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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
September 7, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Unforgiven (two episodes left before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the second edition of Smackdown Storylines and Feuds.

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 (decent; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)

World Hvt. Champion THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh) vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. BATISTA (2 weeks)

It seems as though WWE has once again chosen to throw Batista into the World Heavyweight Championship fray. Whether planned all along or decided in the eleventh hour, the choice's impact will ultimately depend on the storyline's execution.

Although Rey Mysterio has—as WWE has blatantly pointed out—a sizable (pun intended) disadvantage, it would be erroneous to assume that people wouldn't buy into a potential victory for the Master of the 619. In fact, I recall a recent poll on WWE.com that showed that a vast majority of people believed that Mysterio will defeat Khali for the World Heavyweight Title at Unforgiven.

This week, the orchestration (not necessarily the choice itself) of the events that would lead to a Triple Threat Match at the upcoming PPV was well-conceived. Rey Mysterio remained disconnected from his Khali problems until after the main event took place, allowing more tension to grow between Khali and Batista. His I Quit rematch with Chavo Guerrero served many purposes, namely getting Chavo off the air, providing an emphatic end to their past feud, and crediting Rey with another strong victory since returning last week.

Khali, on the other hand, was dropped in another rematch himself, one from Saturday Night's Main Event where he teamed with Finlay to face Batista and Kane. So for the past two weeks since Rey's impressive return to Smackdown television, Batista has been securely linked to events that involve both Mysterio as well as Khali.

The success of The Animal's role in the World Title match at Unforgiven—and his involvement in the feud in general—will greatly be determined by how the story is told from this point forward. On the negative side of things, it would have been more exciting to watch Rey try to oust The Great Khali himself. In fact, the company has been touting the "modern day David versus Goliath" aspect of the rivalry for two weeks.

It's a shame that there was enough insecurity about how to book the match that WWE felt the need to add Batista to the mix; however, it is also understandable when you consider that they are trying to work around the limited capabilities of the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

A more positive perspective would be to see Batista's role as one of heavy confliction. Here is a guy who desperately wants to regain the title, but he's also close friends with the third competitor, Rey Mysterio. His disposition during last week's Championship Competition tournament match as he was forced to physically compete with Rey proves that he's going to be faced with an interesting challenge ahead. Is his desire for gold enough to allow himself to hurt Mysterio to get it? Will he try to team with the High-Flyer to defeat the 7'3" Punjabi Nightmare? Assuming they work together for the majority of the contest, what will happen when it comes down to ending the match by taking out Khali for the 1-2-3?

Another interesting note is the idea that Teddy Long created the match so that Rey can get assistance in succeeding against the monster champion; it's a laughable notion because a Triple Threat Match doesn't allow for friendships. It's still every man for himself. Even if they managed to work together flawlessly and take the champion down, there will still be issues—ones that can cripple friendships—as to whom will accept the pinfall victory.

Rey Mysterio's charisma, character, and credibility should have rendered Batista's addition to the World Title match at Unforgiven unnecessary, but that's the direction WWE has chosen to go. It doesn't mean that it is inherently good or bad, and there could be justifiable reasons to do so. The Animal's new place in this feud has just been finalized, so WWE has one more week to clear and set up precisely the story they want to tell come Sunday's PPV.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [down 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero
The Great Khali: Batista
Batista: The Great Khali

MATT HARDY vs. MVP (10 weeks)

This story gets better and better as the weeks pass, and that is exactly what all of WWE's angles hope to do. It is clear that the writers of this particular feud aren't flippantly throwing Hardy and MVP into odd or formulaic situations; they are carefully observing everything and making fitting adjustments to a great storyline. Each development in this angle fits comfortably with the characters that have been created. Sometimes wrestlers are shown doing things that seem awkward for their character, but MVP and Matt Hardy have grown into their roles very well, and the rivalry created for them seems to be resonating with the audience flawlessly.

Only two small things slightly hindered this week's MVP-Hardy feud, but they are universal in WWE (and TNA for that matter) and not just relegated to this particular story. The first is the confusion that can arise when it comes to the booking rules. MVP informed Hardy that they are going to defend the titles at Unforgiven in a rematch against Deuce 'N' Domino. He didn't mention anything about getting the General Manager's approval, so I guess he has a right to accept a challenge from the former champions (who also didn't get approval)? Then Hardy implies that because they are a tag team, both members generally make those decisions mutually? Upon hearing MVP's news, Matt angrily retorted, "You can't make these decisions without me, man." That mess should probably be cleaned up.

The other small problem I have regards the overly-biased babyface play-by-play announcers siding with face teams in all situations. Don't get me wrong, I think Michael Cole is great—and extremely underrated—but it is disconcerting to hear a lack of complaining from him after MVP blatantly cheated to help Matt Hardy win his match. Usually, heels will use the same tactic, and Cole will scream at the injustice. This one didn't result in any real complaint on Cole's part, presumably because Hardy, a clear-cut babyface, is the one who benefited.

Okay, let's move on and dissect the happenings this week. MVP went from bashing Matt Hardy's abilities to complimenting him. Yes, the United States Champion continues to claim to be better, but now crediting Hardy is a common theme. Isn't this contradictory? No, because something has changed. Since they are now the WWE Tag Team Champions, MVP's recognition of the elevated status of Hardy reflects a better perception of himself. Now complimenting Hardy makes him (MVP) look smart because he's part of that team. Brilliant.

So the story here is kind of clever. MVP is dodging Hardy when it comes to defending his U.S. Title by getting involved with the Tag Team Titles. The idea itself—MVP practically using the Tag Titles as a proverbial shield at the moment—certainly marginalizes the tag belts, but at least they are being used here. It makes logical sense, too. MVP brags about being the best, but everyone knows that people who do that are trying to make up for insecurities about what they are doing. He obviously sees Hardy as a legitimate threat, so in order to avoid an eventual U.S. Title match, he can keep Hardy fighting as a partner in a tag team capacity.

As I've discussed before, this rivalry has multiple layers, which provides a dramatic and compelling television experience. Another part of the story that is well-executed is the idea that within the MVP-Hardy tag team, Matt does all the work, while Montel Vontavious Porter takes the credit. Last week, MVP celebrated after doing little more than pinning Domino for the titles. He immediately hogged the glory, hoisting both of the belts as well as the U.S. Title into the air. This week, MVP interfered to help Hardy gain the victory, so there is fuel here for more bragging; he can now claim that without his help, Matt wouldn't have won. It's also great that MVP calls himself the captain, as if one member of a tag team is more important than the other. Nice touch.

But the idea that is being emphasized—that Hardy does the work, while MVP takes the credit—is another solid and useful piece of this story, and it provides MVP with a less-stressful role as WWE cautiously monitors his current heart condition.

Overall, great advancement here.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [up 1 from last week]

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

DEUCE 'N' DOMINO (w/ Cherry) vs. MVP & MATT HARDY (3 weeks)

It's hard to distinguish this as a feud in and of itself as it is so closely connected to the MVP-Hardy rivalry. It seems to be just part of an extension of that feud. As the only other featured tag team on Smackdown, Deuce 'N' Domino seem to be a wandering team looking for more competition. WWE clearly is invested in this trio; they've been heavily involved in many Smackdown segments since the months leading to their WWE Tag Team Title win.

For now, other teams such as The Major Brothers and the newly-introduced Jesse and Festus will need to get some match time in order to prosper. Until then, Deuce 'N' Domino have nothing beyond their squabble with MVP and Hardy. And as far as the Deuce/Domino-MVP/Hardy feud is concerned, it basically serves as an auxiliary function to support and supplement a more prominent program.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

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

FINLAY (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. KANE (5 weeks)

Why is it that both Finlay and Kane always find themselves in some kind of match together, whether they are directly feuding or not? It may have been safe to assume that this feud ended last week when they had their Summerslam rematch in order to gain advancement in the Championship Competition. But this week, they're involved in the same match yet again, but with no real emphasis on their particular rivalry.

Both of these wrestlers seem to be in similar places on the Smackdown roster. They are each stuck in a limbo that exists just beneath the World Heavyweight Championship division. Their in-ring work is solid, but they don't have that extra factor that would propel them to be World Title material just yet. That isn't to say that The Great Khali is; he's the exception.

As a feud, this thing, if it even truly exists, is in trouble.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [down 1 from last week]

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

THE UNDERTAKER vs. MARK HENRY (5 weeks)

The steps that have been taken in order to accomplish a feud with an absent wrestler have been moderately intriguing. WWE used a similar method with the Triple H return match at Summerslam. This time, the Deadman is coming back, as his repeated (but slightly altering) video depicts.

This week's Undertaker-Henry segment once again included the use of a druid, which helps to place a concrete figure in Taker's missing place. As Cole pointed out while Henry approached the ring, nobody has ever touched one of those druids. That stirred some interest, as one was to wonder: what happens when Henry attacks him? Will The World's Strongest Man treat the guy like one of those jobbers he's destroyed in the last few months? How will Taker react to this assault?

The result was a blackout as soon as Henry laid his hands on the druid. When the lights returned, Henry was left with only the black robe in his fists. It was a short segment that worked considering the circumstances. Taker's presence had to be felt more than just through videos, and the audience starts to wonder why people don't physically attack those druids. So, that cleared some things up while continuing to instill the mysticism that is part of the Undertaker's gimmick.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [up 0.5 from last week]

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

JAMIE NOBLE vs. Cruiserweight Champion HORNSWOGGLE (7 weeks)

This week's Smackdown certainly cemented the premise that this feud is almost entirely a comedy sketch. People shouldn't truly consider this to be about the competition of wrestling and the prestige of the title. Instead, WWE is throwing the entertainment ball at us. If you can put aside your distaste for the treatment of the Cruiserweight Championship, this rivalry can be interesting.

Yes, it's goofy, clichéd, and predictable. Noble uses Lucky Charms cereal to entice Hornswoggle into a trapping box. The plan obviously backfires, and Noble is tricked into the box himself, which leads to his late appearance after the match had started.

Two good things arise here. First, these segments actually lead to something. Jamie Noble's count out loss to Hornswoggle in a Cruiserweight Title match because he was trapped in that Akme box is at the very least a fresh way to keep the belt on the Leprechaun. And the second accomplishment (beyond entertainment), is a good segue into introducing Jesse and Festus without resorting to another one of their videos. So now we can see that Jesse isn't the smart one of that duo even though that appeared to be the case when compared to his rather stoic friend, Mr. Festus. It would be interesting to find out something more about Festus later, even if it's a non-verbal discovery. Will looks be deceiving in the future?

As for the Noble-Hornswoggle feud itself, it has its moments. Nothing spectacular is happening, but it does give some comforting comic relief to a show that got very serious during and after the I Quit match between Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero.

Jamie Noble's character has been given some much-needed attention, but other characters are still unknown. Shannon Moore's role in the story should be better identified, and a better focus on who Hornswoggle really is would be preferable. As for the storyline, it is decent for the most part. But why does Noble want to catch Hornswoggle? What does he plan to do if he accomplishes that goal? I understand that it's Hornswoggle's elusive nature that frustrates Noble, but I don't see how trapping him in a box would do anything. Otherwise, they are working with some crazy antics that the audience seems to enjoy. Keep it going.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as last week]

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

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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