Post by Jon Von Diesel on Oct 7, 2008 15:36:33 GMT
WWE Smackdown
October 3, 2008
Green Bay, WI
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
It’s finally here! The debut (or return) of Smackdown on MyNetwork TV, formally UPN. So without further ado, enjoy the recap!
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…” The WWE video leads us into the show.
A new video and theme are leading us into the debut episode! I like it and I have to find out the name. We then follow up with an awesome pyrotechnics display. Ha, one kid flipped out when it happened! Jim Ross and Tazz welcome us to the All Star Kick-Off of Smackdown! We’re in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the former home of Brett Favre. I bet they really miss him now.
Superstars from all three brands are in the building tonight and it’s going to be all Champions vs. Champions matches tonight! I’ve been waiting for this episode since I joined on back in June and it’s finally here!
For the first time ever on network television it’s the WWE Champion Triple H vs. the World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. the ECW Champion Matt Hardy! This is going to be way better than Cyber Sunday 2006. Hopefully K-Fed won’t interfere. Anyone remember that horror?
Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista vs. MVP, JBL, The Brian Kendrick & Kane
While MVP was coming out, Gregory Helms popped up in the corner and said MVP is the highest paid entertainer in Smackdown history. Helms then says if that’s the case then he’d want his money back! He’s just saying!
This match is going to be awesome. The bell rings and it’s the fighting Irishman Finlay starting it off against The Brian Kendrick. They lock up and Finlay pushes Kendrick into the corner but Kendrick pushes back and gets in a hammerlock. Finlay gets out of the hammerlock, kicks down on the back of The Kendrick’s knee and drives an elbow down on his face! The Kendrick is in pain now as Finlay picks him up and hits a strong Inverted Atomic Drop. That probably made the pain worse. Finlay whips The Kendrick into the corner and runs a shoulder into his midsection. Ouch. Finlay takes him out and hits a beautiful European Uppercut. Finlay is now dragging The Kendrick towards his corner but The Kendrick is resisting. One final tug and Finlay now tags in The Animal Batista!
Batista comes in and stomps down on The Kendrick’s chest. Batista picks The Kendrick up, puts him in the corner and begins driving his shoulders into his midsection! Batista hits a nice suplex and gets a two and a half count! Batista puts The Kendrick into his corner and tags in Finlay.
Finlay gets a boot in the gut of The Kendrick and floors him with another beautiful (and stiff) European Uppercut. The Kendrick is now half in the ring so Finlay goes to the outside and bangs his chest down on the apron! Finlay then turns him over and drives an elbow across The Kendrick’s chest and he falls all the way out of the ring now.
Finlay throws The Kendrick back in the ring but while he’s trying to get in The Kendrick goes for a baseball slide but Finlay gets the apron up and starts pounding on him! I love that move! Hornswoggle is on the apron now and dives off with a clothesline on MVP trying to interfere!! Hornswoggle originated out of Wisconsin, by the way. Finlay and Hornswoggle high five as we go to commercial.
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break with Finlay destroying The Kendrick with a stiff clothesline. The Kendrick’s back is blotchy red now. Finlay now tags in Rey Mysterio!
Mysterio walks up to The Kendrick, who is on his knees, and roundhouse kicks him in the face! Mysterio picks The Kendrick up but he just collapses, causing Mysterio to kind of trip over him. Mysterio goes into the ropes and hits a running leg drop. Kane now approaches him from the apron and starts staring him down! The referee keeps Kane in his corner as Mysterio wrenches the arm of The Kendrick and tags in Jeff Hardy!
Hardy goes right up to the top rope and comes off with a double axe handle to the arm of The Kendrick! Hardy bounces his head off the top turnbuckle and kicks him in the midsection. Hardy now hits a snapmare and hits a dropkick to the back. Hardy gets a two count from this exchange. Hardy picks him up but The Kendrick manages a stiff forearm to the face that temporarily stuns Hardy. The Kendrick collapses to the ground as Hardy stumbles and tags in Finlay!
Finlay runs in and gets taken down by a picture perfect dropkick from The Kendrick! Finlay is getting up but The Kendrick hits a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The Kendrick now does his little dance and while he’s doing this Hornswoggle comes on the apron wearing The Kendrick’s jacket and doing his dance!! That’s comedy!! The Kendrick now gets out of the ring and chases Hornswoggle!! Hornswoggle runs through the legs of Finlay and The Kendrick runs into a clothesline on the outside of the ring!! Hornswoggle gets in the ring and does The Kendrick’s dance as Ezekiel Jackson clotheslines Finlay on the outside!!
JBL now puts both men back in the ring and gets back on the apron. The Kendrick now tags in JBL who comes in the ring and kicks Finlay right in the face! JBL bounces Finlay’s head off the top turnbuckle and begins pounding him with right hands in succession! The referee forces him out of the corner but JBL comes right back and kicks Finlay in the head. JBL now hits a short arm clothesline and hits four elbow drops which get him a two count!
JBL tags in Kane and holds Finlay wide open. Kane comes off the ropes with a kick to the midsection of Finlay. Kane comes off the ropes again and kicks him in the face! Kane then whips Finlay into the corner and hits a big clothesline! Kane then hits a huge right hand and tags in MVP.
MVP kicks Finlay in the chest, shoots a half nelson and delivers some knees to the midsection! MVP then hits a scoop slam and a knee drop for a one count. Finlay is down on his knees and MVP has a front face lock applied. Finlay’s partners begin clapping to get the audience into it and they do! Finlay is responding by getting up but MVP gets him in his corner and tags in JBL!
JBL crushes Finlay with a kick in the face in the corner and the referee backs him away. While this is going on Kane is choking Finlay on the bottom rope! Damn cheaters! JBL then goes for a right hand but Finlay blocks it and is fighting back with some rights of his own! Finlay goes into the ropes and JBL levels him with a clothesline! It’s not a Clothesline From Hell apparently – what’s the difference? He crushed him with this one too. Anyway JBL only gets a two count from it.
JBL now hits a right hand and send Finlay into the ropes but JBL lowers his head and Finlay counters with a DDT! Both men are crawling towards their sides. JBL tags in MVP and Finlay tags in Batista!!
Batista comes in and levels MVP with a clothesline! Batista whips him into the corner and hits a nice clothesline and then clotheslines The Kendrick who was trying to interfere!! Batista then throws The Kendrick shoulder first into MVP’s midsection and turns into Kane who gets his hand around Batista’s throat!! Kane goes for the Chokeslam but Batista elbows and punches out of it and hits a HUGE Spinebuster on Kane!! MVP then runs in and gets a big Spinebuster as well and Batista is shaking the ropes!!
Batista sets MVP up for a Batista Bomb and back body drops The Kendrick when he ran up to him!! MVP gets out of the bomb and Batista focuses now on The Kendrick by driving him into the corner. Batista now gets MVP on his shoulder and tags in Mysterio! Batista slams MVP down and gets Mysterio standing on his shoulder who then comes off with a HUGE splash!!
Mysterio starts punching The Brian Kendrick and goes to whip him into the ropes but The Kendrick reverses! Mysterio goes through his legs coming off the ropes and hits a hurricanrana and The Kendrick is now sprawled out on the second rope! You know what’s coming now! MVP stops him before anything happens and throws him into the ropes but Mysterio counters with a head scissors takedown and MVP joins The Kendrick on the ropes! Mysterio goes for a double 619 but Kane grabs his legs and drags him out of the ring!! It’s time for another commercial break.
:::Commercial Break:::
We’re back from the break and we see Kane come off the ropes and hit a low dropkick to the face of Mysterio! Kane covers and gets a two count. Kane now locks a chin lock on Mysterio. These two face off Sunday at No Mercy in a match where if Mysterio loses he must remove his mask. Kane stomps down on Mysterio and tags in The Kendrick.
Kane holds Mysterio as The Kendrick kicks him in the ribs. The Kendrick now kicks him in the head and gets a two count. The Kendrick now locks in a double arm choke as the fans chant “Boring”. I’m surprised that made it through. I don’t think this is boring! Now the audience gets in it and Mysterio starts getting up! Mysterio gets to his feet but The Kendrick slams him back down on the mat and tags in JBL!
JBL stares at Batista as he clubs Mysterio’s back. Batista tries to come in but the referee restrains him. JBL now picks up Mysterio and stares down Batista again as he delivers a Fall Away Slam! JBL covers but it’s broken up by Batista!!
JBL tags in MVP who comes in and starts punching but the referee kicks him out because he didn’t see the tag!! They’re actually enforcing the rules now?! Smackdown is the dominant show. JBL tags in MVP again and it’s legal! JBL holds up Mysterio as MVP drives some shoulders into the midsection. MVP hits a jumping elbow on Mysterio, picks him up and sends him into the ropes and hits a one man flapjack! MVP then kicks him in the face and tags in The Brian Kendrick!
The Kendrick goes up to the top rope and comes off with a stomp to Mysterio’s face and covers him for a two count! The Kendrick picks him up but Mysterio fires back with some punches but The Kendrick throws him into the corner. The Kendrick now charges Mysterio and pays for it with a boot in the face! Mysterio runs but The Kendrick sets him up for an overhead spinning backbreaker but Mysterio counters into a Reverse DDT and both men are down!! They crawl and The Kendrick gets MVP and Mysterio gets Jeff Hardy!!
Hardy comes in like a house on fire ducking a clothesline and coming back with some right hands! Hardy goes into the ropes and takes him down with a running forearm! Hardy goes for a whip but MVP twists him back to him and Hardy takes him down with his unique spinning neckbreaker (at least I think it’s a neckbreaker!).
Hardy now goes for the Twist of Fate but MVP throws him into the corner and Hardy climbs the ropes and hits Whisper in the Wind!! JBL now comes in and hits a big boot on Hardy but Batista runs in and SPEARS him down!! The Kendrick now runs in and blindsides Batista with a jumping calf kick, sending him out of the ring and The Kendrick turns into a clothesline from Finlay!! Finlay now turns into a big boot from Kane who then turns into a Missile Dropkick from Rey Mysterio!! Kane flies out of the ring!!
MVP is now on the second rope and Mysterio hits the 619!! Mysterio then goes on the apron and takes Kane down on the outside with a diving sitting Plancha!! Hardy now comes off the top rope with a Swanton Bomb on MVP and pins him to win the first match on this All Star Kick-Off!!
Winners by Pinfall: Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista
Match Rating: ***
All the faces now get in the ring and celebrate with clapping and hugs. That was a great opener!
JR and Tazz now put over the fact that this is the debut episode of Smackdown on MyNetwork Television and they’re excited. Tazz then mentions that more men watched Smackdown than any other sporting event on television last Friday!
JR then introduces us to a video package highlighting the feud between Vickie Guerrero, Big Show and The Undertaker. It highlights everything from Unforgiven to Undertaker Tombstone Piledriving Vickie last week!
Backstage the Big Show is walking and he’s walking with a purpose. I guess he’s up next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Backstage Theodore Long with Tiffany and Mike Adamle are discussing how great Smackdown is. Yeah, that’s right. That’s superiority. Big Show now comes in and asks what they’re doing in Vickie’s office. They say they’re there to represent their respective brands and T-Lo mentions that he used to be the General Manager and he figured he might be of some help now that Vickie is out. Tiffany then asks how Vickie is. Big Show skirts the question much like Sarah Palin did most of the questions last night in the debate and kicks them out.
Chavo Guerrero now comes in singing the blues about how bad his back is after Undertaker destroyed him. Chavo says he knows the Undertaker is here tonight so they have to come up with a plan so Undertaker doesn’t get to him. Big Show tells Chavo to shut up and says that he’s in charge. Chavo can’t believe Show’s in charge because he’s a Guerrero so he should be. Big Show says it’s all Chavo’s fault that Vickie is injured. Chavo says he was kidnapped and Big Show says that’s why it’s his entire fault. Big Show then tells Chavo he has a match tonight. Chavo is upset but ultimately accepts.
Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella comes out with Beth Phoenix for his match and Gregory Helms pops up in the corner. Helms says that the Honky Tonk Man would roll over in his grave and then stops realizing HTM isn’t actually dead.
Santino now starts cutting a promo about how he’s happy to be on Smackdown and if we’ve been living under JR’s hat for the last year and a half he’s Santino Marella, the Intercontinental Champion and the most feared man in the WWE! Marella says in case we doubt these words he has something to show us – BRING UP THE HONK-A-METER! You see, the Honky Tonky Man was IC Champion for 64 Weeks and he’s been the IC Champion for 6.71 Weeks! So, by Santino’s mathematics, that means in 57.29 Weeks he’ll be the Greatest Intercontinental Champion of all the times!
Marella says that he’s going to beat the Goldilocks Shelton Benjamin, who is only champion of one continent, the USA. Marella says he’s the Intercontinental Champion which means continental which means he’s the champion… OF PLANET EARTH! This guy is gold.
:::Commercial Break:::
Shelton Benjamin is now on the big screen and says he’s taking on Santino Marella aka Beth Phoenix’s girlfriend!! Benjamin says he’s a joke of a champion and shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as the US Champion! Benjamin tells us not to blink because the Gold Standard will be tomorrow’s headline.
Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion
Santino Marella w/ Beth Phoenix vs. Shelton Benjamin
This is a non-title match for those of you who were confused.
The bell rings and they circle the ring. They feign locking up and then Marella gets a headlock on and immediately starts yelling about how great he is! Benjamin now lifts Marella up and throws him off but he lands on his feet and turns into a big kick to the face from Benjamin! Benjamin now starts in with aggressive punches and kicks and ends it with a short arm clothesline! Benjamin sizes up Marella and drops him with Pay Dirt as R-Truth’s music hits!
R-Truth is now coming through the crowd rapping and Marianna is furious. Benjamin is distracted by all this. He gets up on the second rope and stares at R-Truth as Santino Marella takes him off and pins him!!
Winner by Pinfall: Santino Marella
Match Rating: ¾ *
Marella rolls out of the ring as R-Truth continues rapping. Benjamin is furious as he stares down R-Truth! R-Truth stops at the top of the ramp and asks “What’s up?” We ponder this monumental question as we go to a break.
:::Commercial Break:::
Big Show’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring and takes a microphone. Big Show says he knows Vickie is convalescing at home but he’s got everything under control. He says that they know why Chavo is in this match and he went through great lengths to make this extra special for him.
Chavo Guerrero’s music hits and he makes his way out to the ring. His opponents will be The World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry and The Great Khali!! Chavo is not happy!!
Chavo Guerrero vs. Mark Henry & The Great Khali
The bell rings and Mark Henry is starting the match out for his team. Chavo is telling Big Show to come up and help him but Big Show just smiles. Chavo ducks Henry but gets caught with a huge head-butt! Henry then clubs his back and kicks him in the ribs and tags in Khali.
Khali comes in and takes Chavo down with a Brain Chop and then defiantly raises his arms in the air. He then tags in Mark Henry who comes in and delivers the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry then tags in Khali who locks on the Khali Vice Grip! Big Show claps on as the referee rings the bell! Chavo Guerrero = buried.
Winners by Referee Stoppage: Mark Henry & The Great Khali
Match Rating: ½ *
Khali throws Guerrero out of the ring and he lands right by Big Show’s feet. Big Show then picks him up and knocks him out with a Big Punch!
Show gets in the ring and says he hopes the Undertaker is watching because if he can do that to Chavo he can do it just as easily to him. Big Show says at No Mercy he’ll show no mercy and the Deadman needs to be scared and before he can finish the bell toll and the lights go out!! Big Show leaves the ring and looks over his shoulder. The lights go out again and when they come back on Undertaker is in the ring!! Undertaker does his death signal and rolls his eyes back!!
:::Commercial Break:::
Did you know that five times as many people watched Smackdown last Friday night than UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion on Spike? That sounds good to me.
In the ring are the World Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes with Manu. They show some pre-taped promo from them. DiBiase says when it comes to brand supremacy, no brand is better than RAW (yeah, right). DiBiase offers to use him and his team as an example. Wrestling isn’t just a sport to them – it’s a treasured legacy. Rhodes tells Carlito and Primo that they are dead serious and what they are is Priceless. It’s nice to see Cody try so hard not to lisp when saying serious. Like father like son.
