Getting Over 8.24.06: SmackDown!
Posted by Mike LaFave on 08.24.2006
Is it possible to have two A shows? Can SmackDown! be on the same level as Raw? I say yes, and here’s how I would do it…
First I would like to apologize to William Regal and all his fans. I know many of you were looking forward to reading about how I would get William Regal over. That will have to wait for another day though, because, while I was in the process of thinking up the William Regal story I came up with a much more grandiose idea. Don't worry, Regal is a major player in this idea, but the goal has broadened. Why settle for getting one wrestler over when I have an idea that could get the whole show over?
The WWE now has three separate brands. Raw has a built-in identity, while ECW is in its infancy and on route to establishing one. Contrary to popular belief, I feel SmackDown! does have its own individuality, but that being said, they defiantly have room to further distinguish themselves from Raw and ECW and become a truly unique show.
Three major areas need to be addressed for SmackDown! to ascend to the same level as Raw:
1) A Big Money Main Event Program. Raw has the majority of the more established SuperStars, so they have the luxury of having an endless supply of main events with a big time feel to them. SmackDown! does have credible main event talent, it's simply a matter of building an intriguing program between them.
2) A Genuine Tag Team Division. Again, the pieces are in place, they just need to be put in the right spots and executed properly. A solid tag division would further differentiate SmackDown! from the rest of the industry.
3) Bring Something New to the Table. They need to use their mid card, which is full of talented worker, to offer something new and exciting to the audience.
Over the course of the next three weeks, I'll examine each of those points individually in reverse order. So this week I'll take on number three, next week number two, and in the finale of the series, number one. I invite all of you to come along for the ride as I get SmackDown! over to the same echelon as Raw!
Getting Over SmackDown!:
No Mercy 10/08 - We fast forward in time to SmackDown!'s No Mercy pay-per-view. Rey vs. Chavo in a steel cage to blow off their emotional rivalry and Finlay defending the U.S. title against Matt Hardy are two of the many big matches in store for the event. Throughout the show whenever JBL gets an opening, he hints that he knows about something that could change SmackDown! as we know it.
Finlay dominates the U.S. title match. He pounds Hardy with stiff shots all over the ring. Every time it seems as though Hardy is mounting a comeback, Finlay puts a quick stop to it. Hardy can barely stand on his own to feet when Finlay decides it's time for his Emerald Fusion finisher. Hardy is able to muster enough strength to wiggle out of the move and suddenly hit the tough Irishman with the Twist of Fate. Both men lye motionless as the ref begins his count. Finlay actually beats Hardy to his feet at the count of eight. As he bends over to pick up Hardy's prone body, Matt cradles Finlay and wins the match and the championship!
The Cage match is a bloody brawl leading Michael Cole to exclaim, "neither of these two men will ever be the same again!" After a superplex, Chavo heads to the top of the cage. Instead of exiting, he jumps off, tucks his arms and legs into his chest, extends back out and misses Rey landing hard on the mat. Both men are down, bleeding and gasping for air. They each begin to slowly crawl over to opposite sides of the ring. It's a race to see who can get over the top of the cage and out first. Rey's feet end up hitting the ground seconds before Chavo is able to do the same and Mysterio is declared the winner!
The next match up is the main event of the evening. But before the combatants are announced JBL leaves the table and rolls into the ring, mic in hand. "Ladies and Gentleman, I hope you're all enjoying the show, I know the viewing audience at home has been reveling in my color commentary. I have something to say and then I'll let the main event get under way. Be sure to check out SmackDown! this Friday, because the Wrestling God, JBL has a major announcement that you wont want to miss!"
SmackDown! 10/13 - The show starts of with JBL's music filling the arena and the white stretch limbo riding out from the back. Bradshaw makes his way to the ring, stopping to shake hands along the way. There is a mic sitting on the steps outside the ring that JBL picks up on his way in, "Alright, thank you, but please, stop chanting my name for a couple minutes so I can explain this show altering announcement." JBL pauses to wait for the nonexistent J-B-L chants to die down. "We all know that JBL is a Great American Hero! We all know that JBL is a Wrestling God! What I'm about to prove to you is that I'm also a wrestling genius! I am with out a shadow of a doubt the smartest and most creative man in sports entertainment. Vince McMahon and Teddy Long should thank their lucky wallets that JBL is on their team." The crowd grows anxious to find out what the big announcement is. "While watching last week's SmackDown! I had an epiphany. I shared my vision with that George Jefferson want-a-be, Teddy Long, who immediately fell in love with my brain storm. I'll try to explain this as simple as possible for those of you in the audience with a less than stellar vocabulary and understanding of the English language. SmackDown! is without question the A Show. We have the toughest talent in the industry and I aim to verify that as a fact. It's called the SmackDown! Six Series. Six of the best wrestlers SmackDown! has to offer will go at it in a series of matches. The results will be recorded and standings will be kept. Each man will face the other five guys twice. In addition to the singles matches, that pin-head, Teddy Long, will be assigning each man with a tag partner. The teams will face each other twice. There will be bonus matches as well, be sure to stay tuned for more information on those. So why would the SmackDown! SuperStars in interested in joining this series? At the end of the series, the top four men in the standings will be invited to the play-offs. The SmackDown! Six Play-offs will put March Madness to shame! The finals will be held at Wrestlemania in a two out of three falls match! You want to know the best part? Do you want to know? The best part is that the winner of the series earns a shot at the World Championship in San Jose California, at Judgment Day!" JBL again pauses to enjoy the crowd's response to this announcement. "Hey, shut up, I'm not finished yet! Since I'm the brain child who thought of this brilliant idea, I've been given the honor to pick three of the six participants. I'm not going to pull a Ryan Seacrest and leave you in anticipation, I want you all to say hello to the first two contestants in the SmackDown! Six Series, with out further ado, I give you, Sir William Regal, and the man who loves to fight, Finlay!" Regal and Finlay make there was down to the ring and shake hands with JBL. The three pose for the crowd as we cut to a commercial break. Through out the show Cole interrogates JBL about the series, trying to obtain more information. All JBL will offer is, " Ha Ha, watch and see Michael, just watch and see…"
SmackDown! 10/20 - Rey Mysterio takes on Sylvan in the first ever SmackDown! Six Series qualifying match. Sylvan gets the early offense as Cole badgers JBL for the start date of the series to no avail. Mysterio makes the comeback and becomes the third SuperStar in the series.
SmackDown! 10/27 - In another qualifying match, Bobby Lashley goes up against Psicosis. As Lashley pounds on his opponent, Cole continues to harass JBL about further information about when they can expect the tournament to begin, and yet again, he gets nothing but insults from Bradshaw. To the surprise of no one, Lashley wins his match and joins the group enrolled in the series.
SmackDown! 10/13 - The show opens with yet another SmackDown! Six Series qualifying match. This week it's Tatanka vs. Ken Kennedy. During the match, JBL informs Cole that he and everyone else will find out everything they've been dieing to know next week. Tatanka and Kennedy have one of Tatanka's best matches ever in the WWE, but unfortunately for the Native American, Kennedy picks up the win around the twelve minute mark. With Kennedy's win, five out of the six spots for the series are now occupied.
Later on in the show, the main event features Gregory Helms defending his Cruiser Weight title against the recently returned Akio (he's been signed already, just waiting for him to reappear). The two lightweight warriors battle in out back and forth for just shy of twenty minutes when Akio nails Helms with a devastating kick to the hea, knocking Helms unconscious and ending his reign as cruiser weight champion.
SmackDown! 11/03 - This week's SmackDown! begins once again with JBL riding out into the arena in his limbo. He gets in the ring and has this to say, "last week we saw a tragedy of epic proportions. The longest reigning cruiser weight champ in history saw defeat. I've been singing the praises of Gregory Helms for months now, so it goes without saying that I was very disappointed in the result of last week main event. Helms, I'm asking you to come down and join me in the ring so I can address you man to man, face to face." A few short seconds latter Helms' music hits and he marches down to the ring with a sour look all over his face. "JBL, I'm not in the best of moods tonight, so with all due respect, can me make this as quick as possible, I have to talk to Teddy Long about a rematch for my title." JBL responds, "Gregory, I don't blame you for what happened one week ago. You're a champion of champions, but I know from experience that even the best of champions have an off night occasionally. And that's all it was last week, an off night. You're reign as cruiser weight champ was nothing short of remarkable and I feel you should be rewarded. I'm sure some of you who haven't killed all your brain cells with beer and marijuana can remember a few weeks back when I said three of the six slots in the SmackDown! Six Series would be determined by me. Well, Finlay took one spot, Regal took another, and I'm offering you, Gregory Helms, the final spot in this prolific series, what do you say?" Helms paces around the ring for a moment before finally answering the self-made millionaire, "first, I'd like to thank you JBL, for taking notice of what should be my obvious talent, that some in the back manage to over look. I'm honored by your offer and it'll be my pleasure to win the SmackDown! Six Series!" Helms shakes Bradshaw's hand and beings to exit the ring when JBL stops him, "hold on just a second Helms, stay here, and meet the rest of the SmackDown! Six!" The five remaining participants make there way down to the ring and begin to size each other up. JBL address them all, "I know that all of you here in the ring and all of the people in the audience, and everyone watching at home have been eagerly waiting for this series to begin. Well boys, bring your work boots next week, because you'll all be in action, and the results will count in the standings. That's right, the SmackDown! Six Series begins next Friday night! And for anyone intelligent enough to operate a computer, you can access the entire SmackDown! Six Series schedule on-line at wwe.com!" The stare downs continue as JBL makes his way out of the ring and the show cuts to a commercial.
SmackDown! 11/10 - Mysterio d. Lashley
Finlay and Regal d. Kennedy and Helms
SmackDown! 11/17 - Finlay d. Regal
Kennedy and Helms d. Mysterio and Lashley
SmackDown! 11/24 - Kennedy d. Helms
Finlay and Regal d. Mysterio and Lashley
Survivor Series 11/26 - In a six man elimination tag match, the team of Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley and Gregory Helms beat Finlay, Regal and Mr. Kennedy, when Mysterio and Lashley survive. Due to a pre-match stipulation, only the survivors of the match get credit for a win in the standings, a loss will be reflected for all non-survivors.
SmackDown! 12/01 - Mysterio d. Regal
Finlay d. Helms
SmackDown! 12/08 - Lashley d. Kennedy
Helms d. Mysterio
SmackDown! 12/15 - Lashley d. Finlay
Kennedy d. Regal
Armageddon 12/17 - All six members of the SmackDown! Six Series are involved in a 6-Pack Match. There will be two legal men at all times with the four remaining men each assigned to a corner. To become one of the legal men, one must tag himself into the match. Fist man to record a pin fall or submission wins the match. As a bonus, the winner will get double credit, while everyone else involved records a loss.
The match goes along smoothly with each man wanting to remain fresh so there is a lot of tagging. Even with the frequent tags, after twenty five minutes of fast paced action, all the participants are beginning to feel the fatigue. At this point the legal men are Lashley and Mysterio. Bobby is punishing Rey-Rey with an impressive assortment of power moves. Meanwhile, Finlay and Regal begin to brawl around the ring violently. As Lashley sets Rey up for a dominator, Helms grabs a char and whacks Kennedy in the back of the head w/ it. Lashley nails Rey with the dominator and then fall backwards into Helms' corner. The ref is busy trying to break up the Finlay/Regal brawl, so Helms takes advantage and drills Lashley with a chair shot to the top of his bald head. Bobby's back is pressed against the corner motionless. Helms franticly calls for the ref's attention, tags in, runs over to cover Mysterio and picks up the victory and the two points!
SmackDown! 12/22 - Mysterio d. Finlay
Lashley d. Helms
SmackDown! 12/29 - Kennedy d. Finlay
Regal d. Helms
SmackDown! 1/05 - Mysterio d. Kennedy
Lashley d. Regal
SmackDown! 1/12 - This week the SmackDown! Six meet up in a six-man tag match. The team of Finlay, Regal and Helms pick up the win against Mysterio, Lashley and Mr. Kennedy, when William Regal pins Rey.
SmackDown! 1/19 - Mysterio d. Regal
Helms d. Finlay
Teddy Long comes down to the ring before the night's main event to make an announcement regarding the SmackDown! Six participants, "We'll get to the main event in a second playas. The Royal Rumble is right around the corner and in order for SmackDown! to have the best representation possible, I have decided that all six of the men who have been tearing down the stadiums here on SmackDown! will enter the Royal Rumble. If one of those men should win the Royal Rumble and go on to challenge for the World Championship at Wrestlemania, then a suitable replacement will be named for them in the SmackDown! Six Series. That being said, I wish all the SmackDown! SuperStars good luck in the Royal Rumble, may one of you bring it home to Friday night! Holla, Holla, Holla!"
SmackDown! 1/26 - Lashley d. Kennedy
Mysterio d. Helms
Royal Rumble 1/28 - Finlay, Regal and Helms all have strong showings, lasting at least fifteen minutes and each scoring an elimination. Lashley receives the "Diesel push." He eliminates several SuperStars before four guys team up and dump the big man over the top. Kennedy had the unfortunate luck of drawing number three. He impresses everyone by lasting until all thirty men had entered the Rumble. Despite his valiant effort, Kennedy is thrown over the top rope and to the floor. Mysterio on the other hand is able to survive to the final four before he is eliminated.
SmackDown! 2/02 - Finlay d. Lashley
Kennedy d. Regal
SmackDown! 2/09 - Mysterio d. Finlay
Lashley d. Helms
SmackDown! 2/16 - Finlay d. Kennedy
Regal d. Helms
No Way Out 2/18 - At the final pay-per-view before Wrestlemania, the SmackDown! Six participants face off in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match. The teams are Mysterio and Lashley, Kennedy and Helms, and Finlay and Regal. The winning team will receive three wins each in the standings, while everyone else picks up a loss. The match is a brutal and stiff affair with many near falls. After twenty minutes of hard fought action there is a miscommunication between Finlay and Regal which allows Helms to sneak up behind the Irishman and role him up for the pin, scoring three wins for himself and Mr. Kennedy!
SmackDown! 2/23 - Mysterio d. Kennedy
Lashley d. Regal
SmackDown! 3/02 - Kennedy d. Helms
Finlay and Regal d. Mysterio and Lashley
SmackDown! 3/09 - Regal d. Finlay
Mysterio and Lashley d. Kennedy and Helms
SmackDown! 3/16 - Lashley d. Mysterio
Finlay and Regal d. Kennedy and Helms
SmackDown! 3/23 - The show opens with JBL riding out in his limbo. He has an announcement regarding the SmackDown! Six Series. "It's the moment everyone has been waiting for. The regular season has concluded and it's now time for the play-offs. So without further delay, here are the results. In forth place, just beating out William Regal, is Miiiiiiiistaaa Kennedy! The man he will be facing in the main event tonight and the first place finisher is, Rey Mysterio! Those two men will fight it out later, but right now the men who finished tied for second place will wrestle to see who the first man to qualify for the finals is! Finlay and Bobby get your asses down here, your match is on, may the best man win…and since I'm not in the match…may one of you guys win!"
Lashley and Finlay battle in a match that puts all of their previous matches to shame. It's back and forth, as soon as one man gets the advantage, his opponent makes a comeback. This continues for almost half an hour! Finlay decides it's time for the sheleilei to win the match for him. He picks it up and takes a hard swing at Lashley's head. Lashley quickly ducks underneath and upends Finlay with a spear. Lashley lifts the Irishman in to the air and then drops him with the dominator for the win and a trip to the finals at Wrestlemania!
In the main event, Rey Mysterio, the number one seed takes on Ken Kennedy, the four seed. Mysterio uses his speed advantage to chop Kennedy down in the early going. After a few minutes of early offense, Rey goes for a top rope cross body block, only to get caught in the welcoming arms of Mr. Kennedy. Kennedy slams him down hard on the mat and doesn't look back, taking this opportunity to beat down his smaller opponent. Rey hangs in there kicking out of every pinning attempt Mr. Kennedy tries. Kennedy gets so frustrated with his inability to put Rey-Rey away that he begins to argue with the ref about the speed on his counts. Mysterio summons all the strength he has left to drop kick Kennedy in the back, setting him up perfectly for the 619. Rey nails his favorite maneuver and spring boards off the top rope, only to once again be caught by Kennedy. Ken situates Mysterio into a Samoan Drop type position and then climbs up to the second rope. He dives off driving Rey into the mat and roles through. This devastating move is enough to advance Mr. Kennedy to the finals of the SmackDown! Six Series!
SmackDown! 3/30 - As we return from the first commercial break we hear Kennedy's music playing as he struts down to the ring in an expensive suit. He pushes Tony Chimel and steals the mic away, "Folks, for almost half a year now you've been privileged to witness some of the best and most exciting wrestling this industry has ever experienced. Now, granted, I do deserve the vast majority of the credit, but there are five other men who did have a small part in the success of the SmackDown! Six Series. I'd give them their props right now, but I can't remember their names. There is only one name on my mind right now, and that name is Lashley. But Bobby, after I get done with you at Wrestlemania you, and your name, will simply fade away. You see folks, some of you may have noticed, but for those of you who aren't that observant I'll fill you in on a little something. On the World Championship belt there is a name plate that screws into it. April first in Detroit, I take one more step in imprinting a great name on that name plate. First I'll beat Bobby Lashley at Wrestlemania, and then I'll go on to Judgment Day and after that, on that little name plate I was talking about, it will read…Mistaaaaaaaaaaaa Kennedy!!!...Ken…ne…dy…" Mr. Kennedy starts to leave the ring when Bobby Lashley walks out from behind the curtain and on to the ramp. As he makes his way to the ring he addresses Ken, "Kennedy, unlike you, I'm a man of few words. But I do have something to say to you. I've held WWE gold before…have you?" Lashley drops the mic and hops up from the floor to the apron. Kennedy rushes over and bumps chest with the big man. The two finalists stare deep into each other's eyes as we cut to commercial.
Later in the evening, Cole and JBL finish up running down the Wrestlemania 23 card. As soon as they are done, JBL introduces us to a video hyping the SmackDown! Six Series final. The highlight package focuses mainly on, but is not limited to, Kennedy and Lashley. One of the Wrestlemania theme songs plays in the background as footage of some of the special moments and stunning spots of the series are shown.
Wrestlemania 23 4/01 - The two gladiators circle each other to start. They exchange blows for a bit before Lashley out powers his opponent. Kennedy seems over matched as Lashley unleashes his vast variety of power moves. Five minutes into the match, Lashley surprises everyone with a dominator taking the first fall in quick fashion.
Bobby doesn't give Mr. Kennedy a moment to catch his breath as he resumes the beating. The fight spills to the outside and Lashley whips Kennedy face first into the steel post, busting Ken wide open. Lashley continues to beat on Kennedy outside the ring, rolling in to break the count when needed. He targets the open wound on his foes forehead. He attempts to once again whip Kennedy into the post, but it turns out he went to the well one too many times, as Kennedy reverses the move and sends Lashley shoulder first into the steel steps. Kennedy doesn't stay on Lashley, deciding instead to roll into the ring and recover. Lashley makes it back into the ring before the ref counts him out. The two trade the momentum back and forth, Lashley focusing on further opening Kennedy's gash, and Ken working on the injured right shoulder of Bobby. Lashley sets up Kennedy for a big spear, but Ken leap frogs the rush and Lashley rams his already hurt right shoulder into the post and then fall to the ground. Kennedy wastes no time in going to the top rope and nailing his fallen opponent with a Kenton Bomb. As much damage as the high-risk move inflicted on Lashley it had just as much of an effect on Ken. Kennedy is not moving, but luckily his body is sprawled over Lashley allowing Kennedy to pick up the pin and tie the score at one fall apiece.
Despite suffering the pin fall, Lashley beats Ken to his feet and once again strikes away at Kennedy's face. Lashley hits several suplexes and it doesn't look like Kennedy has much left as he is constantly wiping blood away from his eyes. Things look up for Kennedy though, when Lashley sends him into the ropes and makes the mistake of lowering his head, which allows Kennedy to hit an arm-bar takedown furthering injuring Lashley's right shoulder. Kennedy works on the right shoulder for another minute before Lashley fights out and back into control on the match. Bobby lifts Ken high into the air in the Gorilla Press position. He begins to walk around the ring with his opponent above his head, showing off his strength, when his shoulder gives out. While he is falling, Kennedy has the presence of mind to roll Lashley up and grab a hand full of tights for the one, two, three, and the match!
Lashley angrily stomps around the ring as Kennedy uses the ropes for assistance to get back to his feet. Lashley shakes his head in the direction of Kennedy and then charges and crushes him with a spear. He rolls to the outside and grabs a chair. Just then, Rey Mysterio (who came up just shy of winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match earlier in the night) runs down from the back. Throughout the series, Rey and Bobby had formed somewhat of a friendship due to them tagging on so many occasions. Rey snatches the steel chair from Lashley's large hands and tosses it to the ground. Lashley shoves Rey to the ground and walks to the back shaking his head. Rey goes to the ring to help out Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy struggles, but wants no assistance, as he shrugs off both Mysterio and the referee. Kennedy walks to the back, soaked in blood, on his own power, to a standing ovation!
Over the Top:
The SmackDown! Six Series would offer something fresh and exciting to the SmackDown! fans. All six men can go in the ring and are also charismatic, so the matches would be top notch. This idea would supply great mid card action for half a year, but it wouldn't stop there. How I laid it out, it sets up Kennedy in a World Title program and a Mysterio/Lashley feud. Plus it gives Regal and Helms more credibility than they've had in years. Everyone involved wins in this equation, most importantly, the viewers! I not only think the WWE should use this idea to help get SmackDown! on the same level as Raw, but I think it should become a yearly event on SmackDown!. This idea not only brings something new and different to the table to set SmackDown! apart from it's peers, but it also would provide us with great wrestling action, which at the end of the day, is what it's about!
Over There:
This is normally where I talk about SmackDown!, Raw and ECW. But since I've been doing things a little different this week anyway, I'm going to continue this trend in "Over There" as I address Summer Slam. The biggest party of the summer has been panned by my fellow writers, unfairly in my opinion. Have you ever had your buddies or significant other drag you to a movie you didn't want to see because you thought the trailer and commercials for the movie weren't appealing? Well nine times out of ten in this scenario, you'll think the movie sucked. It's all about attitude. If you went to the cinema with an open mind about the movie you might have been pleasantly surprised. With the attitude many in the IWC went into Summer Slam with, it would have took a pay-per-view of Wrestlemania XVII proportions to turn them around. On the other side of the coin, if you had ordered the second biggest pay-per-view of the year with positive thought, you would have been very entertained. I do have two complaints that I'll address first, and then after that we'll look at it match by match.
-My first complaint conveniently comes from the first match. It was the perfect type of a match for the opener, faced paced, lots of emotion and some high-flying spots. Rey Mysterio was on the receiving end of some boos (much to my delight), but I think that was to be expected. Chavo is on the right side of the coin in this argument so it's understandable that many will side with him, even if Rey is the baby face of the two. I don't even have a problem with the storyline they are using to build the rivalry. I think it's natural that two men who were like brothers to Eddie would end up fighting over his pride. My problem is with Vicky Guerrero. I don't like her involvement in the angle and judging by the crowd response, neither does Boston. Maybe she's looking for some extra cash to help raise her children now that the patriarch of the family is gone, that's understandable. But it's just too much, and it killed the crowd which was fired up before her arrival and in the process killed the rest of the match.
-The second issue I had, was with the outcome of the Hogan match. Now there is a bright side. I thought the match was MUCH better than anyone anticipated. Hogan resorting to all his dirty tricks was a nice touch and the missed boot into the prettiest drop kick in the business was a creative and well executed spot. I also like how the RKO was handled. In the past, it was common for Hogan to kick out of a finisher at a one count, and then Hulk Up. After taking the RKO, he was barley able to get his foot on the bottom rope in time to save him. Then Randy thought he won the match which gives him some what of an excuse for his lose. Bottom line is though, a SuperStar in his prime, who is considered one of the company's top players, should not be losing to an old man who is almost crippled. Yes, Hogan still can work a crowd like no other. Lets face it folks, the man is still a draw. But Orton needed this win. It would have been monumental for his career. He will still move along, and I'm still predicting Orton vs. Cena to main event in Detroit on April first, but a win here would have made that destination so much easier.
- Those were my complaints about the show, and I still thought they were good matches. So now we move on to all the good that comprised Summer Slam, starting with Big Show vs. Sabu in an Extreme Rules match for the ECW title. Yes, there were some botches in the match, but that's part of Sabu's character. Sabu is a man who puts his body on the line to inflict punishment on his opponent. He performs high-risk, hardcore maneuvers with mixed results, half the time he devastates his opponent, while the other half of the time he hurts himself. There were still several holly shit moments in the match thanks in part to Sabu. Big Show also did his part in the match. Since joining ECW, Show has become a master in the art of working the crowd. His stomping of the chair is a great example of this as it got a huge reaction. Another example is when the crowd was chanting for tables and Show responded, "Well you're not getting any!" The choke slam out of nowhere, through the table was a great way to close out the match.
- There was one match that even the most negative fans were still excited about seeing, Flair vs. Foley, "I Quit" match. This match did not disappoint, as both man took not only many nasty bumps, but some new, creative bumps as well. The knife edge chops w/ barbwire, busting open Foley's chest was sick! Flair taking running head shots to the barbwire covered plywood was also wicked. Add those to the usual barbwire, thumb takes, and Flair and Foley spots and it equals a great hardcore match! The ending was dissatisfying to some, but made perfect sense to me. These are two men that would sooner die than say the words, "I Quit", so Foley quitting only to save Melina from harm's way was an acceptable and believable ending. Plus, Flair on the mic during the match it's self was gold! "This isn't a lay down on your ass match…" priceless!!!
- The World Championship match is particular is getting a lot of unfair press. The match was booked perfectly, accomplishing all the goals they need to with it. First, Batista looked like a monster, hitting tons of power moves, including a; power slam, spinning belly to belly slam, side walk slam, Jackhammer, half nelson slam and spine buster. After the match he almost blew the Batista Bomb, but showed incredible strength to lift Booker back up and hit the move. The Animal impressed the hell out of me at Summer Slam! The ending was fitting as well. This feud didn't have the needed build and now the program will continue at least until No Mercy. Plus by having the Queen cost the King the match, but at the same time, helping him to retain the championship, it set up the main event of the evening. The power moves were plentiful and goals were reached, this was far from the DUD that some people are calling it.
- Every pay-per-view needs a little bit of everything and DX vs. the McMahons offered our entertaining, over booked portion of the show. The match was fun and it enabled us to see some SuperStars we would not have seen otherwise. The sequence where the father and son combo impersonated the finishing moves of three of the all time greatest tag teams was fun and unique, and they pulled off all three moves surprisingly well. The super kick to Shane while he was flying through the air was another great spot. This was not a five star classic, but it did what Vince and Shane almost always do when they are on a pay-per-view, delivered some great entertainment!
- All of that brings us to the main event, Edge vs. Cena. After watching this match, I want people to try and tell me Cena can't wrestle. This was a minimum four star match which could have been a match of the year candidate if it had an additional five minutes. Cena took a page from Batista's book and pulled out some new moves and brought the Throw-Back out of the woodshed! He showed great power standing out of the camel clutch with Edge on his back, and picking up Edge and Lita for the F-U. He even did a victory roll!!! Thank you John for proving me right!
-This show had a little bit of everything. There were great spots, hardcore action, good story telling, advanced programs and finally, solid wrestling. I enjoyed watching Summer Slam and I feel sorry for anyone who didn't!!!
Over My Head:
Thanks once again to everyone who took the time to not only read the column but to also send me your thoughts. I appreciate every e-mail I get and respond to them all as well. Here's what some readers thought of last week's column on the Spirit Squad Split… Daniel is first up: I think your booking would be a great way to go. It is obvious that Kenny and Johnny are the going to be the breakouts of the group and Kenny would make a good face. I'm not sure if Johnny would fit ECW, but he wouldn't have anything else to do on RAW so why not. The only thing I might do differently is send the remaining Squad members over to Smackdown!, because Vince has shown us he is more interested in putting his face all over RAW than give time to the actual wrestlers. Smackdown is trying to build a solid division and the spoilers say the Tag Champs even got some interview time this week!
I think if they stressed his martial arts background he Johnny could be a great fit to the new breed. And if they sent Mikey and Nicky to SmackDown! as a tag team that would leave Raw with pretty much no tag division. So it's up to you, would you prefer no tag division, or a lackluster tag division? You make the call.
Todd was impressed with how I went about the split: Nicely done, I really like the idea of Kenny standing up to Kane to show he isn't some punk, and I seriously thought for a bit there that you were going to make Kenny the heel after breaking him away from the squad… That just adds to it, you don't know if the fans will feel sorry for the rest of the squad for Kenny hogging the spotlight, or if they will get behind Kenny, so it was cool that you left that open till the actual split happened.
Glad you liked it Todd. I try to make the stories as interesting as possible. Keeping people's interest is a big part of getting over. Keeping people guessing about what is going to happen is a great way to get the audience interested.
Cody has a few small changes he would have made: First off, I really like how you make Kenny the big star of The Squad as he is truly the star. Everything you did was good but the things I would do different is that I would of made Kenny and Johnny the Tag Champs at Cyber Sunday and then only to have Johnny turn on Kenny the following night on RAW in a rematch. Also I would change the Survivor Series match to a 5 on 1 No Holds Barred Match with Kenny taking on The Spirit Squad since Kenny hates all four members instead of Kenny. But I like the idea of Johnny going to ECW but I would just leave Mikey and Nicky as a team and have Mitch suck up to The Mcmahons like Coach is doing. But overall, I think you down it good.
Small changes, but I went the way I did mostly to fit a schedule I laid out from the beginning, but it would have worked just as well switching the belts.
And finally this week, Justin would rather see Kenny remain a heel: Mike I can't endorse your idea of getting the Spirit Squad over. I like the booking but my problem is that Kenny is a natural heel. I believe turning him face will be difficult. The problem is they are all such good heels I can't really see any of them turning face. It was an interesting read though.
I too think Kenny would make an excellent heel. But if they're going to do a program amongst the Squad members, and I think they should, Kenny is the one who needs to be a face. Then later then can turn him if they so desire.
Over and Out:
Just like you, I'm an avid reader of 411. Here are some of the columns I especially enjoyed this week…
The Diva Search is finally over, was it good or bad, check out the High Road/Low Road and you can decide!
Be sure to show some love to my fellow fighters in the positivity battle JP and JT and their Hidden Highlights!
Keeping the multi-man column theme alive is the Triple Threat boys!
Also, don't forget to check out the 3 R's tomorrow!
I hope you all enjoyed part one of this three step program to get SmackDown! over. If you liked the idea, let me know. If you hated the idea, let me know what you would do differently. I want to hear all your comments, questions and concerns. Remember, I answer everyone who takes the time to e-mail me feedback, so don't hesitate. Or if you just get bored and want to talk wrestling for a bit, feel free to IM me on AIM, my screen name is Lafavioheat. I look forward to hearing from all of you. We still have the big main event program to look at, but next up is rebuilding the SmackDown! tag division. But that's next week, so until then, over and out!!!
