WWE Smackdown Taping
Los Angeles, Calif.
Thanks to Dot Net reader Mike Roe

In a dark match before the show, MVP defeated Jamie Noble in a fairly good match. ECW aired live before Smackdown was taped.

Before Smackdown, tables with champagne were set up in the ring. The show opened with a video recap of Undertaker's banishment from WWE at One Night Stand. While the lights were out for the video, La Familia, sans Edge, got in the ring, and the lights came up on them. They celebrated with their champagne, and Vickie spoke to huge boos from the crowd.

She called out her future hubby Edge. He came out, continued bragging, and made gooey eyes with Vickie. They also announced that they would be getting married on the July 11 episode of Smackdown. They asked everyone to join them in a toast.

The celebration was interrupted by Batista. He noted that he'd promised to challenge whoever won the TLC match at One Night Stand, and so he was fulfilling that promise by challenging Edge. Vickie said that he was in a match tonight, but it wasn't a title match, as he would have to earn it. She said that his match tonight would be La Familia versus Batista and three partners... of Vickie's choosing.

Backstage, Santino was doing wacky warmups for his match with Jimmy Kimmel's cousin Sal. They changed the ring canvas after that, I'm assuming due to champagne being spilled on it or something like that.

1. Chuck Palumbo defeated Finlay (with Hornswoggle). The opening match on Smackdown was Finlay versus Chuck Palumbo, again. It was apparently an extreme rules match, as it involved garbage cans, Palumbo grabbing a chain, Hornswoggle hitting Palumbo with a low blow, and Finlay using the chain on Palumbo to score the pinfall.

MVP was shown up in a VIP box watching the show. He was in and out throughout the show, but actually as up there for much of the night. It wasn't made clear to those live what he was doing, though various production people showed up at various times, apparently to shoot close-ups and so forth.

Big Show came out and cut a promo talking about his injured eye. He tried talking about his plans to face ECW Champion Kane, but Mark Henry came out and wasn't having any of it, calling out Show for not facing him yet. Show went into a boxing/shoot fighting style stance, inviting Henry to come down and face him. Henry started walking down to the ring and the crowd got very excited, but Henry thought better of it and backed off to boos.

Roddy Piper was shown backstage hyping up Cousin Sal for his match.

A clip was shown of WWE winning an award at the GI Film Festival, and a number of celebrities were shown talking up what WWE does for the troops, including Cliff from Cheers.

2. The Great Khali defeated Deuce and Domino in a handicap match. Deuce and Domino came out for what was announced as a handicap match, and I assumed it would be them facing Cherry, but nope, Great Khali making his triumphant return! Khali made short work of both of them with beatings and tree slams, getting the pinfall victory, I believe with the foot on the opponent pin.

Vickie Guerrero was backstage with the women of Smackdown, including Michelle McCool, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Layla, Cherry, and Victoria and Natalya Neidhart wearing paired t-shirts. (Each had half a broken heart on their t-shirts which, when put together, would say "Best Friends.")

Vickie talked about how much she always admired Fabulous Moolah and her long title reign, and how she wanted to give the women of Smackdown an opportunity. She announced that there would be a new Smackdown divas title. Vickie said that there would be a Golden Star match tonight, with the winner moving on to Night of Champions to fight for the new title.

3. Cousin Sal (w/Roddy Piper, Jimmy Kimmel) defeated Santino. Sal came out with Piper and Jimmy Kimmel, who was wearing an Andre the Giant t-shirt. Sal also had his own Cousin Sal entrance video, came out to the song "Working for a Living" by Huey Lewis and the News, and wrestled in a wrestling singlet. He didn't fare too well early, but Santino gave him a free headlock, and Sal took full advantage, hitting moves including a suplex and an airplane spin.

Santino was back on offense and coming off the ropes, but Jimmy tripped him up and distracted him allowing Sal to roll him up for the pin. Or, at least, that's what was supposed to happen. Instead, it looked like Jimmy didn't do anything, so Santino had to just stop and turn to look at him. I'm assuming they'll make it look OK in post-production. After the match, Santino advanced toward Jimmy Kimmel, but Roddy Piper made the save, decking Santino. The Kimmels and Piper celebrated together.

Backstage, the Miz and John Morrison were playing keep away with Hornswoggle's hat, wearing it and making fun of him. Finlay came up and snatched it away, putting it on. Miz and Morrison noted they'd love to stick around, but they were in their city, Los Angeles, and had people to see. Hornswoggle squirted them with a squirt gun. Morrison looked ready to kill him, but didn't do anything due to Finlay's presence. They walked off.

In La Familia's locker room, Edge asked everyone to leave him and Chavo alone. Edge asked Chavo to be his best man at his wedding, and Chavo accepted. He noted that he and Vickie wanted to have four, maybe five kids, perhaps two girls and three boys, and said that these would be Chavo's cousins! Edge hugged Chavo, and Chavo didn't look happy about the idea of Edge/Vickie cousins.

4. Natalya defeated Kelly Kelly, Layla, Maryse, Cherry, Victoria, and Michelle McCool in a Golden Star match to qualify for the Smackdown divas title match at Night of Champions. A lot of brawling, with everyone trying to climb a poll and retrieve the big golden star. They teased dissension with Victoria and her friend Natalya early.

In the end, Michelle McCool was going for the star. Victoria was battling her on the turnbuckle, and Natalya came up, doing the corner chain powerbomb on the two of them before retrieving the golden star. She celebrated afterwards and did her face and bit where she pulls her arms back, which I guess is her pose, about a million times for the roving camera, as I guess the cameraman was asking her to do it for him.

5. Vladimir Koslov defeated Jimmy Wang Yang.

Batista cut a short promo backstage with Eve, who also did the kiss cam during ECW.

6. Batista and Nunzio and Funaki and Colin Delaney defeated Edge, Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder and Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neeley, Vickie GUerrero). Batista started, but eventually tagged in Funaki. They beat on him for a long time. He managed to tag in Colin, who was beaten on some more, before finally making the hot tag to Batista. He cleared the ring and won by pinning one of the Edgeheads. Nunzio was never tagged in. After the match, Edge speared Batista. Unhappy with what had just happened, Vickie booked another match: a handicap match with Edge and Vickie versus Batista.

7. Batista defeated Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Edge beat up Batista early. He was down, so Edge tagged in Vickie. Vickie made the cover, but Batista kicked out, so Vickie tagged Edge. Batista managed to defeat Edge quickly and score the victory over a surprised Edge. After the match, Edge had bailed, but Vickie was still there. Batista grabbed Vickie and tossed her onto La Familia on the outside. The Edgeheads carried her to the back and everyone else left as Batista celebrated in the ring, then high-fived fans all around the front row areas.

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