Smackdown!

Fresno, California
February 19, 2004

ANGLE SHOWS HIS TRUE COLORS; SHOW-CENA AT WRESTLEMANIA
 

Only days after finally winning the WWE Championship at No Way Out, Eddie Guerrero learned his first lesson from the top of the mountain … the view from above is a very lonely one. On SmackDown!, while he battled his nephew Chavo, who recently betrayed him, in order to retain the WWE Championship, he learned of a new foe to stab him in the back. Kurt Angle – a man who has spent weeks proclaiming friendship with Guerrero and who was the first to publicly congratulate Guerrero on SmackDown! – ruined what was supposed to be Eddie Guerrero’s night of celebration by unleashing an assault that was as vicious as it was shocking on Guerrero at the end of his match with Chavo.

Angle was in the ring after being appointed referee for the match by SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman. Instead of counting Eddie’s attempted pinfall after a Frog Splash on Chavo, he attacked Eddie and left him bloodied in the ring. What Angle failed to do was explain exactly why he assaulted his former friend. It was Angle who went out of his way to defend  Eddie when Chavo Guerrero first turned on him. Angle even defended Eddie earlier in the evening when Heyman questioned who assaulted the elder Chavo Guerrero in the back of the arena. Less than two hours after leading the crowd to three cheers for Eddie Guerrero, Angle tried to destroy him. Is this solely because Angle is the No. 1 Contender for Eddie’s WWE Championship, or was there another motive? Watch SmackDown! next week and perhaps Angle will have some answers.

In other action, the first SmackDown! match for WrestleMania was set when John Cena challenged the Big Show for the U.S. Championship. Shortly after Show defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the U.S. Championship, Cena appeared to once again mock Show and pointed out that Show has never defeated Cena before. Now the two will meet on the biggest stage of them all. Will Cena gain his first Championship or will Show finally have Cena’s number? Find out on March 14 at WrestleMania.

Speaking of WrestleMania, former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar made a plea to Mr. McMahon for the opportunity to face Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. In fact, after Goldberg’s actions helped lead to Eddie Guerrero’s victory at No Way Out, on SmackDown! Lesnar literally got on his knees and begged Mr. McMahon to make the match. Will Mr. McMahon allow a Goldberg-Lesnar match to happen? Stay tuned to find out!

SmackDown! also saw another Superstar get attacked in the back of the arena without any witnesses. This time it was the elder Chavo Guerrero who was knocked out and was ultimately unable to referee the match between the Guerreros to end the evening. After Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and now the elder Chavo were attacked, who is behind these attacks? Who is next to be attacked? Can SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman gain control of this situation? Watch SmackDown! next week to see if there are any further assaults take place or if the culprit is found!

With the Road to WrestleMania continuing, SmackDown! next week comes to you from Kansas City, where Kurt Angle will have some explaining to do. Why did he attack a man he called his friend? How will Eddie Guerrero respond? Will Mr. McMahon have a response to Brock Lesnar’s pleas? Only one way to find out … watch SmackDown! next week at 8/7 CT on UPN!

Match Results:

Kurt Angle & John Cena defeated the Basham Brothers

Big Show defeated Hardcore Holly to retain the U.S. Championship

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero ended in a no contest