By Chris Newth

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
December 14, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixteenth 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)

Smackdown really felt more focused than usual this week, and two specific stories dominated the show. The first was the main event storyline, where Vickie Guerrero returned to assume her role as GM. She booked each of the three participants in the World Title Match at Armageddon in some type of matchup on Smackdown. And the matches were notable: Kane vs. Batista in a Last Man Standing and Undertaker vs. Mark Henry and Big Daddy V in a Handicap Match. That's a pretty intriguing lineup. Also throughout the show, we got nice progress in the Palumbo-Noble storyline with the beginning stages of Chuck's breakdown and Michelle's discontent with the entire situation. Overall, the show managed to cover all the necessary bases while giving deep emphasis on key feuds; it focused a lot on hyping the PPV, but it also provided a really entertaining TV-exclusive storyline too. It's nice to see WWE throw so much weight on a story that isn't even slated for the PPV forty-eight hours later.

EDGE & Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO vs. World Hvt. Champion BATISTA vs. THE UNDERTAKER (4 weeks)

The show opened with Edge walking out on stage, introducing his current love—Vickie Guerrero—who is back from her short injury hiatus. Teddy Long pushed the still-sore Vickie, who was aptly sporting a neck brace, onto the stage in a wheelchair. As Smackdown General Manager, she stated that she was going to book three matches, each of which would include one of the wrestlers in Armageddon's main event Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Title.

Vickie started the show with Edge's match. When watching, you could tell what was about to go down, but it was still fun anyway. Suddenly, Funaki's music hit, and Smackdown's Number One Announcer made his way to the ring. Edge displayed a wide smile in reaction. After promptly beating Funaki with his patented spear, The Rated-R Superstar approached Vickie to hear the other matches on the docket. She announced that Batista would face Kane in a Last Man Standing Match, and Undertaker would take on both Big Daddy V and Mark Henry in a Handicap Match. Michael Cole kept hitting the story home by questioning Vickie's favoritism.

The second of the three matches continued toward the middle of the show with Kane and Batista, who were slated to compete in a Last Man Standing Match. These two collided in what turned out to be a really strong bout. The timing and pacing of the match worked really well to hide their weaknesses and play on their strengths. In the end, Batista gave Kane a spinebuster onto the announce table (which looked like it was supposed to break, but didn't give way).

Then Edge arrived to deliver a spear to The Animal. The referee began a ten count, and it looked as though both men were going to end the match in a draw. However, The World Heavyweight Champion managed to get back to his feet and give Edge a back body drop to win the match while Kane lay motionless at ringside. Edge couldn't believe it, so he retaliated with a steel chair shot to Batista's spine. The segment ended as Edge stood happily over a writhing Batista.

Smackdown's main event featured Undertaker having to face two monsters simultaneously. The Handicap Match against Big Daddy V and Mark Henry wasn't a tag, so all three men were in the ring at the same time. Taker defended himself nicely throughout, making believable progress as the match continued. In the end, Taker was able to send Big Daddy V reeling before hitting a chokeslam on Henry for the pinfall victory. Post-match, the monsters put The Deadman in a two-person torture rack, then Edge came out to get a first-person look at the damage.

Overall, this feud seemed like it was "getting somewhere" with this particular episode. It accomplished two specific things since it not only forwarded this Edge/Vickie storyline, but it also provided great hype for the last WWE pay-per-view event.

The Vickie favoritism angle was interesting, although slightly predictable. It really allowed JBL to shine. When Michael Cole began to talk about the obvious difference in ability between Edge and Funaki, JBL shot back with a remark about how everyone on the roster is up to par because these are all the best athletes in the world. Cole was then stuck in a hard place because he couldn't deny that fact in and of itself.

The other great line by JBL came when footage rolled of Vickie getting a Tombstone Piledriver by Undertaker. Cole attempted to give more context to the situation, but JBL told him that there's absolutely no time, place, or situation that warrants a man hurting a woman. Sorry Cole, but you'll just have to accept that Undertaker isn't a sinless babyface.

What great advancement this week. The Kane-Batista match was more than solid for what it was. Undertaker actually had a chance and looked good taking on Henry and Big Daddy V. And Edge made sporadic appearances throughout the show to help forward events. Also, Vickie returning to the job was nice. It leaves things open and sets an interesting subplot as we move along. How long will it take Teddy Long before he does something to stop his abuse? How long before he stands up and does something? How many orders by Vickie and Edge will it take to change things?

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

Previous Feuds
Edge: Batista
Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker
Vickie Guerrero: n/a

REY MYSTERIO vs. United States Champion MVP (4 weeks)

The continuation for this story came in the form of a warm-up match for Rey Mysterio as he went one-on-one against Kenny Dykstra. Montel Vontavious Porter was on commentary at ringside. The match was relatively short and ended with Mysterio picking up a clean win with his springboard leg drop after the 619.

After the match, MVP entered the ring to ostensibly congratulate Mysterio, but Rey was clearly wary of MVP's heelish tendencies. When MVP stuck out his hand for a shake, Mysterio turned it down, seemingly not willing to fall for anymore tricks. Unfortunately for him, the United States Champion had another plan in mind. He pretended to see something happening behind Mysterio (which may or may not have been Kenny standing up), and that prompted Rey to turn around. Suddenly, MVP hit him in the back of the head with the title belt. Rey freefell face-first to the mat as Porter left the ring very proud of his accomplishment. It was interesting in that it felt as though he used that stunt only because his first clichéd hand-shake turn didn't work out.

