Tonight’s SmackDown opens up with a tribute video package to The Undertaker.
It includes various moments from Taker’s career and new comments, from The Last Ride filming, where he talks about his career and riding off into the sunset.
– We’re live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as the SmackDown roster stands on the stage and ramp, chanting “thank you Taker!” and clapping. No one is wearing masks. Michael Cole welcomes and he’s joined by Corey Graves. They hype tonight’s Taker tribute and later tonight we will hear from several top stars, including Roman Reigns, John Cena, WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Batista, and many more. Graves talks about Taker’s 30 year career. Cole sends us to a look back at Taker’s debut at the Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 22, 1990.
– Still to come, a replay of The Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. Graves mentions twice how this is now known as Taker’s last match. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a video with WWE Superstars praising The Undertaker. The video features new pre-recorded comments from John Cena and Roman Reigns.
– We go to a replay of The Boneyard Match from Night One of WrestleMania 36 this past April. The cinematic match saw Taker defeat AJ Styles after fighting off The OC (Styles, former WWE Superstars Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) and their army of druids.
– We take a commercial break and come back to a video with more stars praising Taker. This video features pre-recorded comments from Christian as well as WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Bret Hart. Edge says Taker caught magic in a bottle but for a whole 30 years. We go back to the replay of The Boneyard Match now. The replay goes on and includes the part with Gallows and Anderson, and the army of druids.
– Back from another commercial break and Cole is with Graves at ringside. They send us to another video package with pre-recorded comments on Taker. This video features Kane and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. The Nature Boy calls Taker the biggest star in the history of the business. We go back to the Boneyard replay. This time we get the end of the match.
– We go back to the WWE Performance Center and King Baron Corbin is in the ring with a mic. Corbin takes a bunch of shots at The Undertaker and runs him down as developmental talents in the crowd boo him. Corbin says Taker spent 30 years kissing the ass of one family, apparently the McMahons. He says there actually used to be a Kiss My Ass Club in WWE. Corbin says the owners of WWE protected and coddled Taker for 30 years, and he’s been stealing money from WWE for the past 20 years.
Corbin calls Taker a selfish son of a b—h for holding other talent like him down for a long time. Corbin is tired of hearing legends and Superstars paying respects to Taker, and seeing the fools chant “thank you Taker!” at the beginning of the show. Corbin doesn’t thank or respect Taker. Corbin tells the crowd not to do the chant and they do anyway. Corbin wants to leave Taker with one final thought – you suck! Jeff Hardy suddenly attacks Corbin for a pop.
Hardy unloads on Corbin and knocks him out to the floor. Hardy stands tall and celebrates as his music plays. He taunts Corbin as we go back to commercial.
– We are back and Steve Austin says he thinks of a guy with all of this mystique. You knew he would be someone when you meet him. Kurt Angle says Undertaker evolved as a person and wrestler. Austin says Taker proved he was one of the toughest. Angle says Taker was having main event matches and he proved that he was Superman. Austin says Taker always performed. Angle says Taker wanted those Wrestlemania moments. Austin says Taker has had one of the best careers in the business.
Backstage:
Jeff Hardy is walking in the back and he is ambushed and asked about Corbin’s comments. Hardy says Taker has been a mentor and teacher. Taker would be on Mount Rushmore 4 times if he had his way. Everyone owes Taker their gratitude. Hardy says since Taker is not here to answer, he will take it out on Corbin. He has a degree from Deadman University and he will show what he has learned.
Number One Contender Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Dana Brooke vs. Lacey Evans
Sasha Banks and Bayley make their way to the ring to join the commentary for the next match.
Lacey pushes Alexa and Nikki pushes Lacey. Nikki and Lacey with rollups. Dana and Lacey kick Alexa and Nikki. Lacey kicks Alexa while Nikki connects with forearms to Dana and follows with kicks. Nikki and Alexa with splashes in the corner followed by punches in the corner. Nikki and Alexa hug and they show that real best friends try to roll the other up as Nikki gets a near fall. Alexa is okay with things. They shake hands. They lock up and Alexa with a rollup for a near fall. Alexa with a side head lock. Lacey trips Alexa and pulls her to the floor. Lacey sends Alexa into the ringside barrier.
Nikki avoids Lacey but Dana pulls Nikki off and Dana with a handspring splash for a near fall. Lacey and Dana argue and Nikki with forearms. Lacey kicks Nikki and then Dana helps Irish whip Nikki into the corner. Dana and Lacey send Alexa into the corner. Dana with a handspring back elbow and then Lacey clothelslines Dana and hits a double Bronco Buster. Lacey gets a near fall. Lacey wtih a double leg take down on Dana followed by punches. Dana with a handspring back elbow to Lacey and then she goes up top.
