SD Preview, ECW TV Schedule Change & More

News

Here is the official preview for tonight’s Friday Night Smackdown, according to WWE.com:

SmackDown and CW deliver more action
September 29, 2006

Last week, SmackDown made its debut on the new CW Network in grand style. What’s in store this week on the show that’s changing Friday nights?

The Champ is First
John Cena will be kicking things off this week, and you have to believe that the WWE Champion will be bringing more hostility than a marine in insurgent territory after the royal beating he suffered Monday night on RAW. King Booker and his knights, Sir William Regal and Finlay, stormed into RAW and attacked Cena, adding insult to injury by forcing him to kiss The King’s feet. How will Cena respond, and what message will he have heading into the night’s monumental main event?

Historic Six-Man Tag Team Match
As we know after last week’s SmackDown season premiere on CW, the main event in question will be one that has never been witnessed before in WWE history. For the first time ever on SmackDown, the WWE Champion, Cena, will step into the same ring as the World Heavyweight Champion, King Booker. Cena’s partners will be Batista and Bobby Lashley, while King Booker will once again have Regal and Finlay by his side in a match which features more sub-plots than an episode of 24. The champions of RAW and SmackDown will do battle. King Booker will meet his No Mercy opponent, No. 1 Contender Bobby Lashley, who has been an absolute wrecking machine of late. Batista and Finlay will square off before their No Mercy match-up as well, just two weeks removed from Finlay’s skull-bashing of The Animal, which Batista avenged by tossing Finlay into the stands last week. Who will make the biggest statement with just one week until No Mercy? Will there be even more surprises when the champ of RAW comes to meet the King of SmackDown?

Kennedy to Acknowledge Someone Other than Himself
Mr. Kennedy has no problem hailing his own entrance, but this week he will pay tribute to another Superstar for once, as he has promised to offer his personal homage to his No Mercy opponent, the legendary Undertaker. After witnessing The Deadman’s destructive power from close range while joining Michael Cole and JBL on commentary last week, Mr. Kennedy clearly has an eternity’s worth of concerns heading into No Mercy. Will his attempts to butter up The Phenom work to his advantage?

Redneck Debut in Oklahoma
We also learned last week that the redneck known as Jimmy Wang Yang will make is in-ring debut when SmackDown rolls into Tulsa, OK. Who will his opponent be? What sort of backwater stunts can we expect from the country bumpkin?

Survey Says: Family Feud Rages On
Although they did battle last week, the family feud between Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero is far from over. With Mysterio looking more focused than ever and seemingly having put the deception and betrayal of former friends Chavo and Vickie Guerrero behind him, he pummeled Chavo into the stands and on the cold concrete arena floor. The confrontation barely qualified as a match — Guerrero and Mysterio may as well have met in the parking lot and brawled bare-knuckle style. This will be the last time either man can make a statement heading into their match at No Mercy. Will Chavo regain his psychological edge? Is Rey Mysterio back and mentally healthy for real this time?

Streaks On The Line
Will The Miz continue his undefeated streak and move to 5-0? Will WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick have yet another obstacle to overcome in their grueling reign?

Find out on SmackDown, Friday night at 8/7 CT on the CW Network.

In other news, Smackdown Diva Ashley Massaro was on hand as WWE paid tribute by contributing $5,000 to the family of Sgt. Michael Lynch of the Stamford Police department, who passed away recently due to cancer.

Also, ECW will be taping shows before both RAW and Smackdown next week, and has a pretty busy weekend house show schedule to boot. Rodney Mack and Eric Perez are new names scheduled to wrestle this weekend for the brand. Here’s what the WWE schedule looks like over the next couple of weeks, through the week after SD’s No Mercy PPV (TV tapings in green):

Sat, Sep 30
SCI FI Channel/The Marine Presents ECW Live! – Loveland, CO
7:30 p.m.
The Marine Presents SmackDown Live! – Little Rock, AR
7:30 p.m.

Sun, Oct 1
SCI FI Channel Presents ECW Live! – Pueblo, CO
5:00 p.m.
The Marine Presents RAW Live! – Springfield, MO
5:00 p.m.
WWE/The Marine presents Smackdown Live – Jonesboro, AR
5:00 p.m. Tickets

Mon, Oct 2
WWE Presents RAW and ECW live! – Topeka, KS
6:30 p.m.

Tue, Oct 3
The Marine Presents SmackDown and ECW – Wichita, KS
6:30 p.m.

Fri, Oct 6
“The Marine” and WWE RAW PRESENTS THE DX REUNION TOUR – Daytona Beach
7:30 p.m.

Sat, Oct 7
SCI FI Channel presents ECW Live – Hattiesburg, MS
7:30 p.m.
The Marine presents WWE RAW Live – Pensacola, FL
7:30 p.m.

Sun, Oct 8
The Marine Presents ECW Live! – Baton Rouge, LA
2:00 p.m.
WWE SmackDown Presents No Mercy – Raleigh, NC
7:45 p.m.

“The Marine” and WWE RAW PRESENTS THE DX REUNION TOUR – Greenville, SC
5:00 p.m.

Mon, Oct 9
“The Marine” Presents Monday Night RAW & ECW – Columbia, SC
7:30 p.m.

Tue, Oct 10
“The Marine” presents Smackdown & ECW – Jacksonville, FL
7:30 p.m.

Sat, Oct 14
ECW Live – Tucson, AZ
7:30 p.m.
The Marine presents WWE Smackdown Live – Sacramento, CA
7:30 p.m.
“The Marine” & WWE present RAW LIVE! – Reno, NV
7:30 p.m.

Sun, Oct 15
WWE Presents Supershow! – Los Angeles, CA
7:30 p.m.

“The Marine” Presents ECW LIVE – Phoenix, AZ
5:00 p.m.

For more info, including ticket info, go to WWE.com.

Matthew Michaels is editor emeritus of Pulse Wrestling, and has been since the site launched.