Monday Night RAW
December 17, 2007
RAW starts off with a recap video of last nights Armageddon Pay-Per-View, which focuses on the return of Chris Jericho and his title match against WWE Champion Randy Orton. They show Jericho landing most of his moves on Orton before they take it to the outside of the ring, with them really stressing on the part of the match where Orton pushes Jericho into JBL, which pisses JBL off. Then they show Jericho having Orton locked in the Walls of Jericho, only for JBL to come in and kick Jericho square in the head to give Jericho the disqualification win, and since the title cannot change via disqualification, Orton retains his WWE Championship. After the match, Orton just misses a punt to the head of Jericho and Jericho takes him out with the Codebreaker.
Wanna Be Loved
Hits and we are taken to the first RAW post-Armageddon. The pyro goes off and the crowd seems jelled for tonight, despite what happened just 24 hours ago. We are greeted by JR and King in their opening commentary. Once the two are finished hyping up the only two announced matches so far tonight, them being Shelton Benjamin versus Kenny Dykstra and Snitsky versus Super Crazy in a Royal Rumble qualifying match. After all they hype is completed, the tune of a familiar man hits...
Burn in my Light
Now out comes the current reigning WWE Champion, Randy Orton. Orton has a pretty smug look on his face for a guy who almost lost his title last night if it wasn't for JBL. Orton has a pair of blue jeans and one of his WWE-custom made shirts on, advertising his merchandise. Orton gets into the ring and climbs the top turnbuckles, raising his title up over his head each time. After he goes through each of the four turnbuckles and does his taunting, which, by the way, he gets some nice heat for, he grabs a microphone from Lillian Garcia and begins to speak.
Randy Orton: Yet another man has fallen to the 'One Man Dynasty'...
Heat for the WWE Champion.
Randy Orton: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and now Chris Jericho are all afterthoughts because I have beaten them.
More boos for Orton, knowing that all 3 of his victories against those men were cheaply, in some form, won.
Randy Orton: Say what you want. Say that I only beat Triple H after he already competed in two matches. Say that I only beat Shawn Michaels after he couldn't use his Sweet Chin Music. Hell, say that I only beat Chris Jericho because of outside interference by JBL. Do you think I care? Do you think that I really care about what you people think?
Excellent heat coming from this hot crowd, with "Orton Sucks" chants being screamed by many of the fans.
Randy Orton: (Angrily) Oh I suck? I don't see any of you low-life, trailertrash fans holding the WWE Championship for over 71 days straight! I am the future of this company! I will be the one main-eventing Wrestlemania's for years to come! Not you losers! So stop booing me and show some respect for your WWE Champion!
The "Orton Sucks" chants continue, which pisses off Orton oh so royally. He grinds his teeth together and starts breathing heavily, not knowing what to say that will shut these people up.
Randy Orton: Dammit if you people don't shut your mouths up now I'm gonna b--
BREAK THE WALLS DOWN!
That is the tune of the man who was screwed out of becoming a 4 time World Champion thanks to JBL, Chris Jericho. Jericho, despite his disposition as an easygoing face, seems quite nerved today. He is dressed in a "Break the Code" shirt, with black jeans on and a chain hanging out from one of his pockets. He enters the ring and instead of doing his regular taunts, simply is handed a microphone and begins speaking.
Chris Jericho: Ya' know, Randy, after I beat you by disqualification last night, I was thinking: Should I come down here tonight, use my rematch clause on you, and take the title that I should have won last night?
Huge pops by the crowd who wanna see a title match on free TV.
Chris Jericho: Or, should I come down here, beat you up and down this arena, then take your title later tonight?
Now the crowd really gets excited, as they will, more likely then not, get a WWE title match here tonight as Jericho cracks a smile.
Randy Orton: Chris, you can't do this! I beat you fair and sq--
Jericho quickly cuts Randy off.
Chris Jericho: Randy you better watch watch what you say, because you are one second from me taking you down and taking your title with me.
The majority of the crowd is now up on their feet and chanting "Jer-i-cho, Jer-i-cho". Jericho moves forward a step and the two men stare down each other inside the middle of the ring until...
Born Naughty
Plays and RAW's General Manager, William Regal makes his way out onto the entrance ramp, keeping his distance between the two men inside of the ring. Regal looks very sophisticated, as he's dressed in a nice black suit. Orton and Jericho, however, do not even turn over and acknowledge Regal and instead continue staring down each other.
William Regal: Gentlemen, gentlemen, please stop your bickering this instant!
Jericho and Orton lose their focus on each other and turn to face Regal.
William Regal: Now, Christopher, I know that you are enraged that John Bradshaw Layfield cost you an opportunity at becoming the WWE Champion last night, but you and Randy Orton will not be exchanging any blows here tonight.
Boos from the crowd begin to surround Regal.
Chris Jericho: Regal you are making an enormous mistake. I deserve a chance to face Randy Orton for the title tonight. I won last night. Give me another title match!
The crowd cheers Jericho, with some fans in the front row shouting "C'mon Regal". Regal adjusts his tie and wipes down his shirt before he continues.
William Regal: I am sorry Chris but my decision is final...
Heat for Regal, who seems unphased by it all.
William Regal: ...However, if you are to win your match tonight, you will face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship next week in the annual 'Tribute to the Troops' RAW, in Bagdhad, Iraq.
Those boos that were just directed at Regal are now reversed and we are hearing some loud cheers, mainly for Jericho, who cracks a smirk to Orton.
Chris Jericho: That sounds perfect, Regal. Just tell me one thing, who are my opponents?
Regal is the one who now cracks a small smirk, with him obviously being the only one that knows who Jericho's opponent is.
William Regal: Mr. Jericho, your opponent is... 'The Samoan Bulldozer' UMANGA!
Virtual VooDoo
And, as just announced seconds ago by General Manager, out comes Umaga, along with his returning mouthpiece, Armando Estrada. Umaga is already breathing heavily as he walks out onto the entrance ramp, right next to Regal. Estrada, with a cuban cigar in his mouth, walks over to Regal and shakes his hand. Regal then turns back to Jericho as he wraps this segment up.
William Regal: Now Christopher, since you have a match tonight, I suggest that you go back and get ready for your battle against the Samoan Bulldozer, because you two will be fighting with no holds barred! That means no disqualifications, no count-outs, and anything goes. Christopher, I wish you good luck, as you'll need it.
Born Naughty hits again as Regal walks back past the curtain, with Umaga and Estrada following him as well. Meanwhile, inside of the ring, Jericho turns his eyes back onto the WWE Champion. Orton walks right over to Jericho and raises his WWE Championship over his head, indicating that he's going to keep it under any circumstances. RAW then cuts to commercial as the two continue to stare each other down.
