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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT: THE ROCK RETURNS HOME; WHO WAS THE LAST MAN STANDING?; THE EYBROW VERSUS THE MUSTACHE?; MAYBE SHEAMUS WILL TAKE ON THE SPIRIT SQUAD NEXT; AND MORE

By Richard Trionfo on 2013-01-11 22:00:50
On Monday night, the Rock returned to the WWE to get ready for his match against CM Punk at the Royal Rumble. Tonight, Smackdown is in the Rock’s home town of Miami and he returns to his show. What will the Rock say to his fans . . . and how will CM Punk respond to the Rock Bottom from Raw? Will Alberto Del Rio achieve his destiny tonight against Big Show and become the World Champion?

We are in Miami, Florida and your announcers are John ‘I talk louder so the people can understand me better’ Layfield and Josh ‘Can someone tell my color commentator to Be A Star’ Mathews.

Booker T makes his way to the ring and he has something to say. He welcomes everyone to Smackdown. He says that he promises that he will kick off this year with a bang. He says that Raw was epic, but anything Raw can do . . . Smackdown can do better. He will not take a back seat to anyone.

Raw gave us Dolph Ziggler versus John Cena. Booker says that he will give us the United States Champion Antonio Cesaro against Randy Orton. Raw delivered ‘The Great One’. Booker says that he will do one better. After ten years, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment will be in this ring. To top things off, Big Show will defend the World Title against Alberto Del Rio in a Last Man Standing Match.

Big Show interrupts Booker and he makes his way to the ring. Show says every week it is something. He calls Booker’s decision ‘horrible’. Show gets a mic and he says that Booker is not fooling him with this crap. It is a personal vendetta that Booker has because he is still the World Champion while Booker pushes papers behind a desk.

He wants to know why Booker does not like him as the champion. He knows that Booker wants the fans in Miami to embrace Alberto Del Rio because of the Latino population in Miami. Show says that Del Rio is beneath him. You cannot give people like this a hero. There are no Latino heroes.

Show says that he is the World Champion. There is no Irish hero. There is no Latino Hero. There is no Viper hero that is going to stop him.

Show says that he sees what this is about. Booker wants to give these weak, feeble, inferior people a hero. He says that is a bad idea. He advises very strongly that Booker make the right decision and change his mind.

Show grabs Booker by the throat and Alberto’s music plays. Del Rio runs to the ring and he connects with a super kick followed by a drop kick and a step up enzuigiri. Del Rio with a drop kick that sends Show to the floor.

We take a look back at a Rock highlight from the September 13, 2001 Smackdown when Rock was challenged by Sean Stasiak for the WCW title.

We go to commercial.

We are back and while Randy Orton makes his way to the ring, we are reminded that he is part of the Royal Rumble at this time. We also find out via the Goldman Box that Antonio Cesaro is officially a member of the Royal Rumble match. He says that he is going to take advantage of the opportunities afforded him and he is not going to wait and have the lack of drive that typical Americans have. He says that he is proud to wave their flag and he says USA a few times.

Match Number One: Randy Orton versus Antonio Cesaro with flag in a Non Title Match

They lock up and Cesaro works on the wrist. Cesaro with a hammer lock and Orton with a reversal and side head lock. Orton with a shoulder tackle. Cesaro with a kick and European uppercuts. Orton with a kick and he sends Cesaro to the floor. Orton with a clothesline on the floor and then he returns to the ring. We go to commercial.

We are back and Cesaro with a reverse chin lock. We see footage from the commercial break when Cesaro knocked Orton off the apron with a shoulder tackle. Back to the action in the ring. Orton with a head butt and European uppercut. Cesaro with a clothesline for a near fall.

Cesaro with a deadlift side salto and he gets a near fall. Cesaro sends Orton into the corner and he punches and kicks him. Cesaro with a snap mare and chin lock using Orton’s arm. Cesaro with a knee and Irish whip but he misses a charge into the corner and Orton with a rollup for a near fall. Cesaro with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall.

Cesaro kicks Orton in the head and Irish whips him into the corner but Orton with a clothesline. Orton with another clothesline and then he avoids a clothesline from Cesaro. Orton with a power slam and then he kicks Cesaro. Cesaro hits Swiss Death but Orton kicks out at two.

Cesaro picks up Orton and Orton with an Irish whip. Cesaro with a knee but he misses a clothesline. Orton with a back breaker and both men are down. Cesaro goes to the apron and he hits the IEDDT. Orton looks around to set up for the RKO and then he twists to the mat.

Before he can hit the RKO, the Shield comes into the ring and they attack Orton. The referee calls for the bell.

Winner: Randy Orton (by disqualification)

They continue the attack on Orton and they get him up for the three man power bomb.

We go to commercial.

We are back and we take a look at the Shield’s attack on Randy Orton. Josh asks John if he is going to defend everything that the Shield does. John reminds Josh that they fight on Friday nights.

3MB are in the back with Matt Striker. Matt asks them about their participation in the Royal Rumble. Drew says that they are officially adding the Royal Rumble to the 3MB world tour. Jinder says that they will rock when they roll to Phoenix. Heath says that with thirty people in the match, his mom said that they have a ten percent chance of winning and going on to main event Wrestlemania. Drew says that they have a certain Irish tenor to deal with. Jinder says that what Sheamus did was out of tune. Heath says that they will beat Sheamus like an Irish drum.

Josh asks John if 3MB has a chance to win the Royal Rumble. John says no and then he comments on Heath’s mother’s declaration.

CM Punk and Paul Heyman were in the Miami area earlier today. Punk and Heyman are in the center of SunLife Stadium where Wrestlemania 28 was held. Punk says Rock had his last match there. It is also the home of the University of Miami. After what happened on Monday, Punk says that Rock figures that he would come here and ruin his homecoming and spew venom about Rock.

Punk says that won’t happen because he is a fan of the Rock, especially his college football career. Punk puts on a ‘Johnson’ University of Miami jersey and Paul is impressed. Punk says that he is a huge college football afficianado. He wants to come to the home where Rock played football, but he never played in this stadium. He played in the Orange Bowl, but they tore it down. Paul says that they laid the Smackdown on the Orange Bowl.

Punk says that the place where Rock lived his college glory days is gone. What a metaphor because the home of Rocks sports entertainment years is gone. This isn’t the WWE that Rock knew and loved. It isn’t the WWE where Rock dominated. This is his WWE. Rock does not have a future in the WWE as long as he is Rock’s opponent.

Punk says that he doesn’t want to ruin Rock’s day. He wants a feel good moment but he loves to snatch them out of the air and tear them apart. He tells Rock to remember that when he steps into the ring with him. They are trumpeting Rock’s return to Smackdown for the first time in ten years. He will say ‘Finally . . . the Rock has come back to Miami’. While Rock can come back to Miami, he can never go home.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Matt Striker wants to talk to Alberto Del Rio in the locker room. Matt asks Alberto about what happened earlier in the night about the Last Man Standing Match. Alberto says that Big Show is the most insecure person because he bullies Ricardo and then he runs down his people.

Show knows nothing about the Latino people and he will learn about La Familia. The last man standing tonight will be Latino and he will be Alberto Del Rio.

Match Number Two:AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler (with Big E Langston) versus Great Khali and Natalya (with Hornswoggle)

The men start off and Ziggler with a kick to the knee and punches. Khali with a clothesline and then he chops Ziggler in the corner. Khali goes to the other corner and he chops Ziggler in the chest. Khali with a clothesline and then he sets for the chop to the head but Ziggler backs away and tags in AJ.

That means that Natalya enters the match, but first AJ skips around Khali and climbs on his back. Natalya pulls AJ off and slams her head into the mat. Natalya with a discus clothesline and then she tries for the Sharpshooter but AJ is able to block it and she bites Natalya in the knee.

Natalya with forearms to AJ in the corner and the referee pulls Natalya out of the corner. AJ bites Natalya in the ear. AJ with a Shiranui for the three count.

Winners: AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler

After the match, Langston with a running body block to Khali. Ziggler with a Fameasser to Khali. Langston and Ziggler surround Hornswoggle and Langston grabs Hornswoggle. Langston licks his fingers and then he picks up Hornswoggle and hits the Big Ending.

We go to more comments from CM Punk from SunLife Stadium.

Punk tells Rock that he said that ‘Time’s Up’ in reference to his title reign. Rock must think that he can beat Punk like a superhero to save the people. The people don’t deserve to be saved. They can rot in hell. That is what the people deserve. He is the best in the world. He is better than the people and he is better than Rock.

Paul wonders if that bothers the Rock. Rock must believe that he is as talented as CM Punk, but he is not. Punk is not just better than Rock. He is better than everybody else because he is the best in the world. The people’s vision is that the Rock is the conquering hero who will ride into town and take the title, then ride into Wrestlemania as the champion.

Punk has made a career out of stomping on people’s dreams. In the era of CM Punk, it doesn’t matter what his vision is.

Punk takes off the Miami jersey and then he drops it on the field.

We have footage of the Rock and Sock Connection from 1999.

We go to commercial.

We are back and it is time for Miami’s favorite son to return to Smackdown.

Rock soaks in the applause and cheers.

FINALLY . . . the Rock has come back . . .

. . .

. . .

home. He says that they have a very special show. It is a special night. The Rock wants everyone to say hello to Miami’s own Flo Rida. Rock says that not only is he back, he is back on a show that was named after him. In front of his home town, it is Smackdown.

He is excited to come here in front of his friends and families to continue what he did on Monday. He wants to give some Rock Bottoms and People’s Elbows. He was disappointed that CM Punk decided not to show up.

A chant of Cookie Puss rings through the building. Rock says that if Punk wants to run him, his home town, and The U down. It all started in Coral Gables at the Green Tree practice field. That was where Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and others put it down. They learned about commitment, hard work, and sacrifice.

Everything that he accomplished started here in Miami. Home for the Rock isn’t just being in Miami or on Smackdown. Home is the Royal Rumble when he kicks his Cookie Puss ass and becomes WWE Champion.

Since Punk didn’t want to come here to have fun, he is going to have fun on his own.

Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes come out to provide some culture to the Rock’s promo.

Damien asks to beg Rock’s indulgence for a moment. He introduces himself and he says that he is the intellectual savior of the unwashed masses. This is his tag team partner and best friend, the Essence of Mustachioed Magnificence, Cody Rhodes. They are out here not only to help Rock, but to correct him.

Cody tells Rock that he is not to become champion. They are. They beat Kane and Daniel Bryan. They will become tag team champions. They don’t think that Rock deserves this time. They do. Cody makes a suggestion for Rock. He tells Rock to get out of this ring before he doesn’t have a choice.

Damien holds the ropes open for Rock and Rock looks at the ropes. Rock wants to get this straight. They saunter down the ramp, get in the people’s ring, on the people’s show, Smackdown, dress like this, dead caterpillar on his lip.

Damien says that wasn’t funny.

Rock continues and they do all that. It takes a lot of guts. Rock says that he has to say something. Sweet tap dancing Jesus, what is on Cody’s face.

Cody says that he is an adult. If he wants to grow a mustache, he will grow a mustache.

Damien offers a wager for Rock. Damien mentions his futile quest for an apprentice. No one has been able to answer three questions correctly. Since Rock is the ‘People’s Champ’, why not see if Rock can do what they couldn’t. If Rock answers three questions correctly, he can stay. If he doesn’t he leaves.

Damien asks if Rock is intellectually up to par. Rock says to Just Bring It.

Cody wonders if Rock can answer the questions since he went to Miami.

The first question is ‘Who was the Nineteen President of the United States’. Rock says that he will say an answer that has never been answered in Smackdown history. He answers Rutherford B. Hayes . . . bitch. Damien says that is not what the ‘b’ is for and he is correct.

Rock says that he knows the 19th Century. He says that Damien looks like what would happen if Abraham Lincoln got together with a Gremlin.

Cody says that since Rock mentioned movies and that because he is the big movie star. . .

Rock tells Damien not to feed him after midnight.

The second question is ‘What film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993’. Someone in the crowd says ‘The Tooth Fairy’ and Rock gets a good laugh. Rock says that it is Schindler’s List and then Rock says that Cody knows something about lists because he looks like he spends twenty hours on Craigslist.

Rock tells Lillian not to worry and she can put the pepper spray away because if Cody gets too close, he will slap the caterpillar into the seventh row.

Rock interrupts the third question and he wants to ask Damien one question. Rock says that since Damien was so nice to interrupt him in front of his family and friends, that if he gets it right, he will get an amazing prize from the Rock and Miami.

The question is what happens when you combine a geological aggregate of minerals with its lowest form. Damien says that would be rock bottom.

Rock says exactly and he gives Sandow a Rock Bottom. Rock does not forget Cody. Cody takes off his jacket and he runs into a spinebuster and then it is time for the People’s Elbow.

Rock tells everyone to smellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllalalala what the Rock is cooking.

We go to commercial.

Match Number Three: Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, and Drew McIntyre versus Sheamus

Slater starts things off and Slater rolls to the floor and Mahal and McIntyre go to the floor together. Slater runs into the ring and he runs into a Brogue Kick and Sheamus gets the three count.

Winner: Sheamus

We go to commercial.

We are back and we see footage of the injury suffered by Daniel Bryan during the tag match on Raw.

Match Number Four: Daniel Bryan and Kane versus Darren Young and Titus O’Neil in a Non Title Match

Young and Bryan start things off and Young with a kick to the knee and forearms. Young with a European uppercut and forearms. Young runs into an elbow from Bryan but Young pulls Bryan off the turnbuckles. O’Neil tags in and he kicks Bryan. Titus picks up Bryan and slams him to the mat and then he barks. Titus with an Irish whip and he does a Gator chomp but he runs into a boot from Bryan.

Kane and Young tag in and Kane with punches to Young and Titus. Kane with an Irish whip and clotheslines followed by a side slam and he gets a near fall. Darren drops Kane across the top rope and then he comes off the turnbuckles and is met with a clothesline. Kane sets for the choke slam and he grabs Young. He does the same to Titus but they kick Kane and Irish whip him but Bryan with a knee off the turnbuckles to both men. Kane with a choke slam to Young for the three count.

Winners: Kane and Daniel Bryan

We go to commercial.

Match Number Five: Big Show versus Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) for the World Title in a Last Man Standing Match

Del Rio with kicks to the leg but Show with a head butt. Show with a chop to the chest and Del Rio goes to his knees. Show with a forearm to the back and then he slams Del Rio. The referee starts his count and Del Rio gets up. Show says that it will be a long night Pedro. Del Rio with a savate kick but Show with a punch and chop. Show goes to the floor and he gets a table.

Show sets up the table on the floor and then he pulls Del Rio to the floor and head butts him. Show adjusts the table and then he slams Del Rio through the table. The referee counts but Del Rio gets up at six. Show with a head butt and Del Rio goes down again. Show takes a chair and he sends Del Rio back into the ring. Show gets back into the ring.

Del Rio with a kick to stop Show from using the chair. Del Rio hits Show in the back with the chair and then he hits Show in the ribs with the side of the chair and then he hits him in the back with another chair shot. Del Rio hits Show in the ribs again and then in the back one more time.

Del Rio yells out Destiny and he tries to float over into the cross arm breaker but Show picks up Del Rio. Del Rio holds on and applies the cross arm breaker while hanging from the ropes. Show picks up Del Rio and drops him on the apron.

Del Rio falls to the floor and the referee starts his count but Del Rio gets up at seven.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Del Rio kicks Show in the ribs and punches him. Del Rio works on the arm and sends the arm into the ring post. Show stops Del Rio and sends him back into the ring. Show gets another table from under the ring and he brings it into the ring.

Show sets up the table against the turnbuckles but Del Rio with a kick and punches. Del Rio with head butts and then he hits a drop kick that sends Show through the table in the corenr and the referee starts his count. Show gets up seven and the match continues.

Del Rio tries for a sleeper but Show fights off the hold. While it is not a sleeper, he is choking Show out. Show starts to lose his balance but Show gets a second wind and he takes Del Rio down with an arm wringer. Del Rio with a super kick followed by kicks and a series of clotheslines but Show stays on his feet. Show sends Del Rio into the corner and then he runs into boots from Del Rio.

Show grabs Del Rio as he comes off the turnbuckles and Show hits a choke slam. The referee starts his count but Del Rio gets up at nine. Show with a head butt that sends Del Rio through the ropes and to the floor. Show goes to the floor and he sets for a spear to Del Rio and he sends Del Rio through the ringside barrier. The referee starts his count on Del Rio and Alberto does not move until five but he gets up at nine. Del Rio collapses again but he keeps the match going. Show sends Del Rio back into the ring. Show returns to the ring as well. Show signals for the knock out punch and he connects. The referee starts his count but Del Rio is able to roll to the floor and he props himself up long enough to get the referee to stop the count.

Del Rio falls to the floor again and Ricardo tries to help revive Del Rio with some water. Show grabs the ring steps and he picks them up. Show tries to hit Del Rio with the steps against the ring post but Del Rio moves and the steps hit Show and he is having trouble keeping his balance.

Del Rio picks up the steps and he hits Show with them. Show stays on his feet. Del Rio picks up the steps again and he throws them at Show. Del Rio picks up the steps one more time and he throws them at Show and Show is down behind the announce table. Del Rio pushes the announce table onto Show. The referee makes his count and both men are down. Del Rio gets up at seven but Show does not get up.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

After the match, Del Rio celebrates in the ring while Ricardo announces the new World Champion.

We go to credits.

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