WWE News 7/22 WWE Smackdown tapings in Philadelphia: More details on Friday's show with one wrestler's return announced and another wrestler's first vignette airs Jul 23, 2008 - 09:33 AM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing WWE Smackdown Taping Philadelphia, Pa. at Wachovia Center Thanks to Dot Net reader Mark Gessner Dark Match 1. Ron Killings (called by Tony Chimel “R Truth”) defeated Seamus O’Reilly (?) with a scissors kick. The ECW announce team came out separately. Taz got a big pop whereas Adamle was met with loud boos and “We want Joey” chants. Nothing really happened worth noting that didn’t air on the show. Bourne’s Shooting Star Press is absolutely amazing to see in person. Smackown Taping A recap of last weeks wedding aired before Smackdown’s opening video and pyro MVP was already in the ring and introduced quite possibly his most “controversial” guest in the history of the VIP lounge, Jeff Hardy. When Hardy came out MVP announced that there was going to be a 6-man “Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal” with Jeff Hardy, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Great Khali, Big Show, and himself, with the winner getting a WWE Championship match versus Triple H at Summerslam. MVP said that he was the favorite to win the battle royal. Hardy answered with, “you’re the odds on favorite to win? Last time you were in a match you lost the US Title to my brother.” MVP started talking about Hardy being on the cover of this month’s WWE Magazine and talked about the interview inside where he answers questions about his suspension and house (“more like a trailer” according to MVP) burning down. He then went on to say it was Jeff’s fault his dog died in the fire and says that he keeps screwing up his career and more importantly, his life. Jeff proceeds to shove MVP out of the ring. 1. Shelton Benjamin pinned Jimmy Wang Yang. Prior to the match, Shelton cuts a promo about winning the US Title on Sunday. Wang got very little offense and Benjamin scores the victory after hitting his inverted bulldog finisher Edge is seen in the back and Hawkins & Ryder approach him. After Edge congratulates them on their victory at the Great American Bash, he tries to apologize to them for what happened last week. They cut him off by saying they really didn’t wanna hear it nor did they care and they had to get ready for their match. 2. Festus pinned Curt Hawkins. Festus was on the offensive for the majority of the match and scored the pin after hitting his flapjack finisher. Following the match, Hawkins and Ryder jump Jesse and throw him into the steel ring post. They then hit Festus with a Double Edgecution (DDT). Edge is seen in a back hallway having a conversation with Alicia Fox. Bam Neely eavesdropped halfway through. Edge said he had something he wanted to tell her but wanted to wait til after the show when no one was around. 3. Vladimir Kozlov pinned Stevie Richards. Stevie got a decent amount of offense in, much more than I expected and had a number of pin attempts. He was finished off though by Kozlov’s running headbutt. Following the match, Kozlov was saying something to JR and Foley but it was inaudible to everyone in the arena. 4. Great Khali wins “Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal” in approximately 12 minutes. The participants are Jeff Hardy, MVP, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Great Khali, and Big Show. About 5 minutes into the match, Hardy clotheslined MVP over the top rope to eliminate him. Big Show headbutted Umaga out of the ring about a minute after the MVP elimination. Kennedy was the next to go when Show had his hand wrapped around his neck for a Chokeslam but instead pushed him by the neck over the top rope. Show and Khali begin to trade blows in the center of the ring. Big Show hit Khali with a chokeslam. As he stood up, Jeff gave Show a hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle that sent Show over the top rope to the floor. Jeff then hit a Swanton Bomb on Khali who was still down from the chokeslam. The fans gave Hardy 1 of the loudest pops I’ve ever heard in my life and I’ve been at nearly every show in Philly since Wrestlemania 15. Jeff attempted to eliminate Khali but was thrown over the top rope out of nowhere. Khali wins. Great match. Triple H proceeds to come down to the ring and the have a nose-to-chin stare down with Khali, who then left the ring. During what I assume was the commercial break, Hunter gave Khali a few DX crotch chops which got a big pop. A promo aired for Ron Killings return. The video showed the town he grew up in and he talked about growing up in a bad neighborhood and how he made bad decisions, but he owns up to them. It ended with spray paint on a wall saying “R-Truth Coming Soon. 5. Michelle McCool beats Maryse via submission. The crowd was dead for the match. It was either a lack caring or just burnt out from the battle royal. McCool locked in her leg submission to score the victory Vicki Guerrero arrived in a wheel chair being pushed by Chavo. Bam comes up to them and tells Vicki he has something he wants to tell her in his office. Video plays saying that Maria will be coming to Smackdown next week. Bam tells Edge that Vicki is in her office and he says he wants to apologize to her in the ring. 6. Brian Kendrick pinned Shannon Moore. Prior to the match, Kendrick cuts a promo saying that he is “the fastest, most well trained, and smartest wrestler in the WWE today.” Very 1990’s Shawn Michaels-esque. After getting beat down slowly and methodically, Moore gets hit with Slice Bread #2, to give Kendrick the win. In Vickie’s office, Bam couldn’t remember what Edge told him and ended up saying that Edge wanted Vicki to apologize to him in the ring. Edge comes out to the ring and says that he needs to apologize to Vicki face-to-face, in public. Vicki gets wheeled down to the ring by Chavo and Bam and they help her into the ring and leave. Edge gets on 1 knee and tells Vickie what he did was horrible but what the video didn’t show was “how many times I said no to her but she wouldn’t listen. No means no.” He then said the only reason he didn’t leave was because he wanted to finish planning the wedding so everything was perfect for Vickie. “I can’t live without your love,” he said. Vickie says she understands and they hug. Edge goes to kiss her but she pulls away. She said, “What you have to understand is hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn. While I was mad at you I did something… I reinstated the Undertaker," she said. Edge suggested that Taker and Triple H should have a match and beat the hell out of each other and then he could take the title from whoever won. She said that was not possible because “while I was mad, I also made a match." She announced Edge vs. Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. The pop for this announcement was bigger than Jeff Hardy’s from earlier in the night. Edge fell back into the corner and sat there with a look of disbelief. Post-Show Match 1. Triple H pinned Edge in a “Philadelphia Street Fight” in approx. Vickie made the match and the two fought in their street clothes. Great back and forth action. Outside the ring Hunter slammed Edge’s head into the announcers table about 20 times which got a good pop. Edge recomposed himself and hit Triple H with the stairs. Hunter came back from that and hit Edge with a DDT on top of the announcers table which broke. Back in the ring, Triple H spinebustered Edge and went under the ring and got his sledgehammer. He took too long because Edge ducked Hunter’s swing with the sledgehammer and hit him with the Edgecution. He then grabbed two chairs and sent up Hunter for a one man con-chair-to but Hunter rolled out of the way, low blowed Edge, and hit him with the sledgehammer to pick up the victory. Match of the night by far and much better than their match at Great American Bash. BOOKMARK DOT NET AND ADD US TO YOUR RSS • HELP DOT NET: TAKE OUR ADVERTISER DEMO SURVEY CLICK TO RETURN TO MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY WWE News Latest Twelve Articles WWE stock update: Did the stock continue to drop? WWE announces details regarding their NBC special WWE website gives away the result of tonight's Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy match (spoiler included) Jeff Hardy comments on what winning the WWE Title would mean to him WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view: The advertised lineup for Sunday's show (no Smackdown spoilers included) Bret Hart interview available online, MVP comments on hanging with Shaquile O'Neal