Commercial
Raw then comes back on-air with Lillian Garcia announcing the first match of the night as a Royal Rumble qualifying match. Super Crazy's music hits first, with the Mexican luchador hoping to compete in the Rumble for the 3rd straight year. Snitsky's music hits afterwards, and the gruesome looking monster trudges down the aisle, wanting to get back in the Royal Rumble game after failing to make it into the match the year previous. The bell rings and the match is underway, but it doesn't last very long, as Crazy, despite having many accolades from his days in Mexico, struggles to even make Snitsky move an inch. Snitsky takes Crazy down with a decapitating clothesline, before he stomps a mudhole on him in one of the corner turnbuckle. After few more minutes of beating down Crazy, Snitsky finally puts him out of his own misery by connecting with the pumphandle slam for the pinfall at 2:30. After the match, Snitsky picks Super Crazy up and drills him with another pumphandle slam, which knocks him out cold.
We are then taken backstage to the RAW locker-room, which sees the World Tag-Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly in there, getting their ring gear on for their upcoming match tonight against the Highlanders. A few minutes of silence is held between the two, with Holly being the one to break the silence. "I know we have butted heads in the past, but I want you to know that I only did it to test you. I wanted to see if you would keep competing and competing and not lose your cool, which you did. I looked to see if you would show me some respect, and you did. You play your cards right, and we'll be the best tag-team to hit the WWE in a long time." Rhodes, while only having a few months experience under his belt, says something that really surprises Holly, "Bob, you know that I respect you tons and that I think we have some great chemistry together, but we can't lose our focus on our title belts. This is my first championship in the WWE, and I wanna make it memorable. So let's go out there and get on the right track." Rhodes then walks out of the lockerroom, as he is finished putting on his gear. Holly hurries up and gets his stuff on as well, as the two have a match upcoming after RAW comes back from another commercial break.
Commercial
Raw returns with a video package, which shows 'The Anti-Hero' Kevin Thorn sitting on a throne, much like a king. Thorn is sipping out of a glass of wine, relaxing in his throne. Thorn finishes his last sip of the wine and places it gently on the table before he begins to speak in a monotone voice. "Everybody wants somebody who can bail them out when the going gets tough. When something that isn't in their favor happens, they try to have someone else fix their problems. They want a hero. But what are they going to do when their hero is beaten? What are they going to do when their knight in shining armour is taken out by the Anti-Hero? You all will find out in four weeks when I, Kevin Thorn, the anti-hero, debuts on RAW." Thorn then lets out a devilish laugh as the video package ends.
"How Do You Like Me Now?" hits as the World Tag-Team Champions Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes make their way out of the curtain, a mere 7 days removed from their championship win on the 15th Anniversary of RAW. The two, despite their numerous battles on RAW the past 2 months or so, seem to be on the same wavelength here tonight. They come inside of the ring and already see their opponents, The Highlanders, inside of the ring. Once they hand the referee their tag-team championships the bell rings and the match begins. Although they are the heavy underdogs in this situation, the Highlanders are in control of the match early, with Cody being contained in the corner by the Highlanders. Eventually Cody gets out of his pickle by dodging a clothesline attempt by Robbie and surprises him with a dropkick! Cody then drags himself over to his teams corner and tags in Holly, and Holly cleans house for a couple of minutes, until he lifts Robbie onto his shoulders and whips him back first into the ground, connecting with the Alabama Slam and giving his team the win at 5:18! Cody quickly comes in the ring and celebrates with his partner, as their first match since winning the World Tag-Team Championships goes rather smoothly. We then get taken backstage to Todd Grisham, who is with Triple H.
Todd welcomes everyone before he asks Triple H about his thoughts of being upset by Jeff Hardy last night at Armageddon, and Triple H calmly replies saying that "I was looking ahead last night. I was thinking about that WWE Championship and how I was going to beat either Randy Orton or Chris Jericho for the belt and become a 12 time champion. Jeff caught me off guard, and I'll give him his credit, he knew that I wasn't focused and that he just had to wait until the right time to surprise me and pick up the biggest victory of his career. I made a rookie mistake and it bit me on the ass." Grisham nods his head as Triple H is talking, and once he's done he interrogates him again, "So what are your plans now, since you won't be wrestling for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble". Triple H answers, "Well, I might not be wrestling for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, but that doesn't mean I won't win the Royal Rumble and go to Wrestlemania 24 fighting for the WWE Championship, does it?" Triple H cracks a smile after that comment as the crowd starts to get riled up, only for Mr. Kennedy to appear on the interview area.
"Triple H, you weren't the only one that lost last night, the only difference between us is, is that I am better then my opponent was and I deserved to win last night." The crowd boos Kennedy, as we all know that Shawn Michaels was his opponent last night, and that he certainly didn't deserve to win. Triple H begins to glare at Kennedy, knowing that he is full of shit. Kennedy, being the ego-filled maniac that he is, continues. "That's right, Hunter, you know damn well that I am twice the athlete that that piece of garbage Shawn Michaels is, and that if me and him went out to the ring and fought tonight, I'd whip his ass all around this arena." The crowd continues it's flurry of boos, as Triple H stops him so he stops looking like such a jackass. "Ken - is it alright if I call you Ken? - I know Shawn Michaels better then anybody else in this lockerroom, and I can assure you that he is the best athlete back there, even better then me." Kennedy chuckles at Triple H's comment, which pisses off The Game even more. "Hunter, everybody knows that you are one of the most out of shape athletes in this company. I mean look at you, you've torn both your right and left quad, move about 2 miles an hour in the ring, and couldn't even beat Jeff Hardy! Hell, I could beat both you and Shawn in a tag-team match tommorow if I wanted to, but I don't want to embarass you any more then you already are, which should be a lot since you lost to Jeff Hardy last night."
Triple H, the quick thinker that he is, interrupts Kennedy from continuing on. "Does that sound like a challenge, Ken? If it is, on the behalf of Shawn, I accept your challenge. He's not here tonight, so next week, in the Tribute to the Troops special, it'll be D-Generation X taking on Mr. Kennedy and a partner of his choice in a tag-team match." The crowd begins to get excited at the thought of a DX revival. "And if you're not down with that, I've got two words for ya..." The crowd screams 'SUCK IT!!!' and Triple H does a crotch crop to Kennedy before he walks off the set and RAW goes to another commercial break.
