WWE TV Reports 5/9 Twilling's West Coast WWE Smackdown Coverage: Judgment Day Heavyweight Championship Match announced, main event battle royale, Punk vs. Hardy By Rich Twilling May 9, 2008 - 10:00 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing WWE Smackdown on The CW Network Taped May 6 in London, Ont. [Q1] A video aired recapping Vickie Guerrero stripping The Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship. Vickie banned the gogoplata chokehold. Vickie said “that chokehold” three times. Somebody name the damn move! The Great Khali was choked all the way back to India (where he is providing Dot Net with some great material) as Zach Ryder and Curt Hawkins retrieved the title for Vickie… Live in the arena, Teddy Long rolled Vickie Guerrero onto the stage. Edge stood at Vickie’s side. She read a prepared statement saying the last week was the most difficult of her tenure as Smackdown GM. She announced at Judgment Day there will be a match for the vacant title. She announced The Undertaker as one of the competitors. She then announced the other spot would be filled tonight. She announced “The Chase for the Championship.” Any former or current World Heavyweight Champion, U.S. Champion, or ECW Champion would be included. She continued by saying Khali is in India recovering from the chokehold and Edge is not medically cleared yet, so they will not be participating. There will be one on one matches tonight and the winners will be entered in a battle royale tonight. The winner will face The Undertaker at Judgment Day… The opening video finally aired. Michael Cole welcomed us to the show… 1. Matt Hardy defeated C.M. Punk in a Championship Chase Match in 4:43. Mick Foley said it was a slap to The Undertaker’s face that he was stripped of the title. Hardy grounded Punk early with a reverse armbar for more than a minute. They both rose to their feet; Punk got to the ropes, but Hardy pulled him away and kept the hold locked. Punk shoved Matt. Matt immediately reapplied the hold. First nearfall came at 2:13 with a Hardy sunset flip. Hardy hit an Electric Chair and a Side Effect for a nearfall. He went for the Twist of Fate. Punk countered with the knee and bulldog in the middle of the ropes as opposed to the corner. Punk applied a double underhook. Hardy picked him up and hit a delayed suplex for a nearfall, but Punk kept the arms locked and hit a backbreaker. Punk hit a kick to the head and went for the GTS. Hardy countered and went for the Twist of Fate. Punk countered that and face planted Hardy. He went for the cover, but Hardy reversed the cover for the win. [Q2] After the match, Hardy retreated up the ramp as Punk looked on. Hardy stopped at the top of the ramp and stood next to the championship, which was in a glass case… [C] Twill’s Two Cents: This was a very good five minute match. Imagine these two with a PPV match and twenty minutes. I like how they could potentially introduce new (and future) heavyweight championship contenders with this concept tonight. 2. Finlay (with Hornswoggle) vs. MVP ended in a draw in 14:42. Hornswoggle came out with Finlay this week, but immediately retreated under the ring. The bell rang and Hornswoggle rolled tennis balls into the ring. The distraction allowed Finlay to get the early advantage. A nice single leg takedown followed by some nice chain wrestling ensued. Foley just mentioned the nice chain wrestling between the two. Something like that is one reason why Foley is better than Coach. Finlay applied a side headlock and kept it on as MVP tried to roll into covers. Finlay went shoulder to post at 2:30. MVP hit a single arm DDT. He then applied a Fujiwara armbar. Finlay was locked in the hold as the show went to commercial… [C] Back from commercial, the camera shot was of the title, not the match. Finally, they panned back to the match and MVP still had the armbar locked in. MVP had his elbow on the shoulder and hit Finlay’s arm with punches. Finlay rolled out and hit a short closeline. Finlay was still hurt and as he was on his knee, MVP hit the running kick, knocking Finlay to the floor. MVP went after him. [Q3] MVP continued to work on the arm. Foley sold him as someone who now wants to hurt his opponents. Good call by Foley there. MVP missed a kick on the outside, but he was still able to toss Finlay into the barricade. MVP scored a nearfall in the ring and reapplied variations of the armbar. Foley suggested the referee may want to stop the match. All of a sudden, Finlay grounded MVP on his stomach and pulled back on MVP’s legs, sort of a quadriceps stretch. Finlay hit a big bodyslam in which his leg whiplashed on the ropes. Finlay locked in a half crab, sort of an old school half lion tamer. Finlay hit the same bodyslam close to the ropes for a nearfall. Finlay, with a single leg takedown, continued to work on the leg. Simultaneously, MVP worked on the arm and then locked in an arm submission. Finlay reversed the hold as MVP grabbed the ropes. Both men hit head to head in an awkward spot. Finlay hit a back suplex and the referee counted to three. Foley called it before the fact. Both men had their shoulders on the mat and thus, the match ended in a draw. After the match, they showed the obligatory replay. Cole and Foley wondered what would happened regarding these two in the Chase… [C] Twill’s Two Cents: I may be in the minority here, but I absolutely loved this match. Some might think it was slow, but I love the old school mat work. The fact that MVP hung with Finlay shows in yet another way why he is a main eventer waiting in the wings. MVP does all of the little things, like pounding Finlay’s arm while he has a submission locked in, so well. I do not mind the finish because both guys look strong. 