Smackdown
Date: October 10, 2008
Location: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Things have gotten interesting around here as Jeff Hardy’s rise to the top has stalled again, this time after a loss to HHH in a heck of a title match at No Mercy. HHH isn’t getting a breath though as he is defending the title against Big Show this week. That makes sense as Big Show defeated the Undertaker at the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Big Show wrecking Undertaker at No Mercy and beating him via KO. Undertaker’s eyes looked gone and that was quite the visual.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero, with Chavo Guerrero, is in the ring to get things going. She rants about how two weeks ago, she wasn’t wearing her neck brace until she was brutally and SAVAGELY attacked by the Undertaker. She can still hear the sounds of her vertebrae compressing and TO THIS DAY, she can feel the pain going down her spine (you can imagine the crowd’s reactions).

But then at No Mercy, Undertaker got his when he was dominated and humiliated by Big Show. That’s why Show is challenging HHH for the World Title tonight, which brings Show out to join us. Show has heard the fans cheering for the Undertaker and it meant nothing compared to his fist. We see what is either the same video from the opening or something close enough to it that it doesn’t matter before Show brags about knocking out a bunch of people.

As for tonight, HHH is going to know exactly what hits him and Show will be the new champion. Cue Vladimir Kozlov, who makes it clear that he’s coming for whomever leaves with the title. Show recommends against that due to the whole “I’m a giant” thing, plus he’s an AMERICAN (oh geez). And that’s how it ends, which is probably for the better.

Brie Bella vs. Natalya Neidhart

Victoria is here with Natalya. They go straight to the mat to start with Bella hammering away. Back up and Bella slips off the ropes but is right back up with a bunch of forearms in a nice recovery. Natalya blasts her with a heck of a discus clothesline but Bella gets in a quick two off a sunset flip.

That’s enough for Bella to try her dive underneath the ring, though Victoria cuts her off. Well she cuts her off for a bit, as Hornswoggle pops her up to chase Victoria away. Brie comes out from the other side of the ring but then goes back under, popping out from the other side faster than humanly possible. Natalya is so confused that she gets crucifixed for the fast pin.

Rating: C. Yeah we get it. They’re pretty much this close to revealing the thing with Bella and there’s not much point to keeping it a secret any longer. We get the idea now and while it’s clever, it isn’t something that feels like it has the longest shelf life. That being said, it might be nice to have something different in the division, which is still coming together.

We look at John Cena’s neck injury at Summerslam and his ensuing surgery.

Funaki is practicing his interviews when R-Truth comes in to say Funaki needs a microphone. R-Truth wants to get to know him a bit better, including his full name. As it turns out, Funaki’s middle name is Fu, his last name is Naki, and his first name is….Kung. R-Truth can go with that and sings a modified Kung Fu Fighting, complete with various rhymes about Funaki and Japan. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. No, this isn’t on the Peacock version.

HHH is voting on the guest referee for Chris Jericho vs. Batista when Jeff Hardy comes in. Hardy thought they had an amazing match and praises HHH for retaining. He even wishes HHH luck tonight, but he’s coming for the winner either way.

R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title and before the match, Benjamin says that in these rough economic times, you can still bet on gold. Yeah this gimmick is still horrid. Benjamin drives him into the corner to start, with some knees and forearms putting R-Truth down. They go outside to keep up the beating but R-Truth manages to fight back inside. One heck of a clothesline gives Benjamin a delayed two and we hit the chinlock. This one stays on for a good while until R-Truth suplexes his way to freedom for two of his own. R-Truth’s spinning forearm gets two more so Benjamin tries a tilt-a-whirl, which is reversed into a cradle to give R-Truth the fast pin.

Rating: C. I’m not big on the idea of a champion losing like this but it’s a fast way to make R-Truth feel like a bigger deal. That could take him somewhere sooner than later and it’s not like Benjamin’s title reign has meant much in the slightest. The match wasn’t much to see, though the ending was a nice surprise.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

During MVP’s entrance, Gregory Helms pops up, begging MVP to actually win a match. Apparently MVP gets a big bonus if he wins one more match, which is a logical enough incentive. They fight over a small package to start with MVP taking him down for some near falls. Hardy is back up with a knockdown but it’s way too early for the Swanton, with MVP bailing out to the floor as we take an early break.

We come back with MVP firing off some knees to the chest, followed by a knee drop for two. The seated abdominal stretch has Hardy in more trouble and a waistlock keeps him down. Hardy fights up but can’t break the hold, with MVP ramming him into the corner in a smart move. In traditional wrestling logic though, Hardy gets out even faster and hits the Whisper In The Wind for two of his own, followed by a dropkick into the corner. There’s the slingshot dropkick to the chest, followed by another to the back for a bit of a twist. The Swanton finishes MVP off.

Rating: C+. Well, this was about as good of a match as you were going to have when so much of it was spent with MVP working on the bad ribs. That’s a case where it made sense but might not have been the most interesting situation. Hardy does at least get a win back after Sunday, which he needs if he’s staying in the title picture. At the same time, MVP is not going to be thrilled by his loss, which could lead to a fun chase as he tries to get that last win.

Post match Vladimir Kozlov comes out and goes after Hardy, who is quickly headbutted out of the air.

Video on HHH.

We go to a carnival and meet Kizarny, who speaks carny and is coming to Smackdown. Ok then.

Jesse & Festus/Colons vs. Kenny Dykstra/Ryan Braddock/Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

This seems to exist as an excuse to get Maria, serving as guest ring announcer, on the show and….well it makes sense. Gregory Helms pops up to mock Dykstra’s team for not being the most intimidating. Festus clears the ring at the bell, as tends to be his custom but Carlito starts by springboard moonsaulting Hawkins for an early two.

Ryder comes in for a kick to the back and the villains start taking turns on Carlito. Dykstra’s middle rope ax handle gets two and some elbows to the neck set up a chinlock. Carlito fights out again and brings Festus in for the house cleaning, including a running seated senton to Dykstra. Everything breaks down and Braddock is sent outside, leaving Festus to hit the fireman’s carry flapjack for the pin on Dykstra.

Rating: D+. Again, there was no reason for this match to exist save for I’m guessing having Maria on TV. It’s not like these people (including the Tag Team Champions) have much going on at the moment and putting them in an eight man tag which barely ran three minutes isn’t going to do much to fix things. Just a quick match here and nothing important.

Post match Festus kind of stalks Maria, with Jesse getting him out of there.

We look at Big Show knocking out various people.

John Cena came to Smackdown the day of his surgery. In case you thought he was normal at any point.

Great Khali vs. ???/???/???

Before the match, Runjin Singh recaps Khali’s issues with Johnny Knoxville and kissing Lilian Garcia on Raw. Two of the three guys run away and the third is chopped for the pin in about fifteen seconds.

Post match Khali does the Kiss Cam again and kisses a woman who is a big bigger, with Singh asking for her weight but then dropping it. Khali eventually kisses her and poses.

Raw Rebound.

We look back at Jeff Hardy beating MVP but getting taken out by Vladimir Kozlov.

Kozlov is ready to destroy Hardy next week.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Big Show

HHH is defending. We get the Big Match Intros until HHH ducks a shot in the corner and slugs away to no avail. Show sends him outside but misses a charge into the post to actually stagger him. Back in and the side slam plants HHH in a hurry and we take a break. We come back with HHH in a neck crank and getting cranked for a long time. The standing legdrop gives Show two but he misses a charge into the corner.

HHH jumps on his back for the sleeper, which still won’t put Show down. The facebuster doesn’t work either and the Pedigree is countered into an Air Raid Crash. The big right hand misses so Show goes with the chokeslam to drop HHH instead. Show loads up the punch again but the lights go out and the Undertaker is here to brawl with Show to the back. And that’s the match.

Rating: C. Well that was just kind of a way to keep Undertaker vs. Show going and that’s not the most thrilling way to go. If nothing else, it would be nice to have Undertaker sell the beating from No Mercy. Otherwise, it just makes the whole thing seem like an annoyance which didn’t do anything to Undertaker long term. It was a way out of the title match though, and at least Show didn’t lose his momentum so soon after looking dominant at the pay per view.

Post match Vladimir Kozlov comes out and brawls with HHH, even dropping him with a headbutt to the chest. Jeff Hardy runs in and helps HHH clear him out…and then drops HHH with the Twist Of Fate. A staredown with Kozlov ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one as the wrestling was just ok and it was much more about setting things up for later. Kozlov is one of the new big bads around here and I’m not sure how well that’s going. He’s not very interesting and Show going with the American thing isn’t a great sign. In other words, it feels like another roadblock to Hardy getting the title, which is what the fans want to see right now. The rest of the show wasn’t much to see and hopefully that gets better. I’m not exactly certain it will with Kozlov as a focus, but the power of Hardy is strong.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 12, 2008
Location: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Tazz, Jim Ross

We’re done with Unforgiven and HHH is still the World Champion, being the only champion to survive the Championship Scramble. It’s clear that Jeff Hardy is coming for the title though and that should make for a big story to close out the year. The other big story saw Big Show attacking Undertaker on Vickie Guerrero’s behalf, which can’t go well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Unforgiven if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Championship Scramble.

Opening sequence.

Here is HHH to get things going. HHH says we need to see Unforgiven, even if it’s buying the DVD (and not just because he gets good residuals). He recaps the big events on the show, including Rey Mysterio’s crazy mohawk. Only one man walked in as champion and walked out as champion (aside from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase I guess) and that was him. It was a difficult match but he found a way with one second left.

Cue Jeff Hardy to interrupt and say that HHH is awesome. The locker room, including Hardy, respects him because he’s a legend. HHH says he respects Hardy for being an individual who is always reaching for the brass ring, but he is just one step away. Hardy says maybe that’s true, or maybe he never had the right people, like the Kliq or DX or the family.

HHH doesn’t like that and brings up Jeff’s brother Matt. Yeah Jeff might be great, but Matt is the one who is a champion. Since they’ve been apart, Jeff hasn’t been able to keep his other activities from letting him get what he wants the most out of life. Tonight, Jeff is in a #1 contenders match for a shot at No Mercy and HHH hopes he wins so Jeff can prove him right.

Maryse/Natalya/Victoria vs. Maria/Michelle McCool/Brie Bella

McCool headlocks Natalya to start with McCool taking her into the corner so Maria can come in for la majistral. Bella starts in on the arm but Natalya drops her with a kind of step up backdrop. Maryse pounds on Bella on the mat and sends her outside, where Brie goes under the ring as usual. Back in and Brie gets a quick rollup for the pin on Victoria.

Rating: C-. The under the ring deal is fine, but it only has so much impact when Bella had only been in the ring for about a minute. Other than that, it’s easy to see why McCool was presented as a star, as she definitely has the athleticism and the look. The problem is they’re still in that weird period where the wrestling is being presented as serious (as it was here) but the Titantron videos are still showing off their appearances. It kind of has to be one or the other and that’s missing thus far.

R-Truth vs. Chavo Guerrero

Bam Neely is here with Guerrero. Truth takes him down with a hammerlock to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. Guerrero’s crossface chickenwing is broken up though and Truth hits a powerslam into a pump kick. Three Amigos connect and Guerrero loads up the frog splash. Truth cuts him off…and Neely shoves Truth down for the DQ.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here, though Neely getting involved was hardly a good way to go. As usual, Neely is about as uninteresting of a bodyguard as you can have as he’s someone who is just there and that doesn’t offer much in the way of value. Hopefully this isn’t part of a long feud for Truth either, as Guerrero isn’t the most thrilling opponent.

Post match Guerrero yells at Neely for the loss and gets shoved down. Truth drops both of them.

Shelton Benjamin hits on Eve Torres in the back when HHH interrupts. Torres leaves and, after opining about Torres being attractive, he says he doesn’t think Benjamin needs to be in the four way for the #1 contendership. Otherwise, Jeff Hardy is already coming for the title, but Benjamin says he’s reaching for a gold title, not a brass ring.

Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra

Jesse is here with Festus and they’re dressed as movers because Smackdown is moving to MyNetworkTV. Before the match, Dykstra brags about his potential and promises to take the garbage men out to the dumpster. He decks Festus before the bell and knocks Jesse down as well, only for Jesse to get in a show of his own.

Then Jesse rings the bell and Festus’ mauling begins. A fireman’s carry flapjack hits Dykstra…and Jesse and Festus hog tie him with duct tape. They put him on the moving cart and wrap him in plastic wrap to wheel him off. And that’s that, as the opening bell wasn’t official, so this was either not a match or a no contest due to kidnapping.

We recap Big Show getting yelled at by Vickie Guerrero at Unforgiven and then attacking Undertaker, seemingly on her behalf.

Here is Vickie Guerrero for an explanation. She talks about how Undertaker threatened to destroy her, but here she is. A lot of that is due to the Big Show, who comes out to shake her hand. Show talks about how Undertaker doesn’t follow the rules and how he needs to learn who is in charge. That’s when Show began to realize the benefits of a power alliance between himself and Vickie. She wants to be in charge and he wants to be WWE Champion and they’ll be working towards those goals. There isn’t much of a way around the fact that it’s still going to be Undertaker vs. Show again.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Scotty Goldman/Funaki

Total dominance, with a pair of headbutts finishing Funaki in less than a minute.

Post match Kozlov says give him competition or he’ll find it himself.

Ezekiel Jackson is reading WWE Magazine when HHH comes in. They have a staredown until The Brian Kendrick comes in to ask if anything is wrong. HHH talks about the four way and says that he was wanting Kendrick to win. Of all the losers in the Championship Scramble, Kendrick was the biggest.

Colons vs. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins

Non-title and this is the Colons debut as a team. Carlito unloads on Hawkins in the corner before Primo tags himself in for a springboard dropkick. A powerbomb drops Carlito onto Ryder for two but Hawkins offers a distraction, meaning the Rough Ryder can connect. The chinlock, with a knee in Carlito’s back, goes on, with Ryder going major evil by using the hair to pull him back down.

Another chinlock doesn’t last as long but Hawkins is right there with a clothesline. The Hennig necksnap sets up a third chinlock but Carlito fights up. This time it’s actually enough for the tag off to Primo to clean house. Everything breaks down and a quick Backstabber gives Carlito the upset pin.

Rating: C+. As usual, I’m not wild on seeing champions lose clean, though it’s a fast way to boost up a new team. At the same time, it’s not like there are a bunch of teams going for the titles at the moment so throw them out there as fast as they can. It the match worked well enough, which shouldn’t be a surprise as the Colons have been teaming together for years.

HHH runs into MVP in the back and isn’t sure why he’s in the four way. The other three make sense but….MVP?

Classics On Demand: Flair vs. Race at Starrcade 1983.

MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick

Non-title and the winner gets a shot at HHH at No Mercy. Kendrick rolls outside to start, leaving Benjamin and Hardy to exchange rollups for two each. MVP breaks that up and stomps away at Hardy in the corner until Kendrick runs in to try and steal a pin. That earns him a trip back to the floor, leaving MVP to facebuster Benjamin. A quick Whisper In The Wind gives Hardy two and we take a break.

We come back with MVP chinlocking Benjamin until Kendrick makes the save. Kendrick camel clutches Benjamin as Ezekiel Jackson sends Hardy into the barricade. That’s broken up as well so MVP is back in for a basement dropkick to Benjamin. Hardy is sent back outside, leaving Benjamin to German suplex MVP for two. Benjamin clears Hardy and Kendrick out again, leaving them to fight on the floor while he gets a triangle choke on MVP.

That’s broken up as Hardy gets back in and drops Benjamin for two but the Swanton misses. Kendrick and MVP double team Hardy, which works as well as you would expect as MVP drops Kendrick with a clothesline. Back up and Hardy hits the Whisper In The Wind for two on MVP but Benjamin makes the save. Paydirt drops MVP again but Kendrick hits the Kendrick. Hardy Swantons in to break it up though and pins Kendrick for the win.

Rating: B. The result was the only one that made sense as Hardy has been treated as the next big thing, and certainly the next big challenger, so he should be getting the shot at HHH. The match was the usual fast paced fight with a lot of near falls and saved. It got a good deal of time though, which has me wondering how Hardy would get there, which worked for a main event.

Post match Hardy celebrates but Vladimir Kozlov comes in to lay him out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was the big focus of the show and they did the right thing, with Hardy being the only one of the four who made sense. Unfortunately the other big story was the Show/Vickie deal, which is making me dread the next few weeks. Hardy going after the title is absolutely the biggest story taking place and the fans are more than into it, but the show needs something else beyond just that.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 29, 2008
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

We’re just over a week away from Unforgiven and as you might have guessed, the big story here is the Championship Scramble. That’s the kind of match that can open up a lot of possibilities and hopefully some of those are teased this week. We could also use some other things to help fill out the card so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Undertaker to get things going, with La Familia watching in the back. Undertaker says Vickie Guerrero wants to be forgiven of her sins but he isn’t the forgiving kind. He will not forget what she did to him and is coming for her soul. Once he has taken it, she will burn.

In the back, La Familia leaves Vickie alone and she’s locked in her dressing room.

R-Truth talks about growing up the hard way and how you can never change your past. The truth is about building a better future every day and now he’s here full time and that’s the truth.

