» On Thursday, January 13, 2005 at 11:00 PM EST WWE Smackdown
January 13, 2005
Location: Tampa, FL
Announcers: Michael Cole and Tazz
Before the show began tonight, a replay of Kurt being set up by Amy from last week's show was recapped.
Backstage at the opening at this week's show, Kurt asked Big Show to talk to Joy alone for a moment and to apologize to her. He offered her an apology that she accepted. Show told him that he didn't like Kurt, but that Kurt had guts to come and apologize to Joy, but that JBL hasn't yet apologized. And if JBL didn't apologize to Joy tonight for what happened last week, Show was going to beat it out of him tonight.
Match #1: Fatal Four Way for Tag Team Championship: RVD and Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero and Booker T vs. The Basham Brothers vs. Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns
This was a good, long, fast-moving match.
Eddie and Jindrak began the match with a lockup, then Jindrak bouncing off the top turnbuckle after he and Eddie went back and forth with a couple of gyrations. Jindrak reversed a couple of moves of Eddie's before Eddie got in a shoulder knockdown and a hammerlock, followed by a top wristlock. Jindrak responded with another reversal, which was countered by Eddie; Jindrak then got Eddie into a head lock.
Booker was then tagged in, exchanging right hands with Jindrak before Jindrak got in a kick to the midsection on Booker and Booker answered with a clothesline. Before this was all over, the team of Reigns and Jindrak was eliminated and the match went to a commercial break.
Once the match had resumed from the break, Rey and Doug Basham were exchanging kicks and blows, while Booker and Eddie were tagging each other back and forth before Eddie ended up back in the ring against Rey---before being beaten by Rey a THIRD time.therefore eliminating the team of Eddie and Booker.
Now it was down to the team of RVD and Rey and the Bashams.
It was a mostly a brutal attack onto Rey with both Bashams switching back and forth, with RVD being attacked in his knee with the steel steps on the outside. Rey barely kept from being counted out several times when he kept leaving the ring to check on his partner and friend; the EMT's eventually came and wheeled out RVD to the back.
The match ended when Rey was pinned by Danny (I think).
Winners and New Tag Team Champions: The Basham Brothers
A recap of the previous Fatal Four Way tag match and RVD's injury was shown upon return from the commercial break.
Backstage, Josh Matthews went to interview Kenzo on how it would feel to win the US Championship when Hiroko broke in and had a few words of her own before Suzuki spoke his few corny words.
Backstage, JBL's cabinet was yakking about having (and getting) all the gold when they ran into Show and Joy. JBL stuttered out a haphazard apology and Show turned to Amy and told her she needed to do the same thing.
Amy was not thrilled on the prospect of apologizing to Joy, saying Joy liked to run through the halls half naked and screaming, which made her nothing more than a s**t, which commenced into a catfight, bringing out Teddy Long, which set up a match between the two later tonight, barring all other parties from ringside.
Clips from the Japan Tour announcement were shown.
Match #2: Kurt Angle vs. Roderick Strong
Strong came out eager and ready to go, but Angle told him that the match would start when Angle was ready for it to start..and asked what Strong's chances are to beat a Gold Medallist. Strong answered that he wasn't sure what his chances are, but Strong knew he could do this.and whacked Angle upside the head, which began the match.that looked more like a brawl at first and with Kurt delivering a beautiful suplex on Strong at one point.
At the end of the match, with 1:08 left, Kurt forced Strong to tap out.
Wrestlemania Recall:
Highlights from 1989
Match #4: WWE United States Champion Match: John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki (w/Hiroko)
Cena, of course, cut his usual promo before the match began.
Quick match with Cena and Suzuki locking up and Suzuki getting Cena into a corner with some kicks and chops before Cena got fired up with some back elbow drops, a bulldog, 5-knuckle shuffle and finally the FU on Suzuki before pinning Suzuki for the win.
Winner and Still US Champion: John Cena
Highlights shown from the show in Orlando.
Backstage, Amy was whining that she was an image consultant and not a wrestler; she didn't want to do the match. Though he was barred from ringside, JBL assured her that she would be fine and that everything would be OK; meanwhile, Show was wishing a confident-looking Joy luck in her match, which was coming up next.
A replay of Heidenreich/Heyman vs. Undertaker casket match from last week's show was shown.
Match #5: Amy Weber vs. Joy Giovanni
Everyone's favorite bitchy image consult did not look very happy when she made her way to the ring.
Amy won this one via forfeit when Joy did not come out to the ring. At this point, both the criminal justice major and investigative reporter in me were coming out and suspecting that JBL and his ilk were behind this one.
Winner: Amy Weber
Backstage, my suspicions were confirmed Teddy Long's office as Teddy ordered that every referee find joy and Show told Long that if they didn't get to the bottom of finding Joy, he would. Long also stated that he wanted JBL in his office and he wanted him in his office NOW.
Heindenreich then came into Long's office and raised a stink about the casket match, and Long made it known that it was still on, considering that he was the one who ran out on Heyman during their match last week.
Once JBL came into Long's office, Long confronted him with the fact that he knew Amy was scared to face Joy in a match and that Long had nothing but time and JBL better start talking.
Once the show had returned from the commercial, JBL seemed to be more concerned about his award ceremony than finding Joy, and Long stated that if JBL's alibi didn't check out, Long would be presenting an award ceremony of his own next week--stripping JBL of his title.
Match #6: WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Funaki vs. Nunzio
Lots of fast moving action in another short match with lots of takedowns and high-flying action before Funaki got the better of Nunzio with a DDT for the win and retaining the title.
Winner and Still Cruiserweight Champion: Funaki
Carlito Caribbean Cool was seen throwing a fit in Long's office when being questioned about Joy's disappearance. Long confronted him about how he saw Carlito follow her to the ring to get her to sign his petition again and how she had again refused. Carlito then said once he got enough signatures, Long would be out as GM.
Miss Jackie and Torrie Wilson then came up to Long and said they saw Orlando Jordan following Joy earlier. A grateful Long thanked them before Long pulled aside a security person and had them get Jordan into his office NOW.
Backstage, Jordan explained his own alibi about where he was when Joy disappeared to Long when Show grabbed him and threatened to break every bone in his body if she wasn't found.
RAW Rebound:
Highlights from the Batista/Orton match for the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
The last scene of the night was the ceremony for JBL, along with his cabinet, being presented with "Man of the Year" from the Florida Agriculture Group, with the usual JBL speech following the award presentation.
Kurt Angle then came out and confronted JBL during JBL's BS speech and told JBL that JBL doesn't want Show in the Triple Threat match, so that he wants to stress Show out by not only embarrassing Joy on national TV, he would also arrange to have Joy kidnapped. Kurt then went around to the trunk of JBL's limo and saw that the trunk was amiss and ordered it opened.
Joy was then found in the trunk of JBL's limo, before being taken out of the trunk and given medical attention. Show soon followed, showing concern for Joy, who was being taken away by the medics, before beating down JBL and his entire cabinet as Amy hurried away. Jordan did strike Show with a chair, but not before Show answered with a choke slam and a chair beating of his own, before glaring down JBL and Amy, who were now outside the ring.
Backstage, a laughing Kurt, Mark Jindrak and Luther revealed that they set up JBL's cabinet (and threw me for a loop!), and they were behind Joy being "missing" all along. POST-SHOW NOTES:
Tonight's show was my kind of show--LESS BS.MORE WRESTLING! Way to go, Smackdown!
Am I the only one that wants to rip that silly tiara of Amy's head and shove it up of where the sun doesn't shine? It is just totally cheesy.
Word has it from my sources, depending on what surgery he chooses to have, RVD's knee injury could have him out for a period between two and eight months.
Complain as some might have about it, I rather like this Kurt Angle Invitational concept; as little as they may get, it gives good exposure to the under appreciated indy talent that is out there.
Tickets for the February PPV No Way Out go on sale this Saturday, January 15. So if you are either live in Pittsburgh or in town for the Steeler/Jets playoff game, bring either some extra warm clothing and those credit cards/cash and/or camping gear and extra warm clothes.that is if you plan to camp outside the Mellon Arena ticket office for great seats (Wouldn't you know they'd go on sale the same day as the biggest game of the year.not to mention the one of the coldest days? LOL!).
That's it for this week of Smackdown. Until next time, enjoy wrestling!