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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
August 31, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Unforgiven (3 episodes left before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the first edition of Smackdown Storylines and Feuds. Here you will read about the multiple angles that provide the foundation for feuds and give the wrestling matches greater weight. There is admittedly less emphasis on the matches themselves as I feel that there is more than adequate match analysis in other columns on PWTorch.com. Instead, I'll focus more heavily on the background stories that give reason and justification for matches. Personally, I think the storylines are just as important. I mean, how often do we see a match that we consider a throwaway? The usual problem: inadequate build with uninteresting characters and sub-par storylines.

For those wondering about the Intrigue Level system that I employ, you can refer to the numbers as follows:

10 (excellent), 9 (great), 8-6 (very good, good, pretty good), 5 (neutral; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)

Let me preface by acknowledging that since this is my first week's coverage of Smackdown, I am solely concerned for what happens beginning this week. Feuds that may have ended at Summerslam may not be mentioned. For example, the feud between Michelle McCool and Victoria, because it didn't appear this week, will not be discussed. However, because the Hardy-MVP feud is still ongoing, it will be included. Speaking of which, let's start with…

MATT HARDY vs. MVP (9 weeks)

The sustained rivalry between Matt Hardy and MVP has been one of the best features on Smackdown in weeks. WWE opted to put a new, more refreshing spin to this story. Basically, this feud is about two guys who are constantly trying to defeat one another in a host of various challenges.

Thus far, they've competed in events such as arm wrestling, boxing (with Evander Holyfield as a surrogate for MVP), and basketball. Although the results of these events are generally ambiguous and inconclusive, they are utilized to set up the pivotal elements of their feud. These events shouldn't be interpreted as important in and of themselves; they are instead used as excuses for MVP and Matt Hardy to argue, and consequently, show character.

For a story like this to work, character needs to play a key role in its development. The story, as alluded to earlier, is about MVP's personality. He's a cocky, arrogant heel who believes he's better than Matt Hardy. This specific storyline takes that premise a step further by having MVP claim that he's better than Hardy not only in the ring, but also at everything else imaginable. Matt Hardy, the willing and competitive face, agrees to participate in a slew of non-wrestling challenges.

MVP's character development has been well-executed as of late. He's given good promo time and shows impressive skills during backstage vignettes. When you hear MVP talk, you can literally hear the overconfidence ooze out of him. He's a person that you want to see lose, just so that it might shut him up. What an effective tool for a heel to wield!

Matt Hardy, on the other hand, is someone who is anything but conceited. He believes in himself, but he doesn't rub it in the faces of others.

One of the most relevant elements of this rivalry is the juxtaposition of light-heartedness with seriousness. The audience can tell that these two seriously want to procure wins over the other; however, we can also see that they aren't falling into the I'm-going-to-tear-his-head-off mindset. It would be erroneous to label this a friendly rivalry; MVP and Hardy cannot be friends (at least not at the moment). It's refreshing to see a story being told that incorporates so many different elements woven together as neatly as they have been. The result: entertainment.

Both of these characters have effectively pushed this angle to the next level. One of the most successful elements of this story has been the pacing. The challenges have been strategically set week after week, and the story, in its seventh week, was altered to avoid tediousness with the idea of MVP and Hardy teaming up. Nicely done.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8

Previous Feuds
MVP: Ric Flair
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

DEUCE 'N' DOMINO (w/ Cherry) vs. MVP & MATT HARDY (2 weeks)

This feud clearly coincides with the MVP-Hardy program; its simply an extension of it. Last week, MVP foolishly took his cockiness to a higher degree when he agreed to face Deuce and Domino for the WWE Tag Team Titles with the help of whomever steps into Teddy Long's office next. Enter Matt Hardy.

Was this direction a mistake? Probably not. It showed the kind of trouble that MVP can get into for simply being himself—a haughty and egotistical big shot. Furthermore, the storyline with Hardy needed a slightly new direction, and this provided the perfect opportunity. And finally, the execution of that match worked very well.

There is a great dynamic to the Hardy-MVP combination. They are working very well together, and their differences are believable. Particularly effective was the match against Deuce 'N' Domino. In the beginning, both Hardy and MVP were seemingly competing for who might get the quick pinfall. Eventually, things slowed down as Hardy did most of the work. At the conclusion of the bout, MVP got a tag on Hardy, threw Mr. Version 1 to the outside, and made an opportunistic cover for the win, taking credit for Hardy's hard-earned work.

The image of MVP raising both of the WWE Tag Team Title belts in the air while also managing to keep his U.S. Title on is a great development in the story, especially as they cut to Matt Hardy at ringside looking on in disappointment and frustration. The storyline here has been adeptly formulated and its execution equally sound.

As for the potential feud with Deuce 'N' Domino, it will be interesting considering the inherent entertainment in the MVP-Hardy story. The WWE Tag Team Championship reign of Deuce and Domino has been ironic because they originally won the titles due to a lack of credible tag teams in the Smackdown division, and they just lost them to a team like Hardy/MVP for the same reason.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Deuce & Domino: Batista
MVP: Ric Flair
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

FINLAY (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. KANE (4 weeks)

This may have been the final episode to involve the Finlay-Kane feud. They've already been battling for a month, including a culmination match at Summerslam. Then again, Finlay's insatiable desire to cheat helped him obtain yet another tainted victory, which may spark more fighting.

I'm hesitant about dissecting this one because of the likelihood that their match this week was only a "bonus" Summerslam rematch of sorts, not meant to be taken as a continuation of the rivalry.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Kane: Batista and The Great Khali
Finlay: no notable feuds recently

MR. McMAHON vs. McMAHON JUNIOR MYSTERY (4 weeks)

I generally try to avoid mentioning Mr. McMahon's storyline too in-depth except in my Raw Storylines and Feuds articles. It's basically a Raw-related story anyway. He spends most of his time there, and, in all likelihood, the son will be revealed as a Raw superstar. Additionally, nothing truly riveting is ever divulged on Smackdown in terms of this particular angle. All new information is given away on Raw, and all major events regarding the program are also handled over on the "A-Brand."

There is, however, one thing I'd like to mention, and it pertains to how WWE is handling this specific angle: the variety of DNA possibilities. The eclecticism rages on as Mr. McMahon attempts to track down his long-lost son. The search phase is an important part of the storyline, and WWE is doing an adequate job varying the possibilities and their inherent consequences.

Mr. McMahon has contemplated possible children in Kane, Balls Mahoney, Mr. Kennedy, and many others. During this time, the audience is given the chance to briefly glimpse into a world in which this spate of individuals may become an addition to the McMahon family. Also, we are receiving minimal tidbits of information regarding backstory behind these characters. For example, we recently learned that Chuck Palumbo's mother killed his drunken father when his motorcycle hit her 18-wheeler. As depressing and ridiculous as that is, at least we were given something.

Smackdown's Batista is a great example of how this search phase is working. Mr. McMahon was originally excited about the prospect of learning that The Animal could be his son. That was until Batista informed him that if he is his son, he's going to be pissed about having a billionaire father who let his poverty-stricken family suffer during his childhood years. Mr. McMahon's disposition suddenly changed dramatically.

This angle has had its ups and downs, but in a storyline perspective, it's been moderately useful in not only telling its own tale, but also providing small bits of information for other characters in WWE.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same as Raw]

THE UNDERTAKER vs. MARK HENRY (4 weeks)

Mark Henry took out the Undertaker months ago in order to give reason for his absence. Now, the Deadman is ready to return, and his feud with Henry has already been set. This is analogous to other return-from-injury storylines such as the Mysterio-Chavo rivalry that ended at Summerslam.

So, Mark Henry has been kicking around jobbers for six straight weeks. The story here is that Henry, after destroying a few jobbers, claims to have no competition on Smackdown. Enter the Undertaker. Five weeks ago Mark Henry introduced the Undertaker's name as a reason for why he hasn't had any challengers (people have feared his power since that time); however, I list this feud as spanning only four weeks because it wasn't until a week later that the Undertaker (or his presence, at least) got involved in these segments.

The production of this feud matches very closely to the one between King Booker and Triple H a few weeks ago on Raw. WWE wants to wait for Unforgiven to reintroduce Taker, and until then, video packages and druids will be used in his stead. Those video montages are creative visual spectacles, and they feed into the idea that the Deadman is playing mind games with Mark Henry. This feud, however, can only go so far without Undertaker being physically present.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5

Previous Feuds
The Undertaker: n/a
Mark Henry: jobbers for over a month

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. CHRIS MASTERS (2 weeks)

Here is an example of a small feud that probably doesn't hold enough weight to go too much further. Chris Masters as a character is less than two-dimensional (and that would be a dot). There aren't many good things to say about this. The rivalry began haphazardly as Mr. McMahon arbitrarily got the two to fight because he saw two men in the ring, literally. The character of Masters is nonexistent, while Palumbo is relatively new to Smackdown.

Let's see how this one develops, but don't think that I'm psychic when I predict that this will prove to be a very short feud with Palumbo coming out on top. Even so, Masters is not going to launch Palumbo into superstardom; he has absolutely no credibility left. So that's another redeeming value of this feud out the window.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 2.5

Previous Feuds
Chuck Palumbo: n/a
Chris Masters: no notable feuds since being drafted from Raw

JAMIE NOBLE vs. Cruiserweight Champion HORNSWOGGLE (6 weeks)

Hornswoggle plays an interesting character on Smackdown. He successfully transitions from being a heel when assisting Finlay to being a face while battling members of the cruiserweight division. Is he supposed to be taken seriously as the Cruiserweight Champion? I don't think so. But WWE's interest at the current moment is to use the cruiserweight division—and the title—for entertainment purposes.

Many believe that the prestige of the Cruiserweight Title died years ago. Looking at it from that perspective, this hasn't made things much worse. The audience loves to see Hornswoggle; he gets great receptions whenever appearing. So WWE wanted to capitalize on something different. I'm not here to argue for or against that issue, but it is important to note the possible value of this specific storyline.

The basic premise is that during the Cruiserweight Championship Open, Hornswoggle lived up to his name by finding a loophole in the match rules—one that was not revealed to the viewers until after the match had ended—and becoming the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion. The person that he managed to pin, Jamie Noble, has been trying to exact revenge ever since.

This rivalry, as strange as it seems, is meant to be fun. Jamie Noble is the butt of jokes amongst the other cruiserweights, and Hornswoggle is sneaking around causing trouble. The interesting element occurring this week is Noble's increasingly irritated mindset. The tricks of Hornswoggle coupled with his peers' joking has really perturbed the former Pitbull. There is some substance here, and only time will tell whether Noble's plan to avenge his loss at The Great American Bash is going to result in effective storytelling.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Jamie Noble: n/a
Hornswoggle: n/a

REY MYSTERIO vs. World Hvt. Champion THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh)

This week's Smackdown was very practical in terms of its direction and overall booking. The Championship Challenge was designed to get the returning Rey Mysterio back atop of the Smackdown roster, and it did just that.

It began with Finlay's cheap victory over the Big Red Machine, which displaced his loss at Sunday's Summerslam PPV. Batista and Rey then battled in a match that was very well-produced. The match itself told its own story, where The Animal had to battle his own personal struggle in fighting his good friend. Batista's protective nature shined, and he did a great job expressing his displeasure whenever he thought that he might have hurt Rey. In a low, serious tone, Michael Cole said, "…sometimes friendship supersedes a lot of things in life, and for Batista and Mysterio, perhaps that's the case." The announcers did a great job telling this story.

Finlay's interference in that match, as JBL pointed out, also made sense because he clearly underestimated Rey Mysterio when getting Batista disqualified. Also, Batista's fury against Finlay—his shoving the referee—was a plausible excuse for the match's conclusion. He wasn't having the best day, especially after his interaction with the Chairman of the Board.

Of course, it was then Rey Mysterio who cleanly defeated Finlay in the main event to win the Championship Challenge and become the Number One Contender for the World Heavyweight Title.

As for the Mysterio-Khali feud, it just started. The difference in their size is clearly what WWE wants to exploit in this rivalry. For now, we'll have to wait for next week's episode to see how this one unfolds, but the intrigue is there. Next week, I'll delve into why Rey Mysterio is such a great character; for now, however, let's just say that the prospect of a Mysterio-Khali feud could be as promising as you can get with an Anyone-Khali feud.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7

Previous Feuds
Rey Mysterio: n/a
The Great Khali: Batista

FEUD CONCLUSIONS

(1) Finlay vs. Kane?

Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I appreciate all the feedback I receive.

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