Smackdown!
Minneapolis, Minnesots
July 14, 2006
Rey's Revenge
By Brett Hoffman
July 14, 2006
On a pivotal edition of Friday Night SmackDown, World Champion Rey Mysterio
responded to last week’s ambush from King Booker with a sneak attack of his own
and then followed it up by defeating a valued member of the King’s Court in
William Regal. Also, another member of the King’s court, Finlay, walked away
with the U.S. Championship, and Batista stood toe-to-toe with Mark Henry, all as
SmackDown closes in on The Great American Bash.
As first reported on WWE.com, last week during SmackDown, World Champion Rey
Mysterio was ambushed backstage by his Great American Bash challenger, King
Booker. The attack left the champ face down on the arena pavement as the King
made an unnoticed escape.
This week, Rey Mysterio turned the tables and gave King Booker a taste of his
own medicine. The No. 1 contender was addressing the Minneapolis fans, promising
that Rey’s “fairy tale dreams” would come to an end at the Bash. Seconds later,
Mysterio’s music played, prompting the Target Center crowd to rise to its feet.
As King Booker turned his attention towards the entrance way, expecting Rey to
appear from behind the curtain, the World Champion came through the crowd and
crashed the ring, engaging in his own form of guerrilla warfare as he laid waste
to the disheveled King and his court. (watch Rey's attack)
Later, Mysterio took advantage of another opportunity to extract revenge on the
King’s court when he took on William Regal in non-title action. Prior to the
match, King Booker joined JBL and Michael Cole to provide royal commentary and
even do a little scouting on his Great American Bash opponent.
The match itself was every bit as intense as expected. Regal used his technical
expertise to control the Champion early on, using a variety of takedowns to keep
the high flyer in check. After recording several near falls, Regal became
frustrated and provided the opening that the resilient Champion needed to take
control of the match for good. In the midst of the rally, Booker tried to
interfere, but instead was the recipient of a blow to the head, allowing Rey the
time he needed to put Regal down for the count. Mysterio used a 619 and a
springboard splash to record the pinfall and score a victory on Regal and the
Court. (watch the video)
After the match, Mysterio added injury to insult, leveling King Booker with a
ringpost 619 and seated senton off the apron as a helpless Queen Sharmell looked
on. When it was all said and done, Mysterio’s message to the Court was loud and
clear, the underdog Champion is not yet ready for his impossible dream to end.
In other big news, General Manager Theodore Long made a huge announcement
regarding Batista and Mark Henry’s match at the Great American Bash, and at the
same time, let it be known that he would not tolerate any physicality between
the two during their SmackDown contract signing.
“Both of these men deserve to be the No. 1 contender to the World Championship,”
said the General Manager. “On July 23rd at the Great American Bash, the winner
of the Batista vs. Mark Henry match will go on to meet the World Champion at
SummerSlam.”
Long continued, running down the ground rules for the contract signing.
“Now, if either Batista or Mark Henry do as much as lay a hand on each
other…they will be watching SummerSlam from home, and you can believe that
playa.”
The contract signing however, was not void of confrontation. After Batista and
Henry exchanged words, The World’s Strongest Man threw the clipboard at the
former Champion, lighting a fuse in the Animal who in turn destroyed the table
which was used for the signing. (watch the chaos)
Prior to the chaos, Batista addressed the audience and warned everyone of the
beating that awaits Mark Henry at the Bash.
“If Mark Henry thinks that what happened to him last week was payback, that was
nothing,” said the Animal. “It was a small taste, a sample compared to what I’m
going to do to you at The Great American Bash.”
In other events related to The Great American Bash, Daivari and The Great Khali
demanded that Undertaker give them a sign to show he’s not afraid of the giant
Punjabi monster. As the old phrase goes, “be careful what you wish for because
you just might get it.” Khali and Daivari got a response when the lights went
out and Undertaker was revealed to be standing in the middle of the ring, making
his first appearance since Judgment Day. At first, Daivari was unimpressed,
prompting the Taker to send a message of a different kind. The Deadman rasied
his arms to the sky, and sent a lightning bolt crashing to the floor, just feet
in front of The Great Khali. While the message was clearly sent, Khali did not
appear intimidated. What will happen in nine days when the two will meet in the
mysteriously dangerous Punjabi Prison Match? (watch Taker appear)
While William Regal had a tough go of things on SmackDown, another member of the
King’s Court had a royal night. Finlay, who will be a part of the Triple Threat
Match at the Bash, defeated Lashley to capture the United States Championship.
Lashley appeared to have the match in hand, at times manhandling the fighting
Irishman, causing him to retreat to the ringside area out of frustration. While
there, Finlay created the distraction that led to the downfall of the Champion.
In a fit of rage, Finlay threw several chairs, and his trusty shillelagh into
the ring. The shillelagh however, made its way into Lashley’s hands, who in turn
threw the implement down the runway to the SmackDown set. When Finlay returned
to the ring, Lashley was waiting with a chair, but before he had a chance to use
it, the referee intervened and confiscated the weapon. The distraction allowed
Finlay’s Little Bastard to emerge from under the apron and toss a second
shillelagh into the ring. With the referees attention focused elsewhere, Finlay
hit Lashley with the object and made the cover for the victory. Just nine days
from the Bash, the complexion of the Triple Threat Match has taken a dramatic
turn. (watch Finlay capture the Championship)
This week’s SmackDown was also the site of the first day of competition in the
2006 edition of the $250,000 Diva Search. The aspiring Divas participated in the
Bikini Boot Camp, hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter. For full coverage
of this week’s contest, click Here.
In related news, Ambassador-at-large to Quebec, Sylvan was back to enlighten
viewers on the splendor of North America’s greatest treasure, Quebec. The French
speaking representative told viewers that no matter how stunning the Divas are,
they don’t compare to the beauty of Quebec. As always, Sylvan declared his
homeland to be “an island of tranquility, in a truculent world.” (watch Sylvan's
speech)
In other events from this week’s SmackDown, Mr. Kennedy took on fan-favorite
Matt Hardy. The match was as hard fought as any in recent memory, with both
participants showing an aggressive attitude that is synonymous with the
SmackDown brand. In the end, Hardy recorded the win, sending Kennedy to his
first singles loss since arriving on the WWE scene.
Also, Kristal’s newfound negative outlook continued this week. Kristal was heard
backstage badmouthing Ashley. She told Michelle McCool that any one of the
participants in the Diva Search would be “10 times better than Ashley”. Last
year’s Diva Search winner was quick to respond, as her and Jillian confronted
Kristal and McCool. The argument quickly escalated and turned physical when
Ashley slapped Kristal, setting off a four-way catfight that left the backstage
area in shambles. At Saturday Night’s Main Event, the four SmackDown Divas will
be participants in the first ever 10-Diva Bikini Bull Riding Contest.
On SmackDown, it was announced that Paul London & Brian Kendrick will defend
their Tag Team Championship against The Pitbulls at The Great American Bash. In
a preview of that contest, Jamie Noble used help from his partner Kid Kash to
come out victorious in his match with one half of the tag team champs, Paul
London.
Matches
Finlay def. United States Champion Lashley
Jamie Noble def. Paul London
Matt Hardy def. Mr. Kennedy
World Champion Rey Mysterio def. William Regal