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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
April 25, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Backlash (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirty-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)


Of course, Backlash 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 Backlash now behind us. They say that hindsight is 20/20, so let's see where that leaves this episode of Friday Night Smackdown.


World Heavyweight Champion EDGE & Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO vs. THE UNDERTAKER (10 weeks)

What we know: Edge faces Undertaker one-on-one for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash. The Deadman wins the match after applying his modified triangle choke submission hold, causing Edge to tap. After the match, Taker refuses to relinquish the hold, and Edge must be wheeled to the back on a stretcher.

The hype: Before the show's opening theme, an extensive video recap aired highlighting the last few weeks between Edge and The Undertaker. The opening segment included an overly-excited Edge and his familia in the ring. Vickie announced that the Batista-Taker World Title match on the show was going to be contested with a No Disqualification stipulation. Edge complimented Vickie's decision by saying, "She's not only beautiful; she's a genius." Just as Edge continued admiring his advantageous situation, CM Punk crashed the party. I guess in this whole familia metaphor, Punk is the troublesome kid neighbor.

Punk talked about how his position as the owner of the Money in the Bank briefcase and everything that position entails. He said that at any point, he can cash it in and fight for the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge was getting increasingly angry as Punk spoke. Punk said that Batista could beat Edge, that Undertaker could beat Edge, and that he could probably beat Edge too. Vickie grabbed the mic and booked a match between CM Punk and Edge for later in the night. The segment closed with Punk pensively staring down an enraged Edge. Their match ended when Ryder distracted Punk enough to give Edge a chance at hitting his Spear for the win.

Later in the show, Batista met briefly backstage with Vickie to claim that he's going to not only beat Undertaker for the World Title, but he's also going to advance to Backlash to beat Edge. The Taker-Batista match was winding down when Batista dropped Taker onto steel steps with a spinebuster. Suddenly, Shawn Michaels came out of nowhere and hit his Sweet Chin Music on Batista. When Taker recovered, he delivered a Tombstone Piledriver for the three count.

The Edge-Taker rivalry has progressed nicely since WrestleMania after a slow start, and it was bound to continue through Backlash. Can you imagine Taker losing the title just two days prior to the PPV event (in TV time)? It would drastically hurt his credibility, despite Batista's status on the Smackdown roster. Seeing Edge's familial faction together in the ring was a nice visual; that heel has a ton of backup, making him a very threatening figure. Not only does he possess a great deal of athleticism, but he also has influence on the show's GM and multiple people literally in his corner at ringside during matches. Unlike Trevor Murdoch, one could say that Edge indeed has friends in high places.

As usual, Punk's involvement with Edge one-on-one this week was tremendous for reasons pertaining to perception. Audiences are beginning to see Punk as a guy who's almost there, but not quite there yet. That's probably where WWE wants him at the moment. Also, that Money in the Bank briefcase has been promoted to a highly esteemed position in WWE; it's analogous to a title at this point. Jim Ross and Michael Cole do a nice job describing the importance of the briefcase, and the longer Punk holds onto it, the better. The Punk-Edge match was a nice change of pace because it gave viewers a solid matchup between two great stars while Undertaker was busy trying to tie his storyline with that of Batista-Michaels. It was an interesting choice to combine those two top feuds, and the results were somewhat predictable, but perfectly solid.

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

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

BATISTA vs. SHAWN MICHAELS vs. CHRIS JERICHO (4 weeks)

What we know: Shawn Michaels and Batista face off with Chris Jericho as the special guest referee at Backlash. The match ends when Michaels lands a well-timed Super Kick to Batista's chin. Michaels covers and scores the three count.

The hype: As mentioned above, Batista experienced some Sweet Chin Music thanks to HBK during his World Heavyweight Championship Match against The Undertaker in the main event of Smackdown. The match ultimately had to end in this fashion; perhaps the formulaic Michaels cheap shot didn't have to be used, but it had its benefits. Taker needed to advance to Backlash as the World Heavyweight Champion, and Batista needed to refocus on Shawn Michaels so that Backlash would feature multiple top-tier matches. Both of these guys have played their parts well over the last few weeks, and a lot of valuable information on personality, values, and motives has been divulged.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [same since Raw]

Previous Feuds
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker, Umaga
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Money in the Bank

THE BIG SHOW vs. THE GREAT KHALI (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

What we know: These two giants finally collided at Backlash after weeks of stare-downs. In the end, Big Show pins Khali for the win after delivering a chokeslam.

The hype: Besides a video package, nothing was done on Smackdown to hype the Show-Khali match at Backlash. Odd, especially considering the fact that WWE basically combined the Edge-Taker and Batista-Michaels feuds on this episode, which presumably would leave more time to promote other acts.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Big Show: n/a
The Great Khali: Batista, Finlay, Hornswoggle

United States Champion MVP vs. MATT HARDY (4 weeks)

What we know: MVP would fight Matt Hardy in a really solid PPV matchup at Backlash. The match ends when Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on Porter for the victory. After the match, Hardy celebrates with his newly-won United States Championship. In a backstage interview, Hardy turns MVP's words against him as he proclaims that he is better than Porter.

