WWE Smackdown
January 16, 2009
Omaha, NE
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
???Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event?????? The WWE video leads us into the show.
We get a recap of last week??’s events with Jeff Hardy and his fianc??e being involved in a hit and run accident. Jeff Hardy promises to come back tonight!
The Smackdown video now plays and we???re brought into the arena in Omaha, Nebraska with a great pyrotechnics display. Jim Ross and Tazz welcome us to Smackdown and mention that Jeff Hardy will be a guest on the Cutting Edge tonight!
Vickie Guerrero is in the ring and the crowd is not happy. She introduces herself as the General Manager of Smackdown just in case you haven???t been watching Smackdown for the past year and a half. She said she??’s going to show all of us and the superstars backstage what will happen if you disrespect her.
We now get a recap of Triple H??’s Triple Jeopardy matches. First Triple H defeats John Morrison in a great Tables Match but he is attacked afterwards by Chavo Guerrero, who puts him through a table. Next Triple H defeats Miz and Chavo Guerrero in a Handicap Match when Chavo walked out on Miz. The last match was Triple H vs. Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match. Big Show defeated a broken Triple H with the Knockout Punch!
Inside the ring Vickie is smiling. She says Triple H paid the price of disrespecting her. As a result of that she made him compete three times which resulted in him being knocked unconscious by the Big Show. She says that Triple H ruined her wedding day, he almost ruined her marriage, and he??’s even trying to ruin her reputation. She says he has some nerve! He has no respect for anybody. If he thinks this is some kind of joke, then look who??’s laughing now!
Triple H??’s music now hits and he comes out with a large envelope in his hand. He gets in the ring and apologizes! He says last week she taught him the error of his ways. Big Show knocked him out, he was beaten unmercifully through three matches ??? she was right and he??’s sorry! He says he??’s a goof and he can be a degenerate at times. He thinks things are funny, then he gets started and somebody??’s feelings get hurt and he??’s just sorry.
Triple H says to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones he got her something ??? her nude photos!! He says he went through a lot to get them. First The Great Khali had them and he showed them to everyone, including the crew and catering people. After that Joey Styles, the man behind WWE.com, bought them from Khali! Styles put them up on the internet and a lot of people saw them! Joey didn???t want to part with them and it cost him a fortune to get them from him! He now hands them to her and apologizes once more!
Vickie says she accepts his apology BUT that??’s not good enough for her! She can???t take his place in the Royal Rumble but he can put it on the line in a match with the man who knocked him out last week: Big Show. Like last week??’s match it???ll be a Last Man Standing Match! Vickie now leaves the ring.
Triple H says he thought something like this might happen and she might not accept his apology. Triple H then says he went the extra mile and says that perhaps this will help her forgive him! The titantron now shows all of Vickie??’s nude photos (censored, of course) with cows mooing in the background! Triple H says she was young and needed the money! His music now plays!
Vickie now stands at the top of the ramp and angrily excuses herself. She says Triple H won???t be fighting for his spot in the Rumble, someone else will! If they can???t beat the Big Show then he loses his place in the Rumble! That person fighting for him will be MVP and Triple H is banned from ringside!
Later tonight we???ll have the Undertaker??’s Edict on the Royal Rumble!
:::Commercial Break:::
We get a shot from outside the arena in Nebraska where the ground is frosted. JR mentions it might be a good night for some warm JR??’s Bar-B-Q! If you think its cold there then you should try New Jersey.
We now get a video recap of ECW, a first for ECW I guess. I can???t remember them doing this once since I???ve been doing this. Jack Swagger is the new ECW Champion, proving that anyone can hold that title. He??’s a good wrestler as long as he doesn???t speak. He??’s got skills but sounds like Cindy Brady. Not a good mix. Oh, and what??’s the deal with Matt Hardy losing the ECW Title on free TV? That couldn???t wait for a Pay Per View?
Jack Swagger is now in the ring with Mark Henry. Their combined weight is 655 pounds.
Jack Swagger & Mark Henry vs. Finlay & Matt Hardy
A match with all ECW superstars on Smackdown? Something just isn???t right about that. Oh, and Matt Hardy will face Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship at the Royal Rumble. What the hell? They couldn???t have waited two weeks to give Swagger the title?
The bell rings and it???ll by Matt Hardy starting the match off against Mark Henry. They circle the ring before locking up and Henry quickly powers Hardy down. Hardy gets up, ducks Henry, and puts a waist lock on the big man. Hardy comes around for a front face lock but Henry easily powers him up and puts him on the top rope! Charles Robinson forces Mark Henry away so Matt Hardy takes advantage of the distraction and jumps but is caught by Henry who powers him into the corner! Henry clubs Hardy down a few times.
Henry picks Hardy up and Hardy responds with some big right hands! Hardy then goes into the ropes but Henry catches him by the throat and body slams him hard! Henry goes into the ropes for an elbow drop but Hardy rolls out of the way! Hardy hits some right hands with Henry on his knees. Hardy goes for a kick but it??’s blocked so he hits an enzuigiri! Hardy makes the tag to Finlay!
Finlay runs in and hits his jumping seated senton and pins Henry for a two count! Finlay hits a low dropkick for another two count! Finlay now stomps on Henry??’s hand, goes into the ropes, and is powerslammed down hard! Henry makes the tag to the new ECW Champion Jack Swagger.
Swagger comes in and hits a nice body slam on Finlay. Swagger then goes into the ropes and misses an elbow drop when Finlay rolls out of the way. When will they learn that move never works?
Finlay now hits a nice European Uppercut and a short arm clothesline! Finlay hits a forearm and drives a shoulder into Swagger in the corner. Finlay hits a snapmare and a seated senton splash. Finlay puts Swagger in the corner and rocks him in the chest with a forearm! He does it again and whips him into the opposite corner. Finlay approaches and eats a back elbow for his troubles! Swagger charges out of the corner and is hit with a hip toss! Finlay covers for a one count.
Finlay gets Swagger in a front face lock but Swagger is able to power him into his corner. Charles Robinson backs Swagger away. Finlay, the veteran, realizes this may be a chance for a double team so he beats Mark Henry to the punch, literally. Swagger now approaches and gets a forearm in the face! Finlay then dropkicks Henry in the knee, sending him off the apron!
Swagger tries to approach Finlay in the corner but Finlay gets his feet up however Swagger swings his legs through the top two ropes but before he can do anything Finlay back elbows him off! Then Finlay kind of just stands on the apron for a few moments looking like he??’s waiting for Swagger to do something. Swagger then realizes and quickly sends Finlay into the ring post. That was some bad stalling. Charles Robinson admonishes Swagger (hopefully for screwing up the spot ??? give him hell Chuck!) while outside Finlay is beat on by Mark Henry! Inside the ring Swagger hits a weak punch to Hardy which sends him flying off the apron. This match has degenerated into a really weak fight.
Finlay goes back in the ring and Swagger hits him with the ground and pound. Swagger covers for a two and a half count. Swagger locks Finlay in a neck vice as we go to commercial.
:::Commercial Break:::
Back from the break we see Mark Henry in the ring stomp Finlay. Henry kicks him hard in the back, picks him up, and knocks him down with a huge right hand! Henry covers for a two and a half count as the fans chant for Matt Hardy. Henry gets Finlay up and chokes him illegally on the top rope. He breaks the hold at the three count and Finlay goes down. Henry drags him to his corner and tags in Swagger.
Swagger comes in and drops two quick elbows for a two and a half count. Swagger now puts Finlay in a tight front face lock and holds him in it. Eighty years ago that move would have been the brunt of the match. Hell, thirty years ago! A little wrestling history for you.
Finlay reaches out for Matt Hardy but can???t reach him. Swagger quickly switches it around to a back suplex and covers for a two count! Swagger now has Finlay in a chin lock aka a head lock. Finlay is struggling to get to Hardy but Swagger switches it to a front face lock. Finlay nearly gets there and he gets clubbed down. Swagger puts Finlay in the corner and drives a shoulder into his gut. Swagger then hits a corner clothesline and puts Finlay down. Swagger pops up to the second rope and goes for a Vader Bomb but Finlay rolls out of the way! Finlay now crawls over and makes the hot tag to Matt Hardy!!
Hardy comes in like a house on fire and blocks a punch from Swagger and answers with a punch of his own! Hardy hits another and then hits a nice neckbreaker! Hardy clotheslines Swagger down, sends him to the corner, hits a corner clothesline and combos it up with a bulldog! Hardy covers for a two and a half count! Hardy picks Swagger up and Swagger tries to push him off but to no avail as Hardy hits him with the Side Effect!
Hardy readies for the Twist of Fate but is distracted by Tony Atlas throwing Hornswoggle in the ring! Hardy turns around and is clotheslined down by Mark Henry! All of a sudden Finlay runs in and KILLS Mark Henry with the shillelagh!! Swagger quickly big boots Finlay down but can???t escape Matt Hardy who hits him with a Twist of Fate and just like that Jack Swagger is no longer undefeated!!
Winners by Pinfall: Finlay & Matt Hardy
Match Rating: **
Jack Swagger clutches his ECW Championship as Matt Hardy yells from inside the ring.
Backstage Edge is saying to Vickie Guerrero that he doesn???t care what it takes ??? Jeff Hardy??’s first title defense will be his last! Chavo Guerrero now introduces the man who will take Triple H out of the Royal Rumble ??? Big Show! Big Show says hi to Vickie and says the Last Man Standing Match is a great concept. He says not only did he get to knock Triple H out last week now he gets to knock out MVP and maybe shut his loud mouth once and for all! Big Show says he??’s definitely going to take care of business and tells Edge to make sure HE takes care of business because once he wins the Royal Rumble he???ll have a chance to knock Edge out at WrestleMania and become WWE Champion! Chavo happily says it??’s on and Show was in Edge??’s face! Edge tells Chavo to make himself useful and check on the Cutting Edge because he wants this to be one Jeff Hardy never forgets!
:::Commercial Break:::
Did you know that last Friday, Smackdown once again broke its own record for the highest rated show in MyNetworkTV history? Hell yeah and I was there live for the actual show!
R-Truth is walking backstage when he runs into The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson. The Kendrick says he raps and dances but it doesn???t impress him! Ezekiel says that??’s what??’s up!
Todd Grisham is backstage with Michelle McCool. He says we???ve seen a new and more vicious side of her lately and shows us the footage. First she attacks Maria three weeks ago. Then two weeks ago she attacked Eve Torres! McCool then says to Grisham that it all comes down to jealousy. Grisham insinuates she??’s jealous but McCool stops him. She says Maria and Eve are jealous of her! She says she???d be jealous of herself and shows herself off. She says those two will never be able to compete at her level. She says she??’s not only the top Diva on Smackdown but in the entire WWE! She says she???ll get her Diva??’s Championship back real soon and tells Maryse to consider herself warned.
She??’s now interrupted by Victoria, who McCool attacked last week! Victoria says she may bully and intimidate the little girls but she doesn???t scare her one bit and is about to find out why!
Backstage MVP is throwing air punches with Triple H next to him. MVP says when he boxed he was undefeated and could have been the next Muhammad Ali! Triple H then says that MVP better take this seriously because he doesn???t care how long the losing streak has been nor how much money he??’s lost. He better start a winning streak! MVP says Triple H needs the win but he needs the win just as bad and won???t let him down!
R-Truth is now making his way through the crowd. JR announces R-Truth will be participating in the Royal Rumble. He???ll be facing The Brian Kendrick next.
:::Commercial Break:::
Still to come tonight is the Cutting Edge with Jeff Hardy as the guest.
R-Truth vs. The Brian Kendrick
The Brian Kendrick will also be a Royal Rumble Match participant.
The bell rings and they stand off for a few seconds. R-Truth does some dance move and they lock up. R-Truth forces The Kendrick in the corner and the referee makes R-Truth back away. The Kendrick charges out for a big boot but R-Truth does the splits, ducking it! The Kendrick charges and is taken down with an arm drag! R-Truth hits another one and then knocks The Kendrick down with a big right hand! R-Truth has a whip into the corner reversed on him but he??’s able to catapult over a charging Kendrick, does a cartwheel, and hits a hip toss! The Kendrick rolls to the apron for a breather!
R-Truth goes to get The Kendrick but the referee keeps him away. The Kendrick uses the distraction to hit a jumping heel kick to the face! The Kendrick hits him with a whole bunch of stomps and uses the bottom rope to choke him illegally! The Kendrick gets off at four counts! The Kendrick hits some kicks to the legs and bounces his head off the top turnbuckle! The Kendrick hits a snapmare and kicks him right in the face! The Kendrick covers for a two count so he puts R-Truth in a half Boston Crab. The Kendrick switches it around and locks on a Camel Clutch mixed with some crossfaces and a chinlock! R-Truth is able to fight up, elbow out, go into the ropes, hits a kick to the face, and some punches but this has no effect on the great The Kendrick who pulls R-Truth??’s pants towards the ropes throat first! The Kendrick pins for a one count.
The Kendrick kicks R-Truth in the face and covers for a two count! The Kendrick now has him in a Cobra Clutch/Camel Clutch combo. R-Truth is able to get up and elbow out. The Kendrick kicks him, goes into the ropes, and is hit with a powerslam from R-Truth for a two and a half count! R-Truth misses a crescent kick and is hit with a forearm. The Kendrick goes for The Kendrick but is pushed off by R-Truth who ducks a clothesline and goes into the ropes for his 360?? Corkscrew Elbow! R-Truth goes into the ropes and hits his Scissors Kick for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: R-Truth
Match Rating: * ??
Ezekiel Jackson is pissed as he hits R-Truth from behind! Ezekiel hits his Uranage which looked extremely painful!
Backstage Triple H is telling MVP to not worry about the people, his losing streak, or anything. He just has to focus on winning. If he does what Triple H told him to do then he wins it. This match means everything to him. MVP says he got it and Triple H holds up his sledgehammer saying he better hope he does have it!
Coming up next in a Last Man Standing Match: MVP vs. Big Show!
:::Commercial Break:::
Another hilarious Vladimir Kozlov video package airs. Unintentionally hilarious that is. The man is scary strong though.
Last Man Standing Match
Big Show vs. MVP
While Big Show is walking to the ring, MVP runs down the ramp and hits him in the back with a chair! The bell rings and the match is on! MVP drives the top of the chair into Big Show??’s midsection before hitting him in the chest with the entire chair! MVP hits Big Show in the knee with the chair and then goes for a headshot but Big Show punches it out of his hands! MVP quickly scrambles into the ring.
Big Show goes to get into the ring and MVP kicks him off the apron! Big Show looks pissed now as MVP tries to kick him through the ropes but Big Show catches his foot and pushes him back!
Big Show finally gets in the ring and MVP dropkicks him into the corner! MVP goes for the Drive By but Big Show catches his leg again and pushes him into the ropes! MVP rolls to the outside. Big Show follows to the outside and MVP gets inside the ring! Big Show gets in the ring and MVP hits him with some forearms to the back. Big Show is able to push him off into the ropes and pushes him out of the ring when he bounces back!
Big Show follows to the outside and hits a club to the back. Big Show throws MVP into the barricade hard. The referee counts and MVP gets up at a four count. Big Show bends MVP over the barricade and hits a big chop! The referee counts and MVP gets up at four counts. Big Show throws him back in the ring and MVP quickly rolls out on the other side! Big Show follows and MVP tries to capitalize with a forearm to the face but Big Show just throws him into the steel steps! Big Show charges for a running knee but MVP gets out of the way!
MVP gets on the apron and dropkicks Big Show in the back, sending him face first into the ring post! Scott Armstrong begins counting as the crowd chants MVP! Big Show gets up at eight! MVP runs for another kick but Big Show catches it and chops him off the apron!
:::Commercial Break:::
Back from the break we see MVP flipping head over heels. Apparently Big Show threw him mere seconds before coming back from the break. MVP gets up at three! Big Show kicks MVP in the corner, unzips his ring attire, and chops his bare chest! That was painful! Who said wrestling is fake? The referee counts and MVP is up at two counts! Big Show takes him and hits a short arm clothesline! MVP gets up at seven miraculously!