Carlito and Primo Colon now come out and we see footage from last week of them winning the WWE Tag Team Titles. Carlito then says he knows they were only expecting to face him and his brother two on two but they were thinking about it – Manu is going to be standing on the outside looking like an idiot which gets Manu excited! Carlito then says that they decided to make this a six man tag. Primo then says that’s cool and he and Carlito fight about that being Carlito’s line! Their tag partner is CM Punk!
World Tag Team Champions vs. WWE Tag Team Champions
Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes & Manu vs. Carlito, Primo Colon & CM Punk
For the record, this is three RAW guys vs. two Smackdown guys and one RAW guy. Everyone makes there way over to the good show!
It’ll be Primo and Ted DiBiase starting this match out. Primo rolls around the ring once and then they lock up and Primo immediately gets DiBiase in a school boy roll up but DiBiase kicks out at one! Primo then goes for a front face lock but gets driven into DiBiase’s corner and gets some shoulders and kicks in before tagging in Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes comes in and he and DiBiase whip Primo into the ropes. Carlito makes a blind tag and Primo rolls off the back of DiBiase. The World Tag Champs turn and Primo rolls between them and when they turn again they get taken down by stereo dropkicks from the WWE Tag Team Champs! Carlito then goes into the ropes but Manu pulls down the top rope and Carlito crashes to the outside!
Rhodes goes to the outside and runs Carlito into the barricade! Rhodes throws him back in the ring and tags in Manu! Manu clubs the back and hits a nice head-butt. Manu hits a nice scoop slam and comes off the ropes with a diving head-butt! Carlito kicks out at two and Manu tags in DiBiase.
Manu slams Carlito and DiBiase comes off the second rope with a Double Stomp to the chest and covers for a two and a half count! DiBiase gets Carlito in a chin lock but Carlito gets to his feet and fights out of it. Carlito stumbles towards his brother and tags him in!
DiBiase slams Carlito down as Primo comes in over the top rope but DiBiase catches him and gets him in his corner. Primo fights out and hits a nice dropkick! Primo goes for a front face lock but DiBiase does a double leg sweep and covers for a two count!
DiBiase tags Rhodes in and Rhodes comes off the top rope with a forearm to the midsection of Primo. Primo keeps trying to fight back but Rhodes hits him with a nice Russian Leg Sweep. Primo still tries to fight back but Rhodes gets him in a standing arm bar. Rhodes sends Primo into the ropes but Primo holds on as Rhodes goes for a dropkick but no one’s home! Primo now tags in CM Punk and Rhodes tags in DiBiase!
Punk enters the ring with a springboard clothesline on DiBiase and then hits a spinning kick to the midsection. Punk then kicks him in the face, gives him a right and a left and a spinning right and ends it with a roundhouse to the temple! Punk sends DiBiase into the ropes and takes him down with a jumping calf kick! Punk then hits his top rope knee lift and takes DiBiase down with a bulldog! The cover is broken up by Manu and Cody Rhodes! Primo and Carlito come in and even things out as they send them to the outside and each hit a Plancha with Carlito’s being a summersault Plancha on Manu!!
Punk now has DiBiase on his shoulders and hits the Go To Sleep for the victory!
Winners by Pinfall: Carlito, Primo Colon & CM Punk
Match Rating: ** ¼
Backstage Jesse & Festus are watching Smackdown. JR thanks them for helping to pack up Smackdown to move to a new network and says their check is in the mail.
The official theme song for No Mercy is All Nightmare Long” by Metallica. I want to get this album – is it any good?
Now the Diva’s music hits and the Diva Lumberjacks (or Lumberjills) from all three brands are making their way to the ring. That match is next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Lumberjack Match
Women’s Champion vs. Diva’s Champion
Beth Phoenix vs. Michelle McCool
Lumberjacks: Candice Michelle, Maria, Mickie James, Victoria, Natalya, Jillian, Layla, Katie Lea Burchill, Lena Yada, Maryse, Brie Bella, Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly.
The bell rings and they lock up and McCool gets a quick headlock on Beth Phoenix. McCool has it locked on tight as Phoenix picks her up a few times but nothing happens. Finally Phoenix whips her into the ropes and takes McCool down with a shoulder block. McCool gets up and stares at her. The Glamazon goes to grab her but McCool gets around her and gets a schoolgirl pin for a one count!
McCool goes to take Phoenix down but gets caught in a front face lock! McCool gets out of it and wrenches the arm but Phoenix makes her eat a forearm and whips her into the ropes and goes for a wheelbarrow victory roll but Phoenix doesn’t roll and almost pins McCool at two and then gets her on her shoulder for a HUGE back suplex!!
Beth now lifts her up over her shoulder for the backbreaker submission! McCool tries to fight out but Phoenix just jumps up and down a few times. That’s old school, baby. McCool finally kicks off the ropes and flips out and gets a knee to the midsection. McCool gets a double leg takedown and bridges over for a one count!
Beth goes to pick up McCool but McCool starts punching away at her! McCool goes to roll her up but Phoenix hangs on to the ropes. However, Beth then turns into a big boot from McCool which gets a two count! Phoenix rolls out of the ring on the heel side and nothing happens. McCool slides out and all the heel Divas start attacking prompting the faces to run over and even things up. This is officially a cluster you know what.
On the apron McCool shoulders Beth in the gut and goes for a sunset flip but Maryse chops her knee! McCool grabs her hair but Phoenix runs and sits on her head on the second rope! Beth goes to pin but the referee won’t do it because her feet are through the ropes! Hell yes! I love this!
Beth goes for her finisher but McCool grounds herself and kicks her in the head! Beth wrenches the arm and McCool tries to kick out but can’t. McCool moves towards the ropes to back flip out but Maryse came up on the apron. McCool kicked her off but soon got caught in a DEVESTATING Glam Slam to give Beth Phoenix the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Beth Phoenix
Match Rating: * ¼
Beth Phoenix celebrates as the heel Divas congratulate Maryse on the assist.
Still to come tonight: The Triple Threat Match!
:::Commercial Break:::
Jim Ross covers the Main Event of No Mercy this Sunday: a Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels! We now see the video package that will probably be the one for No Mercy! I still like this feud. I hate seeing everyone be so nitpicky!
We now get a rundown of the No Mercy card. This is going to be a good Pay Per View. Last year's was awesome as well. I’m excited!
The introductions of the Main Event are taking place now! First out is the ECW Champion Matt Hardy! This has got to be one of the most important matches of his career. Sure, winning the ECW Title is big but actually showing you can hang in the Main Event with the big players goes a long way for your credibility and your legacy. I hope he does well.
Next out is the WWE Champion! I figured he’d be out last being that he is the main guy on Smackdown but oh well.
:::Commercial Break:::
Chris Jericho is now making his way out. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to call a Jericho match. I met him a few times – he’s really a great guy.
ECW Champion vs. WWE Champion vs. World Heavyweight Champion
Matt Hardy vs. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
I’m really excited about this match. It feels really big.
The bell rings and all three men just stand and look at each other. They slowly approach one another and Jericho and Triple H stay focused on one another. Matt Hardy pushes them apart to let them know he’s in it too! Jericho puts a hand in his face and continues jaw jacking with Triple H. Hardy turns Jericho around and Jericho slaps him in the face! Hardy turns and levels Jericho with a right hand then Hardy and Triple H start putting the boots to Jericho! The two champions send Jericho into the ropes and lay him out with a double back elbow! Matt Hardy delivers a beautiful suplex on Jericho and Triple H drops the knee! Hardy then comes off the ropes with an elbow drop! Hardy picks up Jericho and throws him through the first and second rope shoulder first into the ring post! Hardy then turns around and Triple H DDTs him!!
Triple H takes Jericho, who is on the apron, and bounces his head off the top turnbuckle before suplexing him into the ring. Triple H pins him for a two count. Triple H sends Jericho into the ropes and lowers his head and pays for it with a kick in the face! Triple H stumbles and turns into a big clothesline from the former Y2J! Jericho punches and kicks Triple H a few times before attempting to whip him into the ropes but Triple H counters and whips Jericho. Jericho ducks a clothesline but comes back into a high knee a la the “King” Harley Race!
