On Friday, September 14, 2007 at 10:46 PM EST Forgive and forget?
By Lennie DiFino
September 14, 2007
Results courtesy of WWE.com
MINNEAPOLIS – On SmackDown, Batista squared off against World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali, just two days before they — and hopefully Rey Mysterio – square off in a Triple Threat Match at Unforgiven. The Animal was still on the prowl even after he speared Khali on Raw, seeking retribution for his friend, and former WWE Tag Team Co-Champion, whom Khali brutalized last week. The Khali Vise Grip that left Rey demolished and bloodied a week ago was applied on Batista Friday night, but the Punjabi Giant was disqualified when he refused to break the hold. The brutal nature of Batista and Khali’s encounters has grown well past the boiling point, and threatens to explode this Sunday.
With just one week until the happiest day of their lives, both General Manager Theodore Long and his fiancée, Kristal, put the finishing touches on their pre-wedding arrangements. While Kristal and her bridesmaids continued their behind-the-scenes planning -- with a bachelorette party -- the men of SmackDown threw a bachelor party for the General Manager. Best man Ron Simmons asked SmackDown’s newest team Jesse & Festus to supply the “entertainment,” and the Superstars did not disappoint. The Major Brothers, Sgt. Slaughter, "The Natural" Butch Reed and others joined in the party to help Long celebrate his final days as a single man.
Before they defend their WWE Tag Team Titles this Sunday against former champions Deuce & Domino, Matt Hardy & MVP tried to one-up each other on SmackDown in a chess match. After MVP “sneezed” and prematurely ended their latest one-on-one contest, Hardy informed the Ballin’ Superstar that he would be in action that night against Domino. Matt assured that he would indeed be in his unwilling partner’s corner -- much like MVP had been when he helped Hardy to victory over Deuce last week – and he was vocally true to his word. Fashioning himself as the U.S. Champion’s biggest fan for most of the contest, Hardy lead the Minneapolis crowd in “M-V-P,” chants while the brazen Superstar – still wearing most of a rather expensive suit – engaged in a slugfest with Domino. When Deuce tried to interfere, Matt knocked him to the ground – but in the process also angered his own partner. As MVP scolded Hardy, Domino rolled him up in a small package to steal the win. Can the bomber-jacketed duo carry that momentum into Unforgiven as they attempt to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship, or will Matt Hardy & MVP figure out how to work together and keep the gold?
Before his encounter with Undertaker at Sunday’s Unforgiven, Mark Henry came to SmackDown dressed as a druid and telling our fans, “Undertaker’s powers pale in comparison to mine.” But as Henry showed a video of his vicious attack on The Deadman back in May, another Undertaker video suddenly aired on the TitanTron. Afterward, a bolt of lightning flashed in the arena, hitting the stage and setting aflame a huge Undertaker symbol. Then came a final warning for the self-proclaimed Silverback: “Mark Henry…. Unforgiven…. You will rest in peace.” Are Mark Henry’s days of domination coming to an end at the hands of The Phenom?
One Superstar who knows Undertaker well is his brother Kane, who was in action against Finlay in WWE’s first-ever Belfast Brawl. The brutal rivalry between these two Superstars reached a whole new level Friday night, as the Big Red Monster and the Irishman, quite frankly, beat the living hell out of each other. Late in the grueling contest, Kane seemed to gain the advantage and readied himself to use the steel steps as a weapon. But Finlay would neutralize the threat with a steel chair to the monster’s ribs, then picked up the victory with a devastating Celtic Cross.
In other SmackDown action, Chuck Palumbo and Kenny Dykstra both became involved in Michelle McCool’s match against Victoria, causing a double disqualification. But then General Manager Theodore Long ordered that a Mixed Tag Team Match take place, and the budding rivalries between all four individuals heated up once more. Palumbo’s dominant streak continued to roll forward as he nearly decapitated Dykstra with a clothesline that sent him flying over the top rope. It also gave Michelle the opening she needed to nail the deranged Victoria with a kick to the head for the victory.
Also, Shannon Moore defeated Jamie Noble after outsmarting his fellow cruiserweight. As the match progressed, Moore screamed that the little bastard son of Mr. McMahon, Hornswoggle, was under the ring. As an incensed Noble went looking for the Cruiserweight Champion of the World, Moore rolled him up for the pin instead, once again giving Noble the short end of the stick.
Matches:
* Michelle McCool vs. Victoria (Double Disqualification)
* Michelle McCool & Chuck Palumbo def. Victoria & Kenny Dykstra
* Shannon Moore def. Jamie Noble
* Domino def. United States Champion MVP (Non-title)
* Finlay def. Kane (Belfast Brawl)
* Batista def. The Great Khali (Non-title, disqualification)