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Smackdown: Continuing on the road to WrestleMania
By
JON WALDMAN -- SLAM! Wrestling
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We continue on the Road to WrestleMania tonight with the first Smackdown of
March. The weather's warmin' up outside and the heat is building up in the ring.
Coincidence? I think not.
We kick off tonight's show with an Edge promo, talking about his victory over
Miz last week before moving on to Chris Jericho. This brought out Big Show to
build to the main event, with Showster getting the last laugh. You know something?
I was watching some old WCW footage earlier on YouTube from around the time
Show debuted and man, he has really, REALLY changed.
Backstage we go next and Drew MacIntyre talks his way out of last week's match
being on the record as a loss. Teddy Long then gives Drew another match tonight
to qualify for the Money In The Bank. Oy.
Match 1 - Drew MacIntyre vs. Matt Hardy (MITB qualifier)
Justin Gabriel's out with Matt for those who track such things.
Okay match, which sees Hardy get the duke. Yes, this is how you get your Intercontinental
Title holder over as a threat - have him beat cleanly two weeks straight. Ugh.
My yet-to-be-born cousin could build a more logical push.
Winner: Matt Hardy
After the match, just to prove how much a winner he is, MacIntyre flips out.
Backstage we go next with John Morrison talking with Slam Master J, who surprisingly
has avoided the axe so far. R-Truth and David Otunga come in, and Morrison and
Truth agree to form a tag team. Oh lord.
Match 2 - Shelton Benjamin vs. Dolph Ziggler
Very, very solid match here which Benjamin wins, but if anyone thinks either
of these guys are getting the MITB push, they're sadly mistaken.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Match 3 - Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
Speaking of future future endeavour boys, Yang is seemingly being only kept
around for his bumping ability. Jackson wins easily here. If handled right,
Jackson could be a credible monster heel.
Winner: Ezekiel Jackson
Backstage, Rey Mysterio and Aaliyah Mysterio have some fun when Tiffany comes
in. Apparently she has gone from general manager to babysitter. Reminds me of
the Loaded Questions game query - Name a job that you would not say is a career
choice. Go ahead kiddies, email
me your responses.
CM Punk is out next for another very well done promo, setting up our next bout.
Good to see, by the way, that WWE is letting Serena grow her hair back.
Match 4 - Rey Mysterio vs. Luke Gallows
Longer, good match. Rey still has this great chemistry with guys much bigger
than him. I'm looking forward to the 'Mania match with Punk, but for now I'm
happy with this bout. Rey of course gets the duke.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Backstage, it's a JeriShow reunion. I like ShowMiz a lot better.
Match 5 - Morrison/Truth vs. Hart Dynasty vs. Cryme Tyme (#1 Contender's
Match for Unified Tag Team Titles)
Who got the promo? Yup.
Winners: Morrison/Truth
Backstage we go for slow build to Michelle McCool vs. Beth Phoenix. God I hope
McCool gets beat to a pulp at 'Mania.
Match 6 - Edge vs. Big Show
Surprisingly short for a Smackdown main event. Edge gets the win, of course,
with the Spear.
Winner: Edge
Post-match, Jericho comes out for his weekly spearing. I'm calling it now -
Jericho wins at 'Mania.
Not a bad show overall, especially in terms of WrestleMania buildup. This year's
edition could be the best ever, which would be no easy feat.
See you in seven.
