Dot Net Member Andy Goodnight attended the WWE Smackdown taping on Tuesday in Houston, Tex. and passed along the following report.

Batista opens the show with the best promo I've ever heard him give. Constant heat the entire time he talked, and he didn't stumble or seem incoherent at any point! He began by talking about how he didn't ask for the street fight, that Rey Mysterio wasn't even worthy to be in the same ring as him. This led into what a true heel should give in a promo.

To summarize, "It's all about me. I didn't need Evolution. Evolution needed me. I did't need Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio needed me. And I don't need any of you fans. I never needed you. I didn't hear you when you cheered me, and I don't hear you when you boo me. I am here to make money and win championships." Hell, that's what every wrestler should be there for. He closed by giving the standard "Undertaker fears me" promo that every heel is obligated to give. Mark my words, Batista will never have a performance on the mic as good as this again. Finishing touch of the promo was when he posed at the turnbuckles afterward and you could see him clearly say "I still don't hear you" while everyone booed.

1. CM Punk & Luke Gallows defeated Matt Hardy and R-Truth. Punk began with another solid promo, promoting Jeff Hardy's DVD in the way the only a good heel can. Great moment: while R-Truth rapped his way down the ring and Matt Hardy handed out Jeff's DVD, Punk kept yelling on the mic for everyone not to take them. "Don't watched that, sell it on eBay!" Great quote. Good action during the match, crowd was very into it. Punk and Gallows won after Gallows made the blind tag and hit his front-facelock powerbomb for the pin. Call me a CM Punk mark, but his mic skills and his mannerisms show him to be a future Hall of Famer. He just has to stick around in WWE long enough to further build his impressive resume.

Next up was a backstage segment with Eric Esbobar and Vickie Guerrero. Maybe I'm too smart for my own good, but if Eric and Vickie don't like each other anymore, why are they always caught together talking? My Hispanic girlfriend was with me tonight, she confirmed that Escobar actually said in Spanish what he repeated in English. Sorry, Escobar, you need to let the crowd know what makes you a face before your breakup with Vickie means anything positive. Vickie sets up a match between Jericho and Escobar. Handicap match change up could be seen from a mile away.

Second backstage segment! Mike Knox was talking to Kane about how they are both alike: monsters that nobody understands. Kane refuses to accept that he's a heel in face's clothing and starts choking Knox. Funny, Kane isn't creeped out by the "I'll ride with you in the ambulance" line from Knox, but the asphyxiation=euphoria comment unsettles him? Ah well.

2. JeriShow defeated Eric Escobar in a handicap match. Yup, handicap match! Big Show's knee surgery must have worked miracles, I couldn't notice even a slight limp. Jericho wins with the Boston Crab. I will keep calling it the Boston Crab until Jericho puts some effort into it and elevates the crab to look like the true Walls of Jericho again. I've wanted to get that off my chest for years... Jericho ends with a promo on using Big Show as his ultimate weapon. Remembering how Big Show can punch chairs in people's faces, I have to agree with Jericho.

The obligatory ridiculous segment of the night goes to Drew McIntyre and William Wallace, er, John Morrison. McIntyre goes into his spiel about being handpicked by Vince McMahon and proceeds to try to belittle Morrison. He says that Morrison being champion is as silly as the Loch Ness Monster myth and the portrayal of William Wallace in Braveheart (girlfriend's a history major, she agreed with Drew).

Morrison came out with Scottish bagpipe music dressed as Willian Wallace. He starts to browbeat McIntyre in a ridiculous accent, first appealing to fan xenophobia by making fun of Drew's own (real) accent and then using insider references to show that McIntyre is a kissass. Inside "jokes" like these really diminish the level of investment a fan can give to the seriousness of an angle. Drew "keeps his composure" while Morrison brandishes a sword in his face, they have a short brawl and McIntyre rolls out of the ring to wait until Sunday. Vince Russo is gone from WWE, but he is never truly forgotten.

3. Kane defeated Mike Knox. Knox's crossbody does look impressive. Kane wins with a chokeslam and further cements the fact that wrestling with Knox serves no real purpose. If Knox can't get a win then nobody can really care about his interactions with Kane.

4. Mickie James and Maria defeated Michelle McCool and Layla. Bathroom match before the main event. Mickie James won with a rollup on Layla, pulling the tights. Funny moment when Layla was pulling the tights back during the pin; you could see her telling McCool that Mickie cheated to win.

5. Batista beat Rey Mystero in a Street Fight. No promo tonight from Rey? Batista and Rey have a good back and forth for the bulk of the match, with Rey hitting Batista with chair shots at the end. He goes for an overhead shot when Batista spears him. A chair shot from Batista led to him getting the pin for the win. He struggled to position the chair on Mysterio's head when the lights went out and Undertaker appeared in Rey's place. It never ceases to impress me that 'Taker can quickly come out from under the ring to appear while the lights go out, even with bad knees. A quick beatdown from Undertaker as Batista rolls out of the ring intimidated. Show closes with Undertaker and his throat-slashing gesture.

Dark Match Main Event

Undertaker defeated CM Punk to retain the World Hvt. Championship. A fun way to close the event. Punk used some exaggerated delay tactics to stay away from Undertaker; you could hear 'Taker yell out "Come on!" when Punk ran out of the ring for a third time. The fight began outside the ring when Undertaker did his obligatory missed running-boot and straddles the barricade.

Back in the ring, Punk tried for Old School but can't follow through as Undertaker took over the match. A successful Old School from Undertaker, but Punk got the upper hand again to do his running knee to the corner. Punk showboated while in that position to fall victim to a Last Ride. The crowd went home happy and Tony Chimel thanked us for coming.

Most Cheers:
1) Undertaker (hands down)
2) Rey Mysterio
3) Jeff Hardy (just the reference or image of him drives people nuts)
4) R-Truth (just once when he asks a fan "What's up?" someone should yell back "Not much!")

Most Heat:
1) Batista (intense heat that never died down the whole night)
2) Vickie Guererro
3) CM Punk
4) Chris Jericho

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