On Friday, December 8, 2006 at 11:02 PM EST A united front
By Lennie DiFino
December 8, 2006
Results courtesy of WWE.com
Less than two weeks from Armageddon, the Superstars of SmackDown invaded Florence, S.C., hoping to pick up individual momentum as they head toward WWE’s final pay-per-view of 2006.
Former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker approached his partner Finlay early in the night, as Finlay readied himself for a battle with the current champion Batista. Booker told the Irishman that he “screwed it up” last week for the King. Finlay responded by telling Booker “you talk too much,” and added that at Armageddon “[they would] take care of business.”
Later in the night, Batista and Finlay were engrossed in a match-up of two powerhouses, with each testing the will of the other. As Batista looked to finish off Finlay, King Booker interfered. The tag team partners for Armageddon dismantled the World Heavyweight Champion, taking turns with their respective weapons, a chair for Booker and the shillelagh for Finlay. The former court member and the King stood tall, as they left Batista lying in the ring.
Mr. Kennedy arrived at SmackDown with a message waiting for him in the arena; a hearse. Kennedy hit the ring and told all of SmackDown, most importantly Undertaker, that he wasn’t intimidated. “You think by parking a hearse in the arena it’s going to get into my head,” questioned the cocky Superstar. “You can’t throw me off my game.”
Undertaker then opened the back of the hearse and delivered his message to Kennedy. As he gave the cut throat signal, a visibly shaken Mr. Kennedy ran off into the crowd. Later in the night, Kennedy would return to the ring to face Kane, as the Big Red Monster looked to punish Kennedy. MVP arrived and the two youngsters took it to the Monster, looking to annihilate Kane. MVP has been told by General Manager Theodore Long that either he faces Kane at Armageddon, or he is fired.
The Undertaker’s gong sounded, the lights went out, and Kane disappeared. When the lights came back on, Kennedy once again ran out of the ring, leaving Kane’s Inferno Match opponent at Armageddon, Montel Vontavious Porter, alone in the ring. Next week, Theodore Long has announced that The Brothers of Destruction will face MVP and Mr. Kennedy on SmackDown.
Chris Benoit, who for weeks has been looking for answers to his questions, was the one under fire on SmackDown. Benoit had to face the allegations that have been thrown his way by Chavo Guerrero. As Benoit tried to explain his actions as “purely accidental,” Vickie approached and slapped the United States Champion. She then walked down the hallway, where Chavo was waiting, and the two shared a laugh at Benoit’s expense.
Chris Benoit took all his anger to the ring, where he unleashed “toothless aggression” on Sylvan. In less than two weeks, Benoit and Chavo will once again do battle for the United States Championship. Will the Guerreros’ mind games give them the advantage, or will the Rabid Wolverine continue his reign?
William Regal and Dave Taylor defeated WWE Tag Team Champions London and Kendrick. During the match, Regal gave chase to Ashley at ringside, distracting the champions from the task at hand, allowing the brutal team of Regal and Taylor to steal a victory.
Jimmy Wang Yang became the No. 1 contender to Gregory Helms’ Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Jamie Noble. At Armageddon, the longest reigning champion in WWE will put the title on the line against SmackDown’s resident redneck.
Finally, the undefeated Miz defeated Scotty 2 Hotty, and then escaped being wormed by Boogeyman.
Matches:
* Jimmy Wang Yang def. Jamie Noble
* United States Champion Chris Benoit def. Sylvan
* The Miz def. Scotty 2 Hotty
* Mr. Kennedy vs. Kane (No Contest)
* World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs. Finlay (No Contest)
* William Regal & Dave Taylor def. WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick