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The World Wrestling Entertainment
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Raw Feedback
Nice little video package to start the show. It helps refreshes the reader's memory. Eric Bischoff's back. Should be good. I've always hated happy Bischoff. He's less entertaining. Putting over Raw and downtalking SD = smooth heel move, while keeping him 'happy'. Not a fan of you using 'above the law' for both Cena and Edge. With Edge being heel, Bischoff is seemingly moving into more of a face role. Don't know what to think about that. I don't know too much on this 'mystery attacker' angle, but it's quite interesting what you've got here. Could definitely lead to a Edge/Angle feud. Cena vs. Angle with winner facing Edge sounds awesome. I'm predict that it ends up a three way though. Angle coming out didn't really help the segment, but the main event and match for SNME sound freakin' awesome. I'm liking your booking thus far. With the 'mystery attacker' and how you got Angle involved in the situation as well.
The whole Haas/Benjamin storyline is intriguing. Although they're feuding with the Bashams, they're kinda feuding with each other. A WM match between the two is surely in the works. 'its just that I heard you may do something about stupid' - kinda confused me. I guess Carlito's winning the MITB qualifier, and I'm guessing Taker's theme makes him lose. Great booking getting Carlito involved, and through to the MITB against a credible wrestler. Good job.
Mickie with a nice clean win. More interesting is the promo afterwards. No doubt there'll be fireworks at SNME. Along with Wolfy, I gotta say you two have the best diva storylines going. I've always enjoyed the whole Mickie/Trish storyline, and can't wait to see where this goes.
Not a bad promo from here with his aggression and determination evident. I'm really seeing a countout or draw some way between the two, and a future triple threat for the title.
Big Show and Kane with a squash. I can't really see any team contending with them. Hopefully Shelton and Haas pull it together, and go against them. If not, a Shelton/Haas match would be great.
"so for that, Coach, I think you" - I think you meant "I thank you". The SPIRIT SQUAD! I marked. I actually enjoyed the fivesome, and don't think they should have disbanded, but it's hard having a group with five seemingly equal wrestlers. I'm glad Kenny got his own mic time, as he's probably the leader of the group after this. lol @ the chant. <3ed it. McMahon having something for them to do only means the SS/DX feud might happen.
Short segment with Flair and Chavo. Flair's been kinda boring in your thread tbh, but things could very well change on the road to WM.
Haas and Benji win in stellar fashion. Bischoff declaring the match was a nice little touch after the match. I guess with this match, I don't see Haas and Benji breaking up anytime soon, and really, I don't see any reason for it either. They've been on a roll in this thread with a nice subtle push.
I've enjoyed the segments with Edge/Cena/Angle thus far, and this one definitely added to the feud. There's always some nice content to your promos, which make them easier and overall better reads. It's refreshing from the typical promos. With this promo, I no doubt see a triple threat for WM.
Kind of an emotional promo here from Flair, which is a little different from the usual. He reiterated a couple of things over, but that's not a big deal. And I think he spent a little too much time putting over titles and other wrestlers. After declaring the match with Chavo, Helms interrupts? Interesting to say the least. I don' think Chavo will take it. With Gregory Helms in the MITB, a feud with Flair would be good also. I don't see them facing each other at WM, but I can see Flair added to the MITB. The "sixteen time loser" line was a good line. Flair/Helms feud would be epic.
Don't really remember or know what was going on with Daivari, but I'm guessing he's a good choice considering his hate towards Angle. Too bad the pick didn't help him win. Angle and Cena were kind of coherent in defeating Edge. I like how the commentators brought up Angle's struggles against Cena. Good buildup from that. Batista extracts some revenge on Edge. Definitely came out of nowhere, but with Edge's spear to him on SD, this made sense.
I noticed that most of your promos go to the point right away then to some detail/story, and then back to the point. The main event definitely needed more hype from the face side of it so I'm glad you got in some words by HBK. There's definitely something going on his this match because McMahon doesn't stand a chance in hell. Good promo here though. A little generic at times, but watcha gonna do, right? Tons of hype from the announcers right after. Kinda boring to read, but it's gotta be done. You work with Coach pretty well too.
RVD chooses time with Taker over a match with Carlito. Definitely different from the norm here in BTB. I like how RVD is more concerned with Taker, but this didn't really get Carlito over. He's in the MITB though so that's a plus. Jim Ross inducted? Hah!
lol @ "It's good to SHADDUP". I know you didn't mean it that way, but that's how I read it. McMahon changing the rules last second isn't anything new. Would rather have the one on one match with the lumberjacks, but this is still good I guess. The finish is what I envisioned. With the SS heavily involved, there's no doubt in my mind for a DX/SS feud now. Triple H saving the day was expected as well, as we haven't really seen from him all show. Triple H banned? All odds against HBK only makes whatever happens all the better.
With SNME this Saturday, Raw was majorly built around building that show, but storylines for WM didn't take a back seat either. What I'm starting to enjoy about this thread is that nothing is over 'booked' if you know what I mean. Every feud, every storyline and every little thing has its time, segment, and moments, but doesn't go overboard. Nothing's moving too quick, and although some storylines are moving a little slower, it's due to the time until WM. The promos are enjoyable with great content. Some of them are a little lengthy, but for realism, you gotta do it. The details, and little booking decisions are also enjoyable to read. I haven't read that much of your work, but of what I have read, I gotta say your one of this section's top dogs. And if you haven't noticed, I don't really like to "criticize". I rather point out the things done well, but yeah...keep up the good work!
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Preston, UK
Posts: 9,638
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Nige's Raw
Partial Smackdown
You've been going quickly while I've been away. I didn't expect you to get both Smackdown and then this other Raw up too, but I'm glad you have. I read through Smackdown and thought it was a very good fallout show as well as starting the build up to Saturday Night's Main Event & WrestleMania.
I have to say that I'm very drawn I to Orton's character and his statement that he won't lay a hand on Batista until their title clash at Mania. He backed his honesty up very well and made you half believe it, but the other half of you screams "Yeah right!" It's a matter of time before he does, and I can see it building up well to a big moment when he eventually does cross The Animal. It was clever for him to play games with Batista too though to stir things nicely by getting out of his match with Finlay and having Batista take his place. The spear from Edge at the end of the match sets up his match with Batista at SNME well, but for me this is all about Orton, and it's brewing nicely.
I'll come to what I didn't like, and I really don't like it. To give you a hint, two words. . . Rey Mysterio. After beating Mr. Kennedy to inflict Kennedy's first defeat, I was astounded when I read Kennedy say he was righting it off and Rey was dropping down to feud with Kid Kash. Granted Kash has been booked very well and Rey's the only cruiserweight (well he's above that really, not in weight) who could challenge Kash really at the minute, but Rey said it best when he can beat the big boys, but to drop him down now after that big win is either bad booking and bad timing, or maybe both. Fortunately Kennedy has Money in the Bank, and for me that's where Rey should be too. The only reason I thought Rey beat Kennedy was to bring out another side of Kennedy and have him go all out for revenge. That's just all fallen apart, and as things stand now, Rey didn't need that win and Kennedy would be better off going in to Money in the Bank full of confidence and unbeaten.
I did enjoy Lashley going after JBL in what was almost a carbon copy of the promo earlier with Mysterio coming out to shut the gloating Kash up. It's not the sort of thing you would expect Lashley to do in coming out of the back to say they talk too much, but that doesn't bother me as he's still in the development stage. Giving him this extra edge will work out for him in the long term. The timing of the Belfast Brawl announcement is interesting with the JBL storyline starting now, and hopefully JBL uses it to pay him back.
Also, I'm very interested in the tug of war over Orlando Jordan. It makes perfect sense with Benoit respecting him and Booker not, but Jordan so far keeping the loyalty to the heel. This has some real potential but I can't picture OJ as a face and getting over. Why are you booking the match for SNME and not Mania? That makes me sad because the build's been awesome.
On to Raw now then.
The opening promo was simply fantastic with both Bischoff & Edge in great character, particularly Bischoff I have to say. After taking the week off last week, he had to come back with an edge, and he did. It was a good move to have him take that time out and present him as the old 'takes no crap' Eric Bischoff. It was good for me to learn about what had happened back at the Rumble before I started reading as I was a bit out of the loop so to speak and confused as to why Kurt Angle was so pissed the other week. We got a real sense of how Bischoff will be in charge from now, and booking the matches he did both for tonight and SNME were sensible and exciting. I'd love a triple threat for the title myself, but it looks very obvious now that it will Angle who gets the shot with Edge admitting to the attack at the Rumble. Couldn't Bischoff have got that footage any earlier? Surely! Anyway, bringing Angle out at the end gave us a good taster of how he pissed he is to set up the main event.
Oh this is why I love Bischoff, because he is smart and firm. The storyline with Benjamin & Haas is different and I'm intrigued as to how this pans out. If they are to stay together longer to fight off the Rednecks, it would be understandable. That's clever booking, but I loved the part with RVD more. The set up to Bischoff doubting RVD's chances of beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania was good, and it allowed RVD to let loose and not hold back. Giving him a Money in the Bank qualifier is very sensible indeed, and without RVD giving him answer, it's going to be interesting to see what he does later.
I skimmed the previous Raw as one of the things I was looking forward to was what was going to happen with Trish's title defence against Victoria and Mickie James' role in it. I was shocked when I saw Mickie assault Trish's friend as I though she might end up costing her the title. The match itself this week was okay and Mickie was the right winner. Her promo was the main talking point really and that was good too, getting her crazy persona across very well and setting up Trish's response well to make a bigger deal out of it.
Cena's interview was okay and definitely got better as it went along. The first paragraph didn't really sound like Cena as it was a bit too low key and serious for him. The next paragraph picked it up and had it more oomph in it, becoming more like the usual fired up Cena we see.
Nothing much to say about Kane & Big Show's squash except showing them to be the dominant and destructive duo they are makes them looking unstoppable, and if they're going to be defending the titles at Mania, it's best to have them look this way.
Nice plug for DX's entrance to the building. Nice way to hype up Shawn's match with Vince later. We've not forgotten!
You're brave using Owen Hart for commercial purposes. I hope Martha doesn't throw a lawsuit your way! Jokes aside, WrestleMania is going to be immense I'm sure.
I was wondering whether we'd see them, but they're here, the Spirit Squad are here. Hearing "JAYDEN" was odd as 'Johnny' definitely sounds a lot better. The whole make up of the promo was clever, and Bischoff asking Coach who they were was really funny. The cheer was good, and having Bischoff warm to them was a nice touch as you could imagine it would take him some persuading as far as male cheerleaders on his roster go. Bringing Vince in to it and teasing at some possible allegiance with the boys in green was good and you did good job as well of hyping both his match and Shane's match with Shawn.
This Ric Flair/Chavo Guerrero angle is intriguing. I honestly don't know where it's heading, but we might well get a clue later when Ric says what he plans to. It was good hype for that, and I'm looking forward to that as I have no idea what to expect.
Man you do like your tag matches don't you? I'm sure I've said this before, but we're going to have at least three in a two hour show. Three's okay I guess, but please no more. With the whole Shelton/Haas tension, I was glued to it to see what exactly would happen. The angle seems to be set up to put them back together, and if they perform like this, it's only a matter of time. The match was great and they looked really strong as a unit. Bischoff's been all over the shop tonight, not that I have a problem with that as he runs the show. It bugs me when people say GM's have been overused when they make three appearances. It's ridiculous! Anyway, the idea of putting them in the number contenders' match is a wise move. Surely they'll win.
Eric Bischoff: My Monday Night RAW is all about competition. And what kind of competition is it if, as I
'King' say earlier,
Kurt Angle: Edge, you think you can get away with
you did to me?
I noticed both these. Careful boy!
Angle's promo was full of intensity for sure, and it made it a really good read. His character was spot on, but I felt that Maria maybe could have cut in and reminded him he has to beat Cena first as he was talking like he was already facing Edge, which I think everyone believes he will be. It would've given him the chance to get even angrier as he had already had a go at her anyway.
Oh Gregory Helms, how much I love you right now. I was a massive fan of his back in '06 when he was the Cruiserweight Champion and felt he deserved the kind of push he's getting here. I do think that Flair's promo took a while to get going as it was a bit repetitive and not all that appropriate, but it's good to see that he's going to face his responsibilities as the Intercontinental Champion. It was no real shock when he said he'd be defending it against Chavo next week, but this all became about Helms. He was fantastic and seemed at home sparring verbally with The Nature Boy. The attack was sweet, and the blood too didn't bother me as it helped make this look a lot more brutal than it was. You had to bring Chavo out to save the day and see Helms off, but that was great!
Three tag matches in a row? Split them up lad please. Daivari coming out as Edge's partner was a surprise to me, but it would be a hell of a letdown if you were there. You would be like "Oh, okay" and sit down again. He was never going to go it alone, but you did need someone to do the job, and Daivari's a good guy to do it. Or not as it turned out. Angle making Edge tap just makes it even more obvious that it'll be him who gets the title shot unless there is a swerve and it ends up being a triple threat. There's no way Angle won't be involved as this has all been about him and Cena looks like an extra to be honest. Bringing Batista out for revenge made complete sense heading in to SNME.
Shawn's interview was brilliant, and it showed that there's nothing better than the old Heartbreak Kid. He was fired up and talked up well the possibility of beating the holy hell out of Vince. I thought it was odd that you had Maria ask him whether he was going to take it easy on Vince as surely no one would ever believe that to be the case. Also, where was Triple H? They did come together right?
The hype for SNME was good. It should be a good show. I still can't believe Benoit/Booker won't be at Mania!
There was no way RVD was going to win the match against Carlito, making it just a case of how he lost. You booked it rightly, and with Bischoff making a strong point about how he's the boss, it was awkward seeing RVD telling him he'd gone above his head to get time on SNME. I wonder if Bischoff will react to that in the future. I hope so.
After Vince's brief promo with the Spirit Squad earlier, you had to expect that something like this would happen. It's typical Vince and great heel tactics to put these roadblocks in Michaels' way. The match itself was good like I expected, and it had the right ending with Saturday in mind. The one thing I was left thinking about was why Triple H left it until way too late to come out.
Overall it was a very good show as is the norm with you my boy. The highlights for me were the Helms/Flair interaction and the World's Greatest Tag Team reunion of sorts. Now I've enjoyed that, I can go enjoy my Friday night curry. After I've cooked it that is! Can't wait for Smackdown.
Donations for Kris Travis, top British wrestler fighting cancer.
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Join Date: Jun 2009
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Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Raw Feedback
Here are some comments on Raw in return for doing my Rumble, it's not a full blown out review that most people do but I hope it helps.
Nice to see you hyping out the show and it's main event, Shawn/Vince won't end cleanly seeing as Vince isn't a real wrestler and will probably end with a run in making Shawn bleed by his SNME opponent, Shane before HHH makes the save. That's how I see things but well see how it pans out. Good job though reminding people what Raw has to offer tonight in the begining cause to be honest I totaly forgot after reviewing the last Raw some two weeks ago when it was up.
I smell a face or at least a tweener turn by Bischoff being built up, he
sort of
stood up for Cena and put down Angle saying that he wasn't good enough, standing up to the heels before doing the same to Edge. Though it was a good promo, and hyped up what it needed to do and started the show off to the right start.
Edge being the attacker certaintly adds Heat to what he already has, and I am sure Kurt will get his hands on him by the end of the night. I am still calling a triple threat with Cena at mania.
Not to fond of having two promos right after another, even though they are good promos, the fact that the opening one was long makes you think that a match would come right after, not another promo, after all it is wrestling and not TNA that in an hour show have fifteen minutes of wrestling. I think you could have spaced it out a bit more and had the WGTT promo a bit later on, however it's not the end of the world.
Bischoff seems to go back and forth with being the good guy and or the bad guy, I always thought he was the bad guy during his GM role and at first he was pissed at Edge taking him out a few weeks back, then he was against Edge being the face, then he was sticking up for Van Dam trying to help him and warn him about mania. I get what you are doing with this and making the mania match oh-so much more special once it will be announced BUT Bischoff seemed a bit awkwared going back and forth with his tweener like gimmick. A few of the lines I didn't think he would say however the message got across.
Nice Cena promo later on in the show, made Cena seem strong while being his usual joking around self about christmas cards and such. Very good promo here, not much to nit-pick and complain about.
Jobber tag team match... I understand why you did it but I think that you should have at least one strong tag team on Raw besides Kane/Big Show and have them seem like a good opponent to the tag champs, seeing as these two are a bit of an odd couple if I remember correctly and how they came to be as a team, and they won't stay as the champions forever holding it for nearly a year, I am sure you will push a team at mania to beat them- you should though give other teams some offense in so they don't bury the whole division week in an week out in the process like the WWE did when they gave the SPirit Squad and the Redneck Wrecking Crew some wins on them.
Wooo~! mania hype. Let's hope you make it there, which I am sure you will.
Another Bischoff promo? I guess you are using him a lot in your shows, even though he is the GM it can be a bit much, some promos don't need the GM's appearance and as I said before the WGTT one could have been later on in the show lets say or example before their match they pick up the mic and talk in the ring saying like "Bischoff! You here us.... when we win tonight, you do not put us in another match as a team." (that turned out a bit awkwared but you know what I mean..) I am just trying to say that using the GM in basically all the promos in the night is a bit of an overkill.
I love though how you have them sing for the GM. Nice stuff, gave me a laugh.
CHavo/Flair seems interesting, I hope this results in Flair's retirment come mania. Chavo is a great addition to the Raw roster and pairing him with someone like Flair doesn't do anything for him, if Flair does hang up the boots, mania and onwards I hope he gets an IC title run. The promo though, not sure about what Chavo had to say.. he is a GUerrero and could have used a bit more of an accent while talking, not as much as Eddie would but maybe an 'Esse' or something like that every few lines.
