mrhelm

The Recap: Velocity August 28

Moore Hott vs the Bombshells

Poor Shannon Moore and Scotty 2 Hotty served as little more than jobbers in this matchup with the young team of Jindrak and Dupree. The Bombshells ripped in to Moore and Scotty, utterly crushing them. The Bombshells pick up the win on Scotty 2 Hotty when they land the Drop the Bomb (a Doomsday Device with a leg lariat instead of a clothesline).

Rating: *** 1/2

Orlando Jordan is standing around a monitor backstage watching the match. Chuck Palumbo comes up from behind and attacks Jordan. Palumbo continues to pummel him until Torrie Wilson runs in to block the attack. Chuck hesitates but doesn't hit Torrie. He backs off with a cold fury in his eyes.

Chavo comes down to the ring, where he cuts a quick promo about how long it's been since he's seen Nicho Millonario. But that wouldn't stop him from kicking Nicho's ass in the ring tonight!

Chavo Guerrero vs Nicho Millonario (w/ Juventud Guerrera)

Chavo and Nicho tear the house down in this match, putting on a rather technical match with Chavo working Nicho's leg and Nicho working Chavo's arm. But neither man drops any of their regular high flying in the process, with Nicho landing a wicked top rope arm drag mid-match. The match came to a finish when Jamie Noble returned to active duty by attacking Nicho when the ref's back was turned, and that allowed Chavo to lock on the Low Rider for the submission victory. Juventud charges in to the ring and runs both men off to protect his partner.

Rating: ****.

Orlando Jordan (w/ Torrie) vs Nunzio (w/ Dawn Marie)

Orlando looks a little worse for wear after his attack by Chuck Palumbo earlier in the evening. It doesn't stop him from taking it to Nunzio with blow after blow. But Nunzio works on Orlando's arm slowly weakening his opponent. But Nunzio has little to worry about though, because after a ref bump, Chuck Palumbo runs back down and in to the ring, landing the Jungle Kick on Jordan to give Nunzio the win.

Rating: ***

As we return from break, we see the history of the Christian and Charlie Haas feud.

From this we switch to Christian backstage, and he cuts a short promo about how he would be the next United States champion.

The Basham Brothers vs The Dudley Boyz (w/ Paul Heyman)

The Bashams quickly became the faces of this match, but it almos didn't help them against the dominant force that is the Dudley Boyz. Doug especially came off as a solid grappler in the match before the Dudleys double team him to take control. But Danny runs in for the save, smashing in to D-Von and sending both of them tumbling out of the ring. Doug climbs back to his feet... just in time to land a leg lariat on Bubba. He follows it up with the Brainbuster in to a cover for the surprise three count.

Rating: *** 1/4

Spike joins his brothers in the ring as they attack the Bashams. They pound the Bashams in to the mat as Velocity comes to an end.

Final Thoughts: A solid show, although much less important to the specific storylines on the main show. Oddly enough, the developing relationship between Orlando Jordan and Torrie Wilson is becoming a prime storyline on Velocity as is their battle with Dawn Marie and her charges. The Bombshells continue to develop as an effective tag team, and I could actually see them as tag champions someday. It may be awhile though, as Smackdown really seems to be making an effort to develop an effective tag team division for their programming.

Friday, August 26, 2004

If overnights are any indication, Smackdown may have gotten its best rating in years. Looks like the ratings may be as high as a 4.7 for the final show before the fall season begins.

This is great news for me, as Vince called me to inform me that I would be receiving a hefty bonus for this month. Needless to say, I didn't turn him down.

From reading some of the responses, I suspect I may be the only one other than Vince interested in an RVD/JBL confrontation. But personally, I think the match could be a real winner, as both men work ultra-stiff. It would be a brutal confrontation, but hopefully an entertaining one.

Smackdown from JHawk's Beak August 26, 2004

Segment 1

The show opens straight from William Regal's office. He says that for safety purposes, he has indefinitely suspended John Cena from Smackdown. He promises that Cena will not be returning anytime soon any actions taken by Cena to any WWE superstars will cause him to be immediately terminated.

One fall: Rey Mysterio vs Chuck Palumbo

Mysterio dodges a clothesline by Palumbo than scores with a dropkick. Mysterio gets caught by Palumbo and smashed down to the mat hard. Palumbo goes for a bodyslam but Mysterio reverses it in to a facecrusher. Mysterio comes off the top rope with a diving cross body but Palumbo catches Mysterio! Fallaway slam! Palumbo covers: one... two... No! Palumbo goes for the Jungle Kick, but Mysterio rolls out of the way. Dropkick and Palumbo's in position... 619! Mysterio springs off the top and scores with the West Coast Pop for the three count and the win! ** max.

Rey celebrates in the ring, but Nunzio charges in. He goes for a shot with the Cruiserweight title, but Rey ducks under. Rey backs off, right in to a Jungle Kick by Palumbo. Palumbo hoists Mysterio up, and Nunzio blasts him with the cruiserweight belt.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

John Cena is officially gone, allowing him time to start filming on his new film. In the meantime, we continue ever onward with the Rey/Nunzio feud. Is this thing ever going to end? It's great that we've given Nunzio screen time, but it would be kind of nice to see him start a feud with someone, anyone, else.

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Segment 2

John Bradshaw Layfield comes down to the ring. He shows footage of the attack by the Axis Powers on John Cena last week, bragging about it all the while. JBL says that despite his "fluke" loss to Eddie Guerrero at SummerSlam he was still the most dominant force on Smackdown, and no one could stand in his way. He challenged anyone on the Smackdown roster to prove him wrong. "One of a Kind" blasts in to the arena as Rob Van Dam makes his way down the ramp. RVD tells Bradshaw that he should just chill out; this Axis Powers stuff is way uncool. JBL takes a swing at Van Dam, but Rob blocks the punch and lands one of his own. Leg lariat by RVD sends Bradshaw to the mat. Rob Van Dam leaps to the top... Five Star Frog Splash! RVD smirks at JBL as he walks up the entrance ramp.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

And it looks like we have ourselves another feud in the works. Rob Van Dam finally returns to a more prominent role on the brand, only to be placed in a feud with JBL. Poor guy.

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Segment 3

We return and Kurt Angle is backstage with Josh Matthews. Josh asks Kurt his opinion of the recent actions of both Vince McMahon and the Big Show. Kurt said he doesn't fear the Big Show as he's beaten the 500 ft lummox before. In fact, he even took the WWE championship from the pile of lard. He promised that the Big Show would find himself with a broken ankle if he tried to take on Kurt Angle again.

