[jetskid48]

From WWE.com --

Preview:
Colossal Undertaking
April 11, 2008
After losing their respective titles at WrestleMania XXIV, Edge and Chavo Guerrero didn’t take long to enlist the help of other “family” members to attempt some measure of revenge. To set the stage, General Manager Vickie Guerrero forced Undertaker and Kane to face each other in a “Brother vs. Brother, Champion vs. Champion Match” last week on SmackDown. As the match wore on, it was the perfect opportunity for Edge, Chavo, Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder to launch a surprise attack on the brothers. But, the tables were soon turned, and Edge & Chavo were left knocked out cold. Further adding to the plan to return the titles to the "family," the GM wielded her power by announcing huge title rematches between Edge and Undertaker, as well as Chavo and Kane at Backlash on April 27.

But before Backlash -- as announced in a WWE Mobile on AT&T exclusive video – the GM has ordered Undertaker to face Festus this Friday on SmackDown. When the bell rings and the corn-fed colossus “transforms,” how will The Phenom react to this very unconventional Superstar who has never been pinned on SmackDown?

Last week on SmackDown, Shawn Michaels tried to explain what it feels like to have ended the career of Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV. But while struggling to express his mixed emotions, HBK was confronted in the ring by Batista, who claimed HBK’s actions were both selfish and wrong. (WATCH) Things got even hotter on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel on Raw. (WATCH) This Friday on SmackDown, the two Backlash opponents will have a face-to-face meeting. What’s next in the rivalry that’s been brewing between these two Superstars?

Also last week, SmackDown goliaths Big Show and The Great Khali faced off in a stare-down. But, Khali decided to save the confrontation for another day and walked away. WWE.com has learned that Khali is planning a “Punjabi Peace Offering” ceremony this week on SmackDown. What exactly does Khali have in store for Big Show? Is the Punjabi giant really looking to bury the hatchet with Big Show? How will The World’s Largest Athlete react to this giant gesture of peace?

Since Matt Hardy burst back onto the scene with a surprise appearance at WrestleMania XXIV, he’s made his first order of business perfectly clear – take out arch-rival United States Champion MVP. So far, everything is going according to plan. Hardy changed the course of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match with a Twist of Fate to the champion. And on last week’s SmackDown, he used the same devastating maneuver to defeat his former tag team partner in a non-title match. With revenge pumping through Hardy’s veins, what’s next from this returning Superstar? (More on Hardy’s return...) What will SmackDown's "Franchise Playa” have to say about Hardy’s seeming resurgence?

As announced last week, Finlay & Hornswoggle will be returning to SmackDown this Friday night. Three cheers for the little guy, who has made a miraculous recovery following the beating he suffered at the hand’s of JBL on Raw. What will the Irish father and son pair be up to?

Shortly after Michelle McCool won the SmackDown Diva Competition last week, she was attacked by a jealous Victoria. Then, from out of nowhere, a mysterious blonde Diva viciously slammed McCool into the ring post. Who she is? What are her motivations? Is there a connection between her and Victoria?

Experience all of the action on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 CT on The CW Network.

[jetskid48]

Smackdown Recap 4/11/08 - By JetsKid48

We start off in the ring with a bunch of, um, Indians jumping up and down to music. Suddenly some random Indian gets on the mic and says Khali has a peace offering for Big Show.

Out comes Big Show and he's apprehensive. First, Khali offers him a sip of water from the Ganges, the best water in India. The water is Brown and Show really doesn't want to drink it. Next, the finest Scotch from India. Show takes a sip and its terrible. After that, Khali offers him a Chicken "so he may never go hungry again". Lastly, he offers him a goat, to which Show says he's going to try to show his appreciation. He extends his hand and as Khali looks to shake it, Show knocks him out with one punch. I'd love to see how they edit that to make Khali look good in the India version.

Commercial.

We come back from commercial to see the same question from Raw again: Do you think Shawn Michaels did the right thing at Wrestlemania? The anticipation of the answer is killing everyone.

1. Miz and Morrison v. Moore and Wang
A match we've seen before many times, only changed a bit because of the many 'Dirt Sheet' shows that have been running with MM making fun of their opponents. Dirty Shannon Moore starts off with Morrison who pushes him then taunts. Headlock turned into a throw to the ropes and a shoulderblock. Morrison tries for a bodyslam but Moore slides out for a rollup for 2. Morrison throws him off the ropes and a Moore hurricanrana gets 2. Tag to Wang, and a good double team move off the ropes where Moore throws Morrison to the ropes and Wang gets a running dropkick. Wang puts on a hammerlock then pushes Morrsion to the corner for 5 punches. Morrison throws him off and clotheslines him leading to a tag to Miz. Miz with some stomping followed by a weak 1 pin. Leg drops followed by a 2 count. Back body drop attempt reversed into a dropkick. Wang makes tag. Suplexes Miz allowing Moore to flip in plansha on Miz. After a failed 2 count, Miz pulls Moore into the the ropes and hits his neck. Tag to Morrison and they do their double team punch into elbow drop move. This gets a 2. Headlock by Morrison for a bit, and Moore gets up. Tag to Miz and gets his corner clothesline move done. Headlock and when Moore tries to make a comeback, a quick clothesline and tag to Morrison. Leg drops by Morrison and a 2 count. Reverse neck lock put on and Moore immediately fights back. Morrison with a bodyslam into his little taunt dance thing that allows Moore time to kick him in the face. Tag to Wang. Dropkicks abundant, gets only a 2 after its done. Wang thrown to the top rope and gets a flying dropkick. Pin broken up at 2. Wang gets distracted by Miz allowing Morrison to get a ropes aided enziguri. Miz tagged and Morrison knocked to the outside, but Miz from behind gets a running back neckbreaker. Then gets the pin.

Winners: Miz and Morrison.

Next, we're showing Edge and Vickie at some Spa. Witty comments by Edge, but not witty enough for me to recap all these segments.

Commercial.

2. Finlay v. Striker
Finlay and Hornswoggle make their way down to the ring in their return to Smackdown and the days of people not knowing that Vince McMahon had a bastard child. Match is full of typical Finlay offense and at the moments that Striker ever gets an advantage, Hornswoggle is always around to counter him. First he gets him with a Super Soaker. Then, after a kick to Finlay's face, Hornswoggle runs around to throw a container of confetti. He pulls out an umbrella and Striker yells at him till Finlay throw water all over him. Back in the ring and Striker gets the advantage. Ending of the match comes when HW comes in and hits Striker in the back with a blow up hammer. It turns the ref's attention and the Shileleigh makes contact with Strikers face. Pin.

Winner: Finlay.

Commercial.

We're back with a recap of last week's debut of Natalia Neidhart. We're in the ring and Victoria does some introductions of the former Nattie. They show a video of her father, basically splicing in a bunch of jobber matches with him on Wrestling Challenge. She says she's going to make a name for herself here, then spouts off one hell of a dumb catchphrase that I will not repeat.

3. Victoria v. Michelle McCool.
Punches by Michelle start off the match, then more punches after jumping on Victoria. Missed baseball slide recovered by a clothesline. Throws Victoria back into the ring, as Michelle follows, Victoria turns around and big clothesline. Victoria pulls Michelle up in a neckbracker fashion for a choke. Michelle reverses and kicks her down. She tries to go to the top rope only to be stopped and Superplexed off the top. Both are down and Victoria gets only a 2. She throws Michelle to the ropes and gest kicked. Michelle of the ropes and does that flying flippy neckbraker Cena does. After this, Natalia distracts Michelle leading to a quick Victoria rollup victory.

Winner: Victoria.

HBK. Batista. Next.

Commercial.

Cole is in the ring and brings up a way too soon package of what has led us here. Both guys come down to the ring and Batista says that they don't need an interviewer, they just need the two of them.

HBK told him Monday Night, he's sick of going back and forth with him. No, this isn't about what happened at WM with Flair. Everyone's moved on except Dave. Why is that? This isn't about WM, this is about a problem he has with HBK.

Batista smiles and says your right. What happened at WM opened his eyes. He may have everyone fooled, but he's the same Shawn Michaels; he hasn't changed. He still has the blood on his hands. He respects what he has accomplished, but hates the way that HBK got to the top. He says Michaels stepped on everyone and crossed everyone along the way. He may not be a saint, but at least people knew what they were getting.

HBK says Batista is 6-5 275 pounds and didn't need any help. HBK is smaller and had to do everything to get to where he is. He wasn't going to let his size prevent him from getting there. Come Backlash, he's going to do the same thing. He's gonna knock Batista's teeth down his throat. Both drop their mics and stare. HBK starts to turn but instead fakes a Superkick. Batista moves and grabs him to try a Bomb and HBK slips out. Batista's music is played. I have no idea who's heel or face, but every little bit of this has been great.

Commercial.

4. Vladimir Kozlov v. Jobber.
He comes out again with a black arena and no music. This match is over before it starts. He uses a new manuever where he gets the guy in a bodyslam spot, then turns him around into a deathdrop. He yells.

Winner: Kozlov. "He's all about intensity" - Michael Cole.

Spa Shit.

Commercial.

MVP comes out to watch the next match.

5. Matt Hardy v. Chuck Palumbo.
I fear Palumbo's push has ended. Big headlocks by Palumbo to start and a bunch more power offense by him on Hardy. At some point, Hardy breaks out and clotheslines them both over the top rope. MVP gets in Matt's face and distracts him into a clothesline to the back that blasts Hardy into the announcer table.

Commercial.

We're back and its a long headlock by Palumbo. Hardy starts to pull out and gets hit hard for a two. In the meantime, MVP has been gold on the mic, not just putting down Cole, but insulting the heel Coach the whole time, as well. Hardyt makes a comeback and pushes Palumbo against the ropes, where he comes back with a giant kick to Hardy's face. 2 Count. Back to a chinlock. He gets up and throws Hardy to the ropes. Hardy hits the side effect for 2. Punches back and forth until Hardy gets a clothesline in the corner. He goes for a running bulldog but is reversed. Palumbo misses a charge in the corner and gets shouldered. Hardy middle rope yelling elbow drop. Leg drop added, gets a 2. Twist of Fate try reversed into some weird fallaway slam that never falls away. Gets a close 2. Pulls Hardy up for a power slam and Hardy reverses into a Twist of Fate for 3.

Winner: Matt Hardy.

In the back, Diva Search Eve is trying to open a door! Will she open it? We'll find out in a sec.

Commercial.

We're back with an interview with Festus on his match with Undertaker coming up. Jesse takes the mic and is somber. Basically, he knows Festus will be taking the bloody pill tonight, but how much with Jesse have to cry after the match? But "that is a face, that is a face of a man that is about to go toe to toe with the Undertaker."

Backlash Promo.

Taker starts coming down the aisle and we get commercial.

Back and we're with the Spa crap again. Nothing happens except Long is kinda mad at being the servant to them while they sleep together. What as asshole Teddy Long is to be mad at something like this, this quickly into him doing the job. Hasn't been 4 months or anything.

Festus comes out and Taker beats on him before he can 'Festus-up'. Festus comes back with a bunch of punches and headbutts. Taker reverses into an arm twist and a leg drop to said arm. He goes up and hits Old School. Throw to the ropes reversed and Festus hits a powerslam. Some Ax Handles to Taker's back and some punches in the ccorner. A few more haymakers and a choke. Throw to the toher corner and boot to Festus' face as a reverse. Count of 2. Taker twists his arm and gets a body slam. Festus rolls out of the way of an elbow and clotheslines the Taker to the outside who lands on his feet. He looks surprised and pulls Festus out by his legs. He goes to slam his head on the barrier, but Festus reverses. Back in the ring and its been punches back and forth till Taker goes to the outside. Big swing and punch to Taker, who takes Festus and throws him into the stairs. Jesse is concerned! Puts Festus on the apron and elbows him in the face. Then we get the usual leg drop. "Classic Undertaker" Shut up Cole. Festus up pretty quickly and theirs back and forth punches. They start back and forth mount punches and Festus has the upperhand. Festus throws UT tot he rope and ducks into a big UT ddt. Gets a 2. UT in control with punches in the corner. Throws Festus to the ropes and Festus gets a shoulderblock for 2. Festus tries a slam but reversed into a Chokeslam. Count of 2 when Festus gets his leg on the ropes. After a few more punching streaks, the ref is knocked out by Festus. Festus gets a big kick to the face and there's no ref. Looking around, he needs to be yelled at by Jesse. Undertaker sits up and as Festus turns around, Taker gets him in the Gogoplata. Festus doesn't know to tap out or give up. Jesse is screaming to tap out but still no tap out. Jimmy Corderas comes out and calls for the bell.

Winner by knockout: Undertaker.

[jetskid48]

Recap is up, sorry about it being late but the proboards were down at least for me in the morning. And thanks for the custom status dev.

[DevSop]

Did I say you could change your av?

[Lucky]

Now we'll never see Dev's theme.

I've yet to watch the show besides some bits and pieces I saw last night and the main event. I'm not really a Jesse & Festus fan, in fact I don't enjoy them at all and I'm mildly bothered that WWE has had 2 comedy characters that are apparently ridiculously mentally retarded in such little time. But I actually kinda liked what they did there last night. It was an interesting idea for him to not really grasp the weight of his match or the quality of his opponent. And him not knowing enough to tap out and thus being stuck in the submission forever, Jesse being terrified and protective and angry at Taker, and Taker seeming a bit concerned because he didn't mean to hurt the guy but respectful because he put up a hell of a fight... it was an interesting story.

But I have a nitpick and it kinda goes to my problem with the Festus character. What's his deal? Ok, I can suspend disbelief enough to buy that he's a drooling mute who has to be led around by the hand but when a bell rings he suddenly becomes an aggressive psycho. It strikes me as absurd, but whatever. But what sort of bugged me is that they like to have him just be a raging monster when the bell rings but then he's calm enough and has enough willpower to stand on the apron and wait for a tag. And he knows the basic rules of wrestling such as to go for a pin. So he's more aware than say Umaga was when he first showed up and Estrada had to tell him what to do and when to end the match.

So why didn't he know to tap out? He knows how to get a pinfall and wait on the apron so someone taught him this stuff or he grasps it himself. But he doesn't know to quit? And he put his foot up on the ropes earlier in the match. So he knows to do THAT, but doesn't know to tap or submit? Its a natural instinct to give up to try and survive. Its a trained wrestling maneuver to get your foot on the ropes that has long been put over as a sign of great ring awareness and smart wrestling. So what's the deal? Jesse taught him how to break up a pin and to always remain aware of his ring position... but never told him he might get locked in a submission that he should tap out of before he breaks an ankle, cripples a knee, or passes out in physical pain and apparently internal injuries?

That's a shitty friend.

[jetskid48]

Yeah, I meant to stick a link to the av in the post I thanked him for it in, but changed my av beforehand. Dumb me.


Anyway, you're on in this complaint. I can't even tell you how much it annoyed me that he stuck his foot on the ropes. The apron thing and the break up pin thing are something, but I feel like the rope thing is a mental process that should be too complicated for him.

"I have to kick out, should I kick out or reach for the ropes, okay, I'll reach for the ropes."

For someone who seems to just act reactionary, that's more of a thought process.

I also liked that he never tapped, but hated that they decided to knock out the ref. It sort of made sense that Festus would get confused with no ref and not make a pin (although that's too much thinking too), but really, even if he had been tapping, there was no ref to see it and the second the ref showed up, he ended it immediately anyway, so we really didn't get enough of the "Jesse pleading to someone to end the match" part.



I didn't really put my thoughts on Smackdown this week, but really, it was a step down from the past quality Smackdowns and it seems like the entire wrestling industry this week decided to put on unthoughtful or nonimpactful or lack-of-caring shows. I'm guessing Lockdown will somewhat break out of that though.

[Lucky]

Yeah, the ref being knocked out was odd. Seems like the best story to tell would have been for Festus to stay in that move and not know to tap and Taker unable to remove it until he finally passed out and the ref called it. But I guess they wanted the story to be that he was passed out in that submission but there was no ref to end it? But that seems like it undermines the idea that he just didn't know to tap and kind of makes Taker look like a dickhead for just leaving it on anyway. I mean, once he felt the guy go limp you think he could have released the hold and gone for the pin when the ref came to.

It also annoyed me that Jesse was so concerned about Festus and was trying to get him to tap but felt that he had to do so from the complete opposite end of the ring. I mean, he might have heard you better if you had come closer.







Impact wasn't "lack-of-caring" or "unthoughtful." It was just a hard sell that meant heavy on the promos and videos. WWE though definitely seems to be in cruise control (Batista/HBK aside), as I guess they always are at this time because they insist on rematching the WM matches at Backlash and waiting for the Draft instead of just doing the Draft after WM.

I had to.

[jetskid48]

Your not wrong though.

Btw, I had a third option "nonimpactful" (no pun intended) where I thought TNA didn't really do anything this week that was important other than announce the handcuff match and the final step of the Pump-ination for Petey or whatever they want to call it.

I'm just hoping it was an off week because even the dependable show on my schedule, this one, wasn't great at all this week.

[denverpunk]

The HBK/Batista storyline shows me that WWE is really trying too hard. Those two are making it look easy by using natural-sounding dialogue to tell a great story -- the conflicted veteran with a shady past who did what he had to and the self-righteous, jealous upstart who pretends to be angry but really just wants the veteran's spot. It's realistic and it's been terrific. Why bring in Hollywood writers when all you need are talented workers who know how to talk? This angle is the first time in years that I've actually been angry at a wrestler and wanted someone to beat him down.

The Finlay stuff is really pissing me off. Since when did he become Doink the Clown? Just let the man beat the shit out of people.

And wow, they think enough of Festus to let him fight the Undertaker and lose because of a ref bump? I mean, he's a decent enough big guy, but it's a HUGE stretch to think of him anywhere near the main event.

[Batman]

Re Festus:

While it's true that Cole says "Jesse is begging Festus to tap out," Cole misheard him--Jesse never said that. Jesse was actually yelling "get out!" and "fight out!" And Festus was only in the hold for a few seconds before a new ref ran out and called for the bell, so it was hardly a WM 13 type of moment.

I don't think that they're trying to make Festus out to be an uncontrollable wild man in the ring, like Umaga was at first. It's more of a "contrast between two personalities" thing. Before the bell rings he is placid, after he is aggressive. Before the bell rings he is unthinking, after he is savvy. So he can put his foot on the rope and such. I agree that it's a really stupid character, but I've got to admit that the guy playing "Festus" is really making the best of a bad thing. I like his punches--he really makes them look like "haymaker" is the only apt word to describe them.



Re Finlay:

I disagree that the kids' stuff is beneath him. Hornswoggle is a kids' comedy character, and Finlay is essentially his sidekick right now. He's not going to go more serious while this approach is getting great reactions and moving merch like it is.

I can't believe they're stealing old Globetrotters schtick: that's awesome.

My one complaint is that--as a babyface--he really shouldn't be clocking guys with the Irish-stick-I-can't-spell unless the guy is huge and he needs an equalizer, or he has reason to be going after bloody revenge. Not just to win a match against Striker, of all people. Maybe he should introduce a new finisher.


Re HBK/Batista:

I don't think it's fair to judge everybody by HBK/Batista. It's not often that a perfect premise--and just the right guys to make it work--just falls into your lap. Just because they're making it look easy, doesn't mean that it would actually be easy to make every feud just as compelling.

It is damn compelling, though, ain't it?

[denverpunk]

I don't know; I think it's kind of a mixed bag. Guys like HBK, Rock, Jake the Snake, or Santino who are incredibly comfortable with the mike might be very rare, while a guy like Matt Hardy would always be stiff as a board -- he'd still be Pinocchio with an Oscar-worthy script in front of him. And I'd agree that the talent level of HBK is much higher than the average wrestler.

I guess my problem is that the majority of WWE's programming seems so scripted, which can stop a feud dead. Most of the dialogue I hear on there lately is pretty damned poor, so it now blows me away when I hear something that sounds natural like HBK/Batista. When Michaels interrupted Batista and screamed, "I did the right thing!," it really sounded like a true fight and I wanted to see what happens next. But even though those two are better than the Ortons and Cenas, that doesn't mean that there aren't wrestlers there who couldn't do similar things if given a little leeway.

[jetskid48]

Orton has actually been quite good recently. I think there's a difference between great promo work, and saying enough things people enjoy. Keeping it short and acting like an ultra douche has helped him a lot lately.

Most of the guys on top seem to actually have a pretty good grasp of the mic that actually need to use it every week, even Jeff Hardy started getting better once he was actually allowed to speak. I'd say mic work is probably on the lower end of the problem once you get past Randy Orton's slaughtering of the English language and Cena going to the kiddy sex jokes every so often.


Edit: And really, the problem most people have been having with feuds haven't been that they're being dead stopped, but rather that they never end nor have a suitable conclusion.

[denverpunk]

True enough, but I never really thought the mike work was the problem. The LACK of mike work and the overly scripted nature of the program is the problem! Let the guys go out and show some personality and complexity that's not written by one of the writer monkeys and the product as a whole will get a lot more watchable. And the feuds in WWE have more problems than just the dialogue, but I think most of it goes back to the writing, which in turn effects the talent who is trying to execute the feud. I'm not blaming the wrestlers here at all. All of that said, I'm loving HBK/Batista right now.

To be honest, I did like Orton's "Expecting Someone Else?" line. It kind of reminded me when Jericho retained against the Rock so many years ago and rubbed it in everyone's face the following night on RAW. Definite douchebag move.

[jetskid48]

Except pretty much everything is scripted now. Back on OO, we saw both scripts for WWE and TNA that pretty much had every reaction down for guys. Maybe that's a big problem, but it also seems like it's something that isn't about to change anytime soon. I've always wondered if its ever been much more unscripted than it is now. We know WCW was so unplanned that there was no choice and that Heyman pretty much allowed anything, but for all the many reasons, we can't even say those are successes.

Ultimately, I bet that while a lot of guys come out and look like a cardboard cut out of their ideal character, a lot of guys actually need that help because they aren't guys like the Rock and Jericho who can just think off the fly, or develop personalities for themselves. They might throw a guy like Cody Rhodes out there to be himself and make a character for himself and it has just as much of a chance of working as it does to be an utter disaster.

[denverpunk]

Well, yes, you can't just let any guy out there to create his own character, at least not right out of the gate. There has to be an overall vision and someone in charge, and Vince had done that part very well up until the past couple of years. But once a wrestler proves their worth and makes it to mid-card level, they might be able to tweak little things on their own. It seems like the upper-card is stacked with the same feuds over and over again because the characters don't evolve very well. I think good examples of the problem are Kennedy and Carlito, who are both quality guys who obviously "get it" and might become major stars but aren't being helped a lot by writers who don't know their personalities as well as they do. Or even HHH, who was allowed to do his own thing once he got into DX.

Re: WCW and ECW, they both were companies with good ideas (at first) that went under because of bad business decisions. To me WWE is kind of the opposite, a thriving business that has gone downhill because of a lack of quality and some things that it can't control (i.e. Benoit and the general downturn of wrestling in general).

[Lucky]

The problem isn't that WWE main event guys aren't good speakers, because they are (Orton aside and I agree that he's been fine of late). The problem is that so much of what they say feels forced and unnatural. That's been the complaint for a long time with Cena. Cena's a very good speaker but he for so long as seemed stuck in pre-written jokes and arguments that don't work. And people were bothered by both he and HHH this week, especially when HHH's comments just seemed so unnatural and stupid for "The Cerebral Assassin." He thinks its fucked up that Orton got a clean win by taking advantage of a fallen man? He rather make a gag to JBL then acknowledge his very good point which would have made things easier?

There's no surprise that 3 of the most popular feuds in recent memory have been very natural and simple builds. HBK/Batista, Joe/Angle, and Hardy/MVP. Just guys having straight forward issues and natural reactions. And we react positively when something natural happens like Matt Hardy attacking Orton for his attack months ago or Christian reaching out to old friends for allies and not forgetting the wrongs he's done to them. But Finlay being Hornswoggle's daddy and Karen having a secret boyfriend have less than favorable responses because they just feel like too much and way more than they have to be (and not very good).

RE: the TNA script I'm amazed how fucking dense fans were about it. I remember arguing for days with people that the completely scripted promos were almost certainly just guidelines and a solid directing tool. And I remember watching that show with the script open and the promos were WAY different than what was on paper. And I'm sure the same goes for WWE. You write a script because that's just good public speaking. But you go out there and let things flow naturally while making sure you hit all key points and stay on topic, especially when interacting with another guy.