WWE SmackDown - 7-8-2004

WWE SmackDown - Taped at the Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The SmackDown review is back, late, but back! Tonight we'll have two titles on the line:

The Dudley Boys(c) vs. Billy Kidman & Paul London for the WWE Tag Team Titles
&
John Cena(c) vs. Booker T for the United States Title

We start off with our opening contest:

Match 1 - Rob Van Dam vs. Mark Jindrak - Rob Van Dam picks up the win with a split leg moonsault. Rene Dupree was ringside for commentary on this one. A good opening bout that got the crowd going early, and they would need it with some of the crap they are going to throw at us later. Interesting note that Theodore Long is no longer with Jindrak...hmmm...

Next we have a recap of JBL's celebration last week and his squash match with Spike Dudley. After the recap, we go to an interview with JBL. He states that he is going to defend his title this week as well. He also has a special opponent in mind; El Gran Luchadore, the champion of Mexico. Out comes El Gran Luchadore. He says a few works to JBL in Spanish and goes off. JBL offers to pay the masked man's medical bills after the match. Another good interview from JBL. I'll give them one thing, they have succeeded in making JBL into a great heel that the crowd HATES.

Match 2 - WWE Tag Team Championship - The Dudley Boys vs. Billy Kidman & Paul London - In a shocker, Billy Kidman hit the Shooting Star Press on Bubba to make Billy Kidman & Paul London the NEW WWE Tag Team Champions. I very solid match that saw Paul London finally come into his own. This match is EXACTLY how it should be done. Kidman & London started out early with some nice double team wrestling (did anyone else catch the double fist, very Rockers like). The tide then turned and the Dudleys got London isolated and pounded on him. The finish saw the Dudleys setup Kidman for the Wassup headbutt, but London pushed D'von off the top rope and Kidman reversed Bubba and London came off the top with the headbutt. Solid match, nice stuff, and CRUSIERWEIGHTS with a push! I'm a happy guy.

Backstage, Kidman & London are greeted by most of the faces in the locker room. As they make their way through the pack, they bump into the Dudleys, who look REALLY pissed. Finally, Bubba & D'von extend a hand to the new champs. Nice to see the Dudley's give the rub to the younger guys. I would guess at this point they are going to try and move the Dudley's away from Heyman (see later for more evidence).

Next we have an interview with Kenzo Suzuki. Very bland interview that seems to be setting him up to feud with John Cena. Am I the only one disappointed in this guy. I had read and heard good things, and he wrestles in super slow motion, even for the WWE. Ah well...

"So, you think you're untouchable..." John Cena hits the arena. He cuts a promo on Booker T and builds some hype for the title match later in the evening. Some nice stuff about Booker T being a Woopie Goldberg wannabe due to his dreadlocks. Then, Kenzo Suzki's music hits and he rushes the ring. Cena makes short work of the "Bronze Warrior" and tosses his out of the ring. While Cena is watching Suzki, Luther Reigns comes in and hits a variation on the Roll The Dice (swinging neckbreaker). He leaves Cena lying in the ring with the announcers wondering about Cena's condition for the title defense later tonight.

Match 3 - Champion vs. Champion - JBL vs. El Gran Luchadore - This match started out as a standard Bradshaw squash till El Gran Luchadore was tossed to the outside. Then, ANOTHER El Gran Luchadore came out from under the ring on the other side, tossed JBL out, placed a banana peel in the ring, and then went back under the ring. The ref found the peel and both he and JBL looked confused. While this was going on, the two El Gran Luchadores switch. JBL went out and got the new El Gran Luchadore and tossed him back in. Suddenly, El Gran Luchadore is fighting back...he knocks JBL down and starts to strut in a very familiar fashion. Then he hits the Three Amigos and goes for the Frog Splash. JBL wants none of it and gets out of the ring and heads for the back. El Gran Luchadore gets on the mic and informs us that he is good friends with Eddie Guerrero and next week, he is going to enjoy watching Eddie take JBL out in the steel cage. A nice segment, but it pretty much seals the fact that Eddie will lose next week.

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviews Booker T who says he is going to make Cena pay for what he said earlier and take the United States Title. He also feels it's a shame Cena got attacked earlier; now Cena has an excuse when he beats him.

In the locker room, Bubba & D'von confront Spike again and offer their help in his match tonight. Spike tells them he didn't want their help and advice when they were Tag Team Champions, why would he want it now.

Match 4 - Six Man Tag - Chavo Guerrero, Akio, and Jamie Noble vs. Spike Dudley, Scotty 2 Hotty,and Rey Mysterio - Jamie Noble wins it for his team when he hits Spike with his finisher, the Tiger Driver. VERY nice match with a lot of great crusierweight action. WWE?! DID YOU SEE HOW GOOD THIS WAS?! GIVE THEM MORE TIME TO SHINE!

Backstage, Josh Matthews catches up with Paul Heyman and asks how he feels about the Dudleys losing the Tag Team Titles. Heyman could care less about the Dudleys right now...he has the Undertaker to deal with. What he has to say, he has to say in the ring, and off he goes.

Paul Heyman enters the ring and reads a prepared statement to the Undertaker (yes, he had it written down, he even "lost his place" once, great stuff...). He says that he doesn't deserve what the Undertaker has in mind for him. It was Bubba & D'von's idea to do that to Paul Bearer, not Paul Heyman. He offers to return the Undertaker's property; the urn; in exchange for mercy. He knows Undertaker does what he says, but he asks him to "let this one slide.". Heyman leaves the urn and the letter in the ring and walks away...Taker never shows.

Match 5 - United States Championship - John Cena(c) vs. Booker T - Before the match could start, GM Kurt Angle and Luther Reigns came down to watch the match. Both men gave a solid effort. People say Cena isn't very good in the ring, but I disagree. Every week he works hard and entertains the crowd...last I checked, that's the job he has; sports entertainer. During the match, the action spilled to the outside in from of Angle and Reigns. Cena went to clothesline Booker and Booker ducked. Cena when right into Angle and knocked him out of the wheelchair. Reigns tried to attack Cena, but Cena got Angle's cane and attacked Reigns with it. Back in the ring, Cena goes for the F-U and hits it, but before he can cover Booker, Reigns hits the ring for the DQ. Angle calls Reigns off and tells him to get the US Title Belt. Angle says he warned Cena not to lay a hand on him or he would pay. Angle then STRIPS Cena of the US Title. The title is now vacant as we fade to black...

Review - A solid show that built off of the groundwork they have laid since the Great American Bash. I especially like the focus on the crusierweights (two of them won the Tag Titles!) and they got decent airtime. I hope it keeps up. I'm also looking forward to the cage match next week. The real question is the US Title. I can only see three paths here:

1. Angle sets up a tournament for the title that'll end at SummerSlam. He would, of course, stack the deck against Cena, but Cena would still get in. I don't think I'd put the belt back on him at SS, though.

2. Angle gets overturned by the Board of Directors and has to put the title back on Cena; along with an apology.

3. (NOT WHAT I WANT TO SEE) Angle puts the belt on a champ of his choosing. Sadly, this will either be Rene Dupree or Kenzo Suzuki. Kenzo said "Got Bless America" at the end of his promo, so that scares me. Dupree deserves a title run, but not one handed to him. I guess we'll have to wait and see for ourselves...

I'll hopefully have a Vengeance review up before or after Raw tonight, with a Raw review to follow.

Take care.