By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
October 10, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Cyber Sunday (third-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-fifth 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. JEFF HARDY vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV (8 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Vickie opened the show with a promo about how Undertaker brutally injured her a few weeks ago. She then introduced Big Show, who touted his fist as his ticket to the WWE Title.

-Vladimir Kozlov interrupted Big Show's promo, and he announced that he would challenge whoever won the WWE Championship match later in the show.

-Jeff Hardy met with Triple H backstage to wish him luck in his title match with Big Show. He also informed The Game that he was going to challenge the winner to a match.

-Hardy then fought MVP in a matchup, and he picked up the victory after hitting the Swanton Bomb. After the match, Kozlov showed up, and the Moscow Mauler took Hardy out with a hard-hitting headbutt.

-Vladimir Kozlov stared directly into the camera from the locker room and stated, "Next week, I crush Jeff Hardy; next week, I break him in half."

-During the Triple H-Big Show match, it seemed like Show was gaining the upper hand after a chokeslam. As Show pulled his fist back, preparing to deliver the final blow, the lights suddenly went out.

-When they returned, Undertaker was in the ring and ready to fight. Show and Undertaker brawled to the back as Kozlov ran into the ring and felled Triple H with a headbutt.

-Jeff Hardy then arrived at the scene, and he and Triple H managed to knock Kozlov to ringside. Hardy then surprised Triple H with a Twist of Fate to close the show.

Analysis:

As the summary section above intimates, there was a lot of focus on the WWE Championship and who was in contention for it this week on Smackdown. Even the Vickie-Show-Undertaker feud found its way into the primary title storyline temporarily as Big Show was rewarded for his accomplishments at No Mercy by being granted a title match on Smackdown TV. Another interesting note is that Vladimir Kozlov is getting a very strong push in WWE as of late. This week, he was featured in at least four different parts of the show, and he even spent separate time interrupting or fighting with Big Show, Jeff Hardy, and Triple H.

This particular episode of Smackdown provided a nice setup for next week when Jeff Hardy will attempt to solve his issues with Kozlov one-on-one in a matchup that was well-hyped. The end of the show sort of left things where they've been in the past few weeks: Kozlov is still a menace to the top babyfaces, and Jeff Hardy is trying to break away from everyone and forge his own legacy, even going so far as to attack Triple H in order to prove that he's going to be making statements.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9.5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL, Randy Orton, John Cena
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, MVP
Vladimir Kozlov: n/a

THE UNDERTAKER vs. Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO & THE BIG SHOW (15 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

As mentioned above, Vickie granted Big Show a WWE Title match against Triple H this week, and the match ended with a mess when Undertaker and Vladimir Kozlov ultimately got involved.

Analysis:

Well, Vickie Guerrero returned to Smackdown television this week sporting a neck brace again. It's as if she's perpetually injured; she can't seem to go two months without finding herself back in that wheelchair. Big Show is doing a decent job building a case for his ferocious punch of death. If they keep drilling that point—the severity of his punches—it will do him some favors. Big Show is one of those wrestlers that, seemingly because of his size, has been stuck with the generic chokeslam as his finisher. The Undertaker and Kane use the same thing, but Taker does utilize a few other moves in order to end matches.

As for the storyline, there seemed to be some convergence between the two top Smackdown rivalries, but by the end of the show, they each split apart once again. It's probably expected that Show and Undertaker are going to be battling it out until at least Cyber Sunday and likely beyond, with a possibility for a number one contender to emerge from their feud some time down the road.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [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 (7 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

Nothing was done to further this feud on this week's Smackdown. Neither Michelle McCool nor Maryse showed up anywhere.

Analysis:

It's odd that the Divas' Champion of the brand didn't appear in any capacity. I understand that WWE is focused on pushing their biggest feuds right now, notably because they are running on a new network that they hope to build fan interest in—or at least retain their longtime viewers from the previous channel—but a simple vignette or interview or backstage scene lasting one minute or less would have been more than adequate. Breaks like this don't help feuds; people may even forget that they exist.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [down 1 since last week]

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

WWE Tag Team Champions CARLITO & PRIMO vs. CURT HAWKINS & ZACK RYDER (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Carlito and his brother Primo teamed with Jesse and Festus to face Hawkins, Ryder, Kenny Dykstra, and Ryan Braddock in an eight-man tag team matchup. The match saw Festus slam Dykstra to the mat with his one-man flapjack finisher for the win.

-After the match, Festus couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Maria, who was at ringside serving as the special guest ring announcer. Jesse pulled Festus away.

Analysis:

The reason why this feud—Carlito/Primo vs. Hawkins/Ryder—is failing right now is because of how thin Hawkins and Ryder are as characters. They have very little going for them in terms of narrative support. They are simply heels with scant credibility who are trying to survive off of their former Edgeheads gimmick. Separately, they are indistinguishable; and they have not even been defined adequately as a team. Their feud with Carlito and Primo isn't helping the new WWE Tag Team Champions; in fact, it may be hurting them. And it's probably not a good sign when the most interesting part of this segment was Festus's ostensible love-struck stare at Maria.

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

Previous Feuds
Hawkins & Ryder: Jesse & Festus
Carlito & Primo: n/a

United States Champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. R-TRUTH (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-R-Truth met with Funaki backstage. Apparently Funaki is still practicing his announcing skills all these years later. Truth asked Funaki what his whole name is, and Funaki said it was Kung Funaki. Truth sang a song using that name, and Funaki was happy that someone talked to him.

-Shelton Benjamin had a very brief video promo where he related his nickname of The Gold Standard to the current financial crisis. He then fought R-Truth in singles competition. The match ended when R-Truth caught Benjamin in a unique roll-up move for the victory.

Analysis:

The Funaki scene was a little strange, but not bad. Maybe this is a sign that WWE intends to repackage Smackdown's self-proclaimed Number One Announcer and give him some kind of push. As for the Benjamin-Truth feud, it still has a lot of potential. Both of these guys can bring this rivalry to new levels if they are given enough time, particularly on the mic. It would be nice to see Shelton Benjamin explain why he hates R-Truth so much. Maybe a scene could be done where the explanation is brought out by Shelton talking to a fellow heel in the locker room. There needs to be some reason for Benjamin to dislike his opponent, and at the moment, we can only go by what we speculate. Also, we know it's only a matter of time before the United States Title finds its way into the feud, so that should probably happen sooner than later.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank, Kofi Kingston
R-Truth: n/a

VICTORIA & NATALYA vs. BRIE BELLA (7 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Brie Bella fought Natalya one-on-one this week while Victoria watched from ringside. Eventually, Brie scrambled under the ring; Victoria tried to grab her, but she jumped back when Hornswoggle emerged.

-Brie then peeked her head out of one side of the ring, but quickly ducked back under. Then she was instantly seen inside the ring on the other side. That surprise enabled her to catch Natalya with a crucifix pin for the win.

Analysis:

More good progress for this Brie-Victoria storyline from WWE. The progress is gradual, but it's probably the right move. It's especially important when you consider the fact that the feud took a minor hiatus when Smackdown shifted networks. They want to keep people up to speed with what's going on, but they can't just simply revert back to what the first few weeks of Brie Bella's debut featured. So now there are less-than-subtle hints about what's going on. Instead of Brie simply emerging rejuvenated from under the ring, she's now pulling off some supernatural feats if people don't realize that she has a twin sister under the ring. Expect this to extend a little longer before WWE pulls the trigger on this one and moves on to a brand new stage.

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

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Michelle McCool vs. Maryse?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jesse & Festus vs. Hawkins & Ryder
(2) Jesse & Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra & Ryan Braddock
(3) Gregory Helms vs. Kenny Dykstra & Ryan Braddock
(4) The Great Khali vs. ?
(5) Shelton Benjamin vs. Funaki


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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