The 521st edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (The Hart Dynasty’s Home Province).
Quick Match Results
- Dolph Ziggler (with Mike Knox) def. Finlay by pin following the Name Drop.
- CM Punk def. John Morrison by pin following the GTS.
- Melina def. Layla by pin with the L.A. Splits.
- Big Show (with Chris Jericho) def. JTG (with Shad) by submission to the Colossal Clutch.
- 2-on-1 Handicap Match: Non-Title: The Hart Dynasty def. Jeff Hardy by Tyson Kidd pinning Jeff Hardy following the Hart Attack.
Match Quality
- CM Punk Vs. John Morrison
- The Hart Dynasty Vs. Jeff Hardy
- Dolph Ziggler Vs. Finlay
- Big Show Vs. JTG
- Melina Vs. Layla
Detailed Results
With nine days and counting until the "Biggest Event of the Summer", SummerSlam, the show kicked off with the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, CM Punk. The former champion proclaimed that "no one" is better than him at utilizing ladders; citing his back-to-back victories in the annual Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match and that what he did last week to Jeff Hardy proves that he can utilize chairs effectively, as well. "The Straightedge Superstar" says he has given up trying to educate the fans on the dangers of drugs and alcohol because the more he opposes Jeff Hardy the more that the Jeff Hardy faithful cheer for their hero. Punk calls the Jeff fans "slaves to Jeff Hardy’s propaganda" and vows to "end Jeff Hardy" at SummerSlam. Punk then reveals that he has been hearing rumors that Jeff Hardy will be unable to compete at SummerSlam! This brings out SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long, who tells the #1 Contender that his actions last week were "deplorable" and that Jeff Hardy had assured him that Jeff would not only compete at SummerSlam, but that the World Heavyweight Champion would be on SmackDown! Punk responds by saying that Long is biased towards Jeff Hardy and that Jeff is Long’s "poster boy". This brings out the World Heavyweight Champion, himself, Jeff Hardy, who gingerly makes his way into the ring and delivers the quick message to his SummerSlam adversary that he will defend the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam! As Jeff slowly exits the ring, CM Punk smirks at his handy work from last week. Will Punk be smirking at SummerSlam when he faces Jeff Hardy in one of Jeff’s specialties- a TLC Match?
Backstage in his office, General Manager Theodore Long receives a phone call from WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon! The Chairman informs Teddy Long that he wants Jeff Hardy to compete in the main event in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match against The Hart Dynasty! Despite Long’s objections to the match, Mr. McMahon made his decision and the match would take place. How can Jeff compete much less compete against two men in a Handicap Match?
The opening match of the night saw the #1 Contender to the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam, Dolph Ziggler, in action against the man he pinned last week to earn the title opportunity- Finlay. In the middle of the match between these two, the burly Mike Knox made his way to ringside. When Knox started to close in on Finlay, "The Fighting Irishman" kicked Knox back and Knox responded by blasting Finlay in the leg with the shillelagh while the referee’s attention was elsewhere! Dolph took advantage and hit the Name Drop to defeat Finlay en route to SummerSlam. However, "Monstrous" Mike Knox was not done with Finlay after costing him the match because the ruthless Phoenix native assaulted the Irishman before taking him to the outside and delivering a sickening backbreaker onto the steel steps! What provoked this attack by the bearded menace? What kind of condition is Finlay in following the assault?
After kidnapping Ranjin Singh last week, Kane is shown in an undisclosed backstage location with Singh strapped to a chair. "The Big Red Monster" bullies the interpreter of The Great Khali and challenges Khali to "come see his handy work".
Then it was time for "The Straightedge Superstar" CM Punk to go one-on-one with "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison. In the end, it was the newfound intensity and determination by CM Punk that allowed Punk to hit the GTS on Morrison and finally defeat John Morrison after losing two straight to "The Friday Night Delight". How will CM Punk’s opponent at SummerSlam, World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, fare in a Handicap Match in the main event?
Backstage, Kane is still abusing a defenseless Ranjin Singh; knocking Khali’s confidante backwards onto the floor. "The Big Red Machine" then verbally abused Singh by asking the translator if Khali is a "freak". Singh responds by revealing that Khali is his brother! Kane informs The Great Khali that he is "losing patience" waiting for Khali’s arrival.
The Divas were in action as former Women’s Champion Melina defeated Layla in a one-on-one bout shortly after learning that reigning Women’s Champion Michelle McCool will return to SmackDown next week! With SummerSlam being held in her hometown of Los Angeles, will Melina be looking to face McCool for the gold a week from Sunday?
Speaking of SummerSlam and championships, Cryme Tyme member JTG was in action on SmackDown as he squared off with one-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions and "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show! During the match, the opportunistic Chris Jericho shoved Shad into the ring post, taking Shad out of the equation for the time being. Meanwhile, in the ring, Big Show completely dominated JTG, forcing one-half of the #1 Contenders to submit to the Colossal Clutch. After the match, as Big Show stepped over the top rope to exit the ring, Shad retaliated Jericho’s attack by knocking "The World’s Largest Athlete" off of the apron to the floor; enraging the large Unified Tag Team Champion! What will happen when these two teams wage war at SummerSlam for the Unified Tag Team Titles? Will Cryme Tyme deliver on their promise and become the new Unified Tag Team Champions or will the seemingly unstoppable duo of Chris Jericho & Big Show be too much for the duo to defeat?
Backstage, The Great Khali finally locates Ranjin Singh hanging upside down in the bowels of the Rexall Place. Khali helps his brother down from the predicament, but is blind-sided with a steel pipe to the back, courtesy of Kane! With evil intent, Kane brutally assaulted Khali and left "The Punjabi Nightmare" laying on the cold concrete. "The Big Red Monster" then warned Khali that he is not scared of Khali, but that Khali should be scared of him. What damage has been done to both Khali & Ranjin Singh at the hands of the psychotic "Big Red Machine" Kane? How will The Great Khali respond to the assault?
Then it was time for the main event as World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy was forced into a 2-on-1 Handicap Match by the WWE Chairman, Mr. McMahon. The weakened champion would face the task of taking on both Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith; The Hart Dynasty. "The Extreme Enigma" tried at every pass to mount some offense in the contest, but the amount of damage dealt out to him by CM Punk last week was too much for even Jeff Hardy to handle and The Hart Dynasty ended up hitting the Hart Attack on Jeff to pick up the win! After the match, it did not take long for CM Punk to make his way to the ring to pick up the scraps of Jeff Hardy as the #1 Contender pounded on the fallen champion. Luckily for a helpless Jeff Hardy, help arrived in the form of John Morrison! Morrison stopped the onslaught of Punk and did his best to fight off both members of The Hart Dynasty. However, amidst the brawl with The Hart Dynasty, John Morrison was blasted in the back with a steel chair by CM Punk! With Morrison out of the picture, CM Punk resumed the merciless assault on Jeff Hardy. Punk placed the neck of Jeff in the steel chair vice that he used last week and was ready to send Jeff into the ring post and "end Jeff Hardy" as he promised to do. However, an unexpected assist came from Jeff’s brother, Matt Hardy! Matt intervened on his brother’s behalf and assaulted Punk to prevent Punk from doing any further damage to the already injured Jeff Hardy. John Morrison rejoined the fray and, together, Matt Hardy & John Morrison successfully fend off The Hart Dynasty. Then, as Jeff Hardy stared, confused, at his older brother, Matt Hardy actually helped Jeff to his feet! Backstage, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon confronts General Manager Theodore Long in his office and asks Long what the GM has planned for next week’s show. Long reveals that a huge 6-Man Tag Match will main event next week’s show as The Hardys will reunite and team with John Morrison to take on the team of CM Punk & The Hart Dynasty! With just two days to go before SummerSlam, Jeff Hardy & CM Punk will be in the same ring in the same match for the last time before their TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam. What will go down between champion and challenger? What kind of condition will the World Heavyweight Champion be in next week and how will the match affect his well-being? What measures will CM Punk take to try and get the upper hand for SummerSlam?