By Chris Newth, Torch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
February 8, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (second-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-third 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 (6 weeks)

Edge entered the arena to host The Cutting Edge. "My guest tonight is a pioneer in this industry. She's brave; she's selfless. Quite frankly, she's the love of my life," Edge professed. He introduced Vickie Guerrero back to Smackdown as Teddy Long served wheelchair duty. He said that next week he is going to ask Vickie a special question. Edge went on to explain that Rey Mysterio owes Vickie an apology for hurting her at the Royal Rumble. He called out Mysterio, who came dressed in street clothes.

As Rey attempted to explain his story, Vickie kept interrupting with hard slaps to the face. Before she could hurl a third one, Rey grabbed her arm, which prompted Edge to attack. They fought until Mysterio landed a 619 on Edge before diving at him from the ring apron to the announce table. After taking care of Edge, Mysterio entered the ring where Vickie was still waiting. He took her mic and sarcastically said, "Vickie, I almost forgot. I'm sorry."

In the back, Eve (who has ostensibly found her place on the show as a backstage interviewer) ran into Edge and asked if he was going to propose to Vickie next week for Valentine's Day. He told her to mind her own business and explained that she would have to wait and see just like everyone else.

At this point, Mysterio-Edge seems to have taken a backseat to many other elements on Smackdown. In many ways, Edge doesn't consider Rey a threat anymore. This Friday he has plans that involve a new step in his relationship with Vickie, an angle that was clearly given more weight this week than his impending World Title Match at the next PPV. Furthermore, everyone is preparing for a new Number One Contender to be named at No Way Out. The idea that the Mysterio-Edge match has been downgraded in the audience's mind because WWE opted to focus on other aspects of the storyline likely suggests their intentions for the World Title from No Way Out to WrestleMania (and it doesn't involve Mysterio).

On the bright side, it's always refreshing to see the Edge-Vickie relationship undergo new transformations. WWE is obligated to provide infrequent, yet somewhat consistent alterations to the status quo. At this point, we've seen the beginning of the relationship with the surprise kiss, which was later followed by romantic activities and fuzzy nicknames. Now they (and we) are ready for the next step. It's nice to see WWE continue to grow this story as opposed to just sitting on it for months, which always leads to stagnation and decreased interest. Ideally, this next change will coincide with whomever Edge's next challenger is.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8.5 [down 0.5 since last week]

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

THE ROAD TO THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2 weeks)

Batista came out wearing his wrestling attire while Michael Cole questioned him about the Elimination Chamber. As he was touting his experience over the other participants, MVP's music hit. If you missed this segment, you could probably guess what happened next: Big Daddy V showed up, followed by Khali, followed by Finlay (accompanied by Hornswoggle), followed by The Undertaker. Everyone with the exception of Taker briefly spoke, but there wasn't anything particularly substantial about what they said.

Later in the night, a six-man tag team match was held which saw Undertaker, Finlay, and Batista face MVP, Big Daddy V, and Khali. The end of the match featured an assortment of signature moves—Batista's spear, Finlay's shillelagh shot, Taker's chokeslam—which apparently made the referee throw the match out. The show ended with Finlay, Taker, and Batista staring cautiously at one another to suggest the every-man-for-himself aspect of the Elimination Chamber.

Parading these six men out in the same segment one after the other felt like a blatant copy-and-paste strategy on WWE's part. We just witnessed the same thing happen over on Raw with their Elimination Chamber competitors. There must be a better alternative to use in this situation. In terms of storyline, nothing is really required here; they have six big acts preparing for their No Way Out gimmick match. The World Heavyweight Title is really the crux of the issue at the moment, and that is more than adequate. Plus, after No Way Out, none of this will matter; one person will move on to challenge either Edge or Mysterio, while the other five disperse and form other feuds that will hopefully make it to the WrestleMania card.

