WWE Smackdown Review
November 13, 2003, 2003
Taped on 11/11/03 in New Jersey
Aired on UPN
By Sean Radican, Torch Team Karate Master

Will Smackdown achieve the standard this week?

The Big Picture: In my opinion, Smackdown has been a really poor wrestling show lately. All of the talking and none of the action make for a poor experience for the wrestling fan. That being said, the build for Survivor Series has been solid. I also like Cenas face turn, but Im not sure if now is the right time for him to be a face. What happened to TWGTT? They went from match of the year to Velocity hell in my opinion. I cant believe they arent on Team Lesnar or Team Angle. I was hoping Vince would find a way to fit them in somewhere, but it wasnt meant to be. This week I look for the talking to continue and the wrestling to decrease. I expect that angles will be pushed this week because angles are the driving force for the matches at the Survivor Series.

Points of Argument: Ten good things about wrestling in 2003.

***I want to thank all the people who took the time to write in. Here is the list, in no particular order of ten good things in wrestling in 2003.

(10) Ric Flair: He has proven that he is second to none behind the mic and can move better in the ring than wrestlers half his age.

(9) Kurt Angle: His story is one of the best in wrestling. Angle came back from neck surgery and had a possible match of the year candidate against Brock Lesnar in their iron man match.

(8) John Cena: John Cena has grown and evolved behind the mic and in the ring. He is one of the most entertaining performers in the WWE and with a little seasoning should hold the WWE title in the near future.

(7) Randy Orton: He is a hard one to figure out. Randy has a good look and potential to be great behind the mic, but he isnt at the level he needs to be in the ring. After getting a push, Randy seems to have been put into the background as a member of Evolution.

(6) Angle-Lesnar: This might be the feud of the year in my opinion. It began with a stellar main event at Wrestlemania and continued when Angle came back from surgery. These two put on several memorable matches during a year in which the WWE was lacking in good wrestling.

(5) ROH: A really fun promotion to watch live. ROH gives its fans a nice break from the sports entertainment and provides fans with a variety of wrestling styles. I dare say, it is better than TNA on its best day.

(4) NWA-TNA: A good thing for wrestling because it provides fans with a weekly alternative to WWE programming. TNA looks to be in trouble due to its inconsistent booking and desperation to reincarnate the past to bring in new viewers.

(3) Matt Hardy: An overlooked entertainer and heel who should be able to cement himself a place in the upper mid-card in the near future.

(2) A.J. Styles: He could be the future of wrestling if he improves behind the mic. AJ is someone who can mix it up with a variety of opponents. Its too bad TNA saddled him with Russo during his title reign.

(1) Chris Jericho: A great heel, Jericho can be serious or comical. He does both effectively. I hope to see him get another run at the top at some point.

Lets take it to Tazz and Cole at ringside!

But first, on to my weekly picks

Book of the Week: "My Story" by Bob Knight. A great book by one of the greatest coaches to ever be associated with college basketball.

Game of the Week: "True Crime: Streets of LA" on PS2, X-Box, and GC. This game is recommended for anyone who liked Grand Theft Auto.

DVD pick of the week: Terminator 3. This is a great movie, one of my favorites from last summer and its on DVD with a bunch of cool extras.

And now, on to Smackdown!

1st Quarter Hour

(1) Kurt Angle defeated Nathan Jones (with Matt Morgan) via DQ. The ref kicks Morgan out of the arena prior to the match. Cole and Tazz discuss who might be the last member of Team Angle at Survivor Series. Jones does some power moves and smiles at Angle. The action spills outside as Angle goes after Jones, who throws Angle over the barrier. Jones smiles again. I cant believe Angle is wrestling against Jones with the condition of his neck. Jones gives Angle an awkward looking slam right after the previous thought came into my head. Angle finally gets in some offense with a series of suplexes. Jones gets control again with a big boot, but Angle slips out of a slam attempt and nails Jones with the Angle Slam. Kurt applied the ankle lock, but Morgan came in and interfered to end the match.

Grade: 2 (Nearing the standard). This was a descent match while it lasted. It might be noted that this was Jones longest match ever, clocking in at well over four minutes.

After the match, Hardcore Holly came in and made the save. He gets on the mic and calls out Lesnar.

(Commercial break)

Holly is backstage and Heyman tells Holly he will give him Lesnar. He tells Holly if he continues to look for Lesnar, he will suspend him because he isnt medically cleared. Holly says he isnt leaving. Heyman says if Holly leaves than Lesnar will be all his.

[2nd Quarter Hour]

Vince is backstage rubbing his temples. Sable is gushing over a picture of Vince with his dog. Vince flips through the book and finds a picture of Taker and freaks out. Vince says he knows hes protected by a higher power, but last night he had a nightmare about being dead and somehow his brain was alive. Vince says maggots were trying to eat his flesh. He talks about maggots exploding through his eyes and swallowing maggots. Vince says he was finally able to excrete the maggots, but they came back into his eye sockets. This is really stupid. Vince says he woke up and soiled himself. He asks the question everyone wants answered, what does this all mean?

If Donmoyer can fine than I can too. 1 for complete stupidity.

(Commercial break)

Twenty minutes in and it already feels like an eternity this week.

Noble comes out and says he wants to start Survivor Series tonight. He calls out Tajiri. Noble runs out of the ring to meet Tajiri, but gets jumped by Tajiris friends. Tajiris friends hit a nice double enzuguri on Noble. Mysterio came down to the ring and made the save.

(Commercial break)

[3rd Quarter Hour]

(2) Akio & Sukada defeated Noble & Mysterio. Akio and Sukada are in control at the beginning of the match. Noble fights back and Mysterio was able to come in and get a two count. Mysterio hit a nice move where Sukada whipped him into the ropes and he did a springboard dropkick on Akio, who was on the outside. Sukada was able to catch Mysterio and hang him on the ropes. Akio came back in and worked Mysterio over. I like how Akio and Sukada wrestle in dress pants with a belt on. Sukada locks in a headlock on Mysterio. Mysterio tries to escape, but Sukada pulled him back and tagged in Akio. Mysterio was able to counter a move by Akio into inverted DDT. Mysterio tagged in Noble who cleaned house. Noble got a near fall, which was broken up by Sukada. Mysterio hit a senton on Akio and followed up with the 619. He was going for the West Coast Pop, but Sukada pulled him down. Meanwhile, Tajiri came out of nowhere and kicked Noble in the head, which allowed Akio to pin him

Grade: 3 (Achieved the standard). This was a good match. Akio and Sukada are valuable hands in the ring, especially in the cruiserweight division.

Chavo and Eddie are backstage discussing their title shot tonight. An officer comes in and tells him that his sister in law has been in a terrible accident. Eddie wants to leave, but Chavo asks him to stay for their match. Eddie says no and Chavo says Eddie is right to want to be to his sister. Chavo came off as a heel during this segment.

Heyman tells Chavo that their title shot is postponed until Survivor Series. The Bashams come up and say they still want a match. The Bashams actually show a little personality during this segment. Heyman grants the Bashams a handicap match against Chavo. The Bashams actually showed some personality during this segment.

Cole and Tazz plug a book and the Taker-Vince match.

[4th Quarter Hour]

Taker is at a cemetery. He says Vince will have to pay for bringing him back to this place. Taker says hes put all these souls to rest. Taker says none of these souls have threatened his family like Vince did. Taker says Vince is in for the most brutal evening of his life. Taker says he will throw Vince in the grave and when Vince looks for mercy, all Taker will have is shovels of dirt. Taker says hes only going to leave Vinces head. He wants Vince to realize he is going to suffocate. He wants Vince to suffocate on the thoughts of the things he has done in his lifetime. Then he wants to think about his family, who Vince betrayed the most. This was a good segment to promote their match at Survivor Series.

(Commercial break)

Maniqua whips The Bashams before their match against Chavo.

(3) The Bashams defeated Chavo Guerrero. Chavo and Doug begin the match. Chavo strings together some nice offense against both of the Bashams, sending them to the outside. Maniqua whips them and sends them back into the ring to fight Chavo. Chavo jumps outside the ring to take out Danny and then rolls Doug up for a two count. Chavo fights off Danny, but runs into a snake eyes from Doug, who kicks him to the outside. Danny tags in and goes to work on Chavo. Doug comes back in and he and Danny hit a double flapjack on Chavo.

[5th Quarter Hour]

Chavo fights back, but runs into an elbow from Doug. Chavo makes his comeback and hits a nice atomic drop on Doug. Chavo hit an awesome spinning DDT where he kicked Danny off the ropes as he was coming down. Danny rolled Doug under the ring and switched with him. He then rolled up Chavo for the pin.

Grade: 3 (Achieved the standard). This was a good match. Im surprised the Bashams are showing this much fire in the ring. Chavo was also good during this match, playing the fiery babyface.

After the match, Maniqua took Chavo out and then the Bashams worked him over for a bit. Doug hit a nice second rope spinebuster on Chavo.

Josh is outside of Angles locker room, but he doesnt know who the final member of Team Angle will be.

(Commercial break)

Highlights from the house shows in the New England area are aired.

The trainer is tending to Chavo as the Bashams look on the monitor and laugh. The cop from earlier comes into the room and shakes hands with them. The whole thing about Eddies sister in law was a set up.

(4) Bradshaw defeated A-Train. They show a camera shot of Bradshaw that makes him look about sixty years old. Train pounds on Bradshaw in the corner, but Bradshaw fights back. Train no sells a punch, so Bradshaw kicks him down. Train hits a wicked clothesline to take the advantage. The action spills to the outside, where Bradshaw takes the advantage. Bradshaw takes the action back into the ring, but Train counters a suplex with one of his own. Fans salivate at the prospect of these two tangling in Dallas on Sunday. Is that a birthmark on Trains leg? Bradshaw captures the tide with a low blow, but not for long as Train meets him with another clothesline. Bradshaw makes a comeback with a dropkick. Oh my! Train puts that to a stop with a huge splash, but Bradshaw reaches the rope to break up the pin.

[6th Quarter Hour]

Train hit a Baldo bomb on Bradshaw for a two count. Train tried for the bicycle kick, but Bradshaw ducked and hit the clothesline from hell to get the three.

Grade: 2 (Nearing the standard). This wasnt so bad considering the people involved in the match.

Benoit is backstage getting ready for their match. Benoit cant believe Angle picked him to be their partner at Survivor Series. Someone who has tried to tear everyone on their down. Angle points out that he could say the same thing about Benoit. Cena comes into the shot and says hes only teaming with them to get at Lesnar. Cena tells Benoit, You cant see me. Benoit says that if Cena tries anything, he will tear his head off.

(Commercial break)

Vince is still backstage. Sable comes in and says she is concerned about him. Sable brings in Father Frank. She wants Father Frank to help him release some of the tension. Vince looks at him like hes two years old and asks him if he knows who he is. Vince cant believe Sable brought him a priest to help him. Father Frank says he will pray for Vince. This is pretty bad. Father Frank recites the Lord's Prayer, but Vince interrupts him several times. Vince suggests they get on their knees. Vince says hes not feeling this and neither am I. Vince wants him to pray harder and Vince starts to laugh maniacally. Vince says hes praying for the wrong man. Vince says the priest should be praying for Taker because Vince has already had his calling. Vince says hes going to send Takers soul to the depths of hell. Vince says hallelujah and amen as he places his hand on the preachers hand. This was a terrible segment.

Grade reduction: -1 point.

[7th Quarter Hour]

*** Questions for the next half-hour:

(1) Will Vince have another stupid backstage moment tonight?

(2) Will Stephanie return on Sunday?

(3) How will Benoit and Cena coexist?

Cole and Tazz run down the Survivor Series card.

(Commercial break)

Another Cat vignette airs. Hes in the limo with his butler, who discusses how great he is.

John Cena comes out to a huge reaction. Cena runs down Team Lesnar. He takes out a bra for Lesnar to cover his man boobs. Cena says Team Lesnar is full of chicks with five oversized pieces of (radio edit). Cenas rap was incredible.

Bonus: 1 point

(5) John Cena & Chris Benoit defeated Brock Lesnar & The Big Show. Cena and Lesnar begin the match. Lesnar shows off his power by throwing Cena down a couple of times. Cena takes Lesnar down with a flying clothesline and tags in Benoit. Benoit hits a nice suplex on Lesnar to take the advantage. Cena tags himself in and goes to work on Lesnar. Lesnar hits a huge overhead belly to belly suplex to take the advantage. Show comes in and pounds away on Cena.

[8th Quarter Hour]

Show continues his assault on Cena by giving him a huge chop. Show hits a chokeslam on Cena and Benoit pulls him out of the ring.

(Commercial break)

We come back from the break and Show is working Cena over. Lesnar comes in and continues the assault, hitting a nice German suplex. He also hits a fishermans suplex. Cena eventually hits a DDT on Lesnar to stop the assault. Cena tags in Benoit, who cleans house. Benoit hits his top rope headbutt, but Show breaks up the pin. Lesnar hangs Benoit on the top rope to regain the advantage. Show tags in and goes to work on Benoit. Show hits a huge biel on Benoit. Lesnar tags back in and works Benoit over with a boot to the throat. Lesnar locks in a rear naked choke as Benoit struggles for breath. Benoit fights back and hits a release German Suplex. Benoit tags in Cena, but the ref didnt see the tag. Meanwhile, Lesnar hit a DDT on Benoit. Benoit eventually fought off Lesnar and tagged in Cena. Cena took out Show and Benoit hit the flying head butt, but Lesnar broke up the pin. Benoit eventually applied the crossface on Lesnar, which distracted the ref. Cena hit show with his chain while the ref was distracted for the pin.

Grade: 3 (Achieved the standard). This was a really good match, which got me excited for the Survivor Series PPV on Sunday. I liked how Cena didnt change his in-ring style, despite working as a face.

Radican's reaction: This was an improved edition of Smackdown this week. For the most part, I really enjoyed the in-ring action. I didnt like the skits with Vince backstage as they seemed inappropriate and creepy. Taker did a money promo to get fans interested in his match with Vince at Survivor Series. I really enjoyed Cena tonight. He came up big in the ring and behind the mic. I think he is one match away from being a constant participant in main events. Akio and Sukada were also impressive. This show still needs improvement in several areas in order to improve to the level it was at for most of the summer.

Drum roll please...

There were seven matches for a total of 20 available points to be had for Smackdown this week. Smackdown scored a 12, giving it a D.

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