Matt Hardy now interjects himself into this match by spearing Triple H down and punching him a few times! Hardy then goes outside the ring and takes Triple H with him and bounces his head off the announcer’s table! Hardy hits a right hand but Triple H gets a kick and tries to get back in the ring but Hardy grabs on and follows. They slug it out on the apron for about a second until Jericho does his springboard dropkick to Triple H who hits Hardy and they both fall to the floor! Jericho is smiling as we go to commercial.
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break to see Hardy doing the screaming second rope elbow to Jericho and signals for the Twist of Fate! Hardy goes for it but Jericho pushes him off while Triple H lowers the top rope and Hardy crashes to the outside of the ring!
As Triple H is entering the ring Jericho kicks him in the face and he falls to the ground. Jericho punches and kicks Triple H while he’s down until Charles Robinson keeps him off. During the break we saw Jericho throw Triple H into the stairs. Jericho mouths off to Triple H and head-butts him twice! Jericho whips but Triple H counters into a whip of his own and lays Jericho out with the Double A Spinebuster! Triple H goes for the Pedigree but Jericho does a double leg takedown and catapults him into Hardy who was on the top rope looking to do something! Jericho then rolls up Triple H and grabs the tights for a two and a half count!! Jericho now picks up Triple H and throws him out of the ring.
Jericho goes over to Hardy who is still crotched on the top rope. Jericho hits him with a huge right hand twice and climbs to the second rope for a superplex. Triple H runs into the ring and powerbombs Jericho who superplexes Matt Hardy!! The Triple Stack!! All three men are down now and Robinson begins the count. Triple H pins Jericho at the six count and gets a CLOSE two and a half count!!
Triple H is up and sends Jericho into the ropes and locks on a sleeper hold! He holds it in for a few moments before Jericho counters out with a back suplex! Jericho now goes for the Lionsault but Triple H moves out of the way and he lands on his feet but tweaks his knee! Jericho is hobbling and Triple H sweeps the legs and goes for a Figure Four Leglock but Jericho kicks him into Matt Hardy who is on the apron! Triple H then turns into the Walls of Jericho!! This is a really great moment because Triple H is really selling it. He’s screaming and getting pumped up and just when you think he’s going to get that rope break Jericho pulls him out to the center of the ring!
Matt Hardy now gets into the ring and Jericho releases Triple H and goes for the Walls of Jericho on Hardy but Hardy counters into an inside cradle for a CLOSE two and a half count!! Jericho is up and punches Hardy and sends him into the corner. Jericho comes off the ropes for a face buster but Hardy sends him knees first into the second turnbuckle! Hardy now hits a corner clothesline and connects with a bulldog for another CLOSE two and a half count!! Jericho ducks a clothesline and goes for the Codebreaker but Hardy doesn’t follow and does a jackknife pin for ANOTHER CLOSE two and a half count!! Hardy now goes for the Twist of Fate but Jericho throws him into the ropes and Hardy counters into a Side Effect!
Triple H is in the ring now and Hardy turns into a Pedigree for the win!
Match Rating: *** ½
Triple H gets his WWE Championship and raises it in the air as we see replays of the highlights of this terrific match!
After the replays end we see Triple H turn into a Codebreaker for Chris Jericho! Jericho then goes to the outside of the ring and gets a ladder out from under the ring!! Jericho has it in the ring and levels Matt Hardy with a shot to the face!! Jericho lays the ladder down and puts Matt in between the ladder but before we can see what he’s doing Jeff Hardy runs down to save his brother and clotheslines Jericho out of the ring!!
Jeff helps his brother Matt out from the ladder and Triple H turns Hardy around but before we know what Triple H is going to do, Jeff Hardy lays him out with a Twist of Fate!! The crowd is going nuts as Hardy motions to the ladder!! Hardy sets it up and signals to the crowd from up top but Vladimir Kozlov runs in so Hardy jumps off and gets KILLED with the Head-butt in mid air!! Kozlov then scoops Triple H up and lays him out with the Reverse DDT!!
The fans in Green Bay are upset and chanting USA as we see some replays of what just happened. The debut episode of Smackdown on MyNetwork Television ends with Vladimir Kozlov standing over the broken bodies of the WWE Champion and his Number One Contender!!
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Quick Match Results
Jeff Hardy*, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista def. MVP*, JBL, The Brian Kendrick & Kane
Santino Marella def. Shelton Benjamin (non-title)
Mark Henry & The Great Khali* def. Chavo Guerrero via ref stoppage
Carlito, Primo & CM Punk* def. Ted DiBiase*, Cody Rhodes & Manu
Beth Phoenix def. Michelle McCool (Lumberjack; non-title)
Triple H def. Matt Hardy* & Chris Jericho (non-title)
Bump of the Night: Hardy diving off the ladder into a Head-Butt from Vladimir Kozlov!!
Match of the Night: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho vs. Matt Hardy *** ½
Mike’s Thoughts
Was this a great show or is it just me? WWE needed to hit a homerun with this show and they did. It had a little bit of everything that WWE does best – wrestling, showmanship, comedy, drama, Divas! This show had everything, even some old school wrestling in the Main Event. I’m proud to be the WrestleView.com Smackdown recapper but I’m even more proud that my show is Smackdown. Smackdown did this wrestling fan proud tonight.
I’m really excited for Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy this Sunday at No Mercy. They finally got a little physical but the question is where will Vladimir Kozlov play into this? He’s laid out both men for weeks now and there’s been no mention of what role he’ll play. Will it be a Triple Threat? This certainly adds some intrigue to the match now!
Triple H and Chris Jericho performed brilliantly tonight but the real star of that match was Matt Hardy. In my opinion he had the most to prove going up against the companies other two big champions. Hardy had to show us he was a real World Champion by hanging with the other champions and he sure showed me tonight! Hardy hung in there and was excellent. There wasn’t one missed or awkward spot and I hope this is the beginning of many more great moments for Matt Hardy.
The opening six man tag was awesome! So many current and past rivalries going on it was awesome. That was a great way to open up the show and it made me want to see some of these matches on Sunday, including JBL vs. Batista! I’m even interested in Kane vs. Rey Mysterio even though it’s brutally obvious Mysterio will take the win.
What in the world is going on with MVP? Over the summer he seemed lost then heading into Summerslam he was being pushed and now I don’t think he’s won a match since he qualified for the Championship Scramble! What are they doing with him? He’s so talented he needs to be pushed a little harder! Don’t drop the ball with MVP.
I’m interested to see Big Show vs. Undertaker this Sunday. I’m really interested in seeing how Undertaker handles this. I firmly believe that if you want to be a wrestler you need to watch how the veterans work so for any aspiring wrestler reading this you need to watch Undertaker on Sunday wrestle a 500 pound man while nursing injured knees. It’s going to be interesting.
I wonder how badly Michelle McCool got the wind knocked out of her following Beth Phoenix’s Glam Slam. She absolutely got killed!! Good luck to Candice Michelle!!
Marianna vs. R-Truth update: Marianna is still not impressed and neither am I. Sorry, WWE, that’s just how we feel. The rap song is just a little lame along with the catchphrase and the wardrobe. Not a fan, not a fan…
What happened to CM Punk’s push? He’s relegated to a tag match in the middle of the show with an appearance that was unadvertised and he hardly did anything! Wasn’t this guy World Heavyweight Champion less than a month ago? He’s not even booked at No Mercy!
To sum it up we had a great night of wrestling with all the matches involving Champions facing Champions barring two other matches which were great anyway. This had to be the best show I’ve called since joining on and to top it all off it was a homerun for WWE with MyNetwork Television! It even functioned as a go home show for No Mercy as even though it was a special night they still furthered many storylines! This is probably the Smackdown of the year!
Final Smackdown Rating: ****
Four Stars. My highest rating ever. That’s as high as I go!
I’d like to hear your thoughts on Smackdown. Please e-mail me your reviews and your picks for No Mercy! If you get all the picks right I’ll mention you in my recap next week! Also tell me what you think of the recap. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Let me know so I can continually improve!
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading and enjoy No Mercy!
October 3, 2008
Green Bay, WI
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
It’s finally here! The debut (or return) of Smackdown on MyNetwork TV, formally UPN. So without further ado, enjoy the recap!
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…” The WWE video leads us into the show.
A new video and theme are leading us into the debut episode! I like it and I have to find out the name. We then follow up with an awesome pyrotechnics display. Ha, one kid flipped out when it happened! Jim Ross and Tazz welcome us to the All Star Kick-Off of Smackdown! We’re in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the former home of Brett Favre. I bet they really miss him now.
Superstars from all three brands are in the building tonight and it’s going to be all Champions vs. Champions matches tonight! I’ve been waiting for this episode since I joined on back in June and it’s finally here!
For the first time ever on network television it’s the WWE Champion Triple H vs. the World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. the ECW Champion Matt Hardy! This is going to be way better than Cyber Sunday 2006. Hopefully K-Fed won’t interfere. Anyone remember that horror?
Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista vs. MVP, JBL, The Brian Kendrick & Kane
While MVP was coming out, Gregory Helms popped up in the corner and said MVP is the highest paid entertainer in Smackdown history. Helms then says if that’s the case then he’d want his money back! He’s just saying!
This match is going to be awesome. The bell rings and it’s the fighting Irishman Finlay starting it off against The Brian Kendrick. They lock up and Finlay pushes Kendrick into the corner but Kendrick pushes back and gets in a hammerlock. Finlay gets out of the hammerlock, kicks down on the back of The Kendrick’s knee and drives an elbow down on his face! The Kendrick is in pain now as Finlay picks him up and hits a strong Inverted Atomic Drop. That probably made the pain worse. Finlay whips The Kendrick into the corner and runs a shoulder into his midsection. Ouch. Finlay takes him out and hits a beautiful European Uppercut. Finlay is now dragging The Kendrick towards his corner but The Kendrick is resisting. One final tug and Finlay now tags in The Animal Batista!
Batista comes in and stomps down on The Kendrick’s chest. Batista picks The Kendrick up, puts him in the corner and begins driving his shoulders into his midsection! Batista hits a nice suplex and gets a two and a half count! Batista puts The Kendrick into his corner and tags in Finlay.
Finlay gets a boot in the gut of The Kendrick and floors him with another beautiful (and stiff) European Uppercut. The Kendrick is now half in the ring so Finlay goes to the outside and bangs his chest down on the apron! Finlay then turns him over and drives an elbow across The Kendrick’s chest and he falls all the way out of the ring now.
Finlay throws The Kendrick back in the ring but while he’s trying to get in The Kendrick goes for a baseball slide but Finlay gets the apron up and starts pounding on him! I love that move! Hornswoggle is on the apron now and dives off with a clothesline on MVP trying to interfere!! Hornswoggle originated out of Wisconsin, by the way. Finlay and Hornswoggle high five as we go to commercial.
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break with Finlay destroying The Kendrick with a stiff clothesline. The Kendrick’s back is blotchy red now. Finlay now tags in Rey Mysterio!
Mysterio walks up to The Kendrick, who is on his knees, and roundhouse kicks him in the face! Mysterio picks The Kendrick up but he just collapses, causing Mysterio to kind of trip over him. Mysterio goes into the ropes and hits a running leg drop. Kane now approaches him from the apron and starts staring him down! The referee keeps Kane in his corner as Mysterio wrenches the arm of The Kendrick and tags in Jeff Hardy!
Hardy goes right up to the top rope and comes off with a double axe handle to the arm of The Kendrick! Hardy bounces his head off the top turnbuckle and kicks him in the midsection. Hardy now hits a snapmare and hits a dropkick to the back. Hardy gets a two count from this exchange. Hardy picks him up but The Kendrick manages a stiff forearm to the face that temporarily stuns Hardy. The Kendrick collapses to the ground as Hardy stumbles and tags in Finlay!
Finlay runs in and gets taken down by a picture perfect dropkick from The Kendrick! Finlay is getting up but The Kendrick hits a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The Kendrick now does his little dance and while he’s doing this Hornswoggle comes on the apron wearing The Kendrick’s jacket and doing his dance!! That’s comedy!! The Kendrick now gets out of the ring and chases Hornswoggle!! Hornswoggle runs through the legs of Finlay and The Kendrick runs into a clothesline on the outside of the ring!! Hornswoggle gets in the ring and does The Kendrick’s dance as Ezekiel Jackson clotheslines Finlay on the outside!!
JBL now puts both men back in the ring and gets back on the apron. The Kendrick now tags in JBL who comes in the ring and kicks Finlay right in the face! JBL bounces Finlay’s head off the top turnbuckle and begins pounding him with right hands in succession! The referee forces him out of the corner but JBL comes right back and kicks Finlay in the head. JBL now hits a short arm clothesline and hits four elbow drops which get him a two count!
JBL tags in Kane and holds Finlay wide open. Kane comes off the ropes with a kick to the midsection of Finlay. Kane comes off the ropes again and kicks him in the face! Kane then whips Finlay into the corner and hits a big clothesline! Kane then hits a huge right hand and tags in MVP.
MVP kicks Finlay in the chest, shoots a half nelson and delivers some knees to the midsection! MVP then hits a scoop slam and a knee drop for a one count. Finlay is down on his knees and MVP has a front face lock applied. Finlay’s partners begin clapping to get the audience into it and they do! Finlay is responding by getting up but MVP gets him in his corner and tags in JBL!
JBL crushes Finlay with a kick in the face in the corner and the referee backs him away. While this is going on Kane is choking Finlay on the bottom rope! Damn cheaters! JBL then goes for a right hand but Finlay blocks it and is fighting back with some rights of his own! Finlay goes into the ropes and JBL levels him with a clothesline! It’s not a Clothesline From Hell apparently – what’s the difference? He crushed him with this one too. Anyway JBL only gets a two count from it.
JBL now hits a right hand and send Finlay into the ropes but JBL lowers his head and Finlay counters with a DDT! Both men are crawling towards their sides. JBL tags in MVP and Finlay tags in Batista!!
Batista comes in and levels MVP with a clothesline! Batista whips him into the corner and hits a nice clothesline and then clotheslines The Kendrick who was trying to interfere!! Batista then throws The Kendrick shoulder first into MVP’s midsection and turns into Kane who gets his hand around Batista’s throat!! Kane goes for the Chokeslam but Batista elbows and punches out of it and hits a HUGE Spinebuster on Kane!! MVP then runs in and gets a big Spinebuster as well and Batista is shaking the ropes!!
Batista sets MVP up for a Batista Bomb and back body drops The Kendrick when he ran up to him!! MVP gets out of the bomb and Batista focuses now on The Kendrick by driving him into the corner. Batista now gets MVP on his shoulder and tags in Mysterio! Batista slams MVP down and gets Mysterio standing on his shoulder who then comes off with a HUGE splash!!
Mysterio starts punching The Brian Kendrick and goes to whip him into the ropes but The Kendrick reverses! Mysterio goes through his legs coming off the ropes and hits a hurricanrana and The Kendrick is now sprawled out on the second rope! You know what’s coming now! MVP stops him before anything happens and throws him into the ropes but Mysterio counters with a head scissors takedown and MVP joins The Kendrick on the ropes! Mysterio goes for a double 619 but Kane grabs his legs and drags him out of the ring!! It’s time for another commercial break.
:::Commercial Break:::
We’re back from the break and we see Kane come off the ropes and hit a low dropkick to the face of Mysterio! Kane covers and gets a two count. Kane now locks a chin lock on Mysterio. These two face off Sunday at No Mercy in a match where if Mysterio loses he must remove his mask. Kane stomps down on Mysterio and tags in The Kendrick.
Kane holds Mysterio as The Kendrick kicks him in the ribs. The Kendrick now kicks him in the head and gets a two count. The Kendrick now locks in a double arm choke as the fans chant “Boring”. I’m surprised that made it through. I don’t think this is boring! Now the audience gets in it and Mysterio starts getting up! Mysterio gets to his feet but The Kendrick slams him back down on the mat and tags in JBL!
