MIZ TALKS ABOUT TOUGH ENOUGH

WWE Champion The Miz spoke with IGN.com this week. Here are some highlights:

IGN: What do you think of USA bringing back Tough Enough?

Miz: It’s great, right? I mean, I’m the first, official Tough Enough Champion. It’s nice to see that they’re bringing back that whole thing because that’s what I came from. That’s the show that got me my WWE contract. So, you never know. We might find another future WWE Champion.

IGN: Now that Smackdown is on Syfy, both WWE brands are now in the same NBC Universal family. How do you feel about all the Smackdown stars coming on RAW?

Miz: Yeah, they’re kind of inter-mixing a little bit here and there. Alberto del Rio has been on RAW a little bit. Wade Barrett just went over to Smackdown. So they’re mixing, but they’re still keeping the brand separation. Which is great. And I mean, as far as NBC Universal, you could ask for a better network. With USA and Syfy, you’ve got two great networks putting on great shows.

IGN: Not too long ago, they unified the Tag Team titles? Do you think, somewhere down the line, they should unify the world titles? Or should they remain separate?

Miz: I don’t know. I would love to take on the World Champion, Edge at WrestleMania and combine the titles. I don’t know what they’re going to do. You never know. That’s the best part about WWE. They’re all about shock value. You never know what’s going to happen next.

SMACKDOWN REPORT 1/14

We are live on tape from Birmingham, Alabama and your announcers are Matt ‘Home State of the National Champion Auburn Tigers’ Striker, Michael ‘Why Can’t the Miz be on this show too’ Cole and Josh ‘Who will be the ‘Josh Mathews’ of the new Tough Enough’ Mathews.

While Alberto Del Rio comes to the ring, Cole, Mathews, and Striker talk about what Alberto did on Raw on Monday night when Alberto confronted Shawn Michaels. Their accounts of what happened differ slightly.

Alberto reminds us his name and Cole steps on his line. Alberto says that the people in the South are a bit slow. However, they know that there is no one like him on Raw or Smackdown. He tells everyone not to get angry because it isn’t his fault. It is his destiny. He will destroy their dreams and their hero’s dreams when he wins the Royal Rumble. He told Shawn Michaels that after he wins, he will be known as the new Mr. Wrestlemania.

Truth says that the Royal Rumble is a few weeks away but Del Rio has lost his mind. Truth tells Pancho that Alberto can’t win Royal Rumble because you have a bunch of fancy cars. You can’t win the Royal Rumble because you have a creepy creepy ring announcer. You can’t win because of destiny. A championship match on the world’s biggest stage isn’t something you can buy or inherit, you have to earn that on your own. You earn that by stepping up to the plate like a man. The man that Alberto can’t be.

Cody Rhodes comes out to the ring after making sure that he is truly ‘dashing’. He tells Alberto and Truth that dashing is in at the Royal Rumble and everyone else is out. If you don’t look like him, you are going over the top rope to your ungroomed and undashing lifestyles. Cody says that he is twenty-five but he has already been in three Rumble matches. He says that he is the face that will main event Wrestlemania.

Rey Mysterio comes out and he wants to get something straight. Winning the Royal Rumble isn’t about looking like a diva as he addresses Cody. He tells Alberto that it isn’t about destiny. Rey says that it is about beating the odds. It is about surviving and that is what Rey has been doing his whole entire life.

Alberto tells Rey that no one wants to hear his inspirational stories and he will beat him like the dog he is. Rey asks Alberto how many Royal Rumbles he has won and Rey points out that he hasn’t won any. Rey mentions that he won a Royal Rumble.

Cody says that Rey winning the Royal Rumble is so 2006. Just like the fashion of 2006, he is out of style. He tells Truth that is ‘what’s up’.

Truth wants to know if we are stealing catch phrases and he punches Cody. All four men fight with Rey and Cody pairing up while Truth and Del Rio fight on the other side of the ring.

Teddy Long comes out and says that if they want to mix it up, they will do it in the ring. Alberto Del Rio and Cody Rhodes will face R Truth and Rey Mysterio in a tag match.

We go to commercial.

Match Number One: Alberto Del Rio and Cody Rhodes versus Rey Mysterio and R Truth

Cody and Rey start things off and they lock up with Cody backing Rey into the corner and Cody with a kick instead of a clean break. Cody with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Rey blocks a punch and then Rey with kicks and forearms. Rey follows that with shoulders in the corner and a kick. Rey with a drop kick into the corner. Del Rio tags in and Del Rio kicks Rey and then he sends Rey into the turnbuckles. Del Rio with a snap mare and kick to the back for a near fall. Del Rio with knees to the midsection and Cody’s attempt to interfere backfires but Del Rio sends Rey under the bottom rope to the floor.

Del Rio Irish whips Rey into the ringside barrier and they return to the ring and Del Rio gets a near fall. Cody tags back in and he punches Rey in the ribs and head. Rhodes with a boot to the chest but he misses the Ric Flair knee drop. Rey goes up top but Cody stops him with a forearm. Cody tries for a superplex but Rey holds on to the turnbuckle and Rey with a head butt to knock Cody off and Rey with a cross body. Both men are down but they are able to make the tag.

Truth with clotheslines to Del Rio followed by a punch and hip toss. Truth with a sit out gourdbuster for a near fall. Truth sends Del Rio over the top rope to the floor and then Cody tries to charge at Truth but Truth ducks down and Cody goes to the floor as well. Truth hands things over to Rey who hits an Asai Moonsault onto Del Rio and Rhodes. Truth and Rey celebrate in the ring as we go to commercial.

We are back and Del Rio punches and kicks Truth before he sends Truth into his corner and he tags in Cody. Cody hits a gourdbuster but Truth with a drop toe hold and punches to the head. Truth with a forearm to Rhodes and then to Del Rio on the apron. Cody with a shoulder tackle to Truth while Rodriguez fans Del Rio on the floor.

Rhodes with a series of boots to Truth’s chest. Rhodes with a series of jabs to Truth. Del Rio tags in and hits a drop kick on Truth and gets another near fall. Del Rio with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Del Rio with a rear chin lock. Truth with a few punches but Del Rio sends Truth back to the mat. Cody tags in and he gets between Truth and his corner to prevent the tag. Rhodes with knees to the midsection as he goes off the ropes and then Cody with a side Russian leg sweep for a near fall. Cody with a body scissors and arm bar on Truth.

Truth gets Cody up and hits the electric chair drop and both men are down again. Cody gets to his feet first but Truth is the first to tag and Rey hits a seated splash on Cody and then he knocks Del Rio off the apron. Rey with kicks followed by a springboard cross body for a near fall.

Rhodes with a knee and Irish whip but he runs into a boot. Rey with a sunset flip and this time Rhodes rolls through and tries for a rollup but Rey counters it and gets a near fall of his own that is broken up by a drop kick from Del Rio. All four men are in the ring and Truth with a leg lariat to Del Rio to send him to the floor. Rhodes clotheslines Truth to the floor before returning his attention to the legal man in the match. Cody catches Rey as he comes off the ropes and sets for the Alabama Slam but Rey counters with a head scissors that sends Cody into the ropes. Rey with the 619 followed by the springboard dive and the three count.

Winners: Rey Mysterio and R Truth

After the match, Alberto is on the floor showing his anger over losing to Rey and Truth.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Did You Know what WWE has done with Make A Wish over the years?

It is now time for Str8 Outta Brooklyn with JTG. This week he talks about CM Punk and what he did to Nexus on Monday. His next subject is Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero.

Josh brings up the Fatal Four Way match from last week and then we see the footage of Wade Barrett making his official debut on Smackdown by attacking Big Show.

Wade Barrett is in the interview area with Todd Grisham. Todd asks Wade if he has any second thoughts. Wade says that when he was on Raw, he was like Julius Caesar because he was a conquering hero who became so powerful that people had to conspire against him because that is how truly frightened of him they were. He is here on Smackdown to own it. He says that he showed Big Show that he respected him by attacking him. Just like John Cena on Raw, he only goes after the biggest and the baddest because nobody else is worth his time. He will take down the biggest, foulest, filthiest beast and when he is done everyone will Hail Caesar.

We go to commercial.

We are back with a video package for Ezekiel Jackson and he is coming to Smackdown soon.

We see highlights from the match two weeks ago between Drew McIntyre and Trent Barreta when Drew gave Trent the Future Shock DDT after Trent knocked himself out with a dive to the floor.

Match Number Two: Trent Barreta versus Drew McIntyre

Trent knocks Drew off the apron when McIntyre gets to the ring and the referee holds Trent back so he can officially start the match. Drew charges at Trent but Trent moves out of the way and Trent punches Drew. The referee pulls Trent out of the corner and Drew responds with a running boot to the head and punches. Drew pulls Trent to the floor and then he sends him into the announce table. Drew shows Trent no respect by slapping him. Drew brings Trent back into the ring. Drew with short clotheslines in the corner followed by a short arm clothesline. Drew with a drop kick for a near fall.

Drew with an arm bar on Trent followed by knees and a forearm to the back. Drew with a release German suplex but Trent lands on his feet and then he hits a running knee and Trent gets a near fall. Trent goes to the apron and misses a springboard move. Drew responds with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex that sends Trent into the turnbuckles. Drew gives a thumbs down and then prepares to press slam Trent to the floor but Trent is able to counter and gets a sunset flip for the three count.

Winner: Trent Barreta

After the match, Drew cannot believe that he lost the match.

Big Show is walking in the back as we go to commercial.

We are back and Trent Barreta is walking in the back. He is congratulated by some people for his win over Drew. There is someone in the back who was not so happy to see Trent get the win. That man is Drew McIntyre who blindsides Trent and sends him into a cage door. Drew asks Trent if he feels like a winner. Drew looks up and sees Kelly standing there.

Drew tries to explain himself. He tells Kelly that he knows he has some issues with aggression but he was just going to ask Trent for a rematch. Kelly says that isn’t what she saw. Kelly thought that he had some decency when he helped her last week. Drew says that he really cares about her and he says that he is sincere. Kelly says that she doesn’t want to be around people who take pleasure in beating people up and she walks away.

Match Number Three: Big Show versus Wade Barrett

Show with a boot and forearm to Barrett followed by a head butt and chop. Show with a punch to the midsection but Barrett responds with a drop kick to the knee and a boot to the head. Barrett punches Show and continues to keep him on the mat with kicks. Barrett with kicks to the leg and he goes for a cover but Show powers out before the ref can count. Barrett returns to the leg and knee. Show escapes and he hits a leg drop. Show blocks a kick and pushes Barrett away. Show with a chop and then he sends Barrett into the turnbuckles and hits a running shoulder tackle. Show grabs Barrett but Wade escapes the choke slam. Show grabs Barrett again but Barrett rakes the eyes to escape the hold a second time. Show tries for a third time but we will never know if he can choke slam Barrett because Heath Slater hits the ring and he goes after Big Show and the referee calls for the bell.

Winner: Big Show by disqualification

After the match, Slater is joined by his fellow Ex-Nexus Member Justin Gabriel. Gabriel comes off the turnbuckles but Show grabs him by the throat. Barrett clips Show when he tries to choke slam Gabriel.

Ezekiel Jackson comes to ringside and he looks at Big Show. Do we have an alliance between these two behemoths? Slater kicks Show in the leg and Gabriel climbs Show but Show snap mares him. Barrett and Slater battle with Show and Gabriel gets a chair but Show punches it.

Jackson enters the ring and he clotheslines Big Show. Gabriel, Barrett, Slater, and Jackson attack Big Show. Slater hits a flatliner on Show and then Jackson slams Big Show. Barrett tells Gabriel to go up top for the 450 Splash. Barrett stands on Big Show’s chest while they celebrate in the ring.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Cole, Striker, and Mathews talk about what just happened with Wade Barrett and his former and current fellow Nexus members as well as Ezekiel Jackson. We see the slam of Big Show in slow motion.

