WWE Live Events 3/25 WWE Smackdown tapings: Second report on the final taping before WrestleMania 24 Mar 26, 2008 - 09:04 AM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing WWE Smackdown Taping Fayetteville, N.C. at the Crown Coliseum Report by Dot Net reader Patrick Harris Ron Killings def. Kenny Dykstra in a dark match. Killings received a nice reaction when you consider how long he’s been out of the WWE and instead stuck in TNA purgatory and also AAA. There were plenty of responses to his WHAT’S UP yells. He pins Dykstra with an axe kick.   Smackdown Tapings   1. Mark Henry defeated Kane, Chuck Palumbo, and The Great Khali in a four-man battle royal. Chavo Guerrero was introduced at the start of the show and did guest commentary. The match itself is rather short. Kane was eliminated first, followed by Chuck Palumbo (both by Khali, I believe.) Henry and Khali trade chops and punches for a bit, then Henry lifts up Khali for a body slam and threw him over the top rope. Henry receives a face pop for disposing of Khali.   Chavo snuck into the ring after the match and took out Henry at the knees. He worked on him for a bit before Henry came back and gave Chavo a bodyslam and splash.   Teddy Long is backstage with Eve, Cherry, and Michelle McCool. He announced that Eve had been eliminated from the Diva competition. Maryse and Victoria showed up and started arguing with everyone. Teddy says the only way to settle this is with a “Diva Super Soaker/Water Balloon Tag Match” or whatever the hell he called it. Yikes.   Promos were shown throughout the night for Edge’s funeral ceremony to commemorate the ending of Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak.   2. C.M. Punk def. John Morrison. This was a solid match that was given about 10 minutes and was similar to their summer matches for the ECW title. The highlight was Punk giving Morrison a frakensteiner off the top rope. Finish came when Punk reversed Morrison’s corkscrew neckbreaker finish into the GTS.   3. Jesse, Festus, and Kofi Kingston def. Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, and the Miz. The heels worked over Jesse until he makes the hot tag. Everybody was on the outside brawling when Kofi hit a spinning roundhouse kick on (I think) the Miz for the pin.   4. Batista def. Snitsky. Spear. Spinebuster. Batista Bomb. Pin. The match lasted 60 seconds tops and was a total squash. Batista grabbed a chair after the match and gave Snitsky another powerbomb on the chair.   5. Michelle McCool and Cherry def. Victoria and Maryse in the “Diva Super Soaker/Water Balloon Tag Match.” Eve was the referree. This was basically soft-core porn. Buckets of water and water balloons were in each corner with super soaker guns. Victoria had the humorous moment when she came out with goggles, a snorkel, and those toddler arm floaters. They threw balloons around for a bit and end up hitting Coach, Michael Cole, and even a few made it into the front rows. McCool hits some type of suplex on Victoria for the pin. Maryse looked like a girl who’s been hysterically crying because all of her eyeliner was streaking down her face. Eve poured a bucket of water over her after the match to top it all off. They went with this instead of getting Flair on TV one last time? Please.     6. Chris Jericho def. MVP via DQ. There was a bit of a delay while the ring crew switches out the mats. MVP came out while the ring is still being switched. He got on the mic and worked the crowd for a few minutes. He also walked over to the announce table and mouthed off and berated Michael Cole. I doubt that will air, however.   This was another enjoyable match. Jericho seems to be finally finding his stride again and MVP’s potential is through the roof. Jericho reversed a Playmaker attempt into the Walls of Jericho and MVP was able to escape and scurry out the ring. He grabbed the belts and ran into the ring to get DQ’d. Jericho ducked the hit and gave MVP the Codebreaker on the U.S. Title.   Funeral Ceremony  The ring was set up with full funeral arrangement garb and resembles a wake. The black flowers and wreaths were present, along with a picture of the Undertaker and a podium for Edge to speak at. A casket was in the middle of the ring. Edge and his entire posse were present in formal attire. Edge gave a eulogy on the Undertaker, covered his accomplishments, and lists his WrestleMania opponents. He comments on how that time has now come to an end.   Vickie interrupted and says she had a gift for Edge. It was a video in the style of a movie preview promoting Edge as a superhero for conquering the Undertaker. When Edge started a final prayer, the lights went dark and Undertaker’s music and video played. The casket opened and Taker ambushes Edge. He assaulted him in the corner until Edge was able to escape. The tapings ended with Taker posing in the middle of the ring.   Note: Someone screwed up during this segment and really exposed the product. When the lights dropped and the music/video started, it seemed to go on longer that what you’d normally expect. One of the producers, who had been outside on the corner ring steps for the entire segment, literally jumped onto the apron and banged on the back of the casket in plain sight. He hopped back down and the casket opened. I was just a few feet away from this since I was sitting 3rd row floor on the TV side. All of us in the area looked at each other literally dumbfounded since it was painfully obvious. I understand this type of segment isn’t necessarily ‘believable’ to begin with and it’s nothing that will show on TV, but it kills any type of suspension of disbelief that the crowd needs to have to be fully invested with the product. I can’t possibly believe that’s how it was designed in the first place. It definitely looked amateurish.   8. Ric Flair and Batista and Undertaker defeated Edge and Big Show and MVP in a dark match main event. The crew cleared the ring again and everyone came out for the dark match. This match was fun and resembled what you’d see at a house show. The heels stalled and argued with each other throughout. Flair and MVP started the match off, and the heels worked over Undertaker for most of the match. The finish came when all six men were fighting and Taker simultaneously hit a Tombstone on Edge while Flair gets MVP to submit to the Figure Four.   Post-match, the faces were in the ring celebrating for several minutes. Batista grabbed the mic and thanked Flair for being a friend and an integral part of his professional and personal life. Flair spoke and thanked Fayetteville for supporting him throughout his career. He says that if this Sunday is truly the end of the line, he’s glad to have performed here one last time. Taker doesn’t speak but embraces Flair and motions to him. All three walked out together to end the show. 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