Friday Night Smackdown!
Florence, South Carolina
December 8, 2006
A united front
By Lennie DiFino
December 8, 2006
Less than two weeks from Armageddon, the Superstars of SmackDown invaded
Florence, S.C., hoping to pick up individual momentum as they head toward WWE’s
final pay-per-view of 2006.
Former World Heavyweight Champion King Booker approached his partner Finlay
early in the night, as Finlay readied himself for a battle with the current
champion Batista. Booker told the Irishman that he “screwed it up” last week for
the King. Finlay responded by telling Booker “you talk too much,” and added that
at Armageddon “[they would] take care of business.”
Later in the night, Batista and Finlay were engrossed in a match-up of two
powerhouses, with each testing the will of the other. As Batista looked to
finish off Finlay, King Booker interfered. The tag team partners for Armageddon
dismantled the World Heavyweight Champion, taking turns with their respective
weapons, a chair for Booker and the shillelagh for Finlay. The former court
member and the King stood tall, as they left Batista lying in the ring.
Mr. Kennedy arrived at SmackDown with a message waiting for him in the arena; a
hearse. Kennedy hit the ring and told all of SmackDown, most importantly
Undertaker, that he wasn’t intimidated. “You think by parking a hearse in the
arena it’s going to get into my head,” questioned the cocky Superstar. “You
can’t throw me off my game.”
Undertaker then opened the back of the hearse and delivered his message to
Kennedy. As he gave the cut throat signal, a visibly shaken Mr. Kennedy ran off
into the crowd. Later in the night, Kennedy would return to the ring to face
Kane, as the Big Red Monster looked to punish Kennedy. MVP arrived and the two
youngsters took it to the Monster, looking to annihilate Kane. MVP has been told
by General Manager Theodore Long that either he faces Kane at Armageddon, or he
is fired.
The Undertaker’s gong sounded, the lights went out, and Kane disappeared. When
the lights came back on, Kennedy once again ran out of the ring, leaving Kane’s
Inferno Match opponent at Armageddon, Montel Vontavious Porter, alone in the
ring. Next week, Theodore Long has announced that The Brothers of Destruction
will face MVP and Mr. Kennedy on SmackDown.
Chris Benoit, who for weeks has been looking for answers to his questions, was
the one under fire on SmackDown. Benoit had to face the allegations that have
been thrown his way by Chavo Guerrero. As Benoit tried to explain his actions as
“purely accidental,” Vickie approached and slapped the United States Champion.
She then walked down the hallway, where Chavo was waiting, and the two shared a
laugh at Benoit’s expense.
Chris Benoit took all his anger to the ring, where he unleashed “toothless
aggression” on Sylvan. In less than two weeks, Benoit and Chavo will once again
do battle for the United States Championship. Will the Guerreros’ mind games
give them the advantage, or will the Rabid Wolverine continue his reign?
William Regal and Dave Taylor defeated WWE Tag Team Champions London and
Kendrick. During the match, Regal gave chase to Ashley at ringside, distracting
the champions from the task at hand, allowing the brutal team of Regal and
Taylor to steal a victory.
Jimmy Wang Yang became the No. 1 contender to Gregory Helms’ Cruiserweight
Championship by defeating Jamie Noble. At Armageddon, the longest reigning
champion in WWE will put the title on the line against SmackDown’s resident
redneck.
Finally, the undefeated Miz defeated Scotty 2 Hotty, and then escaped being
wormed by Boogeyman.
Matches
Jimmy Wang Yang def. Jamie Noble
United States Champion Chris Benoit def. Sylvan
The Miz def. Scotty 2 Hotty
Mr. Kennedy vs. Kane (No Contest)
World Heavyweight Champion Batista vs. Finlay (No Contest)
William Regal & Dave Taylor def. WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick