Five nights after a shocking and unforgettable SummerSlam, the 574th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, CA. Five night after the shocking return of The Undertaker saw a weakened and borderline defenseless Undertaker emerged and targeted his own brother, Kane, as his attacker only to find himself laid out by his own Tombstone Piledriver, World Heavyweight Champion Kane would make an appearance to explain why he attacked his own flesh and blood, The Undertaker! After weeks of vignettes promoting himself as “the epitome of excellence” and being “the bravest of the brave”, the ultra-confident Alberto Del Rio would make his WWE debut!
>>Match Results<<
- Intercontinental Championship: Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler (c) by DQ after Vickie Guerrero shoved Kofi Kingston off of the top rope; Dolph Ziggler (c) retains.
- S.E.S. Trial: Mixed Tag Match: Luke Gallows & Serena (in her debut match) def. Big Show & Kelly Kelly by Serena pinning Kelly Kelly following a gutbuster to remain a part of The Straightedge Society.
- Christian def. Drew McIntyre by crucifix roll-up.
- Alberto Del Rio (in his debut match) def. Rey Mysterio by submission to a cross armbreaker.
>>Detailed Results<<
Five nights after narrowly failing to win the World Heavyweight Title from Kane at SummerSlam, the show kicks off with “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio! Rey starts by thanking the WWE fans for helping him get through his match at SummerSlam and, even though he did not win the World Heavyweight Title, at least he did not end up in a casket! Rey then states that Kane was accusing others to hide his “guilt” before proclaiming that his “name has been cleared” now that it is known that Kane was The Undertaker’s assailant! Rey is then interrupted by the arrival of SmackDown’s newest Superstar as the self-proclaimed “epitome of excellence” Alberto Del Rio makes his debut! Del Rio then refers to himself and Rey Mysterio as “national icons”! Del Rio continues that he is a “millionaire” and he is “admired” in his home country! Del Rio then states that Rey’s bloodline is from the “horrible streets” of Tijuana before calling Rey “the little worm” in the bottom of his tequila! Del Rio then calls Rey Mysterio a “joke of a man” while he is “handsome, rich, and powerful”! Rey responds by calling Alberto Del Rio a “nobody” and states that, just because Del Rio has money, does not mean he has “respect”, but respect is “earned” in the WWE! Del Rio then calls Rey a “peasant” and threatens to “make” Rey respect him! Rey responds by challenging Del Rio to come get his respect and face him, one-on-one! Del Rio accepts the challenge and states that he will “destroy” Rey! Del Rio would then get into the face of Rey and Rey would respond by slapping Del Rio before ultimately hitting Del Rio with the 619! Can Rey Mysterio teach newcomer Alberto Del Rio some respect or will Alberto Del Rio pick up a huge win in his debut match by defeating the two-time World Heavyweight Champion?
After their Intercontinental Title match was unceremoniously ended by The Nexus at SummerSlam, the rematch would take place on SmackDown as Dolph Ziggler would defend the Intercontinental Championship against former champion Kofi Kingston! In the end, it looked like Kofi Kingston was closing in on regaining the Intercontinental Title, but when Kofi climbed to the top rope, SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero got on the apron of the ring and shoved Kofi off of the top rope for the disqualification, meaning that Dolph Ziggler retains the Intercontinental Title! After the match, Kofi attacks Dolph, but Ziggler rolls under the ring as Kofi turns his attention to Vickie Guerrero, but Vickie would hold the attention of Kofi long enough for Dolph to blast Kofi from behind and ultimately throws Kofi back into the ring where he hits the Zig Zag on Kofi! However, the attack then began to take an uncomfortable turn as Dolph would lock in the sleeper hold to put Kofi out! Dolph would then begin to leave, but would come back and deliver a vile stomp to the head of a completely defenseless Kofi Kingston! What is the status of Kofi Kingston following this attack?
Backstage, CM Punk confronts his Straightedge Society and informs Luke Gallows & Serena that if they do not defeat Big Show & Kelly Kelly in their Mixed Tag Match, then Gallows & Serena are out of The Straightedge Society! Can Luke Gallows & Serena defeat Big Show & Kelly Kelly to remain a part of The Straightedge Society or will Big Show & Kelly Kelly ensure that The Straightedge Society will lost two of its key members?
With their spots in The Straightedge Society on the line, “The Straightedge Enforcer” Luke Gallows and “The Anti-Diva” Serena, competing for the first time on SmackDown, would face “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show and Kelly Kelly in a Mixed Tag Match where, if Luke Gallows & Serena lose, they will be kicked out of The Straightedge Society! In the end, with Big Show and Luke Gallows battling on the outside, it was Serena hitting a gutbuster on Kelly Kelly en route to pinning Kelly Kelly for the win to keep herself and Luke Gallows in The Straightedge Society! After the match, CM Punk emerged and applauded his Straightedge Society on their win! Now that The Straightedge Society is seemingly on the same page, what is next for the group?
Then it was time for World Heavyweight Champion Kane to explain why he attacked his own brother, The Undertaker, as Kane stated that The Undertaker’s “pride” allowed him to put Undertaker in a vegetative state and because of The Undertaker’s “pride”, Undertaker came back too early and ended up getting laid out with the Tombstone at SummerSlam! Kane then recalls how it “started”, saying that, for years, he was nothing but a “vague memory”, but then he debuted and, when he did, he saw the “story” in the eyes of The Undertaker; the story of an “older, self-serving brother” who wanted to remain in the “spotlight”, while leaving his younger brother in his “shadow” forever! Kane continues that, everything he done in the early years was overcome by The Undertaker and instead of “destroying” his legend, he made it “greater” and, when he set Kane on fire, it took him to “separate” The Undertaker from his last remnants of “humanity”! Kane then states that, way back then, he set his “master plan” in motion! Kane continues that, even in victory, The Undertaker was “losing his grip” and stated that, ten years ago, when Undertaker forced him to remove his mask and show his face for the first time, was when Undertaker “unleashed the monster capable of ending the reign of darkness”! Kane continued that, at their second WrestleMania showdown, the “time was not right”, but the plan continued to “evolve”! Kane continues that their “reunion” was “nothing more than a vehicle” for his “vengeance” and that he knew that The Undertaker’s “pride” would be his own “undoing”! Kane continues that he realized that his time had finally come when he saw The Undertaker show Shawn Michaels “mercy” at WrestleMania and that it was The Undertaker’s “decision” that sealed his “fate”! Kane then states that, at SummerSlam, when The Undertaker emerged and tried to chokeslam him to no avail that the time of him being in the “shadow” of The Undertaker had ended and he had his “vengeance” that eluded him for so long! Kane then states that The Undertaker now dwells in his shadow and that, was once The Undertaker’s “holy grail” is now his World Heavyweight Championship and that he has “destroyed” his brother! Kane stated that, for fifteen years, he knew that the moment would become a reality; the “moment” that The Undertaker would be “cast down with great vengeance and furious anger” and he would replace The Undertaker as the “devil’s favorite demon”! Has Kane truly surpassed The Undertaker? Will The Undertaker be the one dwelling in Kane’s shadow or will The Undertaker emerge again, stronger and ready to battle his brother?
Three weeks of having his shoulder assaulted by Drew McIntyre, “Captain Charisma” Christian would go one-on-one with “The Sinister Scotsman” Drew McIntyre with “Dashing” Cody Rhodes a guest on commentary! During the match, the bout spilled to the outside where Drew McIntyre peeled the protection off of the ringside barricade and rammed the shoulder of Christian on the exposed steel, which would set up a match-long assault on the shoulder by McIntyre! Despite the shoulder being assaulted throughout the match, Christian was able to catch Drew McIntyre with a crucifix roll-up to pick up the win! After the match, Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes assaulted Christian, but Matt Hardy would rush to the ring to fight off Rhodes & McIntyre only to find himself a victim as Rhodes & McIntyre assaulted the ankle of Matt Hardy before Drew McIntyre planted Matt with the Future Shock DDT, followed by Cody Rhodes hitting the Cross Rhodes on Christian! How will Christian & Matt Hardy respond to being repeatedly assaulted Drew McIntyre and, now, Cody Rhodes?
Backstage, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informs World Heavyweight Champion Kane that, on next week’s SmackDown, The Undertaker will make his return to Friday Nights! Kane responds to this news by laughing and stating that next week’s SmackDown will be “hell on earth”! What will happen when The Undertaker returns next week? What does Kane have in store for his brother?
Then it was time for the main event as, complete with own “personal ring announcer” Ricardo Rodriguez, the newest SmackDown Superstar, Alberto Del Rio rolls into the arena in a vintage Rolls Royce as the wealthy, ultra-confident Superstar would make his in-ring debut against two-time World Heavyweight Champion, “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio! After working on the left shoulder of Rey Mysterio throughout the match, Alberto Del Rio was able to catch Rey in an impressive cross armbreaker to force Mysterio to tap out, giving Del Rio the upset win in his debut match! After the match, Del Rio would lock the cross armbreaker on a second time before breaking the maneuver and leaving with a smile on his face! After picking up a huge win in his debut match against Rey Mysterio, what is next for Alberto Del Rio as SmackDown’s newest Superstar quickly begins his ascent on Friday Nights?