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
OCTOBER 28, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.
BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
-Footage aired of what happened with Smackdown wrestlers on Raw.
-Christian’s Peep Show: Rey Mysterio came out as the guest. He said he wouldn’t be satisfied until he was voted into the tag match at Taboo Tuesday. He said Edge and Chris Masters disrespected Smackdown and each of the fans. “Dammnit, I’m not going to be happy and satisfied until I get my payback.” He called them monkeys and vowed to get revenge. Christian said, “That’s tough talk, especially since you know the Raw superstars are touring Australia right now.” Christian told fans they could waste their vote on Speedy Gonzales, but he had something to say about why fans should vote for him. Matt Hardy’s ring entrance interrupted. Hardy said, “I hope we both get voted in.” He said the issue is so personal with him. “Edge and Lita think they ruined my life, but they are absolutely wrong.” He said while Edge likes to mock the fans on the Internet, they are the ones who brought him back to the WWE, and the reason he’s going to get voted into the match. He said, “Matt Hardy will not die.”
Hardcore Holly then walked out and said, “Now Matt, I wouldn’t be too sure of that. As for your Internet friends, it wasn’t you that chased off Chris Masters, it was me. You were nowhere to be found, Matt. But I’m not going to get into that.” Hardy said he had a question, not for the Internet fans, but the fans in the arena. He said everybody hates Edge and Masters, but the question he has is how bad do they want to see them get a beating that leaves them unrecognizable. Christian then interrupted and said that man would delivers the beating would be him. The crowd booed and Christian sneered. Holly said the fans could vote for a “small beating” (Rey), a “medium beating” (Matt), or “one hell of a hardcore beating.”
JBL then came out in his limo. He said, “None of the above.” He predicted the fans, who were booing him, would vote him to defend the Smackdown brand. He mocked Hardy, saying he doesn’t cry. “You may not die, but you sure will wine and cry. Why don’t yoiu call the waaa-bu-lence?” Will the emasculation of Hardy and the belittling of his Internet obsession never end? JBL slipped in a plug for his political outside projects. He called Edge a prettyboy and Masters a hairlipped orangutan. Regarding Masters, JBL said, “If he was any smarter, he’d be a complete moron.” Christian told him to shut up just as he was calling himself a “Wrestling God.”
Teddy Long interrupted. He said if each of them want to be representing Smackdown at Taboo Tuesday. He said he was giving all five of them an opportunity to give fans a reason to vote for them. He booked a five-way match up next, dubbed a “Friday Night Free-For-All.”
[Commercial Break]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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1 — MATT HARDY vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. HARDCORE HOLLY vs. JBL vs. CHRISTIAN
They joined the match in progress. Hardy and Rey broke up each other’s pin attempts. At ringside, JBL whipped Holly into the ringside steps. JBL tagged in and beat up Rey. They tumbled to ringside. Hardy and Holly then battled inside. Cole doomed Holly and Hardy by saying they were his choice for the Taboo Tuesday match. Tazz endorsed JBL and Rey. Cole acknowledged they worked together on Raw to defend the honor of Smackdown. All five wrestlers were involved in a suplex where Hardy and Rey were stacked on top of Holly and JBL and they suplexed Christian off the top rope. The crowd popped for that. Holly hit JBL with the Alabama Slam. All five wrestlers were on the mat KO’d. Rey hit Christian with a 619. JBL then hit Holly with a Clothesline from Hell. JBL caught Rey in mid-air and gave him a fallaway slam. Hardy went for a Twist of Fate, JBL blocked it, but Hardy hit it on a second try. Christian surprised Hardy with an Unpre3ttier. Rey then surprised Christian with huracanrana into a roll-up for the win. Rey and Hardy shook hands afterward.
WINNER: Rey Mysterio in 7:00.
STAR RATING: **1/4 — Well done non-stop action match with an especially well designed and executed final two minutes.
-Booker and Sharmell stood outside of Teddy Long’s office, wondering what Long wanted to see them about. Sharmell said perhaps it was to congratulate them.
[Commercial Break]
-A commercial aired promoting the WWE “Divas Uncovered” book.
-Footage aired of the streets of San Francisco.
-Backstage, Teddy Long told Booker that a lot of people have told him that his wife was instrumental in his U.S. Title win over Chris Benoit. You mean Long doesn’t even watch his own show or the title matches live and in person? Sharmell yelled at Long for not showing her husband enough respect. A detailed recap aired of the U.S. Title change. Sharmell then claimed that didn’t mean anything. She claimed camera angles distorted what happened. Long asked Booker what he was going to do about it. Sharmell said he deserved the title, should have had it years ago, and they’re a family and did it together. Booker asked Sharmell if she doubted he could win it on his own. He told her later he was going to show her what kind of a man he is when he offers Benoit a rematch later. Sharmell told him not to. “That title is as much mine as it is yours,” said Sharmell. Booker then told Sharmell she was going to apologize.
-Backstage Roddy Piper walked up to “Cowboy” Bob Orton backstage. Orton said he was going to pay Piper back for doing all the heavy lifting over the years as he was a top star. Piper said the only reason they let him in the building was because of him. Piper said he wrestled his daddy, who was big, strong, and smart. “Then the next generation. Big, strong, and…” Randy Orton then walked up to Piper and told him the last time he was in the ring with a legend, he was in a pile of ashes. He predicted the same tonight. Piper patronized him and said the next generation of Ortons would be walking on all fours.
-One of the juniors (Short Sleeve Sampson) approached Simon Dean backstage and told him there was a new rule at Smackdown – no more motorized vehicles, so he couldn’t ride the scooter backstage anymore. Simon condescended and belittled him. He told him to go be a speed bump, adding, “Oh-kee-dough-key, Artichokee.” Meanwhile, two other juniors attached a rope to the back of his scooter. Dean then drove away, but crashed his scooter into a trash can. The juniors laugh, as did all of America.
[Commercial Break]
2 — SHORT SLEEVE SAMPSON vs. PITTBULL PATTERSON
Network Guy introduced the Juniors Division from mid-ring, then joined Tazz and Cole at ringside. “You can’t take these guys lightly!” said Network Guy. “Don’t sell them short,” said Tazz. Then Cole said, “Who rights your stuff?” Tazz responded: “Not me!” Patterson teased throwing a bucket of water on fans in the front row, but it was instead filled with glitter. Network Guy said, “This is the type of thing we need on the network.”
Patterson jumped onto Network Guy’s lap when Sampson threatened to throw another bucket at him. It turned out to be water this time, but it got all over Network Guy. The match itself was the usual “midget match” comedy with the ref getting in the middle of the action, including taking a low blow. Sampson then leaped off the ref’s back, hit a splash, and scored the pin. Network Guy predicted, “With action like that, we’re in for a ratings boom.”
WINNER: Sampson at 2:30.
STAR RATING: n/a
-Afterward, Simon Dean came out and yelled at Sampson for what happened earlier. The two juniors attacked Simon.
-Backstage Booker told Sharmell she had to apologize. She said it’s his time to shine and there’s no way he can expect her to apologize.
[Commercial Break]
-Booker T walked to the ring with his wife Sharmell. He said he won the U.S. Title last week, “but it comes to my attention that my spitfire of a little wife here had a little something to do with that.” He said he can win on his own and didn’t want to win that way, so he called Benoit to the ring. He said he and his wife were going to apologize. Benoit came out. Booker told Benoit that he considers him one of his best friends and he feels bad about what happened, so he offered him a rematch for the U.S. Title. How magnanimous. Wouldn’t Benoit deserve a rematch anyway, especially considering Orlando Jordan got dozens title matches in the past month. Booker said his wife had something to say. She looked reluctant.
Benoit grabbed the mic and said he accepted the offering for a rematch, but he didn’t need any apology. Booker said he needed to hear Sharmell apologize. She took the mic and said, “Chris, I apologize.” She said it with no sincerity. She added, “I apologize for putting myself on the line for my husband.” Booker got upset. She continued, “I apologize for making my husband more of a man. I apologize for helping my husband actually win some matches instead of losing all the time. And I apologize for making my husband a champion.” She slapped Booker. Then she walked out of the ring and told Benoit, “Most of all, I apologize for this.”
Booker then nailed Benoit with the U.S. Title belt and attacked him. He kneelifted him off the apron onto the announcers table again. Tazz, “So Booker has been using his wife all of these weeks to get victories all along.” Cole said Sharmell is the puppeteer and Booker is the puppet. That was well done. Not that you wouldn’t suspect it was a ruse on Booker’s part all along, but they went so far with it that you didn’t feel like a total sucker for believing him. Sharmell continues to be very good in her role. Booker and Sharmell celebrated in the ring together. I hope Booker addresses all of the points he made earlier about how Sharmell’s interference indicated he couldn’t beat Benoit on his own. By endorsing her interference, does he agree with that?
[Commercial Break]
3 — MERCURY & NITRO (w/Melina) vs. MEXICOOLS (Super Crazy & Psicosis w/Juventud) vs. WILLIAM REGAL & PAUL BIRCHILL vs. ANIMAL & HEIDENREICH — WWE Tag Team Title match
They went to commercial after about two minutes of random action.
[Commercial Break]
Birchill dominated Super Crazy for a stint. Heidenreich tagged himself in by slapping Crazy’s head and went to work on Birchill. The Tollands knocked Heidenreich off the top rope as he was about to hit the Doomsday Device and attacked Animal. MNM then gave Heidenreich their Snapshot for the win to capture the tag titles again.
WINNERS: MNM at 12:00 to regain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
STAR RATING: *3/4 — Melina’s reaction to the win was great. It seemed like she was genuinely elated with the win.
[Commercial Break]
-Nunzio & Vito demanded Teddy Long grant them a tag team title match. Long said they couldn’t even beat Bobby Lashley. Vito insisted Long treat them with respect. As Long left the room, Boogeyman appeared behind the door. He acted extremely crazy, broke an alarm clock over his head, and laughed.
[Commercial Break]
-A highlight package aired from last week’s Smackdown of the setup for the TV main event tag match.
-Batista thanked Eddie Guerrero for taking a bullet for him last week. Guerrero said, “You scratch my back and I’ll take one in the back for you.” Guerrero said regarding the Cow Palace, “This is where Latino Heat was born.” Batista said he had a surprise for Guerrero. Guerrero said, “No, I’m married.” Batista said it wasn’t that. What did Guerrero think he was offering? He walked Guerrero around the corner where he showed him a green low rider Chevy Impala with Mexican flags on the back. Guerrero was thrilled, but demanded that Batista ride to the ring with him.
[Commercial Break]
5 — MR. KENNEDY & BOB ORTON & RANDY ORTON vs. RODDY PIPER & BATISTA & EDDIE GUERRERO
Kennedy began with his own ring introduction. Then everyone else’s ring intro took place. There was barely ten minutes left in the show for the main event by the time the bell rang. Batista insisted Kennedy tag in Orton early in the match. Batista knocked Orton to ringside as they cut to an early break.
[Commercial Break]
Piper tagged in after the break and did his usual routine. Bob, wearing jeans and a button-up shirt, worked over Piper with a choke. Eventually Piper hot-tagged Batista and chaos broke out with a six-way brawl. Batista delivered Spinebusters to Randy and then Kennedy. Guerrero frog splashed Kennedy. Bob Orton, though, was the legal man. Piper put his sleeper on Bob, whose arm dropped three times to end the match.
WINNERS: Guerrero & Batista & Piper at 10:27.
STAR RATING: *1/2 — A relatively flat finish to the show since it didn’t really forward any major storyline, but it is rare that Piper wrestles, and it was loaded with top Smackdown stars, so it certainly passes a worthy TV main event.
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