Friday Night Smackdown!
August 8, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia
Jim Ross and Tazz
-We look back to last week, when Edge beat down Mick Foley.
OPENING ANIMATION (Which has added Alicia Fox, the wedding planner.)
JR welcomes us to tell us that Mick Foley is recouping from his injuries, so former Smackdown analyst Tazz joins us. Tonight US Champion Shelton Benjamin will face Jeff Hardy, and WWE Champion Triple H will face Summerslam opponent The Great Khali in an “Indian Broken Glass Arm Wrestling Contest.” Whatever that is.
Olympic 6-man tag match: Maryse, Victoria & Natalya vs. Divas Champion Michelle McCool, Cherry, & Maria
So each participant is in athletic garb: Maryse a tennis player, Victoria a gymnastics performer, Natalya an Equestrian rider, Michelle a volleyball player, Cherry a boxer (and her hair is down, which makes her doubly foxy) and Maria a downhill skiier. One of those doesn’t belong, but its Maria so we let it go. Michelle starts with Natalya and the Lady Anvil takes her down. Michelle with an armbar and she works Natalya with it. Tag to Maria and she cinches a headlock. Natalya into the ropes hits a chop and a cheap shot to the Divas Champion. Tag to Cherry who hits a DDT but Victoria hits the Widow’s Peak. All six women start battling but eventually Natalya hooks the Sharpshooter on Maria who taps out. WINNERS: Maryse, Victoria, & Natalya (Grade: 1.5)
-There is commotion backstage and Bam Neely is found beat up with empty kegs dumped on him. Chavo Guerrero finds a black rose next to him and hands it to Vickie Guerrero.
WWE Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder vs. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore
Well this is obviously Shannon Moore’s swan song, as he was released after this match. Hawkins starts with Yang and they lock up. Hawkins with a headlock and shoulder block. Yang off the ropes with a trip into an armbar. Tag to Moore who flips over the top ropes with a splash for 2. Moore with the armbar and a tag to Yang and a drop kick for 2. Yang gets caught in the corner with a reverse elbow and a tag to Ryder and a neckbreaker. Ryder cranks Yang’s neck and goes for a suplex but Yang flips over for a 2 count. Yang with a sunset flip but Ryder tags Hawkins and he breaks the count. Hawkins with a boot to the gut for 2. Hawkins with a suplex for 2. Hawkins back to the armbar. Yang breaks it with a jawjacker and Ryder tags Hawkins. That gives Yang a chance to tag Moore and he works Ryder over. Moore to the top rope with a high cross body for 2. Yang and Ryder brawl, and as the ref sends Yang back to the corner the champs with a double DDT gets the 3 count on Moore. See ya Shannon, maybe TNA wants you to sit in the rafters with that big mohawk again. WINNERS: Hawkins & Ryder (Grade: 2)
-Eve Torres interviews MVP, who says at Summerslam the most paid entertainer takes on the most reckless entertainer. We go back to SNME, when MVP costs Jeff Hardy his match with Edge. MVP says you didn’t see Jeff Hardy attack him the previous night on Smackdown. MVP says he doesn’t have to win his match, he just has to look better than Jeff Hardy.
