By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
February 1, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (third-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-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 Heavyweight Champion EDGE & Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO vs. REY MYSTERIO (5 weeks)

An unusually elated Teddy Long kicked off the show by announcing that at No Way Out, he too was booking an Elimination Chamber Match to determine the Number One Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. The six participants he chose include Batista, Khali, Finlay, MVP, Big Daddy V, and The Undertaker. He then announced that he was also booking a rematch for the World Heavyweight Title at No Way Out between Rey Mysterio and Edge. As you can probably guess, Edge was seething at the announcement. He pleaded with Teddy to let him face anyone other than Rey, but Long didn't back down.

Rey Mysterio was in action later in the show when he teamed with C.M. Punk to face Chavo Guerrero and Edge. The match had a feel-good ending when Punk pinned Chavo after a Go 2 Sleep for the win. After the match, they replayed the footage of Mysterio delivering his finisher on Chavo. "Watch Edge, the coward ducking out of the way; Chavo took a 619," Cole said in his recap. That wasn't a good line because it sounded as if Edge should have been man enough to sit on the ropes and take Mysterio's 619 instead of escaping. He may have meant that Edge was a coward for leaving the ring, but it is perfectly within the rules to go to ringside as long as he returns before the referee's ten count.

Okay, so let's break these two segments down. The idea that Teddy Long is getting this new power in Vickie's absence is fine, but hopefully WWE will capitalize on logic here. Doesn't Long realize that as soon as Vickie returns, he will be back in his assistant-type role where both Vickie and Edge can thoroughly abuse him? For someone who knows that this power is only temporary, you would assume he wouldn't try to do anything to anger the people to whom he must eventually listen. It's understandable that he's taking this short window to help babyfaces on the brand get some justice, but WWE can use this as the perfect opportunity to push the story forward.

Teddy shouldn't be in this assistant role much longer, and this week's progression can lead to something big. Perhaps the next step is having Long pay for his decisions when Vickie arrives in the next few weeks. Maybe she and Edge can make his life even more miserable (which in turn can lead to an angle where Teddy can overcome the odds later). In the last few months, Teddy has looked depressed, but since he's only had to push Vickie around in a wheelchair, it's not really worth sympathizing with him. Here's their chance to create a scenario in which Edge and Vickie put the audience in a position to really want to see Teddy overcome the oppression. The most logical continuation here would be for an angry, frustrated Edge to exact revenge on Teddy when Vickie resumes her General Manager duties.

Also, it's refreshing to see Rey Mysterio get more time in the main event slot on the blue brand. With only three weeks before No Way Out (and with a new Number One Contender to run from No Way Out to WrestleMania 24) it's the most practical decision for a World Title storyline anyway. It seems as though the angle with Edge, Vickie, Rey, and Theodore Long is chock full of potential, but with a new contender being established in less than a month, it's doubtful that the story can get anywhere. At this point, it seems as though WWE is using Mysterio more as a stalling tactic more than anything else—as though his shot at the World Title at No Way Out is simply a formality. Two key questions stand out now: What happens when Vickie returns? And where does Rey fall heading into WrestleMania?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Edge: Kane, Batista
Vickie Guerrero: Undertaker, Batista
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, MVP

United States Champion MVP vs. RIC FLAIR (5 weeks)

Justin Roberts announced a Royal Rumble rematch between MVP and Ric Flair. He explained the concept of the Career Threatening Match, which is useful in that it made the tension that should be inherently existent feel more imminent. The match ended when MVP reversed Ric Flair's Figure Four. The Nature Boy got to the ropes, but MVP wouldn't release the hold, which prompted the referee to call for the bell. After the match, Porter placed Flair's leg between the ring post and the steel steps before charging with a running kick to the metal steps. Flair's leg seemed to be crushed between the metal, and he screamed in agony. As MVP left, Flair had to be escorted by referees to the back.

Most of the time, MVP's heel character doesn't feel as insidious as he does arrogant; however, this week he looked plain sinister. Ric Flair did a nice job selling the injury, and now WWE has a strong angle with which to work. MVP has given Flair hell on Smackdown while Mr. Kennedy promises more injury on Raw. It's an interesting entanglement between The Nature Boy and two upper-mid-carders on two shows. On the other hand, it looks like Porter will no longer be involved with this storyline; he's booked for the Smackdown Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, so this likely served as his last effort to harm Ric Flair.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
MVP: Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio
Ric Flair: n/a

HORNSWOGGLE & FINLAY vs. THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh) & MR. McMAHON (10 weeks)

Mr. McMahon met with Finlay and Hornswoggle in the back to question them about the Royal Rumble. McMahon was disappointed that The Fighting Irishman squandered his opportunity at the World Heavyweight Title by protecting Hornswoggle. When he asked why he did that, Finlay responded, "How about loyalty and friendship?" McMahon claimed that there's no such thing as loyalty and that he could buy all the friendship he needs.