An interesting element that should really be broken down in commentary is that each participant seems to have some type of edge over everyone else. Cole and Coachman touched on the subject lightly when they promoted Batista and Finlay, but breaking it all down is something that can be truly beneficial in a match featuring such an eclectic assortment of talent. Batista has experience, MVP has strategy and brains, Big Daddy V has size, Khali has strength, Finlay has toughness, and The Undertaker has the psychological advantage.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair
Big Daddy V: Tommy Dreamer, Kane, The Undertaker
The Great Khali: Batista, Finlay, Hornswoggle
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon
The Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista

SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. KANE (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman recapped the short history between Kane and Shelton Benjamin on ECW. They showed how The Gold Standard walked out on Kane in their last match, causing the bout to end via count out. This week, they locked up in one-on-one competition. The match ended when both men were standing on the ring apron as the referee's ten count ticked away. Kane knocked Benjamin off the top rope and into the ring, but the ref called for the bell while Kane still stood on the apron. So Shelton inadvertently beat The Big Red Machine on a technicality.

This week featured a decent continuation to this feud. The match finish was a nice excuse to get Shelton a win despite an absence of a pinfall or submission. Kane expressed anger and frustration, presumably at himself, which may lead to an interesting angle to the story (but it probably won't). This feud is still interesting because of the difference in fighting style. It's also nice to see Benjamin being portrayed as somewhat of an equal to Kane. A better background story to support these matches would help, but it's moving along just fine at the moment.

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

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: n/a
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. JAMIE NOBLE & MICHELLE McCOOL (11 weeks)

Noble and Palumbo squared off this week in a singles match, the first singles match since the big Chuck Palumbo blow-up a few weeks ago. As Jamie Noble made his entrance, out strutted Michelle McCool. Chuck didn't look pleased. Cole reminded us that the last four matches between Noble and Palumbo have ended in victories for Jamie. This week's match ended when Noble attempted to dive at his opponent from the top rope to ringside, but Palumbo shoved him mid-air into his motorcycle. Palumbo then threw him into the ring, delivered his finishing maneuver, and pinned him for the three count.

After the match, Chuck continued to beat Noble while Michelle watched helplessly. He slammed Noble spine-first into the ring post before using his finisher again against the guardrail. Michelle was on the verge of tears at that point. To conclude the brutality, Palumbo dragged a lifeless Noble to the ramp and turned on his motorcycle. Michelle tried to help Noble, but he couldn't respond. Palumbo then revved the engine and tried to scare everyone by coming very close to running Noble over. However, in the end, he just smiled before heading to the back.

This was almost a necessary step to the storyline. After ten weeks of having Noble one-up Palumbo in matches, WWE needed to get heat and credibility back on the heel; they succeeded here. Michelle was distraught, Noble defeated. The bad guy was back on top, at least temporarily. What happened after the match clearly held more weight than the bout itself, but the whole segment was handled very well. Now the story has shifted into a new gear with new positions and new obstacles. This is one of Smackdown's best feuds.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

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

CURT HAWKINS & ZACH RYDER vs. JIMMY WANG YANG & SHANNON MOORE (2 weeks)

This week featured a tag team contest with Hawkins and Ryder taking on Yang and Moore. The match ended when Zach Ryder caught Shannon Moore with his finisher for the victory. This win marked the second week in a row where the heel team was able to find a way to beat Smackdown's Resident Redneck and his partner, The Reject.

This feud began last week, and it doesn't have much of a story to it. It's simply about two up-and-coming teams that are competing against one another in order to garner wins and popularity. In the last few weeks, Yang and Moore have lost most of the momentum they had after a string of victories over Miz and Morrison on ECW. WWE may want to consider the popularity that the babyface team used to have; it may have been a beneficial tool to use when trying to promote Hawkins and Ryder. This feud strategy—having the babyfaces encounter a team that they can't seem to beat—may have been flawed in this case because it ignores the efforts WWE has already put into their characters thus far.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder: n/a
Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore: John Morrison & The Miz


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Ric Flair vs. MVP


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jesse & Festus 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.

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