Last week, Bret Hart announced a live Super SmackDown, a show featuring talent from both Raw and SmackDown. Among the matches already slated, pitting WWE's best against each other, is perhaps Christian's last shot at the World Heavyweight Championship—inside a steel cage, with no one else to blame should he fail.
Cena Returns Home
John Cena, perhaps the biggest name in WWE, started his career on the Blue Brand, and it is only fitting he be the man to open Super SmackDown. After some light-hearted comments, Cena called out his Night of Champions opponent, Alberto Del Rio. Answering the challenge was Ricardo Rodriguez, announcing Alberto was not present. Not deterred, Cena told Ricardo to deliver a present to Del Rio: a punch to the face.
Next out was Cena's scheduled opponent for the night, and longtime rival, Wade Barrett. The two men exchanged words for a few moments before engaging in fisticuffs. Cena quickly asserted his dominance over Barrett, hitting an almost-uninterrupted series of signature maneuvers. Barrett, who last year was able to go toe-to-toe with Cena on Raw, looked positively outclassed.
Changing Face(less)
Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan put on a fast-paced, exciting match. Both of these immensely talented athletes pulled out all their tricks. In the end, Bryan's submissions and impeccable ground game fell to Sin Cara's high-impact aerial moves.
After the match, the two men shook hands—and then Cara nailed Bryan with a kick to the face, shocking the WWE Universe.
Striking Words
Before the next match, Matt Striker interviewed both Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne, now known as Air Boom, and Christian. The former champion had strong words for Orton and those who've called him out on his complaining and weaseling in recent months. Will Christian "get what he wants" in the main event, or will the Viper silence the whiner once and for all?
Diva Destruction
After weeks of watching, the Divas of Doom teamed up to once again face Kelly Kelly and her partner Alicia Fox. The more powerful women dominated the Diva's Champion, both through strength and dirty tactics. Alicia Fox seemed to turn the tables, but Beth quickly regained control with a Glam Slam and won. How much longer will Kelly Kelly be able to hold onto her championship with this relentless force pursuing her?
Game Changer
SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced WWE COO Triple H, who came to the ring to talk business with CM Punk. The Second City Savior continued to prod the Cerebral Assassin, Punk claiming he loves WWE and is just a catalyst of change, while Triple H called him out on his ego-driven crusade.
Punk then said he had been testing Triple H since his return, but Hunter failed: he was the same as the previous administration, unable to separate the professional aspects from his personal life, including hiring friends to do his dirty work. The COO, though, said that this match was nothing but personal for him, and he would beat Punk's ass at Night of Champions.
The night wasn't over for Punk and Hunter, though: Nash came to the ring, laying out Punk and pushing the COO to the ground. How will the irate Big Daddy Cool figure into the match at Night of Champions—if Punk and Hunter even make it to that point in one piece?
Punjabi Pains
Jinder Mahal led The Great Khali to the ring to face Sheamus, ribs taped from last week's beatdown at Mark Henry's hands. Khali quickly targeted the injury, grounding Sheamus until he took out the larger man's legs. When Sheamus seemed about to win, Jinder Mahal interfered and earned a disqualification for his brother-in-law. A two-on-one brawl ensued, but Sheamus weathered the storm and left both men unconscious.
Christian Caged
WWE revealed that a poll on their website showed Orton to be the overwhelming favorite, at 85%, to retain his championship. The WWE Universe's prediction was put to the test early, as Christian tried to sneak out of the cage as soon as the bell sounded. Orton would have none of it, instead focusing on beating down on his wily opponent. Both men showed the benefit both of their experience with the cage and each other, as they unleashed brutal offenses and innovative counters on one another. Christian even attempted to use Orton's own punt against him.
After teetering at the top of the cage trading punches, Orton was able to bring Christian down to the top rope—from which he delivered a thunderous RKO to win the match via pinfall. Mark Henry then stormed the ring, laying waste to Orton. How will the World Champion stop Henry from adding him to the "Hall of Pain" at Night of Champions?
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