By Lee Stevens, PWTorch specialist

Thank you for joining me as we put Smackdown "Under The Microscope." This is not a complete recap of the show, instead it's a closer look at the some of the things that were said or seen during the broadcast.

Ah, memories

The beginning seems like an appropriate place to start and we kick off the show with a look back at some of footage from the 500 episodes of Smackdown. Included in the montage was a shot of Hulk Hogan and Edge celebrating their tag team title victory and Big Show superplexing Brock Lesnar causing the ring to collapse. Also shown was Stephanie McMahon slapping her mother Linda and Arnold Schwarzenegger cracking open a beer with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

It's interesting to see all of the heat Linda took during her attempt to get on the Connecticut State Board of Education because of her work with the WWE, yet Schwarzenegger is the Governor of one of the largest states in the country. Yes, Linda McMahon is the CEO of a company that has had issues of good taste and decorum, plus their association with steroids and other drugs is a concern.

On the other hand, Schwarzenegger has admitted to using steroids, albeit when they were legal, he has appeared in a documentary smoking marijuana, and has been accused of sexual misconduct, yet he is in his second term as governor. Granted, the positions are different, the states are very different, and he has been sent back from the year 2029 to kill Sarah Conner. I guess there's really no comparison.

Also pictured was Eric Bischoff ripping off his disguise as part of the Billy and Chuck wedding between Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo. The wedding resulted in Billy and Chuck admitting that they weren't really in love and it featured an attack by 3-Minute Warning - the tag team of Rosey and Jamal. Rosey would later be a superhero sidekick to Hurricane Helms while Jamal was released. As of today, the tables have turned with Jamal now going by the name of Umaga and Rosey competing for All Japan Pro Wrestling.

That voice

The flashback to WrestleMania 23 reminded us how far JBL has come in just two years. Next month he'll be defending his newly won Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio. Two short years ago, he was at WrestleMania, but sitting behind the announcer's desk.

U.S. MVP

MVP's transformation from cocky wrestler who can never win to cocky wrestler who can never lose is complete as he defeated Shelton Benjamin for the United States title. Most fans know that MVP has the longest reign of any wrestler on Smackdown and his first reign of nearly a year is the third longest in that championship's history. Only Lex Luger and Rick Rude held the belt longer.

As for Benjamin, Tazz gave him a compliment by saying that he has been "a winner all his life." He's quite close to being correct. The Gold Standard has won the Intercontinental belt, Tag Team championships and obviously the U.S. title. Growing up, he had a 122-10 record in high school and was a two-time South Carolina state heavyweight champion. He was a Junior College National Track Champion in the 100-meter dash and won the JuCo National Wrestling Heavyweight championship in 1996. At the University of Minnesota he was a two-time All-American, but in 1997, he placed 6th in the Big Ten Championship. Kerry McCoy of Penn State took first place that year.

Sign of the night

"The Guy Behind Me Can't See"

I've often wondered about the reaction of someone going to a live event for the first time. They save up enough money to get their tickets and count the days until the Smackdown taping. They adjust their work schedule so they can leave in plenty of time. They chip in an extra few bucks for parking and then wait in line to enter the arena. After waiting in line to donate another dollar or two for food and a t-shirt, they make their way to their seat. This has been a lifelong dream to see their favorite WWE superstar in person. The lights come up, the music starts, and all they see...is cardboard.

No time for the band

This is the second show in a row where Shawn Michaels established that he can bring Sweet Chin Music without much rehearsal. He dropped a little tune Monday night on Raw and brought out another fast song against Kane on Friday. I hope we see The Undertaker get some measure of revenge this week on either show.

As for The Dead Man, he proved that he could get past JBL without much trouble, including kicking out from Layfield's finisher. I know it's been established as a brutal move, but if anyone should be able to kick out of "The Clothesline From Hell," it's the Undertaker. I'm pretty sure he knows where it came from and he may have shopped there a time or two.

HOF

After not seeing the announcement earlier in the week, I appreciated The Von Erich family getting their moment of glory with their Hall of Fame induction. Please excuse me as I sound like my grandfather when he used to tell me about the "good ol' days" when soda was a nickel and everyone walked to school, uphill, both ways, in the snow, with no boots. If you are new to the world of wrestling, or if you only watched WWF/WWE television, then you have no idea about the magnitude of The Von Erichs. Kevin Von Erich gave us a slight indication in his brief interview about the immense popularity of the family.

Granted, many will look at the promoter pushing his own sons as the reason for their popularity and I won't argue the point, but during the early 1980s, World Class Championship Wrestling was one of the biggest regional promotions in the country. Fritz Von Erich started the path after a brief professional football career. During his early years of wrestling, his first-born son, Jack Jr. died after being electrocuted. Sadly, it would not be the last time he felt that loss.

David died in 1984 and it was generally announced as acute gastroenteritis, but many believe that it was truly a drug overdose which took his life. After his death, Kerry took the lead in the family and won the NWA title from Ric Flair in an emotional match at Texas Stadium, footage of which was included in the video tribute to the family.

Mike died of a drug overdose in 1987 after battling toxic shock syndrome. Chris was apparently depressed over his brothers's deaths and committed suicide in 1991. Kerry went on to perform with the WWF as the Texas Tornado, despite losing part of his foot in a motorcycle accident. He would commit suicide in 1993.

With that much tragedy, I don't anything provides a happy ending, but I hope someone in the family takes some comfort in the honor. Kevin Von Erich is the lone surviving member of the wrestling family and the Von Erichs will be inducted by longtime rival Michael P.S. Hayes of The Freebirds. It's a small point, but I'm thankful that they didn't announce him as Dok Hendrix. Hayes is from Badstreet and the P.S. is for "Purely Sexy."

Lee Stevens goes "Under The Microscope" for Smackdown and Raw. You can leave comments below or e-mail him at GLStevens.Torch@gmail.com

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