WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT - 5 yrs. ago
APRIL 7, 2005
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, TORCH EDITOR

Michael Cole and Tazz introduced the show as JBL walked to the ring. JBL cut a mid-ring promo. Wait a second, JBL's didn't marry into the family, yet the show begins with him instead of John Cena? A dejected JBL said the fans don't realize it, but they need him and they know that because places they don't talk about tell them that. I don't pretty sure those places don't talk to people about who they want the WWE Champion to be. He called himself a Wrestling God and said he wanted a rematch.

Then Eddie Guerrero's music interrupted. He said he'll have to go through him to get a title shot. Guerrero got a great pop from the San Diego crowd. Booker T came out, followed by Big Show, and then Rey Mysterio each making a similar statement about wanting title shots. Kurt Angle came out next, and Michael Cole, as only he can, forced that laugh as he said it was the craziest start to Smackdown ever. Angle gave Booker a hard time for not being on WrestleMania 21. He called Rey "little man" and told him you have to at least be adult size. The crowd "ohhed" at that. Angle said Sunday night after WrestleMania 21, " I was arrested for armed robbery because I stole the show at WrestleMania." He said he made Shawn Michaels tap and he can make anyone in the ring tap. "Oh, it's true!" he said. JBL finally got the mic back and said, "I have absolutely no idea what you people are thinking." He said he is on a level they can't possibly fathom. He told them all to get out of his ring.

Teddy Long did his George Jefferson strut to the ring. Long told JBL the ring doesn't belong to him. Long told JBL that there was a provision in his WrestleMania contact. He said he was so confident that he was going to beat John Cena, he overlooked that there was no rematch clause in the contract. Big Show let out a hearty laugh. Everyone else laughed, too. Long said it was in black and white and his high priced lawyers can check it out. JBL threatened to sue. Long told everyone they would have to earn a WWE Title match. He announced there would be a tournament on Smackdown to earn a WWE Title match. He said the first match would be JBL vs. Rey Mysterio, "San Diego's finest." That got a nice crowd pop.

[Commercial Break]

1 -- PAUL LONDON vs. KIDMAN -- Cruiserweight Title match

Chavo Guerrero sat in on commentary with Cole and Tazz. He complained about being jumped by "25 wrestlers" in the battle royal lost week to cost him the title. Chavo said he never lost a match to lose the title. He said London can't beat him one-on-one. A fan held up a sign that said "Cole Sucks." At least in this match, when the announcers spent little time talking about what was going on in the ring, they were talking about the personalities of the top cruiserweight rather than the big heavyweight storyline from the previous segment. Kidman dominated. When London's face was covered in his own blood, the ref asked if he wanted to continue. London indicated yes by leaping toward Kidman and working him over. There were big blood puddles all over the mat. London went for the 450, but Kidman moved, so London adjusted and landed on his feet. Kidman lifted London, but London escaped and rolled him up for the pin.

WINNER: London at 6:14 to retain the Cruiserweight Title.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Good action, but short.

[Commercial Break]

-The WrestleMania 21 recap video aired.

-Luther Reigns held court backstage with Chavo, Nunzio, Akio, Spike Dudley, and some divas. "I told everyone he would lose," he said. "Did you see Big Show's butt? It looked like a meteorite shower hit him." He then pulled up his tights in back and mocked Show. Everyone's laughter stopped when Show walked up to Reigns from behind. Show said there was no shame in losing to Akebono in a sumo match. He then challenged Reigns to a match. Reigns accepted.

-They briefly showed Torrie Wilson backstage.

[Commercial Break]

2 -- BIG SHOW vs. LUTHER REIGNS

WINNER: Big Show.

STAR RATING:

[Commercial Break]

-John Cena walked to the ring for a mid-ring promo. Cole did a nice job hyping this throughout the first hour to build anticipation. Cena should have never come to the ring at WrestleMania to a new entrance song since it really hurt his push since fans were waiting for his previous intro song. Cena had a big, proud smile on his face and said, "The champ is here." He put over JBL's title reign and how he defeated Booker T, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, et al. Why doesn't Cena call out JBL for barely holding onto his title all along and always cheating to win? Sure, it would diminish his accomplishment, but at least he'd have the credibility of telling the truth. Cena said he may not talk or dress like a champion, and that some even call him a thug, but he thinks he's doing all right. He said he puts himself on the same level as the people (the fans) he fights for. He said people accuse him of having no respect for the business or its championships. He said when he modified the U.S. Title, "wrestling traditionalists and JBL got a little offended." Well, I don't know if I am a "wrestling traditionalists" per se. He then held up the WWE Title belt and asked everyone to take a hard, last look at the coveted prize "because if you think what we did to the U.S. Title was disrespectful, you better lock the door at the country club because the champ is here!" Cena then walked into the crowd and mingled with "his people." He said he'll take on Booker T, Kurt Angle, Big Show, JBL, or even Brooklyn Brawler, Iron Mike Sharpe, S.D. Jones, or Steve Gatorwolf (hadn't heard that name in 20 years). "Our time is now! This is the Chain Gang. We ain't hard to find. You want some, come get some! The Champ is Here!" Very good inauguration speech. He walked through the crowd high-fiving fans.

[Commercial Break]

-Kurt Angle stood in center-ring and said while Cena may have won the WWE Title at WrestleMania, but he was the one who stole the show. He then asked for his opponent to come out. His opponent talked to the crowd in Spanish. Angle said, "Speak English, son, you're in America." Angle asked him if he realizes he's wrestling him for the Olympic Gold Medal, something he won in 1996. Angle asked him if any of his family members were in attendance. When he pointed to the crowd Angle attacked him. Then he made him tap in less than a minute. He told the unidentified guy to pass the word to Eddie Guerrero that he's in store for unbearable pain.

-They showed Jackie Gayda backstage preparing for the bikini contest.

[Commercial Break]

-Carlito was interviewed backstage. He said he is going to host his own interview segment next week.

-Eddie Guerrero talked to Mysterio about facing JBL in the TV main event. Guerrero told Mysterio he is going to make sure he wins tonight. Mysterio said he thinks he can beat anyone on any given night on his own. He reminded Guerrero that he beat him at WrestleMania, and tonight he's going to beat JBL. Guerrero didn't look pleased with Mysterio's reaction to his offer to help.

Lauren Jones, Joy Giovanni, and Michelle McCool - "the new girls on the block" - battled Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie, and Jackie Gayda in a bikini contest hosted by Michael Cole. Cole talked about how WWE Divas travel the globe to participate in "breathtaking pictorials just for you." Torrie got the best reaction. It was unabashedly what it was - an injection of T&A and a plug for the new Divas magazine and DVD disguised thinly as a contest. Dawn's pouty, bitter facial reactions to anyone getting cheers but her was the highlight.

[Commercial Break]

-Cole plugged Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle as next week's TV main event.

3 -- JBL vs. REY MYSTERIO

They showed Rey's family at ringside including his just-turned-eight-years-old son with an adorable smile on his face. I wonder if Rey's son wore Rey's mask if some people would notice if wasn't Rey? Rey made JBL chased him around ringside for a minute. JBL soon took control and battered Rey. Rey took JBL to ringside with a head scissors, dropkicked Orlando off the ring apron, then dove onto JBL at ringside.

[Commercial Break]

JBL beat on Rey for several minutes including a fallaway slam off the second rope. Rey teased a comeback. Cole said the "assault has become almost hard to watch." Jordan interfered with a cheapshot. "For what? Bradshaw is dominating the match-up," screamed a dismayed Cole. When Rey made another comeback at 14:00. Jordan interfered. Guerrero ran to the ring to stop Jordan. Rey then had JBL down for an apparent pin, but Guerrero charged into the ring, threw Rey off of JBL, and punched away at JBL. The ref called for the DQ. Cole said that it was unfortunate for Mysterio that Guerrero's temper got the best of him. The Bashams joined JBL and Jordan in a post-match attack. Cena made the save and quickly cleared the ring, then intensely pointed at JBL in the aisle.

WINNER: JBL via DQ at 15:20.

STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Pretty one dimensional with JBL beating on Rey methodically throughout, but okay.

***

KELLER'S SMACKDOWN HITS & MISSES

SMACKDOWN HITS

MYSTERIO-GUERRERO: They did a good job playing into San Diego being Rey Mysterio's hometown. I'm enjoying the drawn-out teasing of a break-up between Rey and Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero's "I lost my temper" excuse was one of those where you have to have a lot of gall to even suggest to Rey that you had his best interest in mind. Rey, rather than coming across as naive, though, is coming across as a good guy who is willing to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. Eventually, when his better judgement tells him accidents happen, but not dozens of times in a row to your disfavor, his rage will be justified and understandable. Then again, as the WWE writers did with the well-orchestrated Batista-Triple H break, there may be no references at all to the past and it'll be discarded in favor of a stock, one-dimensional angle to turn Guerrero.

PARADE OF CHALLENGERS: The parade of challengers is a dangerous card to play sometimes because it can expose the lack of roster depth or lack of intriguing match-ups that haven't already been played out. In this case, adding Rey to the heavyweight contender mix helped keep things fresh, along with the fact that Kurt Angle hasn't been in a WWE Title feud in a long time. Segments such as that do a great job establishing the heavyweight title as the center of the WWE universe. That cannot and should not be taken for granted.

REIGNS'S RANGE: Luther Reigns hasn't figured out what his niche is going to be yet, but it's clear there's something there to work with. He is comfortable on the mic in a variety of roles. It's now a matter of finding the right role, and then making sure he's working with agents and veteran wrestlers on getting good enough inside the ring that it all matters and he can carry his end of a bigger matches regularly. Watching him fly around the ring and bounce off of a stationary Big Show is a role usually reserved for wrestlers half his size. He did an admirable job.

CENA'S PROMO: John Cena's promo is good enough for a hit, but it wasn't without drawbacks. His return to the "Chain Gang" term at the end may have been in defiance of those fans who booed him at house shows after he started using the term seven times each week a couple months back. He needs to be careful, though, because there's something about his character that is causing a lot of WWE's demographic to want to boo him. WWE wants him to be a crossover star who sells merchandise, but continued references to the Chain Gang may limit his appeal to 11 year old boys and soccer moms who think he's a cool role model. But there's enough working with Cena's promos right now that there is hope. I like him setting himself up as a rebel who's going against stodgy traditionalists, but he hammered that point so hard it's almost as if he's telling fans how to feel about him rather than just drawing the conclusion themselves based on his actions.

REY'S FAMILY: Usually babyfaces don't like to show off that they have a wife and kids because it humanizes them too much, and lets their female fans know "they're taken." In Rey's case, it helps establish that even though compared to the monsters he stands next to inside the ring he may look like a ten year old, he's really a full-fledged adult with children. Rey definitely has potential to be a great underdog title contender against the right champion. That champion, though, isn't Cena, it's more likely Angle, so if Rey has aspirations to be in a series of World Title matches, that's going to require Cena drop the belt.

TEDDY LONG'S STRUT: George Jefferson would be proud.

COLORFUL CHAVO: Chavo Guerrero's color commentary got across the strength of his character, such as his steadfast initial claim that he was attacked by 25 wrestlers, then reacting to being called on it by saying, "25 wrestlers, six wrestlers, whatever."

DAWN MARIE'S FACIALS: Dawn Marie's facial reactions in the ring were great. I do wish announcers would acknowledge the reason Torrie and Dawn hate each other - you know, the fact that Dawn sleeping with Torrie's dad led to his fatal heart attack.

PAUL LONDON: The guy is money. He connects with the crowd without a major storyline or heavyweight title push. If Batista or Cena had his natural connection with fans, they'd truly be the next big thing. London gives WWE the excuse to finally push the Cruiserweight Division as a money-division because they have the marketable player they've been saying they were without (not counting Rey Mysterio, of course, but he's aspired to be considered a heavyweight because he knows that's where the big paycheck potential comes from).

SMACKDOWN MISSES

JBL OVERSIGHT LEADS TO TOURNEY: The setting up of a tournament was appropriate in this situation, although it lacks credibility that JBL was "so confident he'd beat Cena that didn't read the contract carefully." JBL's character is that of someone who uses every cheap tactic to retain his title, then disingenuously gloats about how he's a Wrestling God. Someone like that, who also had a rep for being self-made millionaire, is going to read his contract closely. The problem with the tournament in this instance is that it's a show-filling card they've played recently, so it comes across as a quick way to fill several weeks of matches rather than a novel concept.

CENA'S PORTRAYAL OF JBL: It didn't make sense for Cena to put JBL over as this great fighting champion who defeated a long line of big names. Sure, it makes his win seem like a huge accomplishment, but it also makes fans tilt their head and wonder if Cena actually watched any of JBL's title defenses. The guy cheated to win every match, and barely escaped each of his matches with the title. He was hardly a valiant, fighting, deserving champion. He was portrayed as a guy just savvy enough to get by and then gloat as if he truly were a Wrestling God. I'd rather have Cena take an approach where he said that JBL found ways to eke by a lot of worthy challenger, but he was savvy enough to not that happen to him.

JBL VS. REY: The main event wasn't great. I wouldn't say JBL and Rey play to each other's strengths. JBL just battered him for several minutes. It wasn't bad, but it was barely average at best. Rey's key spots, though, are so well-established that they get good pops.

[Torch art credit Joe Borzotta (c) PWTorch.com]

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