Smackdown!
Richmond, Virginia
February 24, 2006
Back in business
February 24, 2006
At No Way Out, Rey Mysterio lost the one thing that seemed most important to
him: his WrestleMania main event championship match. On Friday Night SmackDown,
he not only got it back, but also picked up a victory in the main event.
As the night began, Randy Orton came out to gloat about his victory at No Way
Out. He said that it didn’t matter who Rey had cheering for him or who he
dedicated the match to, Orton had destiny on his side. The Legend Killer claimed
that his father and grandfather were the best wrestlers of their generation, and
at WrestleMania, he would fulfill his destiny and win the World Heavyweight
Championship to prove that he was indeed a chip off the old block. He said Kurt
Angle got lucky at No Way Out, but destiny would overcome luck on April 2. At
that point, RAW Superstar Chavo Guerrero ran in and attacked Orton, hitting him
with uncle Eddie’s signature Three Amigos and Frog Splash. Chavo was hauled out
by security, but the damage had been done.
Later in the night, prior to the six-man tag team main event, Rey Mysterio came
out to address the issue. He said that he knew Eddie was smiling down on him
when he won the Royal Rumble Match, but that he let Eddie and everyone else down
by losing his main event opportunity to Orton. He blamed no one but himself, and
apologized to everyone. As Rey was ready to leave, General Manager Theodore Long
came out to the ring. Long had reviewed the tape, and said that even though
Orton cheated to gain victory at No Way Out, the referee’s decision was final,
and Orton would indeed compete for the World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania. However, Long said that while he couldn’t take Orton out of the
match, he could add to it, and gave Rey his opportunity back, saying that it
would be Orton vs. Mysterio vs. the champion in a Triple Threat Match on April
2. Later in the night, Long announced that Kurt Angle will face Undertaker for
the World Heavyweight Championship next week in a No Way Out rematch, a match
that may determine who faces Orton & Mysterio at WrestleMania.
In the main event, Rey teamed with Chris Benoit & Bobby Lashley to take on
Orton, JBL & Finlay. Early on, Orton & Mysterio were in the ring, and Rey kept
the Legend Killer off balance with his speed, prompting Randy to tag Finlay.
This brought in Lashley, and the newcomer took it to the man who cost him his
undefeated streak. JBL broke up a pinfall attempt, leading all six men into the
ring. Benoit even got JBL into the sharpshooter, but the hold was broken.
Mysterio’s team remained in control until Rey & Orton were in the ring again,
and Orton used a cheap shot to take control. Orton’s team worked over the
smaller Mysterio, who tried to mount a comeback but was caught in the apron
attempting to attack Finlay outside the ring. After a while, Mysterio finally
escaped by sending Orton shoulder first to the ring post, and JBL & Benoit were
tagged in. Benoit cleaned house, but a pinfall was broken up after he hit a
flying headbutt on JBL. All six men brawled again, and Benoit took JBL outside
the ring, where he dropkicked JBL’s hand in between the stairs and ringpost. The
move seriously injured JBL’s hand, and he was brought back into the ring.
Mysterio then hit the 619, and pinned JBL following a springboard splash.
Also at No Way Out, Matt Hardy & Tatanka defeated MNM in a non-title match. They
had a rematch on SmackDown, but this time the WWE Tag Team Championship was on
the line. Hardy & Tatanka came out strong, but a distraction from Melina allowed
MNM to send Tatanka crashing to the floor and take control. MNM kept Tatanka
away from Hardy for the majority of the match, with Melina providing key
distractions when he managed to take control. The Native American eventually
escaped and was able to tag Hardy, who took it to the champions. After Tatanka
broke up MNM’s attempt at a Snapshot, it looked like the challengers had the
match won, and Hardy set up Mercury for a Twist of Fate. Once more, Melina
interfered, rolling into the ring and grabbing Hardy’s leg. The momentary lapse
allowed Mercury to roll Hardy up, and he got the pin with a handful of tights to
let MNM retain the gold.
In recent weeks, Gregory Helms has claimed to be the best cruiserweight on
SmackDown. This week, it was announced that Theodore Long is making him defend
the Cruiserweight Championship every week to back up his words, and this week’s
opponent was Psicosis. The two men went back and forth, with Helms cockily
taunting Psicosis when he had control of the match. As the match neared
conclusion, Helms hit a fireman’s carry facebuster on his opponent, and looked
to finish when he was sent into the corner. Psicosis went to the top rope, but
Helms caught him. After a struggle, Helms was shoved down, but used the referee
to block Psicosis’ attempt to come off the ropes. Helms then ran into the ropes
himself, causing Psicosis to tumble from his perch. Helms rolled Psicosis up,
and using the ropes for leverage, pinned Psicosis to retain the championship.
Also, Booker T sat in on commentary as The Dicks met the bizarre Boogeyman in a
Handicap Match. As Booker & Sharmell complained about Boogeyman and Theodore
Long’s mismanagement, the bizarre one made short work of The Dicks, pinning Chad
after a Choke Bomb. Boogeyman then stalked Booker & Sharmell, causing them to
climb over the barrier and escape through the crowd. Not content with that, the
Boogeyman dumped his sack of worms all over the announcers’ table, sending
Michael Cole & Tazz packing as well.
Plus, the bizarre antics of the swashbuckling Paul Burchill continued as he
tormented former partner William Regal, and backstage reporter Kristal revealed
a different side of her normal conservative self by stripping off Jillian’s
jacket and then disrobing herself.
Matches
WWE Tag Team Champions MNM def. Matt Hardy & Tatanka
United States Champion Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio & Bobby Lashley def. JBL, Randy Orton & Finlay
Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms def. Psicosis
Boogeyman def. The Dicks (Handicap Match)