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WWE Friday Night Smackdown
May 30, 2008
Upcoming PPV: One Night Stand (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirty-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 (15 weeks)

Edge kicked off Smackdown with a direct message for WWE fans. He stated that The Undertaker would be appearing for the last time on Smackdown and for the first time on his show, The Cutting Edge. Throughout the show, various clips aired highlighting The Undertaker's storied WWE career. In the final segment of the show, Edge entered the ring to host The Cutting Edge. Next to him stood a tall ladder, which was propped under the World Heavyweight Championship that hung from the ceiling. "Since I came to Smackdown a little over a year ago, I've had a specter that's hung over my head like a black cloud, and that specter's name is The Undertaker," Edge began. He reviewed the stipulations to the match before talking about why he was so confident. The reason, as he put it, was because he has more experience than Taker in the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match.

Edge pointed out that Undertaker has never been involved in a TLC Match. "I know someone who hasn't just competed in TLC Matches, but someone who has come to set the standard for what a TLC Match is, someone who has cemented his legacy in TLC Matches, someone who has defined TLC Matches," Edge said arrogantly. He then played a biased trailer that predicted that Edge would defeat Undertaker for the World Title and send The Phenom out of WWE. Finally, Edge introduced Undertaker to The Cutting Edge. When The Deadman entered the ring, Edge called on a casket to be brought out to make him feel more comfortable. La Familia wheeled the coffin to ringside, and Taker wasted no time attacking his opponents.

After a few minutes of fighting off the four members of La Familia, Undertaker was hit with a chair to the back. As he turned around to face Edge, Undertaker took another chair shot, this time to the head. The shot felled Undertaker, but Edge wasn't done. He hit Taker with multiple chair shots before rolling him into the casket. Edge then climbed the ladder as he talked about his legacy, but Undertaker's gong sounded and the lights went out. Once the darkness disappeared, Edge found Undertaker staring right at him atop the ladder. The show closed when Taker cleared the ring of La Familia and put Ryder through a table using the Last Ride.

Who would have thought that after One Night Stand—after everything was said and done—that Edge would once again be holding the World Heavyweight Championship on Smackdown while The Undertaker suffers (or enjoys) an indefinite leave from WWE? The stipulation of the title match on Sunday probably caught most people by surprise. While casual fans likely cheered for Undertaker to win, those who read into this kind of stuff likely thought that the "banishment" stipulation was a dead giveaway for the match's seemingly inevitable conclusion. And with a sudden twist, WWE launches Edge back atop the Smackdown roster as (if you consider Orton's new absence) the company's biggest heel star. The events on Smackdown were effective in hyping this matchup and setting up the culmination to their exciting four-month rivalry.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 10 [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 (9 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Batista, donned in all black attire, made his way to the ring for a promo about Shawn Michaels. He told the crowd that he was a man of his word and that he was going to hurt HBK at One Night Stand. "The thing between Shawn and I has gone way beyond personal," said Batista. He then began to say that he was going to face the winner of the TLC Match for the World Title, but Vickie Guerrero interrupted. "Excuse me, excuse me," Vickie said as Batista looked on annoyed. She said that Batista might not even be here in a few weeks when the WWE Draft rolls around. She then chastised him for daring to book himself in a World Title Match. Her third point involved Batista-Michaels at One Night Stand; she said that if he loses, he will make Smackdown look bad. When Batista started to fight back, Vickie booked him in a match: It would be Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder vs. Batista and a partner who is willing to volunteer their help.

It soon became time for the tag team match to get underway, and Batista walked out first. Cole and Foley questioned who Batista's partner would be, but Foley really emphasized what most viewers were thinking—that Batista would tear through Hawkins and Ryder whether he had a partner or not. Well, the heels made their way to the ring as Vickie waiting on the stage. When Vickie asked Batista if he had a partner, he said that he didn't need one, but that he had one anyway. Suddenly, Big Show's music hit. Show walked out, wheeled Vickie to the back as she screamed in fright, and then made his way to the ring for the tag team match. The matchup ended when Batista and Show delivered a Batista Bomb and chokeslam respectively and simultaneously for the victory.

This was another case of WWE doing their best to promote the feud without actually having Batista and Michaels together in the same arena. The most likely reason for this lies with the last-minute adherence to the brand separation. Batista is on Smackdown, while Michaels is on Raw. To build the feud most effectively, they should appear together on either Raw or Smackdown, but WWE is holding a draft in a few weeks. If anyone is going to take the WWE Draft seriously, the company needs to keep a stark separation between the brands, especially Raw and Smackdown.