One fall for the WWE Tag Team titles: Kidman and London vs Akio and Sakoda

Akio and Paul London start the match out. Akio and London lock up. London starts to get the advantage, until Akio scores with a kick to the midsection. Spinning back kick from Akio leaves London out. Flying neckbreaker from Akio! Tag to Sakoda. Akio whips London across the ring, right in to the clothesline from Sakoda. Sakoda with a high angle back suplex that just crushes London. Cover, but London somehow gets the shoulder up. Paul London gets whipped in to the corner. Sakoda charges in, but London ducks out of the way, allowing Sakoda to charge straight in to the turnbuckle. Tag to Billy Kidman. Clothesline by Kidman, Akio runs in and gets a dropkick for his trouble. Sakoda moves in from behind and scores with a rear suplex. Sakoda drives a kick in to the midsection of Kidman. He whips Kidman to his corner, than tags in Akio. Akio and Sakoda lay the boots to Billy Kidman. Akio goes to whip Kidman to another corner, but Kidman reverses it and sends Akio to the face's corner. Tag to Paul London! London whips Akio and Kidman goes for the clothesline. But Akio ducks and Kidman charges headlong in to London. Akio drags London in to position... Hang Time! 1... 2... 3... and the champions retain! *** 3/4.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

An absolutely stunning match. Not quite as good as last week's bout between the champs and Los Luchadores Loco but still worth the price of admission. It looks like Kidman and London's run as a tag team might be coming to an end rather quickly as the botched double team move will certainly serve as a setup for one of the team to turn heel.

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Segment 4

William Regal storms in to the Axis Powers's locker room, where Nunzio, Dawn Marie and Chuck Palumbo are sitting and watching the recap of the opening bout. Regal yells at Nunzio for attacking Rey after he expressly told him to stay out of the ring. Regal says he wasn't going to do it before, but Nunzio offered him no choice. Rey Mysterio and Nunzio would meet next week with the Cruiserweight title on the line... in a ladder match!

We switch to a camera backstage where Kurt Angle is talking to Scotty 2 Hotty and Shannon Moore. Moore Hott starts backing away, and the camera pans around to an enraged Big Show. Big Show lashes out at Angle, sending him to the ground. Big Show continues to stomp Angle in to the concrete for several more minutes before Vince McMahon rushes in to stop him. Vince tells Show to stop, after all we needed to save some for next week, when Kurt would meet the Bombshells in a handicap match!

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

Two big matches set up for next week! The feud between Rey Mysterio and Nunzio looks like it will come to an end once and for all, while the McMahon vs Angle storyline drags ever onward.

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Segment 5

We get a recap of the debut of Christian and Tyson Tomko from last week's show on the Sting of the Night.

Mike Sanders is backstage with Booker T and Christian. Sanders asks the duo their opinions on facing the team of Eddie Guerrero and Charlie Haas later tonight. Booker takes the mic and looks over Sanders before commenting that he looked familiar from somewhere. Booker than held up his hand as he explained that he was a five time champion. But quite frankly, he was tired of being a five time champion. It was time to become the six time champion of the world and he planned on doing that when he destroyed Eddie Guerrero and takes his title. Christian asks him if he's finished and Booker just glares evilly as Christian gives him a dopey grin. Christian says that Booker could have Guerrero. He just wants to make an impact on Smackdown, and what better way to do that then to take the United States title away from Charlie Haas. And if he had to team with Booker in a tag match to get that chance, then he guessed that's just what he would do.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

Short segment. Sets up the main event and the reasons behind it quite nicely though.

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Segment 6

We take a Rewind to last week, when Kid Kash gets the dirty win over Shannon Moore.

One fall: Kid Kash vs Juventud Guerrera

Juventud and Kash trade punches. Guerrera goes for a suplex, but Kash blocks the move and scores with a suplex of his own. Kash trips Juventud, than locks a a leg lock on. Juvi uses his free leg to kick free of the move. Juventud Guerrera ducks a wld right hand, than scores with a dropkick. Juvi goes to the top rope, and scores with a diving cross body. He hooks the leg, but Kash kicks out just before three. Kash blocks a whip from Juvi, than whips Guerrera to the corner. Kash holds the arm and runs up the turnbuckle than falls back down, arm dragging Juvi in to the middle of the ring. Kash goes for a figure four, but Juventud Guerrera powers his way to the ropes. Juvi reverses a backdrop attempt in to a neckbreaker. He rolls up Kash... one.. two... three, Kash rolls out just as the ref signals for the bell! *** 3/4 rating.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

Don't know quite the purpose of jobbing out Kash after only a week. Is he getting the Ultimo Dragon push?

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Segment 7

We return to show us Kash is still in the ring. He's arguing with referee Brian Hebner about the match. Hebner tells him the decision stands and he gets a punch for the trouble. Kash hits the Money Maker on the ref! This brings Tazz to his feet, and he tells Cole that someone has to do something about this punk. Tazz goes in to the ring and stares down Kash. Kash moves to back down. Suddenly he turns and charges at Tazz with a clothesline. He then whips Tazz over the top rope. But Kash climbs out after him, and he begins to rip the protective mats off the floor, exposing the bare cement. Kash lifts Tazz up and piledrives him straight in to the concrete. He spits on the announcer before walking up the entrance ramp. Cole's screaming bloody murder the entire time.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

I smell surgery. Rumors had been floating about Tazz getting neck surgery with Dr. Jho (the doctor who worked on Kurt Angle) and it looks like those stories are true. And it would seem he has a feud ready to go when he makes his comeback.

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Segment 8

RAW Rewind

We get a recap from moments before as Kid Kash brutally assaults Tazz.

Michael Cole is joined at the announcer's desk by Mike Sanders. They show us footage of the break, where EMTs are helping the seriously injured Tazz from the arena. Cole once again curses Kid Kash, and Sanders agrees that the attack was uncalled for and heinous. But he reminds Cole that they have a job to do. We then move in to a recap of Booker T's attack on Eddie Guerrero last week.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

Another frighteningly short segment, but it sets up Tazz's injury.

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One fall: Eddie Guerrero and Charlie Haas vs Booker T and Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko)

Christian and Charlie Haas start the match out. Christian lands a pair of stiff chops across the chest of Haas. Christian whips Haas in to the ropes, than scores with a back drop. Christian tags out to Booker T and the pair score with a double suplex. Booker covers, but Haas kicks out just before three. Booker goes for a suplex but Haas rolls threw the move, than lands a spin kick to Booker as he turns. Tag to Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero goes to the top rope... missile dropkick on Booker T! Cover, but Booker's out after two. Eddie lands a drop toe hold. He goes for the Lasso from El Paso, but Booker powers his way to the ropes. Guerrero pulls Booker to his feet, but Booker starts punching Eddie to break free. Neckbreaker on Eddie. Booker tags in Christian. Christian lands a few more stiff chops on Eddie Guerrero, but when he goes to whip Eddie in to the ropes, Eddie reverses it. Dropkick on Christian from Eddie Guerrero. Eddie tags out to Charlie Haas. Haas charges in and hits lefts and rights on Christian. Christian tries to whip Haas away, but Haas reverses it and sends Christian stumbling in to the ref. Haas lands the Exploder Suplex. Cover but there's no referee. Tomko comes in to the ring with a vicious clothesline on Haas. Guerrero comes in to stop him, but Booker T comes off the top with a dropkick. Tyson and Booker haul Guerrero out of the ring as Christian covers Haas. The ref awakens in time to count the three count. *** 1/2.

After the match, Booker rolls Guerrero back in to the ring where he plants him on the mat with a Bookend. Booker than holds the WWE title around his waist, declaring himself the next champion.

