Full Credit: James Thake, WrestlingObserver.com
WWE Friday Night SmackDown – 16th November 2007
Report by James Thake
The News: The final stop before Survivor Series sees ECW’s The Miz and John Morrison become the new WWE Tag Team Champions and Batista destroys Mark Henry.
What Happened:
Finlay vs Jeff Hardy
The inter-promotional theme of the week continues with 2 of the 10 man elimination tag on Sunday facing off. Finlay gives a clean break in the corner. Jeff throws Finlay through the ropes, dropkicks him through the ropes and takes him out with a springboard crossbody. He rolls Finlay in for a 1 count. Finlay sidesteps Jeff sending him shoulder first into the ring post. Finlay then takes it to Jeff on the outside with the ring post and the barrier. A kick to the face gets a 2 count. A big clothesline gets another 2. Finlay carries on working the head and shoulder and gets yet another 2 count from an elbow drop. Jeff hits the jawbreaker but gets dropkicked in the face for 2. Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind. He holds the advantage hitting a couple of dropkicks. Jeff goes for the corner dropkick but Finlay dodges grabs the Shillelagh. The ref disqualifies Finlay and Jeff slingshots him over the top rope.
Winner – Jeff Hardy by DQ. Was just getting going when it ended, but good.
We get a highlight package of the first Hell in a Cell match, the Dave Meltzer 5* rated Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at Badd Blood. It ends with HBK being thrown through the announce table.
Undertaker comes out for a promo. He calls the Cell the “Devil’s Playground” and says that no man comes out the same and no man has been in it more than him, so you can call it the “Deadman’s Playground.” He says Batista will lose the World Heavyweight Championship, will not survive Hell in a Cell, but he will Rest….. In…. Peace.
Torrie Wilson and Mickie James vs Victoria and Beth Phoenix
Victoria and Mickie James start it off. Mickie gets a 2 count from rolling up Victoria from the wheel barrow position. Mickie punches Beth allowing Victoria to knee her in the face. Beth tags in and gets a 2 count from a double snapmare. Beth uses a shoulder thrust in the corner but misses a second and can’t stop Mickie tagging in Torrie. Torrie leapfrogs her in the corner and rolls her up for 2. Beth reverses a neckbreaker into a side slam. Victoria runs over and attacks Mickie as Beth hits her face buster finisher for the three count.
The Hardys are backstage. Matt is taping his wrists, and Jeff is putting on his jacket to leave for some “personal plans.”
The next Hell in a Cell recap is the big bumps from the Undertaker/Mankind match at King of the Ring 98.
The VIP lounge has Matt Hardy as the guest. He uses his tag belt to get past the bouncer (He’s actually MVP’s real life body guard as well as a general WWE security guy. Met him in London, nice chap). They go back and forth around the tag and US title thing. Matt wants a US title match tonight. MVP says they can’t as they have to defend their titles right now.
WWE Tag Team Championship – Matt Hardy and MVP vs John Morrison and The Miz
MVP and Miz start out. MVP takes Miz down out of the corner getting a 1 count. MVP uses knees to the face and hits the running boot in the corner. MVP tags to Matt selling the knee. Matt gets a 2 count. Morrison tags in and gets the clothesline bulldog combo from the corner for a 2 count. Morrison works Hardy’s knee using Miz and the ropes for help. Miz gets the tag and carries on working Hardy’s leg getting a 1 count after wrapping the knee around the ring post. Morrison tags back in hitting a chop block. Hardy hits a clothesline but Morrison uses the dragon screw to stop him from reaching MVP and getting a 2 count. Miz tags in as Hardy clotheslines Morrison. Hardy gets Miz in the Twist of Fate position, but Morrison uses another chop block to allow Miz to rollup Hardy for the 3.
Winners – The Miz and John Morrison by pinfall. Good match but again quite short. ECW wrestlers have the SmackDown WWE Tag Championships.
MVP can be heard saying it’s his fault and it’s OK to Matt afterwards. He takes the house mic and uses the rematch clause straight away.
WWE Tag Team Championship – John Morrison and The Miz vs Matt Hardy and MVP
The match starts in the ad break with MVP and Miz fighting. MVP tags to Matt and Miz goes straight to the knee. Morrison tags in and carries on using kicks and leg locks. After a few more kicks, Miz tags back in. Matt fights back with rights but Miz hits a neckbreaker. This gets a 2 count with Hardy’s leg on the bottom rope. Another tag is made and Morrison uses a half crab. Hardy reaches the bottom rope but Morrison goes right back to it with a leg vice that causes Hardy to tap out.
Winners – John Morrison and The Miz.
MVP lifts up Hardy’s arm before going right after the injured knee. He whips Matt with the US title before going back to the knee. He pulls of Matt’s boot and knee brace and carries on the assault using the ring post to help. He puts Matt’s leg between the post and the steel steps and kicks them together. He puts the steps in the ring, and lifts Matt Hardy up by his leg and drops him knee first on them. This was a really effective way of turning a comedy angle into serious heel heat for MVP. They showed girls in the crowd who were about to cry. They continued to make a big deal of it showing Matt Hardy unable to walk out on his own in the break.
The 6 man Hell in a Cell from Armageddon 2000 gets a video with the Undertaker throwing Rikishi onto the flatbed.
Cole and JBL run down the Survivor Series card.
Mr Kennedy vs Rey Mysterio
Kennedy starts with the advantage, but Rey hits a headscissors take down to get control. He hits another headscissors to set Kennedy up for the 619. Kennedy goes to the outside as the show goes to break. Kennedy has control when it comes back nailing Rey with a shoulder tackle. He tries to rip Rey’s mask off. Rey comes off the ropes blocks the back body drop, possibly goes for the wheelbarrow but gets flipped by Kennedy landing him face first. This gets a 2 count. Kennedy then goes to the ribs with a big kick and shoulder thrusts in the corner. He whips Rey hard into the opposite corner getting another 2 count. Kennedy wraps his legs around Rey’s ribs. He rolls Rey over getting a 2 count. Rey eventually gets the bottom rope. Kennedy slams Rey into the crowd barrier and the edge of the ring. He rolls Rey back in and gets a 2 count. Kennedy gets Rey in the torture rack. Rey slides down and rolls up Kennedy for 2. Mysterio springboards into a moonsault but is caught in mid air by Kennedy, but Rey hits a spinning DDT. They both get up at 9. Rey gets back dropped onto the apron and he springboards into the Hurricanrana. He hits a springboard crossbody on Kennedy for 2. Rey hits the seated senton before kicking Kennedy in the head for 2. Kennedy gets 2 from a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kennedy gets Rey on his shoulders but he drops down and dropkicks Kennedy’s knee sending him onto the middle rope. He hits the 619 but Kennedy is too far away to hit the senton or anything else from the outside. He goes over to Kennedy who shoves him into the ring post. Kennedy goes to the top rope and pulls Rey up onto his shoulders. Rey hits the Hurricanrana off the top rope for the three count.
Winner – Rey Mysterio by pinfall. Really good match.
They have the official weigh in for the Hornswoggle/Great Khali Survivor Series match. Cole introduces Hornswoggle first who isn’t looking happy when he enters through the curtain. Next out is Khali who Cole calls the biggest “sports entertainer” in the world today. Hornswoggle weighs in at 138lbs. Khali breaks the scales. Cole says he’s normally 420. Khali says some stuff which translates to him watching the segment on Raw. Singh runs off people Khali’s beaten. He says it doesn’t matter if he’s a McMahon or not, his name goes on the list. They then do a photo op. Hornswoggle is literally half the size of Khali. Hornswoggle is almost crying as the crowd chant “Khali sucks.” Khali steals Hornswoggle’s hat and crushes it.
No Disqualification – Batista vs Mark Henry
Batista takes it straight to Henry with shoulder thrusts in the corner. Batista uses the ring post to go after Henry’s arm. Batista carries on working the arm before hitting the Spinebuster. He goes to the outside and grabs the title belt. He uses the belt to get the three count.
Winner – Batista by pinfall. Essentially a squash.
He carries on sending Henry shoulder first into the steel steps. He puts Henry in the time keeper’s chair and after some right hands he chokes him out with a cable. He then spears Henry on the outside. The fun doesn’t stop here as Batista hits Henry over and over with a steel chair. As he poses in the ring the gongs hit and Undertaker’s eyes appear on the screen as the show ends.