Here was an example of WWE showing some restraint in order to increase the impact of their upcoming draft. They could have accomplished the same thing with more relevancy in terms of this Batista-HBK rivalry by, for example, showing a pre-taped Michaels promo addressing Batista on Smackdown. Overall, this episode of Smackdown did more to promote Batista as a character than it did to fuel the Batista-Michaels rivalry.

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

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

United States Champion MVP vs. JAMIE NOBLE (1 week)

Eve interviewed MVP in the back after segueing from Matt Hardy's victory against Elijah Burke. As she began to ask a question, Porter covered the mic with his hand and put his finger to his mouth, motioning her to be quiet. He touted himself as the most talented man on Smackdown and said that Hardy should not be the focus. When he began to explain how his talent wasn't being utilized properly on the show, Jamie Noble interrupted him. Noble asked MVP why he's blaming all his problems on everyone else. He also mentioned how they are a lot alike, something that MVP found troubling. Porter denied blaming other people and cracked a joke about Noble's height. Noble then challenged MVP to a match and said he'd set it up with Vickie, his "close, personal friend."

Later in the back, Noble met with Vickie, who was in the middle of a discussion with Hawkins and Ryder. They were talking about how nobody was going to voluntarily team with Batista since it would result in repercussions, so the match was ultimately going to be a Handicap Match. That assured Hawkins and Ryder for some reason, despite the fact that Batista would beat them in mere seconds had WWE booked a Handicap Match with those three. Anyway, Jamie Noble walked in, and Vickie granted his match without much thought before talking to the Edge Heads again. When Jamie pressed the issue to make sure it wasn't a stunt, Vickie, Hawkins, and Ryder all screamed at him to get out. The match between MVP and Jamie Noble ended when Porter hit a running kick to Noble's head for the win. "That's not just a win; that's a statement," Foley noted.

This could turn into an interesting program if WWE decides to run with it in the next few weeks. Although it's not clear whether Jamie Noble will continue to battle MVP, his use on Smackdown this week likely indicates that he will be reappearing on a regular basis. An MVP-Noble feud wouldn't hurt, though. Noble did a fantastic job in helping to build Chuck Palumbo into a strong heel, something on which WWE didn't capitalize when their rivalry concluded. Noble is a great comic vulnerable babyface character who people enjoy watching. Let's see which direction WWE takes this on Friday.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista, Matt Hardy
Jamie Noble: Hornswoggle, Vickie Guerrero, Chuck Palumbo

United States Champion MATT HARDY vs. ELIJAH BURKE (2 weeks)

This week on Smackdown, Matt Hardy went one-on-one with Elijah Burke in a non-title match. Throughout their bout, Michael Cole and Mick Foley discussed how much talent Burke has and how he hasn't progressed because he hasn't quite picked up the wins that he needs. That conversation pervaded the majority of the match, and they hit it home after Matt Hardy won by landing the Twist of Fate. After some replays, they had a shot of Burke looking up to the ceiling as if to ask, "Why is this happening to me?"

It's good to focus on a character like Burke who is so interesting to watch and so entertaining to hear on the mic. He's a really talented heel, and it's good that WWE is acknowledging the fact that he's had a very rough year. They are turning an actual fact into a relevant character element. Most of the time WWE jobs certain wrestlers only to bring them back, they just have the announcers act like there exists some new surge of some kind. That was the case with the on-and-off push of Stevie Richards on ECW. In this case, their acknowledgment of Elijah's long downfall may provide a great story for his character when he finally reemerges with fire as a great midcard heel. This could, however, also be a case where the announcers were just finding something to talk about. After all, they also pointed out Deuce and Domino's year-long losing streak, and that team may not be regaining credibility for a while.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP
Elijah Burke: ECW Originals, Tommy Dreamer, CM Punk

CM PUNK vs. BIG SHOW vs. WWE Tag Team Champion JOHN MORRISON vs. TOMMY DREAMER vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (2 weeks)

This week on Smackdown, CM Punk fought John Morrison one-on-one. Before the match got underway, the referee sent Miz to the back. The bout ended when Punk caught Morrison on his shoulders and delivered the GTS for the win. After the match, Punk held up his Money in the Bank briefcase and celebrated his win as Cole and Foley made the final hype for the Singapore Cane Match at One Night Stand.