Commercial
RAW comes back on and we are backstage with Chris Jericho, who is getting suited up for his No Holds Barred Match against Umaga later tonight. He pulls up his kneepads over his pants and takes a drink from his waterbottle before he begins watching a tape of some of Umaga's most impressive matches, trying to mould a gameplan for his match against him. After a few seconds of seeing Jericho watch part of one of the matches and rewind it, there's a knock on the door and, despite Chris telling the person to stay out, in comes WWE Champion Randy Orton. Orton has a devilish smile on his face as he enters the lockerroom, seeing Jericho frantically trying to find some weaknesses on Umaga. "You are wasting your time Chris, there is no chance in hell that you are beating Umaga tonight, not on my watch." Some audible boos are heard in the background as Chris gets up off the bench he was watching the match on and stares right into Ortons eyes, "Look, I don't need to hear any of this crap from you when I have an important match coming up in a little bit. Don't you have anything else better to do like rub baby oil on yourself?"
The crowd gets a good laugh from the smartass comment made by Jericho, who cracks a smile himself before getting back into serious mode. Orton, on the otherhand, seems more pissed off now then he was when it was announced that Jericho may have another chance at the title next week. "Listen up, Jericho. I know you think you are funny with your cute little comments, but this isn't 2001 anymore, everybody is sick of your act. Hell, Chris, nobody even knows who you are! When you left the WWE in 2005 nobody cared. They were more focused on the Legend Killer taking out the Undertaker. It is the same situation now. You're a has been that is trying to relive the glory days, but the problem is, you're just a step behind everybody else. I know you want to fool yourself that you're in the same shape that you were when you left, but we all know that you are just lying to yourself. You've lost a step, Chris. You aren't the same Y2J that you were when you first came here. Now you're just another name that has lost to Randy Orton. Face it, Chris, then chances of you winning tonight are slim to none, and your chances of beating me next week are even worse then that! So why don't you just do everybody a failure and leave the WWE and never come back." The crowd gives some major heat to Orton for his long speech to Jericho, who simply takes it on the chin, before replying quietly:
"Randy, I don't know who you are, thinking you can come into my lockerroom and tell me that I'm washed up and that I'm over the hill, but I will guaran - damn - tee that I am not going to give up here tonight, and when we face each other next week in Iraq, I will beat you. And I know that you think you are going to be clever and just lose by disqualification and retain your championship, but I've talked to General Manager Regal and he said that if I win tonight, I will pick our match type next week, and I will assure you, for you, it's going to be nothing but HELL." The crowd starts cheering 'Jericho, Jericho' before Jericho again trashes Randy, "Now I suggest you leave, Randy, because I want to beat a healthy Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship." Orton, majorly pissed off, storms away in anger, while Jericho takes another sip of his water and continues studying films.
"Time for a Hurtin'" plays as RAW comes back inside of the arena and Kenny Dykstra is seen making his way down the aisle. Kenny comes down with small gloves on his hands, ones that look like ones that a Mixed Martial Aritst would wear. He enters the ring and cracks his neck and stretches to get loose as he waits for his opponent. "Ain't No Stoppin' Me Now!" hits and Dykstra's opponent, Shelton Benjamin, makes his wayd down the ring in his re-debut on RAW after spending the past few months on Smackdown. He gives the crowd some high fives as he struts down the ring before entering it and getting the third match of the night underway.
The match is a nice little back and forth match between the two, with neither man really having the advantage throughout the 8 minutes that the match lasts. Benjamin struck early, landing a belly to belly suplex and a leg feed enziguri before Dykstra dodges a Stinger splash attempt in the corner and takes control of the match. Dykstra takes Benjamin down with a firemans carry before landing some punches and elbows into the face of Benjamin, which takes a lot out of the Gold Standard. After a few more minutes of this type of brawling by Dykstra, he gets up off of his knees and gets into a vertical position, waiting for Benjamin to do the same. Shelton eventually gets up to his feet and notices Dykstra takes a few steps closer and tries to land a high leg kick, so Benjamin puts his hands up and grabs ahold of Dykstra's leg, only to push him back down to the ground. Dykstra, pissed off, quickly gets back up to his feet and tries to get back at Benjamin, but Benjamin, being the more experienced veteran, surprises Dykstra with a Pay-Dirt! Benjamin quickly hooks the leg of Dykstra and picks up the win at 8:06!
Out of breath, the Gold Standard goes over to Lillian Garcia who hands him a microphone. After taking a few seconds and collecting his breath, Benjamin starts, "Let this be a message to all of the 29 other guys that will be in the Royal Rumble. The Gold Standard is on RAW now! I'm at the PEAK of my career. You guys can all try like little Kenny did here a few seconds ago, but there 'AIN'T NO STOPPIN' ME, NOW!" Benjamin then ends his quick little promo and exits the ring as RAW goes to another commercial break.
Commercial
Longhorn
Plays as RAW comes back on air, with JBL making his grand entrance just one day removed from costing Chris Jericho the WWE Championship. JBL comes out in his traditional limousine, with his 5 gallon hat and white suit on. A flurry of boos come out on JBL, as if he is a terrorist coming to bomb them. He has a smug grin on his face and is handed a microphone as he walks up the steps and enters the ring. "Ladies and gentlemen, I, John Bradshaw Layfield, am out here to explain why I cost Chris Jericho the WWE Championship last night. Y'see, during the final match of the night, Chris Jericho did one of the most disrespectful things I have seen in my lifetime. Don't believe me? Just roll the clip..." The clip shows Orton pushing Jericho into JBL, which knocks the Smackdown announcer off his chair and down on his ass. Jericho then gets up and chases Orton back into the ring.
"So, as you saw from this clip, it was I that was the victim, not Chris Jericho. He had the audacity to run at me and knock me off my chair, and he did not even have the guts to apologize. That's why I had to do what I did. I was not going to let some PUNK hit me down and get away with it. That man is back for less then a month and thinks that he should get everything handed to him. The WWE doesn't work like that. He's gotta work for it and show some respect. Just because it's Chris Jericho doesn't mean he gets star treatment. You think I got everything handed to me on a silver platter? No, I had to work at it just like every other man here in this company. And now look where I am today. I was Smackdown's longest reigning champion and the greatest announcer ever, now I am giving all of you the treat of listening to me here on RAW!"
Boos come raining from the crowd, with JBL intaking every second of it as if it is oxygen. JBL then begins to make his way out the ring, getting one foot through the ropes, before "This Fire Burns" plays and former ECW superstar CM Punk make his way out, for his RAW debut. JBL, annoyed, steps back inside of the ring, knowing that Punk is going to have a few words for him. JBL starts before Punk can say anything, "Now what in the hell do you want Punk?" Punk, grinning, begins to talk as he walks down the ramp. "Now I might not be used to all of this hoopla on RAW, but I was watching that match last night too, and if anyone deserves a beating, it should be you." Some ooh's and aah's are heard throughout the crowd, wanting a big stir to start up. Punk continues, "I know you think you are God's greatest gift and that everybody should bow down to you, but nobody wants to hear the garbage that comes out of your mouth. You didn't have the right to cost Chris the WWE Championship last night, and you sure as hell don't deserve to be out here tonight thinking it should be you that is getting an apology. I might not have met Chris before, but I've seen what he has done to this industry, and he has my respect. You, however, don't. Only you would come out here and whine that somebody accidentally ran into you without apologizing. You want an apology? I'll give you one. I'm sorry that you're a 41 year old washed up announcer that feels that he should be given any respect around here. You retired 18 months ago. While you've been busy sitting on your ass, watching stocks rise and fall, the 65 wrestlers in the back have been working their asses off to become something. You want respect? You come back into the ring and wrestle like all of us and you'll get some. Until then, you better keep your obnoxious mouth shut, or I'll shut it up for you."
JBL, at a loss of words, gives Punk one more thing to think about, "You want me back in the ring? Fine. Next week, I'll make me debut on the RAW brand during the 'Tribute to the Troops' special. And when I get back to the top of the mountain, you'll realize why people respect the man called John... Bradshaw... Layfield." JBL then walks backwards and steps out of the ring, not taking his eye off Punk, who is still smiling. The camera's continue to follow JBL walk to the back until we are taken to a Royal Rumble promo video.
"Scream, Aim, Fire" by Bullet for My Valentine is playing in the back as we hear the deep voiceover guy heard. "30 men... 1 champion... the winner gets a main event shot at Wrestlemania. It's where brothers take on brothers, friends take on friends, and foes take on foes. It's the WWE's version of the Boston Marathon. It's where dreams start, and legacy's are begun. The road to Wrestlemania is only 41 days away, when the Royal Rumble takes place. Don't miss out on January 27, 2008, when the WWE brings you the 2008 Royl Rumble, live from the Madison Square Garden, only on Pay-Per-View." We are taken to some pictures of past winners, such as Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Rey Mysterio, and last year's winner in the Undertaker. The video promo then ends with all of it's important information and RAW goes to another commercial break.
Commercial
"Loaded" plays as the Intercontinental Champion and future number one contender to the WWE Championship, Jeff Hardy, makes his way out to an EPIC reaction. Hardy gives the crowd a ton of high fives as he enters the ring, waiting for his opponent. Hardy takes his Intercontinental Championship off of his waist and does the "V-1" sign in one hand and raises his championship in the other. Hardy then gets off of the turnbuckle as he waits for his opponent to come out. "Death Grip" hits and the monsterous Mike Knox comes out of the curtain, wanting to make an impact here tonight against the future Number One Contender to the WWE Championship. Knox, with his great beard and all, is getting a lot of hyped pumped into him by JR as he trudges down the ramp. JR brings up that he was only a few seconds away from beating CM Punk a few months ago, and how he will use his size to try and pull the upset on the much smaller Hardy. The referee then rings the bell and the match begins.
Hardy, with the emotional high after beating Triple H last night, has the advantage to start off the match, avoiding many blows from Knox thanks to his speed and agility. He knocks Knox down with some flying elbows to the back of the head, followed by a Hardyac Arrest right in the corner turnbuckle. Hardy tries to finish Knox off with a Twist of Fate, but the monster reverses the momentum in his direction by pushing Hardy into the ropes and letting Hardy eat a big boot attempt. Knox then uses his size to contain Hardy for the next few minutes, whipping him across the ring like a ragdoll. He whips Hardy across the canvas with a belly to back suplex before he goes over and locks him in a nerve hold. Eventually Hardy gets out of it with some elbows to the gut before he charges at Knox, only for Mike to sidestep him and push him into the nearby turnbuckle. Hardy, though, planned for this to happen and connected with the Whisper in the Wind! Knox, getting a good chunk from Hardy, crashes to the mat. Hardy is down aswell, but quickly regains his stamina and gets to a vertical base. Hardy quickly tries to seize the moment and climbs up the turnbuckle, looking to finish off Knox with a Swanton Bomb and... connects! Hardy then covers Knox for the victory at the 7:20 mark.
After the match Hardy slowly gets up to his feet and gets his hand raised by the referee, then gets his Intercontinental Championship handed to him. He exits the ring and gives the crowd high fives before he reaches the top of the stage and points to the 'Royal Rumble 2008' banners near the top of the arena. He yells, to nobody in particular, that it will be his day, January 27, 2008, his day where he becomes the WWE Champion. Once he is done talking to the crowd, he walks through the curtain, with JR hyping the Royal Rumble as Jeff's 'date with destiny.'
We then are taken to the final backstage segment of the night, which features Armando Estrada trying to get Umaga prepared for his No Holds Barred match against Chris Jericho. Estrada tells him something in Samoan and Umaga replies with a huge scream, and we decipher Estrada telling Umaga, "Now let's go kick some Jericho ass, haha." However, before they can leave the lockerroom, WWE Champion Randy Orton comes in to give them some words of 'encouragement.' "Look, I know that you can beat Chris Jericho. Chris is still rusty in the ring and hasn't ever wrestled a physical specimen like you before, but that's not what I want to see. I don't want to see you just beat Chris Jericho, but I want you to destroy Chris Jericho and take him out. He thinks he can come in here and get title shots when there are more deserving guys backstage - like you - who deserve a title match more then he does. I'm sick of Chris Jericho's act, so I want you to go out there and end his career." Umaga's eyes bug out as he nods in agreement and RAW goes to a commercial break for the final time.
Commercial
"Virtual VooDoo" hits and the 'Samoan Bulldozer' Umaga trudges down the aisle for his No Holds Barred Match versus Chris Jericho. Armando Estrada and Randy Orton both come down to the ring with Umaga, Estrada because he's his mouthpiece and Orton because he wants to give Jericho another thing to think about during the match and stack the odds against him. "Break the Walls Down" plays next and Chris Jericho comes out to a huge reaction. He gives the crowd high fives as he enters the ring, noticing Randy Orton outside on the apron. Umaga, who was being held back outside of the ring by Estrada, enters the ring as well. Lillian Garcia announces both men and the No Holds Barred stipulation and then the bell rings and the match begins.
The wild savage beast Umaga starts off on the offense, charging right at Jericho with a lariat, knocking him down on his ass. Umaga is the man in control for the early part of this match, with Estrada continuing to tell him what maneuvers to do at what time. Eventually, though, Jericho dodges a Samoan Wrecking Ball attempt and landed a quick Enziguri to the skull of Umaga. Umaga crashed to the ground and Jericho left the ring looking for a weapon. He walked over to the ring announcer and grabbed two steel chairs, folded them up, and tossed them back inside of the ring. Jericho then re-entered himself and grabbed ahold of one of the chairs and whacked it across Umaga's back! The crowd gets riled up and starts a Jer-i-cho, Jer-i-cho, chant. However, Umaga quickly gets the advantage back when he dodges a missle dropkick from Jericho and connects on a spinning wheel kick, much to the joy of Orton on the outside.
The two continue their back and forth for the next few minutes, with Jericho getting a couple of weapon shots in here and there, until we get to the end of the match, which has Jericho on top of Umaga's shoulders, who's planning on hitting a Samoan Drop. Umaga screams something Samoan and appears to be about finished with Jericho, but just before he can land the move, Jericho gets off of his shoulders and lands a DDT! Orton can't believe what has just happened with the change of events! Jericho wasted a lot of energy as well, though, and takes some time getting up in a vertical base. Once he does and sees that Umaga is still down and is in perfect position to get hit with a Lionsault, Jericho runs over him, onto the ropes, flips off and connects with the Lionsault! Jericho covers Umaga and picks up the victory in the battle at 13:29!
After the match Jericho quickly gets up and celebrates his win while Orton, who was furious that Umaga coundn't do the job for him, storms to the back, not even wanting to see Jericho celebrate his victory. Umaga rolls out of the ring and is helped out by his mouthpiece, and Jericho continues to celebrate his victory as RAW goes off air, with JR and King promoting the Tribute to the Troops special next week which will feature Chris Jericho versus Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and D-Generation X versus Mr. Kennedy and a Mystery partner in a mixed tag-team match. JR then wishes everybody a good night, and RAW is finished.
Fade to Black.
---
Friday Night Smackdown
December 21, 2007
We get a recap video of Armageddon from 5 nights ago, which is focusing on the main event, the triple threat match between Batista, Edge, and the Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. It shows the Undertaker locking in a triangle choke on Batista and the bell ringing, only for it being Edge the one that rang it. Then, we see Batista spear Edge and Undertaker throw Edge out of the ring before nailing a Tombstone Piledriver on Batista, about to end the match, until a steel chair shot from Edge landed on the Undertaker! Edge then pinned Batista and stole the victory from the Undertaker! We then see Edge leave the ring with the title and his two 'clones' follow him close behind.
Rise Up
The opening song for Smackdown then hits and we get taken to the large crowd, who seem to be pumped for tonight's show, despite the disappointing ending to Armageddon. The camera focuses on a few signs throughout the arena, such as one that said "We were the other two Edges" and one that said "Time for the Animal to have 3 Edges for Breakfast". Then we get the opening commentary by Michael Cole and JBL, who talk about the shocking events at the Mellon Arena. They go back and forth for a few minutes until we get to hear from the World Heavyweight Champion.
You Think You Know Me
And out comes the World Heavyweight Champion, Edge, along with his two look-alikes, who aren't identified by Michael Cole and JBL, as they don't even know who the hell they are. Edge is in his street clothes, with the World Heavyweight Championship wrapped snugly around his right shoulder. He enters the ring and is handed a microphone, then begins speaking.
Edge: 5 nights ago, at Armageddon, I, the Ultimate Opportunist, took advantage of the situation I was put in, when I went to the help of my close family.
Heat comes out from the crowd.
Edge: For any of you idiots that don't know, which is probably all of you, in a Triple Threat match, there are no disqualifications. That means I can do whatever I want and it won't cost me a chance of winning. So I did what any normal man would think of doing, and I made sure I had some backup.
Edge stops and smacks both of his clones on the chest, letting the crowd know that they were his backup.
Edge: I've seen what Batista and the Undertaker have done, succumming the love of my life to a wheelchair, and I vowed that that was not going to happen to me. So, after Smackdown last week, I made a call to my Aunt Judy, and she said that my two cousins, Curt Copeland and Zack Reso, were going to be at Armageddon in attendance. I figured, since these two were big fans of mine, I'd let them help me out if I needed to. Turns out, these two were the deciding factor in why I am now holding the World Heavyweight Championship, so I have promised my Aunt Judy that I would take Curt and Zack under my wing and develop them into talented stars like myself.
Boos from the crowd are heard, with a couple of Batista fans in the front row shouting 'You are the farthest thing from talented!'
Edge: So, now that I have explained why both Zack and Curt helped me out at Armageddon, let's talk about Batista and the Undertaker, the two men that I
beat at Armageddon. How about I tell you why neither of those men deserves a shot at my title at the Royal Rumble?
More boos come, with some 'You suck' chants come out. Edge simply ignores them all.
Edge: First of all, Batista was the man that I pinned to win this baby,
(rubs his title) so if we are playing fairly, he should be pushed to the back of the line and wait his turn like everybody else. Just because it's Batista does not mean he gets special treatment. I didn't get a World Championship match right when I came back from injury. I had to make a statement and make a reason why I deserved a shot at the championship. Batista hasn't done that, and until he has, he better wait at the end of the line just like Funaki and Nunzio.
The crowd gives a 'Batista, Batista' chant going, wanting the Animal to come out and kick the World Champions ass.
Edge: Oh Batista isn't coming out, so just shut up for one minute!
(collects himself) Now as for the Undertaker, when you come in here, put the love of my life into a wheelchair with a Tombstone Piledriver, I don't think you really deserve anything but a nice long suspension! Nobody can come in here and attack the General Manager and get away with it, not even someone such as the Undertaker.
I Walk Alone
Hits and 'The Animal' Batista makes his way down the ring. Batista doesn't look like he wants to say much, but after the words that Edge just said about him, I believe he is obligated to talk. Batista starts to talk as he walks up the steps.
Batista: Look, Edge, I know that you think you are a genius with your trick of including you and your cousins in the World Heavyweight Championship match, but now that the cat is out of the bag, I'm just gonna have to destroy all three of you to take the title that is rightfully mine, back.
Edge bursts into laughter, with his cousins following suit after Batista's outlandish statement. Before he can say anymore, Edge cuts him off.
Edge: (laughing) Batista... you think you can really beat me, Zack, and Curt to take away my World Heavyweight Championship?... You must be dumber then I thought! You couldn't even win when you were just facing me and the Undertaker, and now you think you can win against all three of us?!
(calming himself) Wow, thanks Dave, I really needed a good joke to brighten my day up. Thank you.
Big Dave, who wasn't joking, doesn't seem too amused by Edge's laughing at his statement. Batista takes the shades off of his eyes and grabs Edge right by the collar of his shirt.
Batista: I wasn't joking, Edge. I will do whatever it takes to get the taste of World Championship gold yet again. If I have to go through you, or Curt, or Zack to get the title, so be it. I'm not afraid of challenges. Hell, that's what I'm looking for. I want you inside of that ring tonight, under any conditions. I don't care if it's a Cage, Ladder, Last Man Standing, anything. I want a rematch at my title tonight.
The crowd starts cheering at the prospect of Edge vs. Batista for the championship tonight, but before they can really get going, Edge cuts them off and replies to Batista.
Edge: You want me inside of the ring tonight? Fine.
The crowd cheers that we are going to get a blockbuster matchup here tonight on Smackdown.
Edge: BUT, it will be under three conditions. Number one, it will be a handicap match with me, Curt, and Zack versus you.
Batista thinks about his answer before replying.
Batista: Fine.
Edge: Number two, I get to hand pick my own referee.
Once again, Batista is unsure if he wants to agree to this deal, rubbing his chin, thinking long and hard about the consequences.
Batista: Okay, deal.
Edge: And finally, it will NOT be for the World Heavyweight Championship!
Batista gives Edge a puzzled look, wondering why Edge would even think he would say yes to that stipulation.
Batista: Now why would I agree to that stipulation?
Edge: ...Because, if you pin me, you'll get a one on one match versus me for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble.
The crowd is screaming 'Do it, do it', because they are extremely confident that Batista can beat all three of these clowns tonight, even with a special guest referee.
Batista: Ya know what, only a crazy man would accept all of these stipulations and think he could win...
(pauses, which gives Edge hope that he'll back out of the situation) but I've done crazier things before, so I ACCEPT!
The crowd is going batshit crazy for the Batista vs. Edge, Curt Copeland, and Zack Reso handicap match tonight, even if the odds are against Batista. Batista smirks and starts walking out of the ring, but Edge has one more thing to tell him.
Edge: Oh, Batista, I almost forgot. If you don't win, you will never get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship as long as I am champion!
Batista's heart drops a little, with there now being even more pressure on him to win tonight, otherwise he will not be sniffing any World Championship gold for a while. However, instead of replying, he simply keeps going, with his music playing as he makes his way to the back and Smackdown goes to a commercial break.
Commercial
Smackdown comes back on air and we hear "Gonna Punch Someone Tonight" with Jimmy Wang Yang coming down the ring, with his tag-team partner Shannon Moore coming out for moral support. "Ain't No Make Believe" plays next with one half of the WWE Tag-Team Champions, John Morrison making his way out of the curtain, with the other half of the Champions, The Miz, right by his side. The Miz and Moore stay to the outside of the ring, right on the apron, as this match is announced as a singles match between Morrison and Yang. The bell rings and these two are at it.
These two have clearly studied each other's wrestling skill, as they continuously reverse each others moves and neither can hit any of their signature moves. Morrison appeared to have the advantage early with a Russian Legsweep, but once he attempted the Flying Chuck, Wang Yang got the advantage by ducking, which caused Morrison to fall flat on his face. Wang Yang used his aerial attack to stay away from Morrison and frustrate the WWE Tag-Team Champion since he couldn't keep up with Wang Yang. Wang Yang set himself up for the Yang Time finisher when he landed a scoop slam on Morrison right in front of the turnbuckle. He proceeded to climb it and turned around, appearing to be seconds away from finishing Morrison off, only for the Miz to climb up on the apron and distract Wang Yang. Jimmy tried to get him away by delivering a punch to the face, but those few seconds gave Morrison a chance to recover and he picked Jimmy up off the turnbuckle, hoisted him onto his shoulders, and threw him down to the mat, landing a powerbomb! Wang Yang didn't have a prayer of kicking out of that huge powerbomb, and Morrison picked up a pivitol win over their rivals at the 8:10 mark.
The Miz immediately dove into the ring and hugged his partner, with him having both of their WWE Tag-Team Championships in their hand. Cole says that after a few defeats in a row, he isn't sure if Wang Yang and Moore are capable of beating Morrison and Miz for the WWE Tag-Team Championships. JBL agrees, but then they are taken backstage to Josh Matthews, who is with Rey Mysterio.
Matthews begins by giving Mysterio his condolences on losing to MVP 5 nights ago and not capturing the United States Championship, even though he won by countout. Rey replies by saying, "Josh, while I'm extremely disappointed that I was unable to capture the US Championship from MVP, I am excited for my opportunity tonight when I have a chance to qualify for the Royal Rumble." Josh answers, "Speaking of that match tonight, you have to go up against the 'World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry in order to make it into the Royal Rumble. What is going to be your strategy going into the match tonight." Rey takes his time answering Josh's question, not wanting to give too much away to Henry, who may be watching the broadcast right now. "Well Josh, I'm just going to try and use my speed to my advantage. Mark is a big dude, and if I get trapped into trying to outmuscle him, I'm going to be finished before the bell even rings. I am just going to try and stay on my feet and make sure that Mark cannot keep up with me." Josh then wishes Rey good luck, and Rey leaves to end the short interview segment, as Smackdown then goes to a commercial break.
Commercial
Smackdown then comes back on air with a video package promoting the debut of a new superstar. The man announces himself as Lance Sydal and that he has done things inside of the ring that even he doesn't think is smart. He says that he isn't afraid to take risks, and that he's about to come and take the entire Smackdown brand by storm with all of the risks he takes. He says that he will be making his debut in two weeks, the first Smackdown of the new year, and that he will not disappoint any of the fans. The package then ends with the text: Lance Sydal: Debuting on Smackdown! in 2 weeks!
Smackdown then is taken back out to the arena with Justin Roberts announcing the following match as a Royal Rumble qualifying match. "Don't Waste My Time" plays first, with the 'Paragon of Virtue' Elijah Burke making his way out. Burke, knowing how serious this matchup is for his career, doesn't even seem to take notice of the crowd, who boo him to try and rattle him. "Bad Dream" plays next and it is the 'Innovator of Violence' Tommy Dreamer coming down the aisle. He sprints down the ring and quickly slides into it, showing his enthusiasm to the crowd. The two men then get set and the bell is rung.
