By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
September 12, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Mercy (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-first 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 (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Triple H kicked off Smackdown with an unusually enthusiastic promo about his success at Unforgiven, but he was soon interrupted by Jeff Hardy. After some initial praise, Hardy argued that Triple H's connections got him to the top, while The Game took a jab at Hardy's inability to focus and to reach the "brass ring."

-Triple H interrupted a conversation Shelton Benjamin was having with Eve in the back. The Game tried to stir tension between Shelton and Jeff Hardy; Benjamin seemed confident as usual.

-Later in the show, Hunter met with Kendrick; he mocked Kendrick's overinflated ego by pretending to see where Kendrick was coming from.

-Triple H then met with MVP to ask him why he's even in the Fatal Four-Way main event. Porter claimed it's because he's better, but he didn't really have any valid argument when Triple H redirected the question back to why he actually deserves another shot at the WWE Title.

-Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and Brian Kendrick in the main event to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship.

-After the main event matchup, Vladimir Kozlov entered the ring and assaulted Jeff Hardy with his headbutt, a kick to the chest, and his finisher to close the show.

Analysis:

Triple H was allowed to take a lighter approach to his character this week on Smackdown, but it wasn't overdone. His subtle humor and reactions during the chat with Shelton Benjamin were particularly good. Of course, the light side of the equation was met with an equally heavy seriousness during the opening segment between Jeff Hardy and Triple H. Jeff Hardy's suggestion that Triple H has the WWE Title because of his family continues the self-referential trend WWE has been using as of late (i.e. inserting some real-life elements to their storylines). The Game reciprocated with an allusion to Jeff's "extracurricular activities." It's almost reminiscent of certain movies that poke fun at themselves or their genre (like Scream did in the mid-1990s).

Brian Kendrick continues to shine on Smackdown, and WWE is making sure to keep him in the main event spotlight. So long as he's involved in top-level matchups against other main eventers, he can gradually begin to sustain momentum and credibility after WWE made a refreshing decision by allowing him to participate in the Unforgiven WWE Title Match to begin with. From here, though, who knows who his next rival will be?

Jeff Hardy is now the number one contender, but where does that leave Vladimir Kozlov? Kozlov has been squashing Smackdown jobbers for months now with no clear narrative direction. He's built up some intrigue with his unique offensive maneuvers, but he's yet to face anyone who viewers perceive as being on his level (beyond a few random matchups with main eventers that led nowhere in the past few months). His attack on Jeff Hardy raises questions about what's going to happen in this storyline. Will Kozlov be thrust into the WWE Title Match, making it a Triple Threat? Or will he perhaps continue to cause Hardy some trouble, making it that much more difficult for Hardy to overcome Triple H at No Mercy?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8.5 [same 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

THE UNDERTAKER vs. Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO & THE BIG SHOW (11 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-After a video package recapped Unforgiven, Vickie Guerrero cut a promo in the ring discussing the Undertaker's recent threats against her life. She introduced the man who would later claim to be her new business partner, Big Show.

-Big Show said that he and Vickie were a "power couple" before explaining his relationship with Vickie and what they both stand to gain from it.

Analysis:

Just a few thoughts:

During the promo, Vickie stated, "[Undertaker] didn't even take my job, as I am still your General Manager of Smackdown." That's an odd statement to make. Did WWE ever hint that Vickie's job was in jeopardy? Perhaps that's an element of the storyline that will become more important as the weeks progress from here. Maybe it's a clue that her job as GM may be coming to a close—or at least be threatened—in the next few months.

Big Show's explanation worked really well, and it even makes completely logical sense. However, did WWE really have to spell it out so bluntly to its audience? Couldn't it have been done more subtly? "But in order to get [the WWE Title], I have to give Vickie what she wants," Show said after talking about their situation in-depth. He then continued by saying that what Vickie wants is an apology from The Undertaker. I think viewers would have gotten the message without the word-for-word explanation from Big Show. It may have been a better idea to simply have Vickie and Big Show talk casually backstage, each explaining what they'd do for one another.

This storyline, despite it's almost condescendingly straightforward explanation, is a good one. Show's heel turn makes sense; he fell to greed to become a heel. He ultimately decided that instead of winning matches and making his own way on Smackdown, it was just easier to help the General Manager in return for favors. In fact, he thinks that all he must do is handle this one issue for Vickie in order for her to make things a lot easier for him to get to Triple H's title. Then again, how simple does it sound for him to get The Undertaker to apologize? That's going to require a lot. But this new heel team could be entertaining. It certainly works in Vickie's favor—she's now better protected against Taker's threats, and hiring security doesn't actively hurt Undertaker like Big Show will attempt to do.

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

Previous Feuds
Vickie Guerrero: Undertaker, Batista
Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista, Big Daddy V, Edge
Big Show: Floyd Mayweather, The Great Khali

WWE Divas' Champion MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARYSE (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Michelle McCool teamed with Maria and Brie Bella to face the heel team of Maryse, Natalya, and Victoria.

-The match ended when Brie Bella again took an opportunity to crawl under the ring. When they finally dragged her out, she caught Victoria with a bridge pin for the win.

Analysis:

Good continuation in keeping these divas on television, but no clear direction on where WWE is headed with this. With only a few weeks until No Mercy, shouldn't we start to get focused on whom Michelle McCool's next opponent is? (Then again, something tells me that WWE is going to keep alternating between Divas' Title Matches and Women's Title Matches at PPVs) It felt like a week that could have been used for something more memorable. Maryse led her heel team to the ring, suggesting that she's still the primary heel diva on the show. However, she cleanly lost to McCool at Unforgiven, so perhaps it should be another wrestler's turn at the Divas' Title. It wouldn't matter either way, but WWE didn't really explain where they're going. They did, however, use the opportunity to continue Brie Bella's character development.

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

Previous Feuds
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo
Maryse: Cherry

R-TRUTH vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (w/ Bam Neely) (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-R-Truth beat Chavo Guerrero when Bam Neely blatantly caused a disqualification.

-After the match, Chavo angrily argued with Bam, claiming that he was on the verge of winning his match against R-Truth. Chavo continued yelling about how he's not paying Bam to ruin things. Bam quickly had enough and shoved Chavo to the mat.

-R-Truth capitalized on the bickering heels by kicking Bam in the head and felling Chavo with his unique spinning shoulder block.

Analysis:

The Chavo-Bam implosion is intriguing since their team doesn't seem to get much done anyway. They may be better off alone. It will be interesting to see how WWE handles the situation from here. Will we get a clean break next week or a weak repair job that slowly uncoils over the next month? Where will this leave Bam? He'll have to adopt his own new character because it would be a little weak to simply have him be the exact same kind of guy (i.e. same attitude and bodyguard-like personality). As for R-Truth, I don't know how much he can get out of this rivalry with Chavo Guerrero, but his first few months on TV is mostly about introduction and getting the crowd behind him, which WWE is doing just fine.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
R-Truth: n/a
Chavo Guerrero: Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kane, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne
Bam Neely: Evan Bourne

VICTORIA vs. BRIE BELLA (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-As mentioned above, Brie Bella scored the win for her team when she pinned Victoria after again jumping under the ring.

Analysis:

The announcers continue to point out Brie's fascination with something under the ring—how she seems rejuvenated after a quick second under there. Her feud with Victoria continues, but no major developments this week. When WWE reveals what they're building to, there will be something to talk about.

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

Previous Feuds
Victoria: Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool & Cherry
Brie Bella: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Triple H vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Jeff Hardy vs. MVP
(2) Michelle McCool vs. Maryse?
(3) R-Truth vs. Chavo Guerrero?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Chavo Guerrero vs. Bam Neely
(2) Jesse & Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra
(3) Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy
(4) Carlito & Primo vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder


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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