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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
March 14, 2008
Upcoming PPV: WrestleMania (third-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-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)


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

Shawn Michaels entered Flair's locker room to see how he was holding up, and Flair confided that he's stressed because he doesn't want either of them to get hurt in their upcoming Steel Cage Match. HBK assured Flair that he had nothing to worry about. He went on to say, "I promise you that you're going to get my best [at WrestleMania]. I guarantee it."

Right before the Steel Cage Handicap Match commenced, Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero came out for a special announcement. She said, "I said that this match was going to be a Handicap Match, which means that Hawkins, Ryder, and the one that I love will be joined by the ECW Champion, whose last name happens to be Guerrero!" Well, the logic there is slightly flawed considering the match was technically already a Handicap Match, but Cole added a good point by speculating that this could be the reason she allowed Michaels to participate all along.

During the match, Michaels and Flair got Edge and one of his Edge Heads (respectively) in their similar figure four finishers. Chavo, however, managed to ascend the ropes and land a frog splash on HBK. As Edge scrambled toward the cage door, the lights suddenly went black. When they returned, the Undertaker stood behind Edge, waiting for him to turn around. He attempted a chokeslam, but Hawkins and Ryder stopped it. As Taker delivered a double chokeslam on the Edge Heads and a Tombstone on Chavo, Edge nervously climbed the cage wall and managed to narrowly escape for the victory.

Okay, so let's break this down from top to bottom. The first time we saw Flair and Michaels on the show was in a backstage segment that divulged a lot more information than you might think. First of all, WWE is hitting their relationship home to viewers each and every week (in this case, twice in one week). The company understands that viewers need to see how their relationship grows directly into the huge PPV matchup, and every show hyping the storyline is being used to forge a strong rapport between these two wrestling legends.

The other relevant element infused in their backstage meeting pertains to the tension that WWE is constantly injecting into the angle. Since Flair and Michaels are maintaining their babyface personas, it's imperative to find other ways in which the element of tension can be cleverly inserted. This time, the issue at the forefront of Flair's anxiety was the risk of injury. The Nature Boy expressed some valid concern heading into a match that has a reputation for brutality: the Steel Cage Match. To validate those fears even more, the match was going to be a Handicap Match. This fear of injury even stretched to Raw, where Michaels feared for Flair's safety in the Street Fight between Flair and Mr. McMahon. It was a good tactic by WWE.

The match itself accomplished exactly what it should have. Flair and Michaels got to team together against seemingly insurmountable odds, and the end of the match—and the show—rightly shifted the focus to Undertaker-Edge and their World Heavyweight Title feud. With WrestleMania only days away, it was imperative that WWE include Undertaker in Edge's segment of the show. And did you notice what WWE did here? Using adept booking, they made it seem like Edge once again one-upped The Undertaker with another win. But the match was never meant to be a win or loss for Taker. He wasn't a legal participant, yet he absorbed the loss for Flair and Michaels. In fact, once Undertaker made his appearance, Flair and Michaels lay at the side of the cage as The Deadman handled the rest of the show. Very smart move.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Edge: Kane, Batista
Vickie Guerrero: Undertaker, Batista
Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista, Big Daddy V

BATISTA vs. United States Champion MVP (5 weeks)

Batista met MVP in the ring yet again for another one-on-one matchup, but this time it was contested in a No Holds Barred Match for the United States Championship. The match saw an interference by Umaga lead directly to a win for Porter. The Samoan Bulldozer spiked his WrestleMania opponent with a thumb to the neck, and MVP capitalized with a cover for the successful three count. Cole and Coachman discussed how Umaga was out for revenge after suffering from a spinebuster on Raw.

Well, it looks like MVP's brief run with Batista is over, at least for now. The good news is that this was another case of smart booking. The Animal took a loss, which greatly helped both Umaga and Porter. And although the interference in a no disqualification matchup between Batista and anybody was slightly predictable, the benefits were well worth it. Umaga is going to need some strong showings in the next week or so with their WrestleMania match being one of the easiest predictions on the card this year. And now MVP can use this run with Batista as a great argument in the coming months when facing other challengers. He's technically beaten The Animal in two consecutive weeks to retain his United States Championship.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair

THE BIG SHOW vs. FLOYD MAYWEATHER (4 weeks)

Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore waited in the ring as Big Show approached them for a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. The bout ended when Show picked up a victory via pinfall after measuring Moore and throwing a punch to the head. "That could break Floyd Mayweather's face," Coach noted after the match. Big Show wasn't quite done with the destruction, though. He hoisted Yang into a military press before dropping him over the top rope to ringside. As Yang and Moore writhed in pain in prone positions, Big Show surveyed the damage and made his exit. Later in the show, they aired the video from Raw showing Mayweather bragging about his riches.

