The Smackdown! Report: Booker T vs. John Cena, Match 2
    Submitted by Chad Matthews on Thursday, August 26, 2004 at 10:02 PM EST



    The Smackdown Report (8/26/04)

    A recap of last week’s events surrounding Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero aired, highlighting their face-to-face encounter, the subsequent match that followed, and Angle pouring two cans of paint on Guerrero’s low rider after the match.

    The show opened with Eddie Guerrero making his way to the ring to discuss Kurt Angle’s pouring paint all over his low rider last week. Guerrero said that tonight he was not here to wrestle, but to fight Angle for messing up his ride. With that, he called out our Olympic Hero, but got Luther Reigns instead. Reigns questioned whether or not Eddie really wanted to fight the former Olympic champion. Luther said, Hell, he’d seen a lot of fights, including bar, street, and prison fight, and he was sure that if Eddie fought Kurt, then Angle would destroy him. Guerrero called his bluff, though, and invited Angle to come down to the ring and find out if he could destroy Latino Heat. Kurt finally responded, but he did so via the Titantron. He then challenged Eddie to meet him in the parking lot, prompting Guerrero to bolt out of the ring and towards the back. Upon getting to the parking lot, Eddie proceeded to chase Kurt around a tan Lincoln Towncar. Angle managed to evade Guerrero’s attack, but his car did not. The El Paso native grabbed a trash can and dumped its contents all over the car, then found a lead pipe and broke all the windows. Meanwhile, Luther pulled up with another car and he and Angle hightailed it out of there. Then, Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long came out, seemingly to put a stop to Eddie’s rampage on Angle’s car. However, TRL was actually there to stop Eddie’s rampage on HIS car. That’s right; the brown Towncar apparently belonged to TRL. Guerrero made the mistake of more or less calling Teddy a liar, provoking the GM to toss Eddie from building and begin to weep. (CMV1 note- Pretty entertaining segment, but what’s with all the recycled material of attacking another man’s car. Having Guerrero attack TRL’s car, though, was a nice little touch, as it could add a bit of a tweener aspect to Teddy’s character).

    The Slam of the week aired, highlighting RVD beating Dupree, but then getting beat down by Kenzo Suzuki…which brought us to…

    Match 1: Rob Van Dam vs. Kenzo “I have no talent and should go back to Japan” Suzuki (w/ Hiroko)
    -(CMV1 note- seriously, what is Kenzo doing back on my TV screen…wake up, Vin Man, this guy sucks…Oh yea, also, Cole and Tazz played an interview from earlier in the day where Kenzo, in English no less, told us that he saw RVD driving a Japanese car, when in fact he should’ve been driving a car made by the country he loves, America). RVD got the action underway a little prematurely when he leaped out of the ring and took out all of Suzuki’s entourage (who carry him to the ring). Once the bell rang, Kenzo took control for the early part of the match, but RVD quickly gained the momentum. At one point, Mr. Thursday Night eventually hit the split legged moonsault for a near fall. Eventually, Van Dam ascended to the top looking to hit the Five-Star Frog Splash, but Rene Dupree ran down to interfere. RVD then leaped off the top and took out The French Phenom with a flying cross body block. The finish saw Kenzo go for his claw-leg sweep combo finisher, but Van Dam countered into a roll-up to earn the victory at 3:27. (CMV1 rating- ˝*) (CMV1 note- RVD just hit his spots and won…I suppose Dupree and Suzuki just formed the team that they had been rumored to form). After the match, Suzuki and Dupree lay a beat down on RVD, including hitting him with a nice looking double brain buster.

    WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield (complete with big goofy neck brace for the 2nd straight week) and his Secretary of State Orlando Jordan made their way back to the parking lot, where TRL sat in his banged up car. JBL said he couldn’t believe that TRL had not returned his phone calls or emails, forcing him to come to (asks Jordan where they were at real quick for cheap heat) Fresno to ask him about what the GM planned on doing about the Undertaker. Plain and simply, though, this just was not the night for JBL to confront the GM, as Teddy immediately disregarded the champ’s complaints and booked him in a championship match against the Undertaker, tonight. Of course, since Layfield was in no condition to compete, TRL decided that OJ would face the Deadman, and if Jordan lost via pinfall or submission, then the champ could lose the title despite not being in the match.