As Finlay and Hornswoggle walked to the ring to face Deuce 'N' Domino, Cole did a great job emphasizing how relevant Finlay's actions at the Royal Rumble were. He noted that Finlay chose to throw his chance at the World Title away because he cares about Hornswoggle. For those who may not know, Finlay entered the Rumble Match out of turn to protect Hornswoggle from harm, which caused him to be disqualified. This week's tag team match ended when Finlay laid out Deuce on the outside before giving Domino the Celtic Cross. Hornswoggle then landed his Tadpole Splash from the top rope for the victory. As they celebrated, the announcers hammered home the point about how Finlay kicks it into a new gear whenever Hornswoggle's involved.

The relationship between Finlay and Hornswoggle is being explored to a much greater degree lately, which is fantastic. The alliance between the Finlay and his leprechaun buddy serves many purposes, the most important of which is defining characters. Finlay has never looked more like a babyface. The fact that he sacrificed his World Title opportunity to protect Hornswoggle was an effective way to establish the type of person he is. Hornswoggle has been caught between two feelings regarding Mr. McMahon. On the one hand, he loves his dad; on the other hand, he's terrified of him. And the Mr. McMahon character is also being supported here. He's looking particularly villainous as he manipulates, connives, and bullies his way through the storyline with his inexplicable frustrations.

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

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

MARK HENRY & BIG DADDY V (w/ Matt Striker) vs. THE UNDERTAKER (5 weeks)

This week marked the reunion of The Brothers of Destruction when Kane and The Undertaker teamed up to battle Mark Henry and Big Daddy V. The match ended with Taker delivering a chokeslam to Mark Henry before applying in his new submission finisher. Henry was forced to tap as blood began pouring out of his mouth.

This feud seems to be all over the place. Mark Henry and Big Daddy V pose an equally weak threat against The Deadman, who generally finds no problem beating them. Mark Henry is now taking part in a storyline on Raw against John Cena for some reason, and Undertaker is going to enter the Elimination Chamber with Big Daddy V and four other people to vie for a shot at the World Title at WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year.

Again, there's no story here; it's just a few big guys who want to attack The Undertaker (and they don't even do that successfully). Other than Taker, who has a uniquely mysterious gimmick, the characters are two-dimensional and quite boring. Big Daddy V arrived months ago, and nobody knows anything interesting or personal about him. Plus, WWE doesn't utilize Matt Striker as much as they should. I'd say the layout of this feud is flawed, but that seems to be the common factor in every Big Daddy V storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [down 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Mark Henry: Undertaker, Kane
Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista, Edge

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. JAMIE NOBLE & MICHELLE McCOOL (10 weeks)

Chuck Palumbo came to the ring to cut a promo about last week. He told the crowd that he and Michelle were doing just fine until Noble came along. He also said that he had no choice but to attack Noble and that what happened to McCool was an accident. As footage from last week played, Cole noted that Michelle is suffering from whiplash and a concussion. "You people aren't getting it; this is all Jamie Noble's fault," Palumbo rationalized. Chuck also told us that WWE fined him $10,000 for putting his hands on a referee. Sorry Michelle, aggressive violence against women after a match has ended is not a fine-worthy offense.

Palumbo then called out Michelle to issue an apology. McCool walked to the ring hesitantly; she favored her neck as she entered the ring. When Chuck told her that he was sorry, she explained that she isn't going to accept any more of his apologies because she doesn't believe that he means it. Suddenly, McCool launched a hard slap at Palumbo's face. He immediately returned to her angrily. "This is all your fault," he argued. After a few lines about how she is to blame for everything, Chuck told Michelle that he's going to attack Noble and make her watch.

This storyline is certainly moving. WWE has handled it quite well recently. They had Chuck Palumbo turn heel three different times in three consecutive weeks (by having Michelle accept his apologies). Now Palumbo seems like an unstable heel that's out for revenge against Jamie Noble, who he blames for ruining everything. I would note that it was contradictory to have Palumbo first blame Noble for everything before blaming Michelle in the same promo, but it makes sense for Palumbo's character. He's a guy who refuses to take responsibility, and he will not hesitate to point the finger at everyone else for his shortcomings.

The only other point that should be made here regards the acting involved. Michelle McCool is pretty weak in this department. Whenever she speaks in promos, it sounds as though she's reading or remembering fixed lines word-for-word and simply reciting them with little consideration for the emotion or tone that must complement those words. The good news is that it's something that can be improved over time with some more practice.

Also with regard to acting, Chuck Palumbo seemed out of his element in the promo this week. At some points, he seemed like he was about to lose his straight face, and at other times it felt as though he didn't know what kind of feeling he was attempting to emote. In any event, he was almost unconvincing as a livid heel. I'm not questioning his ability to play a heel, but it seemed like he wasn't buying into his character's anger here.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [same as last week]

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore vs. Deuce 'N' Domino


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jesse & Festus vs. ?
(2) C.M. Punk vs. Edge
(3) Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore vs. Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder
(4) Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Deuce 'N' Domino


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

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt