Friday Night Smackdown!
Providence, Rhode Island
April 13, 2007
thanks to: wwe.com
Polar opposites
By Lennie DiFino
April 13, 2007
As SmackDown kicked off, General Manager Theodore Long announced that at
Backlash in just over two weeks, Undertaker would defend his World Heavyweight
Championship against Batista in a Last Man Standing Match. Moments later, Long
put the Backlash opponents together as a team – after the actions of Mr. Kennedy
& Finlay. WWE Backlash will be a tri-brand pay-per-view including Raw, SmackDown
and ECW Superstars.
The Irishman & Hornswoggle were scheduled to face off against Mr. Kennedy in a
Handicap Match. Kennedy, however, entered the sold-out Dunkin Donuts Center in
Providence, R.I. and told Finlay, “at WrestleMania, we were in the biggest match
of our careers, and things got out of hand.” He continued, “I’m sorry. I
apologize.” Finlay accepted the apology and the Handicap Match was cancelled by
the participants – then the General Manager made the new match.
Undertaker and Batista were able to exist as a team, which allowed The Animal to
deliver a Batista Bomb to Mr. Money in the Bank Kennedy to pick up the victory
and send a clear message to The Phenom – Batista is coming for the World
Heavyweight Championship.
Montel Vontavious Porter had a WrestleMania rematch against United States
Champion Chris Benoit in a non-title contest. Much like their match at
WrestleMania, MVP continued to prove that he is more than just a cocky
Superstar, surprising Benoit and WWE fans by stealing the victory, using the
ropes for leverage.
After his stunning victory, MVP exclaimed to WWE fans, “I told you so,”
referring to his claims that he could defeat Chris Benoit in one-on-one action.
WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick defended the titles against
Deuce & Domino. London & Kendrick have held the titles for 327 days as of Friday
Night SmackDown, the fourth longest reign in WWE tag team history.
Deuce & Domino looked to end that reign with their brute force, hoping to
neutralize the speed and high-flying style of London & Kendrick. The challengers
had control of the match, but not of their actions, and continually refused the
orders from referee Mickie Henson to follow the rules. When Deuce ignored the
order to leave the ring, instead delivering Crack ‘em in ‘da Mouth, Henson had
no choice but to disqualify Deuce & Domino – much to the disgust of the
challengers.
The fact remains that once again London & Kendrick found a way to win when the
titles were on the line, retaining their WWE Tag Team Championship and
continuing their impressive run at the top.
Also on SmackDown, Kane dominated Daivari en route to victory, but was attacked
after the match by William Regal & Dave Taylor.
Regal & Taylor were looking for payback after Kane defeated Taylor last week,
despite constant interference from Regal. The Big Red Machine has caught the ire
of this dangerous tag team, and the budding rivalry is building steam.
SmackDown Diva Ashley was attacked by Jillian, jealous over Ashley’s involvement
in mega-producer Timbaland’s newest music video. Jillian shouted, “if I can’t be
in Timbaland’s video, neither can you.” The brutal attack aggravated Ashley’s
leg injury suffered last year, and the beautiful Diva will need surgery to
re-insert a screw into a metal plate in her leg.
General Manager Theodore Long discussed with his new love Kristal their plans
for the upcoming European tour. SmackDown will have its first broadcast from
Italy next week, and the romance between the Kristal and SmackDown’s General
Manager could be blossoming overseas.
Finally, it was announced that the World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry will be
making his return to Friday Night SmackDown.
Matches
World Heavyweight Champion Undertaker & Batista def. Mr. Kennedy & Finlay
WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick def. Deuce & Domino (Disqualification)
MVP def. United States Champion Chris Benoit (Non-title)
Kane def. Daivari