WWE News 7/29 WWE Smackdown tapings in Hershey, Pa: Detailed report on Friday night's show, promo by Edge's special guest "gave me goosebumps" Jul 30, 2008 - 09:20 AM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing WWE Smackdown Taping Hershey, Pa. Thanks to Dot Net reader Erik Beaston I just got back from the Smackdown/ECW tapings and while I enjoyed myself and the show immensely, there was one glaring problem. For the last two months, all the hype for the show centered on Triple H. He was on both the TV and radio spots for the show and was undoubtedly spotlighted as the top star of the tapings. Then the weekend came and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon welcomed their new daughter. No problem there and I completely understand Triple H not making the trip to Hershey. With that said, there should have been an announcement at the beginning of the show stating he wouldn't be appearing. Not being much of a fan of Trips, I didn't have a problem with his no-show but there were kids and adults alike that were waiting for a Triple H appearance that never came. On the way out, I heard plenty of complaints, despite the 'card subject to change' during the ads. As I stated before, I little announcement at the beginning would have helped alot, I believe. Enough with that, on with the spoilers... 1. MVP def. Jimmy Wang Yang. Short match with Jimmy continuing his role as jobber following his return from suspension. Jeff Hardy, who was sitting at ringside for the contest, came face-to-face with MVP and told him not to mention his mistakes, the house fire, or Hardy's dead dog before laying MVP out with the Swanton Bomb. The first of two huge pops for Hardy. Somewhere around here, Chavo is wheeling Vickie around backstage before they spot Alicia Fox. Vickie puts on her angry face before entering her office. 2. Mr. Kennedy def. United States Champion Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match. One of the longer matches of the night, which isn't saying much. Benjamin controlled the majority of the match before Kennedy made the big comeback and finished Shelton with the Mic Check, presumably putting him in line for a U.S. Title match. Afterwards, probably for a WWE.com exclusive, Eve Torres interviewed Benjamin, who blamed the loss on a bout of bronchitis. He sounded hoarse from what I could tell. Chavo tells Ryder and Hawkins they have to talk with Edge and figure out what's going on. They say they will, but completely blow Chavo off and discuss their up-coming action figures. 3. Brian Kendrick defeated Stevie Richards. Nice little pop for Stevie. Not much to say for the match except for an explosive little comeback by Stevie. It's short-lived however, as Kendrick picks up the win with the Sliced Bread No. 2 (now known as "The Kendrick"). 4. The Great Khali beat Jeff Hardy. Hardy is easily the most over star present as he receives his second huge pop of the night. One of Khali's better matches, although that's like saying one skunk doesn't quite stink as much as the next. Khali controlled for most of the match before Hardy landed the Whisper in the Wind and the Swanton. Just as it appeared Hardy would pick up the win, MVP appeared, distracting Hardy and allowing Khali to apply the Vice Grip for the win. Afterwards, MVP trash-talked Hardy. 5. Maria def. Victoria. Not a bad match but nothing special, either. Maria and Victoria both look amazing in person and the match introduced Maria to the Friday Night Smackdown audience well. Forgettable but not bad. 6. The Big Show destroyed Domino. SQUASH! Domino was destroyed and if he isn't wished well on his future endeavors very soon, I'll be surprised. Afterwards, Umaga appeared and came face-to-face with Show before backing up and returning backstage. They definitely teased a future program between the two. Edge told Alicia he left tickets for her so she could watch from the crowd, rather than backstage where she can be seen by Vickie. Edge continued to tell Alicia to blend in. The final segment of the show was the Cutting Edge. The Rated R Superstar came out to monstrous heat and said his guest was a man who could help him beat Undertaker in Hell In A Cell, a man who knew 'Taker better than anyone: Mick Foley. A really good video highlighting all that went on in 1998 with the birth of the Attitude Era, and the most remembered moment of the year being Undertaker vs. Mick Foley in Hell In A Cell, aired. Edge then repeatedly asked Foley to help him, but Foley said he couldn't because the Edge he had written about and praised had become a weak man who relied on his wife to keep his spot at the top. I don't want to spoil it too much but Foley's promo on Edge was AMAZING. I've seen more than one promo live in the past, but Foley's was the first that gave me goosebumps, literally. Just really good stuff. Edge eventually attacks Foley before laying him on a table. He leapt off a ladder that was previously set up in the ring, and smashed Foley with a chair, which put him through the table. The show concluded with Foley being stretchered out. Notes: As a side note, I'm not sure if it's serious at all but Edge was obviously limping and favoring one of his legs after the spot and continued to do so during the post-show dark match, which he lost by count-out to Big Show. Hope it's nothing serious but he looked to be in pain. Overall, the show was very good, as Smackdown has been over the last few months, and certainly continued lead writer Michael Hayes' trend of well-written wrestling shows. Top Five Pops: 1. Jeff Hardy 2. Finlay & Hornswoggle (God I hate these two!) 3. The Big Show 4. Matt Hardy 5. (TIE) Mr. Kennedy & Maria Top Five Jeers: 1. Edge 2. MVP 3. The Miz & John Morrison 4. Mark Henry 5. The Great Khali 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