SD Fusion: Cutting The Mustard
The 24th June 2011 episode of Friday Night SmackDown! starts with Teddy Long’s music hitting and him making his way to the ring. He talks about how there was a controversial decision made by the referee at Capitol Punishment (click here for our Capitol Punishment report), and he says that he’d like to address that right now and invites Christian to the ring.
Christian makes his way to the ring and tells Long that he deserves one more chance to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Long shows a video clip that shows Christian’s foot was indeed under the bottom rope when he was pinned, and Long apologises to the WWE Universe before he says that the referee made a bad decision, but whether they like it or not, the referee’s decision is final.
Christian can’t believe that he’s apologising the WWE Universe and tells him that he was the one who was screwed out of the title, not them, and says that he deserved another shot as soon as the referee did what he did, and he also deserves a shot because of pinning Randy Orton on Monday Night Raw (click here for our Raw report).
He also complains about Orton hitting him in the face with the title, which Long agrees that was unbecoming of a champion, but when he asks when he gets a championship match, Long tells him that it depends upon if he earns it.
Christian asks why he even has to earn it when the referee made a bad call, that Long said himself, but Long points out that he also said the referee’s decision is final, and Christian lost. Long says that if he wants a shot at the title, Christian will have to win his match later on against Kane.
Next up, Sin Cara takes on Ted DiBiase in a match which sees Cara get the victory when he hits him with a whirling headscissor DDT for the 3-count.
After a video recapping the match between Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes as well as the aftermath on Raw, Cody Rhodes makes his way toe the ring accompanied by his assistants with the paper bags.
Rhodes says to all take a deep breath and try to erase from our memories the embarrassing performance from his protégé Ted DiBiase, and instead talk about something worth talking about. He says that he loves chocolate, and he would be remiss if he did not mention that Hershey, Pennsylvania produces more chocolate than anywhere else in the world – which in turn makes all the people on the planet fat and ugly.
He asks if we see the irony that in a place about chocolate, he looks around and sees vanilla, bleak and plain expressions. Rhodes says that this is why as a service to all of the crowd and just like he did to Bryan on Raw, he wants them to place them on their heads.
Bryan’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring talking about how he is sick of this, and though he may never be on the cover of GQ or be the most fashion conscious person in the world, but even he knows that a cup doesn’t belong on your face, but in your pants (trousers).
Bryan says that Rhodes needs to learn that looks aren’t everything but Rhodes says that it sounds like something an ugly person would say. Bryan’s response is to ask how he would explain the photo of Dusty Rhodes that he shows on the titantron.
Bryan tells him to take a good luck at the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, who is Cody Rhodes’ father. He says that he isn’t the most attractive person on the planet, but he was charismatic, inspiring, and genuinely a good person – all things that Cody Rhodes is not.
He says that he doesn’t think that what is wrong with Cody is that he broke his nose, but rather that he is a bitter, arrogant jerk, who realises that he will never live up to the standards of his father. The following match sees Rhodes get the victory when he hits Bryan with a springboard kick to the face before hitting Cross-Rhodes for the 3-count. Afterwards, Rhodes places a paper bag on Bryan’s head, as he and Ted DiBiase celebrate in the ring.
It’s time for another odd appearances from Johnny Curtis, and he says that there has been rumours going around as to why he hasn’t made his SmackDown! début yet, suggesting perhaps he is too young, too inexperienced, or too cocky, but he says that they are wrong.
He says that is because he can do “this” as he then says that he will pick the ketchup and mayonnaise, but tells the mustard that it doesn’t make the cut – thus indicating that he can “cut the mustard”.
Backstage, Matt Striker interviews The Big Show about the beating he got at Capitol Punishment by Mark Henry. When he asks for comments on his condition, Show simply replies that he is fine. Striker points out that Show knocked out Henry before Capitol Punishment, and asks for comments on that – Show says that he was frustrated and asked Henry not to enter the ring, so Henry was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Striker suggests that the attack was unwarranted, and that it has lit a fire under Mark Henry as he then rolls a video package, before Striker says that he doesn’t think that any of the WWE Universe has ever seen Show manhandled like this, and that many feel that he brought it upon himself.
The Big Show says that it is good that Henry is on fire, as he is going to need it – Henry then appears out of nowhere and runs into Show, sending him through the setup behind. Standing over him, he tells Show that big isn’t always better, but bad is always better. Afterwards, Henry yells at the referee attempting to help Show to stay away from him.
Back in the arena, Ezekiel Jackson is pitted against Wade Barrett in a match for the Intercontinental Championship that sees Barrett attack Jackson during his entrance and attack him around ringside before moving it to the ring.
The referee asks Jackson if he is sure he wants to go ahead with the match, and Jackson is, so the referee rings the bell. Jackson retains the title when Barrett is forced to tap out to the torture rack.
Backstage once again, Randy Orton is interviewed about Christian getting yet another World Heavyweight Championship shot if he beats Kane later on, and he says that he’s usually a pretty serious guy, but this is borderline comical and to trust him when he says that he is laughing on the inside.
He says that if Christian does manage to defeat Kane, he is more than happy to beat Christian once more for the title, but the closest Christian will get to touching the title is when he nails him in the head with it once again.
Elsewhere backstage, Barrett is walking through the halls when he finds Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater giving him sarcastic applause. Gabriel says that Barrett has had a great week, having lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ezekiel Jackson at Capitol Punishment and losing the rematch too.
Slater adds that he was right when he said he didn’t need their help either, but Barrett says that up until then, he had actually forgotten that they existed, just like he has already forgotten about the Intercontinental Championship as he has his sights on bigger and better things.
Barrett asks where they have been for the past two weeks, and Gabriel replies that they have been so lost without him, that they are going out to do something that he could never do – win a rematch.
In the arena once more, The Usos do a war dance before their upcoming match against Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel. The match ends with Slater getting the victory for his team when he counters Jimmy Uso’s splash attempt and follows it up with a small package for the 3-count.
Next, Jinder Mahal (accompanied by The Great Khali) is set to go against Yoshi Tatsu, but Mahal immediately goes on the attack before the referee can ring the bell, and Khali takes some shots under the direction of Mahal, before throwing him out of the ring and grabbing a microphone which he passes to Mahal.
Mahal says that this is a prime example of what one of the world’s most powerful and privileged men is capable of, and this is an example of what will continue to happen until his potential and superiority is recognised. He says that the truth is that he never had to strive to be the best, because he was born the best.
As for The Great Khali, he says that there will be no more dancing or kissing fat American women, as Khali has had a rebirth and his only mission now is to serve. Mahal says that nothing can stop the eastern winds from blowing through the entire WWE Universe.
Now, Kane takes on Christian in a match which Christian has to win if he wants to get another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. The match ends with Kane getting the victory as result of disqualification when Mark Henry hits the ring to interrupt the match and attack Kane.
Teddy Long makes his way out onto the stage and points out that Christian lost again, but he understood that it wasn’t his fault as Henry interfered, but he has another chance if he can win the tag team match that Long is about to make, pitting Christian and Mark Henry against Kane and the partner that he reveals to be Randy Orton.
The match ends with Henry countering an RKO attempt by Orton, who then RKO’s the nearby Christian instead, but turns back to get hit with the World’s Strongest Slam by Henry for the 3-count for his team, and thus meaning that Christian gets his rematch.
Afterwards, Christian grabs the World Heavyweight Championship from the referee and taunts Orton as SmackDown! Goes off the air.