Aaron's UnReal Time Smackdown Review: Taker vs. Jericho For The First Time...No Really...It Is!

Aaron's UnReal Time Smackdown Review: Taker vs. Jericho For The First Time...No Really...It Is!

First things first, a correction on something I wrote last week. You see, unlike Canadian Bulldog, I admit when I'm wrong. That said, that idiot gets so much wrong, he'd never stop with the corrections. Anyway, as it turns out, after doing some more checking via an old Smackdown 5th Anniversary magazine, I noted that while Undertaker pinned Chris Jericho on Nov. 9th 2000, it was actually part of a four-way match with Kane and "He Who Shan't Be Named", so yes, Undertaker vs. Jericho this week really is the first time they've wrestled one on one...

AND I WAS THERE TO SEE IT!

And yes, it has to be said, I, or at least my Scotland flag, do appear on screen a few times. Oddly enough, not once when it came time for the Scotsman to appear on the show, but I will have some screen caps in the appropriate places. And also, this week's videos are, naturally enough, of bands from Sheffield. Such as this one!

Arctic Monkeys - "Brianstorm"

LAST WEEK ON SMACKDOWN: Beth killed a dancer, Batista thought Matt Hardy wasn't worthy of taking a beating, Scott Armstrong only did what he was told and your trusted reviewer spent his last day as a 27 year old.

THIS WEEK…
The opening credits rolled and the announcers talked about the plethora of good stuff they had upcoming as they shot the crowd...

CM Punk def. R-Truth in a "And that's what happens when referees aren't told what to do..." match
CM Punk came out first, as they showed the end to the match last week when Armstrong fast-counted Punk. When he got in the ring, he grabbed a mic before his opponent had a chance to come out...

...so he could run down the English crowd for being as sad and pathetic as the Yankeedoodledandies back home. He said we used to have kings and knights, but said we were wrong for drinking in our pubs and smoking he then mentioned Brits with chewing tobacco. Have to admit, I can't recall ever seeing that. He said we should aspire to be as great as him. He said he knew he was better than us because he was free of poison and perfect in every way. He didn't need a crutch to get through life or Scott Armstrong to fight his battles for him. He said he had filed a complaint about Armstrong, and he'd beat R-Truth tonight and then again at Survivor Series. He said Truth would ask "What's Up?", and the answer would be "Straight Edge". He said it could save our pathetic country and the entire world.

R-Truth came out next as they showed the Survivor Series match with Punk & Truth on opposite teams (the one with Kofi & Orton captaining). However, rather than just saying "What's Up?" when he got the to the ring, Truth took the opportunity to give a little right to reply. He said Punk could file any complaints he wanted to. His choice, but he had a complaint too. Against Punk. His complaint was that Punk was impersonating a man. He said he didn't come out to make Punk look bad (he was doing a good job himself) but he came out to add some excitement and to shut Punk up. The people paid to see action, not preachiness. Truth noted that CM Punk was indeed a punk. The truth was that Punk preached to others to feel better about his own life, and that tonight, the truth would hurt.

Punk shoved Truth, but Truth slapped him back, and took control of the match. Punk reversed a whip across and looked for an early GTS, but Truth slipped out and hit a back heel kick for a 1 count. Truth then elevated Punk over the top rope as we hit the break. We came back with Punk in an armbar. However, Punk took Truth into the corner and drove the shoulder in. Truth blocked another corner charge, but Punk kicked the legs out while Truth was on top. Punk went to work on the legs of Truth, with shots and holds. Punk put on a lovely leg lock with a bridge back, putting on a chinlock as well. Truth punched his way out. Punk went to the apron, but his springboard in was caught with a dropkick. Truth was unable to follow up though, but Punk was caught with shots as he came over. A knee to the gut got Truth a 2 count. A back suplex the same. The Axe kick missed however, and Punk kicked out the leg. The GTS was blocked again though. Truth looked for a sunset flip, but Punk sat down on it and grabbed the ropes as the referee counted three.

----------
7/10 - Fine match between 2 men who seem to work well together. Wouldn't mind seeing a full feud between them.
----------

Punk rolled out the ring and gave a sarcastic bow on the ramp. We shot it to the legend that is Todd Grisham and Matt Striker. They talked Batista & Rey's upcoming contract signing before pimping out Rey's book.

We cut backstage to see Mickie James, as apropos of nothing, one of the random Divas themes played. A sign of the ropy production I talked about in my latest audio on ClubWWI.com yesterday. Anyway, Layla approached her and the music promptly cut out. Layla told Mickie to leave. However, as Layla had Mickie distracted, in the background, Michelle McCool could be seen slipping into Mickie's dressing room. Mickie left and Layla had a grin on her face when she said they had warned her.

We came back to a shot of the Houses Of Parliament in London. At least this year, they didn't try to half-pretend that the shots of London inserted into the show were somehow where they were. If you recall, last year, the UK seemed to be one big city to the WWE with shots from all over the place, and no real reference to where they actually were.

Human League - "Sound of The Crowd" (From "Later with Jools Holland")

Natalya def. Mickie James in a "Yeah, this was as silent as it ended up being on TV..." match
Mickie came out first on TV as Natalya had come out during the break. It's odd. I've always thought of Natalya as a well built, indeed chunky, girl, which I mean in a muscular way and not a puppy-fat type way, but seeing her live? Damn, she's as hot as hell. Much of this match played out to silence. Natalya started off well, but Mickie took over, using her speed advantage. However, when Nattie powdered out, she avoided a baseball slide and sent Mickie into the steps. She put on a Mexican Surfboard in the ring, but had to let go when her shoulders where down. Mickie started to come back, hitting the headscissors out of the corner. However, as she worked over Natalya, Layla and Michelle came down the ramp holding a bunch of Mickie's clothing. And a pair of scissors. As they cut up Mickie's bra, Natalya hit the spinning clothesline to the back of Mickie's head before locking on the sharpshooter, with Mickie facing the heels as they cut the rest of her clothes, giving up and giving Natalya the win.

----------
5.5/10 - Fine enough match, but the crowd just wasn't into it, and I kinda dig the "Mean Girls"-esque angle with the heels and Mickie.
----------

Wrestlemania 26 on-sale video with the people who lined up in person.

After the break, we saw an advert for the hot new TNA signing, Hulk Hogan. We then saw an advert for Roddy Piper as guest host on Monday night in MSG. Funny note. You know when Undertaker came out at the end of RAW? It was such a surprise that I pulled a muscle in my side because of the euphoria. I actually had to sit down and try not to move for a few minutes because of the pain.

We went backstage to Josh Matthews, who was with John Morrison. He asked JoMo~! how he felt. Morrison said he was feeling like anyone else should right now. However, the difference between him and Ziggler was that Ziggler wasn't able to handle the pressure, and was doing all he could to seek relief and figure out some sort of strategy. He would end up making a mistake and Morrison would capitalise. He'd hit harder than Ricky Hatton, kick harder than David Beckham and rock harder than The Beatles. And at the end, Morrison would still be champion.

Drew McIntyre & Finlay wrestled to a No Contest in a "A lesson in post-production" match
Drew made his way out to the ring...

...as we went back a couple of weeks as he attacked Finlay before their match, not letting it get going. McIntyre said that a fortnight ago, he didn't let Finlay in the ring because he wasn't worthy. And he still wasn't. But he had a change of heart. Y'see Finlay apparently loves to fight, and since Drew was looking to make a statement, we'd see how much Finlay would like fighting him. After another break, Finlay came out. So we had a Scotsman and a Northern Irishman fighting in England. Now I can tell you from seeing this match live that this was edited pretty drastically. Indeed, I'd say by about half. And speaking fully objectively, it wasn't a bad match. But one aspect of the match that was cut out was that myself, as well as the other Scots, few though there were, got a few quite loud chants going of "McIntyre!" and while McIntyre was on the top "Kick his heid in!", "heid" being "head" in a broad Scottish accent. I would have thought it was loud enough to be heard on TV. IF IT HADN'T BEEN CUT! Also, as I said, they re-did the finish again, with McIntyre hitting an extra shillelagh shot. But anyway, let's go over what actually aired...

Finlay got the upperhand early with shots and short clotheslines. However, Drew booted Finlay from the ring, before leaving to hit Finlay with a short clothesline of his own on the floor. McIntyre put on a top keylock, but Finlay fought out and sent Drew out of the ring. He sent Drew into the guardrail and rolled him back into the ring, but Drew caught him on the way in. He hit some mounted shots, but Finlay got the upperhand. The ref decided to throw the match out, which on TV made no sense because the un-ending brawl wasn't much, but it was fine enough live because it was longer and they clearly were just throwing fists and not doing what the ref wanted.

----------
6/10 - Better live, not great on TV, but a decent enough brawl that was really more of an angle between 2 guys who are presented as fighters, albeit in slightly different ways.
----------

Finlay went for the shillelagh, but Drew booted Finlay to block the shot. He picked it up and smacked Finlay with the stick. He left the ring, but ran back in and hit another shot with the stick, this time to Finlay gut.

Longpigs - "The Frank Sonata"

They pimped the contract signing as coming up next before cutting back to see Finlay was still down. And live, he was down and selling the shots for a LONG-ass time.

We came back from break to see Piccadilly Circus in London.

How thankfully odd. This is the 4th Anniversary of Eddie Guerrero's death and Rey ended up not mentioning him once...
Matt Striker was in the ring, and he brought out first Rey Rey and then Batista. As Dave did so, we once again saw what happened at Bragging Rights. In what felt like an odd twist, they immediately got down to signing the contract. However, Dave had a second document with him. It was in an indemnity waiver, saying that whatever he did to Rey at the PPV, he couldn't be sued for it. Rey initially refused to sign the document. Batista, somewhat rightfully, called him a coward, hiding behind a goofy mask. He said if he didn't sign it now, he's snap Mysterio's neck. Rey signed it, saying that he The Animal was trying to intimidate him, but at the PPV, Dave would be the one embarrassed. Rey flipped the table over, knocking Batista over. Mysterio ducked out the ring and walked away as Batista destroyed the stuff in the ring. Waste of a couple of perfectly good chairs there. And quite possibly the shortest contract signing segment ever.

The "Smack Of The Night" was Ziggler's countout win a fortnight ago.

Pulp - "This Is Hardcore"

John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler wrestled to a Double Countout in a "Ouch!" match for the Intercontinental Title
Dolph came out first...

...followed by Morrison. Ziggler hit a shot that angered Morrison, but Dolph escaped to the apron and then hit a cheapshot as the ref brought Morrison back in. He hit a one man flapjack and the break dance leg drop. Morrison leapt up top, but Ziggler clipped the legs out and Morrison landed on his rib, injuring them again. He folded Morrison up for a 2 count before working over the ribs, picking up another 2 count as we took a break.

We came back in one of the wackiest variations on a hold I think I've ever seen as Ziggler had Morrison in a reverse bearhug on the mat, but Ziggler had bridged over. Almost Cattle Mutilation-like, only with a waistlock. He flipped back over quick enough, allowing Morrison to punch his way out and hit some shots. He whipped Ziggler into the corner, but JoMo~! crashed and burned on a Poetry in Motion-like splash in the corner. Ziggler hit the rolling neck snap for another 2 count. Morrison hit his elbow drop series. Mr. Ziggles put on a bodyscissors, but Morrison got out. Ziggler hit a scoop slam for another 2 count. Ziggler did some trash-talking, which prompted Morrison to smack him. They had a slugfest before Morrison flipped out a back suplex and hit a jumping heel kick. The Moonlight Drive was block and Ziggler turned it into a X-Factor for a 2 count.

Morrison hit his version of the "Pele" kick, although Striker wanted someone more relevant referenced, so Grisham settled on Wayne Rooney. As a Manchester United fan, I'm a Rooney fan, but he ain't ever hitting a kick like that. But then again, neither did Pele. Ziggler avoided Starship Pain, but Morrison landed OK. However, Ziggler tripped him and pinned him. The referee, however, saw that Ziggler was using the ropes. As Ziggler argued, Morrison hit The Flying Chuck for a 2 count. The pair headed up to the top rope, but the fight up there sent them both crashing to the floor outside. The referee counted to 10 with neither man moving by the time he finished.

----------
7.5/10 - I really enjoyed this up until the finish, and while I have no idea why they booked that finish beyond them having another match next week, with that bump to the floor, I can fully accept the double countout finale. That said, I would have liked a finish. You know, since I was there.
----------

Morrison began to stir first. I was a fairly nasty looking bump. And indeed, Ziggler looked like his head landed on the floor first. They certainly both walked away though.

Beth Phoenix def. Lisa Taylor in a "Hey, they found a British Indy woman!" match
Funny story here was that my row in the crowd seemed to be the Beth Phoenix fan club, as the majority of it were fans of hers. Taylor went for a schoolboy that didn't work, but it was all Beth from there. She put her lowly foe in the Tree Of Woe (hey, that rhymed. I'm a proper gangsta rapper...) hitting a neckbreaker out of the corner before hitting the Glam Slam for the win.

----------
3/10 - Fun squash as usual.
----------

We cut backstage to see Jericho get ready when josh Matthews walked in. He asked about any concerns in facing the Deadman for the first time. Jericho scoffed at the idea that Taker was in fact dead. No, he was as alive as the rest of us. The plebeians, they have waited for Jericho to face Taker, and for 20 years, they've believed he has some sort of power, but he doesn't. He can and will be beat, because he was the best in the world. And neither a Deadman of giant would stop him at the PPV form becoming champion. You know, I don't remembering this airing for the crowd. But then again, I may well have been twittering at that point.

We came back as they announced that next week, Morrison & Ziggler would again square off, this time 2 out of 3 falls.

Now, if you looked carefully at the ringpost at this point, you'd notice there was a little something extra on them. Namely Kane's pyro.. ***cue ominous music***

Reverend And The Makers - "Heavyweight Champion Of The World"

The Undertaker def. Chris Jericho in a "Called it before Vince did" non-title match
You know, I don't think I appreciated how much fire they use in Undertaker's current entrance until I saw it live. I mean, last year, I remember it being hot (fire usually tends to be that way), but I don't remember there being so much of it. There was bloody tons of it here. I almost wanted to hit the concession stand and get a raw burger and see if I could grill one of my own. Taker took control in the corner early, before Jericho telegraphed a back drop with a kick to the chest. However, Taker got pissed and clotheslined Jericho out. He set Jericho up on the apron and hit his leg drop. He then began working over Jericho's arm, with the aim of hitting Old School. However, as he looked to hit the actual move, Jericho armdragged off the top rope, leaving both men down as we took a break.

We came back with Jericho laying in blows to Taker's noggin'. Jericho blocked a corner charge and hit a dropkick off the second rope for a 2 count. He locked in a hold, but Taker was up quick. However, Jericho kicked Undertaker from the ring. A forearm from the apron sent Taker into the barrier before Jericho rammed him into another part. Back in the ring, Jericho choked Taker with the rope. They exchanged blows, but Jericho got the upperhand again and took Jericho into the corner, before choking with his boot. Taker grabbed Jericho's neck, but Jericho kicked out. They had a slugfest, which Taker won when he splashed Jericho in the corner. He hit Snake Eyes, but the running clothesline was countered by Jericho with a dropkick. Jericho looked for a shot, but again Taker looked for a chokeslam. Jericho again escaped, but ran into a big boot.

Taker's splash in the corner was avoided, and he almost crotched himself in the corner. Jericho mounted for some punches, but Taker looked for the Last Ride. However, Jericho had that scouted as well and he hit the Codebreaker. That scored a very close 2 count. Jericho mocked Taker and looked for a Tombstone, but Taker reversed. Jericho slipped out however, and he chop blocked the legs. Lionsault connected, but Jericho took a second to recover, which allowed Taker to bolt upright and grab Jericho by the neck again. And yet again, Jericho avoided the chokeslam with a rollup into the Walls Of Jericho. He locked it in, but Taker fought back and turned it back over. As he did that, he grabbed Jericho’s arm and he locked in Hell's Gate, leaving Jericho nowhere to go.

----------
8/10 - A really good match, and a privilege to see the first match they've had. Told a pretty good story too, with Jericho having everything Taker had scouted right up until the end, when Taker, effectively, got lucky in turning the Walls into the Gogoplata. And you know, if Edge isn't good to return for Wrestlemania, using this as the beginning of a slow build would be a good place to start for another Jericho/Taker match.
----------

Big Show made his way out to the ring, with a purpose. That purpose was to distract Taker while Jericho attacked. However, Taker had it scouted and looked for a chokeslam, but being close to the ropes, Big Show tripped him up. The tag champions assaulted Taker, with Big Show hitting his chokeslam and leg drop. . They then put Taker in the Walls Of Jericho/Colossal Clutch combination. However, as I had guessed earlier, Kane made his way out. Big Show bolted, leaving Jericho to get booted down.

We cut backstage (and this we certainly didn't see in the arena) to see Vince McMahon with a glint in his eye. He got on the phone to Teddy Long. He told Teddy he hoped Teddy was watching (forgetting the apparent time difference). He noted we hadn't seen Taker & Kane in years, so how about next week, we had the Brothers Of Destruction against JeriShow. Vince then bothered to ask about Teddy's health, hoping he didn't have swine flu, before reminding Teddy he was still on probation.

We cut back to the ring to see JeriShow on the ramp while Kane shot off the pyro they had set up, each team staring at the other as the show ended.

OVERALL - 7.5/10 (+0.5 on last week) - Fun show this week. It might have been in conjunction with the rest of the night and the awesome ECW main event earlier on, but this show seemed a little better live than it felt watching on TV. Not much better, because the TV version was good enough, but still, obvious reference to McIntyre & Finlay aside, there felt like something was missing from the TV version. But still a good way to spend a couple of hours.

Aaron has had a hectic week, and still has a hectic month to go. Next week, he has a High School Reunion to attend, since it's been 10 years since he left High School. And then, as part of the birthday present he bought himself, Aaron is going to NEW F**KING YORK CITY, BABY!!! That's right peeps, he talked a good game for a year, and is finally now doing something about it. That said, because of the way it acted in Sheffield, his laptop guaranteed itself that it wasn't going. It wasn't always likely anyway, but he doesn't need or want the hassle of it on the trip of his lifetime.

You can find him either on Facebook, MySpace(myspace.com/aaron24wood), or on Twitter(twitter.com/aaron24wood). And don't forget to check out the ClubWWI Twitter feed while you're there. Or if you're into gaming, Aaron's Playstation Network screen name is, you guessed it, aaron24wood as well!