It was the simple Smackdown formula for promoting Show-Mayweather. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but it did give the announcers a segment to hype this specific PPV match. How did Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore fall so far on the Smackdown roster? They looked to be a great up-and-coming team on the blue brand and even came close to convincingly capturing the WWE Tag Team Titles just a few months ago.

As for Big Show, he's being built properly. These weekly Smackdown squashes (as they should probably be called from her on out) are moderately helping the feud. Show is rarely in action on Raw, which is basically used as the place of interaction between the two WrestleMania competitors, so Smackdown is his platform to show the audience his in-ring dominance. And squash match after squash match certainly begins to solidify him as a force that shouldn't be overlooked.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same as on Raw]

Previous Feuds
Big Show: n/a
Floyd Mayweather: n/a

EVE vs. CHERRY vs. MARYSE vs. VICTORIA vs. MICHELLE McCOOL (2 weeks)

Maria hosted the divas' segment this week since Smackdown emanated from Chicago, her hometown. She began by eliminating the person with the least amount of text votes since last week, which happened to be Maryse. After the announcement, Maryse immediately adopted a heelish disposition. She raised her chin high and put her arms in the air as if to say, "Go ahead and boo."

They moved on to this week's competition: an obstacle course consisting of a balance beam, tire track, sack hop, and a wall over which each diva must jump. Remember, the winner of the most votes by the end of the competition will receive a customized motorcycle. Eve went first, and she completed the course using various cartwheels and flips (23 seconds). Cherry got 22 seconds, Victoria 25 seconds, and Michelle won with 20 seconds.

The best part of this week's challenge was Victoria's utter joy as she did the sack hop. Her face expressed sheer jubilation, and she had one of the most infectious laughs on television. It will truly be interesting to see how the voting turns out this week. The most "unlikeable" character has to be Victoria, but many people realize that she's the most talented wrestler of the group. Plus, her clumsy antics are garnering more votes because people want to see her trip up in upcoming competitions. Victoria's direct opposite, Michelle McCool, is the clear fan favorite, so her continuation—and likely victory—is all but decided.

Cherry is one of the likely people to be eliminated this week, but she can be such a great asset as one of the most interesting divas on the roster (on any brand). Hopefully her potential keeps her around a few more weeks. The other likely candidate for elimination is Eve, but her athletic flexibility may have impressed some people. Her real strength, however, is the fact that she's already won a text voting competition: the Diva Search contest. So although she's not well-known against these other established divas, she may be getting a lot of votes from those that voted for her months ago.

As this competition plays out, a variety of feuds may be generated between these Smackdown divas. And if WWE is using this as a test of popularity, it's a smart move that could unveil some interesting results.

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

Previous Feuds
Eve: n/a
Cherry: n/a
Maryse: n/a
Victoria: Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Nothing advanced this feud on Smackdown last week. Miz and Morrison had a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match, and neither Jesse nor Festus showed up.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney
Jesse & Festus: Deuce 'N' Domino

CHUCK PALUMBO vs. KANE (2 weeks)

WWE played on the transitional rivalries for Chuck Palumbo when they had him team with The Great Khali to face the team of Kane and Jamie Noble. The tag team contest concluded when Kane tried to battle Palumbo on the outside as Khali delivered his double-armed chokeslam, The Khali Bomb, for the pin over Noble.

The booking made it clear that WWE isn't sure what to do with Khali at the moment. He was the odd fit in this tag team match, and the only other plan for him includes participation in the 24-Man WrestleMania Battle Royal, which will reward the winner an immediate ECW Title match against Chavo Guerrero. It's uncertain who needed the win more, but the decision to make it a heel was a smart one. There's just something lackluster about this feud, so let's see how (and if) it continues in the next few weeks.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Chuck Palumbo: Chris Masters, Kenny Dykstra, Jamie Noble & Michelle McCool
Kane: Finlay, Big Daddy V, Shelton Benjamin


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chuck Palumbo vs. Kane?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) John Morrison vs. The Miz


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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