By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
December 5, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (second-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-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 EDGE vs. TRIPLE H vs. JEFF HARDY (16 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Edge kicked off the show by defeating Kung Fu Naki one-on-one while Vickie observed gleefully from ringside.

-After the match, Vickie announced a Tag Team Gauntlet Match where Triple H and Jeff Hardy would face multiple tag teams until they lose.

-Triple H told Jeff Hardy to stay out of his way in their match; Jeff said that he was tired of Triple H.

-Triple H and Hardy first fought Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. After delivering a Pedigree, Triple H attempted a cover, but Hardy launched himself off the top rope to land a Swanton on one of the twins. Triple H then made the cover and scored the pinfall, but he pushed Hardy and they argued afterward.

-Triple H and Jeff Hardy then lost to Miz and Morrison when the two faces completely severed any sense of teamwork and cooperation by brawling at ringside. The two were counted out, allowing the heels to win the matchup.

-Jeff Hardy stormed into Vickie's office, and Edge tried to shift blame for Hardy's Survivor Series incident to Triple H, claiming he had the most to gain from it. When The Game arrived, Hardy immediately attacked him. Once the roomed was cleared out by officials, Vickie and Edge took the opportunity to lock lips.

Analysis:

Edge and Vickie are picking up steam quickly on Smackdown with their characters having been rejuvenated after Edge's extended absence. Although there's still something annoying about it with certain facts of the story being withheld (like how Edge and Vickie forgave one another for what they both did), they are as powerful as ever as a couple. Interesting to see Kung Fu Naki do as well as he did against Edge in what could have been a complete squash. Funaki was able to hit a slew of different moves and pin attempts before landing his signature kick. When Edge put him away after two moves, it balanced out the match, leaving you to think that Kung Fu Naki might be impressive against guys lower on the roster, but not Edge. That was handled well.

And then we have the almost inevitable explosion between Triple H and Jeff Hardy. These two guys have been practically inseparable over the past few months thanks to interesting wins and a touch of serendipity. The Tag Team Gauntlet Match gave some people what they had been looking for all along—a palpable anger boiling over and expressing itself with rapid-fire punches and a ringside brawl. The match gradually fell apart, first with Ryder and Hawkins as Jeff Hardy and Triple H continued to let their pride fuel their competition. Then it ended with a loss—not because the heels won, but because the Triple H and Jeff Hardy couldn't get along. That inadvertently helped Miz and Morrison as a team. And now we have an extra dimension to the WWE Title Match at Armageddon because Hardy and Triple H may have more hate for one another than they do for Edge, which probably puts the proverbial ball in the Rated-R Superstar's court.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 10 [up 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. THE BIG SHOW (23 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Big Show cut a solo promo where he explained that a Steel Cage Match is tailored for his style. He raised his fist to show what he considers his primary weapon.

-In Smackdown's main event, The Undertaker defeated Big Show after catching him in his Hell's Gate submission hold. Big Show eventually tapped, giving Taker the victory.

Analysis:

It's curious that WWE would culminate this feud with a big Steel Cage Match on Smackdown instead of pushing it a couple of weeks to their next PPV. As far as the Armageddon card stands right now, Big Show and The Undertaker are not slated to compete. Perhaps WWE thought that this feud got a lot accomplished in past PPV events, and it was time to throw a bone to the TV-only crowd, which is a smart gesture when done sporadically. Where this feud goes from here is anyone's guess. Undertaker got the win he was looking for and Big Show had to tap out to his current nemesis. The storyline could very well end here; in fact, it might be a good idea to put a stop to it after this match. What more can be done, especially considering that Vickie ostensibly lost interest in Undertaker and moved onto something else when Edge returned?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9.5 [up 1 since last week]

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

ECW Champion MATT HARDY vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Matt Hardy was set to fight Chavo Guerrero this week, but Kozlov interrupted. The Moscow Mauler hurled Chavo out of the ring before headbutting Matt Hardy. Kozlov then tied Hardy in the ropes and continued the assault.

Analysis:

This newly created rivalry makes narrative sense. Last week, Matt Hardy prevented Kozlov from advancing to Armageddon to compete in the WWE Title Match when the Hardy-Kozlov match didn't end before the 12:13 time limit was reached. In fact, that meant that Kozlov was the only guy in the Beat the Clock Challenge to lose. The easy blame falls on Matt Hardy, and because Matt's directly related to one of the two men that did move on (and a guy that Kozlov has been fighting for weeks), more weight has been lent to this particular rivalry. But where will the primary fighting grounds for this storyline be? Will Matt Hardy visit Smackdown each week or will Kozlov enter ECW territory? Also, will this eventually lead to a Hardy-Kozlov matchup where the ECW Title is up for grabs?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Matt Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, MVP, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry
Vladimir Kozlov: Triple H & Jeff Hardy

MVP vs. HURRICANE HELMS (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-MVP explained that he lost his incentive clause for not earning a victory prior to Survivor Series. He also lost his entrance tunnel and pyro.

-Hurricane Helms then made his return to WWE after a year's absence due to surgery and recovery. He managed to beat MVP after hitting the Shining Wizard kick for the win.

Analysis:

WWE has a nice story to work with here because Porter's character had arrived on Smackdown with a particular style. He debuted with what had been described as a possibly inflated talent contract; the announcers questioned then-Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long for agreeing to such a deal without seeing how MVP performed. Porter continually bragged that he was the highest-paid guy on the roster. Well, now a losing streak (which helps a lot of other people, by the way) has MVP's character making some dramatic changes. Porter's loss of his entrance tunnel and pyro was a nice touch, and it will be interesting to see if WWE can take it even further. His attitude remains the same, though. He has retained his inflated ego despite losing his inflated contract, and he seems to consider himself better than everyone else while still acknowledging his current in-ring hardship. It will be intriguing to see where WWE takes his character next and where Hurricane Helms falls into all of this.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
MVP: Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Batista, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy
Hurricane Helms: n/a

WWE Divas' Champion MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARIA (8 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Michelle McCool and Maria fought in a non-title matchup. The bout saw Maria duck a kick before rolling up Michelle for the 1-2-3.

-Later in the back as Maria joyously chatted with the Bella twins, Michelle McCool walked right up to her and kicked her in the gut. She told Maria that she deserved it.

Analysis:

Well, this feud's ambiguity has been relatively cleared up this week. We now know that Maria will indeed continue to feud with Michelle McCool with a title match probably coming up soon (perhaps as early as Armageddon). We also know that Michelle McCool is likely to turn heel. It's hard to say whether it became official or not this week because viewers can understand that personal issues can get between people and cause them to act out angrily. At the same time, if McCool shows no remorse next week for kicking Maria when she wasn't expecting it, that will be a good indication that McCool has officially turned heel. Like I said last week, a heel turn by McCool leads to a heavy imbalance in the Smackdown divas' division. With McCool, Maryse, Natalya, and Victoria all on the darker side of the roster, that leaves only Maria, the Bella twins, and Eve to fight for the title on the babyface side.

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

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

VICTORIA & NATALYA vs. THE BELLA TWINS (15 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

Nothing happened concerning this storyline because the primary focus was strategically placed on the new developments in the Maria-McCool rivalry.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 1 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 (12 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

Nothing happened between these two for the second week in a row, so I'm calling this one over.

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 (4 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

In a surprising change, Smackdown didn't feature either Brian Kendrick or Ezekiel. Carlito and Primo were briefly shown chatting with the Bella twins backstage.

Analysis:

Perhaps this is another concluded feud, but with a loaded show featuring a Tag Team Gauntlet and big Steel Cage Match, it could have just been a one-week storyline casualty. So I'd keep this one in play for one more show.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [down 0.5 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?
(5) John Morrison & The Miz vs. Jesse & Festus?
(6) Victoria & Natalya vs. The Bella Twins?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Kung Fu Naki vs. ?
(2) Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero


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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