Five nights after WrestleMania, the 712th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the TD Garden in Boston, MA. For the first time since nearly destroying himself to defeat Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania to save his in-ring career, WWE COO and thirteen-time World Champion “The Game” Triple H would make a rare SmackDown appearance as “The Cerebral Assassin” discusses his war with Brock at WrestleMania as well as what the future holds for the legend! On a raucous Monday Night RAW, a nine-month journey finally paid off as Dolph Ziggler cashed in his Money-in-the-Bank contract on a weakened Alberto Del Rio to ultimately become the brand new World Heavyweight Champion and, on SmackDown, Ziggler makes his first appearance as the new champion!
Match Results
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* Non-Title:
Team Hell No def. The Prime Time Players by Titus O’Neil tapping out to Daniel Bryan’s No Lock.
* Non-Title:
Wade Barrett def. Santino Marella by pin following the Bull Hammer Elbow.
* 6-Diva Tag:
Tamina Snuka & The Bella Twins def. Kaitlyn & The Funkadactyls by Nikki Bella pinning Naomi following a hair whip.
* 2-on-1 Handicap Match:
Sheamus & Randy Orton def. Big Show by count-out.
* Non-Title:
Kofi Kingston def. Antonio Cesaro by pin following Trouble in Paradise.
* Non-Title:
Dolph Ziggler (with Fandango, AJ Lee, & Big E. Langston) def. Chris Jericho by roll-up.
Detailed Results
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The show kicks off with Big E. Langston, who, in his best impersonation of Ricardo Rodriguez, introduces the brand new World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, who makes his way to the ring with AJ Lee & Langston in tow. The new champion states that, since he debuted, everyone has known that he is the “future” of the WWE and the “future is now” because he is the World Heavyweight Champion. Dolph continues, saying that 80,000 fans chanted for him at WrestleMania during a match that he was not even a part of and, then, the next night, he finally cashed in and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. Ziggler then says that the fans want to be a part of his title victory, but he is the only one who is responsible for his success.
The World Heavyweight Champion is then interrupted by the former #1 Contender, Jack Swagger, along with Zeb Colter. Colter says that they have not been formally introduced, thanking Ziggler for being an American-born champion, but says that everyone knows who’s to thank for Dolph winning the World Heavyweight Title on RAW and that is Jack Swagger. Ziggler says that this is his scheduled time and Swagger had his chance at WrestleMania, but he “blew it”, telling Swagger that it is just his time. Swagger then marches up the ring steps, but once he fully realizes the odds he would face with both Dolph and Big E. Langston in the ring, Swagger backs down. Zeb then says that it is only appropriate that Ziggler give Swagger what he “wants” and “deserves” in the form of a shot at the World Heavyweight Title. After Swagger and Colter take their leave, Dolph tries to continue his speech, but he is quickly interrupted by the hobbled former champion Alberto Del Rio. Dolph tells Del Rio to “hobble down” to the ring and get his rematch for the title, but Del Rio says that he came out there to say “congratulations” because he knows what it is like to cash in Money-in-the-Bank. Del Rio then says that, once his ankle heals, he will get his rematch and it will be Ziggler who will be “complaining”. After Del Rio exits, an increasingly angry Ziggler says that he is sick of being interrupted, saying that the next person who walks through that curtain will find out first hand why he is the World Heavyweight Champion!
The next person to walk through the curtain was none other than the World Heavyweight Champion’s longtime rival, Chris Jericho. Jericho says that Dolph has been “babbling” about how good he is and been touting how “crazy” his girlfriend, AJ Lee, is. Jericho then leads an “AJ is crazy” chant from the crowd, which causes AJ to hold her ears. Y2J then says that he is the “original show-off” before revealing that he just came from the office of SmackDown General Manager Booker T and the GM has made the main event for SmackDown a match between Jericho and Ziggler!
After successfully defending the WWE Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania and coming to the aid of The Undertaker to fend off The Shield on RAW, the WWE Tag Team Champions were in action on SmackDown as Team Hell No, Kane & Daniel Bryan, faced The Prime Time Players in a non-title match. In the end, it was Daniel Bryan locking in the No Lock on Titus O’Neil, forcing Titus to tap out to pick up the win for Team Hell No. After the match, The Shield deliver a message to the WWE Tag Team Champions, saying that they did not “back down” on RAW and they never “run from a fight”, telling Kane & Daniel Bryan to “believe in The Shield”.
After losing the Intercontinental Title on the WrestleMania Pre-Show and winning it back the next night on RAW, the new Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett went one-on-one with Santino Marella in a non-title match on SmackDown. In the end, it was Wade Barrett putting down the joker with the Bull Hammer Elbow en route to picking up the win.
Backstage, both Sheamus & Randy Orton confront SmackDown General Manager Booker T and Senior Advisor Theodore Long over the mishap on RAW where Booker overruled RAW Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero to give Randy Orton a match against Big Show instead of Sheamus getting the match only to have Sheamus and Orton face off with the winner facing Big Show. Theodore Long steps in to handle the situation, but buries the GM in the process, saying that the whole thing was Booker’s idea and it was a “mistake”, telling them to not blame him for Booker’s mistakes! Booker T then says that Big Show was wrong in attacking them both on RAW before the GM gives both men what they want as Big Show will face both Sheamus and Orton in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match!
The Divas were in action on SmackDown as the team of Divas Champion Kaitlyn & The Funkadactyls, Cameron & Naomi faced the team of Tamina Snuka & The Bella Twins in a 6-Diva Tag Match. In the end, it was Nikki Bella pulling Naomi by the hair and whipping her head into the mat en route to pinning Naomi to pick up the win for her team.
For the first time since narrowly surviving a No Holds Barred war with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania to keep his legendary career alive, the COO of the WWE and thirteen-time World Champion “The Game” Triple H would make a special appearance on SmackDown! With his left arm and hand still bandaged up from the match at WrestleMania, Triple H says that he told everyone that the “ass-kicker is back”, saying that he let Brock Lesnar know that they were going to “war” at WrestleMania and that is just what they did. Then, in what had to be the most bone-headed move of the night, the trio known as 3MB interrupts Triple H as Heath Slater actually tells the COO to “shut up”! Slater then says that, around here, you have got to target the “big dog” in the WWE to get noticed and that is what 3MB is going to do. Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, & Drew McIntyre then surround the ring, getting ready to attack “The Game”, but The Shield then arrives on the scene! In what initially looks like a 6-on-1 situation in the making, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns prove that they do not need help from anyone as The Shield dismantles 3MB as the two entities brawl before Seth Rollins sends Jinder Mahal into the ringside barricade, Dean Ambrose sends Heath Slater into the steel steps, and Roman Reigns delivers a back drop to Drew McIntyre on the arena floor! The Shield then surround the ring, ready to take out Triple H, but in a near-repeat of what happened on RAW, Kane & Daniel Bryan make the save, rushing to the ring to stand beside Triple H as The Shield again retreats from their planned attack!
Backstage, a discussion between Booker T and Theodore Long is broken up when Big Show enters the GM’s office and, after Theodore Long leaves the room, Big Show tells Booker T that, if he wanted to, he could mess up all of the GM’s plans and walk out of the arena! Big Show says that he has an “iron-clad contract”, so he does not really have to do what Booker tells him to do. The Hall of Famer does not back down, however, telling the giant that, if he wants to walk out, then he should, but he will make sure that his “iron-clad contract” gets held up in court until it is “rusted and worthless”. Booker then says that, if Big Show wants to stay, then his match is next!
After laying out both of his tag team partners with the K.O. Punch after their match at WrestleMania and after assaulting both men on RAW, Big Show would get his punishment on SmackDown as “The World’s Largest Athlete” would face “The Viper” Randy Orton, who was still bandaged up as a result of Big Show’s attack, and “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. During the match, Big Show would manage to dominate both men, but the tide would change drastically when Randy Orton was able to come out of nowhere with the RKO on Big Show. This was followed by the Brogue Kick by Sheamus that knocks “The World’s Largest Athlete” out of the ring and, after getting back to his feet, Big Show would opt not to continue the match, walking off and taking the count-out loss.
Backstage, Sheamus is interviewed about the 2-on-1 Handicap Match he just took part in, but in the middle of the interview, Mark Henry comes out nowhere, plowing through “The Celtic Warrior” and knocking him into a nearby food table!
The United States Champion was in action on SmackDown as Antonio Cesaro went one-on-one with Kofi Kingston in a non-title match. In the end, it was Kofi Kingston surviving the onslaught, hitting Antonio Cesaro with Trouble in Paradise en route to picking up the win over the United States Champion.
With the overnight sensation, Fandango, watching from ringside, it was time for the main event as the brand new World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, with AJ Lee & Big E. Langston in his corner, went one-on-one with “Y2J” Chris Jericho in a non-title match. During the match, Fandango climbs on the ring apron, distracting the referee and allowing AJ Lee to trip Chris Jericho, giving Dolph Ziggler the advantage. Later on in the match, Chris Jericho would pre-emptively take Big E. Langston out with a dropkick before turning his attention back to Ziggler. Shortly after this, Fandango gets on the ring apron again, but this time, Jericho knocks Fandango off with a dropkick. Jericho then counters an attempt at the Fame Asser into the Walls of Jericho, but the pugnacious Fandango would again get on the ring apron, distracting the referee and allowing Big E. Langston to drop Jericho with a clothesline! Ziggler then catches Jericho with a roll-up to pick up the win. After the match, an irate Jericho attacks the World Heavyweight Champion and even fends off Big E. Langston with an enziguiri, but another distraction from Fandango allows Dolph Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag on Jericho, which is followed up by the Big Ending by Langston! The World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Lee, & Big E. Langston then stand over the broken Jericho and, after the trio makes their exit, Fandango gets in the ring, dancing in the center of the ring before the psychotic former dancer wears Jericho out with kicks and punches to the skull. Fandango then puts the exclamation point on the attack by hitting the leg drop off of the top rope onto the back of Jericho’s head!