US Champion Shelton Benjamin vs. Jeff Hardy
If Shelton’s on his game, this could be at least 3 stars. What I like about JR on Smackdown is he’s giving legitimacy to the US Title, continuously discussing its legacy from former champions like Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero and Barry Windham. What about General Rection? We lock up and they break in the corner. We lock up again and they battle with it until Shelton gets a headlock. Shelton with a shoulder block for 2. Shelton with a reverse chinlock. Jeff gets to his feet and some elbow shots break it, but Shelton turns it into a headlock. Off the ropes and Jeff with a hip toss, followed by an arm drag into an armbar. They head into the corner and Shelton breaks the hold and then starts beating on Jeff in the corner. Back to the armbar, and a very different type match from these two. Jeff reverses the headlock with a mule kick and Shelton hits the floor. He gets to his feet and Jeff with a double kick through the ropes, followed by a cross body plancha over the ropes. He pitches Shelton in the ring and hits a body slam. Jeff goes to the top rope but Shelton leaps to the top rope. Jeff kicks him off but misses the Swanton. Shelton goes for a count but Jeff kicks out. Both men are down as we go to break. We return and Shelton with some knee drops and back to the headlock. Jeff with some punches but Shelton keeps the headlock on. Shelton pushes Jeff into the corner and throws some rights. Jeff punches back and goes for the Whisper in the Wind but Shelton pushes his leg off and Jeff hits the deck but kicks out of a count. Shelton starts working the left leg over and I’m enjoying the champ’s aggressiveness. We have some continuity as Edge worked over Hardy’s leg on SNME and Shelton’s continuing it. Shelton starts grapevining the leg and Jeff’s in trouble. Shelton with a one-legged crab and more work on the leg. Jeff trying to fight back with punches but can put no pressure on the leg. Back to the one-legged crab and the crowd is quiet but its different, very intense. Jeff gets to the rope and heads outside. Shelton tries to hop off the apron and eats Jeff’s foot. Jeff pitches Shelton back in and he gets some shots in and a forearm shot for 2. Jeff counters a whip with a lariat for 2. Jeff is whipped into the corner but hits the Whisper in the Wind for 2. Jeff with the double kick attempt in the corner but Shelton catches him and hits a power slam for 2 as the crowd is waking up. Shelton charges and Jeff hits the Twist of Fate. He goes to the top, hits the Swanton and is about to go for the pin but MVP runs in from the crowd and boots Jeff in the face for the DQ. A crappy ending to a fantastic match. I knew it would be at least 3 stars. WINNER: Jeff Hardy by disqualification (Grade: 4)
-Backstage and Chavo tells Vickie that the black rose is definitely a sign of death from the Undertaker. Hawkins runs in and says Zack Ryder is missing. They think of places that Hawkins hasn’t covered, and go check the parking lot.
Indian Broken Glass Arm Wrestling match: WWE Champion Triple H vs. The Great Khali
We head to the ring and the arm wrestling table is ready, broken glass and all. Now, for the first time in 2 weeks, it’s TIME TO PLAY THE GAME. Triple H comes out to a big ovation, followed by the Punjabi Nightmare. I’m glad Runjin Singh is back to legitimize Khali again as a heel, instead of floating around by himself. Runjin grabs the mike from the ref and says before we begin Khali wants to say something to Triple H. He takes it and rambles his incoherent stuff again. Although it sounds like he says “Shawn Michaels” at some point. Triple H takes the mike and says that’s a good point, but honestly we have no idea what he said. Runjin said get out while you’re still champ, because even though you’ve beaten the best, you’ve never faced a man this big. Triple H makes fun of Runjin’s name, then says its true he’s never faced Khali, but Khali has never faced The Game. At Summerslam he’s going to break Khali’s legs and beat him, and there’s nothing the “Jolly Genie” can do about it, and if he does he has two words for him and the crowd screams “SUCK IT”. With that they commence the arm wrestling, and it’s the typical back and forth stuff but as Triple H is about to win Khali head butts him. He flips the table over and keeps the head butts going. He chokes HHH out but The Game but Triple H with a thumb to the eye. He tries the Pedigree but can’t hook the arms. Khali hits a chop to the head, then cranks up the head vice. Triple H tries to fight back but to no avail and eventually he’s out. Down on the mat, Runjin Singh says Khali has two words for him: GAME OVER. An effective way to put the angle over as best as it can.
-Backstage and Curt Hawkins is out on the locker room floor with a black rose on his chest. We go to the table and JR introduces another vignette for R. Truth. I’m enjoying these very much and am looking forward to Ron Killing’s return, minus the K-Kwik nonsense.
-Backstage and Chavo is flipping out, 3 beat up guys and 3 black roses. Chavo says we need Edge’s help and Vickie says she won’t go to him. Chavo says he’ll do the talking and see what he can do.
Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jesse
Kozlov takes the mike and says he wants better competition. Well this isn’t it. As they get Festus out of the ring Kozlov with a kick to the chest and a suplex. Huge shoulder blocks to the gut but Jesse gets a kick in followed by a drop kick for 1. Jesse to the top rope and is caught with the head butt to the chest for the 3 count. Is that his finisher? KEEP IT THAT WAY. Winner: Vladimir Kozlov (Grade: 1)
-Backstage and Chavo says Edge is willing to help, but Vickie has to be civil and cordial. She rips the bloom off the rose but concedes.
