ORLANDO, Fla. – In the wake of WrestleMania, a new age dawned on SmackDown. Five days after capturing the World Heavyweight Championship from Daniel Bryan in record time, Sheamus’ fiery temper got him in trouble. Meanwhile, Randy Orton and Kane fought in a brutal Show of Shows rematch, Bryan assigned blame for his losing the World Title and Intercontinental Champion Big Show celebrated his title victory in painful fashion.
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After his Team Johnny reigned supreme at WrestleMania, John Laurinaitis emerged to usher in the “People Power Era” – with himself as General Manager of both Raw and SmackDown. When he called former GM Theodore Long to the ring, Teddy proudly told him off before thanking the WWE Universe for the “best job he ever had.”
When Laurinaitis offered him employment in his administration, Teddy turned him down flat. That was until the Executive VP of Talent Relations used a contract clause to threaten the college fund the WWE Board of Directors had set up for Teddy’s grandchildren. The former head of SmackDown reluctantly took the job and was forced to tell the WWE Universe that his new boss is “better than him” before being sent away.
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In a match set by the new General Manger of both Raw and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis, Team Teddy’s R-Truth had to take on both David Otunga and Mark Henry. After The World’s Strongest Man took down his high-octane foe with The World’s Strongest Slam, Otunga called for his partner to allow him to make the pin.
During the match, Michael Cole repeated a rumor that Booker T will be summoned to WWE’s Stamford office in the coming week for a closed door meeting with “the boss.”
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Five days after falling to The Big Red Monster at The Show of Shows, The Viper faced Kane in an ultra-brutal No Disqualification Match, wreaking havoc both inside and outside the ring and up and down the entrance ramp.
Amidst the mayhem, Orton recovered from a ruthless steel chair assault at the hands of his monstrous adversary, knocking Kane into an exposed turnbuckle before leveling him with the RKO for the redemption victory.
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With the SmackDown locker room paying very close attention, Ryback debuted with brute force and unwavering intensity, hurling his opponent to the canvas for the dominant victory. ( READ RYBACK'S BIO)
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Ridiculing the WWE Universe as “sheep,” Bryan blamed his losing the World Heavyweight Championship on his girlfriend AJ and her “kiss of death.” The former champion then cruelly broke up with the crushed Diva, telling her to get out of his ring.
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With Cody Rhodes – the Superstar he overcame for the title at WrestleMania – sitting in with the SmackDown announce team, new Intercontinental Champion Big Show ripped through Heath Slater with a chokeslam.
When The World’s Largest Athlete invited Rhodes into the ring afterward, his resentful foe declined. As Show proceeded to hit the defeated Slater with the WMD, the former champion tried to enter the ring for a sneak attack, but quickly exited again when the giant turned toward him.
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After backing Team Teddy at WrestleMania, Nikki Bella was put in a match against Beth Phoenix while her sister Brie was given the night off. But, a distraction from an observing Kelly Kelly threw The Glamazon off her game, causing her to lose concentration and slam into the steel ring post. Nikki capitalized, hurling the Divas Champion to the canvas for the huge pin fall.
Damien Sandow shared his unique brand of wisdom with the WWE Universe ( WATCH)
Damien Sandow introduced himself to the WWE Universe, delivering a missive on education and entertainment. "Entertainment in our society is at a tragic all-time low," he stated, then went on to say that his "true calling" is to "save" us from our "ignorance."
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On Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Alberto Del Rio revealed that if he could defeat Sheamus on SmackDown, Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis would grant him a World Heavyweight Title opportunity. With such high stakes on the line, Friday night’s main event could not have been more powerful.
In the heat of the action, The Great White looked ready to overcome his aristocratic opponent. That was until Ricardo Rodriguez jumped up on the ring apron. Sheamus turned his attention to Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, leaving the devious employer free to grab a chair.
The Celtic Warrior stopped his opponent from using the chair, as the referee got Rodriguez out of the ring. But, when the official spotted the weapon in Sheamus’ hand, Del Rio made out like he had been hit with the chair, and the ref called for the bell and disqualified the World Heavyweight Champion. Therefore, it appears as if Del Rio got himself the title opportunity he came looking for.
An infuriated Sheamus could not contain his anger, Brogue-Kicking the official into next week as SmackDown went off the air. ( WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?)