By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
January 23, 2009
Upcoming PPV: Royal Rumble (last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-seventh 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)


As you may have read, this will be my very last Smackdown Storylines and Feuds. I've had a blast parsing WWE's three brands; some great storylines have been developed since I began 67 Smackdown articles ago. I hope you have enjoyed reading these columns as much as I've enjoyed writing for pwtorch.com over the past year and a half!


WWE Champion JEFF HARDY vs. EDGE (23 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Edge wholeheartedly denied being involved in these mysterious incidents that have plagued Jeff Hardy's reign as WWE Champion. He said that it was a mistake for Jeff to fight him for the title at the Royal Rumble, but that he doesn't want to hear excuses when he beats Hardy.

-Suddenly, Matt Hardy stormed the ring and attacked an unsuspecting Edge. The Rated-R Superstar bolted out to ringside, jumped the guardrail, and then sprinted through the crowd as Matt followed in pursuit.

-An angry Vickie met with Edge in her office and booked him against Matt Hardy. Edge apparently thought that Vickie thinks he had something to do with the Jeff Hardy incidents. Vickie said that all she knows is that Edge better "man up."

-WWE aired a sit-down interview that Jim Ross had with Jeff Hardy. Ross revealed that the pyro was tampered with last week. Hardy noted that each of the three incidents that have caused him harm was done on purpose by Edge.

-Edge defeated Matt Hardy in a No Disqualification Match after Mark Henry and ECW Champion Jack Swagger interfered and gave Matt their respective finishers. Edge then hit the Spear for the 1-2-3.

Analysis:

Despite what Matt and Jeff Hardy believe, it's highly doubtful that Edge is responsible for these mysterious acts—the hotel attack, the hit-and-run, and the pyrotechnics tampering. It's just too simple and straightforward. WWE wouldn't even bother keeping the identity of the guy who's doing it a secret if they planned on revealing Edge as the culprit. Plus, the fact that Edge probably isn't responsible is going to be a great reward for him; the Rated-R Superstar can then boast about having been honest all along and blame the fans for accusing him without any solid evidence.

Incorporating Matt Hardy into the feud was clearly the right idea. Edge and Matt have an extensive history, and it's logical for Matt Hardy to stick up for his brother. As for Vickie Guerrero, it was curious to see her doubt her husband. In fact, let's assume for just a second that she actually does believe that Edge is responsible. Why in the world would she be angry at him for that? Taking advantage of situations and trying to cause physical or emotional harm to babyfaces is exactly what they love to do.

The sit-down interview format between Jeff Hardy and Jim Ross was a rare event in WWE, and they should consider using it more frequently. It felt more important than anything else they could have done, such as a solo promo or a backstage interview with someone like Todd Grisham. What Hardy had to say was also relevant. He claimed that he learns from his mistakes and that he's a misfit. Babyfaces aren't afraid (or at least they shouldn't be) of not being perfect. Imperfection is inherent in all of us, so we can better relate to characters who admit to have made mistakes.

As for the main event, it may have been overkill to include both Mark Henry and Jack Swagger in Matt Hardy's eventual loss. Henry may have concluded a long-running feud against Matt months ago, but his inexplicable appearance on Smackdown just added confusion. Jack Swagger, on the other hand, had good reason to show up. As the new ECW Champion who has a re-match against Hardy at the Royal Rumble, it makes perfect sense for him to sabotage Hardy's match against the scheming and opportunistic Edge.

Overall, this Hardy-Edge storyline still remains the most intriguing feud on Smackdown with Triple H-Vickie Guerrero trailing at a close second. However, in the past few weeks, Jeff Hardy and Edge have had very limited contact with all of these incidents preventing Jeff from attending events. So after the Royal Rumble, it would be nice to see WWE ramp up the tension between them to the next level and streamline the focus on Hardy and Edge. It would also be nice to know who's behind all of the nefarious antics.

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

Previous Feuds
Edge: Kane, Batista, Vickie Guerrero, The Undertaker
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, MVP

TRIPLE H vs. VICKIE GUERRERO & THE BIG SHOW (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In Smackdown's main event, Triple H went one-on-one with Vladimir Kozlov. As the match got underway, Vickie interrupted to announce that she was going to add another participant to the bout and make it a Handicap Match.

-Now Big Show and Kozlov vs. Triple H, the main event raged on with the odds heavily stacked against the Game. The match ended when Kozlov was able to land his modified chokeslam on Triple H for the big win.

Analysis:

Some decent progression transpired this week, but WWE made sure to avoid letting the feud overshadow the main event rivalry between Hardy and Edge. Clearly, this week's events ate up far less time and focus than last week's Triple Jeopardy storyline. As usual, everyone played their parts well. Vickie's continued use of the Big Show is intriguing because he likely expects something out of it; plus, the minor subplot featuring the subtle tension between Big Show (Vickie's business partner) and Edge (Vickie's husband) provides a great dynamic layer atop what is already there. Out of the three participants in the Handicap Match, Vladimir Kozlov needed the big win the most. And Triple H didn't lose any steam losing in an uneven and maliciously-booked handicap situation. It will be interesting to see how this feud plays out within the Royal Rumble Match and how it progresses next week on Smackdown once we know how the Rumble turns out.

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

Previous Feuds
Vickie Guerrero: Undertaker, Batista, Undertaker
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL, Randy Orton, John Cena

MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARIA (15 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Maryse joined Ross and Tazz on commentary as the Bella Twins fought Michelle McCool and Natalya in tag team competition. The match ended surprisingly when Maria jumped into the ring and launched herself at McCool.

-The fighting spilled to ringside where McCool gained the upper hand and rammed her knee into Maria's head while it was propped against the guardrail.

Analysis:

Well, assuming Maria doesn't have to sell her latest injury at the hands of Michelle McCool, it looks like WWE is back on track with the very personal McCool-Maria rivalry. Despite the fact that the Maria has returned and despite the fact that McCool's character has grown tremendously in the past few weeks as a loner heel, the most intriguing piece of this narrative puzzle is Maryse's role on the show. Maryse remains a heel, but she made explicit comments against Michelle McCool during the divas' segment.

If McCool will likely end this feud with Maria as the victor—and ostensibly as the number one contender—it will be very interesting to see how WWE handles a potential re-match between McCool and Maryse, both of whom are natural heels. As for Maria's role, it's right on track with where it should be. Maria's character is all heart, but she is far from invincible. This week proved that her emotions got the best of her; she tried to employ a straightforward attack on her longtime rival, but things backfired. The storyline remains very strong, but expect the reigning Divas' Champion to play a large role in the feud going forward.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [same since last week]

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

United States Champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. THE UNDERTAKER (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Undertaker defeated Shelton Benjamin after applying his Devil's Gate submission to pick up the win.

Analysis:

This is Smackdown's equivalent of the Punk-Regal feud on Raw. There's no narrative backing behind it; it's simply an in-ring exclusive rivalry. However, unlike the Punk-Regal storyline, this one isn't as balanced. Remember, Regal and Punk basically trading victories for a few weeks until Stephanie McMahon booked a rubber match for the Intercontinental Championship. In this storyline, though, Undertaker continues to decimate Shelton Benjamin every time they enter the ring. If they fought for ten weeks straight, would Shelton Benjamin be able to pick up a single victory if no cheating was involved? That's an intriguing question.

On the other hand, these losses, although not useful in and of themselves, are probably indispensible for Shelton Benjamin's reputation. He may be losing multiple times each and every week on television, but he's also interacting in a program with one of WWE's all-time greats. His continued feud with the Dead Man could really be an attempt by WWE to lift Benjamin's stature on the show. He may not win against Undertaker (yet), but these matches slowly make him appear like he belongs in the ring with Undertaker—like he belongs on a main event level. So although I criticized the Punk-Regal feud for not having any kind of narrative support behind it, this Undertaker-Benjamin rivalry inherently garners more intrigue because people want to see what will eventually come out of it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank, Kofi Kingston
Undertaker: Mark Henry, Batista, Big Daddy V, Edge, The Big Show


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) MVP vs. Mr. Kennedy
(2) Carlito & Primo vs. Kendrick & Ezekiel


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Jeff Hardy vs. Mystery Attacker
(2) Edge vs. Matt Hardy
(3) Edge vs. Vickie Guerrero
(4) Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov
(5) Maryse vs. Michelle McCool
(6) The Brian Kendrick & Ezekiel vs. ?
(7) Chavo Guerrero vs. The Great Khali
(8) Carlito & Primo vs. Miz & Morrison
(9) Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry


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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