Dreamer shows his experience early in the match, landing a one handed bulldog and a low dropkick on a Burke that was in the tree of woe position. Dreamer continued to dominate for the early parts of the match, until Burke, who seemed hesitant at first, rolled himself off of the shoulders of Dreamer's Dreamer Driver attempt and clipped his left leg. Burke, being the martial arts expert that he is, saw the weakness in Dreamer's leg and continued to attack it for the next few minutes of the match, even locking in a one legged Boston Crab for a minute. Eventually he let go of the hold and waited for Dreamer to get up into a vertical position, only to knock him back down with a flying forearm smash to the skull of Dreamer. Burke, knowing that he is in full control of the match, goes for the kill, picking Dreamer up before hitting him with a forward Russian legsweep, which he calls the Elijah Express! Burke covers Dreamer up for the victory at the 7:43 mark, securing his spot in the Royal Rumble. Justin Roberts announces him as the winner, and Burke quickly gets up to his feet and celebrates his victory, knowing that he is only one match away from going into the main event of Wrestlemania, as long as he wins the Royal Rumble. Cole and JBL sing his praises, remarking on what an athlete he is and that he is one of the most athletically gifted superstars in the WWE. However, they have to stop their praises as we are taken backstage to General Manager Vickie Guerrero's office.
Vickie, sitting in her wheelchair with a neckbrace on, is discussing things with her assistant, Teddy Long, when Vickie's lover, World Heavyweight Champion Edge and his cousins Curt Copeland and Zack Reso enter the room. Vickie and Edge share a kiss, which Teddy cringes at, before the two lovers talk strategy against Batista tonight. Edge says, "I know I gave that clown Batista a chance at fighting for my World Heavyweight Championship by letting him have this match tonight, but I'm not worried about him. Are you, babe?" Of course, when Edge says babe, he is referring to Vickie, which gets a couple of 'EEEW'S' from the crowd, and I concur. Vickie replies, "Of course not, honey. But even if he somehow were to manage to pick up the win, I have a few tricks up my sleeves to assure you that Batista will not be fighting you for your World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble." Edge smiles and gives another kiss to Vickie on the lips before telling her, "Vickie, you are the most amazing woman that I have ever known. I am so lucky to have you." This gets some boos from the crowd, simply because nobody is a fan of bestality. I thought you were better then that Edge. Erm, anyways, Teddy Long, getting frustrated with the schenanigans between the two lovebirds, interrupts them, "I'm sorry to interrupt, Ms. Guerrero, but I believe, in the interest of fairness, that if Batista were to win today, that you better give him a World Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble. We don't want a lawsuit on our hands."
Vickie and Edge give him a stern look as if to say, 'Who the fuck said you could talk?' Vickie answers Teddy's question, "Teddy, I do not need your advice. You are the assistant General Manager. You have no power. You get me coffee. You make my appointments. You do not make my decisions. So I suggest you keep your mouth zipped up before I kick you to the curb." Teddy, not happy with Vickie's actions, simply walks out of the room in disgust. That let's Vickie and Edge get a little closer, and the camera, thankfully, leaves the office and takes us to a commercial break.
Commercial
Smackdown comes back on air with the United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter inside of the ring in his street clothes, preparing to host another edition of the V.I.P. Lounge. Porter is laying comfortably on one of the sofas with his United States Championship wrapped snugly around his waist. He picks up one of the microphones that was set on the table and begins to speak, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another wonderful edition of the V.I.P Lounge, where only the best of the best - like the United States Champion - get to appear. Now before I introduce my guest of the evening, I'd like to let everyone know why I walked out on Rey Mysterio at Armageddon. I, am a thinking man. I know when I'm not on top of my game. If I don't feel right, I'm not going to come out here, give out a poor effort, and risk losing my United States Championship. Sunday was one of those nights where I wasn't feeling it. It started right in the morning when my breakfast - two eggs sunny side up and three sausages - were frozen solid. I was just in a funk the whole day. I knew that Rey was going to come prepared, so if I ever felt like I might actually lose the title, I was just going to walk out. It's not being a coward, I was just using my brain, something that little Rey Mysterio doesn't have. People have been bugging me for the past five days why I walked out of my match against Rey to keep my title, and there is my reason. It's not an excuse. I'm not afraid of Rey. I just had an off day and knew that Rey shouldn't beat me for my title unless I was at the best of my abilities - although Rey couldn't beat me if I was only at 50%. Now, enough of me explaining myself, as it's time to introduce my guest. He is a one time United States Champion, a one time WCW World Television Champion, he's Irish, he loves to fight, it's the 'Belfast Brawler' Finlay!"
"Lambeg" plays and Finlay comes out, just as MVP introduced. He is actually in some street clothes, which for him is nothing more then jeans and a t-shirt with a four leaf clover on it. Finlay gets some cheers from the crowd as he walks down the aisle and gives the crowd some high fives. Finlay walks up the steps and is handed a microphone as he enters the ring. MVP greets him friendly-ly, "Now I wanna welcome you onto the show Finlay, as this is your first ever time on the Lounge. Before I get too ahead of myself, you requested to be on a guest here yourself. So I ask you, why did you wanna come on the lounge tonight so badly? Did you just wanna get a sniff of Smackdown's highest paid superstar? I don't blame you, I smell pretty good." Finlay quickly cuts him off, "Actually, sunny-boy, I don't really feel like getting within 5 feet of you, as you smell like the cows back up in Ireland." Some laughs come from the crowd, as MVP pulls out his shirt and takes a whiff of his odor, although he doesn't notice any smells. Finlay continues, "No, what I really came out here is to tell you how big of a COWARD that you are. Where I'm from, we were always taught that, no matter what, you went out there and you wrestled a good clean match, with there always being a clear cut winner. At Armageddon, you walked out on Rey Mysterio, yet you still have the United States Championship. That is not right. I will not allow that to happen. Rey may have moved on, but I will not, until you get what you deserve."
Finlay drops the microphone on the canvas and dives at MVP, taking out the US Champion! The two tip over the couch, with Finlay throwing a handful of right hands to the head of MVP. MVP does his best to try and protect himself by putting his hands up and protecting his face, but Finlay doesn't care and keeps smacking MVP around. Eventually Finlay gets off of MVP and MVP tries to scurry out of the ring, but Finlay grabs him by the head, throws him onto his shoulders, and lands on his back, connecting with the Celtic Cross! Finlay quickly gets up to his feet and raises his hands in the air, with the crowd giving him some cheers, as MVP grimaces in pain a few feet away. Finlay walks over to MVP's US Championship and rubs it before he exit's the ring to abruptly end the VIP Lounge. Smackdown goes to another commercial break with a few referee's looking at MVP.
