» On Friday, March 19, 2004 at 9:47 AM EST NOT A MAN ALIVE CAN STOP HEYMAN ... BUT A DEAD MAN CAN!
March 18, 2004
Results courtesy of WWE.com...
The security blanket is gone, the protection is over, and Paul Heyman’s SmackDown! is quickly becoming a free-for-all. Without Brock Lesnar to serve as the muscle behind the administration, Heyman has seemingly lost control of his very own show … and the upcoming draft lottery could be the very best thing to ever happen to him!
On SmackDown!, Heyman was successful as usual in providing a competitive and entertaining program that included three Championship Matches and culminated with a match for the WWE Championship between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio that brought the Fleet Center crowd to its feet. After winning a gauntlet to gain the Championship opportunity – including a win over the Big Show – Mysterio gave Guerrero a run for his money and seemed seconds from the WWE Championship, only to lose the match to Guerrero. While the two stood together as a sign of mutual respect for a job well done, Heyman entered the arena to announce that despite their presence in a main event match during SmackDown!, the presence of Mysterio and Guerrero on the SmackDown! roster is not within Heyman’s vision for the show. He stated that with Mysterio and Guerrero on SmackDown!, “English is a second language,” and that he hoped both get “deported” to RAW via the draft lottery on Monday.
Heyman’s tirade ended with his boldest claim of all … “there is not a man alive who can stand in my way.”
And just then … the dead man cometh. The lights dimmed, the gong rang out, and the Undertaker entered the arena. After methodically stalking Heyman into the ring, the Undertaker received the push of the evening when Mysterio and Guerrero shoved Heyman into Takers arms, and he laid the GM out in the middle of the ring via a Tombstone. For the second straight week, Heyman was left unconscious in the ring, courtesy of the Superstars on his roster. What will the upcoming draft lottery on RAW mean for Heyman and his future as SmackDown! General Manager? Can Heyman regain control of “his” show? Stay tuned!
But Heyman’s rough conclusion to the evening did not mean he could not cause some damage. In fact, an era is over on SmackDown! as the APA has had their last call together. After Faarooq mocked Heyman backstage for last week’s Stunner by Stone Cold Steve Austin, Heyman replied with a challenge that if the APA did not defeat Scotty 2 Hotty & Rikishi for the WWE Tag Team Championships, “they” they would be fired. When the APA was unsuccessful, “they,” turned into Faarooq, and the APA is no more. In fact, when Bradshaw was informed that he could remain on SmackDown!, even he turned his back on his former partner and friend, and Faarooq stormed out of the arena in anger at Bradshaw’s lack of unity.
This was the final SmackDown! before the draft lottery to take place on RAW and next week, SmackDown! begins a new era when it comes to you from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Who will comprise the new SmackDown! roster? Will Paul Heyman be able to regain control of his show? What new rivalries will develop as a result of the lottery? Watch RAW to see the draft lottery, and tune in to SmackDown! next week for the first night in a new era. It all happens at 8/7 CT on UPN!
MATCH RESULTS:
-John Cena defeated Rhyno
-Scotty 2 Hotty & Rikishi defeated the APA
-Shelton Benjamin defeated Charlie Haas
-Shelton Benjamin defeated Billy Gunn
-Rey Mysterio defeated Shelton Benjamin
-Rey Mysterio defeated the Big Show via count-out
-Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Mysterio