Again with the Bischoff? ...
Nice announcement though, should be a good match. If I was writing it I would have Redneck Wrecking Crew win, face Kane/Show while Bashams and WGTT continue their odd feud and have a seperate match at Mania.
Angle promo was done well still making him look strong after what Edge and Cena had to say about him throughout the show, it didn't make him look weak and vulnerable with attacks.
not quite what I expected but still a great promo and a great decision, Flair/Chavo should be good with the technical wrestling styles these two have and the dirty styles both men can result to using. I assume a further encounter between them at mania may happen where Chavo as I said before shall start his single's push. The first match will have Helms interfere, Chavo / Helms the week after and then Flair gives Chavo another shot at the PPV.
Very good having Batista gain his revenge from Edge's spear on Smackdown! Didn't see it coming with all the Kurt and attacker talk througohut the show.
Shawn bringing the attitude back seems interesting, maybe it won't be Shane running down making an impact, maybe Shawn will strike first with a forgien object sendign the message to his opponent at SNME. EIther way it should be good.
This whole RVD/Taker thing is great, I assume some aftermath to happen on Smackdown! and RVD to run in through the crowd sending a message to his wanted opponent.
RVD saying I got bigger fish to fry ... loved it, really something he would say and I giggled while reading it. But like I have said a few times in this review, you seem to use your GM in your show a bit too much, there has only been two promos thus far if I counted right that haven't involved the GM and those aare the Michaels one and the Flair/Helms/Chavo one, this one could have had Maria meeting him along the way and asking him where is he going... not everything needs the GM, it seems a bit of an overuse in my mind.
Baw God .. Ross in the HoF.
I guess this is a handicap lumberjack match, you know what would have been interesting if you made Shawn's DX partner, Triple H a lumberjack and Vince telling him backstage that if he helps Shawn in any sort of way and not him then he will be fired puttin the pressure on HHH and the "?" on his head on what he would do throughout the match but it's not big deal just something I would have done.
The match itself was very well written adn set the scene for SNME, very nice show and I can't wait for the PPV.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 4,395
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Even though I already explained, sorry 'bout the lateness.
Raw Feedback
For the first time in a long while I didnt have to read the recap video to remember exactly what was going on. It felt good.
I liked the arrogance of The Coach on commentary, it was really good stuff. It is probably the best Ive seen you write him so far.
Eric Bischoff to open the show? I dont think there could have been a better way to open it. I loved The Coach as General Manager for a change, but at the moment, in this thread, Bischoff is the man. I enjoyed all of Bischoffs work early on in this promo from what he was saying, to the way he retold the story of the last six months, and even his mannerisms, how he was refreshed after the week off. It was simply great work. Once again, man, Im not going to summarize everything you wrote, but I honestly dont think I could find anything that was wrong with this promo. The argument between Edge and Bischoff was simply brilliant. If there was one thing I could say, it was that I would have liked to see Cena and Angle being out there when Edge was found out, just to see their reactions, but still man a great opening to the show, and Cena/Angle should be epic at SNME. Angle coming out and Edge running was good to, building some anticipation for when Angle gets his hands on Edge.
Im still not sure exactly what is happening with Haas and Benjamin, although their situation continues to interest me, and this was another good segment between them and Bischoff.
Another good little segment with Bischoff, who is clearly dominating the show for the night. Usually Id say you were using him to much already, but since hes just returned, Ill allow it. RVD/Carlito for later in the night seems like a good match, although I know Carlito will somehow win.
A good win for Mickie over Candice, keeping her looking strong.
I liked the promo from James to, as it puts forth how bad she feels right now, and sets up the Stratus heel turn for SNME. Good work.
John Cenas promo was okay, really hyping up SNME, although there were certain things which could have been better. I didnt like how Cena mentioned how Angle has been whining and stuff, because Angle has simply been kicking ass and taking names. It just doesnt seem right for my liking. Also, the oversized baby insult was pretty lame, and really killed the flow of that block of dialogue. An okay promo, but there was definitely parts that could use some improvement.
Good win for Kane and Show. These guys need something for Mania, by the way.
DX is probably the only thing in this thread I dont like, at the moment, so I was shattered to see they didnt have a car crash and not make it to the arena.
Youre almost at Mania now...
Honestly, I didnt really enjoy the first showing of The Spirit Squad. To use them effectively I feel you have to write them amazingly well, and I just didnt feel the magic throughout this segment. With that being said, Vinnie Mac was good in this segment. You continue to impress me with giving me a lack of shit to criticise.
Weird segment between Guerrero and Flair, as I read no signs saying he was going to act strange at the end of last week.
The Bashams against the WGTT is a decent enough matchup to have on Raw, especially considering the dwindling tag team division on Raw, at the moment. I was surprised by the amount of teamwork you allowed WGTT to have, I mean I understand that they are a terrific team, but it doesnt seem to fit in with the attitude of Shelton. Besides this little issue, it was another good win for the two of them, whilst The Bashams didnt look disgraced, so they can probably be used to put teams over in the future. Smart booking, man.
Bischoff coming to the ring and making a match for SNME was good. Im pretty sure WGTT will win that match up, but either way, Bischoff was good here. With that being said, Im not sure a Fatal Four Way is the best way to go about things at SNME, as having V Squared on the show really shows the lack of depth in the tag division, and even more importantly than that, I just dont think they deserve a spot. WGTT/RWC would have been the better way to go, imo.
I expected huge things from this Kurt Angle interview, and I must say, I was a little disappointed. First off, Angle has been more of a face as of late; therefore I didnt like the snipes at Maria from the get go. There could have been a better way to show his intensity. After this, I felt you showed his intensity well, but I didnt like how he went into detail retelling the history between him, Edge and Cena. The pissed off Angle should have kept things short and sweet tonight. I also think Cena should have been kept out of this interview, even with their match being this Saturday; this needed to be all about Edge.
At the start this Flair promo almost seemed like a retirement speech, but I was very happy that wasnt the case, as that was what I was regretting when I read the earlier meeting between Flair and Chavo. I love the fact that youre going to use arguably the most decorated wrestler in the industry, to restore some credibility to the IC Title. Just like most of the things youve been doing lately, I think this is smart booking. Not only that, but Flairs characterization was great throughout to. Flair being interrupted by Helms? This is damn sure unexpected, but I must say, I love the fact that Helms is mingling with the big guns (HBK a few weeks ago, now Flair). I enjoyed the attitude of Helms shining through in this promo, and whilst it probably isnt the best material Ive seen you give Helms, it was still pretty good. Flairs rebuttal was alright, but I think you should have had him screaming and yelling a little bit more, as theyre typical Flair characteristics. The attack by Helms was good to, and itll be interesting to see what happens next week now.
As much as its just a little thing, I liked the clever little play on Mania youve got going in the SNME video.
A little issue I just want to raise now, I dont like the McMahon/DX crap taking up the main event, when youve got three epic guys like these running around. Daivari as Edges partner? Thats definitely unexpected, however we all know Daivari could go a little, so Im intrigued as to whether this is a one off, or if hes going to be around for awhile. Honestly, this match up delivered pretty well, although I couldnt help but feel as if Cena was way to much of an afterthought in this one, Daivari even getting more attention than him. With that being said, I did like the little stare down that Angle and Cena had when Cena tagged himself in. Angles intensity was played out very well throughout the match, and the aftermath with the Ankle Lock being held on was typical intense Angle. Another thing I forgot to mention earlier, so I thought Id just throw it in now is that now that your shows are longer, you seem to be having more and more typos in them. Whilst it isnt really frequent, its something Id look out for, as this show has had a fair few more than usual. Another little thing that makes things easier, when a SD guy shows up on Raw can you have them written in blue, makes it easier to distinguish. Batista getting one back on Edge was good to, and it should be good to see if Edge tries to hit back on SD.
Michaels interview was okay, but much like in real life around Mania time, all this talk of him being the old Michaels against McMahon is just plain not interesting me. Despite this, I guess you kept the promo in character pretty well.
A very good run down of SNME by the commentary team, and a nice way to announce epic handicap match for SNME.
RVD no showing makes me believe hes going to Smackdown this Friday, unless he just hangs out and waits until SNME. I mark for Lito to, so he, Helms and Kennedy being in MITB so far is awesome.
Oh boy, I guess I predicted the RVD situation correctly, although it was rather obvious. Anyway, Im looking forward to RVD/Taker confrontation now.
Hall of Fame is so far Guerrero and JR? Looking good!
Main event time, and well Vinnie Macs promo, making this a Handicap match, and adding Lumberjacks still doesnt really do anything to impress me. Although, hopefully most the contest takes place on the outside, and guys like Masters, Lito, and RWC can make this match passable.
As you probably already know before I even say it, this match did nothing for me, with an attack from the Lumberjacks ending the contest by disqualification being much to predictable, and well, just bland, to be honest. The attack on Shawn afterwards was pretty expected as well. Triple H making the save was always going to happen since he and Shawn are DX, and despite my lack of love for the angle youre going with, I must say Triple H seemed very badass here. Triple H barred from the arena on Saturday? Okay! I still dont really care though...
Overall, I really enjoyed this show, man, despite a few typos and the DX angle which I hate, everything was pretty much on song. Youre really hitting your straps heading towards Mania, so keep it up and the PPV is going to be epic.
Step Up And Play...
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Scotland
Posts: 3,376
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Raw Feedback
First time I have commented in this thread, but I have been reading since shortly after the thread returned from its hiatus. Anyway...
Very nice recap video to start with. McMahon/DX is the hot storyline at the minute on Raw, so right choice to emphasis it. Bischoff opening the show was the natural choice. The way he ran down the SD GM's he's seen off was a nice touch. Inviting Edge out for the Angle/Cena announcement was good, but I can't help but wonder whether or not having Cena and Angle out there as well wouldn't have been better? We could then have had Edge play up the tension between Cena and Angle in typical heel fashion. Apart from that one suggestion, it was a very good opening segment.
The Benjamin/Hass situation is a very interesting angle. I mean, they both want the same thing, so it's hard to tell if either man will turn or not. The intrigue surrounding this storyline continued here. I can't help but feel they'll be teaming again next week, with Bischoff saying he forgot or something. But yeah, very interested to see how this ends up. As for RVD, he against Taker
to happen at Mania. Bischoff being selfish was a nice touch, but it
to mean nothing with regards to RVD.
Obv win for Mickie. The real intrigue is in the promo after it. I'd never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to see the confrontation between the Mickie and Trish at SNME. So, props for a Divas storyline with this level of intrigue behind it. One thing I'd like to comment is where you say "Well, as 'J.R.' would say, Mickie James is nuttier than a pet goon." I'm almost 99% certain J.R. used to say "Goofier than a pet coon." I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not. But that's me nitpicking to the max.
The Cena promo, while it got it's message across, at times felt slightly awkward. Can't really put my finger on what exactly, but it lacked the fire of a usual Cena interview.
Hearthrobs = duds tbh. Kane and Show need a team to emerge and challenge them at Mania.
at Spirit Squad being in the closet. That got a laugh. Jayden? I dunno what was up with callin him Johnny, but I guess this is you putting your touch on the gimmick, which is fine. I think you may have made a mistake here. "when I crush not just the spirit of Shawn Michaels, but also his spirit with my twenty inch pythons." Vince is gonna crush his spirit twice is what I made of that.
Strange interaction between Flair and Chavo, as I don't remember anything from last week reading into it. Be interesting to see what Flair has to say.
Solid match between WGTT and the Bashams. It was a well written, competitive match, so good job on that. Perhaps a little more of a tease on the tension between the two could've been involved in the match. Bischoff's announcement regarding Mania, I dunno if the announced match is really at the same level of the other SNME you've announced. Looking at the card, that fatal four way stands out as a poor comparison. Perhaps it could've been saved for next week on Raw? Nice touch in the description of the differing reactions of Hass and Benjamin btw.
Now the Angle interview had the fire that Cena's lacked, so nice recovery. The promo was well written, but I feel Angle spent too much time on Edge and not enough on Cena. Cena's promo was very Angle orientated, and I'd liked to have seen Angle's the same.
Initially I feared a Flair retirement speech. Thankfully there's an interruption and that's not the case. Helms making the interruption is an inspired choice. He's been on the rise in this thread and really pushing his way up the ranks. One thing that strikes me as odd is the fact Helms is already in MITB. I hope you have some way of removing him from that, as a Flair/Helms match at Mania for the coveted (and btw, this promo helped improve said titles rep) IC Championship could be gold. A very well written and sensible promo. No complaints here.
Davairi as Edge's partner? Well, I know booking wise it makes sense due to Davairi's history with Angle but it's still a letdown. While I enjoyed the action of the match, I'm surprised at Edge taping to the ankle lock. I think that's a spot that should've been saved for further down the line in their feud. I'd rather have seen Davairi be the one to tap, with Edge looking on, and Joey Styles selling it with a line like "Is this is Edge's future?" Something like that would've been better imo. Angle could've held on for ages, with Edge backing up the ramp, and then we could've had the Batista arrival, just as Edge made it to the top of the ramp, thinkin he got away with it only to be caught by The Animal. But that's just how I'd have done it.
Michaels interview was fine, nothin amazing to it but it drove the message across and was well written.
Nice SNME shill
RVD no showing, while a good way for RVD to save face, is a pretty cheap way for someone to enter MITB, which back then was still a very prestigious part of the Mania card. But yeah, the no show and the interaction with Bischoff afterwards made sense. Another reason to tune into SNME.
I like J.R. goin into the HoF, but I loved the video you wrote for Eddie, so I'm a bit disappointed not see one for J.R., as there are plenty of classic lines to use for a video.
Main event time. The handicap match was to be expected, the lumberjacks not so much. The action was well written and had a good flow to it, especially liked Shane mimicking HBK. Nice touch there. The mayhem to follow was expected, as was Triple H making the save. The Game looked dominant here. Trips banned from SNME? Interesting stipulation, and I can see Shawn taking a real mugging this Saturday.
Overall, another fine show in a fine thread. There's so much intrigue in the thread right now with regards to where different angles are going, which is always a good thing. Need to watch the typos though. Can't wait for SNME and then onto Mania!
WWE: The Evolution Of Greed
2007 King of the Ring
Has Been Posted!!!
Last edited by iMac : 06-28-2010 at
BkB Hulk
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Behind Blue Eyes
Posts: 11,957
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
Cheers for the reviews guys. The one thing I will touch on was that yes, the typos were pretty disgraceful. SmackDown! has been proofread multiple times, so hopefully that won't be occurring again. The show should be up in a few days, before I then get a preview up for Saturday Night's Main Event. Until then, here's a little peak of what to expect on SmackDown! this week.
March 3rd, 2006 | Verizon Center; Washington D.C.
This week Friday Night SmackDown! rolls on into the Verizon Center in the nations capital, Washington D.C., and one man who will be very excited just one night before his match at Saturday Nights Main Event will be the hometown hero, the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, as his match heads what should be a star studded lineup.
As announced this past week on Monday Night RAW, in what may proved to be a very interesting preview of the monumental Clash of the Champions match at Saturday Nights Main Event, well get our very own clash of the champions on Friday Night SmackDown! this week, as Monday Night RAWs WWE Champion, Edge, will team with his prospective challengers, John Cena & Kurt Angle, to take on Friday Night SmackDown!s World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, and his challenger at WrestleMania, Randy Orton. While most of the questions on SmackDown! as of late have been about whether or not Batista can indeed trust Randy Orton to keep his word about not attacking Big Dave to make for a fair WrestleMania match, hes not the only one who will be wondering if he can trust his partner, as Edge will also be wondering about both John Cena & Kurt Angle, and both Cena and Angle must be wondering the same about not just Edge, but each other too. With the recent history of Edge and Batista attacking each other over the past few weeks to try to gain a mental and physical advantage over the other champion thrown into the equation, more questions are raised about the possibilities of the main event this week. Just what will go down? The only way to find out is to tune in to witness it for yourself.
In another preview of Saturday Nights Main Event, The Fighting Irishman Finlay will be taking on ECW alumni and no DQ match specialist, Super Crazy, in what will be the first ever Belfast Brawl. While all eyes have been looking to Saturday Nights Main Event for Lashley and Finlay to see them finally settle their score, this week will provide an interesting view into what we can expect from Finlay for this Saturday. Will we also see some interaction between Finlay and Lashley? And what about John Bradshaw Layfield, who Lashley interrupted last week during his Appreciation of a True American Hero Award ceremony and both verbally and physically assaulted him, leaving him laying thanks to a lethal Spear? Will JBL also be looking to get his hands on Lashley?
Last week we saw the shock return of Rey Mysterio to the cruiserweight ranks, as following a breakthrough heavyweight win against Mr. Kennedy at No Way Out, in what seemed to send Mysterio up to the stars, Mysterio came crashing back down to crash the party of the Cruiserweight Champion, The Notorious K.I.D. Kid Kash. Following his extremely convincing victory over chief rival Juventud at No Way Out, Kash came out on SmackDown! to talk up both his victory and his all-round dominance of the cruiserweight division, wanting it to be known to all that he was the greatest cruiserweight of all-time. Mysterio, however, had something to say about that when Kid Kash demanded SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long come out and concede Kashs greatness, saying Kash may be good, but he hasnt done half of the things that Mysterio has done, and that if he ever wants to be considered one of the best, hes going to have to defeat the masked man. This infuriated Kash, as he attempted to attack Mysterio unsuccessfully. We know that Mysterio will be in action on Friday night, but as for Kid Kash, what we expect to see for him is unknown. Will this already heated situation get any hotter this week, or will it fizzle out, with both men happy to go separate ways?
