SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN
JULY 7, 2005
TAPED MONDAY IN SACRAMENTO, CALIF.
BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
-The show opened with a recap of the Draft Lottery, focusing on the switching of the top champs. It began with Chris Jericho introducing John Cena, then Teddy Long announcing the Smackdown Championship match, clips of the actual match that JBL won, and then the introduction of Batista.
-A crawler on the screen read: “In light of today’s tragic events in London, parental discretion is advised when viewing tonight’s episode.”
(Keller’s Analysis: This episode contains an angle with Hassan that is highly offensive given the events in London today, so we’ll see what WWE does to not appear their exploiting the situation, especially since WWE does not make it clear to viewers that the show isn’t live, but is tape days earlier.)
-JBL stood center-ring and said the way he was screwed over last week made what happened to Bret Hart look like a parking ticket. JBL said Batista looks like Tarzan, but he’ll make him scream like Jane. JBL said at the Great American Bash, “my pay-per-view,” he would prove something. JBL’s music interrupted his own rant. A white limo drove out and out popped Steven Richards, Nova, and Blue Meanie, the Blue World Order. Michael Cole, who just a few weeks ago said (unconvincingly) he was a big ECW fan in the day, didn’t know anything about the BWO. Tazz had to explain to him what was going on. Richards introduced Meanie as “JBL, John Blue Lamefield.” Nova was called “Bash-me.” Richards, wearing a big Afro-wig, called himself “Blue-wheat.” JBL called them “imitation wrestlers imitating wrestlers.”
JBL asked Meanie how many stitches and black eyes he got. He said he could tie him to a tree and not whip his ass in a week. Richards said JBL got his ass whipped at ECW One Night Stand. Meanie then took the mic and said, “JBL, I’m challenging you to a match so I can kick your ass tonight!” JBL said Smackdown is his show. He nearly burst a blood vessel in his head as he offered to teach them a lesson for free. Richards said they wanted to leave their mark to prove they are taking over. They spray painted “BWO” on the hood of his white limo.
(Keller’s Analysis: The angle itself wasn’t bad, and there was enough “storyline” behind the ECW-JBL rivalry to support the angle, but ultimately this is a case of WWE thinking the Meanie-JBL situation is bigger than it is. Meanie also comes across as a sellout by accepting a job (short-term, presumably) and helping WWE and JBL make money off of the beating he took at the ECW PPV. Not that anyone necessarily blames him for taking the quick and easy route of giving himself major exposure, helping his friends Nova and Richards, and getting quick cash without lawyers and a year of litigation, but nevertheless, he is selling out by the definition of the term.)
[Commercial Break]
1 — CHRIS BENOIT vs. BOOKER T
The winner meets Orlando Jordan for the U.S. Title at the Great American Bash PPV. Cole also plugged Batista vs. JBL at the Bash. After sustained offense from Booker, Benoit reversed a suplex attempt by Booker into the Crossface for the clean win.
WINNER: Benoit via tapout to the Crossface at 7:04.
STAR RATING: **1/4
-They went backstage where a glammed-up Sharmell expressed disappointment with the outcome. “What happened?” she asked. Orlando then walked into the room, and Sharmell fled.
-A recap aired of last week’s segment where Eddie Guerrero threatened Rey Mysterio that he was going to reveal their secret. Then, backstage, Guerrero approached Rey about wanting to team with him so they can become tag team champions again. When Rey expressed that he didn’t want to team with Eddie, Eddie said he had the best interests of Rey and Dominic in mind. He threatened to tell their secret.
-Hassan complained to Teddy Long backstage about not being officially eliminated from last week’s match, therefore he should be the no. 1 contender. Long said he would let him have a match against Undertaker at Great American Bash. He also booked Daivari against Taker later in the show.
[Commercial Break]
2 — JBL vs. BLUE MEANIE (w/Steven Richards, Nova) — No DQ match
Cole asked Tazz to catch him up on the history of the BWO. Again, I thought Cole claimed to love ECW “back in the day.” JBL opened the match by beating Meanie with kicks and punches, then tossing him out of the ring. When JBL was about to finish off Meanie after a one-sided beating, Richards hit him with a chair and Meanie gave him a DDT and a moonsault. When he went for the pin, a bloodied JBL kicked out at the last split-second. Orlando Jordan came to ringside and distracted Meanie. JBL then gave Meanie the Clothesline from Hell. Batista then entered the ring and gave JBL a spinebuster, leading to Meanie scoring the pin. Cole asked Tazz if he ever imagined he’d be saying that Blue Meanie beat JBL on Smackdown.
WINNER: Blue Meanie at 4:10.
STAR RATING: * — Just a one-sided beating.
[Commercial Break]
3 — MNM (Mercury & Nitro w/Melina) vs. REY MYSTERIO & EDDIE GUERRERO — WWE Tag Team Title match
Guerrero acted really nice toward Rey before the match. Rey looked like a reluctant fighter. Guerrero had Mercury down for a potential pin, but let up at two and tagged in Rey as a show of goodwill to let him score the pin. Rey went for the cover, but Mercury kicked out. Rey set up a 619, but Eddie clotheslined Rey. Cole demanded to know what Eddie wanted. “Could someone please explain it to me!” asked Cole. MNM doubled on Rey as Guerrero sat at ringside and watched. Rey made a comeback; Eddie looked worried. Rey hit the tilt-a-whirl head scissors takeover and then hit the 619. Nitro took an exaggerated Curt Hennig-like bump. Rey then went for the pin, but Guerrero jumped into the ring and attacked Rey. The ref asked Guerrero what he was doing. Guerrero eventually returned to the corner and leaned on the top rope to relax. MNM then went back to beating on Rey, finishing him off with the Snapshot finisher.
WINNERS: MNM to retain the WWE Tag Titles at 6:36.
STAR RATING: **1/2 — Good storyline and solid action. They’re getting a lot of mileage out of Rey and Eddie in part because both men are playing their roles so well.
-Guerrero asked Rey after the match if he wanted to hit him. Eddie again threatened to tell their secret if he did. When Rey tried to leave, Eddie ordered him to stay put and open the ropes for him instead. Rey reluctantly opened the ropes for Eddie, who stepped through the ropes and thanked Rey. When Tazz wondered what the secret it, Cole said whatever it is, it is extremely powerful and involves Rey’s son Dominic.
[Commercial Break]
-The Raw Rebound aired, much more important this week than most considering Raw’s viewership this week was down about a third from the average rating recently due to the Fourth of July holiday taking people away from their TV sets during Raw hours. The highlight package focused on Shawn Michaels turning on Hulk Hogan.
-Backstage, Christian was interviewed about his match against Batista. “I was born a superstar, I was born a main eventer,” he said. He said he was the main event of Raw and Smackdown in the same week, “and that’s never been done before.”
[Commercial Break]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “PWTorch ’90s Pastcast” with Patrick Moynahan and Alex McDonald, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
4 — WILLIAM REGAL vs. MATT MORGAN
Tazz said William Regal must be happy because his native England got the Olympics. He didn’t know when he made that comment how outdated and untrue it would already be when it comes to his home country being happy. The Mexicools attacked Morgan before the match as Regal watched from ringside. Juvi then sang, “Oops, we did it again,” and then let out some whoos! The match never got started. Regal looked on with his great facial expressions as Juvi, Super Crazy, and Psicosis talked. “When the Juice says so, the Juice makes so,” he said, perhaps coining a catch phrase without even realizing it. They concluded by reiterating that they’re not Mexicans, they’re Mexicool.
-Hassan told Daivari backstage that he needs to understand his role. He told him to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He assured him his sacrifice would not go without a great reward. Hassan whispered something to Daivari.
(Keller’s Analysis: That segment should have been cut. It’s ridiculous that WWE thinks it’s the least bit appropriate to air a Middle-Eastern character talking to another about “sacrificing himself for the greater good” 16 hours after what happened in London. Does UPN even screen this show? Does a cop-out crawler saying “parental discretion is advised” mean anything? What kid is going to get the parallels between London events and a Smackdown angle? It’s adults who should be warned to stay away if they have a sense of decency for fellow man and a distaste for exploitation of terrorist attacks and innocent deaths for the sake of generating wrestling heat. It’s a borderline angle to run in general, but a no-brainer not to air it today. So many people missed Raw on Monday, they easily could have thrown together a 30 minute highlight segment of Raw to replace Hassan-Undertaker.)
[Commercial Break]
5 — DAIVARI (w/Muhammad Hassan) vs. UNDERTAKER
Cole and Tazz talked about Daivari being a sacrifice. Tazz said Daivari is terrified and should be. The number of times they talked about “sacrifice being rewarded” makes this even more a no-brainer in terms of being edited off of the show entirely. Daivari tried to talk Hassan into letting him out of the match. Hassan kept assuring him he was doing the right thing. Daivari jumped out of the ring five seconds into the match. Hassan tossed him back into the ring. Tazz said Hassan told Daivari, “It’s part of the plan.” Taker gave Daivari a chokeslam to open the match. He finished him off quickly with a Tombstone piledriver.
WINNER: Undertaker at 1:34.
STAR RATING: 1/4*
-After the match, four men in combat pants and black shirts and hoods attacked Taker and then wrapped a cable around Taker’s neck and choked him out. Hassan then put him in the Camel Clutch.
[Commercial Break]
-Tazz and Cole talked about how they had never seen anything like that in all of their years watching wrestling. They’re not alone.
6 — BATISTA vs. CHRISTIAN
When Cole touted Batista’s win at Hell in a Cell, he conspicuously didn’t mention Triple H was his opponent. As usual, the babyface dominated early, then they cut to a break, after which Christian had control.
[Commercial Break]
Christian scored a two count after a DDT at 7:15. Christian went to his obligatory mid-match chinlock (just to be sure if the crowd was emotionally invested in the match, he brings them back down; Christian likes a challenge). Batista lifted Christian into the air while on his shoulders and gave him the Electric Chair drop to the mat at 10:00. The ref began counting both men down. Batista made a full-fledged comeback at 11:00 including a clothesline in the corner, a powerslam, a spinebuster, and the Batista Bomb for the clean win.
WINNER: Batista at 11:58.
STAR RATING: *3/4 — Christian was a pretty hot character on Raw, so putting him in a position to lose cleaning and decisively in a throwaway TV main event without any chance to “get his heat back” after the match seems to be a sign of WWE underestimating his potential contribution to Smackdown fresh off of jumping from Raw.
-After the match, JBL and Jordan went after Batista. JBL shoved Jordan into Batista’s arms and bailed out. Batista then gave a Batista Bomb to Jordan.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.