By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
November 28, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (third-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixtieth 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 EDGE vs. TRIPLE H vs. JEFF HARDY (15 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Vickie Guerrero reintroduced Edge to Smackdown. The elated Rated-R Superstar proudly displayed his newly won WWE Title as Vickie applauded. Edge told everyone that he felt that he needed to return at Survivor Series because of Hardy's history with letting people down.

-Jeff Hardy tried to storm the ring, but security forces restrained him at ringside. Triple H was next to give it a go, but more security prevented him from entering the ring also. Vladimir Kozlov, however, did manage to get into the ring, and he demanded a shot at the title.

-Vickie booked three Beat the Clock Matches that would determine who would face Edge at Armageddon.

-In the first Beat the Clock Match, Jeff Hardy defeated The Brian Kendrick in 12:13 after landing the Swanton Bomb.

-In the second Beat the Clock Match, Vladimir Kozlov failed to beat Matt Hardy in 12:13, so he was essentially eliminated from WWE Title contention.

-Mr. Kennedy made an odd Smackdown appearance to interview Triple H backstage about his upcoming match. The Game told Edge that he was coming for his title.

-In the final Beat the Clock Match, Triple H covered Shelton Benjamin after hitting the Pedigree. The ref made the three count right when time ran out, so it was determined by two refs that it was officially a tie.

Analysis:

This was a strong follow-up from Survivor Series as Edge had a nice chance to address the crowd, and the other contenders for the title were established. Also effective is the seemingly endless feud between Triple H and Jeff Hardy. It's as if they can't get away from one another. But this time the dynamic is different because both men are now contenders rather than having it be champion vs. challenger. All of that, coupled with the rare utilization of the Beat the Clock Challenge, made Smackdown compelling this week. That said, one thing clearly stood out as a bit odd: there was no clear explanation as to why Vickie and Edge have reunited.

When Edge left months ago, it was due to a severe defeat at the hands of Undertaker, who Vickie cherry-picked so that Edge would suffer. Vickie and Edge had been through an ugly and bitter personal dispute weeks prior to that match, so their cheery dispositions this week without clarification raise questions about what happened since. The only reasonable explanation would be to say that Edge is perfectly happy so long as he holds the title, but that doesn't account for Vickie's joyous announcement at Survivor Series when she added Edge to the WWE Title match. What made Vickie change her mind about the man who threatened, cheated on, and psychologically tormented her? This is the same guy who ruined her wedding and pushed her maniacally around in a wheelchair. It's a major piece of the puzzle that was left unanswered.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9.5 [down 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Edge: Kane, Batista, Vickie Guerrero, The Undertaker
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

THE UNDERTAKER vs. Smackdown GM VICKIE GUERRERO & THE BIG SHOW (22 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-It was announced this week that Undertaker would face The Big Show in a Steel Cage Match next week on Smackdown.

Analysis:

Nothing to analyze here. But now that Edge is back, what does this mean for Big Show? Is his alliance with Vickie Guerrero over?

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 Tag Team Champions JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. JESSE & FESTUS (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Miz and Morrison once again faced Jesse and Festus in a standard tag team match, but this time the heels decided to play around with the bell multiple times. Keeping Festus in his psychologically sedated state allowed them to attack Jesse, but the ref ultimately disqualified them.

-After the match, Miz and Morrison had more fun with Festus's condition by sounding the ring bell over and over, toying with Festus. Eventually, Miz accidentally dropped the hammer onto the bell, causing Festus to go berserk and chase them from the ring.

Analysis:

First off, does anyone else notice that Miz and Morrison are on just about every brand? They had a feud with Cryme Tyme on Raw, they've fought in ECW in the past few weeks, and they currently find themselves in a storyline with Jesse and Festus on Smackdown. It's also worth noting that John Morrison just advanced in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament on the Raw brand by defeating Finlay (an ECW superstar).

Anyway, this week was sort of what we've been waiting for in terms of some WWE heel exploiting Festus's condition. Miz and Morrison make great heels for the part since Miz is as obnoxious as Morrison is arrogant. They seem like two guys who would try to not only get wins over their babyface counterparts, but also would toy with them in almost cruel ways. The next logical step for the use of the bell would be backstage. Maybe Miz and Morrison could use Festus's stoic state to make him look like a fool instead of simply using the opportunity to beat him up. They hinted at that this week, but they could certainly expand on the premise in the next few episodes. WWE should go all-out and explore the many options they have with Festus's gimmick now before they decide to ditch it (or ignore it) later.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 2 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Hornswoggle, Cryme Tyme, Evan Bourne & Ricky Ortiz, Cryme Tyme
Jesse & Festus: Deuce 'N' Domino, Morrison & Miz, Hawkins & Ryder

MVP vs. THE GREAT KHALI (w/ Ranjin Singh) (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

No sign of MVP or Khali this week.

Analysis:

This could be a conclusive sign that the mediocre and aimless MVP-Khali feud could be finished.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy
The Great Khali: Batista, Finlay, Hornswoggle, Big Show

WWE Divas' Champion MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARIA (7 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-After losing in a six-person tag team matchup, Michelle McCool snapped on the Bella Twins for arguably costing her the match. Suddenly, Maria slipped in between everyone to calm things down, but McCool angrily pushed Maria to the floor.

-Maria, Brie, and Nikki Bella confusingly watched as Michelle left the ring in a huff.

Analysis:

Looks like we could be seeing a heel turn by WWE Divas' Champion Michelle McCool in the near future. Then again, WWE could easily keep her a face because she had a legitimate reason for being angry (despite the clear overreaction this week). McCool may need some new angle to her character; she's getting somewhat stale. I would suggest more backstage segments, interviews, and promos to freshen things up. The other option is to turn her heel, which will put a whole new spin on everything.

The big question, however, will revolve around which babyface diva on Smackdown could vie for the title in the hopes of taking it from McCool. With viable choices on the heel side—Victoria, Natalya, and even Maryse with her more impressive character in recent months—WWE might not be well-served with McCool on the nefarious side. That pretty much leaves Maria, the Bella Twins, and Eve to bring the championship back to the faces. From a storyline perspective, this feud is solid with its almost two-month history and the people involved, but something needs to happen soon, and I think we're beginning to see that play out this week.

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

Previous Feuds
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo
Maria: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Santino Marella

VICTORIA & NATALYA vs. THE BELLA TWINS (14 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In a six-person tag team match, Brie and Nikki Bella teamed with WWE Divas' Champion Michelle McCool to face Victoria, Natalya, and Maryse. The match saw one of the Bella twins accidently clothesline McCool, which allowed Maryse to make the cover for the victory.

Analysis:

It's not yet certain whether this feud is going to find a long-term convergence with the Maria-McCool rivalry or whether it will function as its own unique entity. This week's events seemed indicative of a Maria/Bellas alliance, so that's where WWE may be headed. As a separate feud, the Victoria/Natalya-Brie/Nikki storyline is beginning to wane. Now that the Bella twins' plot has been exposed, there really isn't much more to the rivalry in its current state, although the continued reliance on their identical appearances to win matches in different ways is still compelling TV.

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

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

United States Champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. R-TRUTH (11 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Benjamin lost to Triple H in the final Beat the Clock Match, but R-Truth wasn't involved in any way.

Analysis:

Looks like this one is over. If it's not, it's probably going to continue suffering until it inevitably withers away.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

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

THE BRIAN KENDRICK & EZEKIEL vs. CARLITO & PRIMO (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Kendrick lost to Jeff Hardy in the first Beat the Clock Match, and there was no sign of Carlito or his brother Primo this week.

Analysis:

As with many other storylines on Smackdown, it looks like this is just one more change following another big WWE PPV. Other than this rivalry, we may have seen the end of Taker-Show (after next week's Cage Match), MVP-Khali, and Benjamin-Truth. Then again, WWE might decide to revisit this tag team storyline next week to continue the current course. After all, this feud is only a few weeks in the making, and the Beat the Clock Challenge was a nice excuse to pause it temporarily. We'll know by next week, but the short break doesn't help generate intrigue.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
The Brian Kendrick: Triple H & Hardy & Benjamin & MVP
Carlito & Primo: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Undertaker vs. Big Show?
(2) MVP vs. The Great Khali
(3) Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth
(4) Brian Kendrick & Ezekiel vs. Carlito & Primo


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick
(2) Michelle McCool vs. Maryse
(3) Vladimir Kozlov vs. Matt Hardy
(4) Triple H vs. Shelton Benjamin


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 "DH Smith" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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