Friday Night Smackdown!
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
October 20, 2006
King Me
By Brett Hoffman
October 13, 2006
It was an eventful night on a jam-packed edition of SmackDown from Jacksonville.
Chris Benoit made a splash in his SmackDown return, Kane shocked fans and scared
MVP in his SmackDown debut, Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero agreed on an “I
Quit” Match for next week’s show, and Batista won a Triple Threat Match for the
right to challenge King Booker for his World Heavyweight Championship next week
in Los Angeles.
Much to King Booker’s bewilderment, General Manager Theodore Long ordered a
Triple Threat Main Event on SmackDown for the right to face King Booker for the
World Heavyweight Championship on next week’s show. The competitors involved
were the three men who faced King Booker at No Mercy; Batista, Lashley and
Finlay.
Moments before the battle began, SmackDown announcers Michael Cole and JBL were
joined by none other than King Booker himself on commentary for the pivotal
match. In the opening seconds of the contest, Batista and Lashley took advantage
of their friendship to neutralize the angry Irishman. With Finlay out of the
equation, the friendship was thrown out the window as Batista and Lashley locked
it up in a battle of true powerhouses.
A variety of high impact maneuvers left both Batista and Lashley laid out on the
mat, allowing Finlay to follow in the footsteps of King Booker at No Mercy, and
pick up the scraps. Unfortunately for the angry fighter, Lashley and Batista
weren’t ready to be pinned just yet. After a few unsuccessful attempts at a pin,
Lashley turned the tide and scooped up Finlay for a devastating power slam. The
former U.S. Champion went for the pin, but as the ref’s hand was inches from the
mat, Little Bastard jumped into the ring and disrupted the count.
With the match in flux, Batista seized control, laying out both opponents before
leaving the ring to head to the announce table. After staring down the seated
World Heavyweight Champion, Batista proceeded to take apart the table,
apparently preparing it in hopes of driving one of his opponents through it.
Unfortunately for the Animal, the move backfired as Lashley and Finlay teamed up
to choke slam Batista to his apparent demise.
With Batista seemingly down and out, Finlay and Lashley resumed their lengthy
rivalry in the ring. After a series of blows, Finlay got the upper hand and
dropped Lashley on his head with the Celtic Cross. The former U.S. Champion went
for the pin, but Batista resurrected himself from the dead and broke up the
count.
From there, the match belonged to Batista. With Lashley incapacitated from the
Celtic Cross, Batista finished off the Irishman with the Batista Bomb and
recorded the pin to be come the No. 1 Contender to King Booker’s crown. As
SmackDown went off the air, Michael Cole delivered a blockbuster, informing King
Booker that next week during the Championship match, Cyber Sunday main eventers
John Cena and Big Show will be seated at ringside to view the proceedings. What
will happen next week when Batista gets another opportunity to capture the gold
that he so badly craves?
One of the biggest stories coming into this week’s show was the SmackDown
in-ring debut of Montel Vontavious Porter. At No Mercy, MVP made his WWE in-ring
debut, taking on a less than formidable opponent in the unknown Marty Garner.
This week, MVP begged Teddy Long for some “competition”. As the old saying goes,
“be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”
MVP’s “competition” came in the form of the debuting Kane, who earlier this week
lost a Loser Leaves RAW match to Umaga thanks to interference from Armando
Alejandro Estrada. Still fuming from the events of Monday night, Kane took out
his aggression on the cocky SmackDown newcomer. Minutes into the one-sided
affair, MVP bailed, leaving the ring and making a b-line to the locker room. Who
is next on Kane’s list? (watch the video)
Sunday’s No Mercy was a monumental night in SmackDown history, in-part due to
the successful return of fan-favorite Chris Benoit. On Friday night, Benoit
added some hardware to his collection in the form of the United States
Championship when he defeated Mr. Kennedy.
The match was made when Mr. Kennedy came out to brag about his shaky “victory”
over the Undertaker at No Mercy. The loudmouth Superstar made a challenge to
Theodore Long.
“I’ll put my title on the line against a man Teddy Long claims I’ve never
beaten,” said Kennedy. “But if I win, I get to leave and go to RAW.”
Long agreed, and seconds later, Benoit emerged from the locker room.
A shocked Kennedy looked on as the rabid wolverine stormed the ring. Benoit took
it right to the United States champ, showing the aggression that has made him
the decorated performer and fan-favorite that he is today. Kennedy was game for
the challenge, and even looked to have the upper-hand at one point in the match
before the tide was turned for good.
As Kennedy was in control, Undertaker’s gong played over the Jacksonville
Veterans Memorial Arena, temporarily distracting the surprised champion. That
distraction opened the door for the wolverine to go to work and finish off a
flustered Kennedy. Benoit used a series of german suplexes and then the
signature Crippler Crossface to seal the deal and become the new United States
Champion.
At RAW Reunion, Rey Mysterio capped an incredible week by defeating Chavo
Guerrero Jr. for the second consecutive night. On Friday, Mysterio attempted to
move on, taking on and defeating a game Jamie Noble in one-on-one action. After
the match, he was again confronted by Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero, who
made a shocking challenge.
“You must be proud,” said Chavo. “You must be proud of driving me to the lowest
point in my career. As long as the two of us are on SmackDown this will never
end. So Rey, I challenge you to an “I Quit” Match next week on SmackDown.”
Rey hesitated before reminding Chavo, “I’ve beaten you twice in a row, do you
really want to get beat again?”
An irritated Vickie Guerrero grabbed the microphone and re-issued the challenge.
“The difference between my Eddie and you Rey is that Eddie had balls.”
A fired up Rey responded to the challenge. “I’m going to prove to both of you
what Rey Mysterio is all about. You want an I Quit Match? I’ll tell you what,
the words “I Quit” are going to come out of your mouth Chavo.”
In other SmackDown action, Vito and William Regal continued their increasingly
heated rivalry. At No Mercy, William Regal’s inauspicious night was due in part
to a series of run-in’s with Vito, which led to his impromptu beating at the
hands of Chris Benoit.
On Friday night, William Regal took out his frustrations on the dress-wearing
tough guy, but couldn’t close the deal. After taking a series of punishing
crossface forearms, Vito was able to record a pin with a “revealing” sunset flip
on Regal, getting the 1-2-3 to stay undefeated since donning the dress.
Also, Jimmy Wang Yang recorded his first SmackDown win when he teamed with Tag
Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick to defeat Idol Stevens, K.C. James
and Sylvan.
Matches
Chris Benoit def. United States Champion Mr. Kennedy to win Championship
Batista def. Lashley and Finlay
M.V.P. vs. Kane (No Contest)
Rey Mysterio def. Jamie Noble
Jimmy Wang Yang, Paul London & Brian Kendrick def. Sylvan, Idol Stevens & K.C. James
Vito def. William Regal