August 31 , 2012 Smackdown results The August 31 , 2012 Edition of Smackdown is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE ' s Smackdown brand , which took place on August 28 , 2012 at the Resch Center in Green Bay , Wisconsin . Summary . Just one week after an RKO out of nowhere cost Dolph Ziggler a chance to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus , The Showoff got a chance at retribution , as he and The Viper clashed one on one in SmackDown ’ s main event . World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus kicked off the best show on Friday nights by acknowledging the illustrious career and fighting spirit of Triple H . He pointed out that although the future of The Game may be uncertain , one thing was clear : The King of Kings was the embodiment of a champion . He then added that his opponent at Night of Champions , Alberto Del Rio , was ironically the opposite . Before Sheamus could tear into The Mexican Aristocrat , Damien Sandow interrupted the “ ignorance spewing hooligan . ” Calling Sheamus a buffoon and a propagation of Irish stereotypes , the self - professed “ martyr ” deemed the champion unworthy of his time . Before “ The Intellectual Savior of the Masses ” could depart , however , SmackDown General Manager Booker T came out and , to the delight of the WWE Universe , made a first - time ever showdown for later in the evening : Sheamus vs . Sandow . Cody Rhodes ’ “ obsession ” with masked Superstars and why they cover their faces continued as he battled longtime adversary Rey Mysterio . Before taking on his opponent , the former Intercontinental Champion claimed that masks are “ a sign of pathetic fear , panic and ugliness , ” and it ’ s been his goal to prove that Superstars like Mysterio and Sin Cara are false idols . Once the bell rang , a fierce showdown between Rhodes and Mysterio kept the WWE Universe on the edge of their seat . While the determination of the Master of The 619 rang through at every turn , the precisely brutal skill of Rhodes seemed to overwhelm The Ultimate Underdog at he unleashed a series of vicious stomps , slams and pinfall attempts . Assistant to SmackDown General Manager Booker T , Eve , made time in her busy schedule to sit ringside on commentary for the match between the new No . 1 contender to the Divas Championship , Kaitlyn , and longtime Divas division contender Natalya . In recent weeks , there has been a budding social media rivalry between the two SmackDown opponents . That vitriol between Kaitlyn and Natalya was evident in the ring as they went after each other with their full arsenals . Natalya used her world class grappling to gain a commanding advantage , twisting Kaitlyn like a pretzel . But Kaitlyn would ultimately prove that her recent victories hadn ’ t been flukes when she took advantage of a momentarily distracted opponent to roll - up the third - generation Diva , picking up another huge win as she prepares to face Divas Champion Layla at Night of Champions . As Matt Striker spoke to Booker T about Raw General Manager AJ Lee ’ s shocking attack on Vickie Guerrero on Monday ’ s Raw , The Queen Diva interrupted the interview and declared that AJ ’ s “ reign of terror ” will soon end . Vickie revealed that she had spoken to the WWE Board of Directors , and stated that if they do not take action on the matter , she will herself . Less than three weeks from his Night of Champions clash with Alberto Del Rio , World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus battled a different SmackDown Superstar , Damien Sandow , in a match that Booker T created earlier in the show . In the biggest match of his career thus far , “ The Intellectual Savior of the Masses ” found himself battling one of WWE ’ s most aggressive and dominant Superstars . After experiencing some of Sheamus ’ fearsome raw power , Sandow gained the advantage outside the ring , throwing The Great White into the steel steps . The Killer Kowalski – trained Sandow , called for Sheamus to quit as he took the fight to the World Champion in a way that few Superstars have . However , the big man from Dublin , Ireland , would regain the advantage . And when “ The Enlightened One ” managed to escape the titleholder ’ s revived onslaught - including avoiding the Brogue Kick - he opted to run up the ramp , disappearing as the referee counted to 10 , giving Sheamus a count - out victory . While Sandow opted to live to fight another day , Sheamus continues his successful run as he barrels toward his showdown with Del Rio at Night of Champions . In a match that might go a long way toward establishing the next contenders in an intense tag team division , The Prime Time Players were able to overcome the fast - paced duo of Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd . Despite the high - flying Gabriel and Kidd showing many of the exciting moves and teamwork that could make them future contenders , The Prime Time Players managed to survive the electrifying offense . In the end , although Kidd leaped out of the ring to prevent Titus O ’ Neal from getting in on the action , the distraction he created allowed Darren Young to break up a 450 Splash attempt by Gabriel . He then hit the South African Superstar with a brutal Lateral Press for the key victory . Alberto Del Rio started his interview with Josh Mathews by reliving his huge victory over Randy Orton on last week ’ s SmackDown , when he made The Viper tap out to a Cross Armbreaker . When Del Rio said he would do the same to Sheamus , Mathews brought up the fact that The Celtic Warrior had defeated Del Rio in every championship match between the two . Del Rio prepared to attack Mathews for the slight , but the emergence of Kane stopped him in his tracks . Surprisingly , The Big Red Monster , as part of his anger management therapy , apologized to Mathews for attacking him at SummerSlam . Before Kane could leave , Theodore Long , Senior Advisor to SmackDown GM , emerged and made an impromptu match between Kane and Del Rio . After Randy Orton ’ s surprise RKO ruined Dolph Ziggler ’ s chance at cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Sheamus last week on SmackDown , The Showoff faced The Viper , looking for retribution . The showdown that followed was a hard - fought match from start to finish . In the final moments , Ziggler showed incredible determination , kicking out of both a superplex and a hanging DDT . However , when Ziggler missed a Zig Zag , it ended up costing him big . Before The Showoff could regroup , he fell prey to the searing RKO , giving a huge win to WWE ’ s Apex Predator . Before Lilian Garcia could declare Orton the winner , though , Vickie Guerrero grabbed a microphone and Ziggler ’ s Money in the Bank contract , reinforcing that her client was still The Showoff and still had that golden opportunity . But this battle and this night went to The Viper , Randy Orton .