The official wrestling sim topic

[loopydate]

JUNE 24, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Just three nights away from King of the Ring, and we've still got one more semifinal berth to decide tonight as WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 takes on one of the men he and his brother called out last week, former champion John Cena! Plus, non-title action between Intercontinental Champion Batista and The Rock and a World Tag Team Title match with Los Guerreros challenging the Metro Connection!

Last week, The Hurricane approached Matt Morgan with a proposal - Hurricane would give the youngster the guidance he needs if he would team up with him against the forces of evil. Tonight, Morgan, now named The Blueprint, takes his first step toward heroism as the Superfriends take on Teddy Long's Playas' Club - Mark Henry and Chris Nowinski. The heroes take the early advantage, isolating Nowinski with brawling from Blueprint and martial artistry from Hurricane. The Harvard grad manages to catch Hurricane with a powerslam and tag in Henry. Henry goes to work on Hurricane for a bit until Hurricane tags in someone the World's Strongest Man's size. Blueprint hits the ropes for a big move, but Long trips him! The ref sees it and calls for the DQ. The Playas' Club starts to triple-team the faces when Aaron Stevens, who got laid out by PC last week, rushes in to chase Teddy Long out of the ring. Curiouser and curiouser.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is with Brock Lesnar. Heyman tells the camera that Brock Lesnar has been naked since WrestleMania. For three months, this 300-pound monster has been light. When John Cena took the WWE Title from Lesnar, he ended the most dominant reign in recent memory. And Cena had to squander it against Matt Hardy. And now the brass says that for Brock to earn another shot at the belt, he has to go through Eddie Guerrero at King of the Ring? Brock has annihilated Guerrero before and he's going to do it again. And to give Eddie a glimpse of what's in store for him on Sunday, Lesnar has asked for a match against one of Eddie's luchador amigos, Ultimo Dragon. Let this be a lesson, Eddie. Nothing stands between Brock Lesnar and what is rightfully is. Nothing.

What appears to be a squash waiting to happen turns out to be anything but. Dragon has been languishing in clusterfuck midcard matches for months, and sees tonight as a genuine opportunity to put himself on the radar. Dragon goes right after Lesnar wtih a back suplex and a flying cross body. He misses an elbow, and Lesnar hits a back suplex of his own, then a neckbreaker, and a brutal DVD for two. Lesnar kicks Dragon hard in the chest, but Dragon takes Lesnar down and hits a running senton for two. Tornado DDT for two. Can Dragon pull off the huge upset? Rolling kick, then a stiff high kick. Dragon goes for a clothesline, but Lesnar ducks it and hits a fallaway slam and another Death Valley driver. From there, it's all academic as Lesnar picks up the win with the F-5. After the match, Lesnar continues to pummel Dragon with a series of brutal punches.

Multiple-time World Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz have struggled lately against the Metro Connection and badly need a notch in the W column to work back into the title scene. Tonight, they face the makeshift duo of Carlito and John Layfield. Not surprisingly, the duo's lack of chemistry costs them in the end as Carlito accidentally takes a punch from Layfield which allows D-Von to hit his reverse DDT for the win. After the match, Layfield and Carlito argue until Layfield walks off.

This Sunday night, Rey Mysterio will challenge Christian for the Cruiserweight Title, but tonight he teams with the man Xian beat last week (Rico) to take on Billy Kidman and Tajiri, the Dangerous Alliance! These four put on a tremendous match with lots of near falls, quick tags, and high spots. Eventually, Rey looks about set to finish off Tajiri when Christian blasts Rey from behind with a chair allowing Tajiri to roll him up for the win. After the match, Christian joins Kidman and Tajiri as they brutalize Rey and Rico.

Back from commercial, and Rey is stopped by an interviewer. This match at King of the Ring is going to finally be the end of this rivalry with Christian. Only one man can be Cruiserweight Champion, and since they can't seem to do it cleanly, let's pull out all the stops. Rey Mysterio versus Christian at King of the Ring, the Cruiserweight Title on the line... in a Hardcore Match!

Last week, Los Guerreros beat the Dangerous Alliance in a Ladder Match to earn a shot at the Metro Connection's World Tag Team Titles tonight. Eddie has got to be aware that Brock Lesnar will be watching this match, looking for any sign of weakness before their big match Sunday at King of the Ring. Vince McMahon has called that match a #1 contender's match, so the stakes are insanely high. But first, Eddie and his nephew Chavo have to make it through Billy Gunn and Chris Kanyon in this title match. Los Guerreros work over Kanyon early until a double hot-tag spot brings in Eddie and Gunn. Eddie looks ready to put Gunn away, but Paul Heyman makes another appearance, distracting Eddie, allowing Gunn to sneak up and hit the Fameasser to retain the belts! Heyman must be out here on Lesnar's behalf, and he's cost Eddie the World Tag Team Titles! After the match, Eddie and Chavo get a small measure of revenge against Gunn and Kanyon.

Three out of the final four in the King of the Ring tournament have already been determined. The RAW final will feature Shelton Benjamin against Chris Benoit. We also know that The Rock will face the winner of our next contest - John Cena against the WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0! These two have had a storied rivalry, and the crowd is red hot for what winds up being a decent match. Matt winds up laying Cena out with a punch, but collapses. The ref checks on him and doesn't notice Jeff Hardy race to ringside and ascend the turnbuckles, blasting Cena with the Swanton Bomb! Matt drags himself on top of Cena for the cheap victory. Matt's going to King of the Ring! After the match, Cena chases off both Hardy Boyz and grabs the microphone.

He issues a challenge. If Jeff Hardy wants to get in on his business like this, Cena's going to make Hardy his business. You want my spot? Come and get it! The match is on for King of the Ring!

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appears on the TitanTron and announces that Matt Hardy Version 2.0 has officially been added to the King of the Ring semifinals against The Rock! Rock versus Hardy and Benjamin versus Benoit in three nights!

In tonight's non-title main event, Intercontinental Champion Batista takes on the man one of SmackDown!'s King of the Ring finalists, The Rock! These two match up pretty well from a physical standpoint, and "physical" is a great way to describe the contest. In the end, though, The Rock is just too much for the up-and-coming IC Champion and puts him away with the Rock Bottom to send the crowd home happy.

[loopydate]

JULY 1, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

With just 24 days to go until Vengeance and King of the Ring just barely in our rearview mirror, SmackDown! is undergoing some changes. Tonight, Eddie Guerrero - who won a #1 contender match against Brock Lesnar at KoR - cashes in his title shot against WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 tonight! Plus, a trio of triple-threat matches showcasing the cruiserweight division. The winners of those matches will face off next week in a fourth triple-threat to determine a shot at Rey Mysterio's Cruiserweight Title at Vengeance!

The night kicks off with the debut of a new WWE Superstar, Generalin Intikami, a high-flier from the UK. His opponent tonight is Funaki. These two men - both looking to get noticed - put on a barn-burner of an opener. In the end, Intikami makes his debut an auspicious one by knocking Funaki out with a foreign object as Funaki attempted a powerbomb. After the match, Randy Orton (?!?) hits the ring with a steel chair. He lays out both men and stands over them as the opening video plays.

Back inside the ring, Orton stands alone in the ring with a microphone and the steel chair he used to lay out Funaki and Intikami. "I know what you're thinking. Randy Orton's a RAW Superstar. What is he doing on SmackDown! Fact of the matter is, I'm a man without a country. Because you see, there was a clause in our contracts that no one before me has exploited. When WWE held the draft in March, anyone not involved in the draft matches became a free agent. And since I've been out for eight months, there was no way I could compete. And now, not only am I a free agent, I'm the free agent. The game changer. Mister McMahon, Mister Bischoff... let the bidding begin!"

The triple threat series begins with a match pitting Billy Kidman against Rico and Ultimo Dragon! Kidman almost picks up the win over Rico with a running senton. Dragon almost pins Kidman with a tiger suplex. In the end, though, Rico puts Kidman away with his spinning kick to advance to next week's #1 contender match.

Backstage, The Hurricane is preparing for his triple threat, but he's joined by The Blueprint and Aaron Stevens who helped Hurricane and Blueprint last week.

Hurricane - Citizen Aaron, on behalf of The Blueprint, I'd like to thank you for your assistance last week. We would also like to invite you to join our organization - the Superfriends!

Stevens - I appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure the whole superhero things is for me.

Blueprint - See, I thought the same thing. But all I needed to do was change my name. Hurricane said I didn't need to wear a mask or run around making "whoosh" sound effects.

Stevens - But I like my name.

Hurricane - Think how much more fear you could strike in the fear of evildoers if you called yourself "The Idol!"

Stevens - But I like my name.

Hurricane - But no superheroes go by their real name!

Blueprint - What about Jean Grey?

Hurricane - Doesn't count. She's a girl.

Stevens - What does that have to do with anything? Besides, Nick Fury uses his real name!

Hurricane - He's not really a superhero, though.

Stevens - What about Doctor Strange?

Hurricane - ...well played.

Tag team action is next as the struggling former champions the Dudley Boyz take on Teddy Long's Playas' Club. The Dudleyz work over Nowinski early until Henry gets the hot tag and overpowers D-Von with a piledriver and a powerslam. D-Von fires off a clothesline from nowhere which leads to a double tag and the Dudleyz catch Nowinski with the 3-D for the win!

Triple threat number two is up next as Chavo Guerrero takes on Jeff Hardy and Tajiri! These three men top our earlier contest with a remarkable match that features a ton of high spots. In the end, Tajiri catches Chavo with the Kick of Death to pick up the win while Hardy recuperates from a massive kick to the face of his own. Tajiri joins Rico in next week's contender's match, as well as whoever wins our third and final triple threat.

Brock Lesnar comes to the ring. He cuts a promo about how Eddie Guerrero got lucky at King of the Ring to earn his title shot tonight. And there is nothing that means more to Lesnar than the WWE Title. So Lesnar challenges Eddie for a rematch at Vengeance. And Eddie had better hope that the match is for the title. Because Brock wants that belt back, but if Eddie fails to win the gold tonight, he's only going to piss Lesnar off. And he wouldn't like him when he's angry. Paul Heyman (who's filling in on commentary tonight) hypes the hell out of the Lesnar/Guerrero match.

Now it's time to fill that third spot in next week's match. It's The Hurricane versus the former champion Christian and red-hot up-and-comer Paul London! London almost pulls off the upset almost pinning Christian with a running senton. In a spot copied from our first match, Hurricane nearly pins London with a tiger suplex. In the end, though, Christian finishes London off with an Unprettier to advance to next week's triple threat against Rico and Tajiri!

Up next is a huge six-man tag match featuring four of SmackDown!'s reigning champions! Intercontinental Champion "Nature Boy" Dave Batista teams with the World Tag Team Champions the Metro Connection to take on John Cena, The Rock, and the Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio! The crowd is very hot for this match that features the three babyfaces getting in all their normal spots, and the heels more than holding their own. Gunn and Kanyon are really starting to look like they've found the angle that's going to make them stars. In the end, though, Cena plants Kanyon with the F-U for the win.

And now for tonight's main event. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 defends the WWE Title against Eddie Guerrero! The match itself is actually a little disappointing, but the crowd is way into it. In the end, Matt slides out of an Eddie bodyslam attempt and catches him with the Twist of Fate for the win. After the match, a down-and-out Eddie gets assaulted by Brock Lesnar, who lays him out with the F-5! Eddie failed to win the title tonight, and it seems to have only made Lesnar's hatred for Guerrero stronger!

Vince McMahon appears on the TitanTron as officials help Eddie Guerrero to the back. He makes the Guerrero/Lesnar match official, but he also has another announcement. Since it now appears we're short a #1 contender for the WWE Title at Vengeance, he's going to make an executive decision. In just under four weeks, Matt Hardy Version 2.0 is going to defend the WWE Title in a fatal fourway against his brother Jeff and the two men the Hardyz have had in their crosshairs for weeks - John Cena and The Rock! What a main event!

[loopydate]

JULY 8, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Last week, a huge fatal fourway WWE Title match was announced for Vengeance, and tonight both halves of that match will be participating in two of our three huge tag team main events. But first...

Generalin Intikami's WWE debut was spoiled last week by the surprising return of Randy Orton. Tonight, he gets a second chance to make a first impression against Spike Dudley. Pretty decent squash that the crowd isn't really into because they're still not really sure who Intikami is. In the end, it's the Intikamio that puts Spike away for the victory.

Up next, two of the most powerful wrestlers on the SmackDown! brand go at it as The Blueprint takes on Mark Henry. Not exactly a technical masterpiece, both men get to show off their prolific strength. Blueprint looks to be on the verge of victory when - out of nowhere - Randy Orton once again hits the ring. He goes after Blueprint, then Henry capitalizes by joining in the fray. Orton slides to ringside and grabs a steel chair and lays both men out. Orton stands tall over both men. The ref calls for the no-contest draw.

"Stand back! There's a Hurricane comin' through!" The crowd erupts as Blueprint's mentor, the leader of the Superfriends, The Hurricane appears on the ramp. "Randall Orton, you have certainly made an impact since your return from injury. But you were on the verge of the main event when you went down. And now you're interrupting first-hour matches? Wassupwitdat? You issued an open challenge to anyone in WWE, and The Hurricane is going to accept it. Do you want to know what your mistake was? By attacking The Blueprint tonight, you proved yourself to be what I always suspected you were. A supervillain. And the Superfriends were assembled to put down supervillains. So at Vengeance, I'm accepting your challenge!" Orton does the Angry Face as we fade to commercial.

Hurricane's newest friend, Aaron Stevens takes on Intercontinental Champion "Nature Boy" Dave Batista in a non-title match next. Stevens looks pretty good until Batista destroys him with a clothesline, then claps on the Figure-Four Leglock. Stevens has no choice but to tap out, but he looked strong against the champ.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is psyching Brock Lesnar up. "Tonight, Brock Lesnar teams with Billy Kidman against Los Guerreros. Brock gets a taste tonight. Last week, Eddie Guerrero lost to Matt Hardy Version 2.0. In doing so, Eddie kept Brock from getting a WWE Title shot at Vengeance. This match is now for nothing but pride. And Brock Lesnar is a very proud man. And do you know when Brock Lesnar feels the most proud? When he's standing over the crippled, bloodied, beaten, mangled, demolished body of the one who wronged him! In seventeen days, Brock Lesnar is going to be the proudest man on the face of the planet and Eddie Guerrero is going to be dead!"

Last week, Rico, Christian, and Tajiri each won triple threat matches to earn a spot in our following contest. The winner of this match will be facing Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio at Vengeance for the title. Lots of all-around action ends with a sweet spot wherein Rico nails Christian with a brutal kick, but eats a tiger suplex and the Kick of Death from Tajiri, who picks up the win.

Vince McMahon appears on the Tron to make it official, it's Tajiri versus the Cruiserweight Champion at Vengeance!

Rey is out next for our first huge tag-team match and his partner is the always-exciting Paul London! This match should prove to be one of the most high-flying encounters of the year, because their opponents are... the Hardy Boyz! London definitely takes the next step in his evolution tonight as he more than holds his own against the charismatic enigma and the WWE Champion, but in the end, the Hardyz's veteran skills are too much as Jeff puts London away with the Swanton Bomb.

Backstage, Rico is recovering from getting kicked in the fucking head by Tajiri when he's approached by Christian. Christian lambasts him for taking the fall in the triple threat earlier and costing him a chance at regaining his Cruiserweight Title from that masked midget. Rico says it's not like Christian was in any position to break it up. Last he saw Christian's face, it was getting blasted by Rico's foot! They're held apart before their war of words can become physical, but not before Christian can challenge Rico to a match at Vengeance. And it's accepted!

Our second of three huge tag team matches is up next, and it's the aforementioned Guerreros/Lesnar/Kidman match! Eddie and Brock start the match, and Lesnar tears into his rival before tagging in Kidman. All four combinations of opponents happens before we wind back up with Eddie and Brock. Eddie pushes Lesnar into the ropes for a roll-up, but Lesnar rolls through and grabs the tights! The ref doesn't see it and calls the three count. After the match, the Guerreros get a small measure of revenge, chasing off Paul Heyman's cronies. This business between Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar just keeps getting more and more personal!

And now for our main event! John Cena and The Rock, who will be facing off against the Hardy Boyz at Vengeance in a fatal fourway for Matt Hardy's WWE Title, come to the ring first for... a WWE Tag Team Title match against the Metro Connection! Cena spears Gunn to start results in Gunn quickly tagging Kanyon in, only to get blasted with an elbow. Rock tags in and and hits Kanyon with a piledriver. The Metros seem at a loss as Gunn tags back in, and Rock nails him with a spear! Rock and Cena are rolling! Suddenly, the Hardy Boyz come tearing down the ramp with steel chairs! Gunn sees his opportunity and whips Rock toward them, only for The Rock to reverse it and send Gunn right into Matt hardy's chair! Rock Bottom! One! Two! THREEEEE! NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! The Hardyz are choked on the ramp. They can't believe it. Rock and Cena go into the crowd with their titles to celebrate and the crowd is absolutely fucking bananas as we fade to black.

[loopydate]

JULY 15, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Just ten days away from Vengeance, and the SmackDown! participants are all in action tonight!

Up first, it's one-on-one action pitting the runt of the Dudley litter Spike, against Teddy Long's Harvard grad protege Chris Nowinski. Decent throwaway match that Nowinski wins with a double-arm DDT.

The Cruiserweight division is on display next as two men who are looking to get themselves in the title hunt go toe-to-toe. It's Jamie Noble against Nunzio! Good technical match that has several near falls. In the end, Noble fires off a neckbreaker, a tornado DDT, and his trademark Tiger Driver for the win.

