By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
October 19, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Cyber Sunday (second-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the eighth 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)

Before I begin this week, I'd just like to announce a new feature for this column that involves you, the intelligent, creative reader. Two weeks after every PPV, I'm going to post one reader email regarding Raw, ECW, and Smackdown feuds (three in total). What am I looking for? The best storyline idea for any current WWE feud. Be as descriptive and detailed as you can, but please don't make it more than 15 to 20 lines. Decisions will be based on creativity, clarity, and relevancy.

This is your chance to have an idea posted on PWTorch.com. The goal is to take a feud currently ongoing between WWE wrestlers and make it more interesting. Shake up the cruiserweight division with a cool new booking idea or add an exciting element to the main event rivalry. Just send your ideas to the email address at the bottom of this article. Be sure that you wait, though. This feature won't begin until the second week following Cyber Sunday. I'll have more information on it as that date nears.

Now to Smackdown.

The last few weeks of Smackdown gave way to multiple feud transitions as the roster was shuffled to accommodate some new talent pairings. The Undertaker was placed back in contention for the World Heavyweight Title, Big Daddy V was brought in on behalf of ECW to feud with Kane, and Drew McIntyre debuted with mentor Dave Taylor to face The Major Brothers. Now the rivalries are beginning to settle, and there seems to be a nice balance of stories existent on WWE's Friday show.

World Hvt. Champion BATISTA vs. THE UNDERTAKER (2 weeks)

Last week, The Undertaker was named Number One Contender for Batista's title after a match between Rey Mysterio and Finlay ended in a double disqualification. This week, three specific segments highlighted the sequel to the Batista-Undertaker feud.

The first of these segments was actually just a promotional video package reviewing the past matches Batista has had with The Deadman. The video documented their original title match at Wrestlemania 23, their rematch at Backlash, and their third encounter with one another on an episode of Smackdown a few weeks following Backlash. It conveniently skipped Edge's victory over Taker and Khali's reign as champion, but the focus was deliberately placed on the important moments here.

The second segment was JBL's interview with Batista. This one was mostly about the hype for the current World Heavyweight Champion's new book. When The Wall Street Wizard couldn't keep his opinionated thoughts to himself, Batista unleashed some inner rage, taking out Smackdown's color commentator with an aggressive spear.

And in the third segment, The Undertaker made quick work of Jamie Noble in a short squash match that gave the announcers some time to further talk about the World Title match at Cyber Sunday.

Interestingly, the two primary participants in this PPV match were kept separated throughout the episode. For many reasons, this was a strategic move. Because both challenger and champion are unequivocal babyfaces, the need to have tension between them becomes less and less important. The focus in their Cyber Sunday bout will be on who is the better competitor on that given night, not on a storyline that introduces some kind of negative force between them.

Their separation led to multiple segments to hype Smackdown's Cyber Sunday main event. It also allowed Batista to promote his new book and Undertaker to get a squash match in order to appease the live audience with his showy entrance and gimmick.

Overall, this feud is pretty good. When the brand is faced with a situation in which there's an obvious lack of heel talent (with Edge's absence still being felt), two wildly popular figures could make for a good combination. The feud—if describing it in this fashion is even accurate—has been booked well so far. Although more clarity could have been given to justify Undertaker's presence in the title picture, the rivalry is nevertheless strong, especially given its history.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 1 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Undertaker: Mark Henry
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali

WWE Tag Team Champion MATT HARDY vs. WWE Tag Team & United States Champion MVP (16 weeks)

The formula for this week's Smackdown intertwined two separate feuds in order to keep things mixed and fresh, while at the same time retaining the current progression. First they had Matt Hardy face Finlay one-on-one. Then they pitted Rey Mysterio against the Dual Champion, MVP, in the main event.

As for the matches, they worked well. Seeing Finlay and Mysterio continuing to battle each week was getting tedious, presumably because of how random and unoriginal the conception of their rivalry was. Mixing two storylines together is an easy way to create something different without veering too far from your main intentions. This week we got to see two fresh matchups and get a new sense of these characters, particularly MVP and Matt Hardy.

MVP's conversation with Matt Hardy in the back was very nicely done. We got to see the revelation—at least a newly announced one—defining the friendly relationship between the WWE Tag Team Champions. One of the reasons for this feud's early success has been the idea that they aren't bitter rivals, but rather bickering friends. It may not have started out that way, but time has brought with it a growing friendship and a form of mutual respect.