Dana with a Swanton but Nikki breaks up the cover. Dana with a slam to Nikki and Alexa with slaps to Dana followed by an STO. Alexa goes up top for Twisted Bliss and Dana gets her knees up. Nikki drops kicks Dana to the floor. Lacey is back in the ring and she sees Nikki and Alexa. Lacey with a leg sweep to Alexa followed by a forearm to Nikki. Lacey with a kick to Alexa. Lacey with a leg sweep and slingshot elbow. Dana comes off the ropes and is met with a Woman’s Right. Nikki with a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Nikki Cross
After the match, Cross celebrates with Bliss as the music hits. Bayley and Banks look on from ringside, taunting them. We go to replays. Cross continues to talk trash with Bayley from the ring.
– Still to come, Hardy vs. Corbin. Also, a look at the Wyatt vs. Strowman feud.
– We see Lucha House Party, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day, John Morrison and The Miz, plus Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura backstage arguing before an eight-man match. Back to commercial.
We are back with more comments about the Undertaker. Triple H says Mark is one of the most loyal people he has met. The loyalty to the business and what he dedicated his life to. Shawn Michaels says the longevity to develop over the years and to get the reaction was magical. You can’t help but respect the guy. Triple H says he was a locker room leader. There will not be another.
Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Big E, and Kofi Kingston vs. Miz, John Morrison, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro
We go back to the ring and out first are SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day – Kofi Kingston and Big E. Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik of Lucha House Party are out next. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are out first for their team, followed by The Miz and John Morrison.
Big E and Miz start off. Big E beats Miz down. Big E keeps control and hits the apron splash to Miz for a 2 count. Lince comes in and Big E uses him as a weapon. Cesaro ends up tagging in and going at it with Lince. Cesaro blocks a hurricanrana but Lince avoids the counter and elbows him. They trade more offense and Lince takes Cesaro down into a 2 count. Metalik tags in and hits a double team splash on Cesaro for a 2 count with an assist from Lince.
Cesaro drops Metalik in the corner and tags in Nakamura to take over. Nakamura runs into a big boot. Metalik drops Nakamura and tags in Kofi. Nakamura ducks Kofi and shows off some. Morrison tags in and gets dropkicked by Kofi from the second rope. Morrison kicks out at 2. Morrison comes back and kicks Kofi to the floor. Nakamura takes advantage of the distracted referee and sends Kofi into the Plexiglas barrier at ringside. Cesaro and Nakamura with quick tags on Kofi in the corner now. Nakamura drops Kofi with a big kick to the chest. Nakamura stands tall with Cesaro and Morrison as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Kofi gets double teamed by Miz and Morrison with a Gutbuster. Miz drops Kofi with a big kick to the head for a 2 count. Kofi ends up dropping Miz with a big tornado DDT to get an opening as the crowd rallies with Big E. Nakamura tags in and stops Kofi from tagging. He swings at Big E but misses. Cesaro lures Big E on the outside and Nakamura drops him with a baseball slide from the ring.
Nakamura drops Kofi in the corner now. Nakamura charges for the Kinshasa but Kofi nails a big double stomp. Metalik and Morrison go at it in the ring now. Metalik with a big hurricanrana takedown and a dropkick to Miz, then one to Cesaro. Morrison slides with a kick to Metalik. Metalik with an impressive Sunset Bomb for a close 2 count on Morrison. Metalik with a second rope moonsault. Lince tags in and flies off the top for a splash to Morrison for a 2 count as Cesaro saves the pin. All four teams brawl in the ring now, then take it to the floor. Cesaro and Nakamura brawl with The New Day at ringside. Those two teams fight up the ramp and to the backstage area.
Miz tags in and knocks Metalik off the apron but Metalik is legal. Lince nails a springboard Stunner on Miz. Lince goes to the top but chooses to take Morrison off the apron with a hurricanrana instead. Metalik ends up dropping Miz and hitting a top rope elbow drop in the middle of the ring for the pin to win.
Winners: Lucha House Party and The New Day
After the match, Kofi and Big join Lince and Metalik in the ring and raise their arms together as the music hits. We go to replays.
Backstage:
Sarah Schreiber is backstage with King Corbin now, asking about Jeff Hardy’s earlier comments. Corbin knocks Hardy for going to rehab and jail in the past, and says Hardy should hang it up like The Undertaker. Corbin says after tonight Hardy will finally be able to… rest in peace. Corbin laughs and walks off.
– We see Braun Strowman walking backstage while the screen flashes shots of Bray Wyatt. Back to commercial.
In the Arena:
We are back and Braun Strowman makes his way to the ring.
Braun says he wants to talk about the first time he met Bray Wyatt. For the first time in his life, he felt fear. He is talking about the type of fear that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It gives you the feeling in the pit of your stomach that something is wrong. It is the fear that makes a grown man tremble. They were sitting on the edge of that disgusting swamp with Bray’s lantern glistening on the water. He say a snake coming for the lantern. Braun says he wanted to kill the snake but Bray stopped him and told Braun that it was his friend.
Bray knelt down and got face to face with the snake. The snake bit Bray in the face. All Bray did was laugh. He laughed as that snake repeatedly bit him over and over. Braun says he knew he was in the presence of evil. He did not get poisoned or bleed. He just laughed. He knew that Bray was the devil himself. That was when he realized that Bray was the serpent. He was enamored at this feat and could not help it. Then he started doing the devil’s work. The bad part is that he loved every second of it.
Braun says parts of him still does. He has done everything in his power and being to lock that side of him away in a place in the back of his mind where he could forget about it. It calls for him. Braun says he can’t go on living like this. What do you say we go back to the swamp to that eerie miserable hell that you call a home. There are only two ways this will end up. I am either going to come out of this as the most evil son of a bitch this earth has seen or he is coming out with the satisfaction that he spit in the devil’s face. Then he is going to drag Bray into the swamp to finish him. Do you want to go to the place of his creation because Braun will turn it into the place of your destruction.
Let’s go home.
The screen flashes to the swamp a few more times. We hear Wyatt laughing over the arena. Strowman laughs back. We cut to commercial.
– We are back and Batista says if he was going to brag about his career, he would talk about the people he worked with like the Undertaker. Mick Foley says people ask him if he wrestled Undertaker and when he says he had, people’s eyes light up. Foley says what Taker did for his career couldn’t be understated. Batista says he is one of the best guys to step in the ring with him. We are lucky to have seen him perform. Foley says Taker is one of the greatest stars in all of entertainment.
Jeff Hardy vs. Baron Corbin
We go back to the ring for tonight’s main event as Jeff Hardy comes out. Graves says Sheamus’ toast to Hardy will take place next week after originally being scheduled for tonight. King Baron Corbin is out next.
The bell rings and they go at it. Corbin drops Hardy with a shoulder as soon as the bell hits. Corbin goes on and covers for a 2 count. Corbin continues to dominate and beat Hardy around the ring. Corbin mocks the crowd as they cheer Hardy on. Corbin puts a boot to Hardy’s head and keeps him down. Corbin manhandles Hardy some more and uses the top rope to choke him as the referee warns him and the boos continue.
Hardy counters a shot and sends Corbin to the floor. Corbin dodges a baseball slide and drops Hardy with a right hand, sending him into the announce table. Corbin breaks the count but Hardy unloads on the outside. Hardy launches Corbin over the announce table as Cole and Graves scramble. Hardy leaps off the apron and takes Corbin back down. Hardy brings it back in and beats Corbin around the ring.
More back and forth now. Hardy goes to the top for Whisper In the Wind but Corbin moves. Corbin launches Hardy into the ring post for boos. Hardy falls out to the floor as Corbin stands tall in the ring and smirks. Corbin drops to one knee and mocks Taker as the boos continue. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and several SmackDown Superstars are surrounding the ring now, apparently to show respect for Taker and avenge him against Corbin’s comments. Matt Riddle, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, The New Day, Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, Drew Gulak and several others are out. Hardy fights but Corbin drops him and keeps control. Corbin comes off the ropes and drops Hardy with a big right hand.
The Superstars chant “Corbin sucks!” now as he works Hardy around the ring. Corbin ducks a shot and runs out, then back in and floors Hardy to boos. Strowman and Corbin have words at ringside. Corbin sends Hardy against the Plexiglas barrier and rocks him in the back of the neck. Corbin breaks the count again and brings Hardy back in, stopping to taunt Lucha House Party. Corbin rolls back in for a 2 count.
Corbin grounds Hardy in the middle of the ring now. The Superstars at ringside rally for Hardy as he mounts offense and hits a jawbreaker for an opening. Hardy with a second jawbreaker to stun Corbin again. Hardy fights back with right hands now. Hardy drops Corbin with a forearm and an inverted Atomic Drop. Hardy with his signature leg drop and a basement dropkick for another close pin attempt. Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate but it’s blocked. Corbin runs into a right hand. Hardy goes up for a Whisper in the Wind but Corbin blocks it again. More back and forth now. Corbin catches Hardy with a big Deep Six for another close 2 count.
Corbin shows frustration at the 2 count now. Corbin charges on the outside but Hardy moves and Corbin hits the steel ring steps. Hardy brings Corbin back in and goes to the top for a big Swanton Bomb. Hardy covers for the pin to win in the middle of the ring.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
After the match, Hardy stands tall and celebrates as the music hits. Corbin gets up and drops him to stop the ringside celebration as well. Kofi Kingston runs in but Corbin drops him. Big E drops Corbin with a Big Ending. They call for Strowman to enter the ring now. Strowman waits for Corbin to get up and stalks him. Strowman scoops Corbin and puts him back down with a powerslam. Hardy invites Riddle into the ring now. A “Bro!” chant starts up. Riddle enters the ring and goes to the top, hitting a big Floating Bro on Corbin. Riddle celebrates with Hardy, Strowman and The New Day now. Hardy’s music starts back up as the other four pose in the corners. Hardy drops to one knee in the middle of the ring as a photo of Taker appears on the big screen. Hardy raises his hand to the photo of Taker in a tribute as the “thank you Taker!” chant starts back up. SmackDown on FOX goes off the air.
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