WWE Friday Night Smackdown! 1/21/11

Highlights of Big Show/Wade Barrett from last week, with the formation of the new Barrett/Justin Gabriel/Heath Slater/Ezekiel Jackson group.

Josh Matthews, Michael Cole, and Matt Striker are the announcers.

Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater come to the ring.  Their group is called The Corre.  They all introduce themselves.  Teddy Long comes out to bitch at them for being assholes.  Barrett tries to explain why the Corre is good for Smackdown.  They banter for a bit.  Teddy insists that they play by the rules, then leaves.  Alberto Del Rio comes out to tell The Corre that they’re welcome here, but Smackdown is his show.  He cuts his usual promo about it being his destiny to win the Royal Rumble.  Insta-commercials.

Ricardo Rodriguez introduces Alberto Del Rio.

Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth.  Del Rio beats up Truth.  Truth hits a clothesline and Del Rio bails.  Truth beats him up on the outside.  Back inside, Truth avoids an elbow drop and covers for 2.  Truth works Del Rio’s arm.  Cut to backstage, where Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero have found Teddy Long unconscious.  Truth keeps beating up Del Rio.  Truth hits an avalanche-style Frankensteiner, then clotheslines Del Rio out of the ring.  Insta-commercials.  Truth boots Del Rio in the face and goes to the middle rope.  Del Rio pulls him down.  Cover gets 2.  Del Rio works Truth’s shoulder, then clamps on a rear chin lock.  Del Rio beats on Truth.  Cut to the back, where the paramedics are taking Teddy away.  I spot Tony Garea.  Truth makes his comeback and hits a front suplex for 2.  Del Rio rallies and hits an enzuigiri for 2.  Cole says Teddy Long has suffered trauma to the back of the head.  Truth hits a hip toss.  Rodriguez trips Truth.  Del Rio pulls Truth’s arm over the top rope, then gets the Minoru Special for the submission (6:42 shown).  This was pretty much just a backdrop for the angle with Teddy.

Teddy Long is loaded into an ambulance.  Vickie Guerrero, Dolph Ziggler, JTG, Rosa Mendez, Hornswoggle, Curt Hawkins, Michael Tarver, Trent Barreta, and Kaitlyn are seen looking on.

Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler come back into the office to find The Corre.  They say they had nothing to do with what happened to Teddy and offer their assistance.  She wants one of them to face Edge tonight and soften him up for Ziggler.

Royal Rumble “By The Numbers” video.

Tonight, Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes!

WWE bullshit fact of the night.

Tony Chimel is the ring announcer.

Layla (w/ Michelle McCool) vs. Beth Phoenix.  They lock up.  Phoenix overpowers Layla.  Layla lands some kicks.  Phoenix does big swing and hits a clothesline for 2.  Layla hits a nifty rope walk armbreaker.  Cover gets 2.  Layla works Phoenix’s arm and applies a nifty hold.  Phoenix stands up with Layla and drops her to break it.  Phoenix makes her comeback.  Phoenix hits the slingshot suplex for 2.  Layla attacks Beth’s injured arm again.  Beth hits a backbreaker and the Glam Slam for the pin in 3:32.  It wasn’t awful.

Rey Mysterio is headed our way!

Tulsa!

Stand Up For WWE BS.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. “Dashing” Cody Rhodes.  Rhodes grabs a side headlock, then hits a clothesline.  Mysterio hits a flying headscissors.  Rhodes gets the advantage and works Mysterio’s knee.  Rhodes sends Mysteri outside.  Mysterio avoids a baseball slide dropkick, then hits a drop toehold into the steps.  Back inside, Mysterio hits the diving seated senton for 2.  Mysterio hits a rebound cross body for 2.  Rhodes hits a side Russian leg sweep for 2.  Mysterio rallies and hits the 619 and a diving splash for the pin in 4:02.  Fine little match.  Rhodes looks to have a broken nose or something.

Todd Grisham tries to give an update on Teddy Long.  Alex Riley interrupts.  He and WWE Champion The Miz are on Smackdown tonight.  Cole mizzes his pants.

Tonight, Edge vs. a member of The Corre!

The trainer tells Cody Rhodes that his nose is broken.  Rhodes looks in the mirror and freaks out.

Non-Title Amateur Wrestling Challenge: Jack Swagger vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston.  3 minute time limit.  Swagger gets a takedown.  Kofi escapes.  They keep doing boring amateur wrestling for a while.  Swagger dominates.  Kofi makes a comeback at the end, but Swagger wins 10-9.  Swagger jumps Kofi after the match.  Kofi kicks his ass, gives him the Trouble In Paradise, and hits a diving cross body, just because the crowd usually pops so big for it.

They show the brawl between Edge and Dolph Ziggler on The Cutting Edge last week.

Tonight, Edge vs. ?!

The announcer hype how the Smackdown ratings have gone up or something.

Trent Barreta vs. Drew McIntyre.  They show Barreta’s upset victory over McIntyre last week and the subsequent backstage attack and whatever is going on with Drew and Kelly Kelly.  McIntyre hits a belly to belly suplex, then pounds on Barreta.  McIntyre hits a snap suplex for 2.  Barreta rallies and hits a dropkick.  Barreta goes for a springboard rana, but McIntyre turns it into a powerbomb.  Cover gets 2.  McIntyre hits a hip toss off the top rope for the pin in 2:07.  McIntyre offers a handshake after the match, but Barreta decks him like a dick.  McIntyre righteously kicks his ass.  Kelly Kelly comes out and orders him to stop.  Hey, Barreta had it coming this time!  McIntyre tries to explain himself, but the dumb bimbo goes to check on Barreta instead.  Sorry, but this is a case of the heel being right.

Tonight, Edge vs. ?!

WWE bullshit fact of the night.

WWE Champion The Miz and Alex Riley come out.  Cole mizzes all over himself.  Miz cuts a promo.  They show him and Riley beating down Randy Orton on Raw.  World Heavyweight Champion Edge comes out.  They banter.  Riley talks shit to Edge and gets speared.  Miz acts like he wants to fight, then bitches down.  The main event is NEXT!

Edge is in the ring.  The Corre come out.  Vickie Guerrero comes out and screeches in her horrible voice.  Dolph Ziggler comes out to do commentary.

Non-Title: World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Justin Gabriel (w/ Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, & Heath Slater).  Edge does some arm locks.  Gabriel throws a forearm.  This apparently pisses Edge off, because he starts kicking Gabriel’s ass.  Edge hits the Edge-O-Matic for 2.  Gabriel gets the advantage and beats up Edge.  Edge rallies and sends Gabriel to the floor.  Insta-commercials.  Gabriel gets a 2 count on Edge.  Gabriel hits a side Russian leg sweep and transitions into a weird hold.  Gabriel hits an STO and goes up top.  Edge wakes up and catches him with a dropkick.  Edge gives Gabriel an Edge-O-Matic against the ropes.  Edge goes up top.  Gabriel cuts him off and goes for a superplex.  Edge fights him off and hits a diving cross body for 2.  Edge goes for the spear.  Guys start getting on the apron.  Edge decks Barrett and Slater, but Jackson gives Edge a lariat.  Gabriel gets the pin (7:21 shown).  That’s a hell of a lariat.  Okayish match.  The Corre surrounds Edge and commence to beating him down.  They all give Edge their finishes and leave.  Ziggler places a foot on Edge and stands tall as the show ends.

Okay show.  It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t anything great either.