Smackdown!

Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
July 17, 2003

It's beginning to look a lot like Vengeance!

The road to Vengeance is heating up, as the Superstars of SmackDown! get ready for their own pay-per-view extravaganza! This week, Kurt Angle not only survived his “punishment”, but threw it right back in Mr. McMahon’s face, beating the Big Show and Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (a.k.a. The World’s Greatest Tag Team) in a handicap match. And Stephanie learned that Sable’s fury just may be a little too much to handle, as the SmackDown! General Manager took a wild skybox beating from the Sablelicious One!

Just as WWE Champion was forced to take on the triple threat of the World’s Greatest Tag Team and the Big Show last week, Mr. McMahon decreed that this week it would be Kurt’s displeasure to take on the same individuals in a handicap match. To ensure there would be no assistance from Kurt’s friend and Vengeance opponent Lesnar, McMahon banned the champion from the building.

But the Olympic Hero came out on top, winning the handicap match via his trusted anklelock submission hold. When it looked like the WGTT was about to have their way with Kurt, none other Zach Gowen came to ringside to offer some help. This certainly didn’t please Mr. McMahon, who earlier in the show vowed to put Gowen “out of his misery” on June 27 at Vengeance.

When Stephanie went looking for her “assistant” Sable, she got a little more than she bargained for. After Sable’s shameful attack last week, the SmackDown! GM was out for blood, but Vince had hidden his “special friend” up in one of the skyboxes. He claimed it was for his daughter’s own good, and didn’t want to be responsible for what Sable would do to Stephanie at Vengeance in Denver.

But Stephanie tracked down the lovely Sable, whose response was a little less than lovely. Stephanie got her clock cleaned, to put it mildly, and was beaten from one of the skybox to the other. Eventually, security guards had to be called in to keep these two fiery females from tearing each other apart.

The finals of the United States Championship tournament were decided this week as well. Chris Benoit defeated Matt Hardy in one semifinal match, while Eddie Guerrero beat Billy Gunn. This means it’ll be Benoit and Guerrero, two former allies and master ring technicians, tangling for the vacant U.S. title a week from Sunday at Vengeance.

And the APA were on-hand in Columbus as well, handing out invitations for the “1st Annual APA Invitational Barroom Brawl” they apparently have planned for Vengeance. The unfortunate individuals “invited” this week were Spanky, Kanyon, Sean O’Haire and Rhyno!

 

Match results:

In the first semi-final match of the U.S. Title tournament, Chris Benoit defeated Matt Hardy by submission with the Crippler Cross-Face after 8 minutes and 3 seconds.

Ultimo Dragon pinned Jamie Noble with a rollover bridge in 4:01, after Noble was distracted by the appearance of Torrie Wilson and Billy Gunn at ringside.

Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman defeated the Conquistadores when Kidman pinned “Conquistadore #47” after a shooting star press at 2:48.

The match between Sean O’Haire and Rhyno was thrown out before it began due to the interference of the APA.

In the second semi-final match of the U.S. title tournament, Eddie Guerrero pinned Billy Gunn in 9:00 after hitting him with a steel chair while the referee was distracted by Jamie Noble.

In a no-holds-barred, falls-count-anywhere handicap match, Kurt Angle defeated the Big Show and the World’s Greatest Tag Team when he made Shelton Benjamin submit to the anklelock after 11:32.