On Saturday, September 2, 2006 at 12:07 AM EST Signing Bonus
By Brett Hoffman
September 1, 2006
Results courtesy of WWE.com
On a chaotic edition of Friday Night SmackDown from Reading, the Animal gave himself a signing bonus when he drove King Booker through a table just moments after signing a contract for a World Heavyweight Championship match on next week’s show. Also, Mr. Kennedy captured the United States Championship, and Vickie Guerrero shocked the world when she announced that she is Chavo Guerrero’s new business manager.
On Friday night, General Manager Theodore Long decided that the issue between King Booker and Batista had not been adequately resolved, therefore, he ordered a contract signing for a match on next week’s SmackDown for King Booker’s World Heavyweight Championship. Prior to the signing, King Booker addressed his SmackDown Kingdom.
“My loyal subjects, this rematch for my World Heavyweight Championship is nothing more than a sham,” said the King. “This rogue Batista is nothing more than a fraud. A fraud who could not beat me at the SummerSlam games. It is a farce, that a ruler as wise and mighty as I should even breathe the same air as this scoundrel, not to mention having to wrestle him. But, I will. I will prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that a King’s royalty can tame the beast called Batista.”
Batista responded to the King. “You are only Champion because of a technicality,” said the Animal. “You never beat me for the gold, and you better get that through your pompous, inflated, thick head because next week, I’m taking back my World Heavyweight Championship.” Seconds later, Batista drove his point home with authority when he picked up the Champion and sent him through a table with a devastating spinebuster. What will happen next week when the Animal gets his shot at redemption?
Earlier in the evening, Mr. McMahon’s hired guns from SummerSlam and RAW, United States Champion Finlay and Mr. Kennedy were seen arguing in Theodore Long’s office over who the real United States Champion should be. After listening in on the conversation, Long decided to let the two fight it out to determine who indeed deserved to hold the U.S. gold, but not before promising to “spice it up".
Seconds before the match began, Long revealed what he meant when he promised to spice things up. “I told you I was going to add a little something to this match playa,” said the General Manager. “This match is going to be a Triple Threat, and the third member is Bobby Lashley!” The Reading crowd exploded as Lashley joined the mix.
As always, in a Triple Threat match, the champion is at a distinct disadvantage because the rules state that he doesn’t need to be pinned to lose his gold. On this night, those rules did the champion in. After a lengthy match that saw wild brawling both inside and outside the ring, and appearances from Little Bastard and Finlay’s trademark shillelagh, Mr. Kennedy took advantage of a golden opportunity to capture the championship that he has apparently had his eye on since his arrival on SmackDown.
With Kennedy temporarily removed from the action, Lashley appeared to have put Finlay down for the count when he powerslammed his bitter rival and went for the cover. Ever the opportunist, Kennedy jumped back in the ring and rolled Lashley over during mid-pin, holding the tights to keep Lashley down for a three-count to become the new United States Champion. Just like that, the championship slipped through Finlay’s hands without being pinned, and Kennedy made good on his word that he was indeed the real United States Champion.
Earlier in the week, sources told WWE.com that Rey Mysterio was going to kick off SmackDown looking to get answers from Vickie Guerrero regarding her recent actions. Last week on SmackDown, Vickie brutally assaulted Rey with a steel chair and then met Chavo Guerrero in an embrace as they stood over Mysterio’s motionless body.
Friday night, Vickie answered Rey’s pleas and met him in the ring to explain her actions. The answers she gave however, were not the ones that Rey was hoping for as he was left heartbroken in the middle of the ring.
“Rey, Eddie thought of you as a brother,” said Vickie. “He thought of you as family. But Rey, I think of you as an insignificant part of my past. It’s time for me to move on Rey. It's time for me to focus on myself. That’s why I’m happy to announce that I am the new business manager of Chavo Guerrero.”
After delivering the shocking news, Vickie slapped Rey across the face and left the ring. A distraught and confused Mysterio looked on as Vickie once again shared an embrace with Chavo on the SmackDown stage.
Last week during an interview with 2006 Diva Search Winner Layla, The Miz told the world that he would be making his in-ring debut this week on SmackDown. The former reality TV star took on Tatanka in his debut, and surprised everyone when he picked up an impressive victory. The enthusiastic newcomer took advantage of a distracted Tatanka, who for the third week in a row spent more time arguing with the referee than focusing on his opponent. Mizanin’s victory however, was not without controversy, as he mocked the Native American’s culture throughout the match, and then used the ropes for leverage on the pin. After the match, the Miz celebrated his first victory like he had just won the World Championship. Nonetheless, despite what some people predicted for the Miz, he wasn’t exactly a flop in his big debut.
Also on last week’s show, Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms, who is the longest reigning current champion in all of sports-entertainment, interfered during Matt Hardy’s match with Mr. Kennedy, costing the fan-favorite the victory. This week, the two squared off in one-on-one action. In a hard fought battle full of high risk maneuvers and aggressive action, Hardy avoided Helms repeated attempts to bend the rules to pull out a well-deserved win. Luckily for Helms, it was a non-title contest, so the Cruiserweight Champion will live to fight another day.
Since donning his new unique ring apparel - a dress - Vito has been undefeated on SmackDown. This week, the unorthodox Superstar was back in action taking on Sir William Regal. It became clear from the start that the newly dubbed Knight was uncomfortable with his SmackDown assignment. Right from the start, Vito played on his opponents weaknesses, taunting Regal repeatedly by lifting and flapping his dress to get a reaction from the crowd. Not long into the match, Regal decided he’d had enough of the scantily clad Vito and retreated back to the King’s quarters. As a result, Vito was the victor via countout, keeping his streak alive since switching to the dress.
In recent weeks, SmackDown’s tag-team scene has heated up. WWE Tag-Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick were in action taking on The Pitbulls. On last week’s show, Kash and Noble interfered during the Paul London vs. K.C. James match and beat on both teams, resulting in a no-contest. This week, London & Kendrick got a small measure of revenge when they defeated the Pitbulls. After the match however, K.C. James and Idol Stevens stormed the ring and laid a beating on both teams. At the end of the night, London and Kendrick were still the tag champs, but with the intensity in the SmackDown tag-team division, it’s clear that any team could walk away with the gold on any night.
And also this week, SmackDown announcer Michael Cole interviewed free-agent Montel Vontavious Porter about his current contract status. M.V.P. told Cole that as soon as General Manager Theodore Long makes the right offer, the Smackdown roster would be dramatically upgraded. When Cole suggested that M.V.P. may be hiding behind his agent, Porter offered the following response:
“Let me make something clear,” said M.V.P. “I don’t hide behind anybody. I could beat anyone in this building, any man on the SmackDown roster. Even if it means busting Batista, or rearranging the furniture in Lashley’s mouth, I am a world class athlete extraordinaire.”
Whether or not M.V.P. has the goods is still in the air. Once he signs a contract, the WWE fans may finally get the answers.
Matches:
* Matt Hardy def. Gregory Helms
* Mr. Kennedy def. Lashley and U.S. Champion Finlay
* Paul London & Brian Kendrick def. The Pitbulls
* The Miz def. Tatanka
* Vito def. Sir William Regal (count-out)