The hype: Michael Cole interviewed Matt Hardy in mid-ring to promote the U.S. Title match at Backlash. When asked about his injuries, Hardy explained that his knee is fully recovered and that he feels better than he ever has. And as for MVP, Hardy gave viewers a reminder of their previous rivalry when he said, "MVP did everything he could to avoid me; he went as far as falsely befriending me, and then he attacked my knee and severely injured it. He put me on the shelf." Eventually, MVP interrupted the interview. He asked Hardy why he was "distorting the facts."

Both men began a pretty long argument. Hardy's point was that MVP used the WWE Tag Team Championship as a wedge between Hardy and the United States Title. He said that MVP was afraid to face him, so he did anything he could to prevent a title match from happening. On the other hand, MVP called Hardy jealous. He said that Matt Hardy had always been jealous of his fame, his money, and his championship gold. At the end of the segment, MVP held up his U.S. Title before kicking Matt in the knee and cracking said title into Hardy's head. Porter confidently walked up the ramp as Hardy struggled to make it to his feet.

This was a great segment that arguably should have been done the week after WrestleMania. It basically served as a recap for viewers after months of Hardy's absence. Hardy's arguments have not changed since he last time he met MVP face-to-face. He still believes that MVP used the WWE Tag Team Titles to avoid defending his U.S. Title. Furthermore, he gave an interesting interpretation of the "friendship" they used to share when he said that MVP falsely befriended him. After seeing Porter pull a complete heel turn on Hardy, it isn't hard to believe that explanation, and it was good that WWE brought it up. MVP doesn't have a good argument because, well, he's a heel with no legitimate reasoning behind his disgusting actions. Overall, this was a great way to head into Backlash; it could have been much stronger, however, if WWE had done this sooner.

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

Previous Feuds
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP

VICTORIA & NATALYA NEIDHART vs. MICHELLE McCOOL & CHERRY (4 weeks)

What we know: In a 12-Diva tag team match at Backlash, the heel divas picked up a big win when their leader, Beth Phoenix, nailed her finisher on Ashley for the win.

The hype: After facing Victoria last week on Smackdown, Cherry had her second match against Natalya, who was ironically making her own wrestling debut this week. Natalya dominated much of the contest, but after being slapped around a few times, Cherry hurled a few slaps of her own. However, Natalya ultimately won the match after snapping in the Sharpshooter on Cherry, who tapped out in utter agony.

Natalya has the potential to be another good character in a somewhat shallow women's division. Smackdown deserves a lot of credit because they have molded three strong diva characters in the last few months—Michelle McCool (who has been around for quite some time, but really picked up steam in the last few months), Cherry, and most recently, Natalya—and they also have Victoria, rounding out a nice little group of women who can really carry the drama and athleticism needed to hold a decent divas storyline.

At the moment, it isn't clear whether WWE will continue a bigger fight between women from all three brands. The match at Backlash was followed the next night on Raw by a Backlash rematch, which evened the score. Could that 12-diva fight make its way onto Smackdown or will we continue to see Cherry and Michelle McCool fend off heelish women like Victoria and her best friend, Natalya?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Victoria: Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly
Natalya Neidhart: n/a
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo
Cherry: n/a

WWE Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JIMMY WANG YANG & SHANNON MOORE (1 week)

Well, after seeing Morrison and Yang go head-to-head on ECW with Miz on commentary, the formula alternated the participants for Smackdown: Shannon Moore faced Miz while Morrison hung out with Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman at ringside. When Cole pressed the issue of Morrison's loss on ECW, Morrison responded by saying that he was focused more on saving the planet for Earth Day than he was on Jimmy Wang Yang. The match ended when Shannon Moore caught Miz in a backslide pin for the victory. After the match, Morrison met with a shocked and disconcerted Miz as Yang and Moore celebrated up the ramp.

And so the babyfaces get another surprise win on the heel champions. Shannon Moore could use a win, but he really needs an established finisher at this point. Cole suggested that this win gives Yang and Moore an argument for a title match, and that is likely going to be the WWE Tag Team Title Match advertised earlier this week for Friday's Smackdown.

As a feud, this one's been pretty rushed so far. Remember, these two teams have been rivals in the past, but there's been an extended break where nothing has been done. Furthermore, it's important to keep in mind that this renewed feud is only one week old. It may seem like they've been building it for two or three weeks, but in reality, WWE just booked the feud on both ECW and Smackdown last week. It will be interesting to see where this one goes from here, especially if there's a title on the line, but there's still something missing.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Jesse & Festus, Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney
Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore: Morrison & Miz

FINLAY & HORNSWOGGLE vs. MATT STRIKER (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

There was no sign of Finlay or Hornswoggle on Smackdown this week, most likely because they weren't slated to be a part of Backlash.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL
Hornswoggle: The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon
Matt Striker: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Big Show vs. The Great Khali
(2) Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Matt Striker?
(3) Batista vs. Shawn Michaels?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) CM Punk vs. Edge
(2) Vladimir Kozlov vs. ?


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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