We then see footage during the commercial break with every referee helping Show to his feet.

Match Number Four: Michelle McCool with Layla versus Beth Phoenix

They lock up and Beth runs Michelle into the corner and then connects with forearms. Beth with a double sledge but she misses a charge into the corner. Beth with an elbow and then she goes to the turnbuckles but Michelle kicks Beth in her injured knee and Michelle focuses on that injury with kicks to the knee. Michelle with an elbow drop to the leg and then she continues to work on the knee. Beth kicks Michelle and connects with more forearms. Michelle returns to the leg and gets a near fall. Michelle with a forearm to the back of the knee. Michelle celebrates too soon and Beth gets a near fall with a rollup. Michelle with a clothesline and she gets another near fall. Michelle kicks Beth in the knee and continues her focus on the knee. Michelle uses the ropes for extra impact on the leg but Michelle tries too many times and Beth propels Michelle over the top rope with her good leg. Beth with forearms followed by a slingshot suplex for a near fall. Beth tries for the Glam Slam but Michelle with a kick to the knee. Beth gets Michelle up for the Glam Slam but Michelle counters with a rollup. However, Beth is able to gain the advantage with her balance and gets the three count with a rollup.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

After the match, Layla goes into the ring to check on her BFF while Beth celebrates her victory on the ramp.

We go to commercial.

We are back with the Shawn Michaels Hall of Fame video package.

We go to Teddy Long’s office and he is having a heated discussion with Vickie Guerrero. Vickie mentioned that since Teddy was not at Smackdown last week she was in charge. Teddy reminds Vickie that he is the General Manager and it is his show. Teddy has a phone call and he has to go deal with the Wade Barrett situation.

Dolph tells Vickie that when they are on with Edge, he will do everything to try to stir things up. He says that their relationship is stronger than that. Dolph apologizes for what he said last week. Vickie says that she knows that people can say things that are hurtful. Vickie says that she forgives him and that there is nothing to worry about on the Cutting Edge.

Kofi Kingston is walking in the back as we go to commercial.

We are back and we see highlights from last week’s Intercontinental Title Match between Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler when Kofi beat Dolph twice.

Kofi has something to say before his match. After five long, hard months he has clawed and scratched to finally get his title back. Kofi is proud to say that he is the Intercontinental Champion again. He says that it feels good. While Dolph Ziggler had Vickie Guerrero in his corner, Kofi says that he felt like he had everyone else in his corner. Kofi says that he learned a few things . . .

We won’t find out what he learned because his opponent comes out. Jack Swagger has something to say. He says that he is proud that Kofi learned something. He has a new lesson for Kofi. 2011 is the year of the American, the All-American. He will be raising the bar on Smackdown and invites Kofi to join him up there. He wants to give Kofi an All American American American American public service announcement. The ankle lock is a dangerous position to be in. As you lay helpless on your stomach, panic sets in and so does humiliation as you realize that you are about to tap out before the entire world.

Kofi says that he wants Jack to shut up. Kofi says that he will shut Jack up by beating him up right now.

Match Number Five: Kofi Kingston versus Jack Swagger

They lock up and Swagger backs Kofi into the corner and Swagger misses a punch. Kofi with kicks and punches followed by a European uppercut and Irish whip. Kofi tries to leap into the corner but Swagger sees it coming and he gets his boots up. Swagger sends Kofi to the floor as we go to commercial.

We are back and Swagger with boots to the chest and then he pushes Kofi into the ropes. We see footage from the commercial break when Swagger hot shot Kofi onto the announce table. Swagger with a slam and he applies an arm bar on Kofi. Kofi with a forearm but Swagger sends Kofi into the corner and hits a running clothesline. Swagger with the double jump Swagger Bomb for a near fall. Swagger with a key lock on Kofi and he pulls Kofi to the mat. Kofi kicks Swagger in the leg but Swagger with kicks to stop Kofi. Swagger biels Kofi across the ring. Swagger tries for the Double Jump Swagger Bomb again but Kofi rolls out of the way. Kofi with kicks and punches to Swagger in the corner and the referee warns Kofi. Swagger picks Kofi up but Kofi counters with a rollup for a near fall.

Kofi tries for the SOS but Swagger counters and tries for the Doctor Bomb. Kofi escapes and tries for Trouble in Paradise but Swagger sees it coming and he ducks out of the way. Swagger with a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Swagger with a forearm to the back and a kick to the chest. Swagger tries for a running power slam but Kofi gets free and Swagger runs into a boot in the corner. Kofi hits the SOS and gets the three count.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

We go to commercial.

We are back with Edge and the Cutting Edge. Edge welcomes everyone to the Cutting Edge. He says that a lot of people didn’t think he would come out of the Last Man Standing Match with Kane in one piece. He almost didn’t but he was the last man standing. He stands here tonight as the World Champion. He goes from facing one monster last week to another monster this week. He is talking about Vickie Guerrero. He brings out Vickie and her boyfriend, the number one contender Dolph Ziggler.

Edge welcomes his guests to his show and he hopes that everyone can be mature and professional about this. Edge says that there was some controversy last week with Dolph’s win. Vickie says that there was no controversy. Dolph became the number one contender and he will beat Edge at the Royal Rumble.

Edge says that it is just like old times. He sees the look in Vickie’s eye and he tells her that ship has sailed. Dolph tells Edge that if he is going to insult his girlfriend the interview is over. Edge says that he didn’t call her a ‘man eating beast’ or say that Vickie snores in her sleep. It isn’t like he said that you could go parasailing with her panties or that she makes a weird noise when you do that thing.

Vickie stops Edge and throws out an excuse me. Vickie says that if they want to let the garbage out it is on. Vickie says that she was once married to Edge, but that was a long time ago when she was young and naïve. Every day she lives with the regret that she lived with Edge.

Edge points out that Vickie is ten years older than him and she wears a necklace that says ‘Cougar’.

Dolph tells Edge not to be jealous that Vickie has gone from ‘no class’ to ‘first class’. Dolph says that Vickie has been a godsend and wonders how Edge couldn’t appreciate everything that Vickie did for Edge. Vickie took Edge in like a little rescue dog and breathed new life into him. Nobody thought that Edge would win the World Title again and that his career was over. Vickie rescusicated his career, but at the Royal Rumble, he will pull the plug and watch Edge’s title reign flatline to a finish.

Vickie says that their love is true. Vickie says that she brought a clip to show how Dolph is a better man. If they ever got married, Dolph would never do ‘this’ to her. We see the footage from 2008 when Edge was caught with Alicia Fox on video kissing Edge during her days as a wedding planner.

Edge says that he senses where the hostility is coming from and Vickie reminds Edge that it was their wedding day. Edge says that maybe Dolph is a better man than him and Edge has a clip for Dolph and Vickie.

We go to a clip from two months ago when Dolph was caught with Kaitlyn while AJ and Primo were looking for a private place. Edge says that you really couldn’t see her face, but it did look like Vickie’s NXT rookie. Dolph attacks Edge but Edge with a boot and Dolph goes to the floor.

Vickie yells at Edge again and slaps him a few times for doing it on their wedding day. Edge doesn’t want to hit a woman and Vickie attacks Edge from behind. Edge turns around and has that look of spear on his face. Vickie says that Edge can’t touch her. Edge starts to leave the ring, but he comes back in and it’s Spearing Time.

Dolph pulls Edge out of the ring and hits a side Russian leg sweep into the ringside barrier. Dolph hits the Zig Zag into the ring steps. Dolph and Vickie kiss over Edge’s lifeless body and we go to credits.

UPDATE ON JOHN CENA AND TRIPLE H RETURNS!

John Cena returns to the WWE house show circuit this weekend, which is a good sign his leg injury is no longer an issue. Cena will be wrestling tonight in Chattanooga, Tennessee and on Saturday in Beaumont Texas. 


WWE has also begun promoting Triple H's return to the ring, with his next scheduled match advertised for March. Triple H will be wrestling Sheamus in a Street Fight at the 3/19 Madison Square Garden show, so his return to television is imminent.