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END OF SHOW

A pretty good showing once again from the Smackdown side; it almost makes me regret returning to RAW in a few days. The matches were few and far between, but what they gave us were all solid. Only Mysterio/Palumbo felt like filler, and even it served to build up the continued battle between Rey and Nunzio. The main event was sound and it served to establish both Booker and Christian as credible threats for the WWE and US titles.

Does Billy Gunn really have 10 years left in him?

Seriously, both of this week's shows were decent, although I'll give the edge to RAW for quality. Still not sure about some of the storylines on RAW (especially a title shot for a FACE Raven...) but all in all a solid program. Smackdown was WEAK. Don't know how you couldn't fit RVD on to that pathetic show. JBL should have at least had a "live via satellite" segment on the show, as dropping the World title feud for a full week seems silly to me.

Combat Zone Wrestling World Title

New York Street Fight

Homicide© v. The Messiah

Don't give the title back to Messiah. I just plain hate the guy.

Trent Acid v. Dan Maff

CZW Tag Titles

The Blackout© v. The Amazing Red and Brain XL

Ladder Match

JC Bailey v. Nate Webb v. Justice

Re-Match

CZW Junior Heavyweight Title

Sonjay Dutt© v. Jerrele Clark

CZW Iron Man Title

Chris Hero© v. Super Dragon

Tag Team Number One Contender

Ring Crew Express v. Jack Evans and Teddy Hart v. Ian Knoxx and Chris Cash

B-Boy v. Bobby Quance

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

I've received reports that production has began on The Marine with very few problems. Hopefully, that thread can continue, as we hope to have John Cena return shortly after No Mercy in order to get a new program started.

I'm becoming bigger and bigger fans of Los Luchadores Loco. Juventud and Nicho have been putting on some stunning matches. The match between Juventud and Kid Kash on Smackdown alone is one of the best I've seen in weeks. And that includes the amazing Kidman & London vs Akio & Sakoda match that comes before it!

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Smackdown preview for August 26

Booker T has made it known: he wants the WWE title! Now, the question becomes: will he succeed? With the attack on WWE champion Eddie Guerrero last week he's cemented himself as a credible contender, but can he prove himself worthy of a title shot when he teams with Christian to take on the team of Guerrero and US Champion Charlie Haas?

Last week, John Bradshaw Layfield brutally attacked John Cena at the end of the show. This week we'll receive an update from Smackdown General Manager William Regal about Cena's condition, and we'll here from JBL himself about why he would lead such a brutal assault.

Billy Kidman and Paul London lost their tag titles in the TLC match at Summerslam, but this week they will get their chance at a rematch when they take on new champs Akio and Sakoda. Plus, newcomer Kid Kash is in action, and he promises to make a major impact on Smackdown!

All this and more of your favorite Smackdown stars, Thursday night on UPN!

Monday, August 24, 2004

Good weekend for Smackdown. Velocity's rating continue to rise as we've reached a 0.8 from the looks of it.

Billy Gunn made his final appearance with the Smackdown brand with last week's programming. He'll be moving over to RAW where a place is set for him to become involved in the ongoing Benoit/Orton/Triple H storyline. "Officially", he's being traded for Chuck Palumbo and William Regal.

The Recap: Velocity

August 20, 2004

The Basham Brothers vs The Dudley Boyz

The Bashams played the faces in this matchup. They do everything in their power to keep ahead of the Dudley Boyz, but Bubba Ray and D-Von offer a relentless assault. Danny Basham almost seemed to have the match won when the referee was distracted by Paul Heyman, allowing Spike Dudley to run in and land the Dudley Dogg. Bubba Ray than covered Danny for the three count.

Rating: *** 1/2

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Nunzio is backstage with Dawn Marie. They're laughing about Rey Mysterio's chances at winning the cruiserweight title. Dawn Marie excuses herself, telling Nunzio that she wants to slip in to something a little more... comfortable.

Luther Reigns vs Funaki

This match was an exercise in in-ring domination as Luther just destroyed Funaki in the center of the ring. Luther picks up the win after a Reign Fall and the three count.

Rating: **

COMMERCIAL BREAK

A video showing the events between Eddie Guerrero and Booker T on Smackdown is shown.

Backstage, Torrie Wilson is walking down the hall when she literally runs in to Dawn Marie, now in a robe. Dawn Marie tells Torrie to get out of her way, but Torrie takes exception to Dawn's comments. It quickly devolves in to them yelling "Bitch" and "Whore" at each other. Dawn Marie tackles Torrie and the two divas kick and pull at each other's hair and clothes. (Dawn Marie's clothes are pulled off to... shockingly... reveal lingerie.) Orlando Jordan runs in to break things up, as he pulls Dawn off of Torrie, than walks Torrie away from the fight.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Rob Van Dam vs Chuck Palumbo

RVD hits Palumbo hard early on in the matchup with some stiff kicks including a roundhouse lariat. But Palumbo ducks under a clothesline and scores with a body block, taking control of the match. Palumbo pounds on the neck and back of RVD, weorking to cause damage to the other man's neck and spine. But RVD reverses one such assault in to a jawbreaker. He lands a Rolling Thunder, which sets him up for the Five Star Frog Splash! RVD makes the cover for the three count.

Rating: * 3/4

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Theodore Long is backstage with the Bombshells, Mark Jindrak and Rene Dupree. Long rips in to the team of Paul London and Billy Kidman, the former champions. He promises that his charges will school London and Kidman in what exactly it means to be winners. Because these two playas are real winners.

London and Kidman vs The Bombshells

The main event didn't go exactly the way Theodore Long had planned it. Although Jindrak and Dupree did keep control of Paul London for a vast amount of the match, working the young stars legs to keep him immobilized, they still couldn't stop the fire of the smaller men. London hits an enzuigiri on Jindrak to break free. Kidman stormed the ring absolutely ON FIRE, and he took down both Jindrak and Dupree with relative ease. Kidman hits the Shooting Star Press on Rene Dupree to pick up the three count and the win.

Rating: **** 1/4

Final Thoughts: A rather lackluster Velocity actually, though the absolutely amazing main event makes up for much of it. Jindrak and Dupree worked a solid mat style, really taking it to London's leg, while the team of London and Kidman can play the face in peril role with amazing skill. The rest of the card was rather weak, although I must say that keeping most of the diva angles on Velocity is all good in my book.

I'm okay with you bringing in SD full time... he would fit the bill pretty well. And thumbs up to Teddy Hart and Jack Evans together again.

Friday, August 20, 2004

Kenzo Suzuki injured himself on HEAT this last Sunday night in his title defense. He has fluid on the right knee and will need it drained. He'll be out for only 3-6 weeks, but the decision was made to move the title off of him nontheless. I expect a Charlie Haas/Christian feud will prove more of a draw anyhow.

John Cena will begin production on The Marine next week, hence the attack by members of the Axis Powers. Cena will most likely be out for at least two months, but he should return in time to build a program for Survivor Series, most likely with Bradshaw.

All in all I thought Smackdown did a good job of transitioning in to the new storylines, and if the overnights are any indication, so did the fans. Smackdown's had some of its best numbers of late, getting at least a 4.1.

Interesting diary. And Barry Windham rules. I'd love to see him pop up in the finals.

I'll see what you do with him. Gunn does work better heel, so I'll keep my eyes open. Still can't see him as credible that high on the card, but hey, it is your diary.

