The show opens backstage with King Booker and Finlay demanding a rematch with Batista and John Cena for tonight. Teddy denies this request, prompting Book to state that he and Finaly are looking for the best competition that Long can offer. He announces Booker/Finlay vs. Kane/Undertaker for tonight. What Teddy didn’t realise though was that Booker and Finlay apparently weren’t referring to The Brothers of Destruction..
We’re on tape delay from Hampton, Virginia!
Batista’s music hits as the WHC makes his way to the ring, still with a taped up left arm. Dave wishes us a happy holidays, as he has the holiday spirit with his red trunks~! He’s had a hell of a year, but he’s ending the year right where he wants to be; in the middle of the ring as World Heavyweight Champion. Out comes Santa Claus~! Although according to JBL this man is not the real Santa Claus, who in fact does make an appearance on the Tribute to the Troops show on Monday night… Santa gives Michael Cole a t-shirt and a Roddy Piper DV, leading to announcer bickering and a very un-JBL like slap across the head (by this I mean it was not at all stiff). Batista’s gift of candy canes is then interrupted by a hearty wack across the chest with a lead pipe, hardly in-keeping with the Christmas spirit, as it turns out Santa is, actually, Sylvain. Teddy orders him into a match with Batista.
Batista vs Sylvain Claus:
Sylvain works on the arm as Batista does his usual over selling. A, clothesline, ugly back body drop, spear, spinebuster and Batista Bomb later, and Big Dave wins in 1:42.
A still recap of the US Title match at Armageddon is shown, with JBL noting that Chavo is a hero not to mention a champion of women’s rights!
- -
US Championship: Chris Benoit vs Chavo Guererro (with Vickie Guererro and neck brace)
The usual solid action from these two, with Chavo working Benoit’s back and neck. Chavo kicks out of three Germans and a headbutt, and goes for the frog splash, but Benoit gets his knees up. He locks in the Crossface, but Vickie runs in and hits him with the belt for the DQ at 10:15. Post match, Chavo and Vicki argue, as Chavo apparently had Benoit right where he wanted him…, and Chavo shoves, well, prods, her down (although JBL is quick to note that she tripped~!). Benoit comes in to check on Vickie, and CHavo attacks him from behind, nailing him with a belt shot to the head.
Backstage, we find Finlay, King Booker and Queen Sharmell. Nobody has seen kennedy since Armageddon, and apparently MVP is still in a burns unit, but the heels nonetheless decide that they can take out Taker and Kane tonight.
From the Vault we see Booker vs Lashley from June. Lashley defeats him with a running powerslam.
- -
As we return, Gregory helms is in the ring. He only wants one thing for Christmas, some competition. As he’s beaten every cruiserweight, he decides it’s time to move up to the heavyweight division. Enter The Boogeyman! Helms gets a few shots in, before Boogeyman pulls out the worms and Helms runs for the hills.
Tony Chimel announces ‘He’s the Boogeyman and he’s coming to get you!’, which prompts Boogeyman to pin him down on the announce table and stuff worms down his throat.
Backstage we see a banged up, and I mean really banged up, Joey Mercury, and he’s walking~!
- -
Mercury comes out to the ring slowly as Michael Cole runs down his injuries and JBL puts Mercury over on commentary.
We’re shown a few replays of his injury, which earns him a nice round of applause from the crowd. Mercury holds two people responsible… Matt & Jeff Hardy, which prompts Matthew to interrupt him. He says it was unfortunate, and that’s the price you pay for taking part in such wacky matches. Mercury doesn’t like this quasi apology, however, and challenges Matt to fight him right here right now. Matt declines, so instead Nitro comes out.
Johnny Nitro (with Melina and very low cut top) vs Matt Hardy:
Nitro sneak attacks him to start the match. After some back and forth action, Nitro pulls out a ladder from under the ring as we go to a break… They did one ladder spot during the break, Hardy dropkicking it into Nitro, but now the ladder has apparently been removed by officials. Nitro wins reversing the Twist of Fate into a roll up with his feet on the ropes in 7:58.
- -
We’re back and JBL~! Is in the ring, to call out Teddy Long. JBL was appalled and horrified by the Inferno match. Hell was brought to MVP at the PPV, and it was all Teddy’s fault. According to JBL this isn’t entertainment, it’s garbage. He wants an apology and calls Long out, but he does not appear. Because of this, JBL turns to the people that are truly responsible, the fans… He decries the bloodthirsty fans, even going as far as to blame the fall of Rome on the fans. The fans have embarrassed JBL, themselves, and the US and they make him sick. The usual goodness from Mr Layfield on the mic.
- -
Ashley and Layla vs. Kristal and Jillian:
As you probably expected, this was not a workrate classic. The highlight is most probably Layla just randomly falling over at one point early on in the match. Jillian went for Chyna’s old corner to corner cartwheel into handspring elbow move. Ashley even hit a flying headscissors and a hurricanrana on Jillian. Layla prevented Jillian from cheating to win, and Ashley hit an elbowdrop from the second rope for the victory in 3:49.
Michael Cole interviews Vladimir Kozlov in the crowd. The same wackiness as on Raw, including the grinning…
King Booker and Finlay vs Kane and Undertaker:
After around three minutes of decent action we see stereo big boots before the heels bail to the outside as we take a break. Taker takes a bump over the top rope after missing a running boot into the corner, Booker follows this up with a superkick on the outside, allowing the heels to get heat on Kane for a while, starting with a spinning heel kick from King Booker as Kane attempts a top rope clothesline. Undertaker is hit by a steel chair from Booker and a shillelagh by Finlay on the outside. He eventually makes the comeback, and we get stereo chokeslams, and a Tombstone on Finlay, for a victory in 12:29.
The brothers celebrate as we head off the air in the last Smackdown of 2006.
Match results: Batista over Sylvain Chris Benoit over Chavo Guererro (DQ) Johnny Nitro over Matt Hardy Ashley and Layla over Kristal and Jillian Undertaker and Kane over King Booker and Finlay
Overall Thoughts: A solid, if unspectacular episode of Smackdown. Nothing much was advanced, other than the Chavo and Vickie dissention, and I guess they just wanted to send us into the festive period with a decent match and the faces winning in the Main Event.
I’d imagine that the first show of the New Year should be interesting as we’ll hope to see some sort of direction heading into the Rumble and as far forward as Wrestlemania.
I’ll hope to see you then (as long as Bryan hasn’t fired me by then). If anyone has any comments or suggestions, please feel free to PM me: christian_h, email me: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or catch me on MSN with that same email address. the bloodthirsty fans, even going as far as to blame the fall of Rome on the fans. The fans have embarrassed JBL, themselves, and the US and they make him sick. The usual goodness from Mr Layfield on the mic.
- -
Ashley and Layla vs. Kristal and Jillian:
As you probably expected, this was not a workrate classic. The highlight is most probably Layla just randomly falling over at one point early on in the match. Jillian went for Chyna’s old corner to corner cartwheel into handspring elbow move. Ashley even hit a flying headscissors and a hurricanrana on Jillian. Layla prevented Jillian from cheating to win, and Ashley hit an elbowdrop from the second rope for the victory in 3:49.
Michael Cole interviews Vladimir Kozlov in the crowd. The same wackiness as on Raw, including the grinning…
King Booker and Finlay vs Kane and Undertaker:
After around three minutes of decent action we see stereo big boots before the heels bail to the outside as we take a break. Taker takes a bump over the top rope after missing a running boot into the corner, Booker follows this up with a superkick on the outside, allowing the heels to get heat on Kane for a while, starting with a spinning heel kick from King Booker as Kane attempts a top rope clothesline. Undertaker is hit by a steel chair from Booker and a shillelagh by Finlay on the outside. He eventually makes the comeback, and we get stereo chokeslams, and a Tombstone on Finlay, for a victory in 12:29.
The brothers celebrate as we head off the air in the last Smackdown of 2006.
Match results: Batista over Sylvain Chris Benoit over Chavo Guererro (DQ) Johnny Nitro over Matt Hardy Ashley and Layla over Kristal and Jillian Undertaker and Kane over King Booker and Finlay
Overall Thoughts:A solid, if unspectacular episode of Smackdown. Nothing much was advanced, other than the Chavo and Vickie dissention, and I guess they just wanted to send us into the festive period with a decent match and the faces winning in the Main Event.
I’d imagine that the first show of the New Year should be interesting as we’ll hope to see some sort of direction heading into the Rumble and as far forward as Wrestlemania.
I’ll hope to see you then (as long as Bryan hasn’t fired me by then). If anyone has any comments or suggestions, please feel free to PM me: christian_h, email me: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or catch me on MSN with that same email address. Let me know if you guys would like to see more personal thoughts, more play-by-play, or whatever! Thanks!
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