COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the wake of WWE Battleground, SmackDown featured an Intercontinental Championship Match, a showdown pitting the World Heavyweight Champion against Mr. Money in the Bank and a good old, family-oriented main event slugfest.
On Raw, General Manager Vickie Guerrero made a World Title Match, pitting World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio against John Cena at WWE Hell in a Cell. Four days later on SmackDown, the Mexican Champion looked to get the Queen Diva to reconsider.
See Del Rio and Vickie's first kiss | Memorable firings
While Vickie would have preferred to talk about Big Show’s firing on Monday, she told the emerging titleholder that she might reconsider if Del Rio kissed her. Once he did so, however, she informed him that he could kiss her rear-end because he would still face Cena at the Oct. 27 pay-per-view.
Damien Sandow then came forth to compliment the sexy nature of Vickie’s “Machiavellian tendencies.” He then called Del Rio a phony and promised to prove himself the better man whenever he cashed in his Money in the Bank World Title contract. Guerrero decided to address the “better man” question on SmackDown, placing the Superstars against one another in a match for later in the evening.
However, the action wouldn't wait, as the fierce Superstars engaged each other moments later – a prelude to the explosive contest ahead.
Though R-Truth failed to capture the Intercontinental Title from Curtis Axel at WWE Battleground, he would earn another opportunity at the prestigious gold on SmackDown – after scoring a pinfall on the titleholder in tag team action four days earlier on Raw.
Intercontinental showdown photos | Battleground photos: Punk vs. Ryback
While it looked as if the former United States Champion had gotten the gold-changing three-count, the referee quickly recanted that call because he saw that Axel was gripping the rope. The second-generation Intercontinental Champion then took advantage of the distraction, hitting his opponent with a vicious neckbreaker for the win, and the successful title defense.
In a spectacle fit for the Plaza De Toros itself, the dynamic new tag team sensation, Los Matadores, ran all over fellow masked competitors Los Locales. And when one of their opponents attempted a post-match assault, El Torito helped Los Matadores swiftly repel him from the ring.
Photos of El Torito in action | Masked tag team photos
Brie Bella & The Funkadactyls ruined Kaitlyn’s return to SmackDown as, in the midst of all-out disorder, Naomi reversed a roll-up on the Hybrid Diva for the victory.
Photos of Kaitlyn on her day off
In the height of an evenly matched contest, Alberto Del Rio took advantage of the referee, pushing his aggressive opponent away and kicking Sandow directly in the knee – capitalizing on an injury that Mr. Money in the Bank suffered last Sunday during his WWE Battleground Kickoff Match. The opportunistic titleholder then locked in the Cross Armbreaker to make The Intellectual Savior of the Masses tap out.
The Prime Time Players & The Great Khali made beautiful music against 3MB on SmackDown, capped off by a Punjabi Chop on Heath Slater and a post-match dance by the victors.
Khali chops through 3MB | Khali soundboard
After defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns at WWE Battleground to earn their way back onto the WWE roster, Cody Rhodes and his brother, Goldust, went to war against the undefeated Wyatt Family.
While Luke Harper leveled The Bizarre One with a vicious clothesline in the final moments of the action, a determined Cody would rise above – using the turnbuckle to leap over his creepy opponent and pick up the quick pin. The monumental SmackDown moment marked the first-ever WWE loss for The Wyatt Family.
While Rowan & Harper looked ready to launch a post-match attack of retribution, Bray Wyatt stopped them in their tracks. How will they react moving forward? Follow the Buzzards!