11-22-13 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the November 22, 2013 Smackdown

The show starts with WWE tag Team Champions Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. The Real Americans for the Titles. Goldust & Cody win when Goldust pins Swagger. This match was awesome & a great way to kick off Smackdown!

Ryback is in the ring. He says that being a bully is not a bad thing. He’s been one all his life & he enjoys being a bully. He enjoys pushing people around. When he looks at all the average “feed me morons” fans he can push them around & there’s nothing any of them can do about it. That’s not a bad thing for Ryback the human wrecking ball. He’s issuing an open challenge to anyone who is man enough. Out comes Khali.  

Great Khali vs. Ryback. Ryback gets the pin. This was the kinda match you’d expect from these 2.

Backstage they show Tamina & AJ. AJ talks about how she will be Divas Champion forever. Then Vickie Guerrero comes by. She tells AJ that she apologized to HHH & Stephanie for what happened on Raw. Everyone knows this was all Brad’s fault. But AJ was only ding what HHH & Stephanie asked her to do. Vickie is just a GM & was easy to beat. Then Vickie brings up the 7 on 7 tag team elimination Divas match for Survivor Series & how huge this is (That match will be painful). AJ’s team is represented by women that are not on Total Divas. AJ needs to show her team mates what kind of a fierce leader she is. So tonight Vickie is having AJ face Naomi & Cameron in a handicap match. AJ says that she’s not medically cleared to compete her ankle was injured, etc. Vickie talked to the Dr. & he doesn’t get where her ankle wasn’t injured. So per doctor’s orders AJ is medically cleared. Then AJ asks if Vickie is trying to punish her. Then AJ calls Vickie spiteful, ungrateful & vindictive. Vickie then says that she isn’t trying to punish AJ. She is just doing what’s best for business. Tamina & AJ walk off as Vickie laughs. This was lame. Monday AJ was the baby face against Vickie & now she is back to being the heel tonight.

They show a video of John Cena visiting Oxford University.

Naomi & Cameron vs. Divas Champion AJ Lee. Naomi & Cameron win when Naomi gets the pin. This wasn’t much. Tamina got involved & took out Cameron, so this was mostly Naomi vs. AJ.

Backstage we see The Wyatt Family. Bray says that what happened to him was real. He felt it. Now when he closes his eyes he sees memories that aren’t his own, but it made him understand that the world needs less revolutionaries & more revolutions. How can anyone possibly understand this? People like Punk & Daniel can walk into a building anywhere & people’s eyes light up as if they’re watching some mythological beast walking into a room. They say things like, “Can you believe this? It’s CM Punk & Daniel Bryan. They’re right here before us, etc.” Punk & Daniel are men who bleed the same way everyone does yet the fans treat them both as so much more. Like they have the power to lead the world on some mystical revolution, some wonderful promise land that doesn’t exist. Bray’s dad told him when he was a kid that the meek shall inherit the Earth 1 day. They’re the reapers walking upright & they are guided by “her” hand. Follow the Buzzards. This was a good promo but I couldn’t hear some of what Bray was saying.

Rey Mysterio & The Usos vs. The Shield. Mysterio & The Usos win when Mysterio pins Ambrose. This was a solid match.

Big Show is in the ring. He says that despite what HHH & Stephanie would say; that he came back for a paycheck, that’s not true. He came back to make HHH & Stephanie’s lives a living hell. The best way that he can do that is to rearrange the face of WWE & become the new WWE Champion. It’s been almost 10 years since Big Show has been WWE Champion. This could be his last opportunity. This Sunday when Big Show steps in that ring at Survivor Series he is laying it all on the line. He’s bringing every choke slam…Then Randy Orton’s music hits & out comes the champion. Orton says there are no maybes about it. Big Show’s finished. Big Show had a good career & will be a first ballot Hall of Famer but he is all washed up. The only reason that Big Show got his job back & is facing Orton for the title is because he filed a law suit like some kind of coward. Then Orton says that Big Show thought that he got 1 over on HHH & Stephanie but he didn’t. The only reason they brought Big Show back was to punish him. This Sunday Orton will punish Big Show. Then Big Show says that Orton’s real tough talking 50 yards away. Why doesn’t Orton get in the ring, get all up in Big Show’s face just like he did to HHH &Stephanie this past Monday. Then they reshow the Orton-HHH-Stephanie backstage office bits from Raw. Then Big Show says that it looks like someone went to mom & dad 1 too many times. Then Big Show says that Randy Orton has all the talent in the world & should be a locker room leader. Orton should be the face of WWE & it should’ve happened years ago. All Orton’s ever done is what is best of Randy Orton. Orton bid his time & waited till somebody handed him the WWE Title. Now Orton’s all alone. When Big Show gets his hands on him this Sunday no one’s coming to save Orton. No one will be his rescue. The sad truth is that Orton isn’t the face of WWE. He is just a spoiled brat. Orton says that he is not a spoiled brat & can beat Big Show by himself. He will beat Big Show without anybody’s help. Big Show figured that Orton might say that so let’s what’s happened every time the 2 of them are alone. Then they show a video package of Big Show choke slamming Orton through the announce table. Then Big Show tells Orton to hold onto that championship real tight. That title is the only thing that defines him as a man. This Sunday Big Show will take what Orton covets most. This Sunday Big Show is taking that WWE Title. This was solid but I thought it was a bit long. Big Show cut a good promo. He showed intensity but Orton’s promo was a bit weak.

Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston & Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow & Curtis Axel. Big E & Dolph win when Big E pins Sandow. This was solid but kind of on the short side.

Then Axel gets the IC belt & goes to hit Big E with it but Big E ducks & Axel rolls out of the ring.   

They reshow the video package of fans getting WrestleMania 30 tickets.

Backstage Renee Young interviews Alberto Del Rio. Renee would like to take this opportunity to remind the fans what has happened between Del Rio & Cena these past few weeks. They reshow Del Rio attacking Cena’s arm from Raw 2 weeks ago & then they reshow him putting Cena through the arm wrestling table from last week’s Smackdown. Then Renee says that Del Rio wasn’t the only 1 to get the upper hand. This past Monday Cena drew Del Rio into the ring. Then they reshow the Cena-Del Rio segment from Raw. Then Del Rio says that he wasn’t ready. He never saw that coming, but if he wanted to hurt Cena he could have. Del Rio’s done enough to that perro. Cena stole his world title. If Cena wants to say that his arm is ok that’s good. He tells Cena to enjoy his moment from Raw but hiding behind a sling won’t help Cena this Sunday. At Survivor Series there’re no more fun & games. Del Rio will hurt Cena & he will hurt him bad. In 2 days Cena is tapping out. Del Rio will take back what is his, that being the World Title. This was a solid Del Rio promo. He was a lot more subdued than usual.

Daniel Bryan vs. Luke Harper. Daniel gets the pin. This was a solid match. Daniel was outside the ring, Bray & Rowan were standing over him. Then Punk’s music played & he came out. He had a stare down with Harper. Then Daniel rolled up Harper for the pin.

Then Harper gives Daniel the big boot. Rowan goes to clothesline Punk, but Punk ducks & goes after Bray. Then Rowan grabs Punk from behind & Bray punches him. Then Rowan throws Punk in the ring & Harper clotheslines Punk. Then Rowan gets in the ring & splashes Daniel in the corner. Then Bray gets in the ring. Harper & Rowan hold up Daniel & then Bray gives him Sister Abigail. Then Bray kneels over Daniel & Punk & says follow the buzzards. This ends the show. This was good. They actually did a solid job in the final build to this match.

Before I get into my overall thoughts there was a match where the Primetime Players beat 2 of the 3MB guys that they apparently decided to cut out. 3MB were also dressed like the Freebirds.    

I thought this was a solid show overall. I loved the tag title match! That was easily my favorite part of the show. Bray’s promo was the usual weird & creepy kinda promo that we get from him & that was solid also. I also liked the Daniel-Harper match & the post-match attack by The Wyatts to Punk & Daniel at the end. Alberto Del Rio’s backstage promo was solid also. He was more subdued here than he usually is & I thought that made the promo better. The Naomi & Cameron vs. AJ match was short & what you’d expect from a divas match. The same for Khali-Ryback. The Big Show-Randy Orton promo was solid but I thought it was a bit too long. Big Show cut a good promo, showing a lot of intensity but Orton’s promo didn’t do it for me. Big E & Dolph vs. Axel & Sandow was solid too & of course Sandow lost cleanly. Mysterio & The Usos vs. The Shield was solid too. Overall I thought they did a bit more to interest fans in wanting to see Survivor Series. They actually did more than just mention that it’s this Sunday. I thought they did a solid job building to the Punk & Bryan vs. Rowan Harper & the traditional Survivor Series 10 man tag.