WWE Smackdown Preview: Big Show’s Announcement

From WWE.com:

Apology expected

Following their surprise attack on Undertaker at Unforgiven, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero and Big Show emerged together to explain their actions as well as to make a startling announcement to the WWE Universe.

The dubious duo announced a powerful new business alliance between them, explaining that its primary focus will be to make SmackDown into what Guerrero wishes it to be – and for The World’s Largest Athlete to “get the WWE Championship around his waist” — by forcing The Phenom to give the General Manager the apology she has demanded. But, how will this shocking business union change Friday nights? And what will The Deadman’s response be to this new threat?

WWE Champion Triple H watched as Jeff Hardy became No. 1 contender to his title last week, but The Game will stand toe-to-toe on SmackDown with another Superstar who feels it is his destiny to be a World Champion – Montel Vontavious Porter. Can MVP show that his words are more than just talk when he steps into the ring with Triple H?

Jeff Hardy may have won the Fatal Four Way Match over United States Champion Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter and The Brian Kendrick — earning him the chance to face WWE Champion Triple H at No Mercy. After the match, Hardy was attacked by the competition hungry Vladimir Kozlov. On SmackDown, Hardy faces another hungry challenge when he goes one-on-one with The Brian Kendrick. Will Hardy be able to keep his focus on Kendrick or will the high-flying Legend Thriller find himself distracted?

In a bizarre turn of events, Festus & Jesse executed a first-class package job to Kenny Dykstra, before wheeling the furious Superstar away on a hand truck. (PHOTOS) Is it possible that these two wacky country boys have “Fed-Ex’d” the outspoken Dykstra out of WWE?

The ecstatic brothers Carlito & Primo celebrated their sibling allegiance with a non-title victory over WWE Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder. (PHOTOS) Will it be long before they get a chance at bringing home the gold?

Find out the answers to these questions and more on SmackDown, Friday night at 8/7 CT on The CW Network.

And don’t miss the premiere of SmackDown on its new home – MyNetwork TV – on Oct. 3 at 8/7 CT.

WWE Signs New Talent, McMahon High On Smackdown Wrestler

- Recently signed WWE development talent Jon Cutler will begin working in FCW next month. He appeared on RAW last month in a match with Paul Burchill and Katie Lea.

- Vince McMahon is said to be high on SmackDown wrestler Vladimir Kozlov, and has some big plans for the Russian wrestler. The general feeling backstage is that he has work hard to become a better wrestler which has lead to WWE officials believing in him.

Credit: F4WOnline.com

*SPOILERS* WWE Smackdown (9/19) Taping Results from Nashville

Report by Mark Spain and PWinsider.com

Michelle McCool defeated Maryse.

Backstage, Vickie & Big Show & Eve leads to a video of Big Show laying out Undertaker.

Ryan Braddock defeated Festus by DQ when Jesse and Festus attack and bubble wrap him.

R-Truth pinned Shelton Benjamin with a roll-up.

Backstage, Vickie says to Big Show she will make Undertaker apologize tonight.

Jeff Hardy pinned Brian Kendrick. After the match, Vladimir Kozlov knocked Hardy off the rampway.

Carlito’s Cabana Carlito and Primo Colon. WWE Tag Team champs Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins come out. It’s mentioned the Colons will get a title shot next week. The champs lay them out, but Jesse and Festus make the save.

Brie Bella and Maria are backstage when Natalya and Victoria bust in and promise to find out Brie’s secret next week when they face off.

Great Khali pinned Scotty Goldman. Khali vs. Kozlov is announced for next week.

La Familia, except for Vickie, is backstage watching footage of the Undertaker. The screen goes to static and Undertaker appears, grabbing Chavo.

WWE champ Triple H pinned MVP. Vladimir Kozlov laid out Triple H.

*SPOILERS* ECW (9/2) and Smackdown (8/29) Taping Results from Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania

Report by Mike Shannon and PWrestlingNews.com

Dark Match
Jake Hager pinned Jamie Noble in a pretty boring match.

Funaki pinned some guy with sparkling tights with a rollup.

ECW On Sci-Fi for 9/2/08
On the dirt sheet Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, Finlay and Matt Hardy have a big confrontation that turns into a big brawl and the faces clear the ring.

Backstage everyone is still brawling so Teddy Long sets up an 8 man tag for later.

Gavin Spears is up next vs. Super Crazy.
Super Crazy wins with a springboard moonsault off the second rope.

Ryan Braddock vs. Ricky Ortiz is next.
Ortiz wins with a splash off the ropes.

8 man tag next. It’s Finaly, Dreamer, Hardy and Evan Bourne vs. Chavo, Miz, Morrison, Henry. The faces all hit their finishers on Henry for the win.

SmackDown! Tapings for 8/29
Undertaker kicks off Smackdown and promises to take Vicki’s soul, then lights the posts on fire and leaves.

R Truth makes his Smackdown debut against Kenny Dykstra to a very small pop and wins with an axe kick.

Maryse and Natayla beat Maria and Michelle McCool. Terrible of course but Maria’s pushup bra adds a star to the match.

Jeff Hardy pins MVP in the best match so far. A long match ended by the swanton and then Shelton comes in and lays them both out.

Hawkins and Ryder start a match with Jesse and Festus but the Big Show comes down and destroys everyone. He promises that he would not be overlooked anymore.

Victoria takes on Brie Bella. Brie wins with a surprise rollup.

WWE Champion Triple H vs. U.S. Champion Shelton Benjamin.
Very mat based match which means it was boring as hell with no crowd heat. Triple H looks very unmotivated. Great Khali comes down at the end to distract Triple H but he still hits Shelton with the pedigree for the win.

Post match Khali lays out HHH and I’m assuming the show goes off the air.

Dark Match
HHH challenges Khali to a Pittsburg street fight.

Live from E3: WWE Smackdown vs Raw Impressions

THQ has been at the helm of the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise for ten years now, and its readily apparent that every advancement they make is hit with a fan response that sends them back to the drawing board. In the past, Smackdown vs. Raw made waves with it’s Create-A-Superstar feature. The internet is packed with how-tos that’ll build you anyone from Ronald McDonald, to Captain Falcon, to Linda Blair from the Exorcist. The obsessive fan-base for this one feature alone pales in comparison to something like Spore’s Creature Creator, but hey, we’re talking about a niche market that has gone stir crazy over recreating the Brady Bunch to take up against the Patridge Family. I mean, that’s Celebrity Death Match material.

Unfortunately, little Bobby Brady has always been stuck pulling off Kane’s Chokeslam instead of that signature crotch punch you had in mind. Well, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 isn’t going to hold you back any longer. This year, creating a superstar will be a fully-fledged experience. You’ll create your Superstar, put together their entrance, and even create a finishing move from a set of over 500 animations. Chances are, if there’s something you want your character to pull off that you can’t find in the animation list, it isn’t anything remotely like wrestling.

Building a finisher is a lot like playing around with the video editing feature in skate. The analogy is flawless, I swear. The finisher, like skate. videos, can only be up to a certain time length. Within that time period, you can line up any number of finisher animations and adjust their speed accordingly to make each section of the animation slower or faster. So you can put in a series of quickly pulled off maneuvers, or really slow down that Piledriver that followed a snappy kick to the gut. The choice is yours.

Now if that feature alone doesn’t sell a copy to every owner of the franchise ever, then I don’t know what will. But after listening to fans, the gang at THQ has added a number of features to keep the game as fresh as possible. First off, playing with a buddy will take on new heights as they’ve included a co-op tag-team storyline. The whole tag-team experience has been retooled to keep both players invested in the fight, despite whoever is currently the legal man in the ring. For one, both players share the same health bar, so the strength of the team is relative to both your skills, not the one guy who tears up every round. And if your partner is hogging the ring, you can now steal a blind tag and get yourself into the match. Of course, tagging is the way to go, otherwise you won’t be able to pull off any of the huge Team Finishers.

The only new match type in SvR 2009 is the intently sought after Inferno Match. Oh yes, two wrestlers battle it out in a ring of flames. The more damage done and heavy slams to the ground, the higher the flames rise until they’re strong enough to burn your opponent. Finish the match by dragging your opponent into the fire and giving them a nice and crispy burn across their face. It’s the Height in Sports Action Entertainment (Sorry, I love saying that).

New features aside, the entire SvR package has been given its yearly face-lift. The game now has all three commentator teams from the WWE with more lines of dialog than ever before. Those horrible loading screens before matches have been decreased by over 60 percent. Of course, the game is looking just as gorgeous as ever. Likenesses to all of the franchise’s superstars are recreated, dare I say, perfectly (uncanny valley notwithstanding). We’ve always known that Smackdown vs Raw has some of the best visuals out there, so it should come as no surprise to see them return looking as good as ever.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw has just about everything going for it. While the devs haven’t been able to mention any of the names featured in the game yet, fans are surely going to get what they want. After all, if your favorite wrestler isn’t in there, you can make him yourself. With a shirt. That says “Locke is my best friend”.

Thanks Ultimate Warrior, I feel the same way.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is set for release this holiday season on a boatload of systems: 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, & PC.

Jim Ross Blog: Rampage’s Arrest, UFC vs. Affliction, SmackDown, Socializing w/Flair

Source: JRsBarBQ.com

Jim Ross is back with another blog entry from his official website, which you can read here in its entirety. Below are some highlights.

** Please note that the final highlight regarding this week’s SmackDown! contains a minor spoiler for the show

UFC Star Rampage’s Arrest: Sad and unfortunate news for one of my favorite MMA fighters “Rampage” Jackson upon his arrest this week in Southern California for a variety of charges. I have never met “Rampage” but I do know that he is a wrestling fan and is a generally good guy from what mutual friends tell me. It’s just sad to see things like this happen no matter the reason. I hope Jackson can rebound from this incident and get back to the business of fighting which will apparently be in early 2008 due to injuries he sustained in a losing effort, no controversial loss in my eyes, recently against Forrest Griffin. Speaking from experience, incidents like this that make national headlines in a negative vein don’t do the genre any favors especially a genre that is fighting a public perception battle with some uninformed media types and lawmakers. Like pro wrestlers, if the MMA fighters become their own worst enemies due to unfortunate situations like “Rampage” has found himself in then their business’s growth will be adversely affected and the public’s perception will feed right into the nay sayer’s hands.

The UFC vs. Affliction MMA War: Another MMA thought, does anyone think that the UFC, which is the NFL of MMA, is paying too much attention to the upstart Affliction promotion? Having experienced matters such as this during the WWE/Turner-WCW Monday Night wars, it is without question that competition is good for business and the most important commodity any promotion has, their fans who pay the tab, benefit the most therefore because these fans make a more significant emotional investment to the genre which pushes all MMA promotions to be even more fan friendly and to do a better job in matchmaking and promoting. From where I sit and it’s only one man’s opinion, the UFC should simply tend to UFC business and let the Affliction promotion run it’s course as the UFC has a significant head start in any perceived race and one would think that there is enough Global business to go around for multiple promotions to make money. If there is not, the consumers will make that known early in the race. Competition between brands should also be great for the fighters who will have multiple places to earn a living and maximize their short windows of opportunity.

Socializing with Ric Flair: It was nice socializing with Ric Flair and many of his immediate family after Smackdown at the Westin Hotel bar. “Naitch” is still one of a kind, is happy, and enjoying life and has many unique and perhaps headline making opportunities ahead of him that will play out soon. And no, I am not going the “spoiler” route with this info in this space but, as a huge Flair fan, and without resorting to hyperbole I was extremely interested, as will many of you, in the potential of some of Ric’s future opportunities.

This week’s SmackDown: Friday Night Smackdown is a unique broadcast and one that I am a nxious to watch after the WWE TV folks finish their edits and production enhancements. The common thread that runs through the show is the “Reception of Edge and Vickie’s Wedding” which certainly seemed to have have its “moments” including the final few moments of the broadcast. We also had some intriguing wrestling bouts including a Hardy vs. Hardy match that completely surprised me as it relates to the direction the bout took.

WWE News: SmackDown Wrestler Turning Heel, Punk Scores Big Ratings For Raw, DH Smith On The Move, Val Venis

sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com

– Brian Kendrick will be debuting his new heel character on tomorrow night’s edition of SmackDown. He will also be accompanied by a bodyguard, WWE developmental wrestler Rycklon Stephens, perhaps the most muscular wrestler in the company. Kendrick had a dark match before last week’s SmackDown/ECW taping trying out the act, which apparently went well. Kendrick abandoned London during a handicap match with Umaga a few months ago, but it was never followed up and the two continued to team together as babyfaces. Kendrick was drafted to SmackDown in last month’s Supplemental Draft.

– CM Punk’s match with Kane on Monday’s Raw gained 679,000 viewers, which has to be considered a huge success. It was the highest-rated quarter hour of the entire broadcast (3.59), excluding the overrun (3.81). The quarter hours before and after the Punk vs. Kane match scored 3.13 each, despite appearances from John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix. Also, the Jericho vs. London match and the Noble/Layla/Snitsky segment following it lost all the viewers the match had gained as 688,000 viewers changed the channel. The Cena & Cryme Tyme vs. JBL & Rhodes & DiBiase match, and parking lot angle, gained 1,117,000 viewers. The Kingston vs. Burchill match following the Divas match gained 57,000 viewers. John Cena’s long-winded promo and the Beth Phoenix vs. Santino Marella match lost 5,000 viewers. DiBiase & Rhodes bullying Kelly Kelly and then insulting “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan gained 25,000 viewers.

– DH Smith recently moved from Calgary to Tampa, Florida. That may explain why he hasn’t been seen on Smackdown yet, even in dark matches or house shows. He was last seen in a WWE ring on the 5/5 Raw after being stretchered out following a match with John Bradshaw Layfield. However, he’s worked a few shows in Florida Championship Wrestling in the meantime, teaming with long-time friend and tag team partner T.J. Wilson. According to reports, Smith and Wilson are a strong team in developmental, but at last word, WWE officials were leaning against using them as a team on television.

– In a correction from a report yesterday, Val Venis is slated to return to the ring next month, not three to four months from now. He’s been off the road since mid-April as he had shoulder surgery shortly after. When he returns to the ring next month, he would have been out of action for three to four months total.

*SPOILERS* WWE Smackdown Taping Results from Charlotte, North Carolina

Report by Bill and PWinsider.com

Dark Match:

Ron Killings beat Domino pretty easily.

SmackDown:

We found out that Edge and Vickie Guerrero were married earlier in the day. They show clips of the ceremony. We find out that tonight’s show will be the reception for the two of them. Chavo raises a toast to his new uncle-in-law. Then it was time for the first match.

Kurt Hawkins and Zack Ryder beat Finlay & Hornswoggle when Edge, who was the guest ref, hit the spear on Finlay. Ryder made the pin.

As Edge and Vickie were having their first dance, Big Show came out to cut the rug with the new Mrs. Edge. The irate power couple booked Show to take on the team of MVP, Shelton Benjamin, The Great Khali and Vladimir Kozlov. Show was in control early until all four guys got DQ’d for attacking him.

Vickie Guerrero tossed her bouquet to a group of WWE divas. Before she could do so, Michelle McCool got into it with Natalya. Cherry caught the bouquet.

Natalya Neidhart pretty much destroyed Cherry.

Umaga beat Ken Kennedy with the Samoan Spike.

Brian Kendrick beat the returning Jimmy Wang Yang.

John Morrison and The Miz beat Jesse and Festus.

Vickie ordered that Matt Hardy take on Jeff Hardy. The Hardys rammed wedding cake in Chavo’s face. This went to a no decision when La Familia hit the ring.

The final TV segment showed Edge professing his love for Vickie. HHH then came out to give the couple his gift. He showed a video of Edge trying to get it on with the wedding planner. Vickie went nuts on Edge as the show ended.

Post Smackdown:

After video clip of the man in action, Ric Flair came out and gave an amazing farewell speech to the fans in Charlotte. It’s a shame it won’t air on TV. It also makes no sense that they didn’t have him on TV to push his DVD. Charlotte loves Flair.

Dark Match:

HHH beat Edge when Vickie came out and speared her philandering husband.

WWE News: Video of Ric Flair’s Farewell Speech, Hardys Deliver Ratings For ECW

– As we reported earlier this week, Ric Flair appeared at Tuesday’s SmackDown! tapings from Charlotte, North Carolina. Flair gave a farewell address to the fans of “Flair Country” and talked about how much he loved Charlotte. Flair said that when he first came to Charlotte, the city was all about professional wrestling and NASCAR – long before they had any major sports franchises. He pointed out his children in the audience and said that everyone tells him how much Reid is like him. The speech will not air on television, but a video clip of it has been posted online and can be viewed at this link.

– This week’s edition of ECW on Sci Fi featuring the Hardy Boys reunion scored a strong 1.42 cable rating, up from last week’s 1.38. PWInsider.com reports that WWE brought Jeff Hardy to SmackDown! this week to offset the stiff competition of the MLB All-Star game. Apparently it worked.

WWE News: Raw Star Out Following Shoulder Surgery, Another WWE Star Returns, Hennig Not Signed, D-Lo vs. Kane

– Devin Cutting sent in the following… Here’s the updated card for the WWE house show at the Jaffa Shrine Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania on July 27th, courtesy of the venue’s website:

CM Punk vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho & JBL
Kofi Kingston vs. Lance Cade for the Intercontinental Championship
Cryme Tyme vs. Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes for the World Tag Team Championship
D’Lo Brown vs. Kane

Go to http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com for information about upcoming pro wrestling shows.

– Jimmy Wang Yang made his first appearance in a WWE ring since his 30-day 6/9 drug suspension at Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping. His last television appearance took place at the 6/3 SmackDown taping in Los Angeles in a quick loss to Vladimir Kozlov.

– Contrary to a number of Internet reports, Amy Hennig, the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, is actually not under a developmental contract to WWE. However, she is indeed training at Harley Race’s wrestling school in Missouri and they have plans for her to debut soon for his World League Wrestling promotion.

– Val Venis is out of action following shoulder surgery. He should be good to go in three to four months. His last appearance in a WWE ring took place on 4/18 during a tour of Spain in a loss to Paul Burchill. Venis hasn’t been on television since the 4/14 Heat taping in London when he lost to Snitsky. In other Venis-related news, he has opened an online travel business with his wife. You can find the website at BrisaTips.com.

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