Thanks to Chris Cushman for sending in the following:
I attended the Smackdown house show in Columbia, SC on 12/1. It was a pretty good show, with a pretty good turnout. They had the upper deck closed off, but the lower levels were about ¾ full. Before the show they made an announcement that the fans would decide if Ricardo Rodriguez would get to stay at ringside with Del Rio. We were to text yes or no, with the results being revealed before the match. Tony Chimel made his way out and the show begins…
Match 1). The Miz defeated Damien Sandow. Sandow came out first, cutting a promo on his way to the ring, drawing some major heat. Of course, he told us we were welcome. Miz came out to a nice pop. Very solid match. It was a good idea to have Sandow start the show, as he got the crowd into it. I still think Miz is a better heel, but oh well. Miz wins with the Skull Crushing Finale.
Match 2). Fandango defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. A pretty good showing for these two. Dibiase got a pretty good pop and Fandango, Johnny Curtis’s new dance gimmick, was pretty entertaining. I am interested to see how it comes off on TV. Fandango gets the win.
Match 3). Layla and Paige defeated Natalya and Aksana. This was a pleasant surprise, as I am a big fan of Paige from NXT. I thought the Divas looked very good here, especially Layla and Paige. They get the win after Layla connected with a kick to the head of Natalya.
Match 4). Kofi Kingston defeated Wade Barrett to retain the Intercontinental Title. Really solid match for these two. Kingston gets the win with the Trouble in Paradise kick.
Match 5). Randy Orton defeated Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriguez). Before the match, Tony Chimel revealed the results of the poll, and Rodriguez was allowed to stay, much to the dismay of the crowd. Orton got the pop of the night so far, and this was a hell of a match. Orton wins with the RKO.
Match 6). The Great Khali (w/ Hornswoggle) defeated David Otunga. About what you would expect here. Not a very fast paced match. Khali wins following a chop to the head. After the match, Hornswoggle hit’s the tadpole splash for good measure.
Match 7). Rey Mysterio and The Uso’s defeated 3MB. I love the new gimmick for Slater, Mahal, and McIntyre. Mysterio was way over with the crowd, especially the kids. A lot of masks in the building. The good guys win after Mysterio landed the 619.
Match 8). Sheamus defeated The Big Show by do (Show retains the World Heavyweight Title). Show was announced as being from Columbia, SC, which is not quite true. He is from Aiken, SC, my hometown as well. Either way, Show got a pretty good hometown pop, mixed in with some heel heat. Sheamus got a huge pop as well. Sheamus got the win after Show pulled the ref in front of him, preventing Sheamus from landing the Brogue Kick, and then threw the referee to the ground. After the match, Show grabbed a chair, and went back in the ring to attack Sheamus, but Sheamus countered, took the chair, landed a few shots, before knock Show out with the Brogue kick. Sheamus shook everyone’s hand before heading to the back. Show popped up real quick, grabbed his belt, and headed to the back to a nice pop.
Overall, it was a good show, and I’m glad I came. Really looking forward to the next one.
Biggest Pop:
1). Sheamus
2). Randy Orton
3). Rey Mysterio
Biggest Heat:
1). Alberto Del Rio
2). Damien Sandow
3). Big Show
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