Hey, good third show. Hero vs Evans would never work, and it's good to see you pointed that out. Homicide as champ gets a thumbs up. I'm hoping to see a push for Jay Lethal and/or Dunn & Marcos on upcoming shows. Oh, and bring back Teddy Hart. I wouldn't mind less Messiah, as he just isn't that entertaining to me and hasn't been for well over a year IMO. Push the hardcore stars that are more talented wrestlers instead, especially Homicide, Jimmy Rave and Chris Hero. And take Zandig off the shows permanent like.

Smackdown from JHawk's Beak

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Segment 1

Smackdown opens with "No Chance in Hell" coming over the speaker. Vincent K. McMahon struts down to the ring where he picks up a mic. He shows us a snippet of footage from SummerSlam where Big Show chokeslams Kurt Angle in the middle of the ring. He then brings out the Big Show. He tells Show that he did quite well last night, and as a reward, he was proud to welcome him back to the Smackdown roster. And he told Show not to worry, as Kurt Angle is sitting at home tonight.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

A decent segue between feuds for Kurt Angle, moving from Luther to the Big Show. Obviously the Angle/McMahon hatred will build following this segment as well. Perhaps we'll building to an Angle vs Vince match in the future?

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Segment 2

One fall for the WWE Tag titles: Los Luchadores Loco vs Akio and Sakoda (w/ Hiroko and Kenzo Suzuki)

Both teams are still bruised and in some cases bandaged from the TLC match on Sunday night. Sakoda and Nicho Millonario start things out. Sakoda goes for a lariat, but Nicho dodges the attack and hits a neckbreaker. Nicho scores with a standing leg drop. He immediately follows with a rolling kick. He covers but only gets two. Sakoda steps back from a dropkick. Kick to the gut by Sakoda; snap powerbomb on Nicho! Sakoda tags in Akio. Akio scores with a kick to the back of the head on Nicho and the luchador goes down. Akio goes to the top rope and dives off with a flying cross body, but Nicho rolls through and covers Akio for two. Nicho dives for his corner, but Akio grabs a leg. Enzuigiri by Nicho, and he tags in Juventud Guerrera! Juventud comes on fire, and he takes down Akio with a leg lariat. Sakoda runs in, but Juvi hurls him over the top rope. Akio hits Juventud from behind with a forearm. He tries to whip Juvi in to the far corner, but Juvi blocks it and turns it in to a suplex. Juvi goes for the cover, but Hiroko throws Akio's leg up on to the rope. The ref pulls him off, and Juvi argues that he got a three. Akio gets up behind Juventud, and scores with a Northern Lights suplex. Kenzo holds down Juvi's legs as the ref counts to three. *** 3/4 rating.

After the match, Nicho attacks Kenzo, but Sakoda intercepts him and they start brawling. Paul London and BIlly Kidman charge in to the ring, and immediately go after Akio and Sakoda. They lay out Sakoda with a double back drop outside the ring, then Kidman lays out Akio with a vertical suplex. He positions Akio as London climbs the turnbuckle. London Calling!

We go backstage to see Nunzio getting ready to come out. He tells Palumbo to stay backstage as what he has to say he can do alone.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

A superb match featuring two solid teams in WWE working it out. All three teams involved in this match are ready for the push their receiving, and I've got to give a shout out to the booking team for the well thought out angle running through the programming right now.

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Segment 3

The Cruiserweight champion, Nunzio, comes down to the ring where he retrieves the microphone. He compliments himself as the greatest Cruiserweight champion of all time, having beaten Rey Mysterio not once, but twice, and having destroyed Spike Dudley at SummerSlam. This brings Rey Mysterio charging from the back. Rey tells Nunzio that it isn't over, and he still wants his rematch. Nunzio laughs and says that Rey doesn't DESERVE a rematch. Rey just nods, than he charges in to Nunzio. Rey grabs the Cruiserweight title and waffles Nunzio with it. He holds the title over his head proudly, before Chuck Palumbo comes running down to the ring to help his partner.

Up Next: Big Show returns to the ring against Rico!

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

The Rey/Nunzio feud continues onward, although I can't see this one making it to No Mercy. Not that WWE hasn't stretched feuds too far before, but I'm guessing a blow off match will happen in a couple of weeks. I'm curious to see who gets the next shot at the title after this feud comes to an end.

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Segment 4

One fall: Big Show vs Rico

Rico runs around the ring. He hits a couple of quick kicks before bouncing back away, but Big Show pretty much no sells them. Rico lands a super kick, and Big Show teeters, dazed from the attack. Rico backs up for another hit, but Big Show steps aside and hurls Rico in to the corner. Show whips Rico across the ring, than flips him up and over him. Rico FLIES up and over, crashing to the mat. Show sizes up Rico as he stumbles to his feet... Chokeslam! Big Show covers for the three count. * 1/2 rating, and that's generous.

Big Show gets up off of the prone Rico and raises his arm in victory, only to be attacked by a man streaking out of the crowd in a hoodie. The hoodie falls away as the man Angle Slams Show to the mat. Kurt Angle hooks on the anklelock as road agents and security guards run down to try and pull Angle off of Big Show.

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

Any doubt of an Angle/Big Show feud is now gone. Looks like the two will be going at it for the next few weeks, no questions asked. It will be interesting to see how Angle's somewhat slower style will match with Big Show's power.

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Segment 5

William Regal is already in the ring as Smackdown returns. The red carpet is out as we prepare to honor Eddie Guerrero for his victory at SummerSlam. But Regal says he has an announcement to make first: next week, Paul London and Billy Kidman will get their rematch for the tag team titles, taking on the current champions Akio and Sakoda. But enough business, on with the festivities.

This brings out Eddie Guerrero, of course. Guerrero's ribs are bandaged, an injury he received at SummerSlam. Regal congratulates Guerrero on his title victory, and asks him for a few words about Sunday's match. But before Guerrero can even start talking, Booker T's music hits and he walks down to the ring. Booker says that if anyone should have a ceremony to celebrate their greatness it should be him. After all, Regal himself saw firsthand how dominant a force he was Sunday night at Summerslam, when he beat John Cena 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring. Guerrero says that he's the champion and he didn't need a dirty ref to pick up his win. This causes Booker to lash out at Guerrero, and the two start brawling in the middle of the ring. Regal walks behind Guerrero, causing the champion to stumble forward, allowing Booker to land a Scissors Kick. Booker holds the WWE title over his head before he leaves the ring.

Up Next: A rematch from Sunday Night HEAT: Charlie Haas vs Kenzo Suzuki for the United States championship!

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

I do believe we have our next title feud. Although they had a previous match on Booker's Smackdown debut several months ago, this feud could prove to be a real stunner, especially coming off the rather lackluster performance of Eddie/JBL.

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Segment 6

One fall for the United States title: Charlie Haas (w/ Miss Jackie) vs Kenzo Suzuki © (w/ Hiroko)

They lock up as the match gets underway. Kenzo seems to be getting the better of Charlie strength wise, but Haas sweeps a leg to take Suzuki to the mat. Haas hooks on a leg lock, but Suzuki kicks his way free. Kenzo Suzuki blocks a right hand from Charlie Haas, than connects with a pair of stiff forearms. Vertical suplex by Kenzo. Kenzo rolls over for the cover, but only picks up two. Kenzo goes for a bodslam but Charlie slips out of the back and lands a dropkick from behind. Haas lays several stiff kicks in to the leg of Suzuki, but Suzuki powers to the ropes to avoid the Haas of Pain. Charlie tries to whip Suzuki, but Suzuki blocks the move and delivers a snap suplex instead. Haas floats over for the cover, but Haas rolls Suzuki through and in to a small package. Referee Nick Patrick just gets to three before Suzuki kicks out. ** 3/4 rating.

Kenzo Suzuki can't believe his loss. He attacks Haas once again, but Haas avoids a clothesline and trips up Kenzo. He locks on the Haas of Pain and Kenzo taps despite the fact that the match is long over. Haas releases the hold and Kenzo rolls out of the ring. Nick Patrick hands Haas the title and he begins to celebrate in the ring. But an unfamiliar song pipes in to the arena, and the team of Christian and Tyson Tomko emerge from the back. The pair brutally attack Charlie Haas, and Tomko sets up Haas for an Unprettier from Christian. Christian then holds the US title around his waist, declaring himself the future champion.

Up Next: Another explosive Smackdown debut: the arrival of Kid Kash is next!

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COMMERCIAL BREAK

While the arrival of Christian and Tomko was not unexpected following the events at Summerslam and RAW, Charlie Haas does pick up the United States title seemingly out of nowhere. However, he should make a good champion and a feud with Christian can do nothing but cement a place for him as a solid up and comer in the Smackdown ranks.

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Segment 8

Shannon Moore vs Kid Kash

Tazz points out that Kid Kash was the second to last person to hold the World Television title in ECW, losing the title to Rhyno. He promises us an impressive debut for Kash tonight. Kash scores with a couple of stiff chops on Moore to start the match out, but Moore ducks a third blow and connects with a body block. Moore hooks up Kash for a suplex, but Kash blocks the move and lands a suplex of his own. Kash bounces off the ropes and scores with a leg drop. Kash pulls Shannon Moore to his feet; Shannon lands a couple of punches to break Kash's hold. Moore brings up his foot for a nasty kick right to the teeth of Kid Kash. Shannon Moore goes to the top, and lands a brutal looking missile dropkick just as Kash comes to his feet. Moore covers, but Kash kicks out after two. Shannon Moore goes for a clothesline, but Kash ducks under, than scores with a dropkick. Kash springs to the top rope, than dives off the top rope with a flying cross body. He grabs Shannon Moore's tights as he rolls him up to pick up the three count and the win. *** rating.

After the match, he raises his arms to soak up the fans' cheers but receives nothing but boos. This prompts him to start kicking Shannon Moore in the ribs. Tazz says that just isn't right, and he gets up to confront Kash, but Kash leaves the ring before he can enter.

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Huh what? Is that Tazz actually onvolving himself in a non-announce role? With his back problems, I'm curious how they'll play this story out.

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Segment 9

Michael Cole and Tazz give us a replay of what just happened, then inform us that though clutching his ribs, Shannon Moore walked out of the arena on his own two feet.

John Bradshaw Layfield comes down to the ring. He begins to cut a promo about how he was robbed of the WWE title four days ago, but he plans on seeing justice done. Just as he prepares to tell us his plan, he's interrupted by the entrance of John Cena. Cena comes down to the ramp and cuts a rhyme saying that JBL couldn't wrestle his way out of a paper bag and saying he isn't the Million Dollar Man, just the Million Dollar Bitch. JBL attacks Cena and the two exchange blows in the middle of the ring. But the fight quickly brings down the rest of the Axis Powers: Kenzo Suzuki, Nunzio, Chuck Palumbo, Akio and Sakoda. With JBL calling the shots, the five men brutally beat down Cena, leaving him a bloody mess in the ring. JBL tells Palumbo and Suzuki to lift John Cena up. Layfield lands a brutal clothesline on Cena. Smackdown goes off the air with the final shot of Cena on the center of the mat, brutally beat down and gasping for air through a bloodied face.

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END OF SHOW

His title reign may be over, but the JBL show apparently continues. The Axis Powers beat down one of Smackdown's top stars in a brutal fashion. JBL actually has a decent level of in ring charisma, and more angles like this could actually serve to permanently cement him a place in the main event. With production of Cena's first feature film beginning sometime soon, I'm curious to see where this angle will lead.

Over all, one of the best post-PPV shows in months. It put a footnote on the matches that needed them, and it set up several feuds for the next several weeks leading in to No Mercy on October 3. Although matches were few and far between, they made up for it in quality. Both Kid Kash vs Shannon Moore and Akio & Sakoda vs Los Luchadores Loco were ***+ matches, and Haas vs Suzuki was easily Kenzo's best work. Even the Big Show's return match was decent as Rico sold the big man's moves beautifully. All in all an excellent show, once again making me question if Smackdown is once again becoming the better brand.

WTF? Ron Simmons; wow, I'd actually have preferred Henry...

Smackdown was spiffy, although the uber-push for Billy Gun frightens me a bit. You do know it's Billy Gunn, right?

Wednesday; August 18, 2004

SummerSlam looks to have scored a pretty solid buy rate in the early numbers: 1.2; which is the best show of the year. I can't take all the credit for that, but I feel that the more cohesive storytelling and push of more innovative talents has helped the fan interest. All that despite a rather lackluster crowd reaction from the Toronto fans, makes me pretty happy.

People are already questioning the reason for bringing Christian's crew over to Smackdown. Quite frankly, it wasn't my decision, but I don't mind. The RAW writers felt that with Edge as a heel on RAW it was best for Christian to switch brands. I have quite a few ideas for Christian, whose an excellent talent that deserves a bit more of a push, so he and Tomko will get a substantial role on the program. Part of me is actually thankful about Trish's injury as it gives me time to find a more cohesive role for someone with her wrestling skills on the show.

You seem to be missing some show there...

Anywho, I'm rather confused as to why Orton's running around as a heel champ. Winning the title would instantly make him a face as can be seen on RAW this week. That withstanding, Orton/Y2J should be decent (if the poster means anything).

One thing: No way in hell would Spike TV drop Heat before they'd drop Velocity. Velocity's ratings are absolutely horrible.

Why all the Akio hate? The man rules...

Not a big fan of the returns of either Foley or Raven on RAW. Foley as an authority just seems out of place now, as we've seen it time and time again. And Raven coming back wasn't necessarily bad, but to see him return as a face was just odd. I'd have rather him come out to the big face pop, than attack Foley as well, just to establish his character as not to be trusted again.

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Although it was definitely a transitional show, I really liked this week's Smackdown. The angles and stories all came off well, adn the show properly starts off a couple of new feuds for No Mercy.

Christian and Tyson Tomko made their debut tonight, following their being "fired" by RAW on Monday night. Sadly enough though, the catalyst for this entire storyline, Trish Stratus, suffered a back injury at SummerSlam and will be out for a couple more months. But she will join Smackdown in the months to come as well.

Akio and Sakoda put on a great match tonight. I have a feeling they will shine as tag champions.

Preview for Smackdown on August 19, 2004

SummerSlam is only four days removed, but Smackdown is only starting to heat up! Tonight we will see more of the Big Show who made his explosive return with an attack on the victorious Kurt Angle at the pay-per-view.

Eddie Guerrero proved victorious in Hell in the Cell; and now John Bradshaw Layfield is the only Axis Powers member to fail in defending his title. JBL will definitely have something to say about his loss. Meanwhile, Booker T proved successful over John Cena at the show, what will he have planned for Smackdown?

All this, plus the debut of cruiserweight sensation Kid Kash. Thursday night, only on UPN!

Monday, August 16, 2004

SummerSlam came off without a hitch, although a few of the matches did not perform as well as I'd hoped. TLC in particular was not the blockbuster I thought it could be, although none of the talents put on a poor performance. Hopefully, continued working against themselves and the other teams on the program will lead to the quality that the original TLC matches had.

Kurt Angle was not particularly happy with his position on the card, but I've assured him that his feud with the Big Show leading in to No Mercy will definitely be a higher profile contest than his match with Show.

Don't know if I like Quance going over Cannon and Lethal, but otherwise a pretty decent show. I'm interesting in seeing where you're going with this.

Pretty decent show, although I'm not sure where you're going with the Benoit/Orton angle. Please don't send Benoit back to Smackdown as he's only been on RAW for a few months.

I'll be interested in seeing what Raven is doing on tomorrow's show.

Smackdown seems a little directionless on the card. Outside of the Jindrak/Dupree victory (which better be a reason to push Paul London...) the matches seemed to fall a little flat.

Good job, anyhoo, looking forward to seeing where you both go with this one.

Well, the diary just improved as I hate M-Dogg. Thumbs up for that one.

HEAT Main Event: Charlie Haas vs Kenzo Suzuki for the United States title

Charlie Haas and Kenzo Suzuki seemed rather evenly matched in their match for the United States title, but ultimately, Haas fell to the mob tactics of the Axis Powers. Hiroko summoned Chuck Palumbo from the back, who landed a Jungle Kick on Charlie Haas while the ref was out. Kenzo than landed a Face Claw Slam for the three count.

Rating: ** 3/4

The Royal Treatment and JHawk's Beak: SummerSlam 2004

August 15, 2004

Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler invite us to SummerSlam following the opening pyro, and we start things off with the World Tag Team titles on the line!

Hurricane and Rosey (w/ Animal) vs La Resistance (w/ Pierre Carl Oulette)

The Hurricane and Sly start things off. Hurricane ducks a clothesline, than scores with a running dropkick. Hurricane scores with a flying neckbreaker, than covers, but only gets two. Hurricane tags in Rosey and Hurricane whips Grenier in to a body block by Rosey. Rosey follows up with a bodyslam. Oulette grabs Rosey's legs to distract the big man, allowing Grenier to get to his feet and tag in Robert Conway. Conway scores with a clothesline. He follows up with a Russian leg sweep which gets two. Conway goes to the top rope and scores with a flying clothesline. Conway locks on an armbar, but Rosey powers to his feet, than tosses Conway across the ring. Rosey tags in Hurricane. Hurricane scores with a flying wheel kick. Grenier blind tags Conway, but Hurricane is ready and ducks under Grenier's clothesline. Dragon suplex by Hurricane! Robert Conway tries to run in, but he gets his head taken off by Rosey. Outside the ring, Oulette grabs a chair, but he's intercepted by Animal who starts laying in punch after punch. Hurricane pulls Sylvan Grenier up, and scores with the Eye of the Hurricane. 1... 2... 3... and we've got new tag champions!

Rating: 3/10

Thoughts: It only took a year, but Hurricane and Rosey actually seem to be going somewhere. The addition of Road Warrior Animal makes for an interesting "Justice League". It should be interesting to see if they'll continue their feud with La Resistance or move on to bigger things.

We go backstage, apparently in to the locker room of Rey Mysterio. Bubba Ray Dudley enters the room and Rey asks him what he wants. Bubba doesn't speak, just attacks. D-Von Dudley joins him and the pair beat down Rey in his locker room. They ultimately hit a 3-D that puts Rey through a bench in the locker room. They leave Rey in a heap on the floor.

JR and King turn things over to Michael Cole and Tazz, who run down the last few months in the life of Kurt Angle before the next match.

One fall: Kurt Angle vs Luther Reigns

Luther slaps Kurt across the face to start things out. Kurt slaps Luther back, but the big man barely seems to feel it. Luther clothesline Kurt to the mat. But Kurt moves with lightning speed and yanks Luther down to the mat. He grabs Luther's ankle and goes for the anklelock but Reigns powers to the ropes. Kurt lays some boots in to Luther before the ref pulls him away. Luther tries to whip Angle across the ring, but Angle reverses it and yanks Luther to him. Overhead belly-to-belly suplex! Angle turns and waits for Luther to stagger to his feet. Angle Slam. Angle covers for the three count. * 1/2 star rating.

Vince McMahon appears on the entrance ramp, clapping. He congratulates Kurt, but says that Kurt's hell has only begun. The Big Show appears behind Kurt and Kurt turns around right in to a choke slam! Big Show holds his arm in the air and bellows before we switch to backstage.

Eugene are backstage, where Todd Grisham is trying to get Eugene's thoughts on his match with Triple H tonight. Eugene pretends to be an airplane, and than makes machine gun noises. He says he's a fighter plane and he's going to blow up Triple H really good tonight.

Chris Jericho vs Edge © vs Batista in a Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental title

Jericho waffles Batista with a pair of stiff chops. Edge just watces on as Y2J lands a side kick on Batista. Batista reverses an attempted suplex in to a snap powerbomb. He covers Jericho, but Edge is quick to break up the count. Edge whips Batista across the ring, than clotheslines him out of the ring. Jericho comes in from behind with a neckbreaker. Y2J tries to lock in the Walls of Jericho, but Egde rolls through. Edge goes for the Edgecator, but Batista runs in. Batista whips Edge in to the far turnbuckle, and Edge goes down hard. Batista snap suplexes Y2J. Y2J goes for a leg sweep, but Batista counters with an eye rake! Batista lifts Jericho up, than scores with the Batista Buster! Batista hooks the leg for the three count to become the NEW Intercontineal champion! Edge comes to and can't believe his eyes; he's lost the IC title without being pinned. Batista leaves the ring, still displaying his title, when Edge starts laying the boots in to Y2J! Edge lifts Y2J up, than lands the Edgecution.

Rating: 5/10

Thoughts: A solid showing by Chris Jericho and Edge is somewhat marred by the slower style of Batista. Nonetheless, the match proved to be one of Batista's best, and hopefully an IC title reign will help secure Batista as a player in the future.

JR and the King then recap the history of the Matt Hardy/Kane feud, leading up to the Til Death Do Us Part match tonight.

Til Death Do Us Part no-DQ match: Matt Hardy (w/ Lita) vs Kane

Matt Hardy collides in to Kane, landing punch after punch in an attempt to bring the big man down. Hardy hits the ropes for a clothesline, but only manages to eat Kane's boot. Kane slams down Matt full force, and Matt winces in pain. Kane covers but Matt kicks out after two. Kane goes to the top and goes for his flying punch, but Matt rolls out of the way. Dropkick by Matt staggers Kane. Matt goes to the top. Missile dropkick takes Kane off his feet! Matt lands several kicks to the leg, than hits a standing leg drop. Matt goes for a pin, but Kane pushes a shoulder up. Kane locks a hand around Hardy's neck. He stands up, looking for the chokeslam, but Hardy claws Kane's eyes to get free. Matt hits a Side Effect, but Kane comes back to hsi feet quickly. Lita comes in to the ring with a steel chair. Matt smiles as she moves in towards Kane. She smiles too, than turns and blasts Matt Hardy over the forehead! Kane starts laughing, than he hoists Matt up and lands the chokeslam! He than covers for the three count. Lita kicks Matt between the legs before she walks off hand in hand with Kane.

Rating: 4/10

Thoughts: First Trish, now Lita. Are there any face women left? Seriously, this is the best way this feud could end, with Matt going on the shelf. Hopefully, Kane and Lita as a unit can lead to some kind of cohesive push for Kane.

Michael Cole and Tazz comment on the heinous actions of Kane themselves before recapping the history of the four tag teams involved in the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match tonight.

TLC Match: Akio and Sakoda vs Kidman and London © vs Los Luchadores Loco vs the Dudley Boyz

Spin kick by Akio sends Paul London flying across the ring. Akio turns and lands a nice hurracanrana on Akio. Sakoda blocks a punch from D-Von, than counters with a stiff chop of his own. Juventud Guerrera takes a massive back suplex by Akio than leaves him on the mat, looking hurt. Kidman pulls himself up in the corner, and Sakoda runs in, but only manages to eat boot. Nicho takes Bubba down with a flying cross body, than follows up with a leg drop right to the head! D-Von has retrieved a ladder from outside, and he runs it right in to the gut of Paul London. D-Von gets taken out by a dropkick on the ladder by Nicho. Kidman lights up Nicho's chest with some stiff chops. Kidman lands a dropkick that sends Nicho flying back. London's setting up a table, and Kidman whips Nicho up on to it. London goes to the top rope... London Calling puts Nicho through the table! London's down too. Akio whips Kidman around, and scores with a kick to the side of the head. Bubba Ray scores with a chair shot to the back of Akio. Juventud Guerrera sweeps the legs out from under Bubba. He lays kick after kick in to Bubba's leg. London is back on his feet setting up a ladder, and he ducks a clothesline by Sakoda. London whips Sakoda face first in to the ladder. D-Von attacks Juvi from behind to save Bubba, but Nicho arrives to double team D-Von. Juvi and Nicho 3-D D-Von through a table! London is making his way up the ladder, but Akio starts up the other side. They start brawling on the top, until Juventud Guerrera pushes the ladder down with both men on it! Sakoda scores with a chair shot from behind on Juventud! Kidman whips Nicho in to the ropes, than scores with a big dropkick. Sakoda and Akio both start climbing the ladder, but Kidman moves in to stop them. Kenzo Suzuki runs in from the back and tackles Billy Kidman. Bubba Ray comes in to stop them as well, but Akio comes off the top of the ladder with a dropkick to take down the Dudley. Sakoda climbs to the top of the ladder, and yanks down the titles. He drops down to the mat exhausted, but the new tag team champion! *** 1/2 rating.

Things go back to JR and The King as things in the ring gets cleaned up. They run down the events of the last few weeks that sets up the Loser Leaves RAW Match between Trish Stratus and Victoria tonight. The winner walks out the champion, the loser finds themselves off of RAW, and out of contention for the Women's title!

Trish Stratus © vs Victoria for the Women's title

Trish lays in to Victoria with blow after blow. Trish whips Victoria in to the corner, but when she runs in to attack she eats turnbuckle when Victoria moves. Victoria lights up Trish with some stiff chops. Vertical suplex by Victoria. Victoria locks on a rear chin lock, but Trish lands a jawbreaker to break up the hold. Trish scores with a dropkick. Trish goes to the second rope, but Victoria rolls out of the way of the moonsault. Victoria locks an STF on Trish dead in the center of the ring. This brings out Tyson Tomko, and Victoria breaks the hold to avoid Tomko's attack. Shelton Benjamin runs in to save Victoria, making his return to WWE television! Shelton scores with a superkick that sends Tomko over the top rope, while Victoria lifts up Trish and lands the Widow's Peak for the three count. Christian comes running out as the bell ring and he lays out Victoria with a chair shot. Benjamin is next, but Eric Bischoff stops the attack in the middle of the ring, and he tells Trish to get out because she's fired!

Rating: 3.5/10

Thoughts: A solid women's match and yet another great title match. It will be interesting to see what Trish will do on Smackdown, not to mention whether or not Tomko and Christian will make the move with her.

Cole and Tazz recap the feud between John Cena and Booker T over the last two months.

John Cena vs Booker T

Before the match can begin, Smackdown GM William Regal's music hits, and he heads out to the ring in a referee shirt. Regal sends Brian Hebner to the back as he'll be officiating the match. He signals for the bell, and Booker and John Cena immediately lock up. Booker gets the advantage and slams John Cena. Cena tries to whip Booker across the ring, but Booker reverses it in to another slam. Booker pulls Cena back up, but Cena elbows Booker in the face to break the hold. Cena whips Booker across the ring and lands a powerslam. Cena covers but only gets two. Booker lands a mule kick on Cena to change the momentum. Booker scores with a bulldog. Booker gets a speedy two, but Cena manages to kick out. Booker lands a leg lariat which sends Cena crashing to the match, but despite Regal's fast count, Booker still only gets a two.Cena ducks a clothesline, than lands a neckbreaker. Cena kicks Booker in the gut and hoists him up for the F-U, but William Regal kicks his feet out from under him! Booker lands a Houston Hangover on John Cena. Regal counts the speey three to give the win to Booker. ** 1/2.

Backstage, the Axis Powers celebrate the victory by their newest members Akio and Sakoda. With them in the fold, the group now controlled every title on Smackdown. John Bradshaw Layfield told them that after his victory in the Hell in the Cell match, that they would control Smackdown!

One fall for the World Heavyweight title: Chris Benoit vs Randy Orton

Benoit waffles Orton across the chest with stiff chops. Chris Benoit scores with a snap suplex. Orton tastes a German suplex, but he blocks Benoit's attempts to hit more. Orton lands a Russian leg sweep on Benoit. Randy Orton scores with a quick suplex, than rolls over Benoit for a quick two. Benoit breaks Randy Orton's hold, than bounces off the ropes to land a clothesline. Benoit covers Orton for a two count. Benoit goes for the triple Germans again, and this time Orton goes over. Benoit covers again, but Orton gets the shoulder up just before three. Orton somehow gets to his feet, and rakes Benoit across the eyes. Orton scores with a running forearm to the face. Orton tries for a RKO, but Benoit turns it in to a neckbreaker. Ric Flair runs out of the back as Benoit lifts Orton back to his feet. But Benoit sees Flair coming, and ducks the attack, and Flair hits Randy Orton instead. Chris Benoit whips Flair over the top rope, than climbs to the top rope. Diving Headbutt! Benoit rolls over Randy Orton to pick up the three count.

Rating: 7/10

Thoughts: Surprisingly, Chris Benoit picks up the win over Randy Orton, but I spell hits of dissolution in Evolution with this match. My guess would be that Randy Orton might have something to say to his teammates after this match.

Backstage, Nunzio and Chuck Palumbo leave the celebration of the Axis Powers, but they run head long in to Paul Heyman. Heyman asks Nunzio why he's here instead of on his way to the ring. Nunzio laughs and tells Heyman that he should know, his boys took out his opponent for tonight. Heyman just pats Nunzio on his back, than informs Nunzio that he still has a match tonight, but it's against Spike Dudley!

Cole and Tazz take us back to earlier on the show, when Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley beat down Rey Mysterio.

One fall for the Cruiserweight title: Nunzio vs Spike Dudley

Nunzio scores with a back suplex on Spike Dudley. Nunzio hits a high dropkick on Spike. Nunzio hits a flying neckbreaker, and Spike has to be questioning why he wanted in to this match. Nunzio comes off the second rope to take Spike down to the mat. Nunzio covers but only gets a two count. Nunzio goes for a double arm bar, but Spike turns around and lands a boot to the gut to free himself. Spike hits a dropkick to send Nunzio back to the mat. Spike hits a facecrusher. He covers, but Nunzio kicks out after two. Nunzio shoves his way out of a Dudley Dogg attempt. Spike eats a running elbow by Nunzio. Nunzio connects with stiff chops, than a kick to the gut. Arriverderci! Nunzio hooks the leg to pick up the three count. Rey Mysterio limps out from the back, but Chuck Palumbo cuts him off with a clothesline before he ever reaches the ring. This brings out Rob Van Dam who lays out Palumbo. Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio continue to the ring, but Nunzio flees in to the crowd. *** 1/2.

We return to JR and the King, who explain the last few months of mind games between Triple H and Eugene.

Triple H vs Eugene

Eugene dodges several blows from Triple H, than scores with a Russian leg sweep. Eugene lands a Doctor bomb and HHH lands hard. Eugene covers, but Triple H kicks out. Triple H scores with a right hand. He follows up with a running knee. Bodyslam by Triple H. Hunter pins, but only gets a two. Triple H prepares Eugene for the Pedigree, but Eugene trips Hunter instead. Eugene goes for a sharpshooter, but Triple H powers his way to the ropes. Eugene scores with triple German suplexes, Benoit style. Eugene covers for a two count. Eugene pummels Triple H in to the corner, only stopping when the ref pulls him off for the break. Eugene pushes the ref away as Triple H removes the turnbuckle covering. He than kicks Eugene in the gut, and slingshots the man in to the ropes. Eugene hits the exposed turnbuckle head first, and Triple H whips him around to the land the Pedigree as referee Dave Hebner comes to. Hebner counts the three count to give Triple H the win. Triple H signals to the back, and Evolution members Batista and Ric Flair walk down. They hold Eugene up as Triple H grabs a sledgehammer. But the familiar refrain of "Real American" starts to play, and none other than Hulk Hogan starts down the entrance ramp. Triple H can't believe his eyes! Batista and Flair run to intercept Hogan, but Hogan sidesteps Flair and whips him in to the crowd walls. Batista eats Hogan's fist and goes down hard. Triple H slides out of the ring and heads in to the crowd, as Hogan goes in to the ring to check on Eugene!

Rating: 5/10.

Thoughts: Where in the hell did Hogan come from? Got to say that was quite the surprise comeback considering Hogan's comments in the last few weeks, but a Hogan/HHH feud should prove interesting.

We switch back to Michael Cole and Tazz for the main event, and they are impressed with Hogan's return as well. But even more important is the next match, as we turn to look at the cell hanging above the arena. They then run down the four month history of the Eddie Guerrero/John Bradshaw Layfield feud.

Hell in the Cell match for the WWE Championship: Eddie Guerrero vs John Bradshaw Layfield ©

The two men stare down each other in the ring as the cage lowers. They lock up, but JBL quickly overpowers Eddie Guerrero. Full nelson slam by JBL. JBL goes for the Clothesline from Hell, but Eddie steps out of the way. Running elbow by Eddie Guerrero. Eddie snap suplexes Bradshaw over, than hooks on a rear chinlock. JBL powers to his feet, than sideslams Eddie Guerrero. Bradshaw whips Eddie over the top rope than grinds Eddie's face across the steel cage, leaving it bloodied. Bradshaw hooks on a sleeper hold, but Eddie powers up and trips JBL to free himself. DDT by Eddie Guerrero and both men are down. They lie there until "8" when both men come to their feet. Eddie whips Bradshaw in to the steel steps at ringside, and they break apart as he slams in to them. Eddie moves in to slam Bradshaw's face against the steps, but Bradshaw reverses and slams Eddie's face isntead. Bradshaw lifts up the ringsteps and hurls them at Eddie. Eddie ducks and the ringsteps slam through the cage instead. Eddie hits a dropkick to take JBL down, but Kenzo Suzuki comes down the ramp now that an opening to the match has presented itself. Eddie sees Kenzo coming, and climbs to the top of the cage. Kenzo follows him up, but Eddie's ready for him, and scores with a kick straight to the face of Suzuki. Eddie scores with a vertical suplex to Kenzo on top of the cage, and Kenzo barely holds on as the roof gives way. Suzuki drops down to the mat below and stays down. Bradshaw staggers to his feet below and Eddie just grins. Suicide dive on to John Bradshaw Layfield! Both men are down! Eddie crawls in to a cover, but enough time has past for JBL to just get the shoulder up! JBL powers to his feet and kicks Eddie in the chest, than scores with a fallaway slam. Bradshaw goes for another Clothesline from Hell, but Eddie ducks under and trips up Bradshaw. Eddie lifts JBL up and lands a vertical suplex. He rolls through landing the entire series of three. JBL's out, but Kenzo comes back to his feet. But Eddie dodges Kenzo's attack and whips him out of the ring. Eddie goes to the top... Frog Splash connect! Eddie just lays over John Bradshaw Layfield to pick up the three count! The ref raises Eddie's hand, but the new champion can barely stand as Howard Finkel makes the announcement. *** 1/2.

Final Thoughts:

Every title on the RAW side changed hands tonight except for the one everyone expected, and the surprise return of Hulk Hogan should send shockwaves through the internet columns tomorrow. Even the surprising victory of Benoit seems ready to set up a strong run in to Unforgiven next month. This was one of the best PPV's in recent months, not necessarily for match quality, but for completion and continuance of storylines.

Wow, John Bradshaw Layfield put on a surprisingly entertaining main event, although Eddie Guerrero nearly killed himself to put it on. But JBL pulled off a solid showing and proves himself to actually be worthy of the push he's received. The TLC match wasn't as good as the E&C/Hardy/Dudley classics, but the new teams showed that the Smackdown tag division does have some promise for the future. And Akio and Sakoda will finally get a chance to shine as tag champions, once again showing a new found support for the cruiser division. All in all the best PPV on the Smackdown side since No Way Out. Hopefully, the company will continue to put on shows like this in the next few months.