411’s WWE Smackdown Report 10.24.08

Posted by Scott Rutherford on 10.24.2008

Memo to the booking team: there is more to life than the main event.

Welcome once again to your Smackdown recap. This is our go home show before Cyber Sunday so hopefully we have some good stuff (seeing how I wrote this intro before the show and refuse to change it).

As always we are still looking for a fulltime SD! Recapper. If you're interested in the role, get the CT channel and can get a recap up in the hour after the show, get in contact with me and provide a sample and I'll pass it on to the big boss.



We're in Laredo, Texas with J.R and Tazz as they hype the big main event of HHH vs. The Undertaker! Righteous ☺

- HHH is out to talk. Is it just him or is everyone sick and tired of Vicki Guerrero? It's not the grating voice, the wheel chair or the fact she's a hag….well maybe because she's a hag. He hates that she thinks she can tell other people what to do…and that's she's an annoying hag. Now, everyone expects her to come out now to state her case but HHH saw a big Twinkie truck pull up outside so she'll be grazing for hours. Tonight he faces The Undertaker 48 hours from his big match at Cyber Sunday because of Vicki. If he doesn't destroy UT tonight he mightn't make it to Sunday's match against whomever he'll face.

Jeff Hardy is here. He thinks he knows the audience better than HHH and says this Sunday's voting is a popularity contest and he thinks he's a pretty good chance of getting into the title match and a huge chance to win it. Kozlov shows up and tells us he likes to be covered in vodka and lick caviar off his genitals will beat HHH at Cyber Sunday. HHH can't understand Kozlov either but he doesn't care who he faces because…kick, wham pedigree on Hardy to prove his point.

- Backstage HHH runs into The Undertaker. They trade tips on the stock market, best forms of female contraception and handy tips to keep fluff off ones in ring tights. All with intensity of course.

Match #1: Michele McCool & Maria vs. Natalya & Maryse
Maryse and McCool lock-up. McCool with a fireman takedown into a pin attempt. They trade armbars and attempts a corner charge but gets distracted by Nattie and Maryse takes advantage. Tag to Natalya and she unleashes the big blows in the corner. Tag back in for Maryse, she stops a McCool tag attempt as mariachi music plays as Jesse lead Festus in full Mariachi drag plus a mariachi band down to ringside and Festus serenades Maria! Maria for her part completely missies McCool's tag attempts and Michelle gets rolled up by Maryse for the three count. When the final bell rings, Festus goes nuts and chases the mariachi band away. Michelle is not happy.

(Nothing match to play off the Maria/Festus angel and to give more reason for McCool to be a bitch for a possible heel turn. 1/2*)

Match#2: Carlito & Primo vs. Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely – Non Title Match

Carlito and Chavo lock-up to start. Chavo goes behind, gets a takedown and applies a side-headlock to take control. Carlito fights him off and gets a dropkick off a whip for 2. Tag to Primo, double-team into a splash from Primo gets a long 1 count. Chavo gets to the ropes to halt Primo's momentum and he tags in Bam and all is not well in heel-land. Primo avoids a couple of lock-up attempts as he sticks and moves with the right hands but gets clotheslined charging Bam in the corner. Carlito gets the blind tag and the brothers hit a double suplex on Bam, Chavo charges in but gets hip tossed into Bam for his troubles, Carlito nails a suplex and power bombs Primo onto Bam and that gets a two count. Bam overpowers for a tag to Chavo. Chavo quickly takes control but eats an elbow off a corner charge. Primo goes up top and nails Bam and Chavo nails the distracted Primo with a spinning heel kick. Chavo berates Bam as he tags him in. Bam goes the pound & ground on Primo but mistakenly hits Chavo with a corner charge, Primo tags out and Carlito nails Bam off the top rope. Bam reverses a whip but gets caught with a clothesline, Carlito with a running knee lift. They fuck something up off a rope run but Carlito saves by hitting the snake eyes. He goes for a cover which is broken by Chavo who berates Bam some more, Bam jaws back and gets slapped by Chavo as Carlito nails the backstabber for the 3 count.

(Okay match but that's to be expected with three decent workers in there. Bam was used in short bursts, which was smart, but as usual, the match was to further an angle (the Bam/Chavo break-up) rather than the tag scene. *1/2)

- Maria is out back looking for Festus. McCool wants to know what the fuck happened. Maria is all, I was worried about my fucking friend. McCool retorts like that's not fucking expectable. Maria fucking blows her off and McCool's not fucking happy.

- Primo is chatting up Brie Bella but Carlito cock blocks him. Primo isn't happy but Carlito seems oblivious as the mariachi band runs through with Festus giving chase as Maria runs a distant last behind them.

Match#3: Kung Funaki & R-Truth vs. MVP and Shelton Benjamin
Kung Fu starts with MVP. He catches Porter off guard with an arm wringer. Funaki continues to dominate with some Steamboat-like martial arts offence and even nails a huge armdrag! MVP eats some big reverse kicks and escapes and tags in Benjamin who think MVP's a pussy for being owned by Funaki. Lock-up again and Shelton eats a kick off a charge, big reverse kick, and armdrag and Funaki tags in R-T. Shelton gets a side suplex and catches Truth in the corner. Tag in to MVP and they dominate in the corner some more, MVP charge see's him eat a big elbow but reverses a Truth corner charge into a belly-to-belly suplex which gets a 2 count. Truth manages to take control with the twisting flying forearm and he tags Funaki back in. Big chop off the top rope from Kung, stiff kick another chop lays out MVP. Attempted cover is broken up by Shelton, R-T tosses Benjamin, MVP gets rid of Truth and Funaki nails the KARATE KID CRANE KICK OF INFINITE COOLNESS to score the win! HOLY FUNAKI! Crowd pops huge for that!

(I don't know what the hell the booking was all about but Funaki fucking ruled it out there! MVP was completely berried hardcore by this. Fun match if essentially ordinary *1/2)

- The Colon Brother are backstage again. They spy Brie Bella again and Primo manages to get Carlito to stay back as Primo works his magic. Bella no sells and claims to not even know him. The Great Khali interrupts and claims Primo has no game! Primo thinks Khali is cool much to Carlito's annoyance.

- Runjin and Khali are in the ring for Khali's Kiss KCam. After the kiss cam from two weeks ago Khali has received thousands of letters from all over the world. Runjin reads one from Helga in Germany who once was in love with John Cena but now thinks Khali is hot shit. Another letter states the writer loves Khali's pecks, biceps and cute butt in those tights…love form Bruce in San Francisco! HA!

Ranjin picks a hotty from the crowd as well as a fatty. Khali goes to mack on the hotty but Ranjun says a real giant would go for the fatty. Khali obliges!!! WHOOOO! She goes for a ride on Bengal Mountain!.

Match#4: The Bran Kendrick w/ Ezekiel vs. Super Crazy
Crazy charges at the bell, he nails Kendrick with a backdrop and a dropkick and just lays the big shots in. Kendrick tries to run but Crazy is all over him. Eventually Kendrick gets in the ropes and as the ref pulls Crazy away Kendrick nails a big spinning heel kick and The Kendrick gets Brian the three count. Zeke nails his modified Rock Bottom after the bell.

(Short match putting Kendrick over strong. It worked. Match was too short to mean anything. ½*)

Match #6: HHH vs. The Undertaker – Non Title Match
This match is going on 40 minutes before the end of the show. We're either getting a big match or screwed over. Place your bets here…

Lock-up to start. UT gets a side-headlock. HHH gets a whip to the ropes to escape but runs into a big shoulderblock form ‘Taker. Lock-up again but HHH takes control this time with the side-headlock, ‘Takers gets the whip and nails the shoulderblock again. Hunter takes control with a series of rights but UT says enough of this shit, throws Hemsley into the corner and throws the big soup bones. He corner whips HHH and follows up with a big clothesline and gets a 2 count. Armbar by ‘Takers as he takes HHH to the mat and then cinches the armbar into a chicken wing. Hunter is up and they trade wristlocks but UT is quickly back with a shortarm shoulderblock and leg drops the arm to stay in control. Undertaker tries the old school ropewalk but Hunter puts a stop to this. Corner whip again by UT, but the big boot charge misses and HHH nails the chopblock to the left knee to take control. He drops an elbow on the knee but repeated attempts get blocked by ‘Taker and he retaliates with some kicks. HHH ducks a clothesline from a whip but they both clothesline each other and they're both down. They both beat the count up and they start trading huge right hands, UT finally manages to get the better of HHH and gets him into the corner, big headbutt, cornerwhip and UT nails snakeyes. ‘Taker is slow to take control and Hunter nails the running knee to the head for a two count. Whip by UT gets stopped by a Hunter knee to the face, pedigree attempt is counter into a catapult to the corner, UT nails the running boot to the face and the follow-up legdrop gets 2. Armbar by UT and he attempts to go old school again but gets crotched on the top turnbuckle for his troubles and the superplex follow-up gets a 2 count. Clothesline by Hunter sends ‘Taker to the floor but UT lands on his feet and pulls HHH to the outside and runs him into the stairs. Guillotine legdrop gets a close 2 count. Throat slit by Undertaker and he gets HHH into the last ride, Hunter escapes over the top of ‘Takers head and nails a running clothesline and cover gets 2. UT fights back and makes for the chokeslam, HHH kicks to counter and nails the big spine buster for a near fall. Zombie sit-up by Undertaker, and he goes for a second gozzle and gets countered into a pedigree attempt which gets countered into a tombstone. HHH slips out and pushes ‘Taker into the corner with some big right hands. Up to the second rope Hunter goes while he continues to hammer away and Undertaker nails the last ride but can't cover because he out of gas! The Big Show waddles to the ring as we get the sports entertainment finish…fuck!

TBS continues the beat down on ‘Taker as HHH makes the save with the chair. Show is pissed and he waves off a second chair shot, chokeslam for HHH as Kozlov comes down to continue the beat down as we close the show.

(FUCK! This much was humming until the fucking shcmozz finish. This was a great old school fight between two vets that sold for each other and made each other look good. This is a great example of knowing how t work a match as opposed to spots linked together by headlocks. I knew what was coming at the end but hoped they would play the interference for a win instead of the no contest finish. I know they like to keep UT jobs for special occasion but Big Show nailing him with a big right hand and knocking him down, HHH gets a pedigree, UT kicks out and a second pedigree finishes him off would have been a stronger finish running into a PPV. As it stands, it's a really fucking good match stopped from greatness with the lack of finish. ****1/4)


The 411: Pretty throw away show really. Nothing on the undercard is getting much time other than the odd match on TV to remind people that the undercard still exists. UT/HHH was a great match and well worth seeing but the stupid finish left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Catch the last match and miss the rest.