The 518th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA.
Quick Match Results
- Jeff Hardy def. Chris Jericho by pin following the Swanton Bomb.
- The Great Khali def. Mike Knox (with Kane) by pin following the Punjabi Plunge.
- Dolph Ziggler (with Maria) def. Finlay by Count-Out.
- Eve Torres def. Natalya by pin following a moonsault.
- R-Truth def. Charlie Haas by pin following the Axe Kick.
- Champion Vs. Champion: Non-Title: Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk by DQ after Dolph Ziggler interferes.
Match Quality
- Champion Vs. Champion
- Jeff Hardy Vs. Chris Jericho
- R-Truth Vs. Charlie Haas
- Dolph Ziggler Vs. Finlay
- Eve Torres Vs. Natalya
- The Great Khali Vs. Mike Knox
Detailed Results
The opening match of the night saw the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, pick up a big win over Unified Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho. Can "The Charismatic Enigma" defeat CM Punk this Sunday and reclaim the World Heavyweight Title?
The Great Khali was also in action against "The Desert Destroyer" Mike Knox. In the middle of the contest, Kane came out, distracting Khali long enough for Knox to get the advantage in the match. However, Khali would regain control in the bout and ended up planting Knox with the Punjabi Plunge and picking up the win. After the match, "The Punjabi Nightmare" challenged Kane to come into the ring. "The Big Red Machine" made his way to the ring and started to get into the ring, but, once again, opted to walk away from the fight. Kane has done everything in his power to avoid any physical contact with The Great Khali as of late; will Khali ever get his hands on Kane?
The #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title at Night of Champions, Dolph Ziggler, was in action against "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay. The end of the match came when Dolph hit the Name Drop on the outside of the ring on Finlay and Finlay was unable to answer the ten-count, giving Ziggler the win via count-out. While he defeated Finlay by count-out, if Dolph wins by the same means this Sunday, he will not win the Intercontinental Title. Who will walk out of Philadelphia as the Intercontinental Champion? Will Dolph Ziggler claim the prestigious championship or will Rey Mysterio continue his reign as Intercontinental Champion?
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk made an appearance to "challenge" the WWE fans. "The Straightedge Superstar" challenged the fans to see things his way; to try and live the clean lifestyle. Punk stated that it is "difficult" to be him; to be "straightedge". CM Punk then educated the fans on how pleasures in life, like smoking, drinking, or doing drugs, can turn into addictions. Punk proclaims that a "strong person" would not start doing any of those things. Punk tells the audience that they will never find their "self-respect". The World Heavyweight Champion then challenges the fans to "just say no". The #1 Contender to the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, interrupts and accuses Punk of standing on his "soap box" and "preaching" to the WWE faithful. Jeff Hardy then tells the champion that Punk has forgotten that he is "human" and that humans make mistakes in life and anyone can beat addiction. CM Punk responds by saying that he does not want to "enable" Jeff and that he does not even want to be in the same ring as "The Extreme Enigma". The World Heavyweight Champion then left the ring and walked to the back.
As the war between Cryme Tyme & The Hart Dynasty continues, the ladies of the two sides faced off with Eve Torres picking up the win over Natalya.
R-Truth was in action on SmackDown, picking up a hard-fought victory over Charlie Haas.
Then it was time for the Champion Vs. Champion main event as World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk took on Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio. In the middle of the grueling battle between the two champions, Dolph Ziggler made his way to ringside. It did not long for the #1 Contender to Rey’s Intercontinental Title to get involved as Dolph got on the ring apron, but was quickly knocked off the apron by Mysterio. A little later on, Mysterio hit the 619 on CM Punk and had the victory in his grasp when Dolph Ziggler broke up the pin and forced the match to a grinding halt. After the match, Rey Mysterio fought back against "The Name Dropper" and had Ziggler set up for the 619, but CM Punk intervened and leveled the Intercontinental Champion! As CM Punk looked on, Dolph Ziggler planted Rey Mysterio with two of his signature Name Drops, leaving the Intercontinental Champion laying in the ring. Dolph was getting ready to hit a third Name Drop when Jeff Hardy rushed past CM Punk and attacked Dolph Ziggler, sending Ziggler out of the ring, saving Mysterio from the wrath of Ziggler. However, with Jeff’s attention elsewhere, CM Punk came back into the ring and grabbed Jeff and hit the GTS on the #1 Contender! Who will come out on top this Sunday when these two bitter adversaries face each other for the World Heavyweight Title? Will CM Punk find a way to hang on to the gold and put his rivalry with Jeff Hardy to rest or will "The Extreme Enigma" reclaim the World Heavyweight Title?