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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
March 28, 2008
Upcoming PPV: WrestleMania (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirtieth 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)

Of course, WrestleMania has come and gone, but that leaves this analysis in a unique position. So the following evaluation for Smackdown is written with full knowledge of the transpired events of last Sunday's PPV event, and the purpose of the article becomes twofold. Not only will it remind readers what happened heading into this week's Smackdown, but it will also articulate the effectiveness of the booking strategies employed by WWE with WrestleMania now behind us. They say that hindsight is 20/20, so let's see where that leaves this episode of Friday Night Smackdown. And on a side note, I did attend WrestleMania in person.


World Heavyweight Champion EDGE & Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO vs. THE UNDERTAKER (6 weeks)

What we know: Edge fights Undertaker in an excellent matchup at WrestleMania. The well-paced and well-executed bout ends after numerous nearfalls when Taker snapped on his modified triangle choke submission maneuver until Edge had no choice but to tap. Taker ended the show holding the title in the air as the new World Heavyweight Champion.

The hype: Approximately halfway through Smackdown, a video aired highlighting both Edge and Undertaker as it hyped WrestleMania and all its implications. The closing segment of the show featured Edge's metaphorical burial of Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. The World Heavyweight Champion entered the funeral-decorated ring flanked by his cronies, Hawkins and Ryder. Inside the ring, Vickie Guerrero sported a black veil, while Edge was quite dapper in a full suit and tie, an unusual look for The Rated-R Superstar. Edge spoke about how things will end for The Phenom at WrestleMania; he had compiled a list of Undertaker's previous opponents.

Vickie Guerrero then presented her lover with a special video of how WrestleMania will ultimately end. "In a world cloaked in darkness," the movie voice guy began, "a champion emerges as the lone beacon of hope. World Heavyweight Champion Edge pulls back the shroud and leads the greatest tale ever told." Once Edge reacted joyously to their tribute video, he announced the metaphorical death of Taker's undefeated streak. He then engaged in a long, passionate kiss with Vickie until the arena suddenly darkened. The Undertaker emerged from the coffin; he scared Long and Vickie, chokeslammed Edge into the coffin, and trashed the ring using Hawkins and Ryder as the force of demolition. Edge and Taker ended the show in a stare-down.

It was pretty surprising to see such a minimal use of Taker and Edge on the show airing just two days prior to their main-eventing WrestleMania. As for its effectiveness, it had its moments. The message was clear, and unlike many episodes that air before PPVs, this one didn't show a clear winner/loser heading into the event. Both Undertaker and Edge closed the show looking pretty strong, with The Deadman clearly having the slight psychological advantage. Edge and Vickie played their heel parts well, as usual. As the leading storyline on Smackdown, it didn't match its Raw counterpart (Cena-Orton-Triple H) in intensity, but this closing segment adequately continued the feud leading into WrestleMania. And With this storyline only in its sixth consecutive week, the likely continuation will involve Edge and Undertaker with some type of rematch clause.

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

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

BATISTA vs. UMAGA (3 weeks)

What we know: Batista faces Umaga one-on-one at WrestleMania, and The Animal's able to beat The Samoan Bulldozer after hitting his Batista Bomb. Smackdown is thus the superior brand.

The hype: Since Batista's match at WrestleMania would be against a monster from Raw, WWE booked The Animal in a warm-up bout against another of Raw's heel monsters: the demented Snitsky. In less than a minute, Batista was able to deliver all of his signature moves—the spear, the spinebuster, and the Batista Bomb—to successfully pin Snitsky for the squash win. After the match, Batista set a steel chair on the mat, picked up Snitsky, and landed yet another Batista Bomb on the chair to make an emphatic statement to Umaga.

With just two days before WrestleMania actually took place, it was WWE's strategic choice to keep these two separated. As for Batista's match, it didn't really help anyone. The audience knows Batista and his status as one of Smackdown's top stars, so a squash match at this point didn't prove anything. Plus, poor Snitsky. He's one of the guys on the roster just waiting for a nice push. And WWE has tried multiple times, but something's just not sticking. It's almost as if they realize that a sincere push that will be successful will take a lot longer for Snitsky than it will for some other talent, so they keep pulling back, opting instead to change the gimmick when trying again. As for the storyline in this Umaga-Batista feud, there really isn't any; it's a big man fight with an unknown stipulation. The talent is there, though.

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 (6 weeks)

What we know: Floyd Mayweather faces the Big Show in the second-to-last bout of the night, winning that much-anticipated contest after punching Show directly in the face with brass knuckles in hand.

The hype: The video package exploring what boxing experts thought about the match aired, and that was it.

Well, perhaps WWE thought that past episodes of Raw adequately promoted this feud. Plus, Smackdown was never the place to go for major plot points in this rivalry; it was the place for Show squashes.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

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

United States Champion MVP vs. Intercontinental Champion CHRIS JERICHO (2 weeks)

What we know: MVP comes close to winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but an interference by Matt Hardy and a Twist of Fate off the ladder leaves Porter on the sidelines. In the meantime, CM Punk manages to fend off Chris Jericho, unhook the briefcase, and win the match.

The hype: WWE promoted a Champion vs. Champion Match between Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho and United States Champion MVP. Porter strolled down the entrance ramp and cut a promo at ringside before the match got underway. "I'm better than everyone in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and after I beat Chris Jericho, that will be just one more example of why I am better than you," MVP said straight into the camera. The bout ended when Porter's insistence on using his title as a weapon prompted the referee to call for the disqualification. Jericho was able to turn the tables, however, when he basically used MVP's running momentum to hit the Code Breaker with the U.S. Title. After the match, Jericho grabbed a chair and nearly knocked MVP's head off with it.

The Money in the Bank Match is a tough one to promote since it's not feasible to include all the participants in each show, let alone the same segment. And when each show features its Money in the Bank segment, the two people chosen to represent the match generally change, making a continuing feud or storyline difficult to pinpoint. Jericho and MVP, however, do have a fledgling rivalry brewing. With that said, judgment must be primarily based on the match itself. Many of these single MITB preview matches have been very strong, and this match was no different. MVP's pre-match promo was a good way to buy some time after the divas segment while furthering his heel persona. It was smart for him to address viewers instead of simply directing his words to his opponent for the night.

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

Previous Feuds
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy

EVE vs. CHERRY vs. MARYSE vs. VICTORIA vs. MICHELLE McCOOL (4 weeks)

Theodore Long met with the remaining divas backstage. As he was about to announce the next elimination, a drum roll became audible, prompting all four of them to awkwardly look into the air. That's nice, subtle, self-acknowledging humor. He finally announced that Eve had been eliminated. Suddenly, Maryse and Victoria arrived to mock the babyface divas. Long booked them in a Wet and Wild Water Fight. The divas fell silent momentarily, but they eventually caved, accepting the challenge.

The Wet and Wild Water Fight was exactly what you'd expect: four gorgeous divas hurling water balloons, squirting water guns, and dumping buckets of H2O onto one another. Victoria, who always shows her quirky personality, donned floaties, flippers, and a snorkel. Cherry was a little reluctant out there, but Michelle tried to give her some pointers. At one point, the crowd repeated what was an audible "Cherry" chant. The match concluded when Michelle hit her Wings of Love on Victoria, covered, and scored a three count.

This storyline isn't really going to factor into WrestleMania, so it's serving a different purpose. The Wet and Wild Water Fight must be seen as an entertaining segment on the show, not a legitimate match that should be scrutinized as such. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with fun segments (like this type of diva activity or a Hornswoggle bout) held under the guise of a wrestling match. As for the diva contest for the customized motorcycle, it's nice to see Cherry get this far. I noted in the first week of this contest that she stuck out as the most unique diva character in WWE. Her growth and popularity is developing gradually, but steadily. Michelle is doing a nice job as the leader here, earning the wins and helping Cherry along the way.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [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 (5 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Miz teamed with Raw's Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch to face the diverse team of Jesse, Festus, and Kofi Kingston. The match saw the babyface team pull out the victory when Kingston floored Miz with his Jamaican Buzz Saw finisher.

Like the Smackdown diva storyline, this one really doesn't have a place on the WrestleMania card. It's a small tag team feud that hasn't quite picked up steam yet. It's nice to see WWE already incorporate Kofi Kingston on one of their two big brands. As for the characters involved regularly here, I'm beginning to fear that the whole Festus bell response could get stale sooner than later. It will be a challenge to continue with the same thing while avoiding too much repetition.

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 (4 weeks)

What we know: Kane wins the 24-Man Battle Royal at WrestleMania, enabling him to vie for the ECW Title later in the show. He advances to beat Chavo Guerrero rather decisively within seconds, becoming the new ECW Champion.

The hype: Smackdown commences with a small (yet big) Battle Royal featuring various superstars that will compete in the 24-Man WrestleMania Battle Royal. Kane, Mark Henry, The Great Khali, and Chuck Palumbo fight until just Henry and Khali are left in the ring. The match ends when The World's Strongest Man finds the strength to drop Khali over the top rope. After the match, Chavo entered the ring to attack Henry. The reigning (at the time) ECW Champion ascended the ropes for an attempted cross body, but Henry caught him in mid-air and quickly delivered the World's Largest Slam.

This particular hype was interesting as it had almost nothing to do with the events that transpired at WrestleMania. WWE pushed Mark Henry on Smackdown for the second week in a row. Remember, just two weeks ago Henry hit the World's Strongest Slam on Khali for a nice audience reaction. A week later, he wins this Battle Royal Match and slams the ECW Champion. Also interesting is that Kane didn't even make the final two in this match. Instead of having Kane lose to Henry and then avenging his loss at Mania, the main focus was on Khali and Henry. It was as if they were really pushing Henry for the PPV victory, but many people still saw the unlikelihood of a monster heel beating Chavo. I wonder where this leaves Henry come Smackdown.

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

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Jesse & Festus?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) CM Punk vs. John Morrison
(2) Maryse vs. Cherry
(3) Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
(4) Jesse & Festus vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
(5) Batista vs. Snitsky


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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