Great recap video about last week that really makes you want to see the cell match. “The End is Here” is still one of the best WWE in house themes and it was particularly chilling in this video showing that WWE is still untouchable when it comes to production.
We’re in Springfield MA
The Boogeyman Vs Nunzio w/ Vito
“The Bottomless Pit” is a really awesome hometown I’ll give him that. All who think Nunzio has a chance raise your hand. Boogeyman does some beating down as the Smackdown locker room looking on in sheer fear. The worms come out and meltdown ends it soon afterward
WINNER – THE BOOGEYMAN
Sylvain isn’t impressed backstage as Funaki wretches. Anyway Randy and Bob are here and Randy is looking worried. Bob says Randy should see a sports psychologist to straighten out his head. Can’t fault that logic.
Now it’s time for Hell in a Cell highlights as they show clips of Shawn Michaels getting destroyed at Bad Blood.
We go to Randy bearing his soul to the psychologist saying he sees Taker everywhere. Well maybe he should buy him some chocolates, perhaps he’s in love with him. The psychologist asks him about HIAC and Randy gives a great explanation about how dangerous the match is and how he doesn’t feel in control in there which really raises the standing of the match. The psychologist asks him to make a choice, life or death.
Melina comes in to hit on Batista to get him out of the tag match later. Batista goes ahead to make out with her. LUCKY BASTARD!!!
Kid Kash w/ generic rock music Vs Super Crazy w/ The Mexicools
Juvi wants to fight Kash to start and has to be held back. The ref sends Psicosis and Juvi to the back making it one on one. Shame I thought the Juice could get loose! Crazy gets ahead to start with a dropkick to the face and a spinning wheel kick. Kash fights back from the apron and goes to work with some elbows. Kash gets some sort of Michinoku Driver for two and takes the direct approach by ramming Crazy’s face into the mat a few times. Crazy tries to fight back but takes a knee to the back of the head for two. Kash gets some kicks and knees in but Crazy fires back with rights. Crazy gets a tilt a whirl back break and a series of dropkicks. Crazy gets the rolling leg bar for two. Crazy gets a big swinging DDT and goes up for a Moonsault but there’s no water in the pool and Kash gets the Brain Buster for the win.
WINNER – KID KASH
**1/2 – Solid well worked match and if they keep having these sorts of matches each week maybe fans will care about this division? Kash goes for a post match beat down but the other Mexicools drive him away
Randy comes out of the psychologists room and he says he’s made a big decision.
Melina is tidying herself up following her romp with Batista and Batista simply says “Thanks for the warm up. I’m going to kill those guys” I love how they’re booking Batista as an intelligent monster. It’s so refreshing to see a baby face champion who isn’t a total rube.
Video for Kane and Big Show Vs Batista and Mysterio
WWE Tag Team Championship
MNM w/ Melina Vs Batista and Rey Mysterio
We don’t get Melina’s usual entrance because of what Batista did. Bastard. If I was MNM I’d just take a walk. I mean come on you get your female manager to f*ck a member of the other team because you’re THAT scared that they’re going to beat you why not just get it over with quick? Fans chant “slut” at Melina. Shut up you foul mouthed heathens! Melina deserves your love, respect and affection! Anyway I’ve been ignoring the match, weird how that happens huh?, Rey and Mercury do some stuff and then Batista destroys Nitro with some power moves, sold well by Nitro. Nitro rakes the eyes and tags in Mercury who runs into a Batista Bomb attempt. A Nitro super kick stops that and Batista becomes your Roid Monster in Peril â¾Ã‚¢ Scott Keith all rights reserved. Batista makes an easy comeback and clears the ring as we go to a commercial
Commercial
We’re back with MNM getting hammered. Rey gets a flying head scissors on a “very strapping” Nitro, Cole’s words not mine. Rey gets a 10 punch in on Mercury but takes a Power Bomb for two. Nitro gets a clothesline to the back of the head for two. Nitro goes to a chin lock but Rey fights out and gets a dropkick but Nitro makes sure he doesn’t make the hot tag. Nitro gets a cool back breaker and a Russian Leg Sweep combo move for two. Rey is dumped outside where Melina gets some cheap shots in. Mercury gets the “multiple two counts” spot and a cool looking spinning slap jack for two. MNM are really getting a chance to show some good stuff here. Nitro gets a cool capoeria leg drop for two and MNM double whip Rey into the corner. Cole actually gets in my good graces by calling this a “tag team clinic” and it clearly is. Rey uses EDDIE POWER to break a bear hug but can’t make the tag and the fans are pissed at that. Rey keeps trying to make the tag but walks into a enziguri from Nitro for two. This is some awesome baby face in peril stuff from Rey. Rey gets a top rope reverse rana and FINALLY makes the hot tag and the crowd REALLY like that. Batista uses ROID POWER to annihilate MNM spears Mercury before getting a Spine Buster on Nitro. Rey 619’s both Melina and Mercury and Batista Bomb crowns NEW WWE Tag Team Champions
WINNERS – BATISTA AND REY
***1/2 – woah I did NOT see that one coming. It totally f*cks The Mexicools over but what the hell huh? It was an awesome match with some superb work from Rey and MNM. Batista got to do his usual routine and the result was a really entertaining match and I felt for sure that MNM would take a DQ loss but I was wrong and that’s good booking. You have to keep the audience on their toes and that’s exactly what this match did. I can’t praise it enough
Lashley w/ pyro Vs Paul Burchill
Burchill doesn’t even get a hometown he just gets “England”. He’s from Guilford Surrey you rubes and he does power moves with thrice the crispness of Lashley and can do technical stuff too so push him you f*ck wits! Anyway, Big Black Dominator crushes Burchill ensuring he’ll never get over. WWE completely dropped the ball with Burchill.
Krystal is with Matt Hardy and JBL shows up on crutches. Matt and JBL have a little confrontation and that leads to an all out brawl between the two as road agents try to split them up.
Teddy Long tries to talk to the psychologist and he requests to know what’s going on with Randy. The psychologist refuses to say anything except the HIAC match is barbaric at which point he storms out.
Batista and Rey have a celebration but Randy Orton shows up and gives congratulations and offers his hand before leaving.
JBL comes down to the ring for guest commentary on
Booker T w/ The Annoying Frog Woman Vs Matt Hardy Windows XP Professional
Hmm wonder if JBL will have something to do with the finish to this one? JBL gets some funny jabs in at Matt on commentary mentioning his girlfriends like to sleep with main eventers. Just one problem, Edge isn’t a main eventer but what can you do?
Commercial followed by clips of HIAC 98 with Mankind that is one of the single most brutal matches in WWE history.
We’re back with Booker pounding on Matt but Matt fires back with some rights and lefts and sends Booker outside. Matt gets a vaulting body press on Booker but stops to jaw with JBL and ends up getting sent into the steps. Booker gets some stomps in some kicks. Chin lock now as this one heads down the shitter. Fans are silent here which shows how awesome Booker T is at drawing heel heat. Matt makes a comeback with a neck breaker and both guys are down. Matt gets some other shots in and a clothesline in the corner followed by a bulldog for two. Matt gets Spine Bustered but dodges a scissors kick and hits the Side Effect but he doesn’t even try to pin people with that move anymore. Matt gets a top rope leg drop for two. JBL gets his expected interference in and Booker gets the scissor kick to get the win
WINNER – BOOKER T
*1/2 – Heel Booker T isn’t over and has no chance of drawing ANY kind of money. I mean his f*cking wife has more heel heat than him, because she’s actually an interesting character as her heel turn was fresh. They should have just turned Sharmel and put her with Kennedy and then had Booker/Kennedy but they instead turned Booker for no reason for this pointless feud with Benoit which souls purpose seems to make Benoit look stupid in every way.
Randy Orton comes out to make his “announcement”. You see they could really have Orton show some form of human and caring side here besides being the dickhead heel and actually make a face turn work this time. Orton says he’s accomplish more in 25 years than most do in their entire lives. He says no one can kill the legend of the Undertaker and that he brutalises people in HIAC. He says that won’t happen to him. He gives a great analogy of being in a wheel chair with his grand children because of HIAC. He says he wants to go out on top and retires from the WWE. Fans chant “Nyah Nyah Hey Hey Goodbye” at him as Teddy Long comes out and says that he has to have the match as he made a commitment. Teddy threatens to sue Randy if he walks out. Randy tries to walk away but a bunch of druids walk out, which isn’t an irregular occurrence on this show, and Randy gets back in the ring. Taker makes his appearance as Randy just stays in the ring instead of, you know, RUNNING AWAY. Orton begs Taker to let him go but Taker just keeps looking at a druid in the aisle who takes out an urn. It turns out Bob Orton is the druid and Randy uses the advantage to attack Taker and gets a beauty of an RKO. That’s one thing to say about Taker he sure sells that move well. Taker sits up so Randy destroys him with a chair and these are some stuff shots too. Taker does a blade job and takes one more BIG chair shot from Randy. Randy puts the bad mouth on Taker, who sits up again, and Randy nails him with urn. Taker keeps moving but eventually just falls down as Randy stands tall in the ring and the last push for HIAC is complete.
Well that was one decent Smackdown. A great tag title match and a good closing angle too. The rest of the show ranged from squash matches to above average TV matches. However, ***1/2 is nothing to be sniffed at on free TV. I don’t think Armageddon will sell out but I do think it could be well worth the money and I haven’t got a feeling like that for a show since Summer Slam. So far the card looks like it will be solid so long as MNM/Mexicools and Kash/Juvi get a decent amount of time and are put on good places on the card. Batista/Rey Vs Kane/Show will hopefully be watchable at least and if they book the HIAC match well then I think we could be looking at a solid fight. The HHH/Batista formula worked well so maybe they’ll try that? I just hope Orton wins and Benoit isn’t clean sweeped. Expect an Armageddon review during the Christmas Holidays. It might be next week as I think Smackdown will be a recap show so I’ll use my free time to do the review then.