This feud doesn't have much excitement to it simply because anyone could see the conclusion from a mile away. When Big Show made his surprise appearance on ECW a few weeks ago, that was as unpredictable as the storyline was going to get up until the Kane-Show match. As expected, Show ultimately won the Singapore Cane Match at One Night Stand to become the number one contender for the ECW Title. So this short Punk-Morrison match didn't really do anything but help Punk regain some momentum after a tough few months.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [down 0.5 since ECW]

Previous Feuds
CM Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero
John Morrison & The Miz: Jesse & Festus, Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney
Tommy Dreamer: John Morrison & The Miz, Mike Knox
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kane
Big Show: Floyd Mayweather, The Great Khali

FINLAY (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. CHUCK PALUMBO (2 weeks)

This week Finlay once again met Chuck Palumbo in singles competition. Last week, Finlay managed to pick up a win when Hornswoggle spat Irish green mist into Palumbo's face, allowing Finlay to hit his opponent with the shillelagh for the win. This week's match ended when the action broke to the outside. Palumbo took a metal chain from his motorcycle, wrapped it around his fist, and threw a punch to Finlay's head. The referee called for the bell, and Finlay won by disqualification. After the match, Palumbo rode up the ramp on his bike as the announcers discussed how Palumbo sought revenge after being humiliated last week with the mist.

Cole and Foley did a nice job explaining the situation. They talked about how Chuck Palumbo just doesn't care that he lost the match; he clearly did it purposely. What Palumbo really wants is revenge for being humiliated and embarrassed last week by Hornswoggle. And it's a logical argument to make. Palumbo walked out last week with arguably more green on him than Hornswoggle, and he wanted to show that he is not going to fall to Finlay and Hornswoggle's pranks like Matt Striker did. Now Finlay has something to worry about. It's nice to see WWE putting a lot of heat back on Palumbo by bringing a very serious element to a Hornswoggle segment (where people aren't really expecting it).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Finlay: Kane, Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali, Mr. McMahon, JBL
Chuck Palumbo: Chris Masters, Kenny Dykstra, Jamie Noble & Michelle McCool

VICTORIA & NATALYA NEIDHART vs. MICHELLE McCOOL (9 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

No sign of either Victoria or Natalya Neidhart on Smackdown again. What ever happened to those two? WWE was gearing up for a big McCool-Natalya matchup, but viewers will begin to lose interest if they aren't reminded about Natalya, a newcomer to WWE to begin with.

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

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

MARYSE (w/ Deuce & Domino) vs. CHERRY (4 weeks)

In the back, Cherry was being looked at by a trainer after suffering a black eye at the, well, shins of Maryse. The medic said that she'd be okay, but then Maryse walked in. She claimed that she too was injured. When asked where, Maryse said on her ankle. "I think I hurt it last week in the ring kicking Cherry's face," she said mockingly. As Maryse left, Cherry stood up angrily with a pensive, frustrated look on her bruised face.

Later in the show, Michelle McCool faced Maryse, who was flanked by Deuce and Domino. Toward the end of the match, Cherry's music hit, causing a distraction. Deuce and Domino shouted at her from ringside, and McCool applied her Brazilian heel hook, causing Maryse to quickly tap. After the match, McCool met Cherry on stage, and the two babyfaces celebrated Michelle's win as Deuce and Domino tended to Maryse in the ring.

It's curious that WWE decided to throw McCool into this feud, provoking one to wonder whether she will continue to help Cherry with her Maryse problem or whether it was just a matter of giving McCool something to do while WWE finds Victoria and Natalya. The story of Cherry being beaten and bruised by an arrogant woman who thinks she's better than other divas (and Cherry in particular) is a strong one. The fact that Deuce and Domino dropped Cherry for Maryse adds a lot to the story and gives Maryse a fallback position as a manager if she isn't used in divas matches. However, WWE is slowly building this rivalry so that people will hopefully crave Cherry's revenge on Maryse. Foley is doing a great job pulling for the bullied babyface and getting more viewers on her side.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Cherry: Victoria & Natalya
Maryse: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) The Undertaker vs. Edge?
(2) Victoria & Natalya vs. Michelle McCool?
(3) Mark Henry vs. Big Show


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Vladimir Kozlov vs. ?
(2) Batista vs. La Familia
(3) MVP vs. Jamie Noble
(4) Michelle McCool & Cherry vs. Maryse


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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