SmackDown: November 23, 2012

“Miz TV” with special guest John Cena

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In the wake of Survivor Series and an extremely turbulent Raw, Dolph Ziggler capped off his incredible week with a victory over The Viper, only to feel the excruciating sting of John Cena’s retribution. Meanwhile, World Heavyweight Champion Big Show battled WWE Tag Team Champions Hell No, and Kofi Kingston put his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Damien Sandow.   

“Miz TV” with special guest John Cena
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Four days after shocking the WWE Universe on Raw by making out with AJ Lee – and getting blasted through a locker room bathroom stall by Dolph Ziggler – John Cena joined The Miz on the “Most Must-See Talk Show in WWE History,” “Miz TV.”

The Awesome One wasted no time asking Cena the first of many “tough questions”: What’s the status of his injured knee? In response, The Leader of the Cenation repeated the MRI results he posted on Twitter, making it clear he can still compete in WWE.

Miz then asked about the kiss with AJ on Monday night. Cena explained that he was sick and tired of all the speculation and decided to just do something about it.

When AJ joined them in the ring and Miz asked if Cena was in love with her, the answer was cut off by Ziggler and Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero, respectively. Mr. Money in the Bank called AJ “trouble” and gloated about his assault on Cena, while Vickie suggested AJ needed to control her impulses.

While a tense moment occurred between the intruding pair when The Showoff explained what would happen if he kissed AJ, in the end, Cena’s insult at both their expense stole the spotlight.

Ryback def. Darren Young

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After being “cheated” out of the WWE Championship for the second consecutive pay-per-view at Survivor Series, Ryback took out his frustrations on one-half of The Prime Time Players, ripping into Darren Young as the unfortunate Superstar’s tag team partner, Titus O’Neil, joined the SmackDown announce team.

After Ryback finished “Mr. No Days Off” with Shell Shocked for the win, O’Neil made a huge mistake by getting in the ring and blowing his whistle in the ultra-intense Superstar’s face. Ryback responded by hitting him with a second Shell Shocked, driving the WWE Universe to their feet. “Feed [him] more!”

R-Truth def. United States Champion Antonio Cesaro in a Non-Title Match

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After mocking both the Thanksgiving holiday and the WWE Universe for partaking in the cherished American tradition, United States Champion Antonio Cesaro took on R-Truth in an a hard-fought Survivor Series rematch.

While Truth wasn’t able to overcome Cesaro at WWE’s second longest running pay-per-view on Sunday, the high-octane competitor roared back into contention by hurling the Swiss titleholder’s face into the canvas and picking-up the huge victory on Friday night’s top show!  

The question remains, however, whether the Truth will set Cesaro’s title free when and if the two Superstars face off again for the championship.

Alberto Del Rio def. Sin Cara

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After falling to The Viper Randy Orton in a grueling 2-out-of-3 Falls Match on Raw, the always-dangerous Alberto Del Rio reaffirmed himself as a true A-lister by making fellow Mexican competitor Sin Cara tap-out to the excruciating Cross Armbreaker in a fast-paced, thrill ride of a match.

But as The Mexican Aristocrat would soon show, his involvement in SmackDown was in no way over for the night.

World Heavyweight Champion Big Show def. WWE Tag Team Champions Hell No in a Handicap Match

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Earlier on SmackDown, General Manager Booker T confronted Sheamus about his recent volatile actions against Big Show, asking him about the brawl in the parking lot last Friday night and the unrelenting post-match chair attack at Survivor Series. He told the Irish Superstar that although he would not let him compete this week for fear of what he might do, The Celtic Warrior would get his much deserved rematch against Big Show – a brutal Chair Match at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. ( MATCH PREVIEW)

To ensure there wouldn’t be any more disorder in the meantime between the two mighty Superstars, the head of SmackDown offered The Celtic Warrior his skybox suite, high above the ring, away from his giant adversary.

Sheamus took Booker’s offer, sitting with William Regal at his side, as Big Show battled both of the WWE Tag Team Champions Hell No in a fiercely competitive Handicap Match.

But, when Bryan tagged himself into the match in the final moments of the contest, an angry Kane opted to leave his partner in the ring. Moments later, the giant soon regained his edge, chokeslamming the abandoned submission specialist for the win.

After the bell, The Big Red Monster reemerged, paving the way for the dysfunctional duo to knock The World’s Largest Athlete out of the squared circle.

When Show reached the top of the ramp, he turned his attention to Sheamus in the skybox and their upcoming Chairs Match at WWE TLC, making it clear that their third pay-per-view showdown will be the most devastating yet.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston def. Damien Sandow in an Intercontinental Championship Match

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After eliminating Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston in the Traditional Tag Team Elimination Match at Survivor Series, Wade Barrett has made it clear that he is gunning for the illustrious title.

With this ominous fact hanging in the air, The Bare-Knuckled Brawler joined the SmackDown announce team to watch “The Wildcat” put his title on the line against Damien Sandow – the Superstar who also pinned Kingston one week ago on the blue brand to earn himself a chance at championship gold.

After the Intercontinental Champion overcame Sandow with Trouble in Paradise, Barrett seized the spotlight, stepping onto the announce table to make sure he had the high-flying titleholder’s attention. In no uncertain terms, the English Superstar laid down the gauntlet by informing Kingston that he would be the next victim of the Barrett Barrage when he comes after his Intercontinental Title.

Dolph Ziggler def. Randy Orton

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At Survivor Series, Dolph Ziggler defeated Randy Orton to become the sole survivor of Team Ziggler in the Traditional Tag Team Elimination Match. As a result, the two intense Superstars would face off one-on-one on SmackDown.

In the face of an aggressive offense by The Viper, and the brutal back and forth war waged by both Superstars, in the end it would be The Showoff who would prevail. As Orton went for the RKO, Ziggler turned the tables, rolling up WWE’s Apex Predator for the quick three-count.

With his SmackDown victory, Dolph capped off an incredible week: He was the sole survivor at Survivor Series, took out John Cena on Raw, overcame The Miz on WWE Main Event and reigned supreme over nine-time World Champion Orton.

As the smoke cleared, Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez made their way to the ring. But at the last second, The Mexican Aristocrat backed off, allowing his personal ring announcer the leap into the squared circle alone and get blasted with the RKO.  

Then, as Del Rio and Orton stared down, John Cena suddenly emerged, locking the victorious Ziggler into the STF on the ramp, making his bleach-blond adversary writhe in pain.