After defeating Matt Hardy & Shannon Moore to retain their WWE Tag Team Titles at No Way Out, MNM were the talk of tinsel town, telling anyone who would listen, including numerous media outlets, that they had proven they were the best tag team in the whole of the WWE, and that Hardy & Moore were nothing but a couple of country hicks. While MNM may have taken out Moore, Matt Hardy last week backed up his claim that he will not die, posing as a member of the paparazzi to get close to MNM following their victory over The Mexicools, before blasting both Mercury AND Nitro with the camera. This week Matt Hardy has promised to explain his actions, while we also expect to hear what MNM have to say about the consistent pestering of Matt Hardy and his quest for gold.
Another champion who appears quite agitated following the events of the past week is the United States Champion, Booker T. Following his protégé Orlando Jordan losing to his arch nemesis Chris Benoit, the champ found out that as a result of that match, Chris Benoit would be challenging Booker T for the United States Title at Saturday Nights Main Event, in a match Booker had attempted to avoid with a phony injury. His mood was only worsened last week when Chris Benoit called Orlando Jordan out and asked to shake his hand, in a show of respect for his performance at No Way Out. Booker, outraged, marched out onto the stage, and demanded Orlando leave Benoit alone, telling him he was a loser, and he didnt deserve to be shown respect for his performance at No Way Out. Booker also blasted Benoit, telling him he didnt deserve to win his title or even face him for that matter, saying he wont be seeing him this week on SmackDown!, because he doesnt want to see Benoit again until he beats him, or again after he beats him for that matter. So this week, while we dont expect Booker, his wife Sharmell, or Orlando Jordan in the arena, we do know that Chris Benoit will be in action against Chad Dick, who looks to get some sort of redemption on Benoit, after his brother James was defeated in twenty-four seconds last week on SmackDown!. Will Benoit keep his momentum rolling just one night from his title match, or will Chad Dick pull off an unlikely upset?
Also on SmackDown! this week we will see another Money in the Bank qualifier, as two exciting cruiserweights, and regular tag tam partners Paul London and Brian Kendrick do battle in singles action for the chance of a lifetime. While theyre coming off a loss last week, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long has said that the match is reward for what has been a breakout year thus far for the two young men. Which of the friends will grab hold of the golden ring, and get himself a huge opportunity for WrestleMania?
For all of this, plus a rumoured appearance of The Undertaker, just a day before Rob Van Dam calls him out at Saturday Nights Main Event, tune into Friday Night SmackDown! this Friday, 9/8C on The CW Network.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 4,395
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
The main event handicap match for this show, plus Finlay/Crazy should be fairly great. Kash/Mysterio, Lashley/Finlay, and possibly even JBL, as well as a Hardy promo are all sure to give some great storyline progression heading into SNME. I believe maybe that spastic people like to call Jeff might show up some time soon, but hopefully not on this show. Anyway, this, as well as Benoit getting an easy win over Dick should make this show a pretty good one. For once, I'm actually more excited for the matches than promos which never really happens with me, so here's to hoping we get some kind of amazing unannounced promo from Kennedy.
Asking SCOTT STEINER for Wrestling Advice
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 393
Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
This is looking awesome BkB. The Handicap match as the Main Event should be really good and get peoples mouths watering for SNME. The Belfast Brawl will probably be a quick squash, but all the same. I am really looking forward to what you do with Kendrick and London, and knowing you, I reckon Kendrick will get the win there. Benoit and Booker is beginning to get really good and although I don't follow Smackdown in this thread all that much, it is looking really good. Oh and MNM to interfere and attack Hardy with a camera plz.
I need a new signature.
BkB Hulk
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
March 3rd, 2006 | Verizon Center; Washington D.C.
Our show opens tonight with the regular montage of the Friday Night SmackDown! superstars, showcasing the best and the brightest of the WWE as the song 'Rise Up' by Drowning Pool plays in the background. Following this we cut straight into the arena … AND WE IMMEDIATELY SEE FINLAY RAMMING SUPER CRAZY BACK SPINE FIRST INTO THE CROWD BARRIER!
Michael Cole:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Friday Night SmackDown!, where right here we are seeing Finlay and Super Crazy going at it before the show has even gotten under way!
That's right, Cole. Crazy and Finlay were meant to start the show off with the first ever Belfast Brawl, but Finlay jumped Super Crazy from behind backstage, and now the brawl has led out here.
Michael Cole:
And because these two men haven't gotten in the ring yet, the match hasn't even begun! They're just slugging it out right now.
And slug it out they do as Finlay now pulls Super Crazy from the crowd barrier, then staggers him down the ramp with a jaw crunching European uppercut. Not one to let an advantage slip, Finlay nails a second uppercut that sends Super Crazy all of the way down to the foot of the ramp, before taking him down with a big clothesline on the cold floor!
From ringside the crowd shouts at Finlay and Super Crazy as the tough Irish bastard Finlay picks his foe up, then rams him down face first into the ring apron! With Crazy leaning against the ring groggily, Finlay takes a few backwards steps, before charging back in at Crazy … BUT SUPER CRAZY COMES OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A FLAP JACK THAT SENDS FINLAY DOWN FACE FIRST INTO THE APRON!
A mini "Holy shit!" chant starts up as Super Crazy takes a moment to recover, before rolling Finlay into the ring … and the referee calls for the bell! This one is officially underway.
Match One
Belfast Brawl:
Super Crazy
The crowd cheers as Super Crazy is right back up, and he quickly takes it to Finlay, running across as 'The Fighting Irishman' scrambles onto his knees to blast him with a low dropkick and go for the first cover of the match … but it's just a two. Crazy, undeterred by not being able to pick up the victory in the opening minute, climbs back up to his feet and begins to kick away on the hamstrings of Finlay as he follows, looking to wear him down. Using his experience to his advantage, Finlay looks to create some separation when he pushes Super Crazy away, but the insane one charges back in at him, then takes him over with a beautiful monkey flip to a good pop. Finlay gets back up to his feet, and Super Crazy instantly charges … finding himself being lifted up onto the shoulders of Finlay in an electric chair position … but Super Crazy comes off of the shoulders of the Irishman and takes him down with a picturesque arm drag! The crowd cheers as Finlay gets up and Crazy instantaneously takes him down with another arm drag, before Finlay goes for a big clothesline on the way up … but Super Crazy ducks and takes the legs out from under the Irishman with a back legsweep kick to the back of Finlay's knees, then quickly jumps on the cover … two!
Super Crazy, much like before, is right back to business following the failed pin attempt, getting up and lifting Finlay up with him … but the crafty veteran strikes with a jawbreaker. Super Crazy staggers back, buying Finlay some time to get back to his feet before he then kicks Crazy in the midsection and grabs him by the hair so he can run him to the corner and slam him down into the turnbuckle face first. Finlay is all over Crazy, turning him around and hammering him with right hand blows which the referee can't stop due to the no DQ nature of the contest. This allows Finlay to strike Crazy until he falls to a seated position, at which point he backs away, then charges in and goes for a boot to the skull … but Crazy just gets out of the way in the nick of time! Finlay turns around, snarling away, and he instantly strikes with an elbow that staggers Crazy a charging Super Crazy, before going for a big right … but Crazy ducks, then nails one of his own. 'The Insane Luchador' quickly reels off a series of his own right hands, shocking Finlay and giving the crowd something to cheer about as he backs Finlay all of the way back into the ropes, then, much like Finlay did a moment ago, backs away … BEFORE CHARGING AT FINLAY AND TAKING THEM BOTH OVER THE TOP ROPE KAMIKAZE STYLE WITH A FLYING CROSSBODY BLOCK!
The crowd cheers as both men fall to the floor with a thud, with Super Crazy the first to try to get back to his feet, but Finlay isn't far behind as he grabs the leg of Super Crazy, attempting to stop him from regaining a vertical base … but Crazy kicks him in the head with his free boot … THEN CLIMBS THE CROWD BARRIER … AND COMES BACK WITH A SENSATIONAL MOONSAULT ONTO FINLAY, TAKING BOTH MEN DOWN TO THE FLOOR ONCE MORE! The crowd goes nuts with a "Holy shit!" chant as Super Crazy gets back to his feet and roars out to them, before turning back to see Finlay getting up and striking him right in the chest with a kick that crackles throughout the arena. Finlay stumbles back up to his feet with Super Crazy now on top as he kicks Finlay in the midsection, then looks for an Irish whip, but Finlay reverses … AND SUPER CRAZY GOES CRASHING INTO THE STEEL RING STEPS! Super Crazy hits the steel with a thud and falls down beside them in a seated position, the pain etched in on his face … WHEN FINLAY CHARGES IN AND BOOTS HIM SQUARE IN THE HEAD, JUST AS HE HAD TRIED TO DO IN THE RING BEFORE, BUT THIS TIME SQUASHING THE HEAD OF SUPER CRAZY BETWEEN HIS BOOT AND THE STEEL!
The crowd starts up yet another "Holy shit!" chant as Finlay fallsonto his backside, leaving Crazy some time to recover as the Irishman tries to do the same. Neither man is too quick to react, this brawl having already gotten the best of them despite it being relatively early in the bout, but when a man does react, it's Finlay as he gets up and tries to shake the cobwebs loose, then picks Super Crazy up … and rattles his brain with a sickening short arm clothesline! Super Crazy goes down onto the floor, and Finlay responds by staggering around ringside for a moment, before regaining his bearings and heading for the outskirts of the ring … where he lifts up the cover to look under the ring for some weapony goodness. The crowd cheers as the Irishman hurls a few items out backwards, strewing them across ringside, before emerging with a garbage can in hand. Going back after his opponent, Finlay sees Super Crazy on his knees, and instead of hitting him, he instead kicks him away, sending him rolling towards the crowd barrier. With the assistance of the crowd barrier Super Crazy then pulls himself up … AND FINLAY CHARGES AT HIM WITH THE GARBAGE CAN, LOOKING TO HIT THE MEXICAN IN THE HEAD … BUT SUPER CRAZY BOOTS THE WEAPON RIGHT BACK INTO FINLAY'S FACE! The Irishman is staggered, and Super Crazy acts quickly, going after the legs of Finlay … AND TOSSING HIM OVER THE CROWD BARRIER AND INTO THE CROWD WITH A BACK BODY DROP!
The crowd cheers as Super Crazy almost falls over the barrier in pursuit of his opponent, before the two men begin to brawl their way through the audience. Initially Super Crazy has the advantage, hammering away on Finlay, but the Irishman uses his brawling experience and manages to ram his foe into anything and everything at his disposal in the crowd as the two go deeper and deeper into the masses. Finally they make it up against a wall, and Finlay, in control at the time, grabs Super Crazy by the head and looks to slam him into the wall … but Crazy reverses and sends Finlay into it! Finlay goes down like a sack of Irish spuds, and Super Crazy looks to take advantage, swiftly moving along the wall and climbing up the stairs up into the next section of the crowd. He makes it to the top of the stairs and climbs up over the mini barrier onto the outskirts of the wall, all the while keeping his eyes on a now rising Finlay … THEN LAUNCHES HIMSELF INTO THE AIR … FLIPPING OVER … AND NAILING A STUNNING MOONSAULT DOWN ONTO FINLAY! The crowd around the pair laps it up, jumping up and down in excitement, joining the rest of the fans in a "Holy shit!" chant as the two men remain down on the floor.
The two men sluggishly get back to their feet and head back to ringside, with Super Crazy leading the way and continuing to keep the upper hand all of the way over the barrier to ringside, at which point he throws Finlay into the ring. Crazy follows up by throwing a few weapons into the ring with the Irishman, such as the garbage can, a few garbage can lids, street signs and some cooking trays. Super Crazy then climbs up to the apron and points to the top rope, where he heads up to, perching himself as Finlay regains his footing and begins to turn … SO SUPER CRAZY LAUNCHES HIMSELF FOR A CROSSBODY BLOCK … BUT FINLAY NAILS HIM WITH THE GARBAGE CAN IN MIDAIR! Both the can and Super Crazy crumple upon impact, and immediately the match shifts in the favour of 'The Fighting Irishman'.
In this period Finlay is nothing short of brutal, showing what he's all about and just why this is his type of match. With nothing the referee can do to stop him, Finlay's usual striking game becomes even more lethal, and with the added use of weapons there are many times when he looks like he may just have the match won, only for Super Crazy to show his resilience and kick out each and every time. This actually begins to frustrate Finlay, who is out to show Lashley what he can expect on Saturday, prompting him to perhaps go for the finish of the match prematurely as he sits a chair up in the centre of the ring, then goes after Super Crazy … GETTING HIM UP FOR THE CELTIC CROSS … FINLAY CHAREGES TOWARDS THE CHAIR … AND SUPER CRAZY COUNTERS INTO A STUNNING SPINNING DDT, SLAMMING FINLAY'S FACE DOWN INTO THE CHAIR!
The crowd erupts as both men remain down for a moment, before Super Crazy just manages to get an arm across Finlay … and Finlay kicks out at two! Both men remain down following the pinfall attempt, before they slowly start to struggle up and Finlay grabs a street sign, looking to immediately crack Crazy over the head as they get up … BAM … WAIT NO … SUPER CRAZY JUST DUCKS UNDER THE SHOT AND RUNS OFF TO THE ROPES … AMAZING RUNNING HURRICANRANA! The crowd goes nuts as Finlay goes head over heels, before getting back to his feet, right into a flurry of kicks from Super Crazy to the hamstring … before he nails a spin kick to the chest that sends Finlay down into a seated position in the corner. Super Crazy is quick to move, charging in … and nailing a low dropkick to the jaw of Finlay! The crowd cheers as Super Crazy gets up and goes to grab the leg of Finlay to drag him away for a cover … but Crazy shakes his head, then goes back to the middle of the ring and grabs a baking tray, which he places in front of Finlay's face before taking a step back … THEN CHARGING IN AND HITTING A HILO … SENDING HIS BODY CRASHING INTO THE BAKING TRAY … AND THEN INTO FINLAY'S FACE!
The crowd cheers as Super Crazy holds his back gingerly, before pulling Finlay from the corner and making the cover … two! Finlay just kicks out! Super Crazy gets back to his feet and shakes the cobwebs loose, before noting Finlay's position … AND HE RUNS AT THE CORNER … THEN ATTEMPTS A SECOND ROPE MOONSAULT … BUT FINLAY GETS HIS KNEES UP INTO THE GUT OF THE INSANE ONE! The crowd feels the blow just as much as Crazy as Finlay gets up to see a hunched over Super Crazy, and he immediately gets Super Crazy up onto his shoulders … AND NAILS THE ROLLING FIREMAN'S CARRY SLAM … ONTO A COLLAPSED GARBAGE CAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Finlay makes the cover … BUT SUPER CRAZY KICKS OUT! Finlay can't believe it, yelling at the referee to do his job, worried he might be embarrassed in his own type of match, before focusing back on Super Crazy and beginning to bite him down on the mat! The referee can't believe it, but there's nothing he can do until Finlay finally relents and spits the skin of Super Crazy out from his mouth.
He then gets back to his feet with a disgusted look on his face and immediately kicks away at the objects in his way, before turning back to Super Crazy and quickly whipping him into the corner so he can charge in after him … but Super Crazy gets his boot up, then grabs Finlay around the head, runs him across to the other side of the ring … RUNS HIS WAY UP THE ROPES … TORNADO DDT! FINLAY IS DOWN AND OUT … BUT SO IS SUPER CRAZY BESIDE HIM! Both men remain down on the mat, clearly exhausted and in great pain, neither man moving for now until Super Crazy begins to twitch, then get back to his feet. Instead of making the cover, he notices where Finlay is, and he slowly heads to the corner and goes to the top rope … GETS HIS BALANCE … AND LAUNCHES HIMSELF FOR A MOONSAULT … BUT HE TOOK TOO LONG AND FINLAY ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY TO THE CORNER … BUT SUPER CRAZY LANDS ON HIS FEET AND CHARGES AT FINLAY ONCE HE REGAINS HIS BALANCE … BAM! SHILLELAGH TO THE SKULL! SUPER CRAZY IS KNOCKED OUT! Finlay utilises the shillelagh he left in the corner earlier in the match and knocks Super Crazy into next week, then falls into the cover to his knees, wobbling a bit before he lifts Super Crazy up and gets him onto his shoulders … CELTIC CROSS … CONNECTS! FINLAY NAILS IT! Content that he has the match won, Finlay now makes the cover … and gets the three.
Winner: Finlay via pinfall @ 13:05
Tony Chimel:
Here is your winner, Finlay!
The crowd gives a respectful pop as Finlay gets back to his feet and wobbles around a bit, the match clearly having taken its toll.
Michael Cole:
Ladies and gentlemen, what a way to kick off Friday Night SmackDown! here tonight with a sensational Belfast Brawl. That was the first time we've ever seen a Belfast Brawl here in the WWE, but if the second at Saturday Night's Main Event between Finlay and Bobby Lashley can live up to this, it should be a great match to say the least.
No kiddin', Cole. That was absolutely brutal right there, but that's what SmackDown!'s all about. Showin' who the best man is in a straight up fight, and tonight that was Finlay, who's gonna be tough to beat any night of the week. I gotta tell you, I don't envy Lashley and the position he's got himself in this Saturday night.
Michael Cole:
It's no easy spot to be in, that's for sure. But Lashley is undefeated, and you've got to remember, he has been able to beat Finlay before. Whether he can do that in a Belfast Brawl or not should be another matter.
In the ring Finlay starts to kick the debris from the area, before demanding a microphone.
It looks like Finlay's got somethin' to say too, Cole.
Finlay further clears the area, before raising the microphone up to his mouth and breathing heavily into it.
Finlay pauses and takes in the deep breaths while the crowd pops for the Lashley mention.
… that was just a small preview of what ye can expect this Saturday night when ye climb in the ring with me …
… but if ye want an even better preview, how 'bout you come out to this ring right now and I show you what I'm gonna do to you tomorrow night …
The crowd cheers as Finlay waits in the ring.
Michael Cole:
No way. Finlay just went through a brutal match … and he's inviting Lashley out here?
This is what I love about Finlay. The guy's up for a fight, any time, any place, against anyone. This is gonna be good!
We wait for a moment before hearing …
Never one to let down his fans, the crowd gives a good pop as
Bobby Lashley
storms his way out onto the stage and looks around.
Oh boy!
Michael Cole:
Here we go!
Lashley looks at the fans for a second … THEN CHARGES DOWN THE RAMP AND SLIDES INTO THE RING … AND THIS IS ON! LASHLEY AND FINLAY EXCHANGE HAYMAKERS, SMASHING THE HOLY HELL THROUGH EACH OTHER, WITH NEITHER MAN SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF BACKING DOWN! The crowd goes wild as they exchange right hands, before Finlay goes low and scores with a double leg takedown and begins to strike Lashley with a few right hands to the head … but Lashley uses his amateur prowess to turn things around and roll it over … then begin to cave the skull of Finlay in with some whopping rights! The crowd cheers as Finlay tries to cover up, but to no avail as Lashley smashes him time and time again … until Finlay kicks free and rolls from the ring.
The crowd boos as Finlay staggers around ringside, holding his head in pain … when the crowd suddenly begins to buzz … and Lashley turns … TO HAVE HIS HEAD TAKEN OFF WITH A CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL! IT'S
Michael Cole:
Oh my God … that … that's JBL! What's he doing out here? Why did he attack Lashley?
Wearing a suit minus the jacket, JBL looks incredibly intense as he looks down at Lashley, then spits down onto him in a sign of disrespect, before slowly leaving the ring. Layfield has down his damage, and he now makes his exit from the ring to some great heat from the fans.
Michael Cole:
Why … why did JBL attack Lashley?
If I had to make a guess, I'd say it's revenge for last week.
Michael Cole:
Revenge for Lashley standing up for true Americans? For true heroes? Revenge for Lashley not backing down? This is disgusting.
Hey, don't shoot the messenger, Cole. I'm just sayin' what I think JBL would be angry at Lashley about, but if ya ask me, he's got a point if that is it.
The crowd boos as Layfield strides back up the ramp … and Finlay now climbs back up into the ring, shillelagh in hand!
Michael Cole:
Oh no! Things are going from bad to worse for Lashley.
Lashley groggily starts to pick himself back up to his feet, then, on jelly legs, turns around … AND GETS BLASTED IN THE SKULL BY FINLAY! FINLAY NAILS LASHLEY WITH THE SHILLELAGH!
Finlay doesn't say anything at first, standing over Lashley, before bending down and ominously shouting at the fallen Lashley "And that's what ye can expect this Saturday!"
The crowd continues to boo Finlay as we head out to our first commercial break for the night.
*Commercial Break*
We return from the break to be back at ringside with our announcers.
Michael Cole:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Friday Night SmackDown! where we have seen a huge start to the show. First we had Finlay and Super Crazy compete in the first ever Belfast Brawl, as a preview for tomorrow night's Belfast Brawl between Lashley and Finlay, where Finlay came out victorious, and then, thanks to JBL, Finlay laid out Lashley after that match.
And you gotta admire the guts of Finlay to call Lashley out after competin' in a match like the one he just did against Super Crazy, Cole.
Michael Cole:
Finlay's a fighter, there's no doubt about that, but what I want to know is why JBL felt the need to stick his nose where it didn't belong, and apparently Josh Matthews is with him backstage. Take it away, Josh.
We cut backstage where we see Josh Matthews walking alongside
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield
Josh Matthews:
JBL, I was just wondering, what were your motives to go out there and attack Bobby Lashley, unprovoked?
JBL, who has continued to walk until now, stops and looks at Matthews with fire in his eyes.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
UNPROVOKED? Son, you had
hope I misheard you, because otherwise you've got a lot of explainin' to do.
Layfield looks at Matthews, but the feeble interviewer says nothing.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
Lemme explain somethin' to you. We have WrestleMania comin' up, and what's the SmackDown! main event? Batista vs. Randy Orton. Now, as much of a pretty boy as Orton is, I've got no problem with him being in there. He
his spot when he won the Royal Rumble. But Batista? Dave Batista is a whole other situation. Dave Batista should
be in the WrestleMania main event. Dave Batista should
be World Heavyweight Champion.
JBL has turned bright red by this stage, clearly angered.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
Heat from the crowd.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
should have been the one to challenge monkey boy for his title at the Royal Rumble.
should have been the one to challenge monkey boy at No Way Out.
should have gotten a title match last week after I did the unthinkable and defeated 'The Phenom', the supposedly unbeatable Undertaker at No Way Out, one two three in the middle of the ring, clean as a whistle. But that didn't happen, did it?
The crowd boos Layfield's claims.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
Instead that
Mark Henry gets chance after chance against Batista because the General Manager who runs this show is an old buddy of him or somethin'. Fine. I'll cop that. But then … then when Teddy Long has the
claim that I don't
a title match before WrestleMania after beating The Undertaker? No, that's not good enough. I shouldn't even have had to beat The Undertaker to prove myself. I
this show. I
'Mr. SmackDown!'. I'm the longest reigning WWE Champion in the
of this show. And yet Teddy Long, he refuses to give me recognition. He refuses to give me what I deserve. So someone had to recognise me. Someone had to show me as the 'Wrestling Gawd', as 'The True, American Hero' that I am. And if that someone had to be me? Then so be it.
Small pauses from JBL to heat.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
… the recognition.
More heat for JBL.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
So then for some snot nosed
to come out and tell me how to act, to disrespect
, a self made millionaire, a media mogul, a
of this business … no, I'm not gonna allow it. I'm not gonna let that punk get away with what he did to me, with what he said to me.
More heat from the crowd.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
Bobby Lashley, you think 'cause you've got some little undefeated streak goin' that you've seen it all and done it all? You think you can come up and stand up to me? The man who makes this show what it is? Son, you haven't ever seen anything like me, and I guarantee you, I GUARAN – DAMN – TEE you that you're gonna live to regret that you ever thought of interrupting me. You don't even deserve to be shinin' my boots or drivin' my limo, let alone climbin' into the ring with me.
More heat from the crowd.
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield:
Son, you had
be ready to walk through hell and back with me. I smell like smoke 'cause I've already been through fire, and I've thrived in it. Let's see if you can even
my wrath, the wrath of J … B … L.
And with that Layfield gives a sneer at Matthews and leaves the scene, allowing us to cut back to ringside.
Michael Cole:
Where does JBL get off? Where does he get off believing that he has some sort of God given right to be the man facing Batista, the man who is above the rest of the roster? JBL may be a good wrestler, heck, he may be a great wrestler, but eventually that attitude of Layfield is going to cost him, and this may be that time.
Hey, I agree with JBL on this one. He defeated The Undertaker. Let's think about that.
The Undertaker
. And he gets disrespected by Bobby Lashley, who hasn't even done a tiny bit of what JBL has done in this business? That ain't right man. Lashley has to pay his dues before he even thinks about mixin' it with the big boys.
Michael Cole:
Bobby Lashley was just standing up for what he, along with the rest of America, believes in, and that's a noble cause to me. In no way is that disrespectful. What JBL did was disrespectful.
Following an uneasy silence, we cut to see Tony Chimel standing in the ring, the Money in the Bank briefcase now hanging over him.
Tony Chimel:
The following contest is a Money in the Bank qualifying match, and it is scheduled for one fall!
The crowd gives some very nice heat as the peroxide blonde SmackDown! superstar,
Mr. Kennedy
strides out onto the stage, chewing gum as always, not dressed to compete tonight, for he already did so the previous week to qualify for the Money in the Bank Laader Match at WrestleMania 22.
Michael Cole:
A spot at WrestleMania on the line here between two tag team partners, but first, here is the man who already qualified last week, Mr. Kennedy.
And he's my pick for the match. Trust me, whoever else qualifies, it won't matter, 'cause this man right here reminds me of a young Ric Flair, an' trust me when I say he's got future world champ written all over him.
Michael Cole:
Well, as we saw on Monday Night RAW, we're currently up to three superstars qualified for the match, with Mr. Kennedy joined by RAW's Carlito and Gregory Helms at this stage.
An' while I like both of 'em, my man Kennedy can beat both of 'em.
Kennedy marches on down the ramp and climbs up into the ring, telling a bemused Chimel to "hit the bricks", before posing as his own custom microphone drops down into his hands. Everyone's favourite platinum blonde (well, besides the divas and Ric Flair) then stands in the middle of the ring, gum in mouth, microphone in hand.
Mr. Kennedy:
No, no. Fear not, for your eyes are NOT deceiving you. It's true. Despite
qualifying for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, I have
decided to take the time out of my busy schedule, and grace you people, you
disgusting, slimy
people with my wonderful presence.
Heat from the crowd, as KK shrugs.
Mr. Kennedy:
Let's face it. Ya don't have a whole lot goin' for you here in Washington D.C. other than me.
More heat from the crowd.
Mr. Kennedy:
But that's not the point. No, the point is that
am here, and as long as I'm here, you're going to be getting the
Mr. Kennedy package.
KK pauses as the crowd continues to boo.
Mr. Kennedy:
So … ahem …
Kennedy pauses and composes himself.
Mr. Kennedy:
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you a man who will NOT be competing tonight, for last week he became the VERY FIRST
SmackDown! superstar to qualify for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Changing Friday nights, I hail from GREEN – BAY … WISCONSINNNNNNNNN … YOUR VERY SPECIAL GUEST COMMENTATOR FOR THIS MATCH … MMMIIISSSTTTEEERRR KKKEEENNNNNNEEEDDDYYY!
The crowd boos as KK heads to the corner then climbs up to the second rope and raises both hands up into the air, eyes closed.
Mr. Kennedy:
The crowd continues to boo as KK hops down and heads to ringside when we hear …
Those boos now turn to cheers as the always enthusiastic
Paul London
stomps his way out onto the stage, mask over his head and energy flowing from his being. At ringside we hear the sound of headphones being put on, as Mr. Kennedy has joined the ringside crew.
Tony Chimel:
Introducing first, from Austin, Texas, weighing 185 lbs, Paul London!
Michael Cole:
Well it appears that we're being joined here by a special guest. Welcome, Ken.
Uneasy silence as KK just chews his gum.
Uh, he means
Kennedy, and welcome indeed, man.
Mr. Kennedy:
Thanks Tazz, and right off the bat, I've gotta ask, is he always that stupid? I feel bad for you, man. I know how it feels to work with amateurs. I've gotta deal with that tub of lard, Chimel.
I know what ya mean, but hey, it's good to have you here. As a matter of fact, I was just tellin' Cole you're the next Mr. Money in the Bank.
Mr. Kennedy:
Well it's good to know that someone at this desk has some common sense.
Michael Cole:
Uh, gentlemen, if you don't mind, I'm going to interrupt this little lovefest you've got going and point out that Paul London …
Mr. Kennedy:
Actually, Cole, I do mind. Did I say you could talk? No, so I think I'm going to continue to talk. Paul London? Talented kid, but he just doesn't measure up. Trust me, he can do all the flips he wants, but even if he beats his little buddy tonight, he is not going to be stealing my spotlight at WrestleMania.
That's what I've been sayin'.
London charges down the ramp and slides into the ring, exciting the fans by climbing up to the second rope in the corner and shouting out at them, before flipping back into the middle of the ring.
The reaction is the same as
Brian Kendrick
now swaggers his way out onto the stage in the same attire as Paul London, the same mannerisms and all.
Tony Chimel:
His opponent, from Aberdeen, Washington, weighing 185 lbs, Brian Kendrick!
Michael Cole:
This should be a very interesting encounter because …
Mr. Kennedy:
Hang on, I just remembered. Why are these two guys going for a shot at the briefcase? Didn't they lose to The Bluebloods last week?
Michael Cole:
Well SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long gave them this match as a reward for the effort they had put in …
Mr. Kennedy:
So they're being rewarded for losing? This should be The Bluebloods going at it tonight, not these two.
Michael Cole:
Didn't you get a chance to qualify after losing to Rey Mysterio at No Way Out?
Mr. Kennedy:
Did I say you could talk? Y'know, I'm starting to get a little sick of your attitude, Cole. In fact, I think I might just add you to the list along with that nobody from San Diego.
Yeah jeez, Cole. Come on man.
Kendrick now sprints down to the ramp, and just like London, revs the crowd up before this one gets underway.
Match Two
Money in the Bank Qualifier; Singles Match:
Paul London
Brian Kendrick
The two partners take a moment to begin the match, nodding at each other then shaking hands in respect, before they back off and begin to circle around the ring. Knowing each other so well, both men appear a little cautious, worried of a slip up in such an important contest. Slowly they come forward, and for the first time in the match they lock up, with Paul London looking to take the immediate advantage, taking the arm of his partner and twisting it overhead. Kendrick though, is in no mood to be shown up early, and he quickly reverses the momentum, twisting out under, then spinning London's arm over and applying a wristlock of his own. Knowing his partner will then go for a counter, Kendrick looks to change things up, pulling London into a side headlock to try to think ahead of him. Perhaps showing he's weary of his partner's high flying ability, Kendrick then takes London over and grounds him with a headlock takedown, maintaining the side headlock. London, however, shows that he's no slouch on the mat either, quickly locking in a headscissors on Kendrick, which forces him to kip up out of the hold. The two men get up and London now goes for the side headlock, into the takedown, but Kendrick quickly gets a headscissors of his own, prompting his partner to kip up, only for Kendrick to sweep his legs from nowhere into the cover … one. Both men immediately get back up … and London sweeps Kendrick's legs … another one.
As Michael Cole puts over the athleticism of the pair (and Mr. Kennedy says he could do that in his sleep), the duo get back to their feet and immediately it's London who gets on the offensive, grabbing BK by the arm and twisting it overhead like in the beginning of the match, but Kendrick is quick to roll through, reversing the pressure, only for London to spin over and take Kendrick down with an aesthetically pleasing arm drag. London makes the mistake of approaching Kendrick as he goes to get up, and Kendrick makes him pay, using his quick skills to take London over with an arm drag of his own. Both men then get up … and they both look for dropkicks … with neither man able to score, prompting them to get back up and nod at each other respectfully to a bit of applause from the crowd.
The two men get up and quickly slap hands, before circling around one another for a moment later, and then coming forward to lock up for a second time in the match. This time they try to find who the stronger man is, and after a slight struggle, it is London who is able to force BK back into the corner, then starting to back away for a clean break … when Kendrick, perhaps thinking he needs an edge after being outmuscled, grabs London and moves him back into the corners, then strikes with a huge knife edge chop! The sound of the chop reverberates around the arena as Kendrick reels back and nails a second one … but London then reverses the momentum and throws Kendrick into the corner … and hits a couple of chops of his own! BK staggers away along the ropes, clearly in pain, but he gets no sympathy from his regular partner, who kicks him in the midsection, then sends him off with an Irish whip … but Kendrick holds onto the ropes instead of rebounding. London, who was ready to attack, charges in at BK … and Kendrick wisely goes for a back body drop, seeing the attack coming … but London lands on the apron! London looks to cash in on his incredible athleticism as he turns Kendrick around … but BK shows experience beyond his years as he quickly turns and snaps the jaw of London off the top rope, sending him down to the floor below!
Kendrick watches London struggle up and readies himself, looking to follow up … as he goes for a baseball slide … but London scoots out of the way, sliding back into the ring … then, quick as a flash, London nails a baseball slide of his own! The crowd cheers as Kendrick goes down and London does the opposite in the ring, getting to his feet, much like BK before, readying himself by the ropes … BEFORE JUMPING UP TO THE TOP AS KENDRICK GETS UP … AND COMING OFF WITH AN AMAZING SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS … LANDING DOWN ON TOP OF KENDRICK AND SENDING THEM BOTH DOWN TO THE FLOOR BELOW! The crowd applauds the supreme athleticism of London as he gets back to his feet and plays it up to them for a moment as even Mr. Kennedy applauds his amazing move on commentary, before he rolls Kendrick in and follows him in to make the cover … two. From here the frantic pace slows down for a moment as London takes a bit of control of the match, though that soon changes when he goes for an Irish whip and bends over for a back body drop prematurely, allowing BK to come over the top and get a sunset flip for a two count. Both men then regain their footing … and London immediately hits a beautiful dropkick!
Again the pace slows down with London trying to keep Kendrick under control and put him away, still hitting his high impact moves, but at a much more dragged out tempo. BK, however, shows his heart by not allowing himself to be pinned, fighting for the allure of the Money in the Bank briefcase (well, a shot at it, at least), and his fighting spirit actually begins to frustrate his partner, who doesn't even get the match finished after a very nice missile dropkick from the corner. London tugs at his long locks following this kickout and then regains his footing, waiting on Kendrick to get up too … BEFORE QUICKLY SETTING HIM UP FOR THE LEGSWEEP DDT … BUT KENDRICK KNOWS ALL OF HIS PARTNER'S OLD TRICKS AND TAKES AN ARM OF LONDON TO SPIN OUT OF IT, THEN KICKS HIM IN THE ARM, SHOCKING HIM WITH THE SLIGHTLY UNORTHODOX MOVE … BEFORE DASHING OFF TO THE ROPES AND SPRINGBOARDING BACK WITH A CROSSBODY BLOCK THAT TAKES BOTH MEN OUT!
Both men are a little slow in getting up due to the high paced nature of the match, but in a showing of their endurance, once they get up they go right at it, trading chops in the middle of the ring to the delight of the fans, who shout "Woooo~!" with each and every shot. Eventually it's BK who looks like getting on top, so London attempts to halt his momentum by kicking him in the midsection, then dashing off to the ropes … and comes back right into an arm drag from Kendrick! London looks slightly agitated as he gets up, so he dashes at Kendrick … but Kendrick comes out with a beautiful Japanese arm drag … then runs off to the ropes and hits a lighting quick leg drop across the throat of London! BK makes the cover … two.
Kendrick is quick to get back up to his feet, allowing him to look on at London as he tries to do the same … then charge across and nail a basement dropkick to the jaw when he tried to get up, sending the native of Texas rolling into the corner. London, dazed and confused, regains his footing in the corner … and Kendrick charges in to score a big dropkick to the jaw! London begins to stagger from the corner, and Kendrick dashes off to the ropes to springboard up to the second rope, then come back with a crossbody block … BUT LONDON COMES OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A PHENOMENAL DROPSAULT TO KENDRICK IN MIDAIR! Kendrick folds up like an accordion as London now crawls ever so slowly to the cover … but he can only get two! London shakes his head in disbelief, certain he had the three count there, before he gets back to his feet and waits on his regular partner and opponent for tonight to get to his feet. Slowly but surely, BK does just that and he gets a kick to the midsection … THEN GETS PUT IN POSITION FOR THE FLOWING LEGSWEEP DDT … BUT KENDRICK SPINS OUT OF IT AND TAKES LONDON AROUND THE HEAD, RUNNING HIM TO THE CORNER … SLICED BREAD #2 … NO, LONDON SENDS KENDRICK FLIPPING OVERHEAD … KENDRICK LANDS ON HIS FEET AS LONDON CLIMBS UP TO THE SECOND ROPE … KENDRICK CHARGES … AND LONDON MUSHROOM STOMPS HIM RIGHT IN THE BACK, SENDING BK DOWN FACE FIRST INTO THE SECOND TURNBUCKLE … KENDRICK TURNS AND LONDON CHARGES … HUGE LEG LARIAT FROM KENDRICK! Kendrick falls into the cover … and London kicks out at two!
The crowd again applauds as Kendrick rolls off the cover and reaches for the ropes to gain some assistance in getting back to his feet before sweeping his hair back and waiting on his partner/opponent to regain his footing. London is obviously extremely groggy, but he is still able to manage to get back to his feet, albeit sluggishly, as he then turns to face Kendrick and gets a kick to the midsection … AND KENDRICK IS AGAIN QUICK TO LOOK FOR SLICED BREAD #2 … BUT LONDON AGAIN SENDS HIM BACKWARDS WITH AN ATTEMPTED BACK SUPLEX … KENDRICK LANDS ON HIS FEET AND CHARGES IN … BAM! SUPERKICK FROM LONDON! LONDON USES HIS TEACHER SHAWN MICHAE'S SUPERKICK, AND KENDRICK IS OUT ON HIS FEET … LEGSWEEP DDT!
Kendrick is down for the count and London knows it as he drags Kendrick towards the corner, then goes up to the top rope, composes himself … AND LEAPS FOR THE 450 SPLASH … TO NAIL IT! Paul London hooks the leg … and gets the three!
Winner: Paul London via pinfall @ 11:36
Tony Chimel:
Here is your winner, Paul London!
The crowd cheers as London gets up to his feet, a pained expression on his face, to have his hand raised in victory by the referee.
Michael Cole:
Well Mr. Kennedy, there is one of the men who will be facing you for the Money in the Bank briefcase in five weeks time at WrestleMania.
Mr. Kennedy:
And y'know what? I congratulate Paul London. He is in for the chance of a lifetime at WrestleMania. The chance to look on as I rise above everyone else on the SmackDown! roster, and assure my status as a future world champion by capturing the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Michael Cole:
Well, with all due respect, you haven't won the briefcase just yet. With four men yet to qualify, we're already looking at a heck of a lineup, with Paul London joining you, along with Monday Night RAW's Gregory Helms and Carlito.
Mr. Kennedy:
And I'm not disputing that's a great lineup. They're all great wrestlers. But here's the thing, Cole … I'm better.
And it's gonna be great to see Money in the Bank here on SmackDown! with you, Mr. Kennedy.
Mr. Kennedy:
You're damn straight it is.
In the ring Paul London sees his partner Brian Kendrick regaining his footing. The two lock eyes as Kendrick staggers up … and they then come forward and hug, before raising one another's hands to a nice pop from the crowd.
Mr. Kennedy:
This … this is why I'm going to win the briefcase at WrestleMania. I'm not like Paul London. I don't need others. I'm strong, and he's gonna see that come WrestleMania.
With those comments we head off to a commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
We return from the break to immediately be shown a vignette.
We now cut to see a vignette, which is accompanied by the sound of 'This Fire Burns' by Killswitch Engage. We see images of a mystery man performing some of his in-ring moves (running knee/bulldog combo, urange/anaconda vise combo and the GTS, along with some big kicks).
It's time for a new breed of wrestler.
The moves continue.
A breed of competitors. A breed that realises that things like luck, are for losers.
We now cut away to see a close-up of the man's arms, which are covered by tattoos.
A breed of competitor which understand just what wrestling is all about – and that is the art … of battle.
The left bicep is featured.
I don't drink.
The right bicep.
I don't smoke.
The man is now shown holding up his knuckles, which spell out the words 'DRUG FREE'.
And I don't do drugs.
His stomach is now shown.
I'm primed, I'm focused and I know what I want. I am … straight edge, and my only addiction … is competition.
The man's face is now shown, where we now get a close-up on his long, black hair, and a confident smile, with a snakebite piercing his lip.
My name is CM Punk … and I am coming to Friday Night SmackDown!
CM Punk – Coming Soon To Friday Night SmackDown!
We now cut away backstage, where we see the lovely Kristal Marshall standing by in the interview area.
Kristal Marshall:
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, Matt Hardy!
A great pop from the crowd as
Matt Hardy
steps into view.
Kristal Marshall:
First of all, Matt, I have to ask, following your match at No Way Out against MNM where we see your partner, Shannon Moore injured, we have been yet to hear from Shannon. Is there any update on his condition that you can possibly give us?
Matt Hardy:
Well Kristal, Shannon's not too good. He's hurtin', obviously. He took a helluva fall, and from what Shannon's told me, it hurt as bad as it looked.
, with that said, it's not as bad as it could have been. Originally, many doctors feared that Shannon may have suffered damage to his spinal chord in his neck and that he may never wrestle again. This is not the case. What the doctors have told Shannon he's suffering from is a serious concussion, along with some neck trauma. Now what does that mean for Shannon's career?
Hardy pauses, picking his words carefully.
Matt Hardy:
The doctors have said they're not sure when Shannon'll be back. Concussions like his … they're not easy to recover from. But Shannon … Shannon's one of the gutsiest guys I know, and he's told me that he
be back sooner, rather than later. How long that'll be? I dunno, but I do know that when Shannon sets his mind to somethin', he gets it done, and he
come back.
A cheer from the crowd, happy to hear that Shannon Moore isn't as bad as first feared.
Kristal Marshall:
That's good to hear, Matt. Now, onto what happened after No Way Out. More specifically last week here on Friday Night SmackDown!. After losing to MNM at No Way Out, you attacked them last week after disguising yourself as a cameraman, using your camera to hit both Mercury
Nitro. Why?
Matt Hardy:
Kristal, let me answer your question with a question of my own. In the days followin' No Way Out, did you see MNM? Did you hear what they were sayin'?
Kristal looks surprised to be asked a question, taking awhile to answer at first.
Kristal Marshall:
Yes, they gave a few interview and they …
Matt Hardy:
And they went out of their way to embarrass me, Kristal. But not just me. Oh no. They went out, and they tried to embarrass
. And y'know what? They succeeded. They went out to Hollywood, and they talked to magazines, to the paparazzi, and they embarrassed a man who they knew could do
about it, callin' both me and him "country hicks" and "rednecks" who didn't belong in the limelight with them. And then … then they had the audacity to say that Shannon
to be injured because
Hardy bites his lips, clearly annoyed with the actions of MNM.
Matt Hardy:
Y'know, where me an' Shannon come from, where we grew up, in Cameron, it's a pretty small place, and everyone knows everyone. My family, we know Shannon's folks, and as soon as they saw the magazines, as soon as they heard the interviews, they asked "Why? Why would they go out of their way to do somethin' like that to Shannon?" And do y'know what I told 'em? I told 'em it's just who MNM are. They didn't give a damn who they hurt, as long as they got their headlines.
, if I had a say in it, I
Shannon's folks that MNM
live to regret their words.
The crowd gives a slight pop.
Matt Hardy:
So why did I do what I did last week? I did it for a few reasons, but the biggest of 'em all is for Shannon Moore. Because Shannon's spirit, his passion … it's just … like … mine. His spirit, it's with me, and y'know what it's tellin' me? It's tellin' me not to quit. It's tellin' me to soldier on. It's tellin' me it will not die, no matter what MNM throws its way. So here's what I'm gonna do. MNM, you like to embarrass people? I'll tell ya what. I'll give you a chance to embarrass
, tomorrow night at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Hardy pauses as the crowd buzzes.
Matt Hardy:
It's like this. Tomorrow night, I give you your one chance to embarrass me once and for all. Me against the two of you in a handicap match. You win? I'll walk away with my tail between my legs, having been embarrassed by you, never to even talk to the two of you again. But if I win? If I win I want one last shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles with a partner of my choosin'.
The crowd cheers.
Matt Hardy:
I've told ya I won't die? Well here's your chance. Take your best shot at me. Take your BEST SHOT to EMBARRASS me, 'cause I'm tellin' you that if you accept my challenge tomorrow night, it won't just be me you'll be facin'. It'll be ALLLLLL of Shannon's friends, ALLLLLL of the people from Cameron, and we may just surprise you. We may just embarrass you. We may just make you look like a pack of fools.
The crowd cheers Hardy.
Matt Hardy:
The ball's in your court, MNM. You wanted to embarrass me one last time? Well here's your chance. Take it … I
The crowd cheers as Hardy looks resiliently at the camera and walks away, leaving us to cut back to ringside and hear The Dicks' theme music playing in the background,
Chad Dick
dressed to compete already in the ring, his brother
James Dick
standing behind him, and what do you know, he's topless and covered in baby oil anyway. That's what you call dedication to a gimmick.
Tony Chimel:
The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Tampa, Florida, weighing 205 lbs, Chad Dick!
Michael Cole:
The gauntlet has been laid down, Tazz. You heard Matt Hardy. If MNM accepts his challenge for a match tomorrow night at Saturday Night's Main Event, they won't just be facing Matt – they'll be facing everyone from his small hometown of Cameron, North Carolina.
And y'know, MNM will be ready for that. As much as I like Matt, I dunno why he's gettin' so worked up about MNM and their goin' ons in Hollywood. It's world he doesn't understand. I almost don't understand it myself. I had to have Melina explain some of it to me.
The crowd gives a huge pop as
Chris Benoit
now makes his way out onto the stage, looking as intense as ever as he looks out to the crowd, before beating his chest. raising his hands and beginning his walk down the ramp to the ring.
Tony Chimel:
His opponent, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, weighing 225 lbs, Chris Benoit!
Michael Cole:
Moving on to the matter at hand, I'm not sure why, but Chad Dick has indeed accepted a match with Chris Benoit here tonight after seeing what he did to his brother James last week, and I have to say, I don't like Chad's chances.
If I were a betting man I'd put my house on Benoit. The guy has looked like a machine of late, and I just don't think a guy like Chad Dick can mix it up with him.
Michael Cole:
Benoit has indeed looked the best he ever has in his career of late on SmackDown!, and it couldn't come at a better time for him, because tomorrow night he will be challenging Booker T for the United States Title on Saturday Night's Main Event in a match that he has been working towards for the longest time.
'The Rabid Wolverine' makes his way down the ramp and climbs up in the ring, quickly scaring James Dick out of the ring as this one gets underway.
Match Three
Singles Match:
Chad Dick
w/James Dick vs.
Chris Benoit
Benoit instantly circles around and moves forward, looking for a lockup. Chad Dick, thinking back to last week, laughs and tells Benoit he knows what he's up to, saying he saw what happened last week and that he's not going to fall for that … WHEN BENOIT SUDDENLY TRIPS HIM UP … SHARPSHOOTER! CHAD DICK TAPS ALMOST INSTANTLY!
Winner: Chris Benoit via pinfall @ 0:22
Tony Chimel:
Here is your winner, Chris Benoit!
Benoit keeps the hold locked in for an extra second or two, punishing Dick further, before releasing and allowing Dick to roll away in pain, while Benoit gets his hand raised in victory by the referee.
Michael Cole:
Chris Benoit continues his unbelievable momentum headed into his United States Title match with Booker T at Saturday Night's Main Event, and partner, you've got to believe that Benoit is a huge threat to Booker's title.
Oh he's a huge threat, Cole, ain't no doubt about that, but I still believe that Booker has been unfairly placed in a position he shoulda never been in by being forced to defend his United States Title against Benoit tomorrow night.
Having had his hand raised by the referee, Benoit makes motion for someone at ringside to give a microphone, which is exactly what they do.
Michael Cole:
Booker should have had to defend his title against Benoit at No Way Out when he was faking his injury, and avoiding Benoit is the only thing that has allowed his title reign to go for as long as it has in my estimation. It looks like Chris Benoit's got something to say himself ahead of that match tomorrow night though, so let's hear what he has to say.
The announcers fall silent as Benoit now raises his microphone to his mouth in the middle of the ring.
Chris Benoit:
Booker, I know you're not here tonight, but I hope you're watching, because
… that is
what I'm gonna do to you at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Big pop from the crowd.
Chris Benoit:
You can't play your games tomorrow night, Booker. The games are over. It's not like tonight, it's not like No Way Out, and it's not like the past six months. Tomorrow night it's just you and me, one on one in this very ring, with no games and no running, and do you know what that means, Booker?
Benoit pauses for a moment.
Chris Benoit:
That means I'm going to expose you for the
of a champion that you are!
Big pop for that.
Chris Benoit:
So Booker, you can keep running, you can keep hiding …
. Because tomorrow night at Saturday Night's Main Event, there'll be no more of that. No, tomorrow night, I'm gonna make you tap like the little bitch that you are, and I am going to take back
United States Title!
The crowd cheers.
Chris Benoit:
I'll see you tomorrow night, Booker.
And with that, Benoit drops his microphone, having made his statement to Booker.
Benoit now looks out to the crowd, who cheer him on, nodding his head before making the title motion … when
Orlando Jordan
walks out onto the stage.
Michael Cole:
Well there you go, Tazz. Chris Benoit has said it himself. He's ready and raring to go, and tomorrow night … wait … is that … Orlando Jordan? I thought he wasn't going to be here tonight.
Well, ah, maybe he's doin' a bit of scoutin' for Booker.
Benoit looks at Jordan on the stage, who nods his head … then begins to clap?
Michael Cole:
Or maybe not, Tazz. Perhaps there's a bit of dissension in the ranks. Nonetheless, tomorrow night Booker T will be defending his United States Championship against Chris Benoit, but right now we're going backstage to our broadcast colleague Josh Matthews, who has a very special guest.
We cut away backstage to the outside of the parking lot where we see Josh Matthews, standing by with Monday Night RAW's
WWE Champion, Edge
, who has his bag by his side, and his girlfriend
by his side.
Josh Matthews:
Well, as you can see, I am joined here by the WWE Champion from Monday Night RAW, 'The Rated R Superstar', Edge, and Edge, first off, I have to ask, how does it feel to be back here on SmackDown! for the first time in over THREE years?
Edge laughs and strokes his stubble as he's asked the question.
How does it feel? How does it feel to be back here on Friday Night SmackDown!? How, does, it, feel?
Edge laughs silently to himself.
I'll tell you how it feels, Josh. It feels … it feels like CRAP!
Big heat from the crowd.
It took me years,
to escape from this hellhole, and now that I'm on the 'A Brand', the
'A Brand', I have to come back to visit? No, I shouldn't be here. I should get a say in this. I'm the WWE Champion for God's sake, the highest rating WWE Champion in over FIVE YEARS. That's right, that includes both the time that this title was on RAW
SmackDown!. I am this company's GREATEST commodity, and yet I get no say in when and where I want to wrestle? I have no say on when I want to make a
appearance? I'll tell you what that is. That's BULL!
Heat from the crowd.
But even if Eric Bischoff has it in for me, I would
rather spend my time back on RAW than coming back … back
. Because as much as they've tired to hold me down on RAW, as much as I've been
by 'the man' on RAW, it was always that much worse here on SmackDown!. And now … now that I've overcome all of that. Now I have risen above. Now that I've got away from here, I didn't want to
return. And yet here I am.
Edge takes a moment to think to himself.
Here I am on SmackDown!, and y'know what I'm thinking? Straight away I'm thinking this is a poor man's Monday Night RAW. I mean, let's take a look at this. First of all, there's you. What are you? Some kind of second rate Todd Grisham? Then out at the announce desk you've got Michael Cole and Tazz. Now, I think Joey Styles is garbage, but I would take him any day of the week over Michael Cole. And then Tazz? Tazz is only announcing because his wrestling career didn't work out. Too bad his announcing isn't any better.
Heat from the crowd.
And then finally we've got your World Heavyweight Champion, Batista!
The crowd pops for the mention of Batista.
Oh, you people like him, do you? You SmackDown! fans like him? Well that's only because when you see this show you are USED to seeing mediocrity, and that's
what Batista is. Now sure, he's been world champion for eleven months, and come WrestleMania that'll be twelve. That's one whole year. That's a rarity these days. I mean, you don't see that often. But do you know the reason he's held that title for that long? Do ya?
Edge looks at Matthews menacingly, causing him to stutter, rather than answer.
It's because he never had to deal with me.
Heat of course for this.
