Home / Results / Smackdown / May 18, 2012

1. Non-title: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth def. Darren Young & Titus O'Neil when Truth pinned O'Neil.

2. Damien Sandow NC Yoshi Tatsu.

3. Daniel Bryan def. Zack Ryder via submission.

4. Non-title: Kane def. CM Punk-DQ due to interference from Bryan.

5. Non-title: Santino Marella def. Cody Rhodes.

6. Non-title: Sheamus def. Randy Orton.

John Laurinaitis opened, making his lone appearance of the evening, save for the predictable video replays from Monday. Laurinaitis claimed he petitioned the Board of Directors to rescind their ruling from Monday. They didn't. Then, he asked for fans to pray for him. That brought out CM Punk, who reamed out Laurinaitis for being, among other things, out of touch. Well, that shouldn't surprise anyone, actually. Unfortunately, creative hasn't figured out yet what most of us already know, and that Laurinaitis is just a figurehead in more ways than one for Vince. Anyway, the GM became more agitated, and booked Punk into a match with Kane. The champ was fine with that, and said he wouldn't go running to the Board to cancel it, because he's a man.

Punk left, and Laurinaitis cut a major heel promo on the fans, telling them where they could go. Sounds to me like the heat is getting to him, just like it did with Vickie Guerrero on Raw 3 years ago.

1. Non-title: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Darren Young & Titus O'Neil.

Young & O'Neil have been rolling since moving over from NXT. However, these two teams simply weren't given enough time to create something that could be built for another time. Truth took the hot tag and cleaned house after the heels got heat on Kofi. Kingston came back and cleared out O'Neil with a slingshot plancha. Truth hit paydirt on Young, and that was all. Winners: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth.

Zack Ryder is attempting to record an episode of "Z! The True Long Island Story", but is interrupted as Damien Sandow passes through.......

2. Damien Sandow vs. Yoshi Tatsu.

The match never started. Sandow cut the same promo he did two weeks ago when he refused to face Derrick Bateman. Sandow was halfway up the ramp when Tatsu taunted him, calling him a chicken. As Tatsu put the mic away, Sandow jumped him and hit a cross-arm neckbreaker, the kind William Regal has used in the past, but this was done a little more slowly, like a Rude Awakening.

3. Daniel Bryan vs. Zack Ryder.

Protracted squash. Ryder had his moments, but once Bryan avoided the Broski Boot, it was all over. Buzzkick to the head practically finished Ryder, making the Yes Lock a mere formality. Winner: Daniel Bryan.

Bryan would stick around for the next match.......

4. Non-title: CM Punk vs. Kane.

These two have clashed in the past, but this was different. Bryan put over that he & Punk have known each other for over a decade, and that he's better than Punk. I guess he's taken up Chris Jericho's argument about being best in the world, which Bryan was called when he was in Ring of Honor a few years back. Kane worked over the ribs, which they stressed in commentary. Bryan was digging. The action spilled to the floor, and, predictably, Bryan decided to get involved, taking a chair. He feigned going after Punk, then waffled Kane instead. After the ref called for the bell, Punk picked up the smoking gun, and Kane destroyed him, finishing with 2 chokeslams. Winner: Kane via DQ.

Matt Striker has the enviable task of interviewing Sheamus & Randy Orton, who meet in the main event. Someone's turning heel come Sunday, but you can't tell who from this........

5. Non-title: Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella.

On paper, Rhodes should be favored to win, but who cares about paper anymore in the WWE? They brought up Booker T having held both the US & Intercontinental titles. In fact, he brought the US title to WWE in the first place back in '01. Marella is another rare bird to have had that daily double, which the announcers didn't remember for some reason. Cody was made to look like a chump for the 2nd time this week. He dodged the cobra with a dropkick, but the cobra struck anyway when it looked like Marella was going for a clothesline. Sound the trumpets! Winner: Santino Marella.

The "firing" of Big Show was replayed, as was Laurinaitis' plea for forgiveness from the top of the show.

6. Non-title: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton.

Remember when these two feuded over the WWE title, and Sheamus was a heel? Thought you could. Two men couldn't be more evenly matched, and the feud from 2010 is still fresh in memory, it seems. They needed two commercial breaks for this one. Both men were selling shoulder injuries before this was done. Orton broke out a belly-to-belly suplex for 2. Hanging DDT set up the RKO, but Sheamus ducked it once, twice, then schoolboyed Orton for the pin. Winner: Sheamus.

Post-match, the two shook hands, but Orton then hit the RKO as a message pitch for Sunday......