The Curse: A story of the Smackdown! brand.

[ROZAY]

We return from the final commercial break of the evening, with King Booker sitting in his throne. William Regal is standing next to him, and Queen Sharmell is kneeling beside him. Finlay and General Manager Theodore Long have both made their way to ringside. Finlay is outside as sort of an “enforcer”, and Long has the World Heavyweight title in his hands. The golden shower of fireworks goes off behind Booker, Regal and Sharmell, as the crowd continues their round of boos. Regal hands Booker the mic, as the arena goes back to its normal lighting. The music cuts off, and the boos pick up heavily.]

King Booker: “Thank you. Thank you my loyal subjects! Now, I promise not to make this long, as I want that World Heavyweight title around my waist as bad as you all do. For years I have been held down here in the WWE. And in five years in being with this company, they finally have realized the greatness that was before them all this time. Now, I-“

[The King is cut off, with a loud “Booker Sucks!” chant. The camera shows the fans, and one fan has a notable “Queen Booker & King Sharmell” sign in their hands.]

King Booker: “I understand. You all are jealous. It’s a common concept when a man of my magnitude is finally gettin’ his reign as a deservin’ and promisin’ champion. However, you all need to shut your mouths and bow down to your new King of the World!”

[More boos shower the King, as he simply smiles.]

King Booker: “Now, before Teddy Long presents me with my title, I’d like to make some changes in the King’s court. Finlay, my good man…”

[Finlay, who’s wearing his United States and tag title belts around his waist, and his shillelagh in his hand, turns around towards the ring.]

King Booker: “I appoint you as the Lord of my kingdom. May you forever reign in glory as the only double champion here on Smackdown!”

[Finlay simply nods, and turns back around to guard the ring. Regal, on the other hand, looks baffled.]

King Booker: “And Regal, my kind English sir. I appoint you as my Duke. May you also forever reign in glory as WWE Tag Team champions with Lord Finlay.”

[Regal nods, and forces a fake smile on his face. The King smiles, and looks at Long.]

King Booker: “Now, Mr. Long. Will you ever be so kind as to present the King with what’s rightfully his?”

Theodore Long: “Certainly. Now playa, even though I don’t like how you won the title, there ain’t nothin’ I can do, as you did win the World Heavyweight title. But, I certainly can award Rey Mysterio a rematch for the title next week right here on Smackdown!”

[The crowd pops HUGE for that.]

King Booker: “That’s fine. Once again, I will defeat that little peasant and continue my reign as the World Heavyweight champion. Now gimmie my belt sucka!”

[Long makes his way towards the ropes, as King Booker stands up. He walks over, and gets on both knees to grab the belt. Long doesn’t let go however, which leaves Booker hanging onto the belt between the middle and top rope. For whatever reason, the crowd begins to actually cheer.]

Long: “Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with the NEW World Heavyweight champion, King Book-“

[Long never gets to finish, as in a blur of a motion, something hits Booker in the face.

…

…

…

THE 6-1-9 BY REY MYSTERIO!!

Mysterio nails the 6-1-9, causing Booker to fall back and loosen his grip of the World title. The King’s crown falls off, as the crowd goes wild!]

Cole: “MYSTERIO!! MYSTERIO’S HERE!!”

JBL: “THE AUDACITY OF HIM!”

[Regal looks at Mysterio, and walks towards him. Mysterio hops on the top rope… and nails a seated senton on Regal! Regal rolls out of the ring, as Sharmell screams at Mysterio.]

Cole: “MYSTERIO’S CLEANING HOUSE, AND GETTING REVENGE FOR WHAT HAPPENED ON SUNDAY!”

JBL: “He has no business out here dammit! Take your problems up with Guerrero, Mysterio! The King did nothing to you!”

Cole: “He took away his title!”

[The two continue to argue over the matter, as Finlay slides in the ring. He swings the shillelagh at Mysterio… and misses, as the 5’6 wrestler ducks. Finlay turns around, as Mysterio begins kicking the knees of the Irishmen. Mysterio then runs against the ropes… only to be tripped by King Booker!]

Cole: “Dammit! King Booker tripped Mysterio, and now he’s easy pickings for the King and his court!”

JBL: “Hahahaha, this is just what Mysterio gets! GET ‘EM BOOKER!”

[booker stands up, as Finlay begins to stomp away on the fallen Mysterio. Regal slides back in the ring, and the two continue with the stomps. Booker yells at his court to destroy Mysterio, which somehow draws another pop from the crowd.

… But the crowd isn’t cheering the King…

…

…

BECAUSE PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK ARE COMING TO THE RING!]

Cole: “LONDON & KENDRICK! LONDON & KENDRICK ARE HERE! DROPKICK TO FINLAY! DROPKICK TO REGAL! LONDON & KENDRICK HAVE COME TO THE AID OF THE FORMER WORLD CHAMPION!”

[The stereo dropkicks knock both Finlay & Regal out of the ring. London nails Booker with a right hand, who staggers around. He wanders right into a dropkick by Kendrick that sends him into the ropes. Mysterio recovers, as Sharmell, who’s now at ringside, yells at Booker to get out of the ring. Mysterio charges… 6-1-9!]

Cole: “6-1-9! MYSTERIO IS TAKING IT TO THE KING!”

[book falls into the middle of the ring, as Mysterio hops on the ropes. He goes for the Drop Of The Dime… but Finlay & Regal pull Booker out of the ring, and hoist him up on their shoulders. Mysterio lands on his feet, and stands in the middle of the former tag team champions, as Finlay & Regal help Booker back up the aisle.]

Cole: “MYSTERIO, LONDON & KENDRICK – THE FORMER WORLD & TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS HAVE MADE A STATEMENT HERE TONIGHT TO THE KING’S COURT!”

JBL: “THEY HAD NO BUSINESS HERE DAMMIT, AND I GUAREN-DAMN-TEE YOU MICHAEL THAT THEY’LL REGRET THE DAY THAT THEY DECIDED TO MEDEL IN THE KING’S AFFAIRS!!”

[Finlay & Regal shout at London & Kendrick, who have ascended the top turnbuckle in opposite corners of the ring. Mysterio stands near the ropes, and points at Booker, then makes the “around my waist” gesture.]

Cole: “Be that as it may be, but we’re out of time. Join us next Friday night, as King Booker defends the World Heavyweight title against Rey Mysterio in a rematch from the Great American Bash! Goodnight everybody!”

[The credits begin rolling, as we see a close-up of King Booker’s painful expression on his face, and a final shot of Rey Mysterio, who claims that he’ll be the World Heavyweight champion next week. The WWE logo appears, and we’re out!]

Segment Rating: 85%

My Thoughts: While Rey Mysterio or Batista’s impending interference (Batista pretty much gave it away about Mysterio interfering earlier tonight) was certainly predictable, this still was a strong segment, because not only did it focus the on-going rivalry between King Booker & Rey Mysterio over the World Heavyweight title, but it also let Paul London & Brian Kendrick develop their characters by giving them an edgy attitude instead of just having the standard “face tag team loses titles to heel tag team, get a rematch because they were screwed without actually protesting that they were screwed or even angry that they lost in the first place”. Another strong segment in the line of a few tonight to close the show.

Overall Thoughts: A decent show, definitely a pick-up from the last couple of weeks worth of shows. It seems that they are slowly building towards feuds for Summerslam and their future stars. With the Smackdown! roster as thin as it is, they can’t help but push characters that they already have like Vito & Sylvan, but hopefully they focus on their in-ring talents instead of just their gimmick. This was the right start, and definitely a good start in the direction that they are going, so all I can say is, “we’ll see”.

Overall Show Rating: 74%

OOC: Never intended for the results to be this long for a regular show, as I just got into the writing mood and kept going. I CAN guarentee you that they won't be this long in the future. Sorry, but I use to write for e-feds a lot, so I just have that long writing instinct in me. Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy!

Edited July 29, 2006 by The Aztec Warrior

[Guest wrestling_assassinator]

dude it is a great diary but smackdown was way 2 long to read but i love this diary and plz shorten the results keep up good work u got a reader in me!

[Guest Preston]

waaaaaay too long. also why was the main event a shit squash between sylvan and vito? and there was far too much wrestling on that show. i mean an 18 minute WWE title match at wrestlemania is hard enough to get, let alone an 18 minute TAG title match on a smackdown.

i like what you are doing with finlay though.

[arwrestling]

Hey sure it was long, but seriously I hardly eveer read shows in diaries completely bit I did it here. Loved it, even if the length was a little long. Keep it up.

[Evansfan1]

Who cares if it was long, it was worth it as it was a very good show. And also I believe the reason the tag title match was 18 minutes was because he didn't have like 5 squash matches that the real SD has. He is trying to make SD better and with that tag match it probably will. A very good show man. Keep it up.

[ROZAY]

Weekly Meeting #2 (7/31/06)

I arrived at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ about three o' clock that afternoon. Many of the lower stars saw me as someone they could talk to, somewhat of an "advisor" of sorts to them. I was more then happy to provide them with any help, because after all, I was just an advisor. Anyway, I had come to meet Teddy, but instead was greeted by both Paul London & Brian Kendrick.

Paul London & Brian Kendrick: "WHAT'S UP?!"

[i laughed at the two, as they both were excited for some reason with grins on their faces.]

"Hey guys. I see you two are in a very good mood. Do you always hang out together or somethin'?"

Paul: "Yeah. We've known each other since Ring of Honor, and have always been friends."

Brian: "Plus with there being no tag teams here on Smackdown!, we gotta stick together."

[i gulped, as I knew I had to ask them the question.]

"Yeah. Ummm... are you guys cool with losing the tag titles to Finlay & Regal? I kinda knew about it but never got the chance to warn you guys. Sorry."

[both guys looked at each other, and laughed.]

Brian: "Yeah we knew. It's cool though."

Paul: "Yeah! Adds more spice to the tag division."

Brian: "Plus, after judging from the amount of time they gave us last week, we really got the crowd behind us, so I guess they must be serious about pushing us."

"Yeah, they are from what I've learned. Congratulations guys, you two DEFINITELY earned it."

[They both grinned again and slapped hands. I was proud of myself. Teddy had wanted the match to go about thirteen minutes, but I personally lobbied for them to get eighteen to twenty minutes so they could really build up some heat before they lost the belts. Turns out my plan was better.]

"Hey, have you seen Teddy?"

Paul: "Yeah, he's around the corner with the boss. Come on, we'll show you."

[The two begin walking, and I followed them. We turned the corner... to see Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself. His face was red, and veins were popping out all over. He had a script in his hands, and was shoving it in Teddy's face.]

Vince McMahon: "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! HUH?! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PIECE OF SHIT?!"

Teddy Long: "Uh... it's the script from last's week show Vince. I-"

Vince: "YOU WHAT?!"

Teddy: "I thought you would be fine with it sir."

Vince: "Well - YOU THOUGHT WRONG!"

[Vince begins flipping the pages of the script, reading a few things out loud.]

Vince: "Kidman and Noble to go seven minutes?! What the fuck were you thinking?!"

Teddy: "I-"

Vince: "Shutup! That match was boring, and was a bunch of nothing waiting for a finish! This crap will NOT be put on my show! Speaking of crap, what the hell were you thinking with the tag title match?"

Teddy: "I thought that you'd like it. Some old school NWA tag team wrestling, where-"

Vince: "Well, you thought wrong AGAIN! Eighteen minutes is too long for small guys like Brian & Paul! From now on, NONE of their matches go over ten minutes! You got me?"

[i turned, and look at the two. Their smiles had completely disappeared, and were replaced with looks of sorrow. They both walked off, and I couldn't help but feel bad. I also felt bad for Teddy, because I was the one who personally lobbied for the Kidman/Noble and tag title match to have more time to it, when Teddy was going for what McMahon wanted originally, and he was now taking the heat for it.]

Vince: "Do you got me?!"

Teddy: "Yes sir."

[i couldn't take it anymore. I walked over to the two, and interrupted.]

"Hey Teddy. Mr. McMahon. What's goin' on here?"

[Vince looked at me baffled. He look like he kind of remembered me from somewhere, but couldn't figure out where from.]

Vince: "Who the hell are you?"

Teddy: "Oh, uh... Mr. McMahon, this is the guy I've told you about that's my personal adviser."

Vince: "Well sport, you might as well not learn from Teddy and begin to get a feel for the business on your own."

[i couldn't just stand by and let this happen."

"Actually, Mr. McMahon, I was the one that-"

Teddy (interrupting): "Yeah, I told him that."

[Vince looked on kind of leery, but finally responded.]

Vince: "Good. Now (takes a glance at his wristwatch), you have until six o' clock to come up with the show with your staff. I want to see it at six o' clock prompt, as we begin taping at 6:45. Now get going."

[With that, McMahon walked off, strutting down the hallway. I stared at Teddy.]

"Why'd you take the hit for me? You KNEW that it was my fault."

Teddy: "Yeah, but Vince ain't gonna fire me just for messing up one show, so it ain't that big of a deal. I guess we'll just have to put out what McMahon wants from now on."

I hated the idea of that. Great, my first time working here in the WWE and I manage to cause problems only to not get any blame for it.

Looks like I'm in for a hell of a ride.

[RKOwnage]

Damn...Vince is a DICK...lol...

So much for the London and Kendrick push >_>

Now I wanna see what you do, if you run a Smackdown like you did last week or something like you'd see on Raw.

This looks really good so far, keep it up.

[Evansfan1]

I really loved the meeting. This means that you won't be able to go crazy and do whatever you want so it will get realistic. I am sure Vince would know though how much time the guys get before the match, but who cares. And how can Vince be mad about a friggin match going 7 minutes between Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble!

[Captain Kirk]

Awesome show man, I like that its long makes it seem like the shows are in real time which are awesome.

[ROZAY]

The Scoop On Smackdown! (7/31/06)

Reported by Jesse Christner of Pro Wrestling Scoops

Welcome to another weekly edition of the Scoop on Smackdown!, reported by yours truly. This one's a day early, due to the supershow taping with RAW & Smackdown! tonight.

Let's start off with them scoops, shall we?

- More details have come in on Theodore Long's role backstage. The word going around is that Vince McMahon has brought all of the writers he has for RAW & ECW. The reason for bringing more writers over to RAW is because Vince wanted more hands at helping him with the McMahon-DX angle that's taking up a big percentage of RAW's air-time. Vince is trying to make this a huge investment, and thus felt that needed all the help he could get. With Smackdown! seemingly on 'cruise control' until the debut on the CW Network, Vince felt that he could hand the head booking slot of Smackdown! to on-air General Manager Theodore Long. Long, as you know, use to be a referee and a road agent for the WWE, but never really has had any prior booking experience. That didn't stop Vince from making his decision, however, as he gave Long the book and a couple of 'lower level' writers to work with.

- Now, the interesting part of the story comes here. Word is that McMahon personally hated the July 28th edition of Smackdown!. With such short notice and Vince being busy with the birth of his first grand daughter, Long never ran the show by Vince, basically creating the show within a few hours, running it by the production team as well as the staff and wrestlers, and going on-air, ensuring everyone that Vince was fine with it. ECW's part of the Tuesday night taping seemed much more organized then Smackdown!'s did. Vince blasted Long for not running the show by him. Word is that he felt the tag title match was "too long for small guys like Brian & Paul", and no longer wants them to go over ten minutes in their matches. He also criticized the Kidman/Noble match, saying that it was "boring" and a bunch of "nothing looking for a finish". Who knows what Kidman's future may be, as it's already up in the air whether he will remain with the company on not after the seven minute match with Noble this past Friday.

- Vince also felt that Smackdown! needed more star power on it, and was extremely upset that The Great Khali was not used on the show. When Long claimed that he didn't know that Khali was officially cleared to wrestle yet, Vince continued to blast him. He also felt that The Undertaker should have been used as well to build up to what is planned to be another Undertaker/Khali match at Summerslam, which is only 19 days away. McMahon, however, was very high on the Batista/King Booker confrontation, claiming that it was "his favorite part of the night". He was also said to be high on Mr. Kennedy, and is now reconsidering if he will get a push or not.

- Mike Mizanin continues to be in hot water with WWE officials. Although it was edited on Smackdown!, Miz repeatedly messed up his lines to the point where they just opted to tape his segment after the show. Miz was said to forgot the names of Paul London & Brian Kendrick, and didn't even know that they were WWE Tag Team champions. He also confused the Great American Bash pay-per-view name with "Bash At The Beach". He also called King Booker, the "WWE champion". Miz's future in the company is not looking good, as there is already talks of replacing him with maybe an inactive superstar while he gets development, or just releasing him all together.

- Palmer Cannon being brought back was a surprise to many. Cannon, who quit in his last venture with the company due to being harrassed and ridiculed by JBL and other wrestlers backstage, was reported to be happy that he was back. The WWE decided to bring him back due to the pressure that they are under from the CW Network, and felt it would make for a good storyline if Cannon portrayed "The Network" once again, like Cyrus did in ECW.

- Management is said to be extremely pleased with King Booker's performance thus far as World Heavyweight champion. It was originally thought that he would be a "belt warmer" of sorts till Batista reclaimed the title at Summerslam, but now the WWE is considering giving Booker a long run with the belt.

- In related news, as I've noticed previously, Mr. Kennedy has really been impressive as of lately, and the WWE is reconsidering his push. It is a possibilty (a tiny one, but nevertheless a possibility), that the proposed Booker/Batista match for the World Heavyweight title at Summerslam may be changed to somehow involve Mr. Kennedy.

- Pete Thomas, the wrestler who competed in the Gregory Helms invitational match this past Friday, is Pete Tornatore from Tough Enough. It is expected that jobbers will be brought in each week for Helms invitational until the WWE can build someone up enough to take the belt off of Helms.

- And finally, Smackdown! scored a 2.6 rating this past Friday. This is good news, considering Smackdown!'s ratings as of late have been in the 2.2-2.4 area.

Now, some notes for tonight's taping at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

- The Great Khali and Bobby Lashley are both expected to be at the tapings tonight. Both men have recovered from their previous problems, and will be making appearances on the show. Khali, who's been cleared as of last week, will build the feud with the Undertaker, possibily with the announcement of their match at Summerslam coming tonight. The return of Lashley was first noted when the WWE informed their wireless service over this past weekend that Lashley was cleared to wrestle. Word is, however, that Lashley will be kept out of the ring for awhile until management can make sure it's perfectly safe for him to return to the ring. As you know, both men had complications with elevated enzymes of the liver, which caused the two to be pulled out of their respective matches at the Great American Bash. However, both men are said to be fine after further testing, and should be making appearances of some sort tonight.

- Chavo Guerrero is also expected to make an appearance of some sort tonight.

- The WWE & Roddy Piper have agreed to air another edition of Piper's Pit next week in Nashville, TN. A confirmation of that will most likely be announced tonight or on WWE.com sometime during the week.

Some development, signing, returns and debut news.

- Aaron Stevens, Mike Altieri and Deuce Shade from Ohio Valley Wrestling will be getting looks tonight during dark matches prior to the tapings. With Smackdown! already having a thin roster, it is expected that the three could possibly land spots on the main Smackdown! roster with an impressive showing tonight.

- Sylvester Terkay is being billed as one of the highest prospects from OVW. He is expected to be called up to the main roster as early as next week, and could be making his debut in a few weeks.

- Matt Hardy and Hardcore Holly will be making their returns soon, possibly next week if all goes well.

- Kid Kash, Super Crazy, Joey Mercury & Psicosis are all expected to be joining the ECW brand. Psicosis will be shipped over there immediately, and will be joined by Kash once he returns from suspension, Mercury when he recovers in rehab, and Crazy once he returns from injury. The reason being is that the WWE plans to build up a new cruiserweight division based around Jamie Noble (who will be receiving a bit of a singles push), Billy Kidman, Gregory Helms, Scotty 2 Hotty, Funaki and newer cruiserweights that will eventually be added to the roster.

- Speaking of Jamie Noble, he has recently signed a six month contract extension with the WWE. It is said that this contract will be a six month test to see if he can get over and is worth pushing as a singles star.

- Despite McMahon angry at the length of the Noble/Kidman match, Billy Kidman has also been signed to a six month contract extension.

- In hopes of getting them over, Val Venis, Rob Conway & Torrie Wilson have all been sent over to Smackdown!. The three will go to development for awhile as the WWE plans what to do with them. Rob Conway is suspected to be push as a legitimate athlete, and Torrie Wilson is expected to be involved in some angle with real life husband Billy Kidman. There's been a long running rumor that Kane would be sent to the Smackdown! brand, but WWE has no plans at all that result in moving him from RAW.

- So Cal Val of TNA fame has been signed to a development contract, following her release from TNA late last week. It is expected that she will be on the Smackdown! brand.

- Jimmy Yang is expected to be debuting in the cruiserweight division of Smackdown! once his indy and Japanese committments are completed.

- Chris Benoit is said to being happy that he finally has time off to spend with his family and rest up his nagging injuries. While the WWE has contacted him about returning as soon as possibly Summerslam, Benoit does not plan on returning anytime soon.

That's it for this week's edition of the Smackdown! Scoops. Tune in next week for more scoops and watch Smackdown! this Friday night on UPN!

[RKOwnage]

King Booker© -- Keep the belt on Booker, he's a better champ then Rey IMO.

William Regal w/Finlay -- McMahon wants L&K buried.

Gregory Helms -- He'll beat someone like Funaki this week.

I really like this diary so far, it's looking really good. Like I said before, I wanna see if you run the show like you want to, or how Vince wants to. And I wanna see you push Venis when he gets to SD. And Akio too >_>

[ROZAY]

UPN Presents: Friday Night Smackdown!

Taped on August 1st, 2006 - to be aired on August 5th, 2006

From the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ

[We open up with a video package, which shows King Booker's coronation as the new World Heavyweight champion being interrupted by former champion Rey Mysterio. The new WWE Tag Team champions Finlay & William Regal quickly attack Mysterio, but former tag champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick make the save. We see a final shot of the King being helped to the back by his court, as well as Mysterio motioning that the title will be back around his waist. We then go to the opening video for Smackdown!, and finally cut to the arena. A large display of fireworks go off, as the cameras pan all around the arena. The fans, as anxious as ever to be in front of the camera, yell, jump and show off their signs. We then hear Michael Cole's voice, as the camera continues to show the people in attendance.]

Michael Cole: "Welcome to another edition of Friday night Smackdown!, here in the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey!We're just 16 days away from Summerslam, and tonight we will find out who goes into Summerslam as the World champion, as King Booker defends against the former champion Rey Mysterio!

JBL: "That's right Michael, a rematch from the Great American Bash here tonight, and I think that once again the King will prevail as the champion that we can be proud of."

Cole: "Or Rey Mysterio can regain the championship that he should have never lost in the first place. Also, here tonight, the Animal will step foot in the ring for the first time in seven months here on Friday Night Smackdown!"

["You Can Run" hits the speakers. The crowd lets out a warm reaction, as Billy Kidman makes his way out with a huge grin on his face.]

Cole: "And we're kicking things off here tonight with a little cruiserweight action!"

[The bell rings, as Kidman takes time to slap the hands of a few fans at ringside before sliding in the ring. He raises his arms in the air, as "Turn It Up" fills the arena. Scotty 2 Hotty bounces out, drawing a nice pop from the crowd. Scotty also slaps a few hands, as he bounces into the ring. He walks up to Kidman, and offers him his hand. Kidman shakes it, and the bell rings, as the match between the two cruiserweights get underway.]

Singles Match

Billy Kidman vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

The two circled each other for awhile, trying to get a feel for one another. They locked up, with the bigger Kidman having the advantage over the smaller Scotty 2 Hotty. Cole talks about Kidman returning to Smackdown! last week with a big win over Jamie Noble, while JBL argues that Kidman blindsided Noble, and while he was "good", he was no match for the Cruiserweight champion, Gregory Helms. Meanwhile, back in the ring, Kidman nailed a pair of arm drags, sending Scotty reeling to the corner. Kidman yelled to the crowd, drawing a decent response. Scotty applauded Kidman, and the two went back to locking it up. This time, Scotty nailed a kick to the mid-section, and a couple chops. He irish whipped Kidman across the ring, but that proved to be a big mistake, as Kidman comes back with a hurricarana. Scotty fell to the mat, and Kidman was immediately on the attack with stomps and well-placed kicks. He lifted Scotty up, and went for a suplex. Scotty dropped behind him, and pushed Kidman into the corner. Kidman turned around, as Scotty charged... right into a BK Bomb! The crowd popped for the manuever, as Cole sensed the end of the match as Kidman began to ascend the top rope. JBL went on a rant about Scotty's old tag team partners for some reason. Kidman was on the top rope, and signaled for the Shooting Star Press... when he suddenly fell to the mat! The crowd begin to boo a little bit, as the cameras turn towards the turnbuckle that Kidman was on to see... Jamie Noble!

Cole: "That's Jamie Noble! What the hell is he doing here?"

JBL: "He can go whever he wants Michael. You know why?"

Cole (sighing): "... Why?"

JBL: "BECAUSE HE'S A PITBULL!"

Noble steps into the ring, and begins stomping on Scotty and Kidman. The referee has no choice but to the ring the bell and throw the match out, much to the dismay of the crowd. Noble continues his stomping on both men. Noble has a sadistic smile on his face, as he picks up Scotty and launces him over the top rope! Kidman slowly begins to stir around, prompting Noble to nail him with a boot to the head. He grabs Kidman by his hair, and shouts at him that he's a pitbull. Over at the announcer's table, JBL must be proud. Noble then locks in a modified Dragon sleeper, as the referee tries to pry him off. The rabid pitbull finally releases the hold, as the referee yells for him to get out of the ring. Noble instead smiles, and raises his arms in the air as the crowd continues showering him with jeers. Noble finally leaves the ring, as his music plays over the PA system. Scotty 2 Hotty jumps in the ring, and begins to check on Kidman, who isn't moving. Noble makes his way to the back, as we cut backstage.

Result: Billy Kidman went to a no contest with Scotty 2 Hotty after Jamie Noble's interference (2:02)

Ratings: OR: 63%, CR: 57% (face vs face jobber matches don't work), MQ: 69%, *1/4 (The match never really got going, but it did look promising. Guess the rumors of Vince exploding at the length of Kidman/Noble last week were true after all)

-The Match Is Set... With A Little Twist-

[The cameras are backstage now, in the office of Smackdown! General Manager Theodore Long. Long is sitting in his chair, while the representative of the CW Network Palmer Cannon sits on top of Long's desk with a huge grin on his face. There's no reaction for either men from the crowd.]

Palmer Cannon: "Did you see the animal instinct of Jamie Noble? That man truly represents TV that's changing Friday nights!"

Theodore Long: "Yeah, but speakin' of animal, we gotta talk bout that Batista & Mr. Kennedy match next week playa."

Cannon: "Oh, yeah. And I invited just the man that we should be handling the matter with."

[Just then, Mr. Kennedy walks into the office. Palmer extends his hand, and he shakes it. Long also extends his hand... but Kennedy just looks at him.]

Cannon: "Just the man I wanted to see. Now, Mr. Kennedy, I've summoned you because as the man that is SINGLE HANDILY changing Friday nights, we want you featured in the biggest matches possible. So-"

Long (cutting off Cannon): "So in otha words dog, you got yo match wit Batista next week. How ya feel bout dat playa?"

[The crowd pops HUGE at the announcement of the match. Kennedy is grinning from ear-to-ear.]

Mr. Kennedy: "You saw what Batista did to me at the Great American Bash Teddy. The same thing with happen to Batista next week, but the only difference is that once again, when the dust has settled and the match is over, the winner will be announced as... MIIIISTEEEEEEEEEER... KEEEEN-"

[The GM holds his hand in front of Kennedy's mouth, forcing him to stop in mid-yell. The crowd gives Long a pretty big pop for that.]

Long: "We've decided to make it a lil' interestin'. The winner will become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight title and face the winner of the King Booker/Rey Mysterio for the title at Summerslam in 16 days!"

[The crowd ERUPTS for that.]

Cannon: "I've made a little decision of my own. Mr. Kennedy, since you DID defeat Batista at the Great American Bash, YOU get to decide the special stipulation for the match next week."

Long: "What the... wait a minute playa! Teddy Long ain't agree to nuttin like dat!"

Cannon: "I figured it would be fine. So, just inform us of your stipulation tonight."

[Kennedy shakes Cannon's hand again.]

Mr. Kennedy: "Thank you Mr. Cannon, and I rest assure to you that after next week, when I defeat Batista, and after Summerslam when I defeat Rey Mysterio or King Booker, I will be the World champion that Smackdown! can be proud of!"

[Kennedy begins walking out of the office. Cannon calls out to him though, stopping him as he's got a foot out of the door.]

Cannon: "Wait! I just wanted to know... could you do that whole 'Mr. Kennedy!' bit? I love that!"

[Kennedy grins, and tilts his head back.]

Mr. Kennedy: "Mr. Cannon, I present to you the man that's single handily changing Friday nights, and the NEXT World Heavyweight champion... MIIIISTEEEEEEEEER... KEEEENEEEEDYYYYYYYYYYY!"

[Kennedy walks out the door, as Cannon is also grinning from ear to ear. Just then, Kennedy's face pops back in.]

Mr. Kennedy: "... KENNEDY!"

[Again, he disappears, as Cannon claps and looks at Long.]

Cannon: "That man is gold! That man is ratings! Man... I love when he does that!"

[Long just rolls his eyes, and shakes his head, as we go to our first commercial break of the evening.]

Rating: 85% (Mr. Kennedy is GOLD.)

-Commercial Break-

-An Unmerciful King-

[We return from a commercial break, with King Booker's music playing over the PA system. However, there's no pyro, no golden light, no robe, no crown, no ceremony of sorts. King Booker is in a suit and a pair of shades. Queen Sharmell is next to him, and the United States & WWE Tag Team champions Finlay & William Regal are in the ring as well. The crowd is booing the hell out of the King, as he looks around the arena.]

Cole: "Welcome back to Friday night Smackdown! folks, and as you can see, the King and his court are in the ring."

JBL: "Look at the greatness that is front of us Michael Cole. The United States champion, Lord Finlay, the NEW WWE Tag Team champions Lord Finlay & Duke Regal, the vivacious Queen Sharmell, and the King of the World, our World Heavyweight champion... King Booker! ALL HAIL KING BOOKER!! ALL HAIL KING BOOKER!! ALL HAIL-"

Cole: "Do you ever stop?"

[We cut back to the ring, as the music cuts off. A loud "Booker Sucks!" chant begins, just before King Booker begins to speak. He pauses, and glares at the crowd before finally speaking.]

King Booker: "First of all, before your King speaks, you need to show the proper respect and shut yo mouths! I will NOT tolerate any disobedience from my loyal subjects!"

[That only draws more boos from the fans.]

King Booker: "Now... last week durin' my coronation as your World Heavyweight champion, I had three jealous peasants try to take away all of my glory. Paul London, Brian Kendrick, and Rey Mysterio!"

[The crowd pops for the mention of the three (especially Mysterio).]

King Booker: "You know what man? They just jealous! They just jealous of the King and his court. But, I'll give it to them. They do all have one thing in common... they are all FORMER champions!"

[More jeers are heard, as Booker, Sharmell and Regal laugh. JBL is lapping it up at ringside as well. Finlay, however, seems to not really care.]

King Booker: "Now... I'mma tell all you peasants one thing. You do NOT meddle in the affairs of the King and his court. They WILL get what's comin' to them tonight, as Duke Regal will destroy Paul London. And as for my match... Rey Mysterio... you saw what happened at the Great American Bash. Don't make it happen again sucka!"

[The crowd boos, as Cole protests that Booker didn't win the match on his own, while JBL stands up for the king.]

King Booker: "That's all for them though, I ain't got time for them. I need to address somethin' else. Last week, I noticed suttin' man. I noticed that someone in my court ain't livin' up to their name. I noticed that someone in my court ain't fufillin' their duties. Finlay, get in the middle of my ring right now!"

[Finlay looks at Booker, and shrugs. He walks towards the middle of the ring, and stands in front of Booker. The World Heavyweight champion gets in his face, looking down at the U.S champion.]

King Booker: "Lord Finlay! Last week... you saved me from that lil' peasant Rey Mysterio. You ain't get the job done, but you did your best, and I applaud you for that. You're makin' a fine lord in my kingdon. As for YOU, Duke Regal... you ain't do nuttin' man!"

[Regal has a surprised look on his face, as he mouths the word "What?"]

King Booker: "That's right Regal, you ain't do nuttin'! I saw how you just let that peasant Mysterio attack me. It ain't goin' down like dat Regal!"

William Regal: "What the bloody hell?! I DID save you from that little toe wretcher Rey Mysterio! I-"

[The King holds a hand up to Regal's face, cutting him off.]

King Booker: "SILENCE! You will remain silent in my kingdom!"

[Regal takes a step back, as Finlay looks on with a sly grin on his face.]

King Booker: "Now... you better get your act togetha Regal. I want you to go out tonight and beat that peasant Paul London, and take him out! Lord Finlay will be in your corner. And Regal..."

[The duke gulps, before answering the King.]

Regal: "Yes, King Booker?"

King Booker: "You BETTER win tonight... or else. Now come on!"

[The music of the World Heavyweight champion begins again, as the crowd is pretty much silent now. King Booker is helped out of the ring by Queen Sharmell, as Finlay & Regal look on. Finlay turns to Regal and lets out a laugh, before making his way out of the ring as well.]

Cole: "Well... that certainly wasn't to be expected."

JBL: "It's simple Michael. When you are the overseer of a kingdom such as King Booker, you have to rule with an iron fist. King Booker is an unmerciful king, and tonight Duke Regal will NOT let him down!"

Cole: "Well folks, up next is the Gregory Helms open invitational for the Cruiserweight title! Stay tuned, and don't touch that dial as we'll be back after the commercial break."

Rating: 82% (Kind of lacking something, but otherwise did pretty well)

-Commercial Break-

[The commercial break is over, and we're back. The theme of the WWE Cruiserweight champion plays, as Gregory Helms walks out with the Cruiserweight title strapped around his waist. The bell rings, as Helms slides into the ring, and immediately hands the title to the referee. He begins jumping up and down, warming up as he stares at his local hometown opponent. Helms suddenly grabs the Cruiserweight title back, and NAILS the challenger with it! He drops the belt and begins to stomp out his opponent, as the bell rings.]

Gregory Helms 'Open Invitational Match' for the WWE Cruiserweight Title

Gregory Helms© vs. Alex Montalvo

Helms continues his henious attack, as Michael Cole knows how each week he's taken a cheap shot at his opponent before the match gets underway. JBL counters him, saying that he's just showing how serious he is about remaining the longest reigning Cruiserweight champion in the history of Smackdown!. The clock starts in the upper right hand corner of the screen, as Helms nails a few stiff kicks to the back of Motalvo, causing him to cry out in pain. Helms bends down, and locks in a chinlock. The ref warns Helms to break the hold, and Helms does... only to nail a few shots across the chest of Montalvo with his forearm. He re-applies the chinlock, but Alex quickly grabs the ropes. Helms lifts him up, and nails a couple chops to the chest. He irish whips Montalvo into the corner, as the clock now reads four minutes left. Helms charges... but Montalvo gets his foot up! Helms eats boot, followed by a couple forearm shots, as Cole eggs the youngster on. Montalvo climbs up to the second rope and jumps off... only to be met with a kick to the gut by the Cruiserweight champion, followed by a clothesline that turns Montalvo inside out! Cole cringes at the incredibly stiff clothesline, as JBL continues to praise the champ. There's three and a half minutes left, as Helms lets a cocky smile play on his face. He slaps Montalvo around a couple times, before lifting him up. He chop blocks the knees from right under Motalvo, runs against the ropes... and nails the Shining Wizard! With three minutes and counting, Helms goes into the cover and easily gets the three for his second successful defense in the Cruiserweight title invitational.

Result: Gregory Helms© def. Alex Montalvo (2:01) via pinfall with a Shining Wizard to retain the WWE Cruiserweight title

Ratings: OR: 59%, CR: 51% (Definitely wasn't into it), MQ: 68% (The WWE Cruiserweight title gained in image, somehow...), * (Better then last week's match, but that's not saying nothing)

Cole: "Gregory Helms picks up another victory here on Smackdown!"

JBL: "And you had the audacity to doubt him and his abilities. To all the cruiserweights out there, I don't care who you are, what you've done, or what your name is, because when it comes to Gregory Helms, HE is the most dominate cruiserweight in the history of this business!"

Cole: "Well, I certainly wouldn't say that, but Gregory Helms is the Cruiserweight champion of the world, and you'll only see him here on Friday Night Smackdown!"

-A Brief Return... VERY Brief-

[The cameras cut backstage, once again to the General Manager's office. Theodore Long and Palmer Cannon are sitting around chatting.]

Palmer Cannon: "That's another man right there that's changing Friday nights."

Theodore Long: "Ya know playa, even though I don't like Helms tatics, I gotta say that the man is goin' places here on Smackdown!"

[Just then, a knock is heard on the door. Both men yell "Come in!" simuntaneously, drawing a strange look by Long towards Cannon. The door opens...

... AND IN WALKS BOBBY LASHLEY!! The crowd goes WILD for the surprise appearance, as Lashley walks into the room. Long jumps up, and smiling and shakes his hand. Cannon, however, sits back.]

Long: "Lashley! Whatcha doin' here playa?"

Bobby Lashley: "Well Teddy, I'm here to wrestle."

Long (confused): "Wrestle? Bobby, you're not cleared to wrestle yet dog. Now I'm sorry but-"

Lashley: "I am cleared. I checked with the doctor today, and he says I'm able to wrestle anytime now."

Long: "That's great playa! Now, I know you want a shot at the United States title, so next week..."

Cannon: "No."

[both Lashley & Long turn towards Cannon.]

Long: "What do you mean no?"

Cannon: "I mean no as in, I'm not letting one of our superstars getting injured without getting confirmation from a doctor."

Lashley: "But..."

Cannon: "But nothing. Now Bobby, you KNOW we want you back here on Smackdown!, but we need to take all safety precautions before you get back in the ring. I'm sure you understand, right?"

[Cannon slaps Lashley on the shoulder, and lets out a chuckle. Lashley, however, is not as amused, and slaps Cannon's hand off of his shoulder before storming out of the room. Palmer looks at Long, confused.]

Cannon: "What did I do?"

[The scene quickly cuts to another backstage area.]

Rating: 69% (Note to Booker: Keep Bobby Lashley in the ring at all times)

-The Former World Champion Speaks... Finally-

[The cameras are in front of the backstage Smackdown! set, as we see Rey Mysterio with interviewer Todd Grisham.]

Todd Grisham: "Rey Mysterio, tonight you will change King Booker for the World championship here on Friday Night Smackdown! in a rematch from the Great American Bash. Do you have any concerns going into this match?"

[Mysterio looks at Grishman as if he's lost his mind.]

Rey Mysterio: "Concerns? My only concern is regaining the World title here in East Rutherford, New Jersey!"

[Cheap pop for the mentioning of the city.]

Mysterio: "Tonight Booker, it's me and you one-on-one. And this time, I will walk out World champion, and there's nothing you or anybody else can do about that!"

Grisham: "What about Chavo Guerrero?"

[Mysterio just stares at Grisham for a moment before walking off. Todd looks back at the camera, and then shrugs.]

Grisham: "Guess that was a no comment."

[Grisham laughs at his own joke, as we cut back to ringside for the next contest.]

Rating: 79% (Short, to-the-point interviews from Mysterio is his strong suit)

[Paul London's theme hits the speakers, as the crowd lets out a decent ovation for the former WWE Tag Team champions. London & Kendrick jump out, slap hands with a few fans, and run towards the ring. They slide in and climb opposite turnbuckles, playing to the crowd.]

Cole: "Well folks, up next we'll have Paul London along with Brian Kendrick in singles action as he takes on one-half of the new WWE Tag Team champions, William Regal along with Finlay. Tune in after the break!"

[We go to a commercial break, as London & Kendrick continue to cater to the fans.]

-Commercial Break-

[We return, as the new WWE Tag Team champions have already made their way to the ring. Regal & London are jawing it out, as Finlay & Kendrick take their places at ringside. The bell rings, and the match begins.]

Singles Match

Paul London (w/Brian Kendrick) vs. William Regal (w/Finlay)

The two began to circle each other, as Cole & JBL went over what happened last week in the tag team match. They lock up in the middle of the ring, and Regal takes advantage with a kick to the gut. He nails a couple left hands to the temple of Paul London, before irish whipping him across the ring. Regal goes for a clothesline, but London ducks, runs and comes back with a flying enziguri! Regal falls to the mat, but quickly gets up, not knowing where he is. This allows London to nail a couple forearm shots, before whipping Regal across the ring. Regal comes back to be met with a standing dropkick. London quickly goes into the cover... 1... 2... Regal gets the shoulder up. London lifts up Regal, and nails a few more forearms, before whipping Regal across the ring. Regal reverses, and London crashes hard into the corner! Regal charges, but London gets his foot up, and Regal eats boot. Regal staggers around for a minute, and turns... right into a second rope flying bodypress! London hooks the leg... 1... 2... kickout! Regal gets up, as London nails a few more forearms. He whips Regal into the ropes, but Regal hooks the ropes with his arms, and pulls himself out of the ring next to Finlay.

JBL & Cole argue about whether or not London should be underestimated, as Regal glances at Finlay. Finlay is simple laughing, and yells at Regal to destroy him. Regal turns around... right into a baseball slide by London! Regal crashes into the barrier, as London slides out of the ring. He nails a few forearm shots, before rolling Regal back in the ring. Regal yells at the ref, causing a momentary distraction... which allows Finlay to clothesline London! London crashes hard to the arena floor, as Brian Kendrick runs over. The referee hops out of the ring to stop Kendrick, allowing Regal and Finlay to stomp the chest in of London on the outside! The referee turns around, just as Regal is rolling London back in the ring.

Regal nails from left hands on London, who's laying on the mat. Regal stands up, and drops his knee into London's face before going for the cover. 1... 2... London gets the shoulder up. Regal sets up London, and locks him in a crossface chickenwing! London struggles to break out, but Regal just tightens the hold. The referee continuosly asks if London gives up, which London replies by screaming "No!". London begins making his way to the ropes, but Regal pulls him back to the center of the ring. Just then... Brian Kendrick hops on the ring apron! The referee comes over towards him, as Regal breaks the hold. Regal stands up and yells at Kendrick... who falls off of the ring apron courtesy of Finlay! Finlay picks up Kendrick, and SMASHES his head into the ring steps! Kendrick falls to the floor, as London gets up. He goes for a right hand on Regal... but Regal ducks. Finlay grabs London, and holds him against the ropes as the referee yells at Finlay to let go before he disqualifies him. Finlay ignores, as Regal taunts London. Regal finally decides to use Finlay's interference to his advantage. He winds back, and swings... only for London to duck, and nail Finlay with a left hand! Finlay lands feet first onto the arena floor, dazed from the blow. Cole screams about Regal nailing Finlay, as Finlay attempts to make his way back in the ring... but is stopped by a recovering Kendrick! Kendrick dropkicks him into the steel steps, causing Finlay to flip over them and land HARD on the floor. Regal is in shock, as he looks at the carnage on the outside. Kendrick provides a distraction... which allows London to school boy Regal! The referee lays on the mat, and makes the count... 1.... 2.... 3!

Cole: "LONDON WINS! LONDON WINS! LONDON WINS!"

JBL: "NOOO! HE CHEATED!"

London quickly slides out of the ring, and makes his way to the back with his tag team partner. Finlay slides back in the ring, clutching his jaw as he's still feeling the results of Regal's left hand. Regal gets up, shocked and yelling at the referee. London & Kendrick are seen smiling, as they raise their arms in the air.

Result: Paul London def. William Regal via pinfall with a roll-up (5:16)

Ratings: OR: 79%, CR: 72% (Crowd was surprisingly into London), MQ: 87% (Paul London gained overness), **1/4 (Pretty decent action packed into four and a half minutes. Even though this match was about a third of the tag match last week, London & Kendrick continue to work well in matches with guys like Finlay & Regal. Could this be a real push for the two youngsters?)

Cole: "Paul London just stole a victory, and gave Finlay & Regal a taste of their own medicine!"

JBL: "He cheated Michael! You know it, I know it, and I'm going to take this up with Palmer Cannon after the show, because I know he does NOT want these kind of things going on here on Smackdown!"

-The Ultimate Phenom Match-

[We cut backstage, once again in front of the Smackdown! set. We see a returning Kristal Marshall (!!), sporting a cast on her arm. She looks up... to see The Great Khali, who's also making his return (even though he never really left, of course, but still... !!). He's joined with Daivari.]

Kristal Marshall: "Daivari, tonight you have a special announcement of sorts regarding The Great Khali's future here on Smackdown!. Would you mind sharing that with us?"

[Daivari snatches the mic away from Kristal.]

Daivari: "Certainly Kristal. I'm absolutely SICK and TIRED of The Undertaker coming back for more. The Great Khali wants to put an end to it once and for all! We're sick and tired of people doubting The Great Khali. Instead, it should be people doubting The Undertaker! So, tonight, we're going to make an interesting proposal to The Undertaker."

[suddenly, Daivari pushes Kristal out of the scene. He looks into the camera, as The Great Khali stands back, looking... menacing, and stuff.]

Daivari: "The Undertaker! We know you're out there listening! I know that you want a piece of the true phenom. I'm making the challenge on behalf of The Great Khali. In 16 days at Summerslam, you and The Great Khali, one-on-one to decide who the REAL phenom is here on Smackdown! What do you say, 'deadman'?"

[The crowd actually pops for Daivari's proposal. However, no response (are we really suspecting one in the backstage area?), prompting Daivari to begin screaming.]

Daivari: "UNDERTAKER! ANSWER ME AND THE GREAT KHALI!"

Voice: "You want an answer, huh?"

[The crowd goes WILD, recognizing the voice. Daivari and Khali both look around, but no one is to be seen.]

Daivari: "Where are you Undertaker?! SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD!"

Voice: "I'm right here, Daivari. Right behind you."

[The two continue looking around, when they finally see him. The Undertaker's face has appeared on the screen of the Smackdown! set. The crowd goes absolutely NUTS, as we see Taker's face emerging from pure darkness.]

The Undertaker: "Daivari! Khali! You DARE challenge the phenom that is The Undertaker? Summerslam... Khali... you're on!"

Daivari: "Good! Because just like Judgment Day, The Great Khali will destroy you and once and for all end your reign as the phenom!"

[Daivari walks off, followed by Khali. However, they are stopped in their foot steps, as they hear Taker's voice once again.]

Taker: "Phenom? Who said anything about a phenom?"

[The two pause, and turn back around.]

Daivari: "W-what are you talking about?"

Taker: "You see Daivari... the last time I faced The Great Khali, I WAS the phenom. Khali destroyed the phenom once known as The Undertaker. At Summerslam... there will be a new Undertaker... a Undertaker that The Great Khali has NEVER seen the likes of. And at Summerslam... The Great Khali... will... REST... IN... PEACE!"

[We see Taker sticking out his tongue as his eyes go to the back of his head. He bows his head down, as the Smackdown! set returns to normal. Daivari looks pretty nervous, as he looks at Khali.]

Daivari: "Err... r-r-relax Khali. He-he'll just s-s-suffer the same f-f-fate at Summerslam."

[With that, the two walk off as we head to another commercial break.]

Rating: 75% (Somehow, Khali gained overness, and Taker lost overness, even though Taker was suppose to be... you know... scaring his opponent and all)

-Commercial Break-

-WWE Magazine Presents: The RAW Rebound-

This week on the RAW Rebound, we see D-Generation-X once again mocking the McMahons with a family photo book. Vince announces that D-X will take on the McMahons at Summerslam. We fast foward to Armando Alejandro Estrada bringing Vince & Shane cigars, and promising them more. We then get Triple H getting busted for having cigars, which leads to the Shawn Michaels/Umaga match. After various interference from the McMahons, we see Umaga getting the win with the Samoan Spike. The McMahons, Umaga & Estrada stand over the fallen Michaels, as Vince announces that next week HHH will take on Umaga.

Edited August 3, 2006 by The Aztec Warrior

[Arjen Robben]

This diary is fantastic. Keep up the awesome work fella.

[Xero Gravity]

It took me a while to get through the first show, but I did it eventually. Right now, one of my favourite parts of the diary is how you use the commentary. Adding it into the middle of matches gives a nice break from having to read the hold for hold stuff. I haven't actually seen any of Smackdown since JBL took over for Tazz, but I've always been a fan of his. You're writing him very well, especially playing the antagonist to Cole's straight man. A lot of the promos have been very well done, which is good as they're the heart and soul of diaries. For example the Booker/Batista promo angle was really well done in building up to their eventual match, as well as the events later in the show.

The only thing I'm not too keen on is the switching of fonts, and the colour change to blue after a small part of the show has passed.

All in all though the first two shows have been very good, and as I said I'm going to keep reading (Y)

[Original_Prankster]

Damn right awesome diary man keep it going.

[lafunky xxvii]

I thought I'd give this a read because you gave me some good stuff and one good turn deserves another. I've only been able to get through the backstory so far, but I have to say it's not exactly set the world ablaze. The original post, apart from the horrible font, is fine and it summarises everything I need to know, explaining the curse and what not. The PPV recap is fine, tied up all the loose ends nicely, but I wouldn't necessarily agree with you that it's somewhat miraculously one of the best PPVs of 2006, I mean you had a big gimmick match with a shit ending and a heel versus heel match that no one cared about, plus another couple of nothing matches. Maybe TEW or EWR disagrees with me, but I don't see it as a great show at all.

Then there's the backstage thing. It all honesty it stunk of noobness. The wrestlers slip in and out of character, Teddy Long is calling Vince 'Mr McMahon' despite working there for numerous years, honestly it was a real life incident written like an old Corporation skit. If you haven't guessed I'm not a fan of it. Then there's the thing about how you got involved, which is pretty shady if you weren't even that close at school or whereever you met. The newsletter is an ok touch though.

All in all it's not a great start. However, I'm a great believer in backstories being just a means to an end, and you've clearly found your end because you've written a few shows which I look forward to reading. I hope the curse is used throughout your diary however, somewhat like TGC didn't in his Black Plague diary, rather than a irrelevant reason for the backstory.

[Guest Preston]

it is good and bad at the same time. the shows and scoops are the strongest part of the diary for sure. but the backstage segments just don't work for me as the characters are all off and the dialogue is ropey at times.

For instance Vince would never say:

Vince: "Do you got me?!"

[ROZAY]

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

it is good and bad at the same time. the shows and scoops are the strongest part of the diary for sure. but the backstage segments just don't work for me as the characters are all off and the dialogue is ropey at times.

For instance Vince would never say:

Vince: "Do you got me?!"

however the shows are good and i like how you are adding your own little comments here and there, gives it a personal touch. you've actually inspired me to do a diary now, so thanks

[C-MIL]

I suck at feedback, but I've been reading and enjoying this (as well as The APWF) for a while now.

The initial backstory and introduction was pretty well done, even if some of the backstage characterizations were a bit shaky.

I love the idea of Regal & Finley vs. Kendrick & London, but I found myself siding with Vince over the match length. I appreciate the sentiment, but BK&PL are no 1980s NWA team. I'm rooting on the Lord & Duke to take the gold at some point.

The Batista/Booker thing seemed really odd to me. I could see Batista reading a scripted promo like that, but I don't see it working at all. Batista's nowhere near as cool or collected as the current writing team tries to portray him and I see you've continued that trend as well. Again, I find myself rooting for the Court here.

I'm guessing the Bosh Bros. are Scott Lost & Chris Bosh. Kind of an odd choice, but not a bad one. They reek of jobber though. Kidman's return though is great. I love seeing him taken seriously, and keeping Noble in the mix while his partner's out is a great move.

Khali's half-turn on Daivari was choice. The idea of an "unleashed" Khali targeting Undertaker really works for me.

Kind of disliked the Chavo attack on Piper. It made sense, but Chavo's feud with Rey seems very focused, like sending a message to Rey is all he's concerned with. I'm looking forward to the promo or exchange where this is legitimately explained because I think people need to know why, regardless of Chavo's opinion. Just PLEASE keep Eddy's widow out of it.

Your comment on the 20th week of the invitational was concerning. Please don't let it go that long. If SD is to survive this curse, the cruiserweight division has to be a big part of it and this just isn't doing anything to build the division at all.

I'm not a fan of the Court growing beyond the four in it currently, but Kennedy and Booker could have a Goldust/Booker like comedic gimmick. It'd be a great way to give Kennedy a rub without overpushing him. I'd love to see a follow-up angle where Kennedy tries to work his way into The Court and redeem himself for botching the plan. It wrecks Ken's existing character, but I'm not that big a fan of it anyway.

I didn't see the Khali run-in coming, but it worked out quite well. Call me crazy, but I'd love to see a Sly/Vito feud develop out of it.

Sucks that Taker & Khali keep losing overness. The Daivari attack was great.

Hate the name "Presidential Roll" and the finish was quite obvious, but I dug the main event nonetheless. The First Blood stipulation really came off quite nicely.

Keep up the good work, Aztec. Feedback or no, I'll be reading.

[ROZAY]

(Note: I don't think there's going to be any more meetings, due to the fact that there's simply nothing I can have in a meeting that I can't have mentioned in the newsletter. Not to mention the fact that I admit, I do need a lot of work for portraying WWE wrestlers and staff backstage. So, while I work on that for possible other diaries, I'm just going to post shows, followed with a newsletter/Smackdown! preview.)

The WWE Newsletter(8/15/06)

Reported by Jesse Christner of Pro Wrestling Scoops

Welcome to another weekly edition of the now full WWE newsletter, reported by yours truly. We're just seven days away from Summerslam, and BOY do we have some news for you!

The RAW Brand

- In a shocking move, WWE management have been in negotiations with former nWo and D-Generation-X members Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Joanie Laurer, B.G & Kip James and Marcus "Buff" Bagwell. After realizing the D-Generation-X return angle is failing to draw ratings even though house show attendance and merchandise is up thanks to the duo's return), the WWE are rushing to put forward a D-X vs. nWo angle heading into Survivor Series this year. B.G & Kip James (formerly "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn), two of D-X's premiere members, have already refused to talk to the WWE about working for them once again, claiming that they are "TNA 4 Life". While Nash is under TNA contract, he is reportedly unhappy in participating in his X-Division storyline, and may return to the WWE once it is finished. Scott Hall has reportedly checked into rehab again, and has a contract waiting for him once he finally is clean. Waltman & Laurer, despite leaving on bad terms, have been rumored to return to the WWE for awhile now, and it's more then possible that these two will return. However, Marcus Bagwell seems to be out of the question, despite asking to return for the angle. The general feeling backstage is that Bagwell would add nothing to the storyline, or the product in general.

- The John Cena/Edge feud is expected to end this Sunday, with Cena taking home the WWE championship in his hometown of Massachutses. Cena is expected to then move into a feud with Umaga over the WWE title. Edge's future storyline is unclear at the present time.

- Jeff Hardy has reportedly signed a contract with the WWE, and will be making his return on the RAW brand either this Sunday night, or the next night on RAW.

- Vince McMahon is expected to be taken off-camera for a bit, possibly as early as this Monday night. Instead, he will work heavily backstage on the potential D-X/nWo angle. This is one of the reasons why McMahon appointed Smackdown!'s General Manager Theodore Long as the main booker for the show, so he can focus on other RAW angles.

- Hulk Hogan is also expected to be taken off-camera for a bit after this Sunday night. As of right now, it is unclear what Hogan's future in the WWE will be, as he really does not want to continue this storyline with Randy Orton, after the program failed to catch on with the fans. Orton is said to be very frustrated with his role in the WWE, and is reportedly waiting for management to "come up with something better for him".

- Both Ric Flair and Mick Foley are trying to convince one another to let them do the job in the match. Either men can realistically go over without it hurting their opponent, but both men seem to want to do the honorable thing by letting the other guy get the win. The general feeling is that Flair needs the win more then Foley, as Foley will likely be off-camera until later on in the year.

- In a rather interesting stipulation, it has been announced on WWE.com that Carlito will be facing Shelton Benjamin at Summerslam, with the winner immediately facing Intercontinental champion Johnny Nitro for the belt after their match concludes. As you know, this stipulation has been used before in the Bret Hart/Lex Luger saga at WrestleMania X to determine who would face WWE champion at the time, Yokozuna.

- The WWE has expressed some interested in TNA wrestlers Monty Brown and Ron "The Truth" Killings. Brown has verbally quit TNA, and after working his match at TNA's latest pay-per-view, will wait until his contract expires before finding work elsewhere. The WWE have had their eyes on Killings for awhile, who is also fustrated with his position in TNA. Management thinks he would make a fine addition to the RAW mid-card scene. There has been rumors that there may be a Too Cool re-union with Killings, Rikishi & Brian Christopher Lawler, but the WWE has not shown any interest in bringing Rikishi or Lawler back, despite Jerry Lawler's urging for his son. More then likely, if Brown and Killings do sign contracts with the WWE within the next few months, they will be added to the RAW brand.

- Right now, there are no plans to have Kane on WWE television anytime soon. Kane is enjoying success anc critical acclaim in Hollywood for the movie "See No Evil", and is reportedly in negotiations for future scary films. A rumor is that Kane will have a role in Scary Movie 5: The Finale, but the movie hasn't even been confirmed to be in the makings yet. Kane is considering, like The Rock, pursuing a full-time acting career, returning to the WWE every so often between his busy work schedule. However, nothing has been confirmed through the WWE or Kane yet. Right now, management is debating on which brand to have him go to, as well as if he should return with his mask. The general feeling is that Kane should not return with the mask, but should go to Smackdown!, due to the weak brand desperatly needing main event talent. Kane is reportedly high on going to Smackdown! to feud with Batista and Bobby Lashley, but Vince McMahon feels that Kane should stay on RAW, openly stating that "Smackdown! needs to work with the talent that they have".

- Chris Masters has been working some dark matches, as well as OVW, and is expected to return soon. The word is that Masters has lost a lot of muscle after getting off of steroids, and may not be able to work the same gimmick as before.

- RAW drew a 4.4 rating this week. Management has been said to be pleased with the ratings RAW has been getting as of late, most likely due to Edge as the WWE champion.

- And on a final note, Mickie James will defend the Women's title against Melina and Trish Stratus at Summerslam according to WWE.com. Trish, as many know, will be taking time off from the WWE after Unforgiven, possibly retiring, so her winning the title is out of the question.

The ECW Brand

- The word going around is that the Sci-Fi network is very high on ECW's success since debuting on the network, and has already offered an extension of a contract to the WWE to run ECW through September. The WWE, however, is reportedly hesistating on whether to sign or not, as they feel they are not receiving enough money from the network for ECW's major success as the number one rated show on the channel. However, it is believed that the WWE will sign the deal sooner rather then later to keep the ECW brand going.

- Many feel that the ECW brand is the most interesting and strongest brand going in the WWE. WWE is extremely pleased with the ratings ECW has drawn in, even without having superstars from RAW or Smackdown! competing or appearing on the show.

- Management are still high on Rob Van Dam and Sabu, despite their recent arrests, and plan on pushing both as the two premiere faces of ECW. Management is also happy with The Big Show, because he is taking the abuse from the loyal ECW fans with stride, and apparently thrives off of it, knowing that he is doing his job as the top heel on the brand.

- Expect Kurt Angle to turn heel soon, possibly aligning with Paul Heyman and The Big Show. Many of the guys in the back feel that Angle doesn't want to be in ECW, and management may reportedly play off of that, as well as the reason why he didn't join ECW back in the late 90's.

- There are high hopes for the triangle ladder match between Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle and Sabu tonight at the Smackdown!/ECW tapings. They hope the match will come off well on TV, and that hopefully the three men's different, unique styles will end up meshing with each other to create one of the best matches since ECW has been revived. All three men are reportedly feeling "pressured", as they don't want to let management down at this stage of the game.

- Management is also high on CM Punk, and feel that he's a great addition to ECW. Punk is reportedly very happy with his position in the company, and a slight push may be in line soon.

- Super Crazy is still out, but is said to be doing better, and near returning. Expect him to appear with the ECW brand upon his return.

- Kid Kash, upon returning from his suspension, will be making his ECW debut soon, as well as Joey Mercury upon returning from rehab. Psicosis is expected to make his ECW debut within the coming week.

- The Boogeyman has also been sent over to ECW, and will be making his debut upon his return in early October from injury. Boogeyman was said to be staying on Smackdown!, but management feels that the character may work better on ECW, due to the Sci-Fi relationship.

- And on a final note, ECW scored a 2.4 rating last week, up from previous weeks. WWE is again said to be extremely happy with the ratings ECW has pulled out since it's debut on Sci-Fi.

The Smackdown! Brand

- Word is that Vince McMahon has begun to let Theodore Long and his staff have more power over what happens on Smackdown!. Vince is reportedly "not worried" about the brand, and just wants to get the premiere episode on the CW Network out of the way so he can go back to taking control. With the CW Network pressuring the WWE to do something better with the Smackdown! show, many doubt that Smackdown! will make it past the thirteen trial episodes on the CW Network, leaving the brand without a show.

- Batista has some heat on him, due to his frustation with the ECW brand after being booed at the 8/1 Hammerstein Ballroom ECW show. The feeling is that Batista could take some lessons from John Cena, who openly welcomes the massive boos he has been receiving for awhile now. Batista has also stated in various interviews that while ECW fans were "passionate", that they are some of the stupidest fans in the business, and need to accept ECW for what it now is - a WWE brand. Word is that management was not pleased with these comments, as they feel one of their top stars should not be making comments about one of WWE's premiere shows.

- The pressure is on the WWE to make a decision with the Mr. Kennedy pushed. It has been reported for weeks that Kennedy may be added to the equation of the Batista/King Booker match at Summerslam, but after last weeks loss in the number one contender's match, the push is now in doubt. There's a possibility that Kennedy still may be added to the match, but as of now, that does not look to be the plan.

- Management are very high on King Booker's performance as of late. The plan was for Booker to be a transitional champion for Batista regaining the title at Summerslam, but that now is also in doubt. The word is that the WWE is really considering giving Booker a longer reign as champion, and see if any money can be made or ratings can be sparked in the Batista chase.

- Rey Mysterio is expected to have surgery on his knees following the Mysterio/Chavo Guerrero feud, that could keep him out for up to six months. There is no word when the feud will be over. Infact, management has reportedly booked themselves into a hole, as they want Chavo to go over, but feel that Mysterio can go over as well. As of now, however, no match between the two has been booked for Summerslam or the near future.

- Bobby Lashley is medically cleared to wrestle, but is expected to stay out of the ring until September, possibly until the CW Network debut show.

- The WWE is considering turning Finlay face, after the positive reactions he's been receiving. However, they feel that if one of the tag champions turns on the other, that William Regal would most likely be able to be portrayed as a face easier then Finlay would. Expect to see some developments in the turn over the next few weeks.

- Brian Kendrick and Paul London are reportedly upset with the way their matches have been going. The feeling is that both men have produced some good matches with Finlay & Regal, but are not getting enough credit for them, as well as time in the matches. As reported a few weeks ago, Vince was very upset with how much time they received in the tag title change, and made sure that their matches received no more then six minutes. London & Kendrick both feel that now is the time for their push, as they've been getting positive reactions from the crowd, and have gotten the fans into their characters and matches.

- Management are also high on the work Sylvan and Vito have been bringing to the table as of late, and are rumored to receive a decent push in the near future.

- Jamie Noble is expected to continue the pitbull gimmick, being known as "The Pitbull" Jamie Noble. As reported before, he is expected to receive a major push in the cruiserweight division. With Gregory Helms as the current champion, however, it is unlikely that Noble will turn face with his new gimmick just to take the belt off of Helms. Word is that Billy Kidman may be used as a potential transitional champion to get the belt onto Noble.

- Phil Stampher, the man who faced Helms in his invitational last week, is said to have impressed management, and may receive a developmental contract in the near future. Alex Montalvo and Pete Thomas, two of Helms opponents in recent weeks, are also being looked at, although Stampher will be the only one likely signed by the WWE.

- The Bosh Bros (Scott Lost (now under the name Bosh) and Chris Bosh), were not local indy talent, and actually have been on the WWE roster for awhile. The two went under the name Arrogance in tag team matches, and have been signed to six month WWE contracts. They are expected to be used in the Smackdown! tag division, until they can develop a gimmick. The word is that they may receive a manager soon, although the feeling is that Chris can carry the team with his charisma. Lost was reportedly not happy with being in the team, as he wanted to be featured as singles talent on Smackdown!, but is now very happy to be working with Chris once again. A interview with the two has been posted on WWE.com.

- The Great Khali is being viewed as a potential draw gone wrong. The feeling backstage is that The Undertaker is lobbying for the feud between he and Khali to end at Summerslam, as he could see no potential in Khali's talent to wrestle a complete match. The feud was originally scheduled to last until Survivor Series, ending with a Buried Alive or Casket match, in which Khali would win with some interference (possibly someone that will feud with Taker down the line, ala Kane in '03-'04). Khali's matches have been edited heavily on Smackdown!, as well as some segments that he has been in. The word is that Khali may end up leaving the WWE sooner rather then later, or at least sent back down to development for a while.

- As reported before, Aaron Stevens, Mike Altieri and Deuce Shade all received looks in dark matches. Stevens took on Funaki, Altieri faced Scotty, and Shade battled The Gymini in a handicap match. Out of the three, Stevens was said to have impressed the most, and most likely will be called up soon. However, that's not ruling out Altieri and Shade being brought up, as the two also managed to impressed officials backstage.

- Sylvester Terkay has been called up, and will be making his debut in upcoming weeks, possibly at the CW Network premiere. Originally, Terkay was going to be portrayed as an amateur wrestler, along with manager Elijah Burke (who remains in OVW), but since then, those plans have officially changed. No word on what Terkay's gimmick will be now.

- Ryan Wilson has been sent back to OVW for further development, but will be re-called up soon.

- Jimmy Yang has completed his indy & Japan committments, and will start on the road after Summerslam. It is expected that Nikita of OVW fame will be brought up to be his manager. Although Nikita is British, the WWE feel that the name is Japanese, and can be marketed as such.

- So Cal Val has been reported to be making magnificent strides in OVW. The plan is to pair her up with Val Venis, if only for the play on the "Val" name. Venis has been mentoring her in OVW, and the two have been said to have gotten close. Venis is remaining in OVW until So Cal is ready, and the two will debut on Smackdown!.

- Rob Conway is expected to be called up from OVW really soon, and make an immediate impact on the mid-card scene on Smackdown!.

- Both Hardcore Holly and Matt Hardy will be returning after Summerslam.

- And finally, Smackdown! scored another 2.5 rating last week, and a 2.6 rating this week, which has once again surprised many.

Tune in next week for the post-Summerslam newsletter!