R-Truth vs. Kenny Dykstra

We get a promo from Dykstra, saying he should be getting the attention rather than a convict. Truth hits him in the face and gets two off a rollup but Dykstra drops him with a shot to the face. Back up and Dykstra blocks a suplex, setting up the double arm crank with a knee between the shoulders. That’s broken up and R-Truth hits the spinning forearm into the ax kick for the pin. Truth looked pretty good here, even in a short match.

Michelle McCool is doing a photo shoot when Maryse comes in to suggest she’ll be taking the Divas Title. McCool isn’t impressed and says Maryse will never have the title due to a lack of talent. Which one is the villain again?

Maria/Michelle McCool vs. Natalya/Maryse

Natalya grabs a headlock on McCool to start but gets Russian legsweeped down for two. Maria comes in and gets planted with a slam but avoids a legdrop. Natalya is right back up to bring Maryse in, with a DDT taking Maria out for the rather out of nowhere pin.

Post match the brawl is on between McCool and Maryse, with the two of them brawling to the floor, where Natalya helps Maryse take her out.

We recap Jeff Hardy vs. MVP. The two have been feuding for a few weeks now as Hardy wants to be WWE Champion while MVP doesn’t think much of Hardy’s lifestyle. This included bringing up Hardy’s house burning down, which was too far for Hardy. MVP then beat him at Summerslam, and now it’s time for a rematch.

Hardy calls MVP an obstacle on the way to being WWE Champion.

Vickie Guerrero is still stuck in her dressing room but finally realizes she has a phone….which doesn’t work and is thrown against the wall.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

They take their time to start until Hardy pulls him down with a headlock. MVP knocks him to the apron but Hardy is back with a right hand that has a frustrated MVP walking around ringside. Back in and another headlock has MVP frustrated a bit more as Ross suggests Hardy’s offense is surprising him here (because Ross knows how to tell a story on commentary).

Some armdrags into an armbar keeps MVP in trouble but he fights up and stops a charge with an elbow to the face. MVP tries to go after the leg but gets kicked into the post, with Hardy wrapping the arm around it a few times for a bonus. Hardy sends him outside for a running flip dive off the apron and we take a break.

Back with MVP sending him into the corner to get out of another armbar and getting a needed breather. Hardy gets sent into the barricade and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up fairly quickly and Hardy hits the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Swanton hits raised knees though and a missed dropkick lets MVP bend Hardy’s back around the post.

MVP kicks him down and grabs the camel clutch, sending Hardy over to the ropes. The double arm crank goes on again so Hardy fights back up, earning himself something like a belly to belly. Hardy tries to run the corner but gets knocked down for a nasty crash and two. MVP’s belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody for two, followed by the Whisper In The Wind. The Swanton finishes MVP off.

Rating: B. This turned into a fight as both guys were trying so hard to put the other away. Hardy getting the win is the right way to go to even the score and there is a good chance that they’ll run it back one more time. MVP is someone who can make anyone look better and Hardy is getting closer and closer to the top of the card in a hurry.

Post match Shelton Benjamin runs in to lay out Hardy…and them MVP as well.

Josh Matthews and Candice Michelle are still at the Democratic National Convention. Eh important enough.

Jesse & Festus vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Non-title. Festus clears the ring without much trouble to start…and here is the Big Show to jump Hawkins for the DQ in about a minute.

Post match Show wrecks everyone but the off mode Festus, Show says “hi” and promises to never be overlooked again. Last week he didn’t get a qualifying match for the Championship Scramble so he made a little oversight of his own like this one.

Vickie Guerrero is still trapped in her office.

Brie Bella vs. Victoria

This is Brie’s debut. Victoria takes her down with a headlock and isn’t having anything of a leg sweep. A rollup out of the corner gives Brie two and she grabs some flying mares. Back up and Victoria powers her into the corner, setting up a standing moonsault. Brie bails to the floor and climbs underneath the ring, where Victoria pulls her back out. They get inside again and the rather energized Brie gets a small package for the upset pin. Well that was a surprise.

Raw Rebound.

Brian Kendrick, reading a book, talks about how ridiculous it is to see two members of the Championship Scramble facing each other to prepare. Kendrick doesn’t see the point, which is why he is reading the Art Of War. Ezekiel Jackson on the other hand is enjoying something from Dr. Seuss, showing that he is the real genius.

Unforgiven rundown.

Shelton Benjamin talks about the importance of gold and he is the Gold Standard. Gah that really doesn’t work, especially with the golden hair.

HHH vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Benjamin wastes no time in snapping off some armdrags into an armbar and HHH is in early trouble. HHH fights up and takes over on the arm as well, allowing him to drive in some knees. Benjamin tries to get up and gets taken down by the arm again as HHH gets to stay on the arm. The threat of a Pedigree sends Benjamin bailing out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with HHH in trouble and Benjamin dropping him with a neckbreaker. A neck crank has HHH down again and Benjamin switches into a triangle choke. That’s reversed as well but Benjamin reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker, meaning it’s back to the neck crank as Benjamin certainly has a target.

HHH gets up again and avoids a Stinger Splash, setting up a hard clothesline. Benjamin goes up and dives into a powerslam, with HHH grabbing a DDT for two. Back up and Benjamin kicks him in the head for two but walks into a spinebuster. The facebuster connects but here is the Great Khali….who stands there as HHH hits the Pedigree for the win.

Rating: B-. This was a nice technical match with the ending making more sense than I would have expected. Khali showing up normally would make someone freeze but HHH finished the match off as fast as he could. That’s a good way to go and keeps HHH looking strong going into the title match. I could have gone without the US Champion taking a pin, but at least it was to someone higher up in the food chain.

Post match Benjamin hits HHH with the US Title and Khali gives HHH the chokebomb.

The lights go out in Vickie Guerrero’s locker room. She screams and the show ends. Yes, that’s all we got after this show long story.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a tough spot as the big title match is already set for the pay per view and there isn’t much that needs to be done. Thankfully the good action was there to help boost it up, but the only big thing all night was the Vickie Guerrero deal, which went absolutely nowhere. I liked the wrestling a good deal, but this was a show that was there because they needed to fill in a spot on the way to Unforgiven.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 22, 2008
Location: iWireless Arena, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Summerslam has come and gone and the big story is that Undertaker destroyed Edge inside the Cell, which should get rid of him for a good while. Other than that, HHH dispatched the Great Khali in a match that was better than expected, meaning he’s going to need a new challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the Smackdown matches from Summerslam.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero welcomes us to the show and says we haven’t been seeing the real her in recent weeks. Everything she has done has been because of Edge, because she corrupted who she was as a person. Now she is free to be her real self with Edge stuck in the same h*** he put her in. She has made some changes, and one of the things she feels the best about is reinstating the Undertaker. Another thing is the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, which will see five people wrestling for twenty minutes with unlimited falls. Whoever gets the last fall will be WWE Champion. Tonight, we find out the competitors.

Maria vs. Natalya

Natalya fireman’s carries her down without much trouble to start but Maria reverses into a headlock. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Maria snaps off a snappy armdrag. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Natalya is back with a dragon screw legwhip. Natalya cranks on the leg until Maria fights up and hits some clotheslines. A Bronco Buster gets the fans a bit more interested…and here is Maryse to go after Maria for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a few moves going on until the ending, which just kind of happened. Maria feels more and more like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, who is the young, up and coming star who needs a lot more experience. The potential is there, but Maria is going to need some more time before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Michelle McCool comes in for the save.

La Familia runs into the Big Show, who talks to Vickie Guerrero like a child. He’s happy for the Championship Scramble and he’s ready to face anyone in a qualifying match….but Vickie forgot to put him in one.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Scotty Goldman, Super Crazy, Armando Estrada, Funaki, Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Ryan Braddock

Big Show is sitting at ringside and this is one of the lamest battle royals I’ve ever seen. A bunch of people get together and toss Kozlov before Goldman is sent out as well. Then Show comes in and tosses most of the people, with Ezekiel Jackson saving Brian Kendrick…which is enough for Kendrick to win, as Show threw everyone else out and then stepped over the top (as apparently he was in).

Rating: D+. The match was barely a thing but points for a clever ending. I guess I’ll take this over another one off match with little in the way of drama, but this was more of a joke than anything else. That being said, they got through it quickly and Kendrick being in the title match is more interesting than most options.

Post match Kendrick does a victory dance for a nice touch.

R-Truth talks about how the truth is what you do when people aren’t watching. It’s about respecting who you are and getting better every day to build a better future. He’s been on the bottom but now he’s heading for the top.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: MVP vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus. Before the match, we hear from MVP at Summerslam, where he promises to win the WWE Title. Festus freaks out at the bell but MVP knocks him into the corner anyway. A suplex sends MVP down for two and a clothesline is good for the same. Festus fall away slams him into the corner, only for MVP to pull him into the post. The logical armbar goes on and MVP cranks away, with Festus finally fighting up.