Overall, this feud feels as though it's more in the mid-card than it should be. WWE could really make this one another top feud, but for whatever reason, they are not. Perhaps it has something to do with how powerful they want their top story to feel. Maybe they think a Mysterio-MVP rivalry would be nice, but it would only hinder the effect that the Edge/Vickie-Taker/Batista storyline has. In any event, both men are great wrestlers with awesome talent. It's likely that their feud will continue beyond Armageddon anyway, so let's see how it picks up after the PPV.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
MVP: Ric Flair
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero, Finlay

FINLAY vs. MR. McMAHON (4 weeks)

This week seemed to be a rehash of what we've seen in the last few weeks regarding the characters involved in this storyline. Theodore Long entered the ring to reluctantly announce that Hornswoggle would once again have to face The Great Khali in a singles match.

The match itself was about to start when Finlay crashed the party. Cole noted that unlike on Raw, Finlay was able to make it to the show since no one cancelled his plane tickets this week. Finlay didn't waste any time attacking the giant; he nailed Khali with a stiff shillelagh shot to the knee before the referee took the weapon away. That didn't stop The Fighting Irishman, though, as he went back on the offensive, hitting The Great Khali with successive punches. The plan seemed to work as Khali slowly slid down against the turnbuckles in pain.

Then Ranjin Singh took Hornswoggle hostage. He threatened to hurt Finlay's little leprechaun friend, so Finlay shifted his target to the translator (and off of Khali). After ridding the ring of Singh, Finlay was met by a recovered Khali, who was able to connect with his hand chop to the head. Finlay crashed to the floor, but the monster wasn't done yet. He picked Finlay up and slammed him down with a double-arm chokeslam move.

Overall, this feud is beginning to plateau (if it hasn't already done so). If McMahon-Finlay is the actual rivalry here, we're going to need a new opponent for Finlay after Armageddon. Khali is designed as the first major challenge, but it's going to get tiresome (as most of Khali's feuds quickly do).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as on Raw]

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio
Mr. McMahon: Bobby Lashley, Triple H, Hornswoggle

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, The Miz, had to go one-on-one with Festus. When the bell rang, Festus underwent his usual transformation. Miz was able to fight back for a decent amount of time, which surprised the announcers. In the end, however, Festus lifted Miz onto his shoulders, knocked Morrison off the ring apron using Miz's legs, and delivered a one-man flapjack maneuver for the decisive three count.

Overall, this feud has some merit, but it's in an interesting position. It is one of the two ongoing WWE feuds that actually exists both on Smackdown as well as on ECW. Another interesting note is that ECW has been featuring the babyface team of Shannon Moore and Jimmy Wang Yang, so that's a bit curious. One is left to wonder if they pulled the plug on this one early so that they could have the newly-turned Major Brothers feuding with Jesse and Festus on Smackdown.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as on ECW]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison: C.M. Punk
The Miz: Balls Mahoney
Jesse & Festus: n/a

BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. KANE (9 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Well, this particular episode didn't do anything to further the feud between Big Daddy V and Kane. Both men played a role on the show, but each was in a different match that had nothing to do with their specific rivalry. However, like the Miz/Morrison-Jesse/Festus feud, it isn't quite necessary to involve these people with one another two times a week. As long as we get something on either ECW or Smackdown, the storyline should move along just fine (at least for those who watch both programs).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3.5 [down 0.5 since ECW]

Previous Feuds
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer
Kane: MVP, Finlay

CHUCK PALUMBO (w/ Michelle McCool) vs. JAMIE NOBLE (4 weeks)

This week began with footage from last week's show, but it was via WWE Mobile (so it didn't actually air last week). The video showed an enraged Chuck Palumbo tossing random things aside backstage. Michelle caught up with him and tried to calm him, but it didn't work too well. He wanted her to accept some of the blame for his latest loss against Jamie Noble.

Then it was the tag team divas match that seemed imminent after last week's ECW. Kelly Kelly and Michelle McCool teamed together against Layla and Victoria. The match had some decent action despite being so short. It ended when Palumbo showed up after Kenny tried to cheat against McCool. He chased Kenny around the ring and to the back, but in the meantime, Victoria was able to roll up McCool and earn the victory. Michelle looked on in sheer frustration.

It was clever to have Palumbo interfere to help Michelle just to have her lose the match. Unlike the usual interference that backfires, this one was different. Palumbo saw Kenny cheat, so he chased him. He actually did nothing wrong in his plan; the goal was to get Kenny to stop helping Victoria, and that worked. If Michelle had stayed focused instead of watching her friend drive around the ring, she may not have lost. In that sense, Palumbo has a point and isn't really to blame here.

Backstage after the match, McCool and Palumbo talked again. He was yelling about the entire situation and went as far as punching a hole in the wall before exiting. Nothing seemed to be going right for those two. And to top it all off, Michelle still had to go on a date with Jamie Noble this week.

Later in the show, Michelle was walking with Kelly Kelly into the divas' locker room where they found tons of flowers. It seemed as though Chuck may have gotten them to make up for all the trouble, but then viewers discovered that Noble was the one who purchased them. How do we know? Because Noble entered the room and told everyone. Michelle commented that she was impressed, but she was still not excited about their upcoming date. Noble then told her to prepare. It wasn't clear if they were going after the show or if they had it planned for next week.

Overall, this feud is getting some great development. If anyone got the impression that Palumbo acted a lot like a heel in this episode (particularly when yelling at Michelle McCool and having her take responsibility for his loss last week) while Jamie Noble acted a lot like a babyface (with his manners and the scene where he got McCool all those roses), you are not alone. It's an intriguing situation that may be leading to a double turn. Let's see where this heads next week, but WWE did a really nice job pushing it forward without making things too obvious.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 1 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Chuck Palumbo: Chris Masters, Kenny Dykstra
Jamie Noble: Hornswoggle, Vickie Guerrero


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V or Mark Henry?
(2) Victoria vs. Michelle McCool? (again)
(3) Chuck Palumbo vs. Michelle McCool?


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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