By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
December 26, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Royal Rumble (fifth-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-third 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 JEFF HARDY vs. TRIPLE H vs. EDGE (19 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Triple H kicked off Smackdown brandishing a sledgehammer in one hand, a water bottle in the other. He blamed Kozlov for what happened at Armageddon and called the Moscow Mauler to the ring, but Chavo made an odd appearance.

-Chavo and Triple H threw some verbal jabs at one another before Vickie arrived to set up a match between the two.

-Triple H defeated Chavo Guerrero after spiking him with the Pedigree. After the matchup, The Game rammed his signature sledgehammer into Chavo's chest to send a message to Vickie, who helplessly watched from the stage.

-Big Show walked into the GM's office while Edge was complaining about Jeff Hardy as WWE Champion. Show said that he'd beat Hardy in the main event, but he wanted to be granted a title shot if he did. She agreed, which didn't sit too well with Edge.

-Edge approached Big Show in the locker room to wish him luck, but Big Show called him out on being a proven liar. Show said that he's going to win the main event and receive a title shot. He also rhetorically and sarcastically asked Edge how the marriage is going.

-Jeff Hardy defeated Big Show in the main event after knocking him out of the ring and into the announcers' table. Show lost via countout. After the match, Vickie booked Edge & Show vs. The Hardys for next week.

Analysis:

This storyline exhibits a bit of chaos at the moment thanks to all of the people involved—Triple H, Kozlov, Jeff Hardy, Edge, and now Chavo Guerrero, Vickie, Big Show, and even Matt Hardy. What used to be a pretty straightforward program revolving around the WWE Title has since turned into something much more complex. As for the opening segment, it did a nice job depicting Triple H's infuriated state of mind, but something didn't make sense: Why didn't Vickie just put the mic to her mouth and demand Triple H to stop the excessive violence against Chavo after their match? She stood on the stage watching and screaming, but didn't bother to wield her power as GM in order to prevent Chavo from taking a sledgehammer to the chest. And we know that she's not afraid to use the mic to interrupt proceedings, so that was a bit out of character.

Although it can be intriguing to have a variety of people clashing in the main event picture, it looks like this is WWE's way of protecting Jeff Hardy as WWE Champion by separating him from a simple one-on-one rivalry over the title. They are keeping him hidden by shuffling a myriad of personalities around him. It might be the right play, but it could lead to an overall lack of focus.

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

ECW Champion MATT HARDY vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV (5 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

With Triple H currently seeking Kozlov for retribution and Hardy involved with Edge and Big Show next week, the feeling here is that this Hardy-Kozlov experiment may indeed be over.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

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

MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARIA (11 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Michelle met with Maria backstage to discuss Maria's position as special guest referee for the Divas' Title Match. Maria said she was giving no special treatment; then Michelle told her not to mess things up or she'll regret it.

-Maryse defeated Michelle McCool to become the second-ever Divas' Champion. When Michelle decided to argue with Maria, Maryse surprised Michelle with a kick to the back of her head.

-After the matchup, Michelle McCool assaulted Maria inside and outside the ring for several minutes, making her heel turn explicit.

Analysis:

And so the heel turn is complete. The extensive beating that Michelle gave Maria after her matchup and the reaction from Ross and Tazz on commentary made Michelle's confirmed change in personality complete. The setup for this storyline was fine, and Maryse has been pushed well lately. It's kind of obvious that WWE wasn't exactly thrilled with the status quo for the divas' division. There's a reason they let the title change hands and then topped it off with a heel turn by Michelle McCool. The big question now revolves around the state of the division with a heavy imbalance of heels on the roster.

Maryse, Victoria, Natalya, and now Michelle round out the heel side, while only Maria, The Bella Twins, and Eve make up the babyface side. The Bella Twins just debuted and will probably be tested for a while before becoming legitimate contenders for the title, and it's in Eve's storyline that she hasn't had a chance to get into the ring yet. So that leaves only Maria to vie for the title. Strange. Her rivalry with McCool, however, just went up a notch.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 1 since last week]

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

United States Champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. HURRICANE HELMS (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Shelton Benjamin put his United States Title on the line against Hurricane Helms in singles competition. The match ended when Benjamin nailed Helms with his Dragon Whip kick before dropping him with the Pay Dirt for the emphatic victory.

Analysis:

After having lost to the newly returning Hurricane Helms over the past few weeks, Shelton Benjamin had to defend his title. The storyline is probably the most wrestling-based out of all the feuds on Smackdown at the moment with strict focus on the U.S. Championship. Benjamin's win wasn't tainted with cheap shots, bending of the rules, or weapon use. It was just a matter of Benjamin perhaps springing to life and digging deep when it mattered. Maybe that could be the ongoing storyline: Shelton loses to his challengers—in this case, Hurricane Helms—and then must put the title on the line. However, whenever the match is officially a title match, he winds up winning because he feels that it means something. Maybe that could lead to a temporary gimmick where every time Benjamin fights he puts the title on the line.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank, Kofi Kingston
Hurricane Helms: n/a

WWE Tag Team Champions CARLITO & PRIMO vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK & EZEKIEL (7 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Carlito, accompanied by Primo and the Bella Twins, faced The Brian Kendrick in one-on-one competition. The match saw Carlito catch Kendrick with the Back Stabber to pick up the victory.

Analysis:

It feels like this feud has plateaued in the past few weeks. Is anything new happening? WWE should probably pull the trigger and give Kendrick and Ezekiel the inevitable title opportunity. We've seen multiple combinations of singles matches as well as a tag team match in the past two months. We also saw the introduction of The Bella Twins to the story and a backstage encounter. Now it's beginning to feel stale, which really shouldn't happen since everyone involved has a lot of exciting potential. Dragging this one out further without any major shift in the feud would probably be a mistake.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 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) Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov?
(3) Victoria & Natalya vs. Brie & Nikki Bella
(4) Shelton Benjamin vs. Hurricane Helms?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Edge vs. Big Show
(2) Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show
(3) MVP vs. The Great Khali
(4) MVP vs. Mr. Kennedy


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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