Smackdown!

Sheffield, England
November 27, 2005   

Anarchy in the U.K.
November 25, 2005


It was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Randy Orton to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Despite showing grit and guts in the face of adversity, Batista was badly injured going into Friday’s “No Holds Barred” Match thanks to a chokeslam that put him through a car windshield during RAW. Still, the Animal had no intention of backing away from a scheduled fight. “The Legend Killer” smelled the blood in the water

But it wasn’t meant to be.

The recent conflict between the Superstars of RAW and SmackDown erupted into full-blown chaos in Sheffield, England, as RAW stormed the ring and obliterated both a high-profile tag-team match and the scheduled main event. Once again, the monstrous World Tag Team Champions zeroed in on Batista; this time chokeslamming him through an announce table.

Eventually, SmackDown fought off its RAW counterparts, who exited through the crowd. But at Survivor Series on Sunday, there will be no invasion or retreat; instead, it will be five-on-five in a Survivor Series Elimination Match. But what will be the condition of Team SmackDown’s captain after suffering yet another damaging blow to his already injured back?

In other huge news with Survivor Series implications, SmackDown GM Theodore Long vacated the United States Championship because of a controversial finish. With two referees calling the contest, both Chris Benoit and Booker T were simultaneously pinned on SmackDown. With each referee adamant of his decision, SmackDown’s General Manger felt he had no choice but to hold up the championship and declare a best-of-seven series between the longtime adversaries. The first crucial match will come this Sunday at the pay-per-view.
In a recent interview with WWE.com, Nunzio called winning the Cruiserweight Championship in his native Italy the greatest moment of his WWE career. But that ecstasy turned quickly to agony on SmackDown, as the Mexicools’ Juventud took back the Cruiserweight Championship on the strength of two Juvi Drivers. One key to the match was Vito’s inability to help Nunzio because of the presence of Super Crazy and Psicosis at ringside.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kennedy once again found himself begging for reconsideration after being caught with a steel chair in his hands. This time, it was in a competitive match against Matt Hardy. When the referee attempted to take a chair from Kennedy, it accidentally ended up catching him in the ribs. Thinking it might have been malicious, the ref disqualified a dumbfounded Kennedy.

Also, Lashley took down Orlando Jordan in a rematch, and MNM’s Melina beat Christy on SmackDown, gaining crucial momentum heading into her Survivor Series Women’s Championship Match against Trish Stratus. In addition, Chad & James Dick made their SmackDown debut with a questionable win over former WWE Tag Team Champions L.O.D. after blinding Road Warrior Animal with body oil.