The 524th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Quick Match Results
- Finlay & The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh) def. Kane & Mike Knox by Finlay pinning Mike Knox following the shillelagh shot.
- Intercontinental Championship: John Morrison def. Rey Mysterio (c) by pin following Starship Pain to win the Intercontinental Title.
- Eve Torres & Maria def. Natalya & Layla by Eve Torres pinning Layla following the Evesault (handspring moonsault).
- Non-Title: CM Punk & Matt Hardy fight to a No Contest after CM Punk uses a steel chair on Matt Hardy.
Match Quality
- Intercontinental Championship
- CM Punk Vs. Matt Hardy
- Eve Torres & Maria Vs. Natalya & Layla
- Finlay & The Great Khali Vs. Kane & Mike Knox
Detailed Results
The show opened with, what the fans thought was, Jeff Hardy, but it turned out it was World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk doing a full-on impersonation of the, now, former WWE Superstar. "The Straightedge Champion" rubs it in by telling the Hardy faithful that Jeff is "gone" and telling the fans that his impersonation will be the last piece of evidence of Jeff Hardy being on SmackDown. The World Heavyweight Champion then referred to Jeff as "The Charismatic Enabler" and called all of the fans "weak". Punk then proclaimed that the fans finally have a champion they can be proud of; a "Straightedge Champion". The confident champion then proclaimed that he is "built to last" and is there to stay and refers to himself as "the choice of a new generation". Punk then turns his attention to his Breaking Point opponent, The Undertaker, saying that he is a "fellow icon" on SmackDown. "The Straightedge Champion" then invites The Undertaker to test his "breaking point" and states that he knows that "The Phenom" is in the arena. When "The Deadman" does not appear, CM Punk says that Undertaker plays "games" and calls Undertaker’s mystical powers a "trick". The champion then proclaims that he has "no breaking point" and says that he can hurt anyone "more than a pill". An emotionally charged Matt Hardy interrupts the speech by CM Punk and rushes to the ring and attacks the champion! The two brawl until several referees come in and break the two men apart. With referees holding Matt back, CM Punk decides to exit.
Backstage, CM Punk is complaining to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long about Matt Hardy interrupting his time in the ring. The GM responds by announcing a non-title main event match between CM Punk and Matt Hardy! Looking to avenge his brother’s untimely departure from the WWE, will Matt Hardy defeat the World Heavyweight Champion or will "The Straightedge Champion" beat another Hardy?
It was announced on SmackDown that, at Breaking Point, Kane and The Great Khali will, once again, go one-on-one, but this time it will be in a Singapore Cane Match! Who will survive this hardcore bout in Montreal? Will The Great Khali finally get revenge for what Kane has done to him and his younger brother, Ranjin Singh or will "The Big Red Monster" use the rules to topple "The Punjabi Nightmare" and continue his reign of terror against Khali & Singh?
Nine days before their encounter at Breaking Point, Kane & The Great Khali were in tag team action as The Great Khali teamed with "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay to defeat the team of "The Big Red Machine" Kane and "The Evil Genius" Mike Knox. The end of the match came when Kane entered the ring illegally and tried to prevent Finlay from making the tag. However, the wily Irishman managed to send Kane to the outside, but Kane then got a hold of Ranjin Singh which distracted The Great Khali and prevented Finlay from making the much needed tag. All of the action on the outside distracted the referee and it gave Finlay the opportunity to crack Mike Knox over the head with the shillelagh and pick up the win for his team!
Then it was time for Rey Mysterio to defend the Intercontinental Championship against "The Friday Night Delight" John Morrison. In a grueling match full of high speed offense and boundary-pushing endurance, it was "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison who was able to outlast "The Ultimate Underdog" and claim his third Intercontinental Championship! After the match, Rey Mysterio and John Morrison embraced in a show of respect and a sign of "passing the torch" to the new champion!
There won’t be much rest for new Intercontinental Champion John Morrison as "The Guru of Greatness" will defend his newly won championship against Dolph Ziggler at Breaking Point! Can Morrison successfully defend the gold or will Dolph Ziggler finally win the Intercontinental Title?
R-Truth was scheduled to compete on SmackDown, but the exciting Superstar was once again blind-sided, assaulted, and laid out by Drew McIntyre! Angry at not being part of the show, McIntyre proclaimed that he is going to keep ruining these "parties" until he is recognized as the "superstar" he truly is. After two weeks of being on the wrong end of a strong statement, how will R-Truth respond to Drew McIntyre’s attacks?
The SmackDown Divas were also in action as the team of Eve Torres & Maria defeated the team of Natalya & Layla with Eve getting the fall over Layla.
Then it was time for the main event as World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk went one-on-one with Matt Hardy in a non-title match. During the match, the action between Punk & Matt spilled to the outside and it led to Punk grabbing a steel chair and attacking Matt with it! Punk then wrapped the steel chair around the neck of Matt Hardy, similar to how he set up Matt’s brother Jeff, and was ready to put another Hardy out of the WWE when the lights went out and the familiar gong was heard that signified the arrival of The Undertaker! "The Deadman" appeared in front of CM Punk and delivered a huge chokeslam to "The Straightedge Champion" that drove Punk through the announce table! The Undertaker has made his emphatic return to SmackDown and delivered a clear cut message to the champion; what will happen in nine nights at Breaking Point when CM Punk defends the World Heavyweight Title against The Undertaker? Can "The Straightedge Champion" force Undertaker to submit for the first time in the career of "The Phenom" or will The Undertaker lock the Devil’s Gate on the champion and reign atop SmackDown once again as World Heavyweight Champion?