By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
August 29, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Unforgiven (second-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-ninth 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)


WWE Champion TRIPLE H vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK (w/ Ezekiel) vs. MVP vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. JEFF HARDY (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-The Brian Kendrick cut a promo in the back discussing how his fellow competitors at Unforgiven are stupidly risking injury to one-up each other in the weeks leading to the WWE Championship Scramble. He talked about making intelligent decisions after carefully observing "the masters."

-Before his Champion Versus Champion Match, Shelton Benjamin talked about how he's the "most precious commodity" on Smackdown since he's the U.S. Champion, which of course left a gap in logic with four other champions on the show including the WWE Champion.

-Triple H won his match against Shelton Benjamin after hitting the Pedigree. After the match, Benjamin struck The Game in the back of the head with his title. Khali then entered the ring and delivered a double-armed chokeslam to the champion.

Analysis:

WWE is taking a little risk in shooting Brian Kendrick to the top this quickly, but it’s a risk that could potentially pay off big time. Kendrick's new character exhibits traits that differentiate him from other heels, not only on Smackdown, but in WWE in general. They are structuring his character perfectly at the moment as a calculating heel who relies on his intelligence and obviously his speed and agility to combat his larger babyface opponents. (Although, it's safe to say that Triple H may be his cerebral babyface counterpart.)

"There's a fine line between genius and insanity; but if you know how to walk that line, no one can stand in your way," Kendrick said with a subtle, wry smirk on is face. I'm pretty sure Kendrick was reading Art of War, while Ezekiel was poring through Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat. However, they are making an interesting character angle here by having Ezekiel exercise his intelligence as he answered the question of what year Sun Tzu strategized war tactics.

These two guys could become a dominant force in WWE: Ezekiel as a genius who may have perhaps reached a point where education is no longer important because of the sheer volume of information he knows that he spends his time reading children's books for entertainment (or perhaps for deeply hidden meaning), and Kendrick as a conniving, innovative, and ambitious wrestler who will rely on his in-ring quickness as well as his shrewd sense of what's going on around him.

Shelton Benjamin still hasn't quite found himself yet. He's always had this problem, but WWE continues to work on it. Avoiding logically flawed statements like the one he used this week where he overvalued a title that's in a position of secondary importance would help his progress. To have Benjamin claim that he's the most precious commodity Smackdown has (while someone else holds the WWE Title on the show) only to be subsequently beaten in a matchup by said WWE Champion does nothing for him. Here's hoping they pit him against someone who can help start a fiery rivalry over the United States Title after Unforgiven.

As for Triple H and his involvement in the Unforgiven Championship Scramble Match, it appears like he's been out of place too. WWE is filling his segments with heels that pose no significant threat to his reign as champion, and they even are utilizing people who aren't participating in the Scramble Match in any capacity: Kenny Dykstra and The Great Khali. Like Shelton Benjamin, Triple H is in dire need of a singles feud that the Smackdown writers can fuel as heavily as they have Edge's storylines in the past year. Triple H has already beaten Khali, and Kenny's quick losses hurt him (Kenny) only slightly less than when he jobbed to Chuck Palumbo months ago. Here may be some interesting competitors for Triple H and his WWE Title: Big Show, Edge, MVP, The Undertaker, and (far down the road) Brian Kendrick. Any of those guys could help Triple H put on a hell of a feud.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL, Randy Orton, John Cena
The Brian Kendrick: n/a
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank, Kofi Kingston
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, MVP

EDGE vs. THE UNDERTAKER vs. Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO (9 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Undertaker kicked off the show with a promo about how he refuses to forgive Vickie and how he's out for her soul. Meanwhile, La Familia abandoned Vickie in the back, leaving her alone and ostensibly locked in her office.

-Later in the back, Vickie tried to use a phone, but it was apparently dead.

-At the end of the show, Vickie was again shown still locked in her office. She had a nervous disposition, looking around but standing still. Suddenly, the lights went out and Vickie's screams were the only thing you could hear.

Analysis:

This was the week where we raise questions about what in the world Undertaker could have done to Vickie: Will she even be in attendance on this Friday's episode of Smackdown? If so, will she be physically or mentally scarred? Will she be in a catatonic state or in a state where she can't coherently make decisions? Will she be inclined to continue feuding with The Undertaker now that he has presumably attacked her (or, at least, frightened her out of her mind)?

This rivalry could shoot in any possible direction from here; it all depends on what WWE chooses to do with Vickie's character. It still isn't clear whether she's a babyface yet despite the blatant abuse she took from Edge in the past few weeks. The fact that she still surrounds herself with the clearly-heel faction of La Familia makes her babyface role seem questionable.

And Undertaker isn't coming off very well. Vickie personally reinstated him onto the Smackdown roster so that he could attack Edge—which, of course also helped Vickie at the time. She also pleaded with Undertaker, apologizing multiple times. With all the abuse she's taken and all of the regret she's expressing, why would anyone threaten, stalk, and attack her? Then again, fans cheer wildly at Undertaker's no-nonsense, vengeful character. As for the storyline though, we'll have a better idea next week.

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

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

MVP vs. JEFF HARDY (6 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-A video package recapped the MVP-Hardy feud before Jeff was given the opportunity to cut a promo in the back during an interview segment. Hardy talked confidently about how he's going to beat MVP in their SummerSlam re-match and then move on to Unforgiven to fight for the WWE Championship.

-After a long matchup, Jeff Hardy was able to hit the Swanton Bomb on MVP for the decisive three count. Suddenly, Shelton Benjamin showed up, cutting off Hardy's celebration with his finisher. Then Benjamin surprised MVP by knocking him out with the same move.

Analysis:

Interesting to see Shelton Benjamin getting more TV time than usual; of course, he was also involved in the matchup with Triple H and the segment that followed. Jeff Hardy and MVP have a good rivalry, but the prospect of a WWE Title Match can't help but overshadow the personal issues existent between the two of them. Also interesting is to see WWE give MVP a win in their big PPV matchup and then follow it up with a nice clean win for Hardy on national television during Smackdown this week.

Both of these guys usually find themselves in the awkward place right beneath the top tier of the roster—a place where they may not be able to carry a main event PPV title match against one another just yet, but where one of them can pull off something pretty amazing when pitted against an established top-level wrestler. It also seems like both men are one huge match away from breaking out as credible WWE Title-level stars; they have the popularity (and, in MVP's case, the heel heat). Maybe a few key title changes in the Scramble Match will do exciting things for their respective careers. Hardy has been ready to hold the gold; MVP has the benefit of being one of only a few top heels on the Smackdown brand.

As a storyline, this one felt over as soon as their match at SummerSlam ended. It seems to be in cruise mode as WWE prepares for Unforgiven. Hardy's win this week didn't feel as though it reignited something in the story despite the fact that Hardy and Porter are now even in singles victories between one another.

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

Previous Feuds
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista, Matt Hardy

WWE Divas' Champion MICHELLE McCOOL & MARIA vs. NATALYA & MARYSE (22 weeks w/ 4 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Maryse interrupted Michelle McCool's photo shoot to tell her that the title would look much better around her waist. When McCool mentioned that Maryse would need talent to win the title, Maryse shot back with a remark about how McCool is jealous.

-In tag team competition, Maryse and Natalya beat Michelle McCool and Maria when Maryse hit a DDT on Maria for the victory. After the matchup, Maryse launched herself at McCool, taking her down and beginning a brawl. She laid Michelle out with a punch to the face before leaving.

Analysis:

We may have just seen a shift in this feud with Maryse taking over for McCool's longtime rival Natalya. The scene in the back where Maryse and McCool argued about jealousy and talent was nothing new for divas' feuds. There seems to still be this conventional cookie cutter-esque formula that WWE utilizes for divas' feuds: Every feud has to have at its core themes of vanity and jealousy. It's far too simplistic and overused. I say that every time I see WWE use that story (including every time they restarted a Kelly Kelly-Layla rivalry on ECW in the past year).

I think WWE did a great job with the McCool-Natalya storyline in its earlier weeks, and that particular rivalry was not predicated on the "I'm prettier than you" mentality. Raw's women's feuds often avoid that lame theme too, such as the program that played months ago when Mickie James was brought to tears after realizing that she may not actually be able to beat Beth Phoenix in a wrestling match. Maryse may end up being a good heel, but we won't really know because she's being placed as the exact same arrogant diva character that so many others have already used (except she has bleach blonde hair). What real chance does Maryse have to stand out when she's fitted with the same, interchangeable haughty diva role?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [down 1 since last week]

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

R-TRUTH vs. KENNY DYKSTRA (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-After another biography-based video, R-Truth debuted on Smackdown, facing Kenny Dykstra.

-During his entrance, Kenny spoke enviously about how WWE doesn't focus on him and instead decides to give flashy videos and hype to people like R-Truth. Dykstra also sarcastically said that he should have gone to prison so that the company might have given him more attention.

-R-Truth soundly defeated Kenny, finishing the bout with a scissors kick for the 1-2-3.

Analysis:

There were a few interesting elements to this segment of the show. I've enjoyed the R-Truth video packages because they make him appear real. He seems pretty self-aware after years of living and thinking, and he almost speaks philosophically about life. I love the line about how you can tell the person you really are by observing what you say when people aren't in ear-shot and what you do when others aren't around.

As for Kenny Dykstra, I think WWE could really play on this character—a guy who's lobbing complaints left and right about how he's underutilized by the company he works for (and using that to blame his opponents or question why they made it). This probably won't even be a storyline, but I wanted to write about those two things, so I listed it anyway; there is a chance WWE could draw it out for a few weeks despite R-Truth's inevitable and obvious future success.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
R-Truth: n/a
Kenny Dykstra: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Michelle McCool vs. Natalya


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) The Undertaker vs. La Familia
(2) Vickie Guerrero vs. La Familia
(3) Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP
(4) Big Show vs. ?
(5) Hawkins & Ryder vs. Jesse & Festus
(6) Victoria vs. Brie Bella


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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