"WWE Friday Night SmackDown!" Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

The final main WWE show of 2005 takes place on the heels of Armageddon (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=156899) as SmackDown! wraps up a year that saw it lose its Champion and gain a new one. Tonight, that Champion will defend his other Championship when Batista and Rey Mysterio defend the WWE Tag Team Championship against MNM.

Also, Melina has issued a statement (http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/melinamakesstatement) about her recent "encounter" with Batista which I assume will be a part of the broadcast tonight. (Possible spoilers depending on the show content.)

As an added WWE note, a 2005 "award" thread of sorts will be coming very soon in the form of The WWE Big Question™ #57, so stay tuned.

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/touts/feature/29062/1866926

Last SmackDown of 2005
December 30, 2005

The year is coming to a close, and what a year it's been for SmackDown. General Manager Theodore Long is sure to have a jam-packed show ready to close out 2005. What kind of surprises will the GM have in store?

Batista and Rey Mysterio defend their Tag Team Championship against Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro. Can MNM get back their gold? Find out this Friday night.

Melina and her attorney will hold a press conference on Friday Night SmackDown. Click here (http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/melinamakesstatement) for Melina's statement.

Also, Chris Benoit finally got a win under his belt at Armageddon in his Best of Seven Series against Booker T for the United States Championship. With the win, is the momentum starting to swing towards the Rabid Wolverine? Or will Booker be unaffected by the loss at Armageddon. This rivalry will surely continue to heat up on SmackDown.

Don’t miss all of this and much more. Tune in to Friday Night SmackDown Friday at 8/9 CT on UPN for all the action.

[Memphis Bleek]

My Smackdown won't air in Memphis until 10 p.m. because the Memphis Tigers basketball game will pre-empt it. I'm interested in seeing how Melina parlays her situation into a title shot for her boys.

[Djm912]

For those that may ask the question, Booker did indeed get injured at a house show this week. Torn groin muscle, I believe. And it may be up to 3 to 6 weeks.

[Kasumi]

I didn't watch the Melina promo since I heard it was stupid.

Chris Benoit v Randy Orton matches are always fun.

[Djm912]

I, being the lifelong Booker T mark that I am, have to point out how hilariously awesome Book is on commentary tonight.

[VCXZX]

"A fan just attacked Chris Benoit." http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/laugh.gif http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/laugh.gif http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/laugh.gif http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/laugh.gif I'm sorry I ever doubted Booker T as a heel.

I'm digging the Funaki-Kash bit only because it was set up like many 80's-early90s interviews with the podium. Sweet memories.

I'm all for Finlay returning. Only against the likes of Benoit/Regal/Birchill.

[Kasumi]

Rey-Rey is turning emo. Well, his match-up shot anyway.

And what happened to the string of good SD!s? I feel sad now.

[Djm912]

And what happened to the string of good SD!s? I feel sad now.Honestly, this Smackdown was pretty OK, IMO. Aside from the couple of blemishes. One really stupid one, and one that's got a 10 year contract and is pretty much inescapable.

And again, SD tops Raw for me.

[VCXZX]

Another almost virtual squash of Matt Hardy. He's lucky he found Ashley otherwise he definately would be upset now.

That was one of the worst segments, this month. That of Melina announcing her lawsuit. A pointless and horrible segment. I wonder what Dave's wife thinks of this Wrestlecrap.

Benoit/Orton would have been great. If not for the 5 or 6 CHINLOCKS that Orton used on Benoit. I question the use of Orton here as him and Benoit would've made a great PPV-type feud. Booker though was hilarious on commentary.

Speaking of Rey's matchup shot, he looked like a mini Goldust, in blackface. More that than emo.

Main event wasn't that great. Waaay too much attention of Melina. At least MNM got their tag titles back, which they never should've lost in the first place. I'm really, really not looking forward to the next month of Bow-tista/Mark Henry as a top feud. Unless Henry can be like he was in his last run, which the best thing about him was his scary faces. http://67.18.37.14/html/emoticons/laugh.gif

[prodigal]

LOL Mark Henry. I liked SD tonight.

[xokxtrunks]

Doesn't Henry's contract run out the first of the year?

[prodigal]

Doesn't Henry's contract run out the first of the year?Next year

[hobbyfan]

I just posted my report over on the alt.pro-wrestling.wwe newsgroup. Suffice to say I wasn't happy at the end of the show.

MNM gets the tag titles back again. Why? Because Melina probably has Johnny Ace in her back pocket. I've said all along she's a poseur, and now we can add scam artist. No one bought into her claim of sexual harassment, when she's done worse things (i.e., having Mercury & Nitro use the Snapshot on other women). The correct solution is for Teddy Long to call Melina's bluff. I say, strip MNM of the titles, void the pinfall in tonight's match. Mark Henry will face Batista, no doubt, hopefully as soon as next week.

Mexicools-Dorks was a good match, topped only by Orton-Benoit. Too much lazy booking on this show. 2 countouts, a DQ, and a second one should've been called.

Looking forward to Fit Finlay coming out of retirement, though.

[EinBebop]

I just posted my report over on the alt.pro-wrestling.wwe newsgroup. Suffice to say I wasn't happy at the end of the show. Newsgroups? I remember when rspw used to be the place to talk wrestling. Didn't know anyone serious still used them anymore.

After hearing about what Batista did to Melina, I cannot in good conscience support him anymore.

[email2003]

Mark Henry!? I haven't seen him since Benoit put the "cross face" and broke Henry's shoulder in 2004 on RAW.

[The Penguin]

Teddy Long doesn’t let the inmates run the asylum, but you’d think when they have a crazy idea he wouldn’t listen to it. I don’t care what the wrestlers want, you don’t agree to give the belt to an ‘injured’ man if his sub wins.

And the Boogeyman is after JBL. :rolleyes: Just you wait and see; everything I’ve been saying will turn out to be true. JBL is good at what he does, but even he will barely be able to pull off this crapfest.

OJ didn’t get too much respect from Sharmell did he? Even he doesn’t deserve to be disrespected by her.

And The Mexicools gave Chad & James Dick a good beating. I think that’s enough.

Wow, Booker actually got Randy Orton to agree to that? The championship is the glory. The win is glorious only because of the gold that goes around your waist.

My concerns over WWE once proudly responding to critics about there not being rape and murder on their programs not withstanding. I couldn’t help but laugh just a little when Melina gets to the end of her statement and announces that she’s not have David Batista arrested and brought up on charges, but is suing him instead. The realism went out the window with the civil action. I don’t even think Melina wants money or anything like that, it’s just Stephanie and her cronies wanting to take things too far, but then not going far enough.

Ohmygod, Booker T would not shut up!! More and more I’m starting to hate guest commentary and Book and his old lady hogged the entire match. It was a good match (despite the questionable set-up), but Cole and Tazz having to fight to say anything really took away from it. I was glad the match ended in a DQ because Orton doesn’t need to look any worse and it was good to see Booker mad at what Mrs. T did.

How did Michael Cole get his job? How did you get your job, Sharmell? :rolleyes:

I loved seeing the old school interview stage back, but then the best the Cruiserweight Champion can do is “Mexican salamander” and “Get it? Got it? Good.” I’m waiting to be impressed.

:eek: :shrug: Is WWE so out of ideas that Fit Finlay is returning to the active roster?! There are plenty of guys that get ignored on an almost weekly basis and we need to bring one of the agents out of retirement?!

Apparently Sylvan was as interested in getting beat down by Lashley again as I was in watching it. Faarooq Lesnar-berg has gone through the entire lower mid-card and WWE needs to decide what direction he is taking, if any.

So Batista’s answer to Melina’s accusation is she’s not credible and he’s not gonna worry about it? Figures.

And the countdown begins again. Based on when he started, we shoud be 6-8 months away from the expiration of Mark Henry’s 10-year WWE contract. Will it be the end? There is only way one to find out. I was waiting for someone to come attack Batista (personally I was hoping for Orton) and we got Mark Henry. The Tag belts went back so I was happy about that yet displeased it had to happen at all. I told my brother (it’s nice being able to watch WWE with him again) that I’d be okay with it as long as he wasn’t with Melina and at that moment she raised his hand. Ah well. :shrug:


MNM gets the tag titles back again. Why? Because Melina probably has Johnny Ace in her back pocket. I've said all along she's a poseur, and now we can add scam artist. No one bought into her claim of sexual harassment, when she's done worse things (i.e., having Mercury & Nitro use the Snapshot on other women). The correct solution is for Teddy Long to call Melina's bluff. I say, strip MNM of the titles, void the pinfall in tonight's match.No it's not. If the referee's decision is not final and is subject to the whims of a mostly impartial and fair GM then what's the point of wrestling if the title can just be switched at the boss's discretion? This kind of stuff happens all the time—it's not any more or unfair or controversial than many of the other "screw jobs" that took place this year. Batista & Mysterio should hope for a rematch at best. You're just too blinded by your hatred of MNM to see it.

The bigger problem I have is your combining of the storylines and backstage stuff. I don't like Johnny Ace, but he hires and fires people, he doesn't write the shows. He got his brother Joe (Animal) a job, but then it's the writing team who uses him. Melina Perez is not responsible for the "MNM" team of John Hennigan and Adam Birch regaining the Tag Titles, the SmackDown! writers are. I'm all for looking at things in the context of the shows and storylines, but it's when people try to combine them that things get messy.

[Dirtbag]

WWE is really losing their minds. Tonight was my first exposure to the ***** (Ugh. Now I'm doing it) and although the Mexicools put on a great match, the commentary made it unwatchable. We get it. They're name is slang for penis. All right already. The finish was awesome though. Between the Mexicools and Kid Kash I may actually keep my word this time and watch SD regularly.

JBL/Hardy wasn't bad for as one-sided as it was. The ending was very lame, and will very possibly make me lose all interest in Boogey. His entrance, minus the worms, is probably the coolest since the Undertaker, but I'm beginning to think Penguin's right. Keep him backstage acting goofy and not wrestling.

Melina's "press conference" got the ol' fast forward treatment. They felt the need to spoil that on WWE.com for some reason, so I had no desire to feel embarassed to be a wrestling fan twice in one week.

Benoit/Orton was good, with another stupid, although probably necessary, finish. Booker on commentary was hit and miss. Funny sometimes, but they need to teach him to shut up every once and awhile.

Wow. Kash looks a lot like Owen Hart with his hair short.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/dirtbag666/kkoh.jpg

Apparently Sylvan was as interested in getting beat down by Lashley again as I was in watching it. Faarooq Lesnar-berg has gone through the entire lower mid-card and WWE needs to decide what direction he is taking, if any.At least they're not giving him the most interesting title in the company like Taz-berg down in Orlando. :p And why the hell do huge guys not named Brock have to drop their first names?

Yet another lame title switch. And why is it that they can fire guys like Matt Hardy, Charlie Haas, et al, yet Mark Henry is still around? I know he's got a contract, but so did those other guys. I don't even have anything against the guy, it's just that they've quite obviously got absolutely nothing for him to do, even when he's not spending half the life of his contract on the shelf.

[hobbyfan]

Teddy Long doesn’t let the inmates run the asylum, but you’d think when they have a crazy idea he wouldn’t listen to it. I don’t care what the wrestlers want, you don’t agree to give the belt to an ‘injured’ man if his sub wins.

All they tried to do was advance the storyline so it reaches its natural conclusion. Assuming Benoit comes all the way back and regains the title, Orton logically would be the next challenger, assuming that RKO continues to act as a proxy for Booker the rest of the way.

And the Boogeyman is after JBL. :rolleyes: Just you wait and see; everything I’ve been saying will turn out to be true. JBL is good at what he does, but even he will barely be able to pull off this crapfest.

I like Boogey's funky dance.:D Boogey, remember, gave J-Me-L a little fright a month ago, and since Boogey's a face, instead of a heel, this makes perfect sense. As a heel, Boogey would've feuded with Hardcore Holly first (and where is Hardcore anyway?).

OJ didn’t get too much respect from Sharmell did he? Even he doesn’t deserve to be disrespected by her.

Start of a face turn for ol' Buckwheat, I think.

And The Mexicools gave Chad & James Dick a good beating. I think that’s enough.

Considering that the Chippendale wannabes attacked the Mexis the first night in, I think Psicosis & Super Crazy got their receipt.

Wow, Booker actually got Randy Orton to agree to that? The championship is the glory. The win is glorious only because of the gold that goes around your waist.

It's going to come back to haunt Booker if Randy does continue as a proxy and eventually beats Benoit. Let's say it's Royal Rumble, series tied 3-3. Orton steps in again for Booker, and beats Benoit. 5 days later, he reminds Booker about "getting all the glory". Sharmell slaps Randy. RKO for Mr. & Mrs. T, who suddenly either become faces again or step into tweenerville.

My concerns over WWE once proudly responding to critics about there not being rape and murder on their programs not withstanding. I couldn’t help but laugh just a little when Melina gets to the end of her statement and announces that she’s not have David Batista arrested and brought up on charges, but is suing him instead. The realism went out the window with the civil action. I don’t even think Melina wants money or anything like that, it’s just Stephanie and her cronies wanting to take things too far, but then not going far enough.

As we saw, Melina got what she wanted all along (the tag titles), which made me think they won't go through with the lawsuit, which IMPO was a decoy.

Ohmygod, Booker T would not shut up!! More and more I’m starting to hate guest commentary and Book and his old lady hogged the entire match. It was a good match (despite the questionable set-up), but Cole and Tazz having to fight to say anything really took away from it. I was glad the match ended in a DQ because Orton doesn’t need to look any worse and it was good to see Booker mad at what Mrs. T did.

They made the same mistake about a month ago. Booker's brother, Stevie Ray, became a decent commentator in WCW's dying days ("Suckas gots ta know!"), but Booker & Sharmell just couldn't stop. This was badly booked, pardon the pun.

I loved seeing the old school interview stage back, but then the best the Cruiserweight Champion can do is “Mexican salamander” and “Get it? Got it? Good.” I’m waiting to be impressed.

Doesn't Kash resemble the late Owen Hart just a tad? Or maybe actor Owen Wilson? Just check the facials.

:eek: :shrug: Is WWE so out of ideas that Fit Finlay is returning to the active roster?! There are plenty of guys that get ignored on an almost weekly basis and we need to bring one of the agents out of retirement?!

Two words: Royal Rumble.

Apparently Sylvan was as interested in getting beat down by Lashley again as I was in watching it. Faarooq Lesnar-berg has gone through the entire lower mid-card and WWE needs to decide what direction he is taking, if any.

Sylvan remembered his gimmick this time, and took a countout loss, concerned about his handsome face.:sad: He extended Lashley the first time around, but why switch gears in the rematch? Seems like they went bass-ackwards on the booking here.:sad:

So Batista’s answer to Melina’s accusation is she’s not credible and he’s not gonna worry about it? Figures.

Batista knows Melina's lying. Judging from the crowd reaction, with the boos raining down, it wasn't just because the segment went overlong, it was that they knew she was lying, too. It fits with her gimmick.

And the countdown begins again. Based on when he started, we shoud be 6-8 months away from the expiration of Mark Henry’s 10-year WWE contract. Will it be the end? There is only way one to find out. I was waiting for someone to come attack Batista (personally I was hoping for Orton) and we got Mark Henry. The Tag belts went back so I was happy about that yet displeased it had to happen at all. I told my brother (it’s nice being able to watch WWE with him again) that I’d be okay with it as long as he wasn’t with Melina and at that moment she raised his hand. Ah well. :shrug:

The idea here is that Melina needs a bodyguard to keep Batista away from her, but that's a short-term gimmick, given how injury prone Henry's been.


No it's not. If the referee's decision is not final and is subject to the whims of a mostly impartial and fair GM then what's the point of wrestling if the title can just be switched at the boss's discretion? This kind of stuff happens all the time—it's not any more or unfair or controversial than many of the other "screw jobs" that took place this year. Batista & Mysterio should hope for a rematch at best. You're just too blinded by your hatred of MNM to see it.

Title change screwjobs are too frequent, and tired. All "Blind" Jimmy Corderas needs to see is an extra man (Henry) leaving with MNM post-match, then check the replay. This ream is just plain old, and needs changes.

The bigger problem I have is your combining of the storylines and backstage stuff. I don't like Johnny Ace, but he hires and fires people, he doesn't write the shows. He got his brother Joe (Animal) a job, but then it's the writing team who uses him. Melina Perez is not responsible for the "MNM" team of John Hennigan and Adam Birch regaining the Tag Titles, the SmackDown! writers are. I'm all for looking at things in the context of the shows and storylines, but it's when people try to combine them that things get messy.
I'm using Ace as an example of who Melina, in character, could possibly have in her pocket to keep MNM in the tag title hunt. And who's to say that Ace isn't also a writer part-time? As an ex-wrestler, he could offer some input to the writing staff, which is made up mostly of ex-TV writers (Lagana used to write for "Friends", for example), and contribute to the scripts. And where was Palmer Canon, the closest thing we have to an analog for Ace in the storyline?

[hobbyfan]

WWE is really losing their minds. Tonight was my first exposure to the ***** (Ugh. Now I'm doing it) and although the Mexicools put on a great match, the commentary made it unwatchable. We get it. They're name is slang for penis. All right already. The finish was awesome though. Between the Mexicools and Kid Kash I may actually keep my word this time and watch SD regularly.

Just come up with an alternate name for Chad & James. I call them the Dorks, for example, because their outfits are just that. Dorky.

JBL/Hardy wasn't bad for as one-sided as it was. The ending was very lame, and will very possibly make me lose all interest in Boogey. His entrance, minus the worms, is probably the coolest since the Undertaker, but I'm beginning to think Penguin's right. Keep him backstage acting goofy and not wrestling.

Boogey's another one that they rushed to TV because he got over so quickly in OVW. I like the guy myself, and am waiting to see someone (i.e. J-Me-L) extend him to about 5-10 minutes in a TV match.

Melina's "press conference" got the ol' fast forward treatment. They felt the need to spoil that on WWE.com for some reason, so I had no desire to feel embarassed to be a wrestling fan twice in one week.

I flipped to the Peach Bowl on ESPN. I didn't need this scam artist insulting my intelligence.

Benoit/Orton was good, with another stupid, although probably necessary, finish. Booker on commentary was hit and miss. Funny sometimes, but they need to teach him to shut up every once and awhile.

Be'lee that, playa.:D

Wow. Kash looks a lot like Owen Hart with his hair short.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/dirtbag666/kkoh.jpg

Oh, you noticed, too.:D

Yet another lame title switch. And why is it that they can fire guys like Matt Hardy, Charlie Haas, et al, yet Mark Henry is still around? I know he's got a contract, but so did those other guys. I don't even have anything against the guy, it's just that they've quite obviously got absolutely nothing for him to do, even when he's not spending half the life of his contract on the shelf.
Vince likes big, strong guys. That's why Henry gets to stick around for the life of his contract.

[Kametsou]

Just an alright SmackDown!... it was nothing special... I'm very happy to see Mark Henry back.

[The Penguin]

I'm using Ace as an example of who Melina, in character, could possibly have in her pocket to keep MNM in the tag title hunt. And who's to say that Ace isn't also a writer part-time? As an ex-wrestler, he could offer some input to the writing staff, which is made up mostly of ex-TV writers (Lagana used to write for "Friends", for example), and contribute to the scripts. And where was Palmer Canon, the closest thing we have to an analog for Ace in the storyline?The problem I have with that though is Ace is not an on-screen character. At most he's one of the "officials" that helps break up fights when the referees aren't enough. MNM had a rematch coming because they were the former Champions. If WWE intends to keep using Palmer Canon I could see him being on Melina's side. "The Network cannot have its Champion acting the way Batista did."

[EinBebop]

I'm using Ace as an example of who Melina, in character, could possibly have in her pocket to keep MNM in the tag title hunt. And who's to say that Ace isn't also a writer part-time? As an ex-wrestler, he could offer some input to the writing staff, which is made up mostly of ex-TV writers (Lagana used to write for "Friends", for example), and contribute to the scripts. And where was Palmer Canon, the closest thing we have to an analog for Ace in the storyline?Wow... so you want to introduce bookers into the storylines. So that instead of watching a fake wrestling show, we'd be watching a fake drama about people pretending to put on a fake wrestling show, trying to manipulate the staff into writing them into better positions and their rivals into lower positions.

I think you've just descended into the surreal. Vince Russo offers counseling.

[hobbyfan]

Wow... so you want to introduce bookers into the storylines. So that instead of watching a fake wrestling show, we'd be watching a fake drama about people pretending to put on a fake wrestling show, trying to manipulate the staff into writing them into better positions and their rivals into lower positions.

I think you've just descended into the surreal. Vince Russo offers counseling.
I think you're missing the point, and sometimes, in the course of writing, I lose track of my train of thought, too.:sad: ;)

[Boy Wonder]

I didn't even watch this week.