Their match against The Brothers of Destruction last week evidently had more meaning than originally thought. After working together so well, a bond seems to have been made. Now they can verbally admit that they respect each other to some degree. However, there is still enough wiggle room for Montel Vontavious Porter to cheat in competition and get away with it. As viewers, we realize that Matt Hardy knows who MVP is, and we know that he knows that MVP can be deceptive and arrogant. There is an open idea of awareness in that regard.

This has lead to a moderately complex character dynamic. With Hardy (and the audience) aware of MVP's true nature, WWE can retain The Dual Champion's heel characteristics while still opening the possibility for acceptance. If Hardy is shown to be MVP's friend, the audience may decide to accept him as well. What an interesting development. This is a great example of dynamic storytelling leading to dynamic characters. It also underscores the importance of backstage vignettes and dialogue.

In Hardy's match with Finlay, MVP actually came out to help his partner win the match, or at least prevent the heel opponent from cheating to gain any kind of advantage. He swatted Finlay's shillelagh away, leaving The Fighting Irishman defenseless against Hardy's Twist of Fate. It wasn't a case of a plan backfiring; Porter clearly was interested in helping out Hardy, and even if Matt didn't truly appreciate it, viewers who are tired of seeing Finlay cheat may have.

Overall, this feud is still excellent. It's currently WWE's most developed, creative story. The characters have been rounded, and people care about them. The actual angle has been refined over the last few months, enhancing as each week progresses. Matches have been solid and entertaining. It would really behoove WWE to use the same amount of thought and energy that goes into this feud to upgrade many of their other ones.

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

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

CHUCK PALUMBO (w/ Michelle McCool) vs. CHRIS MASTERS (10 weeks w/ 5 week hiatus)

Well, it looks as though Palumbo won't have to deal with Chris Masters for awhile. If you haven't heard, The Masterpiece has recently been injured and will probably not be continuing this feud for quite some time. Maybe they will have another extended hiatus before reigniting this one again, but hopefully this will result in a better rivalry between Palumbo and…well, anybody else.

The match this week was generally formulaic, with Masters actually getting a victory (albeit a tainted one) over Palumbo when Victoria caused a distraction by attacking Michelle McCool at ringside. For the last few weeks, Masters has lost consistently to The Motorcycle Enthusiast. He's lost so many times, in fact, that he could never really be considered an actual threat, despite having laid out Palumbo post-match with The Master Lock a week ago.

A small stable between Victoria, Masters, and Dykstra would have been entertaining if they were heading that route. Both Masters and Dykstra have the same problem: after months of consecutive TV losses, their combined credibility doesn't even exceed that of the lowest guy on the Smackdown roster. Let's create a scenario to put this into perspective: if either Dykstra or Masters faced Funaki next week on Smackdown, I don't think viewers would be terribly surprised if Smackdown's No. 1 Announcer pulled out a victory. That tells you something, something bad.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Chuck Palumbo: Kenny Dykstra
Chris Masters: no notable feuds since being drafted from Raw

THE MAJOR BROTHERS vs. DREW McINTYRE & Dave Taylor (2 weeks)

This is one of Smackdown's newest feuds, and it really opens up some possibilities for these young stars. Despite appearing on ECW TV a few times, The Major Brothers haven't been fully utilized on Smackdown since they were drafted a few months ago. Being featured on the show for two consecutive weeks is probably a very good sign for the Twin Brother Tag Team.

As for Drew McIntyre, he's a new talent to WWE television. A conclusive assessment of his character and performance can't really be made just yet; his appearances have been relatively short. But Dave Taylor taking on the role as trainer/mentor is a nice touch. Hopefully a story can start to develop here within the coming weeks. So far we've just seen McIntyre steal a few wins with Dave Taylor's help.

Overall, this feud has potential. Its basic purpose is to introduce some new wrestlers to fans. In fact, during the match, Michael Cole commented, "This is what I love about Friday Night Smackdown, John: all these young superstars making names for themselves." This rivalry is good in many ways because of how robustly it supports each person involved. Brett and Brian Major can now begin their tag team growth, Drew McIntyre debuts with some victories under his belt, and Dave Taylor finds a more fitting position as a managerial trainer.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
The Major Brothers: n/a
Drew McIntyre: n/a
Dave Taylor: n/a

FINLAY vs. REY MYSTERIO (5 weeks)

I'm not sure what I have against this feud because I like both Finlay and Mysterio. Something about it just doesn't sit well with me, and it's probably the haphazard way it began. This week, Finlay and Mysterio were split up to compete in matches with Matt Hardy and MVP respectively.

In the Hardy-Finlay matchup, MVP stopped The Fighting Irishman before he could cheat with a shillelagh shot to Hardy's head. In an attempt at payback, Finlay yanked Porter out of the ring as he was about to deliver his finisher to Rey, prompting the referee to call for the bell. He then tried to get the best of Mysterio, but The Master of the 619 quickly retaliated. Rey ended the show standing tall, which is pretty interesting when Batista and Undertaker are set to headline Cyber Sunday nine days from this episode's air date.

On a side note, the match between MVP and Mysterio was very promising; it was a clash to two interesting styles and personalities. Plus, both of them are fun to watch. Finlay's act (complete with his unique in-ring style) is strong, but he's one of those people who have really worn their welcome on Smackdown because he's been featured heavily on the main event periphery, but never reached it. He's a guy who would really benefit from a brand switch.

Overall, this is a decent feud based on two talented performers. Their match at Cyber Sunday will either be a No Disqualification Match, a Shillelagh-on-a-Pole Match, or a Stretcher Match, depending on which stipulation the majority of fans vote for. In terms of how this episode helped to promote their feud, it was fine. It wasn't anything special, but relying on formulaic booking practices with solid wrestlers will rarely be "bad."

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [up 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero

THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh) vs. BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. KANE (1 week)

For those of you who don't watch ECW, the story goes like this: an ECW Handicap tag match is set up last week pitting ECW Champion C.M. Punk and a partner of his choosing against Punk's three potential Cyber Sunday opponents (John Morrison, Big Daddy V, and The Miz). Punk thinks outside the proverbial box, picking Smackdown's Kane as his tag team partner. The eclectic babyface team ultimately won when Kane chokeslammed Miz for the one, two, three.

This week on Smackdown, Big Daddy V made a surprise appearance to seek revenge on The Big Red Machine. After a Kane-Khali match ended in a disqualification, The Man Formerly Known as Viscera approached the ring with a purpose. With slight distraction from The Great Khali, Kane found himself on the wrong end of The Ghetto Drop (Big Daddy V's Samoan Drop).

As a feud, this one's kind of interesting because instead of placing one of these huge individuals against a smaller guy forced to job, WWE is having them face each other. The matches may look like they're taking place in slow motion, but at least size won't become the deciding factor in the match finishes since all of the participants are monstrously large.

Matt Striker's quote was a great moment in the show. During his promo, he said, "Look at this man. Look at his girth. Big Daddy V is my ticket to stardom. He is my rocket to the top." That's good stuff. Striker's using Big Daddy V to a certain extent. He is clearly impressed with V's size and status, but he's up front about his own aspirations. He wants to get to the top, and Big Daddy V is, in Striker's opinion, the fastest way there. It brings up an interesting point concerning what Matt actually does for V as there is an implied symbiotic relationship here. More explanation should be given, but that's a great piece of character development for both Striker and Big Daddy V as we move forward from here.

Overall, this Kane-Khali-V feud may have some weight (okay, pun definitely intended). Again, it's probably better than the alternative of having each face a smaller opponent. It's also a very unique element to hype in promotions for TV and PPV. For people that are particularly fond of giant wrestlers, this one might attract better ratings when WWE clumps them all into one match.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
The Great Khali: Batista
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: Finlay

VICKIE GUERRERO vs. JAMIE NOBLE (2 weeks)

Last week, Jamie Noble made a comment about how Vickie cleverly slithered into the GM position after Teddy Long's heart attack. As a form of revenge, she booked him in a match against the gargantuan Khali.

This week, Noble incessantly complained about her decision. After he ostensibly apologized, Vickie was about to accept. However, he then continued by saying, "I mean, you being a woman with your emotional breakdowns and your hormones all over the place, I can see where you could make an irrational decision like that."

Well, that immediately changed Vickie's thought process. If her indignant disposition didn't adequately describe her feelings, her booking Noble in a match against The Undertaker certainly did. An agitated and nervous Jamie Noble continued to complain in what has become a really strong little segment each week on Smackdown. They are defining Vickie as a considerate, but professionally tough woman.

It isn't meant to be a long-running feud, and its purpose is mainly to solidify Vickie's character and get Noble some extra airtime. His interesting personality is starting to emerge. Overall, though, it's a nice little segment that’s sure to allow some selected wrestlers to get squashes over poor Noble. Noble's involvement in a Five-Way Match against The Great Khali, Kane, Big Daddy V, and Mark Henry would be a cool next step, but maybe she should save that one for when he really angers her. It would also give that match a predictable ending that would prevent any one of the big monsters from doing the job. Plus, Noble's facial expression as he stands in the middle of those four in sheer terror would probably be worth it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Deuce 'N' Domino vs. Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore
(2) Smackdown wrestlers vs. ECW wrestlers?

CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chuck Palumbo vs. Chris Masters?

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. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "Funaki" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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