"Folks, for whatever reason, the next segment isn't showing up in my rundown. Apparently, since we're still without a General Manager after Stephanie McMahon's injury, nobody fille--" GLASS SHATTERS! The crowd goes absolutely bugshit as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin makes his way down the aisle. He slides under the bottom rope. Even though he's on RAW, you can almost hear Jim Ross ejaculating all over himself. Austin cuts the same promo he's been cutting for the last five years blah blah blah swear word blah blah blah McMahon blah blah blah hell yeah blah blah blah. Somewhere in there, I think he said something about being the new General Manager of SmackDown!, but I honestly tuned him out. I hate this guy.

Last week, Randy Orton laid out The Blueprint during his match with Mark Henry. Tonight, he makes his first SmackDown! wrestling appearance in over a year as he takes on Blueprint's Superfriends partner Aaron Stevens. Stevens puts on easily his best match since being called up to the Blue Brand, and Orton once again reminds everyone why he's the future of the industry. Orton picks up the win with an RKO. After the match, Billy Gunn hits the ring to try and enact some revenge on Orton for bloodying his partner Chris Kanyon on RAW, but Orton steals Gunn's chair from him and lays him out with the chair! Randy Orton cannot be stopped! Does The Hurricane stand a chance at Vengeance?

Up next, the top tier of the Cruiserweight division tangles in a triple-threat tag match. It's Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio teaming with Eddie Guerrero against Paul London and Rico and the duo of Christian and Tajiri! The heels let the faces beat each other up through most of the match, but Tajiri cleans up at the end of the match, hitting his Vengeance opponent Mysterio with the Kick of Death! Tajiri is building momentum going into his title match!

Backstage, Austin is having one of those "I'm backstage and talking to random jobbers" segments when he's approached by Vince McMahon. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I never named you the General Manager. The Board of Directors never named you the General Manager. You have no authority on this show. So GET THE HELL OUT!!!" Austin looks at him for a long beat. "What?" For some reason, the crowd goes bonkers at that word, and Austin walks off.

Up next is a match that was supposed to be the main event of RAW but was cut due to time constraints It's World Champion Kurt Angle against the dominant rookie monster Damien! Even when Angle is phoning it in, he puts on high-quality matches. Sean O'Haire takes out Angle with the Prophecy, allowing Damien to get the cheap pin. Shelton Benjamin makes the save with a chair.

The deranged "Nature Boy" Dave Batista has dominated the singles ranks on SmackDown! since becoming Intercontinental Champion. So, tonight, he tries something different - defending the title in a fatal fourway against three top tag stars! It's Jeff Hardy and those damn Dudley Boyz against Batista for the Intercontinental Title! Decent overall match that Jeff Hardy pretty much carries. In a bit of a surprise, Jeff catches D-Von with the Swanton Bomb to win the Intercontinental Title! Going into Vengeance's fatal fourway for the WWE Title, Jeff now has gold of his own!

Backstage, the new World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock cut a promo on the Hardy Boyz. At Vengeance, it's going to be every man for himself, but isn't this interesting? Four men. Four contenders to the title. And every one a champion. Never has every champion been in one fatal fourway match, but that's all going to change in ten days. Matt, at Vengeance, one of us is taking your WWE Title, and Jeff had better not get complacent, either. Because he's next, if ya smeeeeeeeelllllll what The Rock is cookin'! Word life!

Earlier this year, the rivalry between The Hurricane and the WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 was almost a guarantee to provide the match of the night. Both men have other things on their minds tonight, but you just know that they're looking to make a statement. The match is everything the fans (and the IWC) hoped for and more. Hurricane looks like a legitimate threat to the gold during a tremendous contest before Matt manages to put him away with his middle-rope legdrop. After the match, Randy Orton returns to the ring with the chair he swiped from Billy Gunn and lays out Hurricane! This Hurricane/Orton match at Vengeance is going to be red-hot!

And now for our main event... Right? Okay, yeah. It's actually happening. It's a non-title match pitting the World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock against Paul Heyman's duo of Brock Lesnar and Billy Kidman! Very good match that gives Kidman a pretty solid rub being in the ring with the three main eventers. Eventually, though, the Hardyz have heard enough as Jeff blasts Cena with a steel chair while the ref is distracted by Matt, allowing Lesnar to hit the F-5 for the win. The WWE and Intercontinental Champions stand over their Vengeance opponents as SmackDown! goes off the air.