I mean, let's think about this. Don't you think it's just a little bit convenient that after Batista realised that I won the Money in the Bank briefcase and that he would have to defend his title against me sooner or later that he got "drafted" across here. The fact of the matter is that if Batista stayed on RAW, I would have beaten him for the World Heavyweight Title just as I did John Cena, and tomorrow night in the Clash of the Champions, I am going to show that when I beat Batista and once again prove myself to be the greatest champion in all of the WWE.
Edge pauses, prompting Josh Matthews to step up with a second question.
Josh Matthews:
Edge, you said that you would beat Batista tomorrow night, but what about tonight when you're forced to team against two men who you despise, and in twenty-four hours, will be wrestling for the right to challenge you for the WWE Title at WrestleMania? Where does that leave you against Batista and Randy Orton tonight?
As long as Cena and Angle stay out of my way, tonight, there will be no problems. It's as simple as this. One RAW main eventer, such as myself, is better than two SmackDown! main eventers ever could be. You want proof? Watch me later tonight.
And with that Edge storms away, leaving Josh Matthews to look on.
Michael Cole:
Edge, John Cena and Kurt Angle vs. Batista and Randy Orton, our main event on Friday Night SmackDown!, still to come later tonight.
We now head off to a commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
We cut from the video package to be backstage once again with Kristal Marshall.
Kristal Marshall:
Please welcome my guests at this time, the WWE Tag Team Champions, MNM!
The crowd boos as the
WWE Tag Team Champions, MNM
step into view, looking cocky as always, bling hanging from them.
Kristal Marshall:
MNM, earlier tonight we heard Matt Hardy say …
Hang on, hang on. Who do you think you're talking to? Kristal, do you see these?
Melina points to her ear, leaning towards Kristal.
Kristal Marshall:
Um, yeah … that's your ear.
That's right, and you know, since I'm sooooooo much more in the know than you'll ever be, they've already heard whatever it is that you're going to tell us. Trust me, honey, whenever
hear something, it's a first, so there's nothing you could tell me that I don't already know.
Melina smirks at Kristal as her boys nod in the background.
As a matter of fact, since I don't feel like working with amateurs such as yourself, I'd say you're no longer needed here. Mercury, Nitro, escort little Kristal out of here, won't you?
The champs give Kristal a look, then move in front of her, prompting her to back off out of the screen.
That's much better.
Melina smiles an almost playful smile to see Kristal off, then turns back to the camera.
Now Matt, honey, we heard what you said earlier, and it seems like to us that there was some kind of misinterpretation. Because you see sweetie, for some reason, after reading our interviews and hearing our interviews, you seem to have come to an … an assumption, shall we say. Well, sweetie, let me clear that up for you right now.
Melina looks to either side of her, smiling at her boys, before turning back to the camera.
You see, contrary to what you may believe, we don't care what you have to say.
Some heat from the crowd.
Really, we don't. But I don't blame you for not understanding. No, in fact I feel for you, because like you said before, you're from
. You can't help but be a simple country hick.
Heat from the crowd.
So we forgive you for that little misunderstanding. What we
forgive you for is what you did to us last week. Do you see these faces? Do you?
Melina points at Mercury and Nitro.
These faces are
. They are beauty personified, and part of what makes us who we are. And yet you want to take that in
hands and try to cripple
? What, because your little friend Shannon Moore was part of an accident at No Way Out? No. No no no no no. We will
forgive you for this. We will not forgive you for the trauma that you have put my boys through. Look at Nitro's face! Look at it! He's bruised!
The camera shows a close up on Nitro which shows, well, nothing.
You my think what we did to Shannon Moore was bad, but he deserved every last bit of it. You and your people may not get it, Matt, but MNM we've got reputations to keep. We're not just from a simple country town. We're from the greatest city on the planet, Hollywood! We are the example that the rest of society should be following! So if Shannon Moore thought that embarrassing us was going to go unpunished … well, he's as stupid as he looks.
Cheap heat for Melina, who simply smirks away.
But then, I guess that's a trait of you Cameron people, isn't it? I mean, you yourself Matt, had the audacity to challenge
, MNM, 'The A Listers' to a
match tomorrow night. Well y'know what, Matt? We accept the match, and we can guarantee that we won't be letting you embarrass us again.
Melina looks a little more intense as she pauses here.
You can bring everyone from Cameron that you want, because in the end, they'll
just end up the same way as their hero, Shannon Moore.
Melina smirks and heads from view, followed by her boys as we now cut back to ringside.
Michael Cole:
Melina with a major warning to Matt Hardy there, saying that once MNM are done tomorrow night, Matt's going to end up just like Shannon Moore, who as we heard earlier, will be out for an undisclosed amount of time.
Things remain silent before …
The crowd gives some okay heat as Friday Night SmackDown!'s resident fitness freak,
Simon Dean
rolls his way out onto the stage atop the incredibly awesome Dean Machine.
Tony Chimel:
The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Clearwater, Florida, weighing 224 lbs, Simon Dean!
Michael Cole:
A few weeks ago on RAW we saw this man as an announcer for the night, taking the place of 'The Coach' who took up the duties of General Manager for the night. Tazz, how do you think he went?
He called himself the best announcer on SmackDown!, and while I don't think he did any better than me, he might've been better than you, Cole.
Dean scoots his way on down the ramp, then climbs up into the ring and endears himself to the crowd by plugging his products, before waiting for his opponent.
The crowd gives a great pop as from the stage springs the always popular
Rey Mysterio
. Mysterio instantly plays it up to fans on either side of the ramp, pointing out to them to get them excited, which of course they do for the master of the 619.
Tony Chimel:
His opponent, from San Diego, California, weighing 175 lbs, Rey Mysterio!
Michael Cole:
Following a huge victory over Ken Kennedy at No Way Out, this man Rey Mysterio came out with a huge bang last week on Friday Night SmackDown!, interrupting Kid Kash and telling Kash that he wouldn't be the greatest cruiserweight of all-time as long as he was around. And while Rey may not be competing against a cruiserweight tonight, it looks as if he wants a shot at the title, so it's just a matter of time until he reenters the division.
And I, for one, would love to see that. Kash vs. Mysterio? Are you kiddin' me? That would be off the charts for sure.
Mysterio makes his way down the ramp, saluting his fans (especially those who wear his merchandise), before climbing up in the ring and again acknowledging the fans as he readies for battle.
Match Four
Singles Match:
Simon Dean
Rey Mysterio
The crowd cheers as this one gets underway, firmly behind the man from the 619 as the two men lock up. Using his superior size (and strength from the Simon System, of course), the big bad Dean machine is able to force Mysterio back into the corner with ease. Smiling away, Dean slowly breaks away from Rey, looking him right in the eye and letting him know who the bigger man is. Rey nods his head in acceptance as he comes out of the corner, looking to change things up, only for Simon to goad him into locking up for a second time … and again, the fitness guru is able to use his superior girth to force Rey back into the corner. This time Dean isn't so modest about it either, getting right in Rey's face and laughing at him … only for Rey to suddenly come out with a cracking kick to the hamstring of Dean! Simon hops away in pain, looking for some distance, but Mysterio won't give it to him, following him around the ring and nailing him with kick after kick until Dean eventually reaches the ropes and the referee forces him back. Having looked for separation previously, Dean is now thinking different, clearly frustrated as he charges at Rey … right into a drop toe hold! The crowd cheers as Rey takes off to the ropes, quick as a flash, then comes back and hits a leg drop right to the back of Simon Dean's head! Rey rolls Dean over and hooks the leg … two.
Rey climbs back to a standing base and readies himself as Dean does the same, before nailing a kick to the midsection and dashing off to the ropes … then coming back right into a falling clothesline from Dean! The crowd boos as the force of the move sends sweat flying from the chest of Rey, drawing a sick smirk out of Dean. This begins a small period of dominance from Dean in which he grounds Rey and keeps him within close proximity of himself, not allowing the smaller, faster man to do what makes him great. Dean even manages to get some pretty great heat, when following a scoop slam he drops down and begins to do some pushups, his right hands pushing up and down off the face of the masked Rey-Rey. The referee, unhappy with this move, forces Dean off, and the Deanmeister shows his over the top attitude by getting up and running around, asking the crowd if they saw that. He then turns back to Rey Mysterio and starts to lift him up … when Rey comes out with a right hand to the midsection! Dean jumps up in pain, then goes back to Rey … for another punch to the abs. Frustrated, after reeling back in pain, Dean grabs at a doubled over Rey … but Rey quickly scoots out between Dean's legs, runs off the ropes, comes back … and takes him over with an awesome legscissors takedown!
The crowd gets excited as both men get back up, and Rey nails a few cracking kicks to the hamstring of Dean, then pushes him back against the ropes and goes for an Irish whip … but Dean reverses and sends Rey off … and Rey springboards up to the second rope, then comes back with a crossbody block into a hook of the leg … two! The crowd continues to buzz as both men regain their footing, and Dean instantly strikes with a knee to the midsection, then runs off to the ropes, before getting taken over with a hurricanrana from Rey. Dean gets right back up … and Rey is already flying through the air … NAILING AN AMAZING SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT BODYBLOCK ON DEAN! The crowd cheers as Mysterio makes the cover … but he can only get two! Mysterio looks at the referee to confirm it was just a two count, before waiting as Dean gets up and then running off to the ropes … springboard back for another crossbody block … BUT DEAN SWATS HIM DOWN ACROSS HIS KNEE IN A TREMENDOUS COUNTER WITH A RIB BREAKER! Mysterio writhes around the mat in pain, and Simon Dean, knowing this may be his chance for a big win, makes the cover … two!
The Deaner can't believe it as he argues with the referee on his way up, before finally turning back to Rey and noticing him getting up … so he readies himself … THEN GETS REY UP ONTO HIS SHOULDERS IN A FIREMAN'S CARRY POSITION … BUT REY SPINS OUT … AND HITS A PHENOMENAL TORNADO DDT! Dean is up, but he's out on his feet … AND MYSTERIO CHARGES ACROSS TO NAIL THE WHEELBARROW BULLDOG! Dean's face smashes into the mat, then up into the air … AND HE FALLS ACROSS THE SECOND ROPE! MYSTERIO NOTICES THIS AND GOES FOR IT … AND NAILS THE 619! The crowd cheers as Dean falls back into the ring onto his back … AND MYSTERIO SCALES THE TURNBUCKLE … THEN HITS THE FROG SPLASH! Rey makes the cover … and gets the three!
Winner: Rey Mysterio via pinfall @ 6:24
Tony Chimel:
Here is your winner, Rey Mysterio!
The crowd cheers as Mysterio gets back up to his feet and instantly has his hand raised by the referee to signify his victory.
Michael Cole:
Well Simon Dean may not be a cruiserweight, but nonetheless that was an impressive performance from Rey Mysterio, who like Chris Benoit, is perhaps wrestling the best he ever has in his career.
Rey instantly motions for a mic, which he quickly receives from ringside.
And it looks like he has somethin' to say too.
Mysterio's music dies down, leaving the man from the 619 to stand in the middle of the ring, microphone in hand, the only noise being the sound of the crowd continuing to cheer him.
Rey Mysterio:
That was a pretty good match, huh guys?
The crowd responds straight away, giving a big cheer for Rey.
Rey Mysterio:
I thought so too. And y'know, that's what SmackDown! is all about. It's about bringin' the best talent together, and lettin' them get it on for all the great SmackDown! fans.
Rey draws the cheap pop out from the fans with ease.
Rey Mysterio:
And where that's at its best is the cruiserweight division.
Another pop as Mysterio pauses.
Rey Mysterio:
The cruiserweights you see here on SmackDown!, they are some of the best at what they do in the world, and they show you that week in and week out. And the man who epitomises that at the moment is our current Cruiserweight Champion, Kid Kash.
The crowd boos the mention of Kash.
Rey Mysterio:
I know, I don't like him either, but the fact of the matter is that Kid Kash has taken the cruiserweight division to a whole new level since he's been here.
Mysterio again pauses, taking a few steps around the ring.
Rey Mysterio:
Now I know last week I came out here, and I told Kash otherwise. But after thinkin' about it, and seeing all of the guys in the division, each and every week here on Velocity, striving to be as good as Kash, striving to just get
to the gold that he holds, to me, that has shown what Kid Kash has done for the division.
But …
The crowd waits in anticipation as Mysterio pauses and looks down.
Rey Mysterio:
But just because Kid Kash has taken the cruiserweight division to a whole new level, just because he has been a dominant champion, it does NOT make him the greatest cruiserweight of all-time!
Big pop from the crowd.
Rey Mysterio:
There are countless amounts of guys who, like Kash, have taken the cruiserweight division to a new level, and I'd like to think that I'm one of them.
The crowd cheers respectfully.
Rey Mysterio:
Now last week I came out here, and I
Kid Kash what I had done for the division in the past, and y'know what he said? He said that it didn't matter what I had done. I had to prove that I was better than him. Now last week, I took that offensively. I mean, I've been around the cruiserweight division a long time, and while I may have stepped away from it for the past few years, the cruiserweight division is still somethin' I hold close to my heart. But now? Now I see that Kid Kash … Kid Kash was
Mysterio pauses, leaving the crowd silent, as they don't know how to react to that.
Rey Mysterio:
So I'll tell you what. I'm gonna do what Kid Kash said. I'm gonna prove myself by not talking, but
each and every one of you, as well as Kid Kash, what I'm all about in the cruiserweight division!
Pop from the crowd.
Rey Mysterio:
Tomorrow night it's the return of Saturday Night's Main Event, and I think it's only fitting that the return of Rey Mysterio to the cruiserweight division should also take place tomorrow night too. So as of right now, what I'm doin' is laying out an open challenge to
of cruiserweight in the cruiserweight division. It doesn't matter who you are, whether you've wrestled me in the past, or if you're someone like Kid Kash who has never faced me, I will wrestle
cruiserweight in that locker-room that steps up to face me.
Mysterio points to the backstage area as the crowd cheers.
Rey Mysterio:
So Kid Kash, I suggest you watch tomorrow night, because I promise you that I am gonna
you why it is that many consider
and not you the greatest cruiserweight of all-time.
The crowd cheers as Mysterio now drops his mic down with a thud. smiling and nodding away.
Happy to acknowledge the fans, Mysterio now climbs up to the second rope and raises his arms up, drawing an even bigger pop from the crowd than before.
Michael Cole:
Well there you have it, partner. Kid Kash told Rey Mysterio to prove why he deserves a shot at the gold, and tomorrow night he's going to do it against any cruiserweight on the SmackDown! roster.
And good on Rey. There's not many people who are willin' to admit they were wrong, and Rey not only did just that, but he's lookin' to right his wrong tomorrow night. Now what I'm wonderin' is who's gonna step up to the plate?
Michael Cole:
I don't know, Tazz, but whoever it is, we should be in for a treat, tomorrow night at the return of Saturday Night's Main Event.
We get one last glimpse of Mysterio acknowledging the fans, before we then cut away to a locker-room … and we see the
World Heavyweight Champion, Batista
seated on a bench in his tights, rolling his kneepad up his leg to his knee. The crowd gives a huge pop as Batista applies the kneepad to his right knee, then looks to do the same to his left when he sees another man's legs appear next to his.
Both the camera and Batista slowly look up … to see none other than Batista's partner for tonight and challenger come WrestleMania,
Randy Orton
. The crowd gives some good heat as Batista now gets up and goes nose to nose with Orton.
Randy Orton:
Batista speaks through gritted teeth, getting a smirk out of Orton.
Randy Orton:
Dave, Dave, relax. I'm not here to do anything to hurt you. Remember, I'm not going to even
touch you
before WrestleMania.
Orton looks at Batista with a glint in his eyes, scanning the untrusting eyes of 'The Animal'.
Randy Orton:
Bro, you can trust me, remember? Remember last week? Remember …
No Way Out?
Orton smiles away cockily.
Randy, I'm not in the mood for your crap. What do you want?
Randy Orton:
What do I want? Dave, I'm shocked. Why would you think I want something?
Batista looks at Orton coldly, not biting on the bait.
Randy Orton:
Look, I take it as you've been watching RAW, right?
Still untrusting, Batista is slow to answer.
Randy Orton:
Well then you've seen that our opponents tonight, Angle, Cena and Edge, they've been at each other's throats for
. They
each other.
Again, Batista says nothing for a moment.
Randy Orton:
And what I'm thinkin' is you and me, tonight we go out there, and to make sure we win, we stir the pot a little. Y'know … try to get them to turn against one another?
Batista remains expressionless.
Randy, I don't know who you think you're talkin' to, but tonight, I'm just gonna go out there what I do every night, and that's kick some ass.
Pop from the crowd as Orton looks to respond, but Batista looks away, going to sit down, before getting back up and getting right in Orton's face.
Oh, and if you try any of that crap on
… the RAW guys won't be the only ones gettin' their ass kicked.
Batista stares at Orton as the latter gulps.
Got it?
Randy stands nervously, not looking Batista in the eyes.
Randy Orton:
Yeah … I got ya.
Orton starts to back away, leaving Batista to once again sit down, and us to head off to a commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
We now cut to a video package, which begins with the image of a road that we are slowly moving along, Mark Henry hitting The World's Strongest Slam on Rey Mysterio.
The journey is almost complete.
We are now suddenly back on that road, which we are starting to pick up some pace as we go along, before we cut off to see Kurt Angle hitting Edge with the Angle Slam.
The traveling, almost done.
We continue to move down the road, this time getting even faster, before seeing Randy Orton hitting the RKO on The Undertaker.
The destination … is there.
We see the WrestleMania 22 logo in the distance as we continue to speed closer and closer towards it, the logo becoming even larger as we now enter the streets of Chicago … before coming to a screeching halt.
But before we get there, we have just one more trip, down memory lane.
We see a street sign with the words on it 'Memory Lane', while images of Hulk Hogan hitting the Atomic Leg Drop on Andre The Giant, the Hulkster battling with Paul Orndorff, and Andre The Giant now standing tall over Hogan.
Join the superstars of the WWE, as we bring back a tradition from the forefathers of this company.
The images now fade away to be replaced by the Saturday Night's Main Event logo.
We now return back to ringside to be with our announce team.
Michael Cole:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Friday Night SmackDown!, our main event of the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista and Randy Orton taking on Monday Night RAW's WWE Champion, Edge, Kurt Angle and John Cena still to come, and as we just saw, we are just one day away from the return of Saturday Night's Main Event.
That's right, Cole, and four of the five men you just mentioned are gonna be involved at that show tomorrow night.
Michael Cole:
Indeed they are, partner. From Monday Night RAW, it'll be Kurt Angle and John Cena one more time, with the winner set to earn themselves a WWE Title shot against a man who has attempting to dodge both of them for the past few months, Edge.
Edge talked a big game earlier, but whichever of these guys gets to WrestleMania, well, it could be trouble for Edge. Cena and Angle both aren't happy with Edge, and trust me, you don't wanna piss off Kurt Angle and John Cena.
Michael Cole:
Well Edge meanwhile will be involved in a battle of his own, as he represents RAW as the WWE Champion to take on SmackDown!'s very own World Heavyweight Champion, Batista in a Clash of the Champions.
Like I said before, Edge talked big game. Heck, he even said the reason Batista came to SmackDown! wasn't the draft – it was 'cause he was runnin' scared from Edge. Personally I don't agree with that, and I think Batista will show that SmackDown! is indeed the 'A Brand', and that we have the better champion.
Michael Cole:
Speaking of champions, the United States Championship will be on the line when Booker T is finally forced to defend the title against his foe, and a man who looks to be in the best shape of his career, 'The Rabid Wolverine' Chris Benoit.
If ya ask me, SmackDown! General Manager Teddy Long has put Booker T in an unfair position here by givin' Benoit a shot at the title when he never agreed to the stipulation of the match at No Way Out. If Booker wins it's gonna be a heck of an achievement, considerin' this match shouldn't even be happenin'.
Michael Cole:
We'll find out who the number one contenders to the World Tag Team Titles are over on Monday Night RAW, as in a fatal four way tag team match, The Redneck Wrecking Crew will take on The Basham Brothers, V-Squared, and the pairing of the former World's Greatest Tag Team, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin.
Eric Bischoff has forced Haas and Benjamin back together, and to me, if they don't wanna be together, that means they don't wanna win. Look for The Crew to take this match and possibly take back the titles they lost to Kane and the Big Show six months ago when they get their chance at WrestleMania.
Michael Cole:
Matt Hardy will be looking for a shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles with a partner of his choosing this Saturday as he takes on the champions themselves, MNM, in a handicap match. If MNM wins Hardy vows to never speak to them again, but if Hardy wins he will get another shot at the titles with a new partner, after MNM took Shannon Moore out.
MNM all the way for me in this one. They beat Matt Hardy when he had Shannon Moore on his team at No Way Out. Why couldn't they win when it's just Matt?
Michael Cole:
Also from SmackDown! we will see the second ever Belfast Brawl, as in his own special match, Finlay will try to win the war against the undefeated youngster, Bobby Lashley.
We saw a preview of what Finlay could do earlier tonight when he beat Super Crazy in the first Belfast Brawl, and then ALSO left Lashley layin' courtesy of his shillelagh. In his own match, I can't see Finlay losin'. We'll be seein' the same thing as we saw earlier tomorrow night.
Michael Cole:
Perhaps the most personal match on the card comes from RAW, and it's a Street Fight between the son of the boss, Shane McMahon, and the man who has vowed to stand up to the McMahons and, along with his DX partner Triple H, show attitude, Shawn Michaels.
As we saw on RAW, Triple H is banned from the arena for this one, and to me that means Shane's gotta win this one. The McMahons are just gonna have too many tricks up their sleeve for Shawn Michaels.
Michael Cole:
And as we just heard, Rey Mysterio will make his return to the cruiserweight division at Saturday Night's Main Event when he lays out an open challenge to any cruiserweight on the SmackDown! roster.
As I said earlier, I have to give props to Mysterio for doin' this. He's set out to prove what made him a great cruiserweight and earn himself a shot at the Cruiserweight Title.
Michael Cole:
Of course we will also see Mickie James address Trish Stratus, but perhaps most importantly, 'Mr. Pay-Per-View' Rob Van Dam will finally get the chance to explain why he cost The Undertaker his match with JBL back at No Way Out. For those of you who missed it, it was seemingly unprovoked, and certainly unexpected. Let's take a look.
Slowly, both men start to fight against their bodies wishes and pull themself back up to their feet where they once again meet … AND THE UNDERTAKER IMMEDIATELY GRABS JBL BY THE THROAT … BUT JILLIAN HALL CLIMB UP ONTO THE APRON! The Undertaker throws JBL away and goes to stare down Jillian, much like on SmackDown!, before turning … AND JBL, AGAIN LIKE ON SmackDown!, EXPLODES OUT OF THE BLOCKS WITH THE CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL … BUT THE UNDERTAKER DUCKS ... AND JBL CREAMS CHIODA!
The referee is out … NOT THAT 'TAKER CARES AS HE INSTANTLY GRABS JBL BY THE THROAT AGAIN AS HE TURNS … CHOKESLAM CONNECTS! THE UNDERTAKER SLAMS JBL RIGHT DOWN INTO THE MAT WITH A MASSIVE CHOKESLAM!
The crowd cheers as The Undertaker looks right out towards them … THEN SIGNALS FOR THE END! THE END IS NIGH FOR JBL! Not knowing this, the leader of The Cabinet picks himself up with the aid of the ropes, all while being stalked from behind by The Undertaker … AND HE THEN GETS SCOOPED UP! THE UNDERTAKER HAS JBL IN POSITION AS HE TURNS TO FACE THE HARD CAMERA … BUT THEN GETS TAKEN OUT WITH A THRUST KICK!
No one knows how to react as The Undertaker falls to the mat with the flying kick right to his head, the body of JBL also landing right on top of him as RVD looks out to the crowd to a huge mixed reaction … THEN HEADS TO THE CORNER AND GOES UP TOP! EVERYONE IN THE ARENA IS STANDING UP ON THEIR FEET, THE REACTION HUGE AS RVD LAUNCHES HIMSELF … AND HE LANDS ON TOP OF THE UNDERTAKER WITH THE FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH!
RVD rolls around on the mat for a moment from the impact, before getting back up to his feet, looking around … AND GETTING OUT OF DODGE! RVD ROLLS FROM THE RING AND EXITS THROUGH THE CROWD, WHO ARE STILL ALL ON THEIR FEET, UNSURE OF HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE REACTING!
In the ring, both JBL and Mike Chioda are pulling themselves back up to their feet, neither aware of what has transpired. JBL takes a moment to recuperate, shaking his head to try to get his mind straight … before he sees The Undertaker rolling towards the ropes. Layfield has no idea how Undertaker got there, but he knows he's in the commanding position now as he waits on The Undertaker to pull himself back to his feet with the ropes, which he does … THEN TURNS RIGHT INTO THE CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL! JBL WIPES UNDERTAKER OUT WITH THE CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL!
Winner: John 'Bradshaw' Layfield via pinfall @ 19:26
Tony Chimel:
Here is your winner, J – B – L!
The crowd can't believe it … and neither can JBL! The former Texan sits back up and looks around shocked, before having his hand raised by the referee, a toothy grin on his face.
Michael Cole:
What did we just see? Why did … why did RAW's RVD interfere and cost The Undertaker his match with JBL?
I dunno', Cole … I'm … I'm in shock.
We flash through the scenes once more really quickly, before the video package ends.
We slowly fade away from the video and go to a commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
We return from the break back at ringside.
Michael Cole:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Friday Night SmackDown!, where momentarily we will be seeing our main event, but before then, every year on the night before WrestleMania we induct a new class of wrestling legends into the WWE Hall of Fame. Last week we saw our very first inductee was the late, great Eddie Guerrero, and tonight, please help us in welcoming our second inductee into the class of 2006.
We now cut away from that video package to be backstage in the interview area, our lovely interviewer Kristal Marshall standing by, looking as pretty as always.
Kristal Marshall:
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my guest at this time, the Cruiserweight Champion of the world, Kid Kash!
The crowd gives some great heat as the aforementioned
Cruiserweight Champion, Kid Kash
steps into view, smirking arrogantly, title hanging from his shoulder.
Kristal Marshall:
Well Kid Kash, earlier tonight we heard from Rey Mysterio, and he promised that tomorrow night he would show you why he deserves a shot at your title in his open challenge to any cruiserweight on the roster. Your response?
Kid Kash:
What can I say? I mean, you probably want me to talk about how gutsy it is for Rey Mysterio to admit he was wrong, tell the truth, and say that he knows he was wrong. That he has to prove himself. But ya know what? Even though you people love and respect Rey Mysterio, I'm not gonna do that, because there's a whole lot more Rey Mysterio is gonna have to do before he earns
The crowd boos as Kash smirks away.
Kid Kash:
Ya see, last week, Rey Mysterio came out, an' what he did was blatantly lie to not just me, but all of his fans. Rey Mysterio came out, and he hid behind his lies and his propaganda, sayin' that
is a better cruiserweight than
, claimin' that my "opinion" that I'm the greatest cruiserweight of all-time is wrong. But ya see what Rey Mysterio doesn't understand is that I don't deal with opinions. I deal with
, and 'The Notorious K.I.D' being the greatest cruiserweight of all-time certainly isn't an opinion. It's a fact.
Heat from the crowd.
Kid Kash:
And Rey Mysterio knows that. Heck, every goddamn person who knows a single thing about professional wrestlin'
that I am God's gift to the cruiserweight division. But Rey Mysterio, he tried to pretend it wasn't true. He came out an' he told all his fans that he was greater than me, and ya know what? They believed him. They ate it up. An' that … that makes me
Heat as Kash scowls.
Kid Kash:
Rey knows the truth. He
that he isn't even
to being on my level, an' yet he still tells these people, these so-called "fans", that he's better than me. Well if those
in the crowd had any idea about wrestlin', if they really were the fans that they claim to be, then they would already know that all Rey is doin' is spoutin' a bunch of crap.
The crowd continues to boo the cheap shot.
Kid Kash:
They would already know that Kid Kash is the moneyman of the cruiserweight division. An' they would already know that their hero, Rey Mysterio, wouldn't stand a chance against me, 'cause he may be like Juventud, he may be their masked hero, here to save the day, but just like Juventud, the hero can be beaten, the hero can be
, 'cause he's not just up against any good guy, or any bad guy. He's up against me. He's up against
the man
More heat from the crowd.
Kid Kash:
So Rey, I don't know what you plan on showin' me tomorrow night other than that you still are and always be inferior to 'Mr. Money' Kid Kash.
Some more heat, which just keeps picking up.
Kid Kash:
I don't care what you've done elsewhere, Rey, 'cause this ain't about the heavyweight division here. This is the
division, and even if ya did make this division, even if you did bring it over to America, what ya gotta learn is that it's not your division any more. It's
, and I don't
plan on givin' it back.
Kash looks right into the camera, intensity brimming from his eyes.
Kid Kash:
Ya get it, Rey? Got it? …
The crowd continues to boo as Kash then smirks, readjusts his title over his shoulder and walks from view, happy with the message he has sent. Having heard from Kash, we now cut back to ringside to hear …
The crowd absolutely ERUPTS into heat as none other than Monday Night RAW's champion, the
WWE Champion, Edge
emerges out through the smoke which seeps out from the arena floor, wearing his 'Rated-R Superstar' wrestling tights, tee and beanie, along with the WWE Title around his waist, and his lovely girlfriend
on his arm. Having stepped through the smoke, the duo look out at the crowd with a look of disapproval, before looking at one another and coming together for a bit of a peck. Smiles now on their faces, the dastardly duo begin their descent towards the SmackDown! ring.
Tony Chimel:
The following contest is a three on two handicap match, and it is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Toronto, Onatrio, Canada, weighing 245 lbs, he is the WWE Champion, 'The Rated-R Superstar', Edge!
Michael Cole:
Earlier tonight we heard from this man Edge, who is making his first appearance on SmackDown! for over three years, and RAW's WWE Champion was less than happy to be here, with some disparaging remarks not just directed at his opponent tomorrow night, Batista, but also to you and I, Tazz.
Y'know, respect is a big thing in the wrestling business, and to me, you gotta have respect fro where you came from. Edge may be the WWE Champion now, but he came from SmackDown! originally, and if it wasn't for the people on this show that helped him along the way, who knows what he would be. He mightn't be WWE Champion. He mightn't even have a job.
Edge makes his way down the ramp with his girlfriend Lita, then slides into the ring, watching as Lita climbs up the steps and steps over the middle rope, before the champ bounces back up to his feet and shows off the gold that he treasures.
The crowd goes wild with a reaction equal to that of Edge's, only this is all cheers as out from the back storms
Kurt Angle
. Angle wastes no time in charging out to the ramp, where he then stops to slap his head a few times and throw his arms up into the air, setting off his red, blue and white pyro, which flies off everywhere.
Tony Chimel:
His partners, first, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, weighing 238 lbs, Kurt Angle!
Michael Cole:
Up until June of last year Kurt Angle had always been a SmackDown! superstar, and now he makes his return to the blue brand tonight, but will Angle be looking to win, or will he possibly looking to inflict punishment on his two partners?
Well I heard that RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff has threatened Angle, Cena and Edge that they better not come to blows, else some hefty fines might be comin' their way. Thing is, I'm not quite sure Angle really cares about what Bischoff has to say.
Angle charges on down the rest of the ramp and climbs up into the ring, prompting Edge, despite being his partner tonight, to scoot on out to the outside of the ring.
The reaction is absolutely massive as out from the back runs the former WWE Champion,
John Cena
. Wearing his usual attire of jean shorts and a Cena merchandise tee, 'The Champ' excites the crowd on either side of the ramp, before then beginning to make his way down to the ring.
Tony Chimel:
Their partner, from West Newbury, Massachesetts, weighing 245 lbs, John Cena!
Michael Cole:
We talked about respect, partner, and if we're going to talk about respect, we have to mention that this man John Cena is all about respect. He too is a product of the SmackDown! brand, but he's learnt to respect where he comes from, and he knows how much this brand has done for him.
And Cena did a lot for us here on SmackDown! too. He's playin' for the opposition team now though, so hopefully it's not necessarily a happy return to SmackDown! for John Cena.
Cena now storms his way down the ramp and joins Kurt Angle in the ring, locking eyes with him, as Edge now cautiously climbs up onto the apron.
The crowd now gives a VERY heated reaction for the third generation superstar
Randy Orton
, who struts out from the back, confidence at a maximum as shown by the smirk on his face. 'The Legend Killer' ignores the abuse from the fans as he stops at the top of the ramp, then reaches his arms out in his classic pose, a golden rain of pyro falling behind him as he does so.
Tony Chimel:
Their opponents, first, from St. Louis, Missouri, weighing 245 lbs, he is the 2006 Royal Rumble winner, 'The Legend Killer' Randy Orton!
Michael Cole:
Randy Orton is a man who knows of the problems that the RAW men have had, and earlier tonight he suggested to Batista that they attempt to exploit these problems to win, which Batista shot down instantly. Is it possible that Batista thinks Orton is also thinking the same way about him?
Oh no doubt, Batista thinks Orton is comin' up with ideas about how to get in his head too, but as Randy has said, Batista can trust him. Orton wants a fair match at WrestleMania so he can truly show who the better man to come out of Evolution was.
Orton swaggers his way on down the ramp, arm raised up in the air, pointing to the sky as he does so, before stopping at ringside, not wanting to jump in the ring with the RAW guys, instead waiting for his partner, along with the rest of us as his music dies down.
The reaction from the crowd is nothing short of monstrous as out from the back runs the
World Heavyweight Champion, Batista
. Much like Cena earlier, Batista runs to either side of the stage to play it up to his hometown fans, getting them even more fired up, before he then does his own thing by coming to the middle of the stage and setting off his explosive set of pyrotechnics.
Tony Chimel:
His partner, from Washington D.C., weighing 295 lbs, he is the World Heavyweight Champion, 'The Animal' Batista!
Michael Cole:
When you think about respect you think about this man, Batista. He knows where he came from, and tonight he returns there, not just on his home brand of Friday Night SmackDown!, but also to his hometown here in Washington D.C.
This reaction is off the chain! Batista's gotta be excited tonight to be home, and hopefully he can channel that excitement, and along with Randy Orton, he can send those RAW boys back to where they belong on RAW.
Batista marches his way down the ramp and glances at Orton, before the duo climb into the ring, Batista posing with his gold once he does, while Orton looks on at him, and more specifically, the title that he holds.
Match Five
Three On Two Handicap Tag Team Match:
WWE Champion
Edge, Kurt Angle & John Cena
w/Lita vs.
Randy Orton &
World Heavyweight Champion
The crowd buzzes as the superstars of RAW all climb up to the apron, with Edge being the man to step into the ring, staring into the eyes of the man who he will face tomorrow night in the Clash of the Champions, Batista. Smirking, Big Dave raises his eyebrow, almost surprised Edge would dare to step in the ring with him. Edge, though, tries not to look worried, stroking his facial hair, before he begins to circle the ring, prompting Batista to do the same. Remaining calm, Dave looks at ease, in stark comparison to Edge, who is on the edge as he continues to circle around the ring, before coming back to his corner and suddenly turning around and tagging Kurt Angle into the match. Angle glares at Edge initially, not approving of his cowardice, before he then steps over the middle rope and climbs into the ring, joining Batista. With Angle now his opponent, Batista suddenly snaps into a more serious mode, locking his eyes in on Angle as the two bulls look at one another, then come forward and lock up for the very first time. The intensity in the ring is amazing as Angle tries to force Batista back to no avail, before Batista then unloads with his power and runs Angle back into the corner.
Happy to provide a clean break, Batista backs away and hops around, ready to lockup a second time. Angle, never one to back down from a challenge, rushes forward, again trying to prove his power to Batista, but again Batista is able to use his amazing power to send Angle back to the corner. For the second time Batista is willing to give a clean break, then moving back to the middle of the ring to again bounce around as Angle wipes his hand across his face, then comes forward a little more slowly, before again moving forward for a lockup … or so Batista thought, as Angle goes low when Batista comes at him, taking him down with a double leg takedown. Out of his element, 'The Animal' struggles as Angle picks his legs, only for Batista to try to roll away, prompting Angle to float over him and grab a front face lock. Batista, however, would not be held down, and he powers to his feet with Angle still holding the front face lock … before lifting Angle up with ridiculous ease … and throwing him across the ring!
The crowd applauds the raw strength of their hometown hero as Angle gets up and looks at Batista in shock … before the giant body of Batista suddenly smothers Angle, charging towards him and then forcing him back into the corner to unload with some heavy right hands! The crowd cheers as Batista goes wild on Angle, taking advantage of the referee's count, before whipping Angle out of the corner hard, causing him to hit the opposite turnbuckle and stagger out in pain, nursing his back, right into a huge clothesline from 'The Animal'! The crowd cheers as Batista makes the cover … two. Getting to his feet, 'The Animal' grabs Angle in a front face lock, much like Angle had him in before, and drags Angle over to his corner, looking to tag in Randy Orton … but Orton doesn't make the tag! Batista looks at him and shouts "Tag me", but Orton remains still … and Angle takes advantage of the pause to nail some hard shots to the midsection of Batista, causing him to break the hold. Angle then follows right up by grabbing Batista by the skull and running him to the corner to slam his head down into the turnbuckle, before he follows up by lambasting 'The Animal' with right hands, European uppercuts and kicks. Still a little groggy from the shots from Batista, Angle leaves Batista in the corner, and now staggers across to tag in John Cena to a huge mixed reaction.
Cena rushes across the ring and makes sure to keep Batista cornered, hitting him with some heavy punches to the midsection, before pulling Batista out of the corner and sending him off with an Irish whip, leading into a sit out hip toss on the rebound! Cena makes the cover … two. Following the kickout Cena gets right up, not worrying about the failed pin attempt, instead focusing on continuing the job as he hits some more measured right hands to Batista, causing him to go a bit wobbly, before again Irish whipping him and this time catching the big man with a clothesline on the rebound. Looking for an early victory, Cena again drops into a cover … and again gets two. Once again though, Cena is right back up, and this time he kicks away at Batista, before dragging him up and over to the corner to tag in Kurt Angle again … when Edge makes the blind tag in! The crowd boos as Edge comes into the ring, much to the shock of Cena and Angle, who Edge tells to "Watch and learn". Edge then starts to hammer away on Batista, taking him away from his corner in the process so neither Cena nor Angle can make the tag, and to a neutral corner, where he is able to unload with right hands, kicks, and then choke Batista to the annoyance of the Washington D.C. crowd.
Edge doesn't care if he gets booed though, and he shows that by coming out of the corner and raising his arms sarcastically, gaining even more heat, before going back to the corner … right into a big right from Big Dave! The crowd explodes with a pop as Batista hits a second, prompting Edge to panic and shove his finger into the eye of 'The Animal'. This brings the RAW team back on top, and despite their lack of cohesion, which brings about a few spot fires, they are able to keep control of the World Heavyweight Champion for an extended period, much to the surprise of Cole & Tazz at the announce desk. Batista, however, isn't the World Heavyweight Champion for nothing, and he refuses to quit, fighting out of a submission attempt from Edge with the bodyscissors and getting back to his feet to rock Edge with some big rights. Much like earlier, Edge panics and rakes the eyes, then this time staggers across to tag in Kurt Angle. Angle comes into the ring and instantly charges up behind Batista … LOOKING FOR A GERMAN SUPLEX … BUT BATISTA STANDS HIS GROUND AND NAILS A FEW ELBOWS, CAUSING ANGLE TO STAGGER BACK, THEN CHARGE BACK IN AT DAVE … HUGE FALLING CLOTHESLINE FROM BATISTA!
Both men are down on the mat, the crowd clapping Batista on as both he and Angle slowly crawl towards their respective corners … and they make the tags! In comes 'The Legend Killer' Randy Orton, and 'The Champ' John Cena … and Orton is on fire, instantly taking Cena down with a big running right hand. Cena gets back up and is instantly rocked with a European uppercut from Orton, sending him right back down, before he gets up and gets struck with another that sends him staggering all of the way back to the corner. Orton follows the former WWE Champion in and begins to hammer away on him with a mixture of right hands and kicks, sending him down to a seated position, before turning and seeing Kurt Angle charging into the ring, prompting Orton to kick Angle in the midsection … THEN GET HIM IN A GUTWRENCH … HOIST HIM UP … AND DROP HIM WITH A SICK ELEVATED NECKBREAKER, RIGHT ONTO HIS SURGICALLY REPAIRED NECK! The crowd gives a mixed reaction as Orton sees Edge standing on the apron, not wanting to get involved, only to be caught off guard when Orton charges across and strikes him with a big right hand, before turning to see an oncoming Cena looking for a clothesline … but Orotn ducks … then grabs Cena … INVERTED BACKBREAKER FROM ORTON! Orton makes the cover … just two!
Orton looks a bit frustrated as he sits up, before getting back to his feet … AND MOTIONING FOR CENA TO GET UP! ORTON IS READY FOR THE RKO! CENA SLUGGISHLY GETS BACK TO HIS FEET, THE PAIN CLEAR AS HE GIVES HIS BACK TO ORTON, THEN TURNS … AND ORTON LEAPS FOR THE RKO … BUT CENA PUSHES HIM OFF! ORTON TURNS … FIREMAN'S CARRY! CENA HAS ORTON UP … F-U … NO! ORTON SLIPS OUT THE BACK THEN TURNS CENA AROUND … AND ROCKS HIM WITH A HUGE LARIAT! Orton remains on his hands and knees for a moment, before doing something he hasn't done in quite some time in heading to the corner and up to the top rope. The crowd cheers as Orton slowly gets up, being in relatively unfamiliar territory, before he sees Cena gets up and he leaps for the crossbody block … but Cena ducks out of the way, and Orton crashes and burns! This again leads to some dominance from the RAW guys, who, despite their differences, prove their individual ability. Showing the tenacity it takes to be a Royal Rumble winner and outlast twenty-nine other men, Orton battles on with his opposition, not allowing them to keep him down for a three count. This starts to slowly frustrate the RAW team, in particular, Edge, who even following up from an Edge-o-matic, cannot pick up the pinfall victory. Deciding that if that can't get the job done, then there's only one move that can, Edge steps back to the corner and crouches down as Orton slowly starts to stand. Ignoring calls from his partners that it is too soon, Edge readies himself as Orton turns … THEN DASHES TOWARDS HIM … SPEAR … NO, ORTON COMES OUT WITH A BEAUTIFUL DROPKICK THAT HITS EDGE RIGHT ON THE BUTTON!
Both men go down, and the crowd buzzes as they both start to stir, Orton headed for their hometown boy, Edge just looking to regain his bearings after being knocked silly. Inch by inch, Orton gets closer and closer … and he makes the tag to Batista! The crowd goes bonkers as Batista climbs into the ring and immediately runs at Edge, taking him right back down with a hard shoulder tackle. Edge gets back up again, perhaps on instinct more than anything else to receive another shoulder tackle, before Batista picks him up and sends him off with an Irish whip, then scores with a reverse elbow on the rebound. 'The Animal' then looks to drop down and make the cover, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Kurt Angle climbing into the ring and beginning to charge towards him, so he sends Angle down with a big clothesline … and then Cena with a big back body drop when he attempts the same thing as Angle! Batista now turns back to Edge and sees him getting back up, so he suddenly bulrushes him back into the corner and hits numerous shoulder thrusts, before hurling him off across to the other side of the ring … leading into him squashing his foe with a corner clothesline! Batista confidently steps back from the corner as Edge staggers towards him, before nailing him with a sidewalk slam and hooking the leg … two!
Batista gets back to his feet and shakes his head in frustration … when suddenly Kurt Angle rushes up from behind Batista … GERMAN SUPLEX! Batista grabs at the back of his head … BUT ANGLE SHOWS NO MERCY, KEEPING HIS HANDS LOCKED … AND NAILING A SECOND … AND THEN A THIRD! The crowd gives a mixed reaction for their hero being thrown around as Angle pops back up to his feet and screams with intensity … THEN SEES ORTON CHARGING … DUCKS A CLOTHESLINE … ANGLE SLAM … NO, ORTON SLIPS OUT AND PUSHES ANGLE TOWARDS THE CORNER WHERE JOHN CENA RISES … AND ANGLE STOPS JUST BEFORE CENA! A near disaster was avoided there as Angle now turns around and sees Orton charging, so he sidesteps him and throws him … SHOULDER FIRST INTO JOHN CENA! Angle then grabs Orton from behind … ANGLE SLAM! ANGLE CONNECTS WITH THE ANGLE SLAM! The crowd cheers that as Angle gets back up to his feet and starts to undo the straps … when he's confronted by an angry John Cena! Cena asks Angle what in the hell he thinks he's doing, and the two start to get nasty, shouting abuse at each other … AND ANGLE TAKES THE FIRST SHOT! THIS ONE IS ON AS THE TWO FIERY SUPERSTARS TRADE HUGE HAYMAKERS … BEFORE ANGLE TAKES CENA DOWN … AND THEY TRADE SHOTS ON THE FLOOR … THEN ROLL FROM THE RING AND GO ALL OF THE WAY UP THE RAMP! THEY ARE GOING WILD!
In the ring Edge looks at his two teammates leaving, then turns back to see Batista getting up, still struggling from the German suplexes, nursing his head … AND EDGE QUICKLY GOES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE, GRABBING HIM FOR THE EDGECUTION … BUT BATISTA SPINS OUT OF IT … SPINEBUSTER! BATISTA DRIVES EDGE INTO THE MAT! The crowd goes wild as Batista storms up to his feet and begins to shake the ropes manically, doing his best Ultimate Warrior impression and taking an extra long time for his home fans, before turning back to see Edge starting to struggle up … AND ORTON READY FOR THE RKO! ORTON WAITS ON EDGE TO GET UP … AND BIG DAVE ISN'T HAPPY, CONFRONTING HIM! The two men, much like Cena and Angle, exchange some heated words, completely losing their focus … AND EDGE COMES FROM BEHIND BATISTA AND PUSHES HIM FORWARD TO CLASH HEADS WITH ORTON, SENDING ORTON DOWN! BATISTA TURNS GROGGILY … SPEAR! EDGE SPEARS THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OUT OF HIS BOOTS! The crowd boos as Edge hooks the leg … and gets the three.
Winners: Edge, Kurt Angle & John Cena via pinfall @ 14:52
Tony Chimel:
Here are your winners, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and the WWE Champion, Edge!
Edge gets back up to his feet, a sinister look on his face following the Spear, then demands that the referee raise his hand in the air, having handed him the WWE Title. The crowd shits all over the result, disappointed their hometown boy lost, but if Edge cared he sure wasn't showing it.
Michael Cole:
It looked like SmackDown! had that match in the bag with a two on one situation and Edge down, but tempers have flared, and maybe, just maybe Batista now has reason to believe that Randy Orton is still the man he thinks he is.
What, 'cause Orton was tryin' ta pick up the win for his team? Nuh uh, Cole, that ain't gonna slide. This was Batista's fault 'cause he had to go for the glory.
Michael Cole:
Whatever the case, Edge picks up the win just one night from facing Batista in the Clash of the Champions at Saturday Night's Main Event tomorrow night, and ladies and gentlemen, I implore you, tune in to see that, because not only is it the Clash of the Champions, but it's also three blockbuster hours of wrestling with WrestleMania implications everywhere to be seen. Until tomorrow night folks, good night here from Washington D.C.
The crowd continues to boo as Edge raises his title overhead, standing above Batista, leaving us to fade to black.
March 4th, 2006 | Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, Michigan
Clash of the Champions
WWE Champion Edge
World Heavyweight Champion Batista
United States Championship:
Booker T ©
Chris Benoit
Belfast Brawl:
Bobby Lashley
Street Fight:
Shawn Michaels
Shane McMahon
Number One Contender to the WWE Championship:
Kurt Angle
John Cena
Number One Contender to the World Tag Team Championships; Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match:
Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin
The Basham Brothers
The Redneck Wrecking Crew
Rey Mysterio Cruiserweight Invitational:
Rey Mysterio
Handicap Match:
Matt Hardy
Rob Van Dam calls out The Undertaker
Mickie James calls out Women's Champion, Trish Stratus
April 2nd, 2006 | Allstate Arena; Rosemont, Illinois
World Heavyweight Championship:
Randy Orton
Batista ©
Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
Gregory Helms
Mr. Kennedy
Paul London
vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ???
Last edited by BkB Hulk : 06-30-2010 at
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Re: The World Wrestling Entertainment
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Opening the show with the Belfast Brawl? Awesome choice, imo. I loved the attack before the show had even begun, it really shows off Finlay's mean streak, which he is going to need heading into war with Lashley at SNME. When you told me you had written this match as a spot fest, I was hoping you were over exaggerating a little, but you weren't. Whilst they are entertaining at times, with a guy who owns as hard as Finlay, I would have much preferred if you at least included some in ring psychology into this match, but it simply didn't happen. With that being said, you allowed Crazy to show some resiliency, and Finlay looks like a badass, heading into his match with Lashley at SNME.
I was worried for a moment that you were going to give Finlay a fair promo, so I was happy he was kept short and sweet. I really didn't expect him to callout Lashley, I thought he'd just issue a warning, although their confrontation was pretty fantastic. JBL getting involved was alright, considering what went down last week, please no JBL/Lashley at 'Mania, although Finlay is the man who came out of this segment looking like a million bucks. A good start to the show.
As usual, you've got JBL's character down pretty well. His arguments were all great, gloating over all his achievements, including the "clean" victory over The Undertaker. I even enjoyed the part about the title shots he should have got, it's all typical JBL, although I didn't like JBL mentioning Teddy Long's old friendship with Mark Henry. It just seemed really unnecessary, considering how much Teddy has changed since then.
Mr Kennedy on commentary is win, although I must say, having Cole own him with the Mysterio line was a disgrace.
Unlike the opening contest, London/Kendrick was a fucking HUGE joy to read. The friendship stayed pretty tight throughout the match to, which you showed at times, which is always good, and whilst I can't see London winning the MITB ladder match, and I think you've just put him in for some cool spots, this match definitely did a whole lot of good for both guys.
CM Punk straight after 'Mania, please.
Matt Hardy's interview wasn't that bad, although it just seemed like a bunch of "feel sorry for me" crap. I know that might sound a bit harsh, but it didn't really have any personality to it, besides his never say die spirit, so this promo really didn't do anything for me.
A strong win for Benoit, second in a row in a short amount of time if I'm thinking straight. Not much else to say really.
Benoit promo was a lot like Hardy promo, in character but boring. I doubt Benoit would call Booker a little bitch though, not on Smackdown anyway. OJ? Clapping? That's rather gay of him. Despite this, I'm still not sure who OJ will side with tomorrow night.
A typical Edge promo here, insulting his old stomping grounds, before having a crack at Batista. I loved the cracks at Matthews, Cole and Tazz to. These are more of the type of promos I want to see on Smackdown, it really is a shame this one came from a Raw guy.
Much like the Edge promo above, MNM, or should I say Melina's promo was very good. I'm not too sure I like all this hick business, but that's just me. Anyway. Melina was good, and she accepted the match for SNME which is always good. I'm guessing Jeff is going to stick his ugly head in the picture sometime soon then?
I love how you acknowledge Simon Dean as not a bad talent in this thread, it really makes me happy. Anyway, glad you made Dean look okay in this one, although it was always about Mysterio, and in the end, it did the job, as Rey looks quite impressive with the win.
Honestly, Mysterio's promo started off tremendously bad with the line about it being a good match, and then talking about competition, it was generic, face shit, that I really felt wasn't needed. Once he got into talking about the Cruiserweight division it really improved, and just so you know, if you don't book Mysterio/Noble for SNME, this angle is a failure.
Once again, I feel as if this Orton/Tista business is coming to soon after Eddie/Batista shit, but I guess I will have to live with it. Anyway, this segment was good, loved the amount of tension you displayed between the two, and tonight's main event should be rather awesome.
From what you've told me SNME should be rather great, I'm really excited.
As I was just saying in Wolfy's SD review, I enjoy reading the commentary hype for the big events for some reason, so uhh, good work there.
Good to show the replay of RVD/Taker again to. HYPE~!
Kash's interview was nice, and he actually had some good points, which makes the promo rather effective. With that being said, I don't like the constant comparison to Juventud, because Juvi at his best couldn't lace Rey's boots. Besides this, another sweet promo, I'm really happy they've picked up, as first half of the show was a little lacklustre.
Honestly, as I said to you on msn, CBF with summarizing everything, but this main event was AMAZING. Not only was it a really fun read, but it did its job, showing tension with the Raw main event, showing Orton's newly found attitude, and getting some heat between Edge and 'Tista for SNME. Awesome stuff.
Honestly, the first half of this show wasn't that great, but the second half definitely made up for it. Another good show, hyping SNME wonderfully, great stuff, BKB.
Last edited by Stojy : 07-01-2010 at
Page 20 of 37
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