SmackDown: Endless love?
By: Lennie DiFino
July 11, 2008
Results courtesy of WWE.com
BATON ROUGE, La. – Edge & SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero reconciled in front of our fans in New Orleans – after the Rated-R Superstar escaped serious injury at the hands of Big Show in a No Disqualification Match.
With Guerrero watching at ringside, Big Show used his size and strength to overpower Edge, and when The World’s Largest Athlete prepared to deliver a Con-Chair-To to Edge, Guerrero showed her heart still belonged to Edge, stopping the match and protecting the Rated-R Superstar – quite the change from the beginning of the night.
The GM had made the match after she had heard enough from her apparently former fiancé, who began the night by telling the world he was happier standing on his own and that Vickie was not good enough for him. The Ultimate Opportunist then said at The Great American Bash, he would prove all his critics wrong and defeat Triple H to win the WWE Championship.
It was then that Vickie Guerrero used her power as General Manager to place Edge into the match, and she had only one thing to say to the Rated-R Superstar, “good luck, baby.”
Family favor
Chavo Guerrero has taken advantage of his relation to Vickie Guerrero on more than one occasion, and on SmackDown, the self-proclaimed “Mexican Warrior” tried to use that bond once more – earning himself a match with WWE Champion Triple H. The Game was in top form in his first match on Friday Night SmackDown since being drafted, delivering a Pedigree to Chavo Guerrero to get the win.
Golden standards
In a fast-paced, high-flying, non-title encounter, Shelton Benjamin defeated United States Champion Matt Hardy, putting his name into the mix of Superstars who want the opportunity to wear championship gold. The match saw both men taking chances to gain momentum, and when Hardy attempted his patented Twist of Fate, Benjamin blocked it and then took advantage of an over-aggressive Hardy to seal the victory.
Bulldozed
Another one of SmackDown’s new additions, Mr. Kennedy defeated Domino using the Mic Check, with his former friend MVP sitting at ringside doing commentary. Before the match, Kennedy had referred to himself as, “more valuable than MVP,” drawing the ire of the flashy Franchise Playa. After the win, Kennedy and the Ballin’ Superstar exchanged words with each other, and as Kennedy went to leave, Umaga — much to the delight of MVP — attacked him.
Devious Diva duo
Now knowing that she will face Michelle McCool at Great American Bash for the newly created Divas Championship, Natalya teamed with Maryse on SmackDown, intent to send a strong message to McCool. The All-American Diva had Cherry by her side, but Natalya used a Sharpshooter, made famous by her uncle, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, to force Cherry to submit. After the match, Natalya made a statement by laying out McCool on the outside, just feet from the Divas Championship. Will McCool find retribution before the two do battle at “The Bash”?
Balancing acts
In the long-standing rivalry between Finlay & Hornswoggle and the WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz & John Morrison, each team has earned victory at the other’s expense, giving neither a true advantage. On SmackDown, the back-and-forth battle continued, with the Irishman and his son winning a non-title match when Finlay used the shillelagh and Hornswoggle delivered the Tadpole Splash to Miz.
Bell-ringing retribution
Jesse & Festus were looking to right the wrong done to them last week when after their victory, they were attacked by Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder & Edge. With Festus in his stoic state, the duo was left wide open for the vicious attack. On SmackDown, Jesse & Festus once more earned a victory over Hawkins & Ryder, and when Edge’s cohorts attacked again, Jesse evened the odds by ringing the bell, transforming the “corn-fed colossus,” who then cleared the ring of Hawkins & Ryder.
Massive mauling
The undefeated Vladimir Kozlov continued his impressive streak on SmackDown, when he defeated Stevie Richards. The Moscow Mauler’s path of destruction has seen Kozlov annihilate anyone he steps into the ring with, using his wide repertoire of offense to remain unblemished. How long will Kozlov carry on the hot streak? Will anyone step up and face the Moscow Mauler?
Matches:
* Shelton Benjamin def. United States Champion Matt Hardy (Non-title)
* Mr. Kennedy def. Domino
* Finlay & Hornswoggle def. WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz & John Morrison (Non-title)
* WWE Champion Triple H def. Chavo Guerrero (Non-title)
* Natalya & Maryse def. Michelle McCool & Cherry
* Jesse & Festus def. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder (Count-out)
* Vladimir Kozlov def. Stevie Richards
* Edge vs. Big Show (No Contest)
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