JBL stares at Batista as he clubs Mysterio’s back. Batista tries to come in but the referee restrains him. JBL now picks up Mysterio and stares down Batista again as he delivers a Fall Away Slam! JBL covers but it’s broken up by Batista!!
JBL tags in MVP who comes in and starts punching but the referee kicks him out because he didn’t see the tag!! They’re actually enforcing the rules now?! Smackdown is the dominant show. JBL tags in MVP again and it’s legal! JBL holds up Mysterio as MVP drives some shoulders into the midsection. MVP hits a jumping elbow on Mysterio, picks him up and sends him into the ropes and hits a one man flapjack! MVP then kicks him in the face and tags in The Brian Kendrick!
The Kendrick goes up to the top rope and comes off with a stomp to Mysterio’s face and covers him for a two count! The Kendrick picks him up but Mysterio fires back with some punches but The Kendrick throws him into the corner. The Kendrick now charges Mysterio and pays for it with a boot in the face! Mysterio runs but The Kendrick sets him up for an overhead spinning backbreaker but Mysterio counters into a Reverse DDT and both men are down!! They crawl and The Kendrick gets MVP and Mysterio gets Jeff Hardy!!
Hardy comes in like a house on fire ducking a clothesline and coming back with some right hands! Hardy goes into the ropes and takes him down with a running forearm! Hardy goes for a whip but MVP twists him back to him and Hardy takes him down with his unique spinning neckbreaker (at least I think it’s a neckbreaker!).
Hardy now goes for the Twist of Fate but MVP throws him into the corner and Hardy climbs the ropes and hits Whisper in the Wind!! JBL now comes in and hits a big boot on Hardy but Batista runs in and SPEARS him down!! The Kendrick now runs in and blindsides Batista with a jumping calf kick, sending him out of the ring and The Kendrick turns into a clothesline from Finlay!! Finlay now turns into a big boot from Kane who then turns into a Missile Dropkick from Rey Mysterio!! Kane flies out of the ring!!
MVP is now on the second rope and Mysterio hits the 619!! Mysterio then goes on the apron and takes Kane down on the outside with a diving sitting Plancha!! Hardy now comes off the top rope with a Swanton Bomb on MVP and pins him to win the first match on this All Star Kick-Off!!
Winners by Pinfall: Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista
Match Rating: ***
All the faces now get in the ring and celebrate with clapping and hugs. That was a great opener!
JR and Tazz now put over the fact that this is the debut episode of Smackdown on MyNetwork Television and they’re excited. Tazz then mentions that more men watched Smackdown than any other sporting event on television last Friday!
JR then introduces us to a video package highlighting the feud between Vickie Guerrero, Big Show and The Undertaker. It highlights everything from Unforgiven to Undertaker Tombstone Piledriving Vickie last week!
Backstage the Big Show is walking and he’s walking with a purpose. I guess he’s up next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Backstage Theodore Long with Tiffany and Mike Adamle are discussing how great Smackdown is. Yeah, that’s right. That’s superiority. Big Show now comes in and asks what they’re doing in Vickie’s office. They say they’re there to represent their respective brands and T-Lo mentions that he used to be the General Manager and he figured he might be of some help now that Vickie is out. Tiffany then asks how Vickie is. Big Show skirts the question much like Sarah Palin did most of the questions last night in the debate and kicks them out.
Chavo Guerrero now comes in singing the blues about how bad his back is after Undertaker destroyed him. Chavo says he knows the Undertaker is here tonight so they have to come up with a plan so Undertaker doesn’t get to him. Big Show tells Chavo to shut up and says that he’s in charge. Chavo can’t believe Show’s in charge because he’s a Guerrero so he should be. Big Show says it’s all Chavo’s fault that Vickie is injured. Chavo says he was kidnapped and Big Show says that’s why it’s his entire fault. Big Show then tells Chavo he has a match tonight. Chavo is upset but ultimately accepts.
Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella comes out with Beth Phoenix for his match and Gregory Helms pops up in the corner. Helms says that the Honky Tonk Man would roll over in his grave and then stops realizing HTM isn’t actually dead.
Santino now starts cutting a promo about how he’s happy to be on Smackdown and if we’ve been living under JR’s hat for the last year and a half he’s Santino Marella, the Intercontinental Champion and the most feared man in the WWE! Marella says in case we doubt these words he has something to show us – BRING UP THE HONK-A-METER! You see, the Honky Tonky Man was IC Champion for 64 Weeks and he’s been the IC Champion for 6.71 Weeks! So, by Santino’s mathematics, that means in 57.29 Weeks he’ll be the Greatest Intercontinental Champion of all the times!
Marella says that he’s going to beat the Goldilocks Shelton Benjamin, who is only champion of one continent, the USA. Marella says he’s the Intercontinental Champion which means continental which means he’s the champion… OF PLANET EARTH! This guy is gold.
:::Commercial Break:::
Shelton Benjamin is now on the big screen and says he’s taking on Santino Marella aka Beth Phoenix’s girlfriend!! Benjamin says he’s a joke of a champion and shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as the US Champion! Benjamin tells us not to blink because the Gold Standard will be tomorrow’s headline.
Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion
Santino Marella w/ Beth Phoenix vs. Shelton Benjamin
This is a non-title match for those of you who were confused.
The bell rings and they circle the ring. They feign locking up and then Marella gets a headlock on and immediately starts yelling about how great he is! Benjamin now lifts Marella up and throws him off but he lands on his feet and turns into a big kick to the face from Benjamin! Benjamin now starts in with aggressive punches and kicks and ends it with a short arm clothesline! Benjamin sizes up Marella and drops him with Pay Dirt as R-Truth’s music hits!
R-Truth is now coming through the crowd rapping and Marianna is furious. Benjamin is distracted by all this. He gets up on the second rope and stares at R-Truth as Santino Marella takes him off and pins him!!
Winner by Pinfall: Santino Marella
Match Rating: ¾ *
Marella rolls out of the ring as R-Truth continues rapping. Benjamin is furious as he stares down R-Truth! R-Truth stops at the top of the ramp and asks “What’s up?” We ponder this monumental question as we go to a break.
:::Commercial Break:::
Big Show’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring and takes a microphone. Big Show says he knows Vickie is convalescing at home but he’s got everything under control. He says that they know why Chavo is in this match and he went through great lengths to make this extra special for him.
Chavo Guerrero’s music hits and he makes his way out to the ring. His opponents will be The World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry and The Great Khali!! Chavo is not happy!!
Chavo Guerrero vs. Mark Henry & The Great Khali
The bell rings and Mark Henry is starting the match out for his team. Chavo is telling Big Show to come up and help him but Big Show just smiles. Chavo ducks Henry but gets caught with a huge head-butt! Henry then clubs his back and kicks him in the ribs and tags in Khali.
Khali comes in and takes Chavo down with a Brain Chop and then defiantly raises his arms in the air. He then tags in Mark Henry who comes in and delivers the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry then tags in Khali who locks on the Khali Vice Grip! Big Show claps on as the referee rings the bell! Chavo Guerrero = buried.
Winners by Referee Stoppage: Mark Henry & The Great Khali
Match Rating: ½ *
Khali throws Guerrero out of the ring and he lands right by Big Show’s feet. Big Show then picks him up and knocks him out with a Big Punch!
Show gets in the ring and says he hopes the Undertaker is watching because if he can do that to Chavo he can do it just as easily to him. Big Show says at No Mercy he’ll show no mercy and the Deadman needs to be scared and before he can finish the bell toll and the lights go out!! Big Show leaves the ring and looks over his shoulder. The lights go out again and when they come back on Undertaker is in the ring!! Undertaker does his death signal and rolls his eyes back!!
:::Commercial Break:::
Did you know that five times as many people watched Smackdown last Friday night than UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion on Spike? That sounds good to me.
In the ring are the World Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes with Manu. They show some pre-taped promo from them. DiBiase says when it comes to brand supremacy, no brand is better than RAW (yeah, right). DiBiase offers to use him and his team as an example. Wrestling isn’t just a sport to them – it’s a treasured legacy. Rhodes tells Carlito and Primo that they are dead serious and what they are is Priceless. It’s nice to see Cody try so hard not to lisp when saying serious. Like father like son.
Carlito and Primo Colon now come out and we see footage from last week of them winning the WWE Tag Team Titles. Carlito then says he knows they were only expecting to face him and his brother two on two but they were thinking about it – Manu is going to be standing on the outside looking like an idiot which gets Manu excited! Carlito then says that they decided to make this a six man tag. Primo then says that’s cool and he and Carlito fight about that being Carlito’s line! Their tag partner is CM Punk!
World Tag Team Champions vs. WWE Tag Team Champions
Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes & Manu vs. Carlito, Primo Colon & CM Punk
For the record, this is three RAW guys vs. two Smackdown guys and one RAW guy. Everyone makes there way over to the good show!
It’ll be Primo and Ted DiBiase starting this match out. Primo rolls around the ring once and then they lock up and Primo immediately gets DiBiase in a school boy roll up but DiBiase kicks out at one! Primo then goes for a front face lock but gets driven into DiBiase’s corner and gets some shoulders and kicks in before tagging in Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes comes in and he and DiBiase whip Primo into the ropes. Carlito makes a blind tag and Primo rolls off the back of DiBiase. The World Tag Champs turn and Primo rolls between them and when they turn again they get taken down by stereo dropkicks from the WWE Tag Team Champs! Carlito then goes into the ropes but Manu pulls down the top rope and Carlito crashes to the outside!
Rhodes goes to the outside and runs Carlito into the barricade! Rhodes throws him back in the ring and tags in Manu! Manu clubs the back and hits a nice head-butt. Manu hits a nice scoop slam and comes off the ropes with a diving head-butt! Carlito kicks out at two and Manu tags in DiBiase.
Manu slams Carlito and DiBiase comes off the second rope with a Double Stomp to the chest and covers for a two and a half count! DiBiase gets Carlito in a chin lock but Carlito gets to his feet and fights out of it. Carlito stumbles towards his brother and tags him in!
DiBiase slams Carlito down as Primo comes in over the top rope but DiBiase catches him and gets him in his corner. Primo fights out and hits a nice dropkick! Primo goes for a front face lock but DiBiase does a double leg sweep and covers for a two count!
DiBiase tags Rhodes in and Rhodes comes off the top rope with a forearm to the midsection of Primo. Primo keeps trying to fight back but Rhodes hits him with a nice Russian Leg Sweep. Primo still tries to fight back but Rhodes gets him in a standing arm bar. Rhodes sends Primo into the ropes but Primo holds on as Rhodes goes for a dropkick but no one’s home! Primo now tags in CM Punk and Rhodes tags in DiBiase!
Punk enters the ring with a springboard clothesline on DiBiase and then hits a spinning kick to the midsection. Punk then kicks him in the face, gives him a right and a left and a spinning right and ends it with a roundhouse to the temple! Punk sends DiBiase into the ropes and takes him down with a jumping calf kick! Punk then hits his top rope knee lift and takes DiBiase down with a bulldog! The cover is broken up by Manu and Cody Rhodes! Primo and Carlito come in and even things out as they send them to the outside and each hit a Plancha with Carlito’s being a summersault Plancha on Manu!!
Punk now has DiBiase on his shoulders and hits the Go To Sleep for the victory!
Winners by Pinfall: Carlito, Primo Colon & CM Punk
Match Rating: ** ¼
Backstage Jesse & Festus are watching Smackdown. JR thanks them for helping to pack up Smackdown to move to a new network and says their check is in the mail.
The official theme song for No Mercy is All Nightmare Long” by Metallica. I want to get this album – is it any good?
Now the Diva’s music hits and the Diva Lumberjacks (or Lumberjills) from all three brands are making their way to the ring. That match is next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Lumberjack Match
Women’s Champion vs. Diva’s Champion
Beth Phoenix vs. Michelle McCool
Lumberjacks: Candice Michelle, Maria, Mickie James, Victoria, Natalya, Jillian, Layla, Katie Lea Burchill, Lena Yada, Maryse, Brie Bella, Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly.
The bell rings and they lock up and McCool gets a quick headlock on Beth Phoenix. McCool has it locked on tight as Phoenix picks her up a few times but nothing happens. Finally Phoenix whips her into the ropes and takes McCool down with a shoulder block. McCool gets up and stares at her. The Glamazon goes to grab her but McCool gets around her and gets a schoolgirl pin for a one count!
McCool goes to take Phoenix down but gets caught in a front face lock! McCool gets out of it and wrenches the arm but Phoenix makes her eat a forearm and whips her into the ropes and goes for a wheelbarrow victory roll but Phoenix doesn’t roll and almost pins McCool at two and then gets her on her shoulder for a HUGE back suplex!!
Beth now lifts her up over her shoulder for the backbreaker submission! McCool tries to fight out but Phoenix just jumps up and down a few times. That’s old school, baby. McCool finally kicks off the ropes and flips out and gets a knee to the midsection. McCool gets a double leg takedown and bridges over for a one count!
Beth goes to pick up McCool but McCool starts punching away at her! McCool goes to roll her up but Phoenix hangs on to the ropes. However, Beth then turns into a big boot from McCool which gets a two count! Phoenix rolls out of the ring on the heel side and nothing happens. McCool slides out and all the heel Divas start attacking prompting the faces to run over and even things up. This is officially a cluster you know what.
On the apron McCool shoulders Beth in the gut and goes for a sunset flip but Maryse chops her knee! McCool grabs her hair but Phoenix runs and sits on her head on the second rope! Beth goes to pin but the referee won’t do it because her feet are through the ropes! Hell yes! I love this!
Beth goes for her finisher but McCool grounds herself and kicks her in the head! Beth wrenches the arm and McCool tries to kick out but can’t. McCool moves towards the ropes to back flip out but Maryse came up on the apron. McCool kicked her off but soon got caught in a DEVESTATING Glam Slam to give Beth Phoenix the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Beth Phoenix
Match Rating: * ¼
Beth Phoenix celebrates as the heel Divas congratulate Maryse on the assist.
Still to come tonight: The Triple Threat Match!
:::Commercial Break:::
Jim Ross covers the Main Event of No Mercy this Sunday: a Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels! We now see the video package that will probably be the one for No Mercy! I still like this feud. I hate seeing everyone be so nitpicky!
We now get a rundown of the No Mercy card. This is going to be a good Pay Per View. Last year's was awesome as well. I’m excited!
The introductions of the Main Event are taking place now! First out is the ECW Champion Matt Hardy! This has got to be one of the most important matches of his career. Sure, winning the ECW Title is big but actually showing you can hang in the Main Event with the big players goes a long way for your credibility and your legacy. I hope he does well.
Next out is the WWE Champion! I figured he’d be out last being that he is the main guy on Smackdown but oh well.
:::Commercial Break:::
Chris Jericho is now making his way out. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to call a Jericho match. I met him a few times – he’s really a great guy.
ECW Champion vs. WWE Champion vs. World Heavyweight Champion
Matt Hardy vs. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
I’m really excited about this match. It feels really big.
The bell rings and all three men just stand and look at each other. They slowly approach one another and Jericho and Triple H stay focused on one another. Matt Hardy pushes them apart to let them know he’s in it too! Jericho puts a hand in his face and continues jaw jacking with Triple H. Hardy turns Jericho around and Jericho slaps him in the face! Hardy turns and levels Jericho with a right hand then Hardy and Triple H start putting the boots to Jericho! The two champions send Jericho into the ropes and lay him out with a double back elbow! Matt Hardy delivers a beautiful suplex on Jericho and Triple H drops the knee! Hardy then comes off the ropes with an elbow drop! Hardy picks up Jericho and throws him through the first and second rope shoulder first into the ring post! Hardy then turns around and Triple H DDTs him!!
Triple H takes Jericho, who is on the apron, and bounces his head off the top turnbuckle before suplexing him into the ring. Triple H pins him for a two count. Triple H sends Jericho into the ropes and lowers his head and pays for it with a kick in the face! Triple H stumbles and turns into a big clothesline from the former Y2J! Jericho punches and kicks Triple H a few times before attempting to whip him into the ropes but Triple H counters and whips Jericho. Jericho ducks a clothesline but comes back into a high knee a la the “King” Harley Race!