Some fight hands connect while the left arm is left hanging but the bad arm is sent into the corner again. MVP cranks on the arm again….as we see a sign saying “I Love My Mommy And Grandma.” Well that’s just sweet. Festus fights up again and hits a running elbow, setting up something like a running seated senton. A big boot sends MVP outside, where he kicks Jesse in the face. That’s enough of a distraction for Festus to get counted out. Oddly there’s a delay between the ten count and MVP being declared the winner, with MVP’s music starting before the bell rings, making for a bit of a weird situation.

Rating: C-. It’s kind of odd to go with two fairly screwy endings in a row, especially when it’s a star like MVP against Festus, who is almost a novelty. Obviously it’s the right result, but you would think there would be a better way to go than a bunch of sitting around pulling on Festus’ arm. Pretty dull match here, with MVP being capable of better.

Post match the bell turns Festus off again so MVP boots him out to the floor.

Classic On Demand: Trish Stratus b. Stacy Keibler in a swimsuit contest. Same exact clip from Raw.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay

Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Before the match, Benjamin talks about how being a champion is about being obsessed with gold. He doesn’t like Olympic phenom Michael Phelps being called the new Gold Standard, because there is only one of them. Finlay wastes no time in taking Benjamin down for some face ripping before driving him into the corner.

A headlock grinds Benjamin down a bit so he bails into the corner for a needed breather. Back up and Benjamin tries to go low on Finlay, who takes him out to the floor where a lot of seething can ensue. They go back inside where Finlay can crank on the leg a bit, with Benjamin going to the ropes. A missed charge sends Finlay shoulder first into the post, giving Benjamin a rather nice target. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on, followed by one heck of a kick to the back of the head to have Finlay curled up in the corner.

Finlay bails to the floor for a second, where he ties a sliding Benjamin up in the ring skirt for some clubberin. Benjamin knocks him back into the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benjamin working on a neck crank Finlay jawbreaks his way to freedom for two but Benjamin grabs the neck again. Back up again and Benjamin hits a dragon whip, followed by the t-bone to cut Finlay down again for a delayed two. Finlay fights up but here is Mike Knox to go after Hornswoggle, allowing Benjamin to grab Paydirt for the fast pin.

Rating: C. They went pretty long here until the ending, which was more about setting up Knox vs. Finlay in an ECW feud. They could have done the same match in less time and things would have been that much better. Benjamin getting the nod is fine as it isn’t like he’s doing anything important with the US Title.

Post match Knox beats up Finlay a bit more.

We look back at Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summerslam.

La Familia isn’t sure why Undertaker hasn’t arrived yet. Chavo Guerrero thinks he might even be holding a grudge. Maybe Vickie Guerrero should apologize?

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali

HHH is on commentary. Hardy slugs away to start but is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Khali stomps away before the nerve hold goes on. With Hardy ground down, the tree slam is loaded up (HHH looks nervous) but Hardy goes up to slip out. That earns him a chop out to the floor but Hardy is back in with a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is loaded up but Runjin Singh offers a distraction (Khali was about 80% of the way across the ring so that thing wasn’t coming close anyway). HHH isn’t having this and pulls him down before chairing Khali in the head. The Whisper in the Wind into the Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. I’m hoping HHH has to deal with Khali again, as that was quite the heelish move for someone who was just trying to protect his title. Hardy is one of the hottest things in WWE at the moment so he almost had to be in the title match. It also wouldn’t have been the best idea to ask Khali to go for twenty minutes, so there wasn’t much of a choice to be made here.

Post break HHH is in the ring to talk about the challengers coming for the title in the Championship Scramble. The fifth person in that match is a 12 time World Champion and someone who has won everything in every kind of match. Cue Kenny Dkysktra to interrupt because he should be in the match too. The Pedigree lays him out in a hurry, with HHH saying it was good to see him.

Here is La Familia to offer an apology to Undertaker, complete with a standing ovation. Cue Undertaker, with Vickie (eventually) saying she gave Undertaker a chance for revenge on Edge at Summerslam and now she wants a chance to be forgiven. If Undertaker needs more time, they can do this next week and she even gets on her knees to beg him. Undertaker says “look at me woman” because he isn’t here for an apology, but rather Vickie’s soul. The fight is on with Undertaker getting beaten down for a bit, only to fight up and clean house. Undertaker does the throat slit to Vickie to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I do appreciate a show with a central theme running throughout, but this wasn’t their best effort. The qualifying matches set up a nice field for Unforgiven, but it would have been nice to have them be a bit less dull. The ending with Undertaker hunting Vickie isn’t the most thrilling thing either and feels like something rather simple and not that interesting. This show set up the one match at Unforgiven but it didn’t have me wanting to see anything until then.

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Smackdown
Date: August 15, 2008
Location: Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

It’s the final show before Summerslam and the big story around here is Edge finally snapping on Vickie Guerrero. That should make for the main focus around here, but it would be nice to have Undertaker acknowledged a bit more. HHH vs. Great Khali needs the attention more, but that might not go so smoothly. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Edge attacking La Familia last week.

Opening sequence.

US Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin is defending. Feeling out process to start until Benjamin’s headlock is countered into an early rollup attempt. The Twist Of Fate attempt is blocked, with JR mocking himself for getting the name wrong. Benjamin stomps away in the corner and we hit the early chinlock. Hardy fights up and knocks him into the corner for the slingshot dropkick and a near fall.

We take a break and come back with Hardy holding a headscissors on the mat of all things. Benjamin slips out and hits a knee to the face for two, followed by a nasty buckle bomb to knock Hardy silly for two more. We hit the half crab with a foot in Hardy’s back, meaning some groaning ensues. That’s broken up as well so Benjamin knees him in the back of the head and hits an Angle Slam for another two.

Back up and the Dragon Whip (that looked great) connects for another near fall, meaning frustration is setting in. Hardy fights up again and hits his jawbreaker to start the comeback. A middle rope Whisper In The Wind (you don’t see that version very often) gives Hardy two but the Twist Of Fate is countered into a backbreaker to give Benjamin a breather. Benjamin sends him to the apron and tries a sunset bomb but Hardy reverses into a hurricanrana. Back in and the Swanton is loaded up…and here is MVP to shove Hardy off for the DQ.

Rating: B-. This was getting going after a slow start, which had me worried as there have been some dull matches around here lately. You could see MVP coming, which was kind of the point, but dang there is something to be said about seeing Hardy make a comeback like that. He’s always been great at making you believe something is going to happen and that is what he was doing again here.

Post match MVP goes after Hardy again but kicks Benjamin by mistake. That lets Hardy get the Twist Of Fate into a Swanton, followed by a Swanton to Benjamin as well.

Victoria of all people comes in to see Vickie Guerrero, who is worried about Edge and Undertaker. Both of them are here and Vickie doesn’t want to be left alone.

Natalya/Maryse vs. Michelle McCool/Maria

Maria and Maryse start things off, meaning a lot of staring until Maryse trips her down. Natalya comes in and gets headlocked out of the corner without much effort. A side slam out of the corner plants Maria but she fights over for the tag to McCool. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a running flipping neckbreaker for two on Natalya. A Maryse distraction doesn’t work so she tries it again, allowing Natalya to get a quick rollup for the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but the ending should set up a title match down the line. That’s better than what you are going to see on occasion so this could have been worse. Natalya is a natural for the first big challenge to McCool and is a better choice than Maryse right now. It wasn’t a good match, but it did accomplish something.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Scotty Goldman

Before the match Kendrick, with Ezekiel Jackson, says that yeah he has Big Zeke with him, but who brings more to the table than him? Zeke: “No one.” Kendrick wrestles for himself and you’re looking at the future. Goldman is making his debut and gets an insert interview….where he is confused about being in a box while coming to the ring at the same time. Kendrick cranks on the arm to start as JR can’t remember to put in a “The” before Kendrick’s name.

Goldman manages a quick takedown but gets kicked in the face twice in a row for his efforts. A camel clutch of all things has Goldman in trouble but he fights out and gets some boots up in the corner. Back up and a flying hip attack gives Goldman two but Kendrick sends him into the corner. Kendrick scores with the Kendrick for the pin. Goldman got a nice reaction here, which might have something to do with being better known as Colt Cabana.

Post match Jackson runs Goldman over.

HHH is asked about the violence that happened last week at the hands of the Great Khali. Kenny Dykstra of all people interrupts and says he doesn’t think HHH still has it. HHH says Dykstra is picking the wrong time and a match seems implied.

Here is Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, for a chat. Khali apparently says HHH is great but he is greater. HHH needs to get out while he can because devastation is coming.