[loopydate]

JULY 22, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

It's the last show before Vengeance and - like RAW - a huge ten-man tag main event has been booked for tonight! But the show opens with a six-man tag match pitting John Layfield and the former World Tag Team Champions the Metro Connection against Chavo Guerrero and the Dudley Boyz! Chris Kanyon spends most of the match on the apron, selling the effects of Randy Orton bloodying him last week with a chair, leaving Billy Gunn to carry most of the match. In the end, Gunn puts Chavo away with the Fameasser to get some positive momentum back for his team.

John Cena is backstage preparing for the big main event tonight when he's blindsided by the new Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy! Hardy and the co-holder of the World Tag Team Titles brawl around backstage until Hardy gets the advantage and leaves Cena laying. What does this mean for Cena in the main event tonight? And at Vengeance!

Up next two Cruiserweights in need of a big win go toe-to-toe as Nova takes on Carlito. These two exciting young talents don't disappoint as they put on an exciting match that Nova wins with the Spin Doctor.

The Rock comes to the ring, probably to cut a promo about what happened to his partner earlier, but he too is blindsided by the WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0! Matt lays Rock out with the title belt then poses above him as the crowd boos. The Hardy Boyz are taking out their competition!

Last week, "Nature Boy" Dave Batista lost the Intercontinental Title in shocking fashion in a fatal fourway in which he was never pinned. He looks to bounce back tonight against Ultimo Dragon. Few wrestlers on the roster bump like Dragon, and he makes Bats look like a million bucks in a surprisingly good match. The former champ picks up the win with the Batista Bomb.

Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio cuts a brief backstage promo about his title defense in three days against the Japanese buzzsaw Tajiri. Tajiri is a multiple-time former champion, and there's no reason to think that he's not a worthy contender. But Rey is the most exciting wrestler on the planet, and it's about time he starts reminding people!

The Hurricane is out next for a match with Billy Kidman just three days away from his big confrontation with the "super-villain" Randy Orton. As can be expected, these two high-flying stars put on a great show, but Hurricane picks up the win by putting Kidman down with a dropkick then putting him away with a shining wiard. After the match, Hurricane turns right into an RKO from Randy Orton! Orton has once again gotten the better of the Hurricane!

Christian is backstage and he has a brief promo about Rico planned. Christian still blames Rico for Tajiri being the one to get the title shot tihs Sunday and not Xian. This guy is absolute gold on the mic. How is he not a main eventer yet?

Our match of the night pits the exciting young Paul London against wrestling's biggest free agent Randy Orton! These two put on a short classic that makes London look like a star just by association. Eventually, though, London misses an avalanche in the corner allowing Orton to put him away with the RKO. As Orton celebrates the win, he's jumped from behind by The Hurricane! Hurricane's got a chair, and he is done playing with Orton! Orton rolls to the floor and safety, but Hurricane has made his statement.

Speaking of great promos, Eddie Guerrero's got one for his match with Brock Lesnar. Eddie has proven that he belongs in the main event, and he's going to drive that point home by beating the most dominant wrestler of the last decade. I've been on Brock's radar for a couple of months, but I'm still standing, just like I will be after I pin him at Vengeance!

And now for our main event as World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock team with the Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio as well as Eddie Guerrero and Rico to take on WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0, Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, the #1 contender for Rey's belt Tajiri, Brock Lesnar, and Christian! These ten men will be involved in four huge encounters this Sunday at Vengeance, but tonight it's a ten-man massacre! Jeff Hardy gets isolated early by Eddie, Rey, and Rock, then he tags in Tajiri, who gets the same treatment from Rey, Cena, Rico, and Eddie. The heels finally manage to isolate Guerrero until he can tag in Rey, which results in a series of quick tags on both sides and Rico capitalizing on the confusion by laying out Christian with a spinning leg lariat and picking up the win for his team.

This Sunday night, it's going to be Matt vs. Jeff vs. Cena vs. Rock for the WWE Title! Mysterio vs. Tajiri! Eddie vs. Lesnar! Rico vs. Christian! Plus, The Hurricane takes on Randy Orton!

[loopydate]

JULY 29, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

The last show of July kicks off with eight-man tag action featuring the cruiserweight division! Chavo Guerrero leads his team of Funaki, Nova, and Zach Gowan against Johnny Jeter's team of Akio, Generalin Intikami, and Nunzio. Quick tags to start the match until the faces isolate Nunzio. Eventually, though, he manages to tag out to the British newcomer Intikami, allowing the heels to work over Funaki. Chavo picks up the win for his team by hitting his brainbuster on Intikami.

SmackDown! will see seven new superstars debut tonight, including the following six-man tag match. It's Brian Kendrick, Colt Cabana, and Jay Briscoe against BJ Whitmer, Christian York, and Trent Acid! Christian York spends the early-going against all three babyfaces until he and his teammates manage to isolate Brian Kendrick and work him over. Cabana winds up pinning York with his trademark slingshot legdrop to give the babyfaces the win.

Our seventh debut of the night pits Matt Stryker against Jamie Noble. They have a good match that lets Stryker show off his skills against an evenly-matched opponent. Stryker makes his debut a successful one with the Stryker Driver.

The Hurricane leads his Superfriends Aaron Stevens and The Blueprint into six-man action against Carlito, John Layfield, and "Nature Boy" Dave Batista. Can you tell I'm trying to use the whole roster on the last show of the month? The heels work over Hurricane early, then Batista takes over, working over all three superheroes. Eventually, it comes down to Hurricane and Carlito, with 'cane hitting the Eye of the Hurricane for the win.

World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock head to the ring to a massive pop. They put over the fourway match from Vengeance, and issue a new challenge. If the Hardyz want to take The Rock and Cena's spots, then let's make this interesting. The Hardyz want to rule SmackDown!, they need to control everything, including the World Tag Team Titles. And we want your singles belts. So a challenge is issued. Our titles for yours. If either Rock or Cena pins either Matt or Jeff, they win their respective title. If either Hardy pins either Rock or Cena, they control all the belts. It's a match that WWE hasn't seen in seven years - the Tripleheader Match!

Yay more six-man matches! This time it's Chris Kanyon (who's now short a tag partner thanks to Billy Gunn's injury) teaming with Teddy Long's Playas' Club against all three Dudley Boyz. Bubba starts the match and gets isolated by the heels until Mark Henry starts cleaning house. Eventually, though, Bubba bounces back and puts Nowinski away with the Bubba Bomb.

Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio is up next against former champion (and former best friend) Billy Kidman. These two put on a tremendous match, showcasing why Kidman still deserves to be in the conversation as far as challengers for Mysterio's title. Eventually, Rey hits the West Coast Pop on Kidman, but gets laid out as Tajiri hits the ring and lays him out with a punch. The ref disqualifies Kidman, but Rey manages to fight off both heels to stand strong.

Tajiri remains in the ring, as his match with Rico is up next. This match isn't as good as its predecessor (but, to be fair, the bar was set really high). The match ends as Tajiri hits a springboard dropkick, then distracts the official. Amid the confusion, Christian hits the ring with a chair, then lays out Rico! Clearly Christian still holds a grudge after Rico pinned him at Vengeance. Christian leaves the ring, and Tajiri picks up the pieces, blasting Rico with the Kick of Death for the win. After the match, the heels are double-teaming Rico until Mysterio returns to the ring to drive off the heels.

Our trio of cruiserweight showcase matches comes to a close as Christian stays in the ring for a match against Paul London. It's a very good match, although it still can't live up to Rey/Kidman from earlier. Christian picks up the win with the Unprettier, but after the match, Rico gets his revenge, laying Christian out with the same chair!

World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock are in non-title action in our main event against bitter rivals Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero. Eddie and Brock have been at each others' throats for weeks, so it's strange that SmackDown! General Manager "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made this match. Unless it's the old wrestling standby of putting rivals in a tag match so that they fight each other to sell the next pay-per-view! Nah...... Oh, wait. Brock accidentally hits Eddie in the face with Rock's legs on an F-5 attempt. Rock swoops in and lands the Rock Bottom for the win. After the match, the Hardy Boyz charge the ring. Rock takes a Swanton Bomb, then the Hardyz put Cena through the announce table!

After the match, Brock challenges Eddie for one last match at Summerslam, and Eddie accepts! Who saw that coming?!?

[loopydate]

AUGUST 6, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

It's an all-wrestling edition of SmackDown! to kick off our new Friday nights on Spike TV timeslot! The announce team of new hire Dan Wilson and the legendary James E. Cornette welcome us to the show. It's eleven huge matches, and SmackDown! General Manager Steve Austin has declared a no-contact rule between the participants in the Tripleheader Ladder Match at Summerslam. For the next three weeks, unless it's part of a sanctioned match, the Hardy Boyz and The Rock and John Cena must remain apart. No interfering in each others' matches and no backstage attacks. The main event tonight, though, is a sanctioned one-on-one encounter between Cena and the WWE Champion Matt Hardy!

We open up with six-man cruiserweight action as Spike Dudley and Funaki team with the exciting newcomer Brian Kendrick against BJ Whitmer, Christian York, and Trent Acid who are calling themselves The New Generation. Last week they came up short in their debut, and they're hoping to bounce back tonight. Kendrick and Whitmer carry most of the match, with Kendrick taking offense from all three heels mid-match. Eventually, Whitmer puts Funaki away with a frogspalsh to give his stable their first win.

More cruiser action is next as two aspiring contenders to Rey Mysterio's title go head-to-head. It's a battle between former WCW Jung Dragons Jamie Noble and Akio! They put on a tremendous match, as only two men who know each other so well can. Noble picks up the win with a Tiger Driver.

The following match, pitting Aaron Stevens against Chris Nowinski was cut short when Nowinski's Playas' Club teammate Mark Henry attacked Stevens, resulting in a DQ. After the match, The Hurricane hits the ring to make the save with a chair, driving Nowinski and Henry off.

Up next is an eight-man tag match as Chavo Guerrero teams with Nova and the Dudley Boyz against Carlito, Chris Kanyon, John Layfield, and Nunzio! This was a very exciting match that exhibited all eight men, although Kanyon spent the majority of the match on the apron. D-Von picks up the win for his team, planting Nunzio with his lifting reverse DDT.

"Nature Boy" Dave Batista has been floundering since losing his Intercontinental Title, and tonight he faces off against The Hurricane. Solid match that gets a big boost from the fans being way into both men. Eventually, Bats whips Hurricane off the ropes, where Mark Henry lays waiting with a chair. Hurricane stumbles forward into a Batista Bomb for the loss. After the match, Henry shoves the referee aside and pummels Hurricane some more. The World's Strongest Man walks off, having laid out the leader of the Superfriends!

Last week, a trio of cruiserweight matches were marred by interference, and two of those participants are up next. It's Rico versus Billy Kidman! Good match that ends with Rico again getting jumped by Christian, allowing Kidman to pick up the win with a Shooting Star Press. After the match, the heels double-team Rico.

Christian remains in the ring for a match with his old rival, Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio. Once again, a solid match gets made way better by a hot crowd. Rey hops up onto the ropes for a West Coast Pop, but Tajiri hops out of the crowd and grabs his leg resulting in a DQ. After the match, Tajiri sends Rey into the ring post. Christian joins in on the beating until a battered Rico heads down to the ring to save the champ, driving off the heels.

Up next is a red-hot 95% quality match that pits Tajiri against the fastest-rising star in the cruiserweight division, Paul London! London misses a big elbow drop, and Tajiri lands a dropkick, a back heel kick, and the Kick of Death to put him away. After the match, Rey Mysterio returns tot he ring with a chair to lay out his rival. The top tier of the Cruiserweight division seem to be intent on destroying each other!

Eddie Guerrero heads to the ring for a big match with Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy. Hardy's title is not on the line, and Eddie has to know that his Summerslam opponent Brock Lesnar is lying in wait and that he can get no help from John Cena and The Rock, who have been forbidden from contact with the Hardyz. This winds up being a bit of a disappointment. Eventually, they redo the chair-off-the-ropes spot as Lesnar lays Eddie out, allowing Jeff to roll him up for the win. After the match, Brock nails Eddie with a chair shot tot he head, followed by two across the back. He then drop toeholds him across the chair! Eddie is a bloody mess and Lesnar stands tall!

Lesnar remains in the ring as he takes on The Rock. Lesnar took full advantage of Rock and Cena being unable to even the odds, and now Eddie Guerrero looks to be in no condition to face Lesnar at Summerslam in sixteen days. These two old rivals pick right up where they left off months ago, tearing into each other in an incredible match. Lesnar looks about to pick up a win against the co-holder of the World Tag Team Titles with the F-5. However, as he's laying on the mat after the move, Eddie Guerrero came out of nowhere with a frogsplash! Eddie is barely able to stand, but he pulls himself up to the top rope again... for a second frogsplash! And a third! Eddie Guerrero has to have internal injuries, but the damage has been done to Lesnar as well! What more can these two men do to each other at Summerslam?!?

Our main event of the evening is a sanctioned contest between WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 and John Cena, the man he won the belt from! Rock and Jeff have been barred from involvement in this match, and the old rivals give fans a hot preview of the Tripleheader Ladder Match. Eventually, Cena manages to pull off the victory with an F-U. But after the match, Hardy gets revenge with the Twist of Fate and stands tall as SmackDown! goes off the air.