WWE Smackdown Report for 3/25/04: Guerrero vs. Booker T for the title!
Submitted by Matthew Tremley on Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 11:19 PM EST



WWE Smackdown
Airdate: March 25th, 2004

The show starts off with Triple H's music playing, but instead of "The Game", Kurt Angle walks out and heads to the ring. He makes the announcement that he is the new general manager of Smackdown, putting his wrestling career on hold for the good of the USA and all of the SD fans. Angle also drops another big announcement, as HHH has been traded back to Raw. YAY!....ohhhh, I mean...too bad, shucks. Angle was able to get a great deal for HHH though, as he not only got The Dudley Boyz, but Booker T as well. Booker comes down to the ring and proceeds to badmouth the entire SD brand and the fans, claiming that Raw is the superior brand and that the fans on Raw actually appreciate his talents. Kurt agrees with him, but promises that Booker will become the biggest star that Smackdown has ever seen now that he is the GM.

Match 1: Rob Van Dam vs. Charlie Haas

Haas gets a headlock to start the match off, and they do a quick criss-cross before Haas takes RVD down with a fireman's carry. Both men head to the ropes, but RVD fires a few punches back. Haas gets a few kicks in on RVD in the corner, but Van Dam is able to take Charlie down to the mat with an armbar. RVD leaps up to the top rope, but he gets shoved off by Haas and goes crashing into the ring barrier on the outside. After RVD is back in the ring, Haas takes over by working over the leg and knee of Van Dam. He locks in a half-Boston Crab, but RVD manages to kick out of it with his other leg. Haas manages to stomp RVD back down, but Van Dam starts his comeback after connecting with a heel kick. He sends Haas into the corner, and then connects with another heel kick and a legdrop. Rolling Thunder follows for a two count, but Haas is able to counter a monkey flip attempt by Van Dam for two. Both men collide in the corner, and RVD tries to charge again but gets a big boot in the face. With RVD down and the referee paying attention to him, Haas takes the top turnbuckle pad off. However, it doesn't prove useful to Charlie, as he turns around right into a quick small package by Van Dam for the three count. Solid debut match for Van Dam on the first SD show of the Kurt Angle GM era, and I hope that not only will RVD get to compete against some great opponents on SD now and work to reshape his career, but I'm pulling for a successful singles run for Charlie Haas as well. I think he could be a top heel if given some work, some mic time, and a chance to showcase his wrestling skills.

Winner: Rob Van Dam

Match 2: Rene Dupree vs. Billy Kidman

Apparently, Dupree got Fifi the dog after he was traded from Raw to SD. I wonder if Conway & Grenier will fight for custody rights. Dupree starts off right away with a show of power during the lockup by shoving Kidman into the ropes. Billy, not to be pushed around, comes back with a quick rana and fires off a few punches. Kidman connects with an armdrag, but Dupree quickly heads to the outside to regroup. Kidman tries to follow with a baseball slide, but Dupree moves out of the way and sends Kidman into the ring barrier. Back in the ring, Dupree stomps away at Kidman and whips him hard into the corner. Rene connects with a backbreaker, and then stops to do the crazy French dance before dropping the elbow for two. Dupree locks in a bearhug to work over the injured back of Kidman, but Billy manages to escape and blocks a blind charge with a cruiserweight-sized boot. Kidman heads up top for a flying elbow, and then follows that up with an enziguri for two. Kidman stops to mock Dupree's French dance, but takes too long and runs right into a powerslam by Dupree for two. Kidman fires back with a dropkick, and pulls Rene into position for the shooting star. Kidman heads up, but Dupree manages to crotch him on the top with a dropkick. Dupree pulls Kidman off the top and onto his shoulder, and then delivers a half-hearted Michinoku Driver on Billy. Rene covers and gets the three count. After the match, John Cena interrupts to welcome Rene to Smackdown, tell him about a few of the people (Tazz is a thug, Michael Cole is just gay), and then reuses his line from Raw about "Deez Nuts". I'm smelling a possible Dupree/Cena feud over the U.S. Championship, which could be decent. Solid match between Rene and Kidman, though I wish the WWE would start using Kidman correctly. I mean, wasn't he one of the top guys in the cruiserweight division in WCW for a long time? Now he's just some random mid-carder.

