WWE Daily

FIRST DEFENSE
Days after capturing the World Heavyweight Title at Night of Champions, Jeff Hardy defends his reacquired treasure for the first time against John Morrison, this week on Friday Night SmackDown.

WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Special thanks to Wrestling News World readers Terence, Bret N., Tori Rodriguez, J.R.W., and Michael Walters for sending text-message updates. If you are attending a future WWE television taping and would be interested in sending text-message updates, please email your name, mobile number, and show date to wnwryan [at] yahoo.com. Thanks for your support!

Dark Match:
* Drew McIntyre b. Slam Master J
- Drew got the win following a double underhook DDT.

SmackDown: (Airing Friday (7/31/09)
* Jim Ross comes out to a huge pop while Todd Grisham receives some heat.

(more…)

Dark match to kick the night off was: Drew McIntyre beating Jimmy Wang Yang.

Superstars match was: Kane vs. John Morrison in a fairly decent match that saw Morrison win by DQ when Kane was on the outside and Morrison jumped from the top rope and Kane threw a chair into Morrison causing the DQ. After the match Kane was going to hit Morrison again with the chair in the ring when The Great Khali came out. As Khali was heading to the ring Morrison hits Kane in the back with a chair and leaves Kane for Khali. Khali tried to drag Kane outside the ring but Kane kicked Khali away and headed out thru the crowd.

Smackdown opens up with Jeff Hardy cutting a promo stating that he would win on Sunday and as for his opponent for tonight was Chris Jericho. Hardy says that while Jericho is looking for a partner for Sunday that he should focus on Hardy tonight, which leads us to:

Jeff Hardy beating Chris Jericho with a Swanton Bomb in a really fun match.

There was a backstage segment after the match with Melina and Michelle McCool but I was not able to catch it since my view of the tron was blocked.

Next match saw The Great Khali beating Mike Knox. Halfway through the match Kane comes out and stands on the stage. After the match Kane walked down the aisle got on the apron put one foot over the rope and then decided to walk away from the ring (I sure hope that this is better than their Wrestlemania 23 match).

Dolph Ziggler, accompanied to the ring by Maria, takes the mic and says that he’s not much for long introductions but after Sunday we will be saying, “Dolph Ziggler Intercontinental Champion”. This leads to:

Dolph Ziggler beating Finlay by count out when they were both outside the ring and Dolph hit his jumping side Russian leg sweep on the floor and got back in before the count of 10.

CM Punk comes to the ring for a promo stating that he was offering the WWE universe a challenge and that challenge was to give up all the vices and to live a straight edge life style like he does. This brings Jeff Hardy out. Hardy says that people make mistakes but look at what your doing. Punk then stops Hardy and says that he’s going to do the one thing Jeff shoulda done years ago and that’s just say no. Punk then said he was going to walk out of the ring, away from the fight, and just say no. Hardy waited until Punk left and said that he (Punk) says that I’m the crazy one.

Backstage segment with Khali and Jericho in which Ranjin Singh said that the Great Khali says that he would be honored to be one half of the unified tag champs but not with Jericho.

Eve accompanied by Cryme Time vs. Natalya accompanied by The Hart Dynasty. Eve wins with a moonsault.

R-Truth beats Charlie Haas. During the match after Truth hit Haas with a clothesline in the corner. Truth did one of his flips and it looked like he may have landed wrong on his leg as he couldn’t get up and when he did he was limping but he continued the match and won so I don’t if its serious or not.

J.R. and Todd Grisham run down the PPV on Sunday.

Main event of Smackdown saw Rey Mysterio vs C.M. Punk in another fun match. Dolph Ziggler comes down during the mid way point to observe then as Rey was attempting a 619. Ziggler got on the apron and Rey knocked him off. Rey went for a spring board cross body Punk caught him in the GTS set up. Rey battled out of it set Punk up for the 619 hits it hits a splash and as the ref got to 2, Ziggler came in and attacked Rey, causing the DQ. Rey bounced back and set Ziggler up for the 619. As Rey was coming across, Punk runs into Mysterio blocking the 619 from being done. Ziggler gets up and hits his finisher on Mysterio as Punk is walking up the aisle. Ziggler picks up Rey and hits it again as Punk got to the top of the stage Hardy runs out to help Rey and in doing so bumps Punk outta the way. Hardy chases off Ziggler, but Punk heads back to the ring and hits Hardy with the GTS.

Dark match number 2 saw Punk beat Hardy in a quick cage match after Hardy missed a Swanton Bomb.

Source:PWinsider

The following is from WWE.com:

Champ vs. Champ
A mere 48 hours before every title is defended at Night of Champions, Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio goes one-on-one with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Which titleholder will prevail in this battle of champions?

**The following are official Smackdown results from Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, that will air this Friday July 24th.

WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Special thanks to Wrestling News World reader Nick Moore for sending text-message updates. If you are attending a future WWE television taping and would be interested in sending us live text-message updates, please email your name, mobile number, and show date to wnwryan [at] yahoo.com. Thanks for your support!

Dark Match:
* Drew McIntrye b. Jimmy Wang Yang

SmackDown: (Airing Friday)
* Jeff Hardy cut a promo to open SmackDown.

(more…)

-On Monday, Pro Wrestling.net’s Jason Powell published an note on his website to TNA’s President Dixie Carter to FIRE TNA Creative management, on the realization of the booking has been horrible. Then bring in ECW creator Paul Heyman to help keep PURE wrestling alive, not this “entertainment” we see each and every week.

Paul Heyman replied on his Twitter..”NEVER…..”

The following are the results from Sunday’s Smackdown/ECW house show in Greenville, South Carolina and why an WWE fan jumped into the ring with Chris Jericho mentioned on his twitter.

-7/19 Smackdown/ECW house show results from Greenville, SC: Finlay over Drew McIntyre; Eve Torres & Melina over Katie Lea & Natalya; Dolph Ziggler over John Morrison; Great Khali beat Kane via DQ; Tommy Dreamer over Christian & William Regal in a three-way; Cryme Tyme over The Hart Dynasty; Ricky Steamboat over Chris Jericho; and CM Punk over Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules match.

Steamboat-Jericho went over 15 minutes and we had one report saying it was nearer 30 minutes. This was said to be match of the night with lot’s of counter wrestling and near falls and Steamboat hitting all his signature moves. From a reader at the show: “Jericho got the most heat when he came out. That’s when the mad fan jumped in but was not so gently escorted away by security. Jericho then challenged anyone in the arena to fight him. He then said he was going to leave WWE and Carolina legend Ricky Steamboat in a ‘mangled, crumpled heap.’ Then steamboat came out to the loudest pop of the show. They had a tremendous match and although Ricky is not The Dragon he used to be, he is better than 75% of the superstars in the WWE. Overall a very good show, three solid hours of great wrestling.”

Source: WRESTLING GLOBE NEWSLETTER

-Sports Arizona Online Reports Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle appeared in a backstage skit called “Word Up” with the tag team Cryme Tyme during Friday night’s episode of WWE Smackdown.

-WWEShopzone has an newly released Evan Bourne T-Shirt. Which is written in the left side on the from top to bottom, “Bourne to Fly” with an silhouette of Bourne doing the shooting star press on the back of the T-shirt. You can see it here.

-WWEShopzone is now offering an Kofi Kingston t-shirt which is in black only. The front supports Kingston Jamaican style head logo, with an “Here Comes The Boom” saying on the back of the tee. You can but it here.

-WWE.com is working in conjunction with The Academy of Wrestling Arts & Sciences (AWAS), is ranking the top 25 WWE Superstars. The ranking is based on victories, quality of opponents, momentum and overall in-ring dominance, as well as intangibles. You can view that here.

1. Finlay pinned William Regal after a shillelagh behind the referee’s back. Always good to see a Finlay/Regal match.

2. Eve Torres & Melina beat Katie Lea Burchill & Natalya when Melina pinned Katie Lea with a Code Red.

3. Ricky Steamboat pinned Drew McIntyre with a flying crossbody. Steamboat still awesome, McIntyre greatly improving.

4. Dolph Ziggler pinned John Morrison with his finisher. Really Good. Two future superstars.

5. The Great Khali beat Kane via disqualification after a low blow. Kane and Khali, enough said.

6. ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer pinned Christian. Too short.

7. Cryme Tyme beat the Hart Dynasty with Natalya when JTG pinned Tyson Kidd after Shad reversed a small package after Natalya interfered by doing the same. Cryme Tyme and Hart Dynasty is starting to get real good chemistry together.

8. World Champion CM Punk pinned Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match. Really good, MOTN!

Source:PWInisder

-TNA Champion Kurt Angle was unable to wrestle at Saturday night’s TNA house show in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kurt said he suffered a groin injury on a movie set this week. He later signed autographs. Apparently Angle is holding off to re coop his injury to Sunday’s Victory Road pay-per-view.

-MyNetworkTV sent the following memo to it’s e-mailing list subscribers:

Jeff Hardy Battles CM Punk This Week on MyNetworkTV‏

WWE Friday Night SmackDown (HD)
Friday, July 24th at 8/7c

CM Punk’s barrage of personal attacks have only served to frustrate Jeff Hardy. Now, just days before the Night of Champions match, the enigmatic superstar makes a pledge to beat CM Punk. Will Jeff Hardy make good on his promise or will CM Punk ultimately put his championship dreams to sleep? Find out on an all new Friday Night SmackDown.

Source:PWinsider

-Amazon.com has an pre-clip of “The Fall and Rise Of WCW”, you an watch it here. You can pre-order this dvd through our friends at PWInisder Store.

-Hardy punks Punk; WWE fans go home happy in Miami

-Former WWE diva Lena Yada has posted the following on her Myspace page: “Wrestlicious”

- Former WWE Superstar Elijah Burke mentioned on his Twitter that he is finishing a degree in criminal justice. Burke has also been dropping hints at joining TNA soon.

WWE Daily Reader Al M sent in the following from Force of Wrestling:

- Jeff Hardy was frustrated to say the least after the show while he was leaving the American Airlines Arena. Fans pretty much attacked his car. He was clearly upset, and put his head on his stirring wheel, as he was there with what seemed to be his girlfriend/wife. It seemed scary for a minute, but the green finally came on and he was able to roll off.

- Chris Jericho came to the arena in an orange Mustang. He was the biggest jerk of them all. Standing about one feet away from us, the only thing seperating us was a fence,he was there for about five mins, and didnt even look up to us.

- Dolph Ziggler & The Bella Twins came out to sign autographs and posed for pictures.

- Others that came out and just waved were Rey Mysterio, The Hart Dynasty, JR, Hardy, Vince McMahon, Michael Hayes just to name a few.

- John Morrison & Melina gave us a show, they were making out of course.

- There was alot of energy in the crowd even though 35% of the arena was blacked out.

- Biggest Pop: Cryme Tyme, Rey, Jeff Hardy, MVP

- Biggest Heat: Punk, Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, President Bush (they should him on a promo for, Salute To The Troops)

- Best Match: Both of the Hart Dynasty vs Cryme Time matches were great. They have good chemistry.

- Best In Ring Segment: Ziggler & Rey, which will be aired on Superstars. The crowd was eating it up. Including me.

- Worst Match: Shemaus vs ‘THE JOBBER’ – That was about a 1m 30s match.

WWE taped this week’s edition of SmackDown at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Special thanks to Wrestling News World readers Shane Howard and Luis Moreno for sending text-message updates. If you are attending a future WWE television taping and would be interested in sending us live text-message updates, please email your name, mobile number, and show date to wnwryan [at] yahoo.com. Thanks for your support!

* A WrestleMania 25 package is shown. Undertaker gets a big pop while Randy Orton gets heat.

Dark Match:
* MVP b. Alex Riley w/Beverly in a squash match.
- Riley has a high school gimmick with Beverly as his ‘prom queen’. MVP gets the win with his Playmaker finisher after connecting with a clothesline. The match was approximately five minutes long.

SmackDown: (Airing Friday)
* Prior to this week’s SmackDown, a promo was taped with Rey Mysterio & Dolph Ziggler. Rey talks about Ziggler’s attack last week. Ziggler comes out and interrupts. Mysterio challenges him. Ziggler wants the match at Night of Champions for the Intercontinental Championship. Rey accepts. They brawl until finally Ziggler retreats. The crew prepares for SmackDown.

* SmackDown opens with Jeff Hardy coming to the ring to address CM Punk’s comments he made last week. Hardy claims that he’ll win at Night of Champions. CM Punk comes out and interrupts. He calls Jeff a joke and asks him how many test and classes he failed in school. Jeff attacks Punk after he claims all of Jeff’s fans will become a statistic.

* John Morrison b. CM Punk
- Before the match a recap aired showing Punk’s loss to Morrison last month. The match was pretty much back and forth throughout. Both men counter finishers. Morrison gets the win with the rollup. After the match, Punk refuses a friendly handshake.

* Layla comes out in a Miami Heat Jersey and dances for the local fans. She is interrupted by Ricky Ortiz who cuts an anti-heat promo. He gives Layla a towel and she drops it.

* Kane b. R-Truth
- Truth jumps off the top rope and catches a boot to the face. Kane win. After the match, Great Khali comes out. R-Truth hits the top rope dropkick. Kane flees through the crowd.

* The Hart Dynasty b. Cryme Tyme & Eve Torres in a Mixed Tag Team Match
- The Hart Dynasty gets the win when Natalya gets the pin on Eve.

* Edge is interviewed on the screen. He says he’ll do everything to get back in the ring. Chris Jericho interrupts the interview and calls Edge pathetic. He says he’ll find a new partner for Night of Champion and will continue to reign. Jericho then refers to Edge as injury prone. The crowd is behind Edge.

* Rey Mysterio & Jeff Hardy b. Chris Jericho & Dolph Ziggler via disqualification.
- CM Punk is out to commentate. Jeff tries to throw Jericho into Punk. Punk tosses Jericho to Jeff. The referee calls for the bell. Ziggler lays the referee out on the outside. Jeff gets the Codebreaker. Punk walks to the back as Jeff is in Wall of Jericho. Jericho & Ziggler raise their hands as they exit.

Dark Main Event:
* CM Punk b. Jeff Hardy in a Steel Cage Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

-World Wrestling Entertainment will be returning to Madison Square Garden for an LIVE taping on Monday Night Raw on November 16th.

-An video of former WWE superstar known as Mr Kennedy has shown up online in Puerto Rico for an autograph signing. he is now going by MMisstteerrrrrrr AAANNNNDDERSSSOONNNNNNNN. Watch the video below:

-WWE.com has posted photos of when the Smackdown/ECW roster was over in Tokyo, Japan for their WWE Tour. You can see the photos here.

Here are the following results on WWE’s Smackdown/ECW house show in Manila, Philippines:

-John Morrison def. Shelton Benjamin

-Mark Henry def. Evan Bourne

-Great Khali def. Dolph Ziggler

-Gail Kim & Melina def. Michelle McCool & Alicia Fox

-Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio def. Chris Jericho

-ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer def. Christian & Jack Swagger in at Triple Threat Match

-World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy