Friday Night Smackdown!
Quad Cities, Illinois
August 22, 2008
results thanks to wwe.com
QUAD CITIES, Ill. – It was a night for seeking repentance and rising to the
challenge as SmackDown stood witness to the return of Undertaker on Friday
nights, and saw other Superstars looking for a new chance at championship gold.
As a result of The Phenom sending Edge to Hell at SummerSlam, SmackDown General
Manager Vickie Guerrero underwent a dynamic attitude change, showing remorse for
what she said was not the “real” her and blaming the Rated-R Superstar for all
her past wrongdoing to WWE Superstars and the WWE Universe alike. She claimed
that she was very excited about the return of Undertaker and hoped our fans
would join her in giving him a standing ovation.
But, not everybody was ready to hear it. After reading a prepared statement and
begging him for forgiveness on bended knee, the reemerging Deadman made it clear
to Guerrero that forgiveness would not be granted when he decimated Chavo
Guerrero, Bam Neely and WWE Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder.
Four chances at ultimate glory
Earlier, before bedlam erupted around members of “The Family,” Guerrero made the
announcement that throughout the evening, a series of qualifying matches would
take place to find out which four Superstars would join WWE Champion Triple H in
the first-ever WWE Championship Scramble Match at Unforgiven.
The Brian Kendrick was proclaimed the winner of the first qualifying match – a
10-Man Battle Royal that included Hawkins & Ryder, Vladimir Kozlov, Armando
Estrada, Jimmy Wang Yang, Funaki, Super Crazy, as well as newcomers Scotty
Goldman and Ryan Braddock. Although Big Show was overlooked as a participant by
General Manager Guerrero, he was not to be denied – smashing his way into the
ring on his own accord and eliminating the majority of Superstars including The
Brian Kendrick himself. However, because Ezekiel Jackson caught and deposited
his associate back in the ring before his feet hit the floor, the reeling
Kendrick found his hand raised at the sound of the bell – earning a place in the
Championship Scramble.
In the second qualifying match, Montel Vontavious Porter stole a victory over
Festus via count-out. Once the fierce battle made its way outside the ring and
the referee began his 10-count, the Ballin’ Superstar seized the moment by
kicking an unsuspecting Jesse, distracting the Corn-fed Colossus long enough to
get back in the ring and pick up the win in the final second. Will MVP’s
self-proclaimed destiny to become a World Champion come true at Unforgiven?
In his continued obsession with possessing all the championship gold he can get
his hands on, United States Champion Shelton Benjamin beat Finlay in the third
qualifying match of the night. Benjamin’s victory was assisted by the Belfast
brawler’s rival, Mike Knox, who snuck down to ringside and grabbed Finlay’s son
Hornswoggle, giving the Gold Standard the distraction he needed to hit paydirt
and solidify his spot in the WWE Championship Scramble.
WWE Champion Triple H joined Jim Ross and Tazz at the broadcast table to witness
the high-flying Jeff Hardy against The Great Khali in the final qualifying
match. When Ranjin Singh decided to distract the Legend Thriller, The Game made
his presence known, dropping Khali’s handler before nailing the Punjabi Giant
with a chair to set up Jeff Hardy’s humongous win.
And, just when the storm was finding its calm, The King of Kings was interrupted
by Kenny Dykstra, a move that led to Dykstra being on the wrong end of a
Pedigree.
Diva down
Maria picked up the disqualification victory over Natalya, after Maryse
blatantly attacked her in retaliation for the broken nose she suffered several
weeks ago. Luckily for Maria, Divas Champion Michelle McCool was quick to even
the odds. Will the rivalries between these Divas cool off as summer comes to an
end, or are they just beginning to heat up?
Don’t miss the premiere of SmackDown when it makes its move to My Network TV on
Oct. 3.
Matches
The Brian Kendrick won a 10-Man Battle Royal over Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder,
Vladimir Kozlov, Armando Estrada, Jimmy Wang Yang, Funaki, Super Crazy, Scotty
Goldman & Ryan Braddock – WWE Championship Scramble Qualifying Match
MVP def. Festus by count out – WWE Championship Scramble Qualifying Match
United States Champion Shelton Benjamin def. Finlay – WWE Championship Scramble Qualifying Match
Jeff Hardy def. The Great Khali – WWE Championship Scramble Qualifying Match
Maria def. Natalya – DQ