Matt Hardy now interjects himself into this match by spearing Triple H down and punching him a few times! Hardy then goes outside the ring and takes Triple H with him and bounces his head off the announcer’s table! Hardy hits a right hand but Triple H gets a kick and tries to get back in the ring but Hardy grabs on and follows. They slug it out on the apron for about a second until Jericho does his springboard dropkick to Triple H who hits Hardy and they both fall to the floor! Jericho is smiling as we go to commercial.
:::Commercial Break:::
We come back from the break to see Hardy doing the screaming second rope elbow to Jericho and signals for the Twist of Fate! Hardy goes for it but Jericho pushes him off while Triple H lowers the top rope and Hardy crashes to the outside of the ring!
As Triple H is entering the ring Jericho kicks him in the face and he falls to the ground. Jericho punches and kicks Triple H while he’s down until Charles Robinson keeps him off. During the break we saw Jericho throw Triple H into the stairs. Jericho mouths off to Triple H and head-butts him twice! Jericho whips but Triple H counters into a whip of his own and lays Jericho out with the Double A Spinebuster! Triple H goes for the Pedigree but Jericho does a double leg takedown and catapults him into Hardy who was on the top rope looking to do something! Jericho then rolls up Triple H and grabs the tights for a two and a half count!! Jericho now picks up Triple H and throws him out of the ring.
Jericho goes over to Hardy who is still crotched on the top rope. Jericho hits him with a huge right hand twice and climbs to the second rope for a superplex. Triple H runs into the ring and powerbombs Jericho who superplexes Matt Hardy!! The Triple Stack!! All three men are down now and Robinson begins the count. Triple H pins Jericho at the six count and gets a CLOSE two and a half count!!
Triple H is up and sends Jericho into the ropes and locks on a sleeper hold! He holds it in for a few moments before Jericho counters out with a back suplex! Jericho now goes for the Lionsault but Triple H moves out of the way and he lands on his feet but tweaks his knee! Jericho is hobbling and Triple H sweeps the legs and goes for a Figure Four Leglock but Jericho kicks him into Matt Hardy who is on the apron! Triple H then turns into the Walls of Jericho!! This is a really great moment because Triple H is really selling it. He’s screaming and getting pumped up and just when you think he’s going to get that rope break Jericho pulls him out to the center of the ring!
Matt Hardy now gets into the ring and Jericho releases Triple H and goes for the Walls of Jericho on Hardy but Hardy counters into an inside cradle for a CLOSE two and a half count!! Jericho is up and punches Hardy and sends him into the corner. Jericho comes off the ropes for a face buster but Hardy sends him knees first into the second turnbuckle! Hardy now hits a corner clothesline and connects with a bulldog for another CLOSE two and a half count!! Jericho ducks a clothesline and goes for the Codebreaker but Hardy doesn’t follow and does a jackknife pin for ANOTHER CLOSE two and a half count!! Hardy now goes for the Twist of Fate but Jericho throws him into the ropes and Hardy counters into a Side Effect!
Triple H is in the ring now and Hardy turns into a Pedigree for the win!
Match Rating: *** ½
Triple H gets his WWE Championship and raises it in the air as we see replays of the highlights of this terrific match!
After the replays end we see Triple H turn into a Codebreaker for Chris Jericho! Jericho then goes to the outside of the ring and gets a ladder out from under the ring!! Jericho has it in the ring and levels Matt Hardy with a shot to the face!! Jericho lays the ladder down and puts Matt in between the ladder but before we can see what he’s doing Jeff Hardy runs down to save his brother and clotheslines Jericho out of the ring!!
Jeff helps his brother Matt out from the ladder and Triple H turns Hardy around but before we know what Triple H is going to do, Jeff Hardy lays him out with a Twist of Fate!! The crowd is going nuts as Hardy motions to the ladder!! Hardy sets it up and signals to the crowd from up top but Vladimir Kozlov runs in so Hardy jumps off and gets KILLED with the Head-butt in mid air!! Kozlov then scoops Triple H up and lays him out with the Reverse DDT!!
The fans in Green Bay are upset and chanting USA as we see some replays of what just happened. The debut episode of Smackdown on MyNetwork Television ends with Vladimir Kozlov standing over the broken bodies of the WWE Champion and his Number One Contender!!
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Quick Match Results
Jeff Hardy*, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Batista def. MVP*, JBL, The Brian Kendrick & Kane
Santino Marella def. Shelton Benjamin (non-title)
Mark Henry & The Great Khali* def. Chavo Guerrero via ref stoppage
Carlito, Primo & CM Punk* def. Ted DiBiase*, Cody Rhodes & Manu
Beth Phoenix def. Michelle McCool (Lumberjack; non-title)
Triple H def. Matt Hardy* & Chris Jericho (non-title)
Bump of the Night: Hardy diving off the ladder into a Head-Butt from Vladimir Kozlov!!
Match of the Night: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho vs. Matt Hardy *** ½
Mike’s Thoughts
Was this a great show or is it just me? WWE needed to hit a homerun with this show and they did. It had a little bit of everything that WWE does best – wrestling, showmanship, comedy, drama, Divas! This show had everything, even some old school wrestling in the Main Event. I’m proud to be the WrestleView.com Smackdown recapper but I’m even more proud that my show is Smackdown. Smackdown did this wrestling fan proud tonight.
I’m really excited for Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy this Sunday at No Mercy. They finally got a little physical but the question is where will Vladimir Kozlov play into this? He’s laid out both men for weeks now and there’s been no mention of what role he’ll play. Will it be a Triple Threat? This certainly adds some intrigue to the match now!
Triple H and Chris Jericho performed brilliantly tonight but the real star of that match was Matt Hardy. In my opinion he had the most to prove going up against the companies other two big champions. Hardy had to show us he was a real World Champion by hanging with the other champions and he sure showed me tonight! Hardy hung in there and was excellent. There wasn’t one missed or awkward spot and I hope this is the beginning of many more great moments for Matt Hardy.
The opening six man tag was awesome! So many current and past rivalries going on it was awesome. That was a great way to open up the show and it made me want to see some of these matches on Sunday, including JBL vs. Batista! I’m even interested in Kane vs. Rey Mysterio even though it’s brutally obvious Mysterio will take the win.
What in the world is going on with MVP? Over the summer he seemed lost then heading into Summerslam he was being pushed and now I don’t think he’s won a match since he qualified for the Championship Scramble! What are they doing with him? He’s so talented he needs to be pushed a little harder! Don’t drop the ball with MVP.
I’m interested to see Big Show vs. Undertaker this Sunday. I’m really interested in seeing how Undertaker handles this. I firmly believe that if you want to be a wrestler you need to watch how the veterans work so for any aspiring wrestler reading this you need to watch Undertaker on Sunday wrestle a 500 pound man while nursing injured knees. It’s going to be interesting.
I wonder how badly Michelle McCool got the wind knocked out of her following Beth Phoenix’s Glam Slam. She absolutely got killed!! Good luck to Candice Michelle!!
Marianna vs. R-Truth update: Marianna is still not impressed and neither am I. Sorry, WWE, that’s just how we feel. The rap song is just a little lame along with the catchphrase and the wardrobe. Not a fan, not a fan…
What happened to CM Punk’s push? He’s relegated to a tag match in the middle of the show with an appearance that was unadvertised and he hardly did anything! Wasn’t this guy World Heavyweight Champion less than a month ago? He’s not even booked at No Mercy!
To sum it up we had a great night of wrestling with all the matches involving Champions facing Champions barring two other matches which were great anyway. This had to be the best show I’ve called since joining on and to top it all off it was a homerun for WWE with MyNetwork Television! It even functioned as a go home show for No Mercy as even though it was a special night they still furthered many storylines! This is probably the Smackdown of the year!
Final Smackdown Rating: ****
Four Stars. My highest rating ever. That’s as high as I go!
I’d like to hear your thoughts on Smackdown. Please e-mail me your reviews and your picks for No Mercy! If you get all the picks right I’ll mention you in my recap next week! Also tell me what you think of the recap. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Let me know so I can continually improve!
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading and enjoy No Mercy!