Winner: Rene Dupree

Meanwhile, Teddy Long interrupts an interview segment by Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty and tries to recruit them for his new stable of talent. Hmmm, a heel turn from Scotty & Rikishi could work, as they are getting decent but half-hearted reactions lately. Also, it would work to have them feud with the Dudleys over the tag titles. Of course, you could turn the Dudleys heel for the 123rd time, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Elsewhere, Eddie Guerrero stops into the locker room to welcome all of the new Raw talent to SD, but Booker is still bummed about being traded. Eddie tries to cheer him up, but Booker just gets upset and gets all up in his face, saying that he's an minor league champion. Eddie takes offense and charges Booker, but the brawl between the two is quickly broken up by the other SD superstars in the locker room.

Match 3: The Dudley Boyz vs. The Basham Brothers

The Bashams have decided to adopt some new generic tights for their team. All four men brawl to start, with Doug getting tossed to the outside. Bubba hammers on Danny, and they fight over a lockup, with Danny getting the upper hand with a knee. Bubba pounds Danny down and tags D-Von in, who fires away in the corner. Danny is able to make the tag to Doug, but he doesn't fare any better as D-Von takes him down with an elbow and a slam for two. Bubba gets tagged back in, and hits a neckbreaker on Doug for two. He hits a couple of crossfaces on Doug while he's on the mat, and both Dudleys connect with a big flapjack on Doug as well. The Bashams pull the old switch-a-roo trick, which allows Danny to take D-Von down with a backdrop suplex. The Bashams work D-Von over in their corner, with Doug getting another two count. Danny gets back in and locks in an abdominal stretch, followed by an elbow drop for two. D-Von is finally able to make the tag to Bubba after he connects with a spear on Danny. Bubba is a house of fire, laying into both Bashams and gets a two count off Doug after connecting with another neckbreaker. Bubba lands a big splash in the corner, and then gets a sideslam for two. The Bashams try to double-team Bubba, but it fails as Doug gets sent outside the ring by Bubba, and Danny gets the "Whaazzzuuupp" drop from D-Von. Doug tries to come back in, but all he gets is a 3D for his troubles. The Dudleys make the cover and pick up the win.

Winners: The Dudley Boyz

Meanwhile, Booker goes into Kurt Angle's new office to complain about Guerrero, so Kurt decides to keep him happy by granting him a WWE Championship shot tonight.

Match 4: World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship: Chavo Guerrero (Champion, with Chavo Guerrero Sr.) vs. Spike Dudley (with The Dudley Boyz)

Wow, Spike is actually wrestling someone close to his own size for a change. Spike gets a hammerlock to start the match off, but Chavo powders out of the ring to discuss things with his dad. Back in, Spike punches away and gets an Acid Drop (a.k.a. the Dudley Dog, but I refuse to call it that) attempt after countering a suplex, but Chavo is able to counter that by just chucking Spike over the top rope. Chavo Sr. tries to attack Spike, but the Dudleys prevent it. Once Spike gets back into the ring, Chavo gets a quick two count, and then whips him into the corner. Chavo works on the ribs of Spike with a submission, but Spike powers out and gets an elbow on Chavo in the corner when Chavo tried a blind charge. Spike hits an atomic drop, followed by a clothesline and a small package for two. Spike goes for a charge, but gets dumped to the ring apron. Chavo tries a superplex to bring him back into the ring, but Spike counters by sending Chavo down to the mat and follows that up with the double stomp off the top for two. Chavo whips Spike into the corner once again, and then sets up for the Gory Bomb, but Spike counters into a sunset flip for two. Both guys brawl in the corner, but Spike misses a dropkick attempt, and Chavo is able to finish Spike off with a backbreaker for the win to retain the title.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero (Still WWE Cruiserweight Champion)

After the break, Bradshaw debuts his new gimmick: John "Bradshaw" Leyfield, Financial Analyst extraordinaire! He rambles on and on about how he's so successful in the financial world, but I kinda tuned him out about a minute or two into the segment.

Meanwhile, Booker is heading to the ring for his match when he encounters some hostility from the Velocity superstars, and especially Bob Holly who tells Booker that he's not wanted on SD.

Match 5: World Wrestling Entertainment Championship: "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero (Champion) vs. Booker T

The two lockup to start, and Booker gets a quick armdrag but Eddie fires back with an armdrag of his own. They fight into the corner, with Eddie giving Booker a clean break. Guerrero takes Booker down with a headlock, but Booker manages to back him into the corner and doesn't give Eddie a clean break, as he chops away at the champion. He elbows Guerrero down for two, but Eddie fires back with some chops and then gets a chinlock to ground Booker T. The challenger manages to escape with a jawbreaker, and gets a two count off a clothesline. Booker gets his own chinlock on Eddie, and then goes into a surfboard. Eddie escapes and gets a backdrop suplex and a slingshot for two. Eddie hits another chinlock, but Booker hammers him back into the corner. Booker connects with a faceplant, and then follows that up with a back kick for two. Eddie makes a comeback with a dropkick, but Booker quickly stops Guerrero with a hotshot to send him down to the mat again. After the break, Booker has regained control with another chinlock, with Guerrero powering out with a suplex. Booker locks in a sleeper hold, but Eddie fights out of it and heads up top. Booker stops him at the top, and then brings him back down with a superplex for two. Both men collide in the center of the ring, but Booker is able to recover first and sends Eddie down again with a knee to the gut. Booker chokes Eddie and chops him in the corner, but Eddie gives him some of the same. Eddie connects with a clothesline and then counters a sideslam into a headscissors. Booker manages to block Guerrero's rolling vertical suplex attempt with the Book End for two. Booker gets a rollup out of the corner for two, and sends Guerrero down with a superkick for another two count. Booker goes for his ax kick but Eddie moves out of the way and finally gets his rolling vertical suplexes. Eddie heads up top and connects with the frog splash, but Bradshaw runs in to cause the DQ after kicking Eddie in the head to break up the count. After the match, Bradshaw lays Guerrero out with the clothesline from hell to end the show.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero via DQ (Still WWE Champion)

Match of the Show: Guerrero vs. Booker T

Overall: An interesting first Smackdown after the draft lottery on Raw. They made sure to focus on most of the Raw superstars they got in the trade, with the rest being highlighted on Velocity this weekend. In terms of in-ring action, Guerrero/Booker was your match of the night. Both men worked well together, but I wish they didn't have to hit so many damn chinlocks. I get the fact that the WWE wants to have the superstars work a slower-paced match, but damn! RVD/Haas takes second place, with Dupree/Kidman and Guerrero/Spike coming in third with some solid in-ring work. As far as everything else, I'm not looking forward to yet another attempt at a push for Bradshaw. This new "financial analyst" gimmick for him is going to bomb big time, and even worse, it looks like Bradshaw is the next challenger for Eddie. If the WWE goes with an Eddie/Bradshaw main event for Judgment Day in June, they obviously didn't learn their lessons from the failed Brock Lesnar/Hardcore Holly match from the Rumble. Cena/Dupree could be decent, as both men have good in-ring skills, and both know how to cut a good promo. I'm not sure what the Dudleys will do now that they are on Smackdown, but I wouldn't mind seeing Spike compete more in the cruiserweight division. Even with the addition of the Dudleys, the tag team division still sucks on SD since they only have Rikishi & Scotty, plus the Bashams to work against. I do think that HHH might have been a better choice in the short-term to get the crowds to turn into SD, but a heel turn by Booker could help him reinvent his career right now. He wasn't doing anything major on Raw, despite him saying otherwise and I can see a Guerrero/Booker feud over the gold coming sometime soon (maybe by Summerslam).

Matthew Tremley
E-mail: tremley@wrestlingheadlines.com









*NEW GALLERY* MUST SEE! Very Rare Photos of KAREN ANGLE Over the Years!

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