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Smackdown: Angle's plan comes together
By
DALE PLUMMER -- SLAM! Wrestling
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The Royal Rumble is fast approaching, so
Smackdown! kicks off with a recap of Amy Weber setting
up Kurt Angle? Wha?!? Well, it is building toward a
heel on heel feud, so I guess I should give them
credit for that. Will WWE continue to build on this
from Tampa, Florida...
Angle asks Big Show if he can apologize to Joy.
Show doesn't kill him, and lets him give Joy a
heartfelt apology. Show accepts the apology and says
now JBL owes them one. And if he doesn't step up with
one, Show will beat an apology out of him.
Match #1 - Rey Mysterio and RVD vs. Eddie
Guerrero and Booker T vs. Mark Jindrak and Luther
Reigns vs. The Basham Brothers - Fatal Four Way
Elimination Match - WWE Tag Team Championship Match
RVD has an injured knee heading into this match.
Eddie Guerrero and Mark Jindrak start things off.
Eddie whips Jindrak into the corner, and nails him
with a chest chop. Eddie follows with a hammerlock,
but Jindrak counters with a headlock. Booker tags in
and hammers Jindrak in the corner. Jindrak fights back
with a series of chops and kicks. Booker responds with
a reverse kick, and tags his partner back in. Guerrero
is shot off the ropes, and Jindrak hits a back body
drop. Eddie responds with a drop kick, and Eddie tags
in Doug Basham. Reigns jumps in, as well as Doug.
Jindrak is knocked into the ropes, and Mysterio hits a
619. With the ref distracted Guerrero pulls Danny onto
Jindrak, and Jindrak is pinned and is eliminated.
After the break, Doug Basham and Mysterio are in the
ring. Doug tags in Guerrero who tags Booker, who tags
Eddie back, who tags Booker back, and so on, until the
ref forces Eddie into the ring. Eddie counters a snap
mare attempt, but Mysterio then hits a tilt-a-whirl
head scissors. Booker tags in and chops Mysterio and
follows with a spine buster. Guerrero uses the tag
rope in the corner to choke Mysterio. Guerrero then
locks in a submission on Mysterio, but Rey counters
with an arm drag. Rey follows with monkey flip, and is
able to pin Guerrero and eliminate him. Mysterio is
attacked from behind, and RVD is knocked off the
apron. Doug Basham then slams the steps into RVD's
injured knee. Officials check on RVD, as Mysterio is
beat on inside the ring. Rey tries to plead with the
ref, but re-enters the ring as not to be counted out.
Mysterio hits a cross body on Doug Basham, as RVD is
loaded onto a stretcher. Doug brings Rey back in with
a suplex. Mysterio fights out of a headlock, and then
fights his way out of the enemy corner. Mysterio hits
a bulldog, but cannot get the pin. Danny Basham is
knocked from the ring with a spinning heel kick, and
Doug is knocked into the ropes with a head scissors.
Mysterio hits the 619, and follows with a springboard
maneuver that almost takes out the ref. Danny switches
positions with his brother, as the ref is distracted.
Danny hits a sit down powerbomb, and pins Rey for the
win and the title.
Winner via pin fall ... and new Tag Team Champs:
The Basham Brothers
After the match, JBL and the rest of the cabinet
come to ringside to celebrate.
Josh Matthews talks with Kenzo Suzuki about his
upcoming match with John Cena. Hiroko takes the mike
and talks for her man. She wants to know why Cena
tried to break up one of America's favorite couples.
That's right, her and Kenzo. Kenzo then compares
himself to several American monuments. I do like the
pro-American heel angle.
Big Show confronts JBL backstage looking for his
apology. Show wants one, or he'll rip of JBL's head.
The champ gives a very insincere apology, until Show
threatens him. Show wants an apology out of Amy, too.
Amy instead calls Joy a slut, and a catfight ensues.
General Manager Teddy Long intervenes and books a
match between Joy and Amy, tonight.
RAW and Smackdown! are going to Japan, and not
just for house shows, but for televised events! Any
chance Raw reporter Nick Tylwalk and I will be going
over to cover these events live? Someone get the SLAM!
accountant to work on the budget to find some extra
cash.
Match #2 - Kurt Angle vs. Roderick Strong -
Kurt Angle Invitational
Angle gets on the stick before the match, and
tells JBL he will beat him for the title. He also says
that if his opponent lasts three minutes, he will give
up his gold medals. Angle asks Roderick some
questions, but Strong cuts short the interview by
slapping Angle. Strong runs from the ring, but Angle
catches him. Strong gets a two count with a roll up,
but Angle recovers and beats on his opponent. Angle
hits a release German suplex, and follows with the
ankle lock. Strong taps and Angle wins.
Winner via submission: Kurt Angle
Match #3 - John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki w/
Hiroko - U.S. Title Match
Cena tells Kenzo that he doesn't have a chance at
winning because the "chain gang" is in the house
tonight. Cena and Kenzo lock up, Kenzo jumps out with
kicks to the gut, and beat Cena into the corner. Cena
explodes, nailing a bulldog. The champ follows with
the five-knuckle shuffle, and then pumps it up. Cena
drops the F-U on Kenzo and pins for the win, so much
for that feud.
Winner via pin fall: John Cena
After the match, Cena exits through the crowd to
celebrate with his fans.
WWE pimps the house shows with footage from
Orlando and other live events.
In JBL's locker room Amy Weber looks distressed.
Weber is almost in tears at the thought of wrestling
Joy. JBL informs her that Long has banned everyone
from ringside. On the other hand, Joy is chomping at
the bit to get in the ring.
Match #4 - Amy Weber vs. Joy Giovanni
This match never happens as Joy doesn't even come
to the ring. I smell a rat.
Winner via forfeit: Amy Weber
Teddy Long calls for every official to look for
Joy. Big Show comes in and tells Long he better get to
the bottom of this or he will. Long then orders JBL to
be brought to his office. Heidenreich walks in, and
tells Long he wants out of the casket match. Long
tells him the match is still on. JBL enters and Long
asks him if he knows where Joy is. JBL says he has no
idea where she is. Long tells JBL his alibi better pan
out, or he wills strip him of the title.
Match #5 - Funaki vs. Nunzio - Cruiserweight
Title match
Nunzio starts off fast, getting a near fall with a
shoulder block. Nunzio counters a springboard from
Funaki with a drop kick, and gets another near fall.
Funaki fights back to his feet, and kicks Nunzio in
the jaw. Funaki hits a series of chops, and follows
with a bulldog. Funaki only gets a two count with
small package. Nunzio rolls through a lateral press,
but only gets a two count. Funaki hits a tornado DDT
off the turnbuckle and finally gets the pin.
Winner via pin fall: Funaki
Teddy Long asks Carlito Caribbean Cool about his
petition. CCC wants to know why he is a suspect. Long
says he saw him spit on Joy last week, so he may have
reason to abduct her. Carlito says Long has lost
control of his locker room. Torrie Wilson and Miss
Jackie tell Long that they saw Orlando Jordan
following Joy earlier tonight. Jordan is summoned to
his office. Jordan admits to seeing Joy walking to the
ring, and all he did was talk to her. Big Show doesn't
seem to care, and jumps Jordan. Show backs off, but
tells Jordan if he had anything to do with this he
will break every bone in his body.
The Florida Agricultural Group (read between the
lines) presents JBL its 2004 man of the year award.
JBL and his cabinet drive to the ring to accept the
award. JBL receives the award for replanting trees
after the hurricanes that hit Florida. Kurt Angle
crashes JBL's acceptance speech with some pertinent
information. Angle calls the ceremony a joke, and then
calls out JBL for kidnapping Joy. Angle pauses during
his tirade and sees something in the limo's trunk.
Angle pops the trunk to find Joy tied up. Angle and
WWE official free Joy, and immediately get her to
paramedics. Big Show checks on his girl, and then
makes his way to the ring, as JBL pleads his case that
he didn't know anything about this. Show doesn't care,
and wipes out JBL's cabinet, and then beats on JBL.
The Bashams take choke slams as the champ and Amy
Weber get out of dodge. Jordan hits a low blow, and
then a chair shot. It does no good, as Jordan is choke
slammed and then wailed on with a chair.
Backstage, Angle, Jindrak, and Reigns laugh at the
carnage, and Angle then quotes Hannibal Smith from The
A-team, "I love it when a plan comes together."
Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store!
Order the Bruno Sammartino Shoot Interview DVD
Dale Plummer has been writing for SLAM!
Wrestling since 2003. Dale pities the fool that
doesn't get the A-Team reference at the end of the
column.
