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he following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
WWE SMACKDOWN
APRIL 28, 2006
TAPED MONDAY
BY MIKE ROE & JAMES CALDWELL
THE BIG STORY
LONDON, ENGLAND –– In his final TV match prior to being taken off the road temporarily due to recurring health problems, Kurt Angle nearly won the World Heavyweight Title from Rey Mysterio. In a hotly contested match, especially during the final five minutes of rapid–fire wrestling exchanges, the fans were more behind Angle than Rey. At the end of the match, Angle applied the Anklelock. Rey, who was in jeopardy throughout the match, was on the verge of tapping out when Mark Henry interfered by attacking both men. He tossed Rey to the outside then rammed Angle’s lower back into the ring apron. Henry placed Angle on a table then ran off the apron and splashed Angle through the table. Angle yelled “Oh, my ribs!” and clutched at his midsection. Medical staff checked on Angle as various replays showed the splash in slow motion. Henry held up his arms in victory on the stage as Angle was in agony on the floor.
MATCH RESULTS
(1) JBL beat William Regal in 10:00 to retain the United States Title.
Prior to the match, JBL came to the ring covered in an American flag jacket. He mocked the English for worshiping a queen then said the English want to be Americans. William Regal interrupted to a strong pop. He called Tony Blair a muppet then ranted on JBL and Americans. “You are a bunch of worthless, useless, cowardly, pathetic, big–headed, big–mouthed, tosspots, and if you want someone to challenge you for your title tonight, sunshine, I’m your man!” he said. Regal knocked JBL down with a big left hand to start the match. Regal dominated early until JBL gained control. Regal bled from the ear and side of his head. JBL went for the clothesline from Hell, but he ran into an exploder suplex. Regal stomped the upper back of JBL, but as Regal was recovering, JBL hit a thumb to the eye. JBL then followed up with the clothesline from Hell for the win. Good opener with good crowd heat.
(2) Paul London & Brian Kendrick & Super Crazy beat MNM (Mercury & Nitro w/Melina) & Gregory Helms in 4:00.
Helms made his return to Smackdown and fell to the babyface trio when Kendrick rolled him up in the ring for a quick pin. Prior to that, all four men hit highspots in and around the ring. After the match, Helms got in an argument with MNM, each blaming the other for the loss. Melina couldn’t believe her team had lost four times in a row to London and Kendrick.
(3) Bobby Lashley beat Mark Henry via countout in 5:00 in a first round King of the Ring tournament match.
Prior to the match, Lashley spoke to the camera backstage while lacing up his boots. Lashley said he was looking forward to the match. During the match, Michael Cole told viewers to run into the side of their house in order to feel the impact of a Mark Henry splash. Henry focused his attack on Lashley’s ribs. Lashley made his comeback with a series of clotheslines that rocked Henry. Lashley went for the dominator, but Henry back body dropped out of it. Lashley avoided a charging clothesline and Henry flipped over the top rope to the floor. The referee applied a conveniently fast ten count to award Lashley the match victory. Afterwards, Henry cut off Lashley’s celebration and slammed Lashley into the ringpost. Smartly booked match to keep Henry strong, while Lashley was made into a bigger star.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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(4) Finlay beat Gunner Scott (Brent Albright) in 4:00.
Prior to the match, Booker T told Albright he would pick an opponent to face him in a re–match from when Albright beat Booker since he was too sick to wrestle. Albright controlled the match early on, but Finlay caught him in between the ring and the apron on an attempted baseball slide and landed right hands. Finlay grabbed Albright’s leg and pulled him to the outside. He grabbed his shillelagh, which drew the referee’s attention. Booker took advantage by superkicking Albright then rolling him into the ring. Finlay hit the Emerald Fusion for the win. Afterwards, Chris Benoit saved Albright from a two–on–one beatdown.
(5) Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle wrestled to a No Contest in 14:00.
Rey retained the World Heavyweight Title. See “Big Story” for details.
OTHER NOTES
Prior to the main event match, Kristal Marshall interviewed Rey Mysterio. Rey said he was happy to be here as champion and he was living his dream. He said he’s fine being the underdog because he’s always been able to prove himself… Kristal interviewed Giant Khali and Daivari. Daivari gave some historical background on Khali. He grabbed the mic and Kristal’s arm then mumbled through a promo. He made no sense, but the audience chanted “What?” when he paused. Khali yelled at Kristal, who screamed and fled the ring. Daivari went to one knee, which was a nice touch to bring out Khali’s massiveness. Khali made the chopping sign with his hand…
Backstage, Melina confronted Jillian Hall after MNM lost to Kendrick, London, and Super Crazy. Melina threw powder in Jillian’s face after Jillian smeared Melina’s make up. A catfight ensued until MNM and agents broke up the fight… Throughout the show, WWE aired clips highlighting some of Kurt Angle’s previous title victories… WWE aired a Tatanka promo video highlighting his Native American heritage. It ended with the Tatanka war cry and a graphic that said “Next Week: The Initiation Begins.”… The Miz was not on the broadcast this week. Palmer Cannon’s decree that The Miz would be cancelled by the Network was true for this week…
PAT MCNEILL THOUGHTS
Rey Mysterio’s title defense against Kurt Angle was looking to be your basic epic pay–per–view caliber match until The World’s Strongest Slug Mark Henry crashed the party. It’s understandable that WWE wants to build up Henry, seeing as The Mizark is due for a squashing from the returning Dave Batista, but this wasn’t a good ending and was actually a repeat of a previous Mark Henry beatdown on Angle. The only good news involving Henry tonight was that his match with Bobby Lashley was kept short.
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