Smackdown!
Fresno, California
August 19, 2004
A SURROGATE DEFENSE
John Bradshaw Layfield has had better nights.
Still recovering from major injuries suffered during SummerSlam, JBL lost his
ten-gallon hat and then was painfully separated from his back brace and neck
halo by an enraged Undertaker Thursday night on SmackDown!
Still, the one thing JBL held on to happened to be his most prized possession:
The WWE Championship.
After catching SmackDown! GM Theodore Long at a very bad time early in the show,
JBL was forced to put his WWE Championship on the line against Undertaker in the
main event in Fresno.
But since JBL was in no shape to compete, Long designated JBL Chief of Staff
Orlando Jordan to wrestle the Deadman. If Jordan lost the match, JBL lost the
Championship.
And while Jordan proved a worthy opponent, his inexperience began to show as the
Phenom connected on a big chokeslam and eventually a massive Tombstone.
But before Taker could earn the certain three-count, JBL managed to get a grip
of the referee’s leg, pulling him out of the ring. The intentional
disqualification secured a win for the Undertaker, but more importantly, it
guaranteed JBL would retain the WWE Championship.
Undertaker made sure JBL paid for his meddling, tearing off his back and neck
supports before planting the WWE Champion right next to his trusted employee
with another chokeslam.
Also on SmackDown!, United States Champion Booker T evened his best-of-five
series with John Cena in a tightly-contested match. Booker T, who guaranteed
last week he would win the next three showdowns, used a well-timed backslide and
a little bit of leverage from the ropes to get the crucial victory.
In other big news, Long announced that Kurt Angle would face nemesis Eddie
Guerrero in a Best-of-Three falls match next week on SmackDown!
The match was made after Latino Heat inadvertently detailed Long’s beloved 1989
Lincoln Town Car with a metal pipe. Guerrero was under the impression the car
belonged to Angle, who now might pay dearly for his parking lot rouse.
Paul Heyman finally introduced the WWE to Heidenreich at SmackDown! The giant
but seemingly unstable Superstar wasted no time in making his presence felt,
pummeling announcer Josh Mathews in a fit of unbridled rage. Will Heidenreich
live up to the hype?
MATCH RESULTS:
Rob Van Dam defeated Kenzo Suzuki, but was then
greeted with a brutal double-team from Suzuki and a meddling Rene Dupree.
Angle def. Rey Mysterio in a match that was also part of Angle’s punishment for
ruining Long’s car.
U.S. Champion Booker T def. John Cena
Billy Kidman def. Chavo Guerrero.
Undertaker def. Orlando Jordan via D