By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
October 26, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Cyber Sunday (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the ninth 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)

Attention readers! Beginning two weeks after Cyber Sunday, which would be the week of Nov. 5-9, I will be poring through my email messages looking for the most creative and interesting storyline idea for an ongoing WWE feud. If you happen to spark a great idea that would enhance a current feud for Raw, ECW, or Smackdown that week, send it in to the email address listed at the bottom of this article. Three ideas will be chosen - one for each Raw, ECW, and Smackdown - and posted on this column at PWTorch.com.

Decisions will be based on creativity, clarity, and relevancy. Here are some guidelines to help your chances of being chosen:

(1) Be sure that you write about WWE feuds. I don't currently have a TNA column.

(2) Write about a feud that's already established on one of the shows. Don't speculate with dream matches or feuds between two people not currently in a program together.

(3) Don't ignore the elements of the story that have been featured so far. Use the current storyline as a starting point from which you can build your own continuation.

(4) Have your idea be something that WWE could start to get into next week, not something that they "should have done."

(5) Be realistic. Don't include features that would be nearly impossible for WWE to pull off.

(6) Originality is paramount. Try to avoid falling into formulaic booking traps.

(7) Time your storyline for the short-term. Aim to talk about developments for the next few weeks and up until the next PPV, not year-long Wrestlemania plans.

You can be as detailed as you'd like, but please don't exceed 350-400 words. The emphasis can be on whatever you'd like. If you want to just discuss the value of your specific storyline and how it might enhance character, go ahead. Or maybe you would rather include detailed coverage of what we should see in backstage vignettes or promos. Creating a visual depiction is always great. Talk about what each character is saying, what they are doing, what their emotion is, etc. Talk about the purpose for each segment.

This opportunity is exclusive to the Storylines and Feuds sections of PWTorch.com. Remember, this is a feature that's geared toward posting story ideas. No analysis, please. And don't forget to include your first and last name in the body of the email. I won't post anything without crediting the writer.

*Note about this contest: I've already been receiving emails describing ideas for storylines. Please wait until after you watch the episodes of WWE TV on the week of Nov. 5-9 before sending in your ideas. The intention is to give WWE time to settle into feuds after the fallout from a PPV (in this case, Cyber Sunday). Thank you.

Now to Smackdown.

Let me preface this week by explaining that my power went out at about 6 o'clock Friday night, and the guy who came to fix it showed up at 8:45 p.m., so I missed almost half of Smackdown. The following analysis will be based on what I did manage to see and what I've read in Keller's Smackdown coverage.

World Hvt. Champion BATISTA vs. THE UNDERTAKER (3 weeks)

There was a lot of focus on Smackdown's headlining feud this week. They had a Batista promo, two video packages on Mick Foley and Steve Austin (to highlight their possible roles as special guest referees), intermittent JBL self-promotional segments, a Batista squash match, and a final confrontation between Taker and The World Heavyweight Champion before Cyber Sunday.

There isn't much to say about it because they clearly did the best they could given the circumstances. Batista isn't the best talker, and The Deadman's gimmick requires a stoic silence. Plus, neither Steve Austin nor Mick Foley showed up, leaving JBL with the brunt of the work. As far as the election-themed atmosphere is concerned, Smackdown's Color Commentator did a strong job trying to forcefully win over the vote. The "Vote JBL" buttons were a nice touch.

Batista versus Jamie Noble was what it had to be. It served as a nice complement to last week's squash featuring Undertaker against Noble.

The final segment was well-orchestrated since WWE worked around each participant's limitations. They had The Wall Street Wizard, JBL, run the show, which flowed nicely and logically because he is one of the special guest referee choices at the PPV. Bradshaw's over-the-top celebration - complete with video montage, free t-shirts, and pins - was a good way to induce violence from The Undertaker.

In the end, both Taker and Batista came out looking strong. After we saw JBL get chokeslammed by The Undertaker, Batista turned the tables with a spear to his PPV opponent. As The Animal exited the ring, Taker did his version of Michael Myers in the final sequence of Halloween when he slowly (and quietly) sat up.

Overall, the feud has been pretty good. This episode of Smackdown did a nice job defining the tension while underscoring Sunday's PPV theme.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 1.5 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 (17 weeks)

I couldn't see the first segment, but from what I read, Finlay and Rey Mysterio brawled all over the MVP Lounge set.

The match itself was the same type of formula tag match WWE has presented all week on its television programming. They had MVP and Hardy team up to face Finlay and Mysterio. Again, the story was about which team could hold together the best despite being Cyber Sunday opponents. When The Fighting Irishman swung his shillelagh into Rey's gut, that question was emphatically answered.

For multiple weeks, I've been discussing the Hardy-MVP feud in great depth. There are a lot of benefits to their rivalry, and I like MVP's recent changes. He's morphing into a heelish babyface, a guy whose whole is a babyface, but who isn't above using heel tactics to get what he wants. This type of transformation was exemplified at the end of their match when MVP sat near Hardy to protect him from Finlay, who was eyeing the wounded tag champ.

Overall, the feud is still strong, but WWE needs to find a solution to their current problem: stagnation. MVP and Hardy have been waiting for a one-on-one bout, and this PPV was supposed to be the one to hold it. Unfortunately, Hardy's severe laceration further postpones what should have happened by now. Hopefully, we get to see that match on Smackdown in the coming weeks.

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

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

THE MAJOR BROTHERS vs. DREW McINTYRE & Dave Taylor (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week's Smackdown was the last WWE show before their interactive PPV, Cyber Sunday. And since the fledgling rivalry between The Major Brothers and Drew McIntyre isn't on the PPV card, their feud got the cut.

Expect a continuation to this one next week once the pay-per-view has passed. You can't really blame WWE for choosing to emphasize other feuds over this one.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [down 0.5 from last week]

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

FINLAY vs. REY MYSTERIO (6 weeks)

This week, The Fighting Irishman brawled with Rey Mysterio in MVP's VIP Lounge. Then they met in a match that required them to team up against the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, MVP and Matt Hardy.

The match resulted in another victory for The Mismatch Team when Mysterio was caught off-guard by Finlay, who batted a shillelagh straight into his gut. The story of the match was how great Finlay and Mysterio were working together in the beginning of the contest. Cole and JBL noted on multiple occasions that their teamwork was both impressive and effective.

This feud wasn't as prominently featured as it was last week, but since the main focus was rightfully placed on the Taker-Batista rivalry, it did its job in at least maintaining the energy. It will be interesting to see whether Rey and Finlay will still be battling after Cyber Sunday or whether new opponents will be chosen for them. It hasn't been the most enthralling pairing, and despite being relatively short so far, I wouldn't mind seeing them take on new enemies come next Friday.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero

The Great Khali [artist Neal Obermeyer (c) PWTorch]

THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh) vs. BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. KANE vs. MARK HENRY (2 weeks)

Okay, the singles matchup between Kane and Mark Henry took place toward the beginning of the show, so I missed it. This doesn't change the fact that it was simply a match between two of the monsters involved in this feud. Therefore, allow me to present the arguments I made in my ECW column this week:

"... I'm not sure how effective it is to choose this feud to be the one that appears on both Smackdown and ECW every week, but there are a few good reasons for its existence.

First, it has an originality appeal. These four characters have each been built individually as tough, giant monsters in WWE. To put them together is a gimmick in and of itself. That's exactly what they're aiming for with next week's upcoming Monster Mash Battle Royal on the Halloween edition of ECW television.

Secondly, it's a feud that gives each man a purpose without keeping them in an awkward position at the upper-midcard without a belt. It's always strange to see how heavily WWE pushes guys like Big Daddy V, Kane, and Mark Henry when you realize that they don't often (or sometimes ever) win titles. How are guys that are portrayed as powerful as they are not at the top of every WWE card with titles around their waists - or, more likely, over their shoulders? This is a chance to highlight their power without involving them with world champions.

And finally, this type of feud is going to concentrate these men into one or two segments on the show. For fans that don't appreciate The Great Khali, Mark Henry, and Big Daddy V destroying valuable wrestlers in their own separate rivalries, this one corrects that problem. If they weren't being booked together, they would likely be given smaller guys who would job and look bad. And instead of seeing Khali face Batista, Big Daddy V face C.M. Punk, and Mark Henry face Undertaker, now those top babyfaces get a chance to face other deserving stars on the rosters while the big guys battle it out with each other."

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

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

VICKIE GUERRERO vs. JAMIE NOBLE (3 weeks)

In the last few weeks, Jamie Noble has been on Vickie's bad side. He originally made a comment about how she slithered in to take the role of GM after Teddy Long suffered a heart attack. In response, she booked him in a match against The Great Khali.

The following week, he tried to apologize, but ended up digging himself deeper into the proverbial hole when he talked about her being a woman in a tough position with her hormones all over the place. Yeah, that earned him a match against The Undertaker.

This week, he attempted to wield his sexual prowess by coming onto Smackdown's General Manager. Again, the plan backfired, and he was quickly booked into a match with The World Heavyweight Champion, Batista.

This is one of those entertaining little feuds that work well in filling the gaps of the show. Jamie Noble is starting to find a unique personality here, and his tiffs with Vickie Guerrero are paying off. Even though he's used as fodder for main event wrestlers, at least he's building a better character. Watching Noble nervously falter in his conversations with Vickie after realizing that he keeps messing up is great.

The goal here should be to get people to root for him to be put in squash matches from this point, which - in a sense - negates the downside of the concept of squash matches. In other words, if squash matches are bad for those who job, having people root for the jobber to fail anyway corrects this problem. I'm still interested to see him placed in the middle of a Five-Way match with Kane, Big Daddy V, Khali, and Mark Henry.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 0.5 from last week]

CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chuck Palumbo vs. Chris Masters

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jesse & Festus vs. ??
(2) Smackdown wrestlers vs. ECW wrestlers?

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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