    The Smack of the Night aired, highlighting Chavo Guerrero and Jamie Noble getting a non-title victory over the tag champs.

    Match 2: Billy Kidman (w/ Paul London) vs. Chavo Guerrero (w/ Jamie Noble)
    -The two kicked things off with some chain wrestling before Kidman gained control using a hurricarana. Kidman then went to outside and sling shot himself over the top rope and caught Chavo with a head scissor (nice move). Guerrero then took momentum and went to work on Kidman’s arm. He then hit a cross-arm breaker for a near fall. The finish came when Paul London took out Jamie Noble, who had just prevented Kidman from doing the Shooting Star Press. Kidman then took Chavo down once again and hit the SSP for the win at 4:23. (CMV1 rating- *) (CMV1 note- Good action for what it was, but man Chavo looked stiff as a board during the pin cover. Chavo took that SSP right in the face).

    Cole and Tazz hyped the WWE Championship match for tonight.

    A video promo aired for the WWE’s latest piece of garbage, Carlito Caribbean Cool (aka Carly Colon). Apparently, the WWE have given Colon an “I’m cooler than you” gimmick. During the promo, Carly spits in some guys face. I swear it’s as if the WWE wants to lose money and fans, and then go out of business.

    Back in the parking lot, TRL was still grieving over his damaged ride as it was being prepared to be towed. At that point, Angle and Reigns had pulled back into the arena and approached Teddy. Long then blamed Angle for tricking Eddie into bashing the hell out of the car. Angle then told TRL not to worry since the car was a piece of junk anyway. Of course, Angle did not know who the car belonged to, but that did not make Teddy any less upset. The new GM then booked the old GM in a 2 out of 3 falls match for next week against Eddie Guerrero and a one-on-one match for tonight against Rey Mysterio. Holla Holla Holla! Kurt then headed back to the locker room to get ready. Luther tried to follow, only to have TRL summon him for clean up duty. (CMV1 note- those two match announcements are the types of things that make me glad I’m a wrestling fan).

    Match 3: United States Champion Booker T vs. John Cena
    (CMV1 note- this was, of course, match #2 in their best of 5 series, where Cena was already up 1-0). The match began with Cena going for a quick roll-up, but then Book took early control. Both men got several near falls early on, giving me the impression this one was going to be a quick 5 minute match. Book hit a pressing kick for another near fall. Cena tried to mount a comeback, but the champ then raked Cena’s eyes and again went to work on the Doctor of Thuganomics. Booker hit a high knee that sent Cena to the outside and when he got him back in, he delivered a top rope missile drop kick that scored him another near fall. He then hit a spin kick for another near fall. He followed with a flying back kick that got him yet another near fall. We then got a period where there were several wear down holds that significantly slowed the pace. With victory seemingly close at hand, Book then thwarted a Cena comeback by destroying the former champ with a vicious spinebuster. 1…2…No! Cena kicked out and began to battle back. After a shoulder tackle, Cena hit a running bulldog on the champ and followed it with the 5-Knuckle Shuffle for a near fall. It looked as if Cena had it won when he went for the FU, but Book managed to escape the move. Book then hit a modified snake eyes to send Cena crashing face-first into the turnbuckle, allowing the champ to get the victory via roll-up with his feet on the ropes at 9:41. The best of 5 series is now tied a 1-1. (CMV1 rating- **1/4) (CMV1 note- this was a much better match than the Summerslam encounter and good for a second match of a best of five, in which they’ll be forced to be creative and get better with each match. Although there were a few too many rest holds for my liking, the overall action was solid. This match gave hope for the other 3, but we won’t get to see match 3, as it will be this weekend during the SD tour of Australia. That’s stupid, in my opinion).

    In the ring, Josh Matthews (no relation) was with Paul Heyman (genius). Heyman quickly made Josh a non-factor when he swiped the microphone from him and began to tell us how he used to be a man on his knees begging for the mercy of the Undertaker, but not anymore. Now he’s got himself some back-up in the form of a loyal guard dog named John Heidenrich. Heidenrich then made his introduction, complete with entrance music and video. Upon Heidenrich’s entrance to the ring, Heyman once again spoke of the fear he once felt toward the Deadman, but that now he had no reason to fear, as Heidenrich would take care of the Undertaker and all his other enemies. Matthews then interrupted to remind Heyman of his great number of enemies and called into question whether or not the former Paul E. Dangerously’s new guard dog could handle all of them. Heidenrich then blind-sided the former Tough Enough 1 reject and tossed him around for a minute. Heyman then grabbed the mic and said, “That’s not hype, that’s Heidenrich.” (CMV1 note- Heyman was gold as always, but the true test for Heidenrich will of course be when he steps in the ring. Can he get through a match without hurting someone? That’s what I want to know. This entire segment was basically just telling us that Heidenrich is going to be Undertaker fodder…I sincerely hope, at this point, that they don’t put the WWE title on Taker. Why? Well, do you want to see Heidenrich vs. Undertaker for the WWE title? I didn’t think so).

    A video promo aired for the return of the Big Show.

    Match 4: Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio
    -(CMV1 note- Oh yes…) Angle started off by keeping things mat-based, but Rey quickly sped up the pace with an arm drag. He then mocked one of Angle’s cocky taunts. The match continued with more back and forth mat-based action, as neither could gain a clear advantage early on. Mysterio once again quickened the pace, using a head scissor to send the former Olympic Gold Medalist to the outside. Rey then went flying under the bottom rope and drilled the former WWE champ with a baseball slide. We then got a dreaded commercial break, but that was to be expected. Back from the break, Cole and Tazz showed footage of Angle gaining momentum when Rey came running toward him at the turnbuckle only to have Angle slip out of the way and connect with a release German suplex. After scooping up Rey for a body slam and then throwing him across the ring, Kurt then used a belly-to-belly suplex to take full control before using a bear hug to slow the pace down and take the advantage away from his opponent. It appeared as if Rey was going to be able to fight out of it, but Angle quickly hit a release German suplex that sent Mysterio tumbling into the air and landing flat on his face. That earned Angle a near fall. Then, like a great white shark smelling blood in the ocean, Angle circled Mysterio and waited for him to rise. However, when he went to put the match away with an Angle Slam, Mysterio countered into an arm drag take down. Rey hit a split-legged moonsault for a near fall. In what seemed like a last ditch effort, Kurt then tried to ground Mysterio using a fireman’s carry, but Rey countered and hit a dropkick. The former cruiserweight champion proceeded to catch fire, taking the Olympic champion down with a tilt-a-whirl head scissor before setting him up for the 619. Rey then went for his finish only to have Angle move out of the way. Mysterio kept on going, though, and managed to counter a German suplex to set up Kurt for the 619 once again. This time, he nailed his patented maneuver and signaled the West Coast Pop. Rey went up, but Angle sent him crashing back down, as he countered the springboard attempt into a powerbomb-pin combo, but Mysterio kicked out of the pin attempt! Kurt then fired himself up and the straps came down. In the most impressive spot of the night, Angle attempted the Olympic Slam for a second time in the match, but Rey Mysterio countered it in mid-air into a falling reverse DDT (wow). Rey made the cover: 1…2…No! Angle kicked out! The finish came when both men headed toward the top turnbuckle. As they were battling, Mysterio tried to go for a high risk maneuver, but ended up caught on Angle’s shoulders. Kurt then dropped down and defeated Mysterio with a roll-up at 13:40. (CMV1 rating- ***1/2) (CMV1 note- this was a very good match. There was quite a bit of mat-wrestling from Kurt and Rey mixed in some big spots nicely. This was Angle’s best match since returning to the active-roster).

    The SD throwback this week was from back in 1999 when Arnold Schwarzenegger was presented with an honorary championship belt. He later handed Stone Cold a chair that Austin used to drill Triple H in the face. The Game then attacked Arnold, but the Terminator back handed him and sent him crashing to floor.

    The RAW Rebound aired.

    Backstage, JBL was complaining to OJ about how this whole situation with Jordan having to defend his title was ludicrous. OJ told JBL that he promised that he’d work very hard and try to be victorious for him, but that he was dealing with no ordinary man. JBL said that Taker was no OJ, and then asked how many main-events Jordan had been in. OJ said that he’d been in, well, none. Not to worry, the champ retorted, that just means that OJ is fresh. He then gave his final words of motivation to his Secretary of State by saying that champions beat the Undertaker, so go out there and be a champion, OJ. He handed OJ the title belt and then, as Jordan left to head to the ring, Layfield mumbled, “I’m screwed.”

    Cole and Tazz showed clips from Summerslam of Taker chokeslamming Bradshaw through the roof of his limo, which explained why JBL was not wrestling in this upcoming title match and was all banged up to boot.

    Match 5: WWE Championship Match: Orlando Jordan (w/ JBL) vs. the Undertaker
    -This one was all Undertaker in the early part of the match, but the Deadman seemed to have trouble focusing on his opponent, as he constantly was looking outside to see what Bradshaw was doing. Of course, Taker’s lack of focus allowed Jordan to keep himself in the match. OJ took the Deadman down with a body slam and followed it with a leg drop for a near fall. Taker then regained control, but he went to the outside to challenge Layfield, leaving himself once again wide open for an OJ attack. Jordan did not have momentum for long, though, as Taker sat right up following an impressive Flatliner from Jordan and proceeded to splash the Secretary of State in the corner. JBL climbed on the apron, but Taker quickly avoided any interference from the champ as he nailed him right off and back to the floor. Taker then hit a chokeslam and signaled for the end. One Tombstone Piledriver later and this match appeared to be over. However, Bradshaw pulled the ref out of the ring when he was counting, which prompted the ref to call for the bell. Taker defeated Jordan via DQ at 6:24. (CMV1 rating- *1/4) (CMV1 note- decent match, but nothing special. It did successfully further the JBL-Taker feud, though, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing). After the match, the Deadman slammed Layfield’s head into the announce table and ripped off his neck brace. He then threw him back into the ring and chokeslammed him. As the show faded to black, Taker did his classic pose with the WWE Championship in hand.



    All in all…I will give this show a 7 on my ratings scale. There was a very good match and a pretty good match that gave me my good wrestling fix for the week. I liked that nothing on this show was filler, as everything advanced some storyline, even the opening match, which served to create a new team in Dupree and Suzuki…I hope that Chavo Guerrero is OK, as rumor has it that he got knocked out and had a concussion after taking that SSP to the face…I was quite pleased with the 2nd match of the best of 5 series and that’s really what we should’ve seen at Summerslam…The Angle-Mysterio match was one of the best matches we’ve seen on SD this year, and definitely the best in many weeks….The main-event really did nothing for me, but considering that the feud is likely to continue until No Mercy, that was pretty sufficient hype for a feud that sorely lacked it heading into the summer classic….With the good wrestling, I really can’t complain much and considering that I gave the past two shows scores in the 6-range, I must give this a 7 since it was, indeed, better than previous weeks….Next week should be a must see, as Angle and Guerrero are reportedly both healthy and will face off in a 2/3 falls match.








    This week in Smackdown history…Triple H and the Rock went one-on-one with the WWF Championship up for grabs on the August 26 edition of SD in 1999. To open the show, WWF champ Triple H and Chyna had come out to gloat over the Game winning the WWF title on RAW that Monday from Mankind, who had won the WWF title a night before RAW at Summerslam. The Rock then came out to challenge Hunter to a title match, which brought out HBK to make it official and appoint himself the referee. Shane McMahon then came to the ring to make himself the second guest referee. As for the match itself, HBK hit the Rock with Sweet Chin Music as the Great One was setting up for the People’s Elbow. Triple H then hit the Pedigree and picked up the win to retain his newly won WWF title.



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