3. Natalya (with Victoria) defeated Kelly Kelly in 2:38. Natalya took Kelly down, hit a snap suplex, and then threw her in the corner. Natalya hit a nice move, sort of a gutwrench suplex and powerslam combination. Michelle McCool watched from a backstage monitor. Kelly did the handstand backflip into the corner, but Natalya caught her and hit a belly to back suplex. She then applied a surfboard and sat up in it. Kelly fought back. [Q4] Natalya thwarted Kelly’s comeback when she pulled her from the middle rope. She locked in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. Natalya celebrated with Victoria as Michelle looked on… Further proof WWE is advertising to kids, they interviewed fans asking them if Vickie Guerrero made the correct decision in stripping The Undertaker of the title. Some little kid said, “Yes, because the move causes internal bleeding.” Ugh… Foley plugged Batista’s Championship Chase match after the break… [C] Twill’s Two Cents: Natalya is growing on me because she is a good worker. They need to get her, Victoria, and Michelle over to Raw. I hate it when they do “ask the fans” segments. Could you imagine being one of those dumbass adults who, in an effort to get on TV, answered that question seriously? Back from commercial, they showed the controversial finish of the Finlay vs. MVP match from earlier in the show. Backstage, Vickie said the finish could be looked at as both men losing or both men winning. She went with the latter and allowed both men into the battle royale… Twill’s Two Cents: Two Vickie Guerrero promos in one show? WTF? Also, both men cannot win a single’s match. 4. Batista defeated John Morrison in a Championship Chase Match in 6:34. Morrison and Miz made it halfway down the aisle before Morrison sent Miz to the back. He had the “I can handle this on my own” look on his face. After the bell, Morrison tried to use his quickness by kicking and running. Batista chased Morrison to the outside twice. Morrison hit a delayed dropkick holding onto the top rope. Sweet move. Batista finally caught Morrison and delivered shoulder blocks into the corner. Batista went for a powerslam, but Morrison slithered out and hit a dropkick, sending Batista to the floor. Morrison threw Batista into the steps. He dragged him back into the ring and kicked him before he reentered. First nearfall came at 2:42 after a knee to the face. Morrison slowed down the pace with a reverse chin lock. Batista fought his way up, but Morrison kept the advantage. He hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall. He immediately mounted Batista and hit multiple right hands. Morrison kept going for nearfalls after hitting a move. I always liked that logic. Morrison applied the chinlock again. Batista backed him into the corner, but as he charged, Morrison tripped him. Morrison went on the ropes and hit Batista with punches in the corner. [Q5] Batista went for the Batista Bomb, but Morrison hit a hurricarana. Morrison tried the springboard crescent kick, but Batista speared him in mid-air. Batista hit the Batista Bomb for the win… After the match, Batista held the back of his head. Cole and Foley put over Morrison’s performance… Once again, they showed the video of Vickie stripping The Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship. Good thing, because I did not catch it the first six times they showed it… Cole and Foley questioned Vickie’s decision again. Foley did not like the decision. They showed who has qualified for the battle royale so far… Backstage, Big Show was on his way to the ring. He gave Nunzio a fist bump. Twill’s Two Cents: I really enjoyed this match too. I wish Batista’s win did not come out of nowhere like it did, but I like how much offense Morrison was given, and what he did with it. I like what they did with MVP and Morrison tonight; meaning, I am glad they were tough and credible, instead of dishonest and cowardly, like heels are oftentimes booked. 5. Big Show defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Championship Chase Match in 1:32. Cole said Show has won the WWE, ECW, and World Heavyweight Championships. No mention of WCW. Funny. Dreamer was still selling injuries from his Extreme Rules match earlier this week vs. Mike Knox. Show powered Dreamer into the corner and although Dreamer fought back, Show hit a big headbutt followed by an elbow drop. Show threw Dreamer into the corner, charged and ran into Dreamer’s boot. That was all of Dreamer’s offense. Show hit the Chokeslam for the win… After the match, Show went up to the case and almost covered it completely with his hands. They showed the battle royale graphic again… [C] Twill’s Two Cents: Dreamer is the only guy I can think of who can still be presented as a threat after getting beat over and over and over again. Show winning quickly here made sense. Show almost displayed sympathy for Dreamer. Let us be glad they remembered Dreamer being the ECW World Heavyweight Champion for a few minutes. [Q6] 6. Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero (with Bam Neely) in a Championship Chase Match in 5:54. Chavo walked up to the belt on his way to the ring. Hope he got a good look because he will never get closer. This should be interesting as these two have not faced each other in awhile. Cole reminded us that Kane already has a match for the PPV, a tag team title match with C.M. Punk vs. Miz and Morrison. Chavo tried to take out Kane’s leg, but Kane fought him off with his power. Kane gorilla press slammed Chavo to the mat. He went for the chokeslam, but Chavo was in the ropes. Kane went for a kick but crotched himself. Chavo immediately went to work with punches and kicks to the leg. Neely slammed Kane’s leg across the apron. Chavo worked Kane’s leg in the corner. Chavo mounted Kane in the corner and hit some punches. Kane attempted a two handed chokeslam, but he leg gave out. (That same exact spot happened earlier in the week). Chavo hit a dropkick. He then a missile dropkick from the second rope. Kane did his best 80s Hulk Hogan impression, complete with a big boot. Kane hit closelines in the corner, but his leg gave out again. Chavo went to the top and jumped right into Kane. Chavo slid out of the chokeslam attempt and tried a sunset flip. Kane went to his knees and scored the pin… Twill’s Two Cents: Give Chavo credit here; he worked pretty hard. He wrestled using the exact strategy he should have used. This actually was not bad. After the match, Kane disposed of Neely. He limped up the ramp and looked at the belt from a distance. They showed the graphic again. It is funny how they just keep cramming people in there… [C] [Q7] Back from commercial, a WWE.com exclusive showed Deuce and Domino dumped Cherry for Maryse. Cherry slapped the crap out of Maryse… Twill’s Two Cents: Since Maryse is not related to either of them like Cherry is, they can both get a little action. 7. Vladimir Kozlov defeated Bill Atlas (?) in 1:20. I did not catch the kid’s name, even after Cole repeated it. Kozlov hit a belly to belly suplex, throwing him across the ring. Kozlov hit a punt in the corner again, but did not combine it into a fallaway. Disappointing. He hit the reverse DDT for the win. After the match, he stopped on his way up the ramp and yelled something… Twill’s Two Cents: Total squash. This was actually a step backward because at least last week he beat someone of name value. Batista was shown backstage preparing for the upcoming battle royale… [C] Back from commercial, Justin Roberts summed up the Chase for the Championship by explaining what happens for the winner of the battle royale. Does anyone notice how good of an announcer he is becoming?… 8. Edge defeated Big Show, Finlay, MVP, Matt Hardy, Kane, and Batista in a Battle Royale to determine who would face The Undertaker at Judgment Day in 15:59. Everyone came out to an abbreviated entrance. Batista was still selling the head and neck. That is an indirect endorsement for Morrison right there. The six paired off as the bell rang. MVP and Finlay, Show and Hardy, and Kane and Batista worked on each other respectively. Finlay and Hardy tried to work on Show, but he overpowered them. Finally, Kane and Batista teamed up on Show, but that did not work either. [Q8] Finlay almost went out first, but MVP attacked Show from behind. Show is just kicking everyone’s ass. Finlay almost eliminated Hardy. MVP was able to score some offense on Show, but he quickly came back and laid out everyone… [C] Back from commercial, Show was still dominating. MVP, who had been sneaking in and out of the ring, kept hitting Show from behind. Foley pondered how tired everyone must be since they competed earlier. Hardy hit a Side Effect on Finlay, but MVP used the opening to eliminate Hardy at around 10:00. Batista took a Big Show boot to the stomach. I think he meant to get it in his face, but could not do it. Show had Finlay in a gorilla press slam position, but Batista speared him. Finlay grabbed the shillegleh and hit everyone with it. Why he waited this long, I do not know. Kane eliminated Finlay. So much for that. MVP eliminated himself trying to hit Batista with the running kick. He missed and went over the top. Show then eliminated Kane, leaving Show and Batista as the final two. After exchanging punches, Show grounded Batista in the corner. He hit a huge closeline on him. With Batista in the corner, Show charged, but Batista hit a drop toehold, sending show into the turnbuckle. He went for the Batista Bomb, but Show lifted him up. They went to the ropes and Batista held onto a head scissors, eliminating Show. Before his music could play, Vickie Guerrero rolled out to the stage. She said Edge was just medically cleared, so the Chase for the Championship was not over yet. Edge ran to the ring and Batista was still standing on the apron. Since he went over the top, Edge speared him to the floor and he was eliminated. As Edge celebrated, a lightening bolt struck the glass case holding the belt, setting it on fire. The Undertaker’s gong could be heard and Edge looked freaked out as the show went off the air… Twill’s Two Cents: Did this piss off anyone else besides me? Logically, why wouldn’t Vickie just put Edge in the match? I hate the tired and overused heel GM booking an elaborate card to come up with a title contender, only to toss in someone at the end of it. Like I mentioned with MVP and Morrison tonight, a heel can still be a heel and win matches credibly. Email me if you can remember the last time Edge won a match clean. Edge is better than that. He should be winning matches because he is good enough to. Did you enjoy the show? Did you agree or disagree with my mini rant? Rich Twilling can be reached by email at dotnetrich@gmail.com. A note to all West Coast readers: As you know, Smackdown airs later for us. I invite you to follow along with me on the site as the show airs. 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