HHH vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title and Runjin Singh is on commentary. Dykstra starts fast and hammers away but gets taken down by a clothesline. The spinebuster connects as JR is far more fired up than he probably should be for a match like this. The Pedigree finishes Dykstra fast.

Post match HHH and Khali stare at each other until HHH grabs Singh. Violence is threatened until Khali gets in the ring for the brawl. HHH can’t Pedigree him but he can clothesline him out to the floor to stand almost as tall.

Big Show vs. Ryan Braddock

This is Braddock’s entrance and he gets his own entrance. Show wastes no time in throwing him outside as commentary puts over Show’s size. Back in and the chop in the corner sets up a cobra clutch throw as Braddock is in trouble. The KO Punch finishes for Show rather quickly.

MVP is livid at Jeff Hardy for attacking him earlier tonight and promises to make him feel worse at Summerslam.

Vickie Guerrero rants to Victoria about Edge and asks her for help to her limo.

We get another R-Truth video, where he talks about sitting in jail and realizing he needed to change his life.

Victoria wheels Vickie Guerrero to her limo…where Edge is in the backseat. Edge scares Victoria off and puts Vickie in her wheelchair for a ride…to h***. And off they go.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus, who freaks out at the bell as usual. Festus wastes no time in knocking Kozlov to the floor, which is the first time he’s ever been in anything resembling trouble. Kozlov gets in a shot to the ribs though and sends Festus into the steps. A headbutt gets two and Kozlov grabs a bearhug. Festus gets suplexed down and Kozlov puts on a waistlock. That’s broken up and Festus hits a clothesline, followed by a kick to the face. Not that it matters as Kozlov cuts him off with the big headbutt for the win.

Rating: C+. They were getting into a hoss fight here before the fast ending. Beating Festus means something for Kozlov as he actually had to work for it for a change, but he’s still only so interesting. Kozlov isn’t exactly an in-depth character and that doesn’t give me much promise about his long term prospects.

Video on John Cena vs. Batista.

Summerslam rundown.

Edge wheels a screaming Vickie Guerrero through the back and seems to tease hurting her. The ride doesn’t end until they get to the ring. The graphic says next, but how do they know that’s where Edge is going? It ends at the ring. How do they know he’s not going to take her out for a hearty lobster dinner first?

Here are Edge and Vickie (after a video on Shawn Michaels, which was “next”, not these two, again showing that WWE needs to pay better attention to their own shows) for the end of the ride. Edge dumps her on the floor and sits next to her, saying this is a rough patch like any other marriage. It wasn’t that long ago that they exchanged vows and said for better or for worse.

We see a video on the last few weeks, with Edge cheating on Vickie and getting put in the Cell match with Undertaker as a result. Mick Foley tried to awaken the old Edge, earning himself one heck of a beating. Back in the arena, Edge orders Vickie to apologize to undertaker, which she does, causing Edge to call her pathetic. She caused all of this and Edge feels like he is burning in h***.

This Sunday, Edge is going to make Undertaker burn with him, but why wait? Edge says that just like their marriage, the match with Undertaker is til death do them part. He kneels on Vickie’s chest to end the show after a heck of a promo that made it feel like the Edge of old. It’s hard to believe he has a chance on Sunday, but they’re making it a lot better.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case on Raw, it’s pretty clear that Smackdown is a one match show for Summerslam. The Undertaker vs. Edge match is the only noteworthy thing, which says a lot when it’s more about Edge vs. Vickie. HHH vs. Great Khali doesn’t feel overly important and that leaves MVP vs. Jeff Hardy in third place. This show had its good parts with pretty much everything Edge related, but that and a pretty good Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin match isn’t enough to make this show great.

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Smackdown
Date: January 4, 2008
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

It’s the start of a new year and that means we are on the way to the Royal Rumble. This week will take a big step towards that show as we get to find out the new #1 contender to Edge’s Smackdown World Title. It’s Beat The Clock time, and that can make for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Edge being rather grateful to Vickie Guerrero for winning the World Title. Last week she even saved the title, after Batista won a handicap match but didn’t beat Edge, meaning the title didn’t change hands. I’m still not sure I get why the match was restarted instead of Batista winning the match but not the title, but the post match beatdown made more sense.

Opening sequence.

Here is Vickie Guerrero, as pushed by Teddy Long, to welcome us to the new year on Smackdown. She gets right to the point: if Undertaker or Batista touch Edge, they have no chance to retain the title. In the spirit of competition, tonight is a Beat The Clock Challenge (which was announced last week) for a shot at Edge at the Royal Rumble. Participants include Finlay, Rey Mysterio, Batista and Undertaker. With that out of the way, Vickie brings out Jonathan Coachman to replace the departed JBL on commentary.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Finlay vs. MVP

Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Feeling out process to start and they go to the mat for some early grappling. With that going nowhere, they get back up with MVP nailing a kick to the face. Finlay is fine enough to send him outside to start the brawling, only to be sent into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Finlay working on the leg, which doesn’t seem to be the brightest move. MVP punches his way out and gets Finlay on his back to drop some heavy right hands. The cravate keeps Finlay in trouble until he powers up and into the corner. That doesn’t go well either as MVP knocks him down and hammers away again, only to get pulled into an armbar (as the bad thinking continues).

Back up and Finlay misses a charge into the post, setting up MVP’s running boot to the face for another near fall. With nothing else working, Hornswoggle throws in a shillelagh, which MVP picks up. The referee will have none of that, allowing Finlay to use another one to knock MVP cold for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C-. I expected a lot more logical style out of Finlay here, as it would make sense for him to go after as many pins as he could. As a match it worked well enough, but this was about one thing and they completely missed the point the whole way. Finlay winning is interesting, though I can’t imagine this going anywhere as far as the US Title is concerned.

Post match Vince McMahon comes out to hug Hornswoggle and hand him his hat, though Finlay doesn’t seem convinced.

Kenny Dykstra/Victoria vs. Michelle McCool/Chuck Palumbo

How are these two still a thing??? The guys start things off with Palumbo taking him down but getting hammered in the corner for his efforts. The women come in quickly and it’s a basement dropkick to Victoria. Back up and Victoria sends her shoulder first into the post though and the villains take over.

A legdrop on the arm sets up an armbar but McCool is out without much trouble. It’s already back to Palumbo, who powerslams Dykstra down but misses a big boot in the corner. Palumbo is fine enough to catch him on top with a superplex for a breather, meaning Michelle can come in to clothesline Victoria. Dykstra offers a distraction though, allowing Victoria to hit the Widow’s Peak for the pin.

Rating: D+. They are taking their sweet time with wrapping up this Palumbo/McCool stuff and I’m really not sure why they’re taking so long. It wasn’t exactly an interesting story in the first place as it’s just a biker with the blonde and the fact that it is designed to go somewhere with Palumbo makes it even worse. Bad match, as Dykstra and Victoria aren’t exactly much better.

Post match Palumbo blames McCool for the lost and leaves without her.

Vickie Guerrero doesn’t like the coffee that Teddy Long brought her. Teddy leaves and an angry Chavo Guerrero comes in. Chavo isn’t happy with what Vickie is doing to the Guerrero name with her relationship with Edge. Her solution: put him in Beat The Clock, but he still wants something he can’t have.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Chavo Guerrero vs. Funaki

The time is set at 9:46 and Chavo starts fast by stomping away in the corner. A slam gives Chavo two but Funaki is back with a running headscissors for two. Funaki small packages him for two but gets belly to back suplexed for the same. They trade some rollups for two each and Funaki gets the same off an enziguri. A middle rope crossbody gets two more but Chavo is back with a Gory Bomb for the pin, setting the new time at 6:02.

Rating: C. Now that’s more like it, as it felt like they were trying to win the match instead of just having a regular match which ended whenever. Chavo isn’t going to get the title shot, but it is nice to have him show some anger towards Vickie, just for the sake of setting up something for the future. Funaki is another good hand and putting him in there meant the match was going to be ok at worst. The clock was what mattered here though and they cut it down to something more interesting by shaving off three and a half minutes.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Batista vs. Curt Hawkins

Hold on though, as Vickie Guerrero pops up to have Teddy Long change things a bit.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Batista vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

The clock is set at 6:02 and Batista goes after both of them to start. Some double teaming in the corner doesn’t do much to Batista, who clotheslines Hawkins and catapults Ryder back into the corner. The Batista Bomb is broken up with a high/low though and the double stomping is on. Batista gets taken outside where he punches his way out of trouble but gets taken down again back inside.

A legdrop sets up a Hennig necksnap as they do have a target. Another legdrop into a splash gives Ryder two so they load up a double DDT which is countered into….something that is so unclear that they try it again. This time Batista backdrops both of them down and starts the comeback, including a powerslam to Ryder and a spinebuster to Hawkins. The Batista Bomb is loaded up but time expires at 6:02.

Rating: C. This was angle advancement rather than a match as Hawkins and Ryder were trying to stretch the match out and hurt Batista where they could, but they were never trying to get a win. It wouldn’t have made sense for them to do so either, so they had the logic right here. Edge clears a major hurdle and Vickie did the smart thing, so this went about as well as it could have.

Raw Rebound.

MVP isn’t happy with his loss and is made even madder by the Raw Rebound being about Ric Flair’s career continuing. He’ll beat Flair to end his career and make himself feel better.

Rey Mysterio talks about how difficult a Beat The Clock Challenge can be as you don’t know what you’re doing and have to go as fast as you can. Lucky for him, that’s his style. True actually.

Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here with Deuce N Domino and Yang/Moore have been having a snappy little feud with Miz and John Morrison on ECW. Deuce elbows Yang in the face to start but his hiptoss doesn’t work so well. Instead Yang hits a jumping kick to the back of the head but Domino gets in a cheap shot to take over. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Moore to clean house. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two (it might have helped that Domino was falling down before the contact), followed by a rollup to give Moore the fast pin.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here (a theme tonight) but Moore and Yang continue their roll. I don’t think they have much of a chance at winning the titles, but imagine this: taking two people with nothing to do, putting them together and seeing what happens. I’m still not sure why that isn’t done more often, as it seemed to work just fine with these guys.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Undertaker vs. Matt Striker

The clock is set at 6:02….but hang on as Striker is in a referee shirt. It seems we have a replacement.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Undertaker vs. Mark Henry

The clock is set at 6:02 and Matt Striker is the guest referee. Undertaker’s running shoulder doesn’t work to start so he hammers away in the corner instead. With that not working either, Henry runs him over with a shoulder but gets knocked outside to get to the required brawling.

Henry gets whipped hard into the steps and there’s the apron legdrop to keep Henry in trouble. Back in and Undertaker switches gears by wrapping the arm around the top rope but Old School is broken up. The running DDT plants Henry for two but he’s right back with the bearhug. That’s broken up and Undertaker slugs away, setting up the chokeslam for….two as Striker won’t count the three and then runs off as time expires.

Rating: C. The time is hurting some of these matches, but in this case it might have been better to have them get out of there so fast. Henry can only do so much with the extra time so going home quickly isn’t a bad idea. Much like Batista, this was story advancement to clear one of Edge’s big problems, but it also leaves a big spot open to add some….oh come on like they haven’t made it obvious yet.

Post match Undertaker slams and chokeslams Henry.

In the back, Striker mocks Undertaker for failing to beat the clock and doesn’t like being threatened. Big Daddy V pops in to add some menacing glares.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Rey Mysterio vs. Edge

Non-title, the Edgeheads are here with Edge and the clock is still set at 6:02 (with Cole getting in a good line by saying 619 is no good for Rey tonight). Edge gets smart by going straight to the ropes to start and then bails to the floor for a quick neck rub. Back in and Rey snaps off a hurricanrana, followed by a dropkick into the seated senton for two. Edge powers up and sends him to the floor but here is Batista to take out the Edgeheads.

That’s enough for Rey to grab a cradle for two but Edge sends him face first into the buckle. Cue Undertaker to make the lights go out and when they come back, Edge is in 619 position. Rey hits said 619 and adds the springboard splash for the pin at 4:32 (despite Cole saying REY’S GONNA DO IT, which is usually a dead giveaway in the opposite direction).

Rating: C. You would think that Edge vs. Mysterio would be good no matter what but it turns out that a match getting less than five minutes and having four other people get involved was a bit much. This was certainly a different way to go for them but they did what they need to do. Rey has beaten Edge with help and now he gets the chance to do it again on the big stage.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling might not have been great but what mattered here was having the one concept going throughout the show. That made for a very fast paced show, even if there wasn’t much of value until the very end. I can go for a show like this as it makes them focus, but it’s a prime example of a show that doesn’t need to be watched in full if a recap is available.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 18, 2007
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re done with Armageddon and ECW World Champion CM Punk has his hands full with Big Daddy V, who pinned him in a tag match at the pay per view. Other than that, there is a good chance that this week’s show is going to be a bit lighter ala Raw, which isn’t a bad thing given the holiday season. Let’s get to it.

Here is Armageddon if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Shannon Moore/Jimmy Wang Yang

Non-title and a rematch from last week’s surprisingly rather good match. Moore rolls Miz up a few times to start and Miz knows he’s in a bit of trouble. Morrison takes his place but Moore punches at both champions to keep up the fast start. Yang comes in for a running basement dropkick to Morrison, followed by a suplex into Moore’s slingshot hilo. It’s back to Miz, who can’t even take over with a Morrison distraction. The champs are knocked outside, where stereo baseball slides are blocked and we take a break.

We come back with Yang kicking Morrison away and bringing Moore back in to pick up the pace again. Morrison knocks Moore down though and Miz catapults him throat first into the bottom rope. The cravate keeps Moore in trouble and Morrison’s slingshot elbow gets two. Morrison goes up but gets kicked out of the air, allowing the hot tag to Yang (there’s one you don’t hear very often). Everything breaks down and Moore dives off the top onto Morrison. Back in and Morrison accidentally kicks Miz in the head, setting up the top rope moonsault press to give Yang the upset pin.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together and while I’m not big on the champs taking a pin, it’s not like they have any other challengers to come after the titles at the moment. The two match series has worked far better than I would have expected and now they have what should be a showdown trilogy match waiting on them. Somehow this is as good as the tag division gets these days, so I’ll take what I can get.

We look back at CM Punk getting pinned by Big Daddy V at the pay per view.

Colin Delaney vs. Shelton Benjamin

Before the match, Tazz is in the ring for a quick chat with Delaney, who is the hometown boy in his first match. No pressure there of course. A t-bone suplex and big boot set up a buckle bomb to drop Delaney over and over. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Shelton fast.

Post match, Shelton declares there AIN’T NO STOPPING ME NOW!

Kofi Kingston deals with a bully in Jamaica.

Nunzio vs. Kenny Dykstra

Dykstra has Victoria with him and I keep forgetting he hasn’t been let go yet. Nunzio is dressed as an elf to hand out candy canes to the crowd. That doesn’t work for Dykstra, who runs him over to start and stomps on the canes (what a Grinch) before we hit the chinlock. A comeback is cut off with a backdrop and the top rope legdrop gives Dykstra the pin.

Video on MVP.

Raw Rebound.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Before the match, MVP brags about himself and wants MVP out here now. We’re joined in progress with Punk fighting out of a headlock but getting taken back down into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they stay on the mat with MVP going back to the armbar. Punk grabs a headscissors before dropkicking him in the back of the head for two as things pick up a bit. MVP is right back with a running boot to the head and the armbar goes on.

We’ll make that a cravate, with MVP firing off some knees to the face for a nasty bonus. There’s a kick to the face to put Punk down again and we hit ANOTHER armbar. MVP switches to a reverse chinlock until Punk drops him down onto his back for a break. Punk hits a running knee lift and the springboard clothesline gets two. Back up and MVP avoids a charge in the corner, where Punk gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A bunch of stomps in the corner are enough to get MVP disqualified.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was about what I would have expected from a holiday week show, as they didn’t bother trying to do anything here. You don’t want either champion losing but this was a match designed to get by on name only. Neither was interested in trying here and then they have an ending to save face. Not much to this one, but it could work on a bigger stage.

Post match MVP hits the running boot in the corner and leaves. Cue Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a surprise return to brainbuster Punk. The frog splash crushes Punk to end the show. I’m not sure why they have a new villain in here, especially when Big Daddy V and possibly MVP are right there now, but why do that when you can have Chavo Guerrero?

Overall Rating: D+. The opening match is all that is worth seeing here and there is nothing else to see whatsoever. The rest of the show was pretty uninteresting and they did little more than put people in the ring and fill in time. I wasn’t feeling this one, but it’s the holiday season so it isn’t like many people are going to be paying attention anyway.

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Smackdown
Date: December 14, 2007
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for Armageddon and that means the focus is going to be almost entirely on Batista vs. Edge vs. Undertaker. To be fair, what else do you really need to look at when you have a match that big? There are some other stories here though, so expect more from MVP vs. Rey Mysterio. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge (in a sweet Rated R hockey jersey (or something close to one)) to get things going and he brings out the returning Vickie Guerrero, with a stoic Teddy Long pushing the wheelchair. After a clip of Undertaker Tombstoning her, a shaken Vickie talks about how traumatic everything is, because she might need PSYCHIATRIC HELP. There is a triple threat match for the World Title on Sunday and all three participants will be in action tonight. Edge isn’t sure, but Vickie’s decision is final.

Edge vs. Funaki

Edge powers him into the corner to start but gets taken down with a drop toehold. A big boot drops Funaki again though and Edge isn’t looking worried. Funaki gets a boot up in the corner but the tornado DDT is blocked. The Edgecution into the spear gives Edge the easy win.

Post match Vickie gets to announce the other matches for tonight: Batista vs. Kane in a Last Man Standing match and Undertaker vs. Mark Henry/Big Daddy V in a handicap match. Edge is rather pleased and Teddy has to wheel Vickie to the back.

Layla/Victoria vs. Michelle McCool/Kelly Kelly

Kenny Dykstra is here with the villains. Before the match, we see Chuck Palumbo blaming Michelle for his loss to Jamie Noble. Victoria goes after Michelle’s arm to start but Michelle climbs the corner to armdrag her way to freedom. It’s off to Kelly, who gets caught in the wrong corner for some Layla boot choking. Kelly slips out of a fireman’s carry and everything breaks down. Dykstra grabs Michelle’s leg so here is Palumbo to chase him off. The distraction lets Victoria grab a rollup for the pin, leaving Michelle annoyed.

Post break Palumbo yells a lot with McCool not being able to calm him down. A fist goes through a wall, with Palumbo insisting that he’s ok.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kenny Dykstra

MVP is on commentary. Dykstra works on the arm to start but Rey runs the corner for a hurricanrana. That’s broken up and Dykstra hits a slingshot fist drop. It’s back to the arm work before Dykstra loads up a Razor’s Edge. That’s fine with Rey, who reversed into a hurricanrana. The 619 sets up Dropping The Dime to give Rey the fast pin.

Post match MVP gets in the ring but Rey cuts him off, leaving MVP to hand Rey the title, saying Rey might have what it takes to be a champion. Then Dykstra offers a distraction so MVP can get in a belt shot to the head.

Kane vs. Batista

Non-title and Last Man Standing. They slug it out to start and fight to the floor early on with Batista running him over. That doesn’t see to mean much to Kane, who is right back up with a clothesline inside. The top rope clothesline connects but Batista is back up as well. Kane heads up again so this time Batista knocks him out of the air before going up as well. This time it’s Kane catching him on top with a superplex and they both barely beat the count.

We take a break and come back with the fight heading outside again with Batista driving him back first into the post. A big boot knocks Batista over the barricade but he comes right back, only to get punched in the face over and over. Batista shrugs that off and hits a spear, which fires Kane up enough for a whip into the steps. That’s still not enough to keep Batista down so Kane loads up a chokeslam onto the steps. Batista breaks that up and hits a spinebuster onto (not through) the announcers’ table. Cue Edge to spear Batista down….but Batista gets up to beat the count and win anyway.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as they didn’t have any reason to be mad at each other, so instead they just had a power match with some breaks in the middle. You would think that these two could have a passable enough pay per view title match, probably on a show with a bigger main event. For now though, we had a pretty good power match and it worked here, which isn’t bad on about 40 minutes of build.

Post match Edge hits Batista in the back with a chair for a bonus.

Post break, Edge and Vickie are wanting to celebrate but they’ll save that for later. For now though, asprin and coffee, with Teddy being sent to get it.

Raw Rebound.

Festus vs. Miz

Jesse and John Morrison are here, though neither is explaining why Festus doesn’t snap when the bell rings on the way to the ring. The regular bell rings and Festus charges, only to have Miz take the knee out. Miz leverages him to the floor and hits a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and Festus pulls him out of the air, setting up a fireman’s carry into a flapjack for the pin. Short and to the point, which has been the theme of most of the night.

Post match here is Teddy Long for an announcement. Long pulls out a prepared statement, which says that Hornswoggle will meet Great Khali right now.

Great Khali vs. Hornswoggle

Hold on though as here is Finlay with the shillelagh to go after Khali. The beatdown works, but Runjin Singh grabs Hornswoggle, which is enough of a distraction for Khali to lay Finlay out fast.

Michelle McCool, now with a bit of a black eye and hanging out with Kelly Kelly, finds a bunch of flowers and balloons from Jamie Noble. Jamie doesn’t like the eye and thinks it was from Chuck Palumbo, but Michelle insists she got it in a match in Europe. The date is still on though, as Jamie even ironed his underwear. Kelly offers to make it a double date with her and Balls Mahoney. Jamie is happy and even has a dress for Michelle, though insists that she does look good in anything.

Armageddon rundown.

Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V/Mark Henry

Matt Striker is here with the villains. Undertaker gets pounded down into the corner and it’s a running splash from Henry to make it worse. That’s broken up with a pair of big boots but V runs Undertaker over again. Something like a Samoan drop gives V two but Undertaker kicks away at both of them from the mat. The double chokeslam isn’t the best idea though and Undertaker gets knocked down again. Henry splashes Undertaker in the corner and Henry splashes both of them in what might not have been the best move. V tries another splash but only hits buckle, allowing Undertaker to hit a quick chokeslam on Henry for the pin.

Rating: D+. What were you expecting here? There is only so much you can get out of Undertaker vs. either of them and it’s only going to be made worse by having both of them in there at once. The missed charge and a quick finished was about the only way out of this, but it would have been better off as a singles match, just to get rid of some of the clunkiness.

Post match the big beatdown is on, including splashes, elbows and a double torture rack (that’s a finisher for a monster team somewhere). Edge comes in to look on approvingly and mock Undertaker’s pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was another show where it was clear that almost all of the focus was on one match at the pay per view. That does make sense, but with that match entirely set up, it would have been nice to let something else get some attention. The good thing here is that they did have a fresh way to push further towards the triple threat and Kane vs. Batista was pretty good. I’m not sure what they have left after this though, as it is going to need to be something different as we head into the new year.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: December 6, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Florence, South Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re on Thursday here, probably due to some kind of a scheduling conflict, and that means a grand total of nothing. The big story coming out of last week saw Mark Henry attacking Kane and seemingly joining forces with Big Daddy V. Kane is going to need some help and maybe he can get that this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Matt Striker is in the back with Big Daddy V and Mark Henry, saying that CM Punk now has no other choice. Punk can pick one of them to face and they will take his title. Isn’t that a choice?

Opening sequence.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Major Brothers

Non-title. Brett wastes no time in dropkicking Miz to the floor for a slingshot dive before Brian does the same thing to Morrison. A cheap shot takes Brett down on the floor though and it’s a double faceplant to drop Brett back inside. Morrison’s running knee to the face gets two but Brett slips out of a double belly to back, allowing the hot tag off to Brian for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Brian takes Miz to the floor, leaving Brett to get dropped throat first on top. The flipping neckbreaker gives Morrison the pin.

Rating: C. I like Miz and Morrison getting somewhere with the wins, but there are only so many teams for them to run over one after another. It makes sense to have Smackdown and ECW work together and it has helped, but as usual, the double Tag Team Champions deal doesn’t quite work in WWE. Normally I would say you would hope they could learn, but I don’t think I’m that gullible.

CM Punk doesn’t care if he’s facing Big Daddy V or Mark Henry because he loses either way. Armando Alejandro Estrada or Matt Striker can choose, because he’ll fight either of them.

Balls Mahoney/Kelly Kelly vs. Victoria/Kenny Dykstra

The guys start things off with Dykstra hitting a dropkick for an early two. That earns him the snap jabs from Mahoney so it’s off to the women. A very spinning headscissors drops Victoria for two and Kelly slaps Dykstra for a bonus. Victoria knocks her down and grabs a choke to keep things slow. Kelly fights up and brings Mahoney back in to roll Dykstra up for the pin.

Rating: C-. This would be your feel good win of the week as Kelly and Mahoney continue to have nothing to do together but they’re stuck here for the time being. The oddball thing was fun while it lasted but how far can you really go with something like this? Nothing match as you might have guessed, though what else could they have done?

Here is Shelton Benjamin to talk about promises. People are promised all kinds of good things, including him. He was promised that one day he would get his big break, because he is the Gold Standard.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Benjamin takes him down to start but a crucifix gives Yang two. Back up and a heck of a buckle bomb drops Yang again, setting up a neck crank to put Yang in more trouble. That’s broken up but Yang’s high crossbody is countered into a gutbuster. The jumping Downward Spiral gives Benjamin the pin.

Rating: C. The series of Benjamin squashes continues as they still need to come up with a name for that finisher. The gutbuster out of the air was pretty awesome, but there is only so much that can be gotten out of Benjamin with that goofy looking gold hair. It’s an idea that might have worked on paper but it isn’t quite clicking otherwise.

Here’s the opening video again.

Armageddon rundown.

