Smackdown: Recapping the year that was

Smackdown: Recapping the year that was

By ANDY McNAMARA � SLAM! Wrestling

Happy Holidays everyone! Well another year has come and gone with this week's program being Smackdown's best of 2005. Taz and Michael Cole are in the Stamford, Connecticut headquarters and are essentially reviewing and showing highlights from this past year. Ho Ho Hold on, here comes the report!

Match 1: Triple H (c) vs. Batista- WrestleMania 21

The first highlight shown is a big one, heading back to April at WrestleMania 21 where Batista took on Triple H for the World Heavyweight championship. The matchup is shown in its entirety and say what you want about Triple H, but The Game made Batista look like a main event player. We relive the cool spot of Batista reversing The Pedigree off of the steel steps and catapulting Hunter into the ring post, busting the champion wide open. After Batista powers out of The Pedigree he is able to deliver a big time Batista Bomb and takes home the world title.

WINNER: Batista

Match 2: Kurt Angle vs. Big Show vs. Booker T vs. JBL- Number 1 Contender's Match

This Fatal 4-Way comes from April 28 in Sheffield, England. Big Show running wild early on as the big man stacks all three opponents in the corner and runs into all of them. Angle, Booker, and JBL eventually overpower Show as Angle is able to Angle Slam him through the announcers table. Show is unable to get back into the ring by the count of ten and is eliminated. After some hard back and forth action, Angle is able to smack Booker with a steel chair when the official is distracted and picks up the three count. The match switches immediately to a clip where JBL misses Angle with the Clothesline From Hell and knocks out the referee. Kurt has JBL tapping in the Ankle Lock when Booker T runs back in and nails Angle with a chair. Another referee runs in as JBL covers and unconscious Angle and becomes the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

WINNER: JBL

After the commercial break highlights from the Raw in Afghanistan tour are shown.

Clips from the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero feud are shown, going all the way back to when they won the tag team championships.

Match 3: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

This match came on the very first Smackdown of 2005 going back to January 6. What a great series of matches these two had, and this bout starts off with lightning fast moves and reversals. Eddie gets more and more frustrated as he is unable to put away his amigo. Eddie and Rey do the classic pretending to be knocked out and passing the tag team belt back and forth trying to pin the blame on the other. The finish comes when Mysterio misses the 619 and then reverses Eddie's small package for the win.

WINNER: Rey Mysterio

The fantastic Eddie Guerrero tribute video is shown after some kind words from Taz and Michael Cole.

The debut of The Boogey Man is recapped with many gross and odd video clips shown. A montage of video showcasing the new talent on Smackdown: Ken Kennedy, Kid Kash, Bobby Lashley, MNM, and The Mexicools.

Match 4: Chris Benoit (c) vs. Booker T � U.S. Championship

This match is before the Best of 7 Series when Benoit was U.S. champ. The nasty Benoit suicide dive where his back slams off the announce table is the first highlight shown from this October 21 contest. I still am amazed that Benoit was not seriously injured from that bump. As we know, the finish came when Sharmell low blowed Benoit, setting up the Scissors Kick from Booker allowing him to capture U.S. gold. After the match highlights are shown of Booker T turning on Benoit.

WINNER: Booker T

Match 5: Survivor Series- Team Smackdown vs. Team Raw

Randy Orton's success from this past year is discussed we are shown Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and Batista vs. Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito, and Chris Masters. Lashley is eliminated by HBK first after a Kane chokeslam. Michaels takes out Mysterio when he Super Kicks him off of a springboard attempt. Shortly after, HBK disposes of JBL with Sweet Chin Music as well. Now it's only Orton and Michaels left as the sole survivors from their respective teams. After JBL distracts HBK and gets a Super Kick for his trouble, Orton is able to hit the RKO for a Team Smackdown victory. Undertaker's return out of the fiery coffin is highlighted along with still images of the Orton/Taker Hell in a Cell match from Armageddon.

WINNER: Team Smackdown

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Andy McNamara is a SLAM! Wrestling writer from Pickering, ON. He also writes reports for The LAW and does the play-by-play broadcasts for Durham College sports. MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone out their in SLAM! Wrestling land. Andy can be reached at andymcnamara@hotmail.com.