The 516th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, CA.
Quick Match Results
- Kane (with CM Punk) def. Jeff Hardy by pin following a Super Big Red Chokeslam.
- Dolph Ziggler def. John Morrison by roll-up with the tights.
- Melina & Eve Torres def. Michelle McCool & Layla by Melina rolling up Layla.
- Non-Title: CM Punk & The Great Khali fight to a No Contest after Kane appears.
- The Hart Dynasty (with Natalya) def. Cryme Tyme by David Hart Smith pinning Shad following the High-Low.
- Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) def. Chris Jericho by pin following the 619NS to retain.
Match Quality
- Intercontinental Championship
- Dolph Ziggler Vs. John Morrison
- Kane Vs. Jeff Hardy
- The Hart Dynasty Vs. Cryme Tyme
- CM Punk Vs. The Great Khali
- Melina & Eve Torres Vs. Michelle McCool & Layla
Detailed Result(s)
The opening match of the night saw the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, face off with "The Big Red Machine" Kane. Before the match, "The Strange Enigma" Jeff Hardy came to the ring wearing an eye patch to further mock his Night of Champions opponent, CM Punk. Jeff said that his eye felt like it was "on fire" last week during the tag team main event. Jeff then accuses Punk of faking his eye injury and then states that his eye injury is just as "serious" as Punk’s. Jeff then removes the eye patch.
Then it was time for Jeff Hardy to square off with Kane; it looked as though Jeff was poised for victory as he set Kane up for the Swanton Bomb. However, CM Punk came out and distracted "The Extreme Enigma", which gave Kane the opportunity to deliver a thunderous chokeslam from the top rope on Jeff Hardy and pick up the win over the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title. How will Jeff Hardy respond to CM Punk’s interference?
Dolph Ziggler was also in action and picked up a big win over "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison by rolling Morrison up and hooking the tights. Ziggler’s rise on SmackDown has become meteoric; what is the next step for "The Name Dropper"?
The Divas of SmackDown were in action as the team of former Women’s Champion Melina & Eve Torres defeated the team of Women’s Champion Michelle McCool & Layla. After the match, McCool & Melina got into a brawl on the outside of the ring. The referee stepped in and held Melina back while McCool made her escape. Melina is determined to regain the Women’s Title from Michelle McCool; when will she get her opportunity to do so?
Then it was time for World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk to face the unenviable task of squaring off with The Great Khali. Before the match, CM Punk had some words for his opponent at the Night of Champions, Jeff Hardy, who was seated for commentary at ringside. Punk tells Jeff that his eye injury is real and that Jeff is the one who caused it. Punk then shows his prescription medication for his eye and tells Jeff that, unlike Jeff, he only uses legally-obtained prescription drugs. "The Straightedge Superstar" reminds Jeff that Jeff has two "strikes" against him in the WWE for drug test failures. Punk then proclaimed that he has had "zero" drug test failures and "zero" suspensions in his WWE career and, at the Night of Champions, Jeff will have a "zero" chance of beating him for the World Heavyweight Title.
CM Punk then squared off with The Great Khali, but the match came to an abrupt end when Kane arrived on the scene with a steel chair in hand. With his sights set on "The Punjabi Nightmare", Kane got into the face of Khali. However, Khali also armed himself with a steel chair. Kane struck the first blow as he delivered a chair shot to the shoulder of Khali. Khali responded by knocking the chair out of the hands of "The Big Red Machine" and blasting Kane with a steel chair shot of his own! What will happen next between these two behemoths?
In a rematch from last week, The Hart Dynasty faced Cryme Tyme in a tag team encounter. In the end, it was a distraction by Natalya that allowed The Hart Dynasty to pick up the win.
Before the much-anticipated Intercontinental Championship match, one-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho, had a couple of things to say. Jericho said that he should be satisfied with being one-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, but that his greatness as a Superstar would not allow it. Jericho then vowed to break his own record and win the Intercontinental Title for the unprecedented tenth time.
In another incredible match in their personal rivalry, Rey Mysterio was somehow able to defeat Chris Jericho to hang on to his Intercontinental Championship. However, after the match, Rey Mysterio had to dodge an attack by Chris Jericho’s partner, the other half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Edge. Rey Mysterio exited the ring, but was ambushed by Dolph Ziggler! Ziggler then threw Rey back into the ring where Edge delivered a vicious spear to the Intercontinental Champion. The Unified Tag Team Champions then delivered a devastating double-team version of the Codebreaker on Rey Mysterio. Edge & Jericho then invited Ziggler into the ring before making their exit. Dolph took advantage and laid out the Intercontinental Champion in the middle of the ring. What is the reason for this assault by Dolph Ziggler? Has Ziggler set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship? How will Rey Mysterio respond to this attack?