-We have the Raw Rebound, with John Cena & Batista beating Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase for the World Tag Titles. Then JR and Tazz go over the Summerslam card, August 17 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis:
WWE Championship: Triple H © vs. The Great Khali
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk © vs. JBL
ECW Championship: Mark Henry © vs. Matt Hardy
John Cena vs. Batista
IC Title/Women’s Title tag match: Kofi Kingston ©/Mickie James © vs. Santino Marella/Beth Phoenix
Jeff Hardy vs. MVP
Hell in the Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge
The Brian Kendrick vs. Super Crazy
Kendrick says knowledge is power. So that means he, THE Brian Kendrick, is the most powerful man in the WWE. Kendrick with a knee to the gut and some right hands. Crazy fights back with some rights but off the ropes he eats a Kendrick kick for 2. Kendrick with another kick to the face. Two more boots for 2. Kendrick cranks on the arms as Zeke looks on outside. Crazy breaks it and some right hands but Kendrick with a drop kick for 2. Kendrick with a Camel Clutch on Crazy. Another boot to the head, then waits, and plants another big kick but Crazy kicks out at 2. Kendrick with an unusual armbar. Crazy throws Kendrick in the corner and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crazy with a slam and he goes to the top ropes but Ezekiel Jackson goes up the steps, which distracts Crazy enough for Kendrick to hit “The Kendrick” for the win. Ezekiel with the torture rack for good measure. WINNER: The Brian Kendrick (Grade: 2)
-Backstage and Edge heads into Vickie’s office and she wants to smack him in the face. Chavo tells her to calm down, and Edge says we need to see through all of this and survive, but it must be done his way, and he asks Vickie if she’s in. She reluctantly agrees.
-In the arena as Edge, Vickie and Chavo get in the ring. Edge says to Undertaker just come on out. If you want to take out my family members, just do it. Go ahead, do all your fancy magic and strike me down. After a few seconds of nothing, Edge says he figures, because he was ready for Taker. He and Chavo grab two steel chairs and point to the entranceway, then Edge suddenly cracks Chavo with the steel chair. He smacks Chavo’s head into the chair, then crushes him with a Con-Chair-To. Then, in a sick turn of events, he flips Vickie’s wheelchair over and gets in her face, saying this is the Edge Mick Foley was talking about, and if he and the Undertaker are going to Hell in the Cell at Summerslam, then she’s taking the family with him. Obviously it was he who took out the Edgeheads and Bam Neely, leaving the black roses. Pure genius. In particular, Edge is taking Vickie to hell with him. He glares at her in this sick demented way as we go off the air. An awesome segment that has made Edge the #1 heel in the company again.
DRAMA’S TAKE: A much better show than the past couple of weeks, with major storyline advancement and a great mid-show match. The opener was just to get all the divas on and give Natalya another shot at Michelle McCool’s title. The tag match wasn’t much, and poor Shannon Moore ate the pin out the door. Another 4-star TV match from Jeff Hardy, but it was Shelton Benjamin I was really impressed with. He played a much more aggressive heel than he normally does and it really put the show over. The broken glass with the arm wrestling was a little over the top but it did get Khali over as a big heel and I enjoy Runjin Singh as his snotty mouthpiece. This match for SS needed some heat, and it got some tonight. I enjoy Vladimir Kozlov more and more, and his cool entrance music fits his character. Hopefully that head butt finisher is what they’ll use for his finisher. I still like The Brian Kendrick and he’ll continue to grow. Finally we have Edge, who burst out of his summer malaise in a big way last week and really put it to bed this week. The turning on Chavo, and the sick way he tortured Vickie really put him back atop the WWE Universe as #1 heel. Right now if Edge and Chris Jericho were on the same show, no face could touch them right now. No Undertaker, but that’s fine we won’t see him till the 17th in Indianapolis anyway. A much better show overall this week than last week as the Summerslam card looks to be taking shape. FINAL GRADE: B+
MVP: Edge
Runner Up: Shelton Benjamin
Non MVP: Shannon Moore
Runner Up: Hawkins/Ryder