Five nights after WWE TLC, the 539th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, TX. After being threatened by Batista at WWE TLC, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long would make an appearance to discuss the World Heavyweight Title picture.
Match Results
- 6-Man Tag: Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, & Luke Gallows def. John Morrison, Matt Hardy, & R-Truth by CM Punk pinning Matt Hardy following a Slammy award shot to the mid-section.
- Kane def. Eric Escobar by pin following the Big Red Chokeslam.
Eric Escobar was forced to face Kane by Escobar’s ex-girlfriend and SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero.
- The Great Khali (in his return to SmackDown) def. Chris Jericho by intentional Count-Out.
- The Hart Dynasty (with Natalya) def. Slam Master J & Jimmy Wang Yang by David Hart Smith pinning Slam Master J following the Hart Attack.
- Beth Phoenix def. Maria by pin with the Glam Slam.
- #1 Contender’s Match for the World Heavyweight Title: Rey Mysterio def. Batista by roll-up to earn a World Heavyweight Title match against The Undertaker on next week’s SmackDown.
Match Quality
- Rey Mysterio Vs. Batista
- 6-Man Tag
- The Hart Dynasty Vs. Slam Master J & Jimmy Wang Yang
- The Great Khali Vs. Chris Jericho
- Kane Vs. Eric Escobar
- Beth Phoenix Vs. Maria
Detailed Results
The show kicked off with the General Manager of SmackDown, Theodore Long, who stated that, after The Undertaker’s successful defense at WWE TLC, a new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title needs to and will be determined! The former #1 Contender, Batista, interrupted the GM and proclaimed that he is still the #1 Contender and that he warned Long at WWE TLC to “make it right”. Batista claimed that no one wants to challenge him for the #1 Contender’s spot, so there is no need to even have a match! Rey Mysterio comes out and proclaims that he wants to challenge Batista for the #1 Contender’s spot! The fearless Mysterio referred to Batista as a “bully” and stated that, unlike Batista, he has “heart”. Rey then said that the best revenge he could get on “The Animal” would be to make sure that Batista never regains the World Heavyweight Title! General Manager Theodore Long makes the match official as Batista will go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio to determine the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship and, not only that, but the new #1 Contender will get their title opportunity against The Undertaker on next week’s Christmas edition of SmackDown! Who will emerge as the #1 Contender after these two former friends go head-to-head for the prestigious opportunity?
The opening match of the night was a 6-Man Tag match and it saw the new Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre team with CM Punk & Luke Gallows to defeat the team of former Intercontinental Champion John Morrison, Matt Hardy, & R-Truth. It was CM Punk who, behind the referee’s back, hit Matt Hardy in his mid-section with Punk’s Slammy Award that directly led to Punk getting the win for his team!
Next week on SmackDown, new Unified WWE Tag Team Champions D-Generation X will present a “DX Christmas”! What will the legendary duo have in store for SmackDown on Christmas Day?
As Vickie Guerrero continues to send him through the “wringer”, Eric Escobar faced “The Big Red Machine” Kane in a losing effort.
Before he went one-on-one with The Great Khali, Chris Jericho had a few things to say regarding his treatment on RAW. The former Unified WWE Tag Team Champion stated that he was “unfairly ejected” from RAW on Monday night and claimed that he and Big Show’s rematch for the tag titles on RAW was “the biggest screwjob in WWE history”! Jericho then proclaims that he will leave RAW when he “wants to” and stated that Big Show was “taken” from him. Jericho then vowed that it is “not over”!
Chris Jericho was in action on SmackDown as he faced the returning Great Khali. Jericho tried his best to take down “The Punjabi Playboy”, but the sheer size and strength of The Great Khali proved to be too much for Jericho as he opted to take a count-out loss to Khali!
The Hart Dynasty was in action on SmackDown, picking up an impressive win over Slam Master J & Jimmy Wang Yang. After the match, The Hart Dynasty revealed that, on next week’s SmackDown, they will challenge D-Generation X for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles! Can the confident Hart Dynasty earn their “Christmas presents” by upsetting DX and winning the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles or will DX retain their gold?
“The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix picked up a dominant win over the 2009 Diva of the Year, Maria, on SmackDown. Could Beth Phoenix be the next challenger for the Women’s Championship?
The main event of the evening saw former best friends face off as Batista faced Rey Mysterio with the #1 Contender’s spot for the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. In the end, Batista’s frustration led to the downfall of “The Animal” as Rey Mysterio was able to surprise Batista with a roll-up to win the match and earn a World Heavyweight Title shot against The Undertaker next week on SmackDown! Can Rey pull off the upset next week and become the new World Heavyweight Champion?