Kevin Thorn v. Jeff Lewis

Thorn is just a guy in trunks this time. Lewis grabs the arm to start and gets planted with a quick backbreaker, followed by a heck of a clothesline. A torture rack backbreaker finishes Lewis in a hurry.

Here is Matt Striker to toss a coin to determine CM Punk’s opponent for tonight.

CM Punk vs. Mark Henry

Non-title and Punk’s early kick to the chest has no effect. A waistlock is quickly countered with straight power so Punk goes with the required choke on the back. Henry doesn’t seem to mind as he walks Punk out to the floor for a posting to break it up. Back in and Henry steps on the ribs but has to shrug off Punk’s rapid fire kicks. The nerve hold goes on, though the fans stay right there behind Punk. The charge in the corner misses though and Punk hits the running knee, only to have Big Daddy V come in for the DQ.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? Henry is the better of the two options, but it isn’t like he can do that much at the moment. Punk is still in need of some challengers though and these two could do well in the role, assuming you don’t expect too much from them. Like a good match here for instance.

Post match the beating is on until Kane makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. They have things going on here, but that doesn’t mean they are the most interesting. Punk and Kane vs. the monsters feels like something that is done to fill time until Punk is ready for his next real match ad that is only going to get them so far. The rest of the show is pretty skippable, but they certainly get points for putting in some kind of effort to build stories and people up. Just execute it better.

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Smackdown
Date: November 30, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s time for one of the big matches as Batista is defending the Smackdown World Title against Edge. This could be quite the issue as Edge is now apparently with Vickie Guerrero but Undertaker isn’t happy about anything. Odds are we’ll be seeing him at some point tonight so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Edge/Vickie Guerrero reveal and the World Title match setup.

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge for a chat. Four months ago, tragedy struck when he suffered an injury and had to vacate the World Heavyweight Title. He was gone, but no one had any sympathy for him. There was no call, no message, not even a lousy text! It was so bad that he was even considering retirement, because he didn’t need to come back to a company that doesn’t care about him.

Then about two months ago he got a phone call from someone who changed his career and his life. It was Vickie Guerrero, and Edge knew it was because she saw him as an asset. She was with him every step of the way through his rehab and they fell in love. They knew Edge had to make a statement when he came back, and that is why he hit Undertaker in the head with a camera.

Now he’s ready to take the title from Batista and it will feel so good, but not as good as getting to publicly declare his love for Vickie. Then that monster the Undertaker destroyed Vickie with a Tombstone. Vickie even felt bad for getting this involved and is probably at home with tears running down her face. Tonight, Edge will be the knight in shining armor and the World Heavyweight Champion.

We recap Vince McMahon sending Great Khali and Mark Henry to take out Finlay as Hornswoggle had to watch.

Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Deuce N Domino

Finlay and Deuce start things off with Deuce actually taking him into the corner. A neckbreaker cuts Finlay off though and the fans get behind Hornswoggle. They head outside where Cherry gets in a slap to the face, allowing Deuce to get in a cheap shot to take over. Back in and Domino holds Finlay down so Deuce can get in a shot of his own. Hornswoggle runs underneath the ring and pulls out a mouse to chase Cherry, with the distraction letting Finlay get in a Shillelagh shot. The Tadpole Splash is enough to give Hornswoggle the pin.

Rating: C. I know the team is goofy, but would Finlay and Hornswoggle getting a title feud be that much of a stretch? Miz and John Morrison don’t exactly have anyone coming after them and Finlay/Hornswoggle are a more featured act than any other team on the show. Have some fun for a bit and think outside the box. It isn’t like there is anything else going on with the titles.

Post match, Finlay and Hornswoggle dance.

We look at Edge cashing in Money in the Bank to take the World Title from Undertaker earlier this year.

Jamie Noble hits on Michelle McCool during her photo shoot. This turns into a rant about Chuck Palumbo, who is indeed right behind Noble. A match is set for later.

CM Punk vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title. Punk kicks at the leg to start and Dykstra crashes out to the floor early on. Back in and Dykstra gets in a shot to the arm and the armbar goes on. That’s broken up with an armdrag but Dykstra puts it right back on. Punk fights out again and goes for the springboard clothesline, only to get dropkicked out of the air. Not that it mattes as Punk gets in a shot of his own and hits the GTS for the pin.

Rating: D+. That’s the kind of opponent that Punk should be facing when he comes on this show, though they could have done it a bit better than spending most of the match in an armbar. In theory at least, this was a good showcase for Punk, who seems to be on his way up to the next level sooner rather than later. Other than that though, this was a pretty lame match as they didn’t really get it going until the end.

We look at Edge vs. Batista at Judgment Day 2007.

Big Daddy V/MVP vs. Kane/Rey Mysterio

Matt Striker is here with the villains. Rey kicks away at MVP to get things going before it’s off to Kane for the uppercut to the floor. A dive (from Rey if that’s not clear) takes MVP down and we take a break. Back with MVP fighting out of the corner to knock Kane back and it’s V getting in some cheap shots from the apron. MVP’s running boot in the corner takes too long though and Kane blasts him with a clothesline.

The hot tag brings Rey back in to clean house but Striker gets in a cheap shot to cut him off. V comes in and steps on Rey’s chest and a tilt-a-whirl side slam drops him again. MVP cranks on the arms for a bit before V misses a charge into the corner. That and an enziguri are enough for Kane to come in off the hot tag, meaning house can be cleaned. Kane hits a top rope clothesline and it’s a 619 into the springboard splash to pin MVP.

Rating: C+. Smackdown has long since figured out how to do this kind of a match and eat up some TV time without feeling boring. There is a wide variety of wrestlers who can be thrown into something like this and make it work and that was the case again here. MVP vs. Mysterio continues and unfortunately so does Kane vs. V, but at least the good pairing got the focus.

Here’s the opening video again.

Edge and Batista had another match at One Night Stand.

Batista is ready to destroy Edge tonight.

Here’s Edge vs. Batista in Smackdown vs. Raw.

Jamie Noble vs. Chuck Palumbo

Michelle McCool is here with Palumbo. A clothesline puts Noble down to start and Palumbo knocks him to the floor. Back in and Noble gets in a dropkick to the knee to cut him off, setting up the leglock. The spinning toehold keeps Palumbo down but he’s fine enough to hit a quick suplex. An overhead belly to belly rocks Noble, but he avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a rollup (with jeans) for the pin.

Rating: C-. Palumbo can’t be long for this show right? He’s lowing to Noble and having McCool around him is only going to get him so far. He has a good look and some size, but the biker deal isn’t going to carry him much further than this. They proved the point with this last week and hopefully that wraps up things for the feud and Palumbo in general.

Vince McMahon has a surprise planned for Great Khali vs. Finlay at Armageddon. To keep the joy going, Vince has Runjin Singh do a Hornswoggle imitation. Then Vince has him do an imitation of Singh’s uncle, who is a stereotypical convenience store clerk. Then it’s a Great Khali impression, with the real Khali coming in. Singh has to talk his way out of trouble.

Edge and Batista fought again at Vengeance.

Raw Rebound.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Edge

Batista is defending and after the Big Match Intros, knocks Edge into the corner. Edge gets sent into the ropes and seems to want to slow things down. Another hard shot has Edge down again and a shoulder gets one. We take a break and come back with Batista getting two off a slam but Edge manages to send him outside.

That doesn’t get Edge very far though as Batista cranks on the arm to cut him right back off. Some right hands to the head stagger Edge again and a big running forearm knocks him off the apron as this is mostly one sided so far. A swinging neckbreaker gets Edge out of trouble though and we take another break.

Back again with Edge holding a chinlock before taking a bit too long to go up top. That lets Batista grab a suplex and a top rope shoulder sends Edge flying again. There’s the swinging Boss Man Slam for two but the Batista Bomb is countered into the Edgecution for two more. Back up and Batista loads up the spear but we’ve got Undertaker. He throws Edge outside and chokeslams Batista as the match is thrown out.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as the match was almost a Batista squash until Undertaker came in. Edge hit that one Edgecution and a few other shots but this was Batista in control for the large majority. It didn’t matter in the end, but it also didn’t paint Edge in the best light in his first important match back from injury.

Post match Teddy Long makes his surprise return and announces (via a printed message from Vickie Guerrero) the triple threat match for Armageddon.

Overall Rating: C. Another pretty steady show here, though MVP vs. Mysterio and the Finlay/Hornswoggle/Vince stuff is picking up some steam. I do like that they have some other stories going on besides the main event, as that has been dominating the show for a little too long. Edge vs. Batista vs. Undertaker is interesting enough, but you can only ride that one idea for so long. Mostly in the middle show this week, as Smackdown continues to rarely break out of its comfort zone.

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