Five nights after WWE Breaking Point, the 526th edition of SmackDown came to you from the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Quick Match Results
- Non-Title: John Morrison def. Mike Knox by pin following Starship Pain.
- Non-Title: Melina def. Michelle McCool (in her return to action) by pin with the Last Call.
- The Hart Dynasty (with Natalya) def. Cryme Tyme (with Eve Torres) by Tyson Kidd pinning JTG following a modified snapmare into a modified neckbreaker.
- The Great Khali def. Kane by DQ after Kane uses a steel chair.
- Batista (in his in-ring return to SmackDown) def. Chris Jericho by pin following the Batista Bomb.
Match Quality
- John Morrison Vs. Mike Knox
- The Hart Dynasty Vs. Cryme Tyme
- Batista Vs. Chris Jericho
- Melina Vs. Michelle McCool
- The Great Khali Vs. Kane
Detailed Results
The show opened with a shot of a long, black limousine arriving at the Copps Coliseum. A very nervous and paranoid Theodore Long emerged from the limo and was immediately surrounded by several security guards. Thoroughly protected, the General Manager entered the arena. Can even this elaborate security force stop The Undertaker from getting to Theodore Long?
"The Animal" was back on SmackDown as Batista made his return to Friday Nights! The five time World Champion explained that his contract on Monday Night RAW had expired and, for the first time in his career, he was able to "choose" what brand he wanted to be a part of and so he chose SmackDown. Batista then proclaimed that SmackDown is the "A Show" and that he can’t "wait to get started". Chris Jericho then crashed the return of "The Animal" by making his way to the ring. Jericho sarcastically welcomed Batista back to SmackDown and said that Batista made him "sick" and that Batista was "begging for cheers". Jericho then called Batista a "Neanderthal" before proclaiming that he is "the face of SmackDown and everyone knows it" and that he is the "man" on SmackDown. Batista responded by quoting a good friend of his and saying that "to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man". Batista then announced that Jericho would be facing him in the main event before laying the Unified Tag Team Champion out with a spinebuster! Will Batista make his return to SmackDown a complete success by defeating Chris Jericho or will the self-proclaimed "face of SmackDown" spoil the return of "The Animal"?
After getting a spinebuster, courtesy of Batista, Chris Jericho stormed backstage and confronted the other half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Big Show, and demanded to know why Big Show was not out there to back him up. Frustrated, Jericho stated that he would face Batista "alone" in the main event! Without "The World’s Largest Athlete" in his corner, can Jericho defeat Batista?
As the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title, Dolph Ziggler, was a guest on commentary, the opening match of the night saw the Intercontinental Champion John Morrison pick up a big win over "Monstrous" Mike Knox. After the match, "The Guru of Greatness" continued to chip away at the psyche of Ziggler by starting up a "Mr. Ziggles" chant aimed at the #1 Contender! Which one of these impressive young Superstars will emerge from WWE Hell in a Cell as the Intercontinental Champion? Will Morrison make his first defense a successful one or will Dolph Ziggler claim the Intercontinental Championship?
Backstage, the referee from the controversial World Heavyweight Title match at Breaking Point, Scott Armstrong, said that he did what he did at Breaking Point because he values his job and stated that he is "not proud" of what he did. Armstrong then stated that he will make "no excuses" for his actions as he did what the job required of him.
SmackDown also saw the in-ring return of Women’s Champion Michelle McCool as she squared off with Melina. In the end, it was Melina standing with her hand raised after pinning the Women’s Champion! Will Melina get a rematch for the Women’s Title now that she has pinned the champion?
Backstage, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, still flanked by security, is nervously pacing in his office when he is startled by the arrival of the WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon. The Chairman praised Long for his acquisition of Batista, but then asked Long why he "double-crossed" The Undertaker, saying that the GM owes him an explanation and that his answer had better be a "good" one. McMahon then orders Theodore Long to go out to the ring and publicly explain himself to the fans.
Surrounded by an abundant number of security guards, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long made his way to the ring and admitted that the events of Breaking Point were "pre-planned" to keep The Undertaker from winning the World Heavyweight Title. The GM then says that he is "not proud" of what he did at Breaking Point, but that he is not the only one involved, citing the referee, Scott Armstrong, and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk as his accomplices. Long then states that he wants to "apologize" to the fans and to The Undertaker and that he hopes that The Undertaker can "find it in his heart" to "forgive" Long for his controversial actions. With his security force surrounding him again, the GM made his exit to the parking lot and got in his limousine to leave the arena. However, after Long got in, the doors on the limousine quickly locked shut and the divider window rolled down to reveal that The Undertaker was behind the wheel of the vehicle! Smoke then filled the limousine as Theodore Long screamed for help and the limo drove away! Where did "The Phenom" take Theodore Long and what will happen to the GM on his "trip" with The Undertaker?
After seeing the unsettling events that just took place backstage, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk came to the ring. "The Straightedge Champion" then proclaimed that he made The Undertaker "tap out", just like he said he would and that he came out to confront The Undertaker, but Undertaker was "conveniently" not there. The World Heavyweight Champion then referred to himself as "righteous" and called the fans "inebriated zombies". The confident champion then said that "he means what he says and says what he means", before declaring himself "the choice of a new generation" and saying that being straightedge makes him "better". What will happen when The Undertaker is through with Theodore Long? Will "The Deadman" hunt down the World Heavyweight Champion next?
In their home country, The Hart Dynasty was in action as they picked up a big home field win over Cryme Tyme. Could The Hart Dynasty be on their way to become the #1 Contenders for the Unified Tag Team Titles?
Just five nights after their grueling Singapore Cane Match at Breaking Point, "The Big Red Monster" Kane and The Great Khali went one-on-one on SmackDown. After the match spilled to the outside, Kane quickly grabbed a steel chair and leveled Khali with a shot to the head! With Khali completely out of it, "The Big Red Monster" dragged the large frame of Khali and placed Khali’s knee on the steel steps. The vicious and evil Kane then destroyed the knee of Khali with countless shots with the other half of the steel steps! Kane then walked away from his scene of destruction; proud of his handiwork. EMT’s then rushed to the aid of The Great Khali, loading Khali onto a stretcher and wheeling him out of the arena. How much damage has Kane done to Khali’s knee? When will we see The Great Khali come back to SmackDown?
In the ring, it was set to be R-Truth going one-on-one with Charlie Haas, but instead of R-Truth, Drew McIntyre came out and announced that R-Truth had been in a backstage "accident" and would be unable to compete! McIntyre then said that, in his opinion, Charlie Haas is the winner by forfeit. McIntyre then extended his hand to Charlie Haas, which Haas reluctantly shook. However, when Haas turned his back, McIntyre attacked Haas and laid him out with his vicious double-arm DDT that he calls "The Scot Drop"! When will see R-Truth get his revenge on McIntyre? Can anyone stop the malice and persistent attacks by Drew McIntyre?
Then it was time for the main event as "The Animal" Batista made his in-ring return to SmackDown as he squared off with Unified Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho in a match that Jericho informed his partner, Big Show, that he wanted to do "alone". All by his lonesome, Jericho had an impressive showing against Batista, but when Jericho went for the Codebreaker, Batista caught Jericho and turned the maneuver into a thunderous Batista Bomb and pinned Jericho for the win!
Backstage, Big Show states that Batista got "lucky" against Jericho. "The World’s Largest Athlete" then challenges Batista for next week’s SmackDown! Will "The Animal" accept the challenge laid down by Big Show? Does Batista even have the strength to overcome the sheer size of Big Show? What role will Chris Jericho have in the match next week, should Batista accept?