WWE Smackdown Recap: Harper Vs. Bryan, Ryback Open Challenge, Tag Titles Defended, More

Tonight's Smackdown opens with JBL and Michael Cole on commentary.

WWE Tag Team Championships
Cody Rhodes and Goldust (c) vs. The Real Americans

The champs have the upper hand for the majority of the beginning part of the match. Cody eventually gets knocked out of the ring by Cesaro right before things head to commercial. Back from commercial and Cesaro is in control of Cody. Swagger tags in and hits the Swagger bomb. Cesaro tags in and hits his leap frog over Swagger double boot stomp. Swagger tags in. Cesaro slingshots Cody into Swagger and Swagger slams him to the mat. Cesaro back in with a headlock. Cody gets to his feet and hits an elbow on a charging Cesaro. Swagger tries to attack Cody, but Cody backdrops him to the outside.

Cody tries to tag in Goldust, but Swagger pulls him off the apron. Cesaro slips out of an Alabama Slam attempt and hits his European uppercut. Cody tries to sunset flip Cesaro, but goes up top instead. He hits Cesaro with a moonsault. Swagger and Goldust come in. Goldust has the hot tag. He lands a big Spinebuster on Swagger and punches him 10 times in the corner. Goldust hits a powerslam. Cesaro tries to interfere, but Goldust kicks him away. Swagger charges, and Goldust backdrops him outside. Goldust helps Cody take them out with a dive.

Swagger gets sent back in. Goldust goes up top. Swagger scoops him off and tosses him to the mat. Swagger locks in the Patriot lock. Goldust crawls to the ropes and Swagger pulls him back. Cody breaks the hold with a disaster kick. Cesaro hits Cody with the Cesaro swing. He tosses Cody off, and Goldust clotheslines him to the outside. Swagger tries for a quick pin on Goldust, but Goldust counters with the Final Cut for the win.

Winners and still champions: Goldust and Cody Rhodes

Back from commercial and Ryback is in the ring. He talks about how he enjoys being a bully. He insults the crowd and talks about how he could push them around and they could do nothing about. It's not a bad thing for him. He issues an open challenge and the Great Khali responds.

Ryback vs. The Great Khali

Ryback attacks Khali in the corner. Khali hits a chop to the head. He then takes Ryback to the corner and chops his chest twice and his back once. Khali clotheslines him over the top rope to the outside. Khali slams Ryback's head into the steel steps and tosses him back in. Ryback rolls out the other side of the ring. He tries to grab Ryback, and Ryback snaps his arm across the top rope. Ryback gets back in and kicks Khali in the corner.

He charges and Khali puts an elbow up. He hits Ryback with a clothesline and signals for his head chop finisher. Khali hits it and goes for the pin, but Ryback grabs the bottom rope. Khali tries to mount more offense, but Ryback lands the meat hook clothesline. Ryback pick Khali up and hits Shell Shocked for the win.

Winner: Ryback

Then, AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka are backstage talking. Vickie Guerrero walks up and says that while AJ was just doing what the authority told her to do on Monday, she only won because she was easy to beat. Vickie says that AJ has to show that she can lead her team on Sunday and she will do that by facing the Funkadactyls in a handicap match. AJ tries to weasel out by blaming it on her recent fainting, and Vickie says that she is cleared to compete. AJ gets angry and Tamina pulls her away as things go to commercial.

The Funkadactyls vs. AJ Lee (with Tamina Snuka)

Both Funkadactyls dropkick AJ at the same time. AJ bails outside and tries to flee, but they stop her and spank her. AJ runs behind Snuka. They shove Snuka down. AJ runs up the ramp and they send her back inside. Snuka attacks Cameron behind the ref's back and AJ takes it to Naomi. She locks Naomi in a headlock. Naomi gets out and hits an enziguri. Cameron attacks Snuka on the outside and tries to get back in, but AJ hits her off the apron. She turns around and Naomi hits her leaping hip attack for the win.

Winners: The Funkadactyls

Then, Bray Wyatt is shown backstage. He says that he understands now that the world needs less revolutionaries and more revolutions. He asks how people could understand that with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. People's eyes light up and they revere them, even though they're just men. He says that they are the reapers walking the earth and to follow the buzzards.

The Shield vs. The Usos and Rey Mysterio

Ambrose and Jimmy start off. Ambrose attacks him in the corner. Jimmy reverses Ambrose into the corner. He clotheslines Ambrose and tags in Jey. Jey hits a strike to the head. Ambrose comes back with a knee to the gut. Rollins comes in, but Jey locks in his leg and tags in Jimmy. Rollins and Ambrose exchange quick tags. Eventually the Usos clothesline both Ambrose and Rollins out of the ring and hit co-op dives. Ambrose gets sent back in. Jey leaps off the top rope and Ambrose moves. Rollins tags in as things go to commercial.

Back from commercial and Rollins kicks Jey in the head. Ambrose tags in. He stomps on Jey and hits a clothesline. Ambrose drops an elbow. He drives his knee into Jey's back and locks in a submission. Ambrose goes for a neckbreaker, but Jey counters into a backslide pin attempt. Ambrose locks back in Jey's head, and Jey strikes his way out. Reigns tags in and hits Jey with a vertical Suplex. Rollins comes in and kicks Jey in the chest.

He power whips Jey into the corner. Rollins talks trash and power whips Jey into another corner. He charges and Jey moves. Rollins is able to tag in Reigns. Reigns takes everyone out and sends Jey into the corner. He charges with a spear, but Jey moves and Reigns collides into the corner. Mysterio tags in hot and hits his usual signature moves on multiple members of the Shield. The Usos come in to even the odds and Reigns ends up spearing both out of the ring. Mysterio sends Reigns over the top rope. He trips Rollins onto the rope for the 619. Ambrose tags in and clotheslines Mysterio. Mysterio is able to come back and hits Rollins with 619, followed by his splash from up top for the win.

Winners: The Usos and Rey Mysterio

Back from commercial and Big Show is in the ring. He cuts a promo about facing Randy Orton at Survivor Series and what he's had to go through with the Authority. He says he came back to make the Authority's life a living hell, and the best way to do that is to become the new WWE champ. He talks about how it's been 10 years since he last held the WWE Title and it could be his last opportunity. He is laying it all on the line this Sunday.

Orton's music hits and he comes out to the ramp. He says that Big Show is finished and washed up. The only reason he got his job back and is facing for the title is because he filed a lawsuit like a coward. Orton says that this Sunday he is going to punish Show.

Show says he is real tough talking 50 yards away, and asks him to come down the ring and talk to his face like he did the Authority on Monday. Show then shows footage from Monday where Orton storms into Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's office and asks if he has their confidence as the face of the WWE. Show then shows the segment where Triple H tells Orton that he will receive no help on Sunday and if he can beat Big Show he will prove he is worthy of being the face of the WWE.

Show says that Orton thinks he is better than everyone else because of his lineage. He says that Orton should be a locker room leader and the face of the WWE, and it should have happened years ago, but he has always done what's best for Orton. Now, Orton is alone and no one will help him at Survivor Series. He calls Orton a spoiled brat.

Orton says he can and will beat Big Show with no one's help. Big Show then shows a video that showcases a bunch of instance of him destroying Orton. He tells Orton to hold onto the championship tight, because it's the only thing that defines his as a man. This Sunday, he is taking the WWE Championship.

Then, R Truth does a WWE Shop segment.

Big E. Langston and Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel

Ziggler and Sandow start off. Ziggler hits a dropkick. Sandow comes back. He and Axel exchange a quick tag. Sandow hits his somersault Russian leg sweep and drops an elbow. Axel comes in and lands a dropkick. He hits Langston. Ziggler hits a DDT off the distraction. Langston and Sandow tag in. Langston hits a running body block and his splash. He signals for the Big Ending and picks Sandow up. Axel takes out his legs from behind. Ziggler hits Axel with the Famouser. Langston hits the Big Ending on Sandow for the win.

Winners: Big E. Langston and Dolph Ziggler

Axel tries to attack Langston with the IC Title from behind after the match, but Langston fends him off and sends him from the ring.

Then, footage from the Wrestlemania sale party in New Orleans is shown.

Back from commercial and Renee Young is backstage with Alberto Del Rio. Young shows footage of what has gone down between Del Rio and John Cena over the past two weeks.

Del Rio says that he didn't see Cena's attack on RAW coming, but if he wanted to hurt Cena he could have. He tells Cena to enjoy his moment on RAW, but hiding behind a sling isn't going to help him at Survivor Series. He is going to make Cena pay and hurt him bad. In two days, Cena will tap out and he will take back what is his.

Then, Michael Cole talks about a poll that was on WWE.com asking fans which wrestler has the most devastating submission finisher in the WWE: Natalya, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan or Alberto Del Rio. Natalya's Sharpshooter won with 46% of the vote.

Daniel Bryan vs. Luke Harper (with Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt)

They shove each other around the ring. Harper locks in Bryan's head and takes him to the ropes. He strikes Bryan to the mat and hits a headbutt. Bryan tries to lock in the Yes Lock and Harper rolls out of the ring as things go to commercial. Back from commercial and Harper is attacking Bryan around the ring. He whips him into the steel steps. He sends Bryan back inside and hits a pair of uppercuts. He goes for a third, and Bryan counters into leg kicks. He hits Harper with a dragon screw and drop toe holds him into the corner.

Bryan charges and Harper counters into a huge sit out body slam. Harper tosses Bryan in the corner and slaps him. He whips Bryan into another corner and Bryan flips over him. Bryan hits a clothesline and then multiple body kicks. He goes for another kick, and Harper counters into a power bomb. Harper sets him against the ropes and kicks his face. Harper does his gator death roll. He keeps Bryan's head locked in. Bryan gets to his feet, but Harper does another gator death roll.

Harper locks in Bryan's waist. Bryan fights out via a kick to the head. Harper charges Bryan against the ropes. Bryan pulls the ropes down, sending Harper outside. Bryan hits Harper with a dive. Bryan stares Bray down. He approaches Bray, and Harper attacks him from behind. CM Punk's music hits and he comes out on the ramp. Back in the ring, Daniel Bryan rolls up Harper for the win.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Harper attacks Bryan. Punk runs down to the ring and Rowan and Bray double team him. They send Punk inside and Harper hits him with the discus clothesline. Harper and Rowan hold up Bryan and Bray hits him with Sister Abigail. The Wyatts pose over Punk and Bryan to end the show.