Jeff Hardy staved off the threat of CM Punk to defend his World Heavyweight title on another action-packed night of SmackDown.
World Heavyweight champ survives on SmackDown
Jeff Hardy staved off the threat of CM Punk to defend his World Heavyweight title on another action-packed night of SmackDown.
After clinching the gold at Night of Champions, Hardy faced a rematch against the Straightedged Superstar with "special guest enforcer" Matt Hardy marshalling proceedings.
Mr McMahon enforced that stipulation, however Jeff was undeterred and both he and Punk traded blows before the bell could ring.
The pivotal moment in the contest came when CM Punk attempted to strike Jeff but instead connected with his brother outside of the ring.
Moments later, when it looked like Jeff may be in danger of relinquishing his belt, Matt pulled the referee out of the ring before Punk could pin the World Champion.
Upset
As Matt confronted Punk, Jeff rolled his opponent up and the guest enforcer himself counted Punk's shoulders to the canvas to seal victory for his brother.
After the defeat, a disgusted Punk attacked Jeff before striking him with a chair. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long responded by making the announcement that Jeff Hardy would again face CM Punk for the title at SummerSlam, in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match.
Also on SmackDown, Cryme Tyme's
JTG caused the upset of the night with a pinfall victory over Unified Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho for the biggest win of his singles career.
Dolph Ziggler was also victorious after defeating R-Truth, Finlay and Mike Knox in a Fatal Four Way Match for an Intercontinental Championship title opportunity at SummerSlam.
Dolph's devastating neckbreaker on Finlay proved decisive and his prize is a match against Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio at the pay-per-view event.
The remaining matches saw The Shaman of Sexy
John Morrison overcome Tyson Kidd,
The Great Khali power past Ricky Ortiz and
Slam Master J defeat Charlie Haas.