Big Show is smirking as he approaches MVP and MVP gets an elbow into Show??’s midsection! MVP hits a right hand but Big Show throws him crazy far! That was PURE POWER! That was really insane. MVP gets up at four!
Big Show talks some trash to MVP before picking him up by the neck with both hands, holding him there for a few seconds, and dumping him like yesterday??’s garbage! MVP gets up at five!!
MVP holds himself up on the ropes. He hits Big Show with a kick but Big Show simply responds with some body shots! MVP gets whipped hard into the corner. Big Show charges and MVP gets his feet up in his face! MVP now jumps on his back with a sleeper hold! Big Show fights to stay up and gets to the ropes but there??’s no rope breaks! Big Show is able to break MVP??’s grip and slam him off! MVP charges but Big Show catches him by the neck and pushes him over the top rope!!
The referee is counting MVP out on the outside and MVP is able to get up at eight counts! Big Show is outside and throws MVP hard into the barricade again! Big Show sits on the stairs as MVP is being counted. MVP gets up at six!
Big Show grabs MVP and MVP slaps him HARD in the face! Big Show is enraged and his face is hilarious! Big Show throws MVP much like he did in the ring and then suplexes him on the steel ramp!! MVP rolls off the ramp to the concrete floor as the referee counts!! MVP unbelievably gets up at eight!!
Big Show chops MVP??’s chest. He then gorilla presses him to the top of the ramp! MVP gets up at eight again! Big Show short arm clotheslines MVP down on the steel ramp! Big Show now goes for the Showstopper off the top of the stage but Triple H comes from behind and cracks him in the back with the sledgehammer!! Big Show is knocked out!! Triple H is going crazy for MVP to get up and he does!! MVP gets his first win in forever and Triple H stays in the Rumble!!!
Winner: MVP
Match Rating: ** ??
Big Show is helped up. He??’s hilarious just laying on the ramp.
A big Hall of Fame announcement is next as is the Undertaker??’s Edict!
:::Commercial Break:::
An Umaga return video airs. He??’s coming back to Smackdown!
Chavo Guerrero is talking with Vickie and Edge. Vickie tells him to bring Triple H to her office. Edge is smiling as he says he??’s going to give Big Show a lesson on taking care of business when he has Jeff Hardy on the Cutting Edge! He kisses his wife on the head and leaves.
The video gets all messy and we see the Undertaker! He mentions once a year thirty mortal men battle in an attempt to gain an opportunity at immortality. However this year there will be twenty-nine mortals and one immortal phenom. Darkness will fall on those who attempt to disrupt his destiny for they will be subject to a reckoning far worse than physical annihilation. Their fate will be darker than just an over the top rope elimination. Their souls will be subject to judgment at the hands of he who controls the dark side and their suffering will be infinite! He will bury them all! This was a cool video as they showed pictures of everyone in the Royal Rumble.
:::Commercial Break:::
Just For Men presents a Smack of the Night: Michelle McCool attacking Victoria after their match!
Victoria??’s Retirement Match
Michelle McCool vs. Victoria
This is going to be a great and sad match. Victoria is one of my all time favorite Divas and the Diva??’s roster on Smackdown is going to have a big hole in it now.
The bell rings and the two Divas stand nose to nose. McCool talks a little trash and slaps Victoria in the face! Victoria chases her to the outside, ducks a clothesline, and kicks McCool in the midsection! Victoria hits two nasty right hands and throws McCool in the ring!
Victoria mounts McCool and bounces the back of her head off the canvas a few times. Victoria whips Michelle McCool into the corner and drives her shoulder into her midsection. Victoria does it again, does a handspring back flip, and hits a third! Good move! Victoria now slaps McCool in the face!
McCool goes for a kick but Victoria catches it and pulls her in for a clothesline! Victoria hits a standing moonsault for a two count! Victoria whips McCool into the corner and follows so McCool gets her legs on her shoulders but Victoria pushes her to the apron! Victoria goes for a punch but it??’s blocked and McCool hits a shoulder thrust. McCool goes to the top rope and Victoria hits the ropes, crotching her on the top rope! Victoria now hits a superplex!! That??’s rare in a Diva??’s match!! Victoria rolls over for a CLOSE two and a half count!!
Victoria positions McCool, goes to the top rope, and misses a moonsault when McCool rolled out of the way! McCool hits a low dropkick to the face and gets a two count. McCool drags Victoria??’s legs to the apron and bounces them off the edge twice. McCool hits a chop block and then drops an elbow on the knee joint. She works over the knee for a bit and the crowd boos. Another chop block and McCool uses the bottom rope to stretch the knee! McCool then kicks it and locks in a single leg Boston Crab! Victoria reaches for the ropes but can???t get it. McCool really wrenches back on it now and it almost becomes an Achilles Tendon Stretch. McCool now takes the leg and smashes it off the canvas!
McCool goes to pick up Victoria but Victoria answers with some punches to the midsection. It??’s not enough though as McCool gets a knee to the midsection and a European Uppercut! Victoria reverses a whip into the ropes and goes for a hip toss but McCool counters it into a Brazilian Heel Hook! That was really nicely done! Victoria screams in pain and drags herself over to the ropes and gets them!
McCool is smiling now and stomps on the knee before taunting the crowd. She turns around and Victoria pulls her into the ropes throat first! Victoria gets a schoolgirl roll up for a two and a half count!!
Victoria now hits a pair of clotheslines and some big right hands!! McCool kicks her in the leg and goes for something but Victoria reverses it into a backslide pin for a two count!! Victoria now has McCool in position for the Widow??’s Peak and gets her over but her knee buckles at the last second!! McCool kicks her in the knee and hits her with the Faith Breaker (Styles Clash) and pins Victoria for the win!! Victoria??’s career is now over!!
Winner by Pinfall: Michelle McCool
Match Rating: ** ??
Triple H is backstage with Vickie Guerrero. She??’s smiling and saying bravo. She says since he got involved in the MVP vs. Big Show match he??’s out of the Royal Rumble! Triple H says she said he was banned from ringside but he hit Big Show at the top of the ramp ??? NOT ringside! Vickie says that??’s not what she meant but Triple H says that??’s what she said and that means he??’s still in the Rumble! Vickie makes herself perfectly clear ??? Triple H will face the undefeated Vladimir Kozlov next week!
Still to come tonight is the Cutting Edge with WWE Champion Jeff Hardy as the special guest! A Hall of Fame announcement is up next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Stone Cold Steve Austin??’s Hall of Fame Induction video plays. WWE did a TREMENDOUS job with this video as they do with all the videos. No one deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than Steve Austin. Congratulations, Stone Cold!
JR and Tazz tell us to make sure we get a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Tazz then Kevin Rudolf for the use of the song ???Let It Rock??? which is the official theme song of the Royal Rumble! They then run down the whole card.
Edge??’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring to a huge throng of boos! The Cutting Edge with Jeff Hardy as the special guest is next!
:::Commercial Break:::
Vladimir Kozlov is shown in a pretaped interview. He speaks Russian and translates that next week Triple H isn???t bringing any competition for him. Next week Vladimir Kozlov will remain undefeated!
Edge is in the ring which is set up with the Cutting Edge set. He says that when you???re an elite athlete such as himself then you learn to block out distractions and maintain focus. Ever since Armageddon his only focus is to regain HIS WWE Championship from Jeff Hardy. Edge says it??’s been hard because week after week there has been some big distractions such as his wife??’s naked photos being plastered all over the internet and Jeff Hardy himself. Edge says whether we admit it or not ??? Jeff has a black cloud hanging over his head. He has to wonder if he???ll even make it ever since the hit and run accident. Edge says he??’s all for some Jeff Hardy pain and suffering but not in this instance. He??’s happy Jeff and his girlfriend are ok because now there??’s no more distractions or disruptions. At the Royal Rumble he won???t have his moment taken away from him. This is a story that??’s so good they just had to make a movie out of it.
Edge now plays a movie he created. It pretty much makes Jeff Hardy??’s reign seem like a fluke and the true champion (Edge) will bring prestige back to the WWE Championship. This was a funny video ??? to me at least!
Edge says that??’s just a preview and if we want to know how the movie ends we???ll find out at the Royal Rumble. That way we???ll see Jeff Hardy??’s one and only title reign was an accident! Edge says he wants to tell Jeff Hardy to his face and welcomes the soon to be FORMER (his words, not mine) WWE Champion Jeff Hardy!
Jeff Hardy??’s music now hits and he comes out to the stage but when his pyro goes off it goes haywire and EXPLODES ALL OVER HIM! A big fireball goes in his face and he goes down! Medical technicians (and Jimmy Wang Yang) are the first out there. They???re followed by R-Truth, Matt Hardy, Hurricane Helms, and R-Truth. The stretcher comes out and Vickie Guerrero makes her way to the stage. Edge and Vickie look on as we see replays of what just happened. That was really cool.
The crowd is chanting for Jeff Hardy as Smackdown goes off the air.
Quick Match Results
Finlay & Matt Hardy* def. Jack Swagger* & Mark Henry
R-Truth def. The Brian Kendrick
Last Man Standing: MVP def. Big Show
Michelle McCool def. Victoria (Victoria??’s last match)
Bump of the Night: Jeff Hardy having his pyro go off in his face!
Match of the Night: Michelle McCool def. Victoria ** ?? (Victoria??’s Retirement)
Mike??’s Thoughts
Pretty good Smackdown tonight. A lot happened that is very important. Victoria retired and Jeff Hardy was ???engulfed??? in flames. Those are some pretty big things happening. Oh, and MVP got his first win in a LONG time, saving Triple H??’s Royal Rumble spot in the process!
The ending of Smackdown was great and surprising. It??’s kind of like when they had the ring explode a few years back during the Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show match. That was awesome as well. I???m assuming they???re building up for the return of Christian but I still think they could swerve us and make it Matt Hardy. You heard it here first and if anyone presents that as their own idea it isn???t! Still to have Christian back, that would be nice. Anyway, Jeff Hardy did a tremendous job here as did the tech crew who arranged it. WWE is a first class operation, my friends.
I really liked MVP??’s match tonight. It was booked really well. MVP was made to look like a fighter and I really got behind him, as did the Omaha crowd. Whatever WWE did, it worked! MVP is awesome again!! I hope they keep it up and he??’s back in the title hunt before we know it!!
Now for some sad news. Victoria, one of my all time favorite Divas, has wrestled her last match. Victoria was tremendous back when she came up to the main roster in 2002 (I???m not counting her 2000 debut as on of Godfather??’s Hos) with her crazy gimmick attacking Trish Stratus. Their Hardcore Match at Survivor Series 2002 in Madison Square Garden is one of my favorite women??’s matches ever. My other favorite is from WrestleMania XIX also involving Victoria. She lost the Championship to Trish Stratus in a tremendous match. Victoria was an awesome talent who, in my opinion, was screwed these last few years with a crap gimmick of being a joke and never winning. She was so much better than that and I???m glad she went out with this tremendous match against Michelle McCool to remember her by. What a lady wrestler! I hope she makes it to the Hall of Fame one day!
Also Victoria??’s match is the highest I???ve ever rated a woman??’s match before. It was short but perfectly executed and the emotion was tremendous. Check out her farewell speech on WWE.com! It??’s worth it!
What was the deal with having a complete ECW match on Smackdown? Also, what is the deal with Jack Swagger??’s undefeated streak being ended on the show? You can???t say he??’s never been pinned at least! They???ll probably continue with him being undefeated in singles matches but that??’s just silly. He was pinned. It??’s over. Also if Jack Swagger is facing Matt Hardy again at the Royal Rumble with his ECW title on the line why did they have the match on Tuesday where Swagger beat Hardy? What??’s going to change? Swagger beats him at a PPV too? It just doesn???t make any sense to me to have given away a title change on free TV when a PPV gives a title change more prestige and expose. Oh well ??? I don???t want to step on any toes so if I have, I???m sorry Dave!
All in all a really good show and we look to have another good one next week. I???m really looking forward to the Rumble after this Smackdown!
Final Smackdown Rating: ***
As always I???d love to hear from those who liked the recap and those who didn???t. Have any opinions you???d like to share or just want to talk wrestling? Let me know by sending me an e-mail!
E-Mail ??? MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading!