandango to the opposite corner and charges, but Fandango gets his boot up. Fandango goes for the cover, but Punk kicks out at two. Fandango goes up top and dives, but Punk moves out of the way. Punk drops Fandango to the mat and goes for the cover, but Fandango kicks out at two. Fandango goes to the corner, but Punk delivers the running knee and drops Fandango with a short clothesline. Punk goes up top, but Fandango rolls to the apron. Punk goes after him, but Fandango kicks him in the head. Fandango slams Punk down to the mat and goes for the cover, but Punk kicks out at two. Fandango goes up top and sets up for the leg drop, but Punk hits the ropes and Fandango falls to the top turnbuckle. Punk goes to the corner and delivers a superplex to Fandango. He rolls over and applies the Anaconda Vice, and Fandango taps out immediately.
Winner: CM Punk.

We take a look back at the beginning of the show, where Vickie Guerrero confronted Alberto Del Rio and informed him that he will face the winner of the Triple Threat Match between Christian, Randy Orton, and Rob Van Dam, which will take place later tonight.

We go backstage and Renee Young welcomes Rob Van Dam. Van Dam says he feels fantastic and he is ready for Christian and Randy Orton. He says neither is a pushover, but neither is Rob Van… Christian interrupts. Christian says everybody knows Captain Charisma deserves one more… Randy Orton interrupts. Orton says maybe he will end up being the WWE and the World Heavyweight Champion at the same time. Orton says he has a welcome back gift for RVD, and it is an RK… Van Dam interrupts. He says this is his interview and there will only be one winner tonight and it will be R..V..D. Renee walks away and RVD, Orton, and Christian mouth each other as we head to a commercial.

Match #4: WWE Divas Championship Match – AJ Lee vs. Kaitlyn (w/Layla)
AJ charges at Kaitlyn, but Kaitlyn catches her and drives her into the corner. Kaitlyn slams AJ down to the mat, but AJ trips her up and sends her into the ropes. AJ applies a headlock down on the mat, but Kaitlyn powers up to her feet. She backs AJ into the corner, but AJ comes back and drops Kaitlyn with a big clothesline. AJ comes off the ropes, but Kaitlyn drops her with a dropkick. Kaitlyn drops an elbow on AJ, and AJ rolls out of the ring. Kaitlyn goes out after her and slams her into the barricade. Kaitlyn goes after AJ again, but Layla gets in front of her. AJ attacks Kaitlyn and Layla smiles and looks on. AJ gets Kaitlyn back into the ring and locks in the Black Widow submission and Kaitlyn taps out.
Winner and still WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee.
After the match, AJ Lee and Layla skip away from ringside as Kaitlyn looks on.

We are reminded of the Triple Threat Match between Christian, Randy Orton, and Rob Van Dam, and we see that we will revisit the confrontation between Daniel Bryan and John Cena from this past Monday’s Raw as we go to a commercial break.

We’re back and we take a look at the Raw Rebound, which focuses on the storyline between John Cena and Daniel Bryan.

Match #5: #1 Contender’s (World Heavyweight Championship) Triple Threat Match – Christian vs. Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam
Before the match, Alberto Del Rio comes to the stage and says he will enjoy watching them beat the guacamole out of each other from backstage.
The match begins and Orton gets sent to the outside. Christian goes after RVD, but Orton trips him up and drops him on the floor. RVD recovers as Christian slams Orton on the barricade. RVD drops a leg onto Orton on the outside and Christian takes RVD down with a Spear as we head to a commercial break.
We’re back and Christian and RVD are in the ring. Christian tosses RVD into the corner and charges, but RVD rolls over the top. Christian grabs RVD and drops him with a tornado DDT. Christian goes for the cover, but RVD kicks out at two as Orton gets back into the ring. Orton takes Christian down with a Thesz Press, but Christian comes right back with a big right hand. Christian goes to the top, but Orton cuts him off. Orton delivers a superplex to Christian and rolls into the cover, but Christian kicks out at two. RVD gets back into the ring and drops both Christian and Orton with a clothesline and a spin kick. RVD monkey flips Christian out of the corner and then delivers another kick to Orton. RVD slams Orton to the mat and delivers the split-leg moonsault. RVD goes for the cover, but Orton kicks out at two. RVD drives his shoulder into Orton’s midsection, but Orton counters and sends RVD down to the mat. Orton places Chistian into the ropes and goes for the middle rope DDT, but Christian sends him out to the floor. Christian sends RVD to the outside as well and delivers a baseball slide to Orton. Christian goes to the outside and slams Orton to the floor, and then RVD slams Christian to the floor. RVD gets back into the ring and looks around. He launches over the top rope and takes out both Orton and Christian as we go to a commercial.
We’re back and Orton and Christian are squaring off. Christian slaps Orton and comes off the ropes, but Orton counters with a back-body drop. Orton takes Christian down and goes for the cover, but only gets a two count. Christian rolls Orton up for a two count of his own. Christian knocks RVD off the apron and sets up for the Spear, but Orton moves out of the way. Christian goes up top and delivers the flying elbow that sends Orton to the mat. Christian goes for the Killswitch, but RVD comes off the top rope and kicks Orton in the face. Christian goes for the roll up on RVD, but RVD kicks out at two. RVD kicks Christian in the face and delivers the Five-Star Frogsplash and goes for the cover, but Orton breaks up the count. RVD sends Orton into the corner, but Orton comes back and drops RVD with a couple clotheslines. Orton goes for the power slam, but RVD holds onto the ropes and Orton hits the mat. RVD goes for Rolling Thunder, but Orton counters it with the powerslam. Orton goes for the middle-rope DDT, but RVD counters it and gets free. RVD goes for the springboard back into the ring, but Orton delivers a dropkick. Christian gets back into the ring and goes for Killswitch, but Orton counters with a DDT. Orton sets up for the RKO, but RVD gets into the ring. Orton delivers an RKO to RVD and Christian gets Orton in a backslide for the pin fall.
Winner and number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship: Christian.
After the match, Orton extends his hand to Christian, and they shake hands before Orton leaves the ring. We then take a look at some of the highlights of the match. RVD gets to his feet and shakes hands with Christian as well. Josh Mathews tries to get a few words with Christian, but Alberto Del Rio attacks him from behind. Del Rio delivers a kick to Christian. Del Rio stands tall over Christian as Smackdown comes to a close.

Quick Results:
1. Cody Rhodes def. Jack Swagger
2. Big E. Langston def. Sin Cara
3. CM Punk def. Fandango
4. AJ Lee def. Kaitlyn to retain the WWE Divas Championship
5. Christian def. Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam in a Triple Threat Match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship