Friday Night Smackdown!
Cody Rhodes opens up the show in the ring and begins talking how he is going to win the Royal Rumble. He says that he is the most dominant man on Smackdown. He is interrupted by Mark Henry who tells Cody that he is the most dominant man in the WWE and he demands his rematch tonight. This brings Big Show out who says that it is he who deserves the rematch as he was the last holder of the World Heavyweight Championship. This brings out Theodore Long. He tells Cody that his actions at TLC were cowardly and that he must be punished. Teddy Long then bans Cody Rhodes from the Royal Rumble Match and says that at Royal Rumble, Cody must defend his Intercontinental Championship in a rematch against Booker T. Cody goes berserk and gets up in Longs face however Big Show steps in between them and Cody retreats and begins walking up the ramp before Long adds more. He tells Cody to find a partner as he is taking on Booker and a partner of his choosing tonight. Long then turns to Henry and Show. ‘So you both want a rematch, tonight, it will be Daniel Bryan V Mark Henry V The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship’. Big Show looks happy but Henry begins to argue. Henry attacks The Big Show but Show counters and knocks Henry out with the WMD.
Match 1: Tyson Kidd def Ted Di Biase.
This was a great opener with Ted trying to ground Tyson, weakening his aerial offense. Tyson managed to take control of the matchup and began an offense. Kidd hit several big moves including a missile dropkick from the top rope. This was followed by a couple of near falls before Di Biase regained control of the match and even attempted Dream Street but Kidd reversed it. Kidd regained control and hit Di Biase with a double underhook DDT and he locked in the Sharpshooter. After about a minute of being locked in the hold, Di Biase had no choice but to tap out and handed Tyson the victory.
Backstage, we see Cody Rhodes speaking with Ezekiel Jackson. We see Cody ask him to be his partner for tonight. Big Zeke tells him to take care of his own business and calls him a coward. Zeke turns his back to walk away and Cody attacks him from behind and knocks him on the floor. He begins to stomp on Zeke before picking him up and hitting him with Cross Rhodes.
Match 2: Beth Phoenix w/ Natalya def A.J.
This was a simple squash match in which Beth dominated from start to finish and A.J got very little offense in. Beth destroyed her throughout and finished her off with the Glam Slam.
Match 3: Wade Barrett def Sin Cara.
Another tremendous match with plenty of near falls for both men. The contest started as a fast paced bout with the luchador Sin Cara flying all over the ring. Barrett eventually managed to ground Sin Cara however hitting the Pumphandle Slam for a 2 count and also hitting a Big Boot. Sin Cara battled back however with a couple of big moves of his own such as the hurricarana and the springboard moonsault with the latter getting a near fall. Barrett quickly took control once again hitting Sin Cara with the Winds of Change followed up by Wasteland to get the pinfall.
After the match, Wade grabbed a mic. He said that the Road to Wrestlemania starts here but there is only one match he wants. He says he doesn’t want to win the Royal Rumble. He says he doesn’t want a title match at Wrestlemania. He says he wants to end something else. He says it’s the end of days for the most legendary thing left in the WWE. Wade Barrett says he wants to end The Undertakers legendary undefeated streak and challenges him to a match at Wrestlemania.
Match 4: Booker T & Finlay def Cody Rhodes & Christian
Cody & Christian were shocked when Finlay returned as Booker’s tag team partner. The match itself was a solid tag team bout. Christian started the match in the ring with Booker T and the two remained evenly matched until Christian got Booker in the corner and made the tag to Rhodes. Cody and Christian began to work on Booker in their corner until the two clotheslines each other. Both men made the tags to their partners but Finlay was fired up, hitting Christian with a few punches and a clothesline. Finlay hit him with Rolling Hills before placing him in the Celtic Knot. It seemed like Christian would tap out but Rhodes ran in and broke the hold. This led to Booker running in and hitting Cody with a Book-End. In the commotion, Christian did a roll up on Finlay but only for a 2 count. Christian attempted to hit the Killswitch but it was countered by Finlay who hoisted him up and hit a Celtic Cross for the pin.
[COLOR="#06400"]Randy Orton is backstage. He says that he is going to become a two time royal rumble winner. He is interrupted by Jinder Mahal. He says that he is the one that will be leaving in glory. He is soon joined by The Usos and the trio attack Orton until Sheamus makes the save. He hits Jey Uso with a Brogue Kick and Orton gets up and hits the RKO on Jimmy Uso before Mahal flees the scene. Sheamus and Orton shake hands.[/COLOR]
Main Event: Daniel Bryan [c] def Mark Henry & Big Show to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
This was an exciting brawl that got the audience on the edge of their seat. The match started with Show and Bryan seemingly working together to work on The World’s Strongest Man but that soon change when Henry was dropkicked through the ropes by Daniel Bryan. Big Show then started punching Bryan in the gut before getting him into the corner and chopping him. Henry made it back into the ring and started trading punches before Bryan grounded the two with continuous kicks to the back of the legs. Bryan then hit both with a roundhouse kick and got a 1 count on Henry. Henry and Show made it back to their feet and Henry head butted Bryan, knocking him to the mat. Show then head butted Henry who replied with a clothesline. He then splashed both men before taunting the crowd. Bryan made his way to his feet and got Henry in a sleeper hold. As Henry was struggling to escape, Show made his way back up and hit him with the WMD for the second time in the night, the force also knocking Bryan out of the ring. Show then went for a cover but Bryan made it to the apron and took Shows boot off, distracting him. Show then got up but was uneven and fell over, Bryan then got in the ring and locked in the LeBell on Show. After a huge struggle, Show finally tapped out.
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OOC: Well, there has been a change of plan and rather than have a late RAW, Friday Night Smackdown is your first show, I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to share your opinions.
Confirmed for Royal Rumble
Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes [c] V Booker T