Commercial
"Cool" plays as Smackdown comes back on air and the 'Cool' superstar, Carlito makes his way down the ring for his match tonight. Carlito gets a mixed reaction from the fans, since they don't know whether to cheer or boo him because he's just debuted on the show. He gives a few fans some high fives while he takes a couple of bites from the apple in his hand before he slides into the ring. He takes off his shirt and gets ready for his opponent to come out. "Calling All Cars" hits next and Carlito's opponent for the night, the 'Mastodon' Big Daddy V makes his way out of the curtain. Big Daddy V is in his usual overalls, which is very unappealing to the eye. He gets down the ring as fast as he can, which is about as fast as paint dries. Big Daddy V walks up the steps and climbs over the top rope, wanting to intimidate Carlito as much as he can with his huge size. The bell rings and the third match of the night is begun.
Carlito looks very timid at the start of the match, just mesmorized by the size of Big Daddy V. The Mastodon dominates Carlito early and often in this match, which turns out to be a glorified squash match. Big Daddy V uses his weight to his advantage early by crushing Carlito's back with a side belly to belly suplex attempt before grabbing him by his hair and getting him up into the military press position and letting him fall flat on his face into the ground. The finish of the match only comes a few minutes later when Big Vis picks Carlito up into the Samoan Drop position and sends him crashing into the mat, connecting with the Ghetto Drop! Vis then nonchalantly crawls overtop Carlito's helpless body for the win at the 4:30 mark.
After the match the bell rings and the referee raises Big Daddy V's hand and V celebrates his victory by going back over to Carlito and landing another Ghetto Drop on him! Carlito is screaming in pain, while V just walks over to the camera's and does the V taunt with his hands. Cole and JBL remark on the large size of V and how he used it to his advantage here tonight against Carlito. Big Daddy V then looks back over at Carlito and simply sneers at the hurt Carlito before we are taken to another video package.
"Scream, Aim, Fire" by Bullet for My Valentine is playing in the back as we hear the deep voiceover guy heard. "30 men... 1 champion... the winner gets a main event shot at Wrestlemania. It's where brothers take on brothers, friends take on friends, and foes take on foes. It's the WWE's version of the Boston Marathon. It's where dreams start, and legacy's are begun. The road to Wrestlemania is only 37 days away, when the Royal Rumble takes place. Don't miss out on January 27, 2008, when the WWE brings you the 2008 Royl Rumble, live from the Madison Square Garden, only on Pay-Per-View." We are taken to some pictures of past winners, such as Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Rey Mysterio, and last year's winner in the Undertaker. The video promo then ends with all of it's important information and Smackdown goes to another commercial break.
Commercial
Josh Matthews again appears on our television screen as Smackdown returns from commercial, this time with Stevie Richards, who seems very enthusiastic to be interviewed right now. Stevie is dressed in a black trench coat and is pacing up and down the interview area. Josh tries to calm him down by asking him why he's here, and Stevie replies, "Hahaha, Josh, you haven't heard? I've taken a break from my in-ring work and am now a scout, trying to find the next big thing that I can help take to the top!" Josh doesn't seem to follow Stevie, "Okay, but what does that have to deal with why you are here?" Stevie seems surprised that Josh doesn't know what he's talking about, "Josh, don't you get it? I went out to Russia last week to scout some new talent, and this kid that I saw, man oh man, he'll scare the daylights out of you. A pure Russian specimen, the best talent that you haven't heard of. I found him! Hahaha, Josh, he's still got to get his visa cleared and come over to the country, but once he comes here, I will assure you, I will help him become the most dominant foreign-born superstar that the WWE has ever seen! Hahahaha!" Richards then walks off the interview set to end the rather awkward interview, at least in Josh's mind, and we are taken back to the arena with Cole and JBL.
Cole begins to superhype the 3 on 1 handicap match between Edge, Curt Copeland, and Zack Reso versus Batista, retelling all of the stipulations and what is at stake for both Batista and Edge. Once he gets done blabbering on and on, "Booyaka 619" hits and the 'Master of the 619' Rey Mysterio makes his way out of the curtain, as he gets numerous cheers from the crowd, who live the biggest little man. Mysterio gives the crowd a ton of high fives, trying to make everybody happy, before he slides into the ring and gets ready for his Royal Rumble qualifying match against Mark Henry. "Some Bodies Gonna Get It" blares throughout the PA system next and, like I said before, out comes Mysterio's opponent, the 'World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry. Mark is in a skin tight black singlet and takes his time coming down the ring, not wanting to waste energy before the match. Henry eventually gets inside of the ring and the referee rings the bell with the 2nd Royal Rumble qualifying match of the night beginning.
Mysterio, like he said in his interview with Josh earlier, tries to use his speed to tire Henry out early, and it works for the most part, with Mysterio landing a handful of aerial attacks, such as a springboard dropkick and a Headscissors DDT, however, Henry gains the advantage after he catches a Mysterio reverse crossbody attempt and throws him down at the ground with a scoop slam. Henry then continues to slow down Mysterio's high flying luchador attack by picking him up and squeezing him as tight as he can, locking in the bear hug! Mysterio is beginning to lose consciousness from the pressure applied by Henry, who keeps on trying to lock it in tighter and tighter. Henry continues to lock it in then he abruptly tosses Mysterio to the ground and tells the referee to check and see if he's conscious by lifting his hand up 3 times. The referee agrees and the first time he picks it up, Mysterio's hand falls right to the ground. The second time the same thing occurs. The third time the referee picks Mysterio's hand up, but Mysterio manages to keep it up under his own power, which gets the crowd a little back into it!
Henry cannot believe that Mysterio was able to keep his hand up on his own power, but he tries to keep his advantage by running off the ropes and attempting a running splash, only for Rey to just roll out of the way and escape slaughter! Rey quickly gets to his feet and delivers a swift dropkick to the face of Henry, with Rey somehow gaining enough energy to hit the maneuver. However, after he hits the move, he falls to a knee himself, needing to regain his stamina from all of the energy that Henry took out when he applied the bear hug. Mysterio gets up a hair before Henry, which allows him to use his speed and keep Henry down on the mat by sliding at his feet, keeping him out of a vertical base. Mysterio then got up to his feet and landed a step-up enziguri on Henry, keeping the World's Strongest Man down for an even longer time! Rather then set up for the 619, however, Rey immediately goes to the outside on the ring apron and waits for Henry to get up. Mark eventually does and Rey slingshots off the ropes and lands a West Coast Pop! Rey then quickly goes over and uses all of his strength to hook Henry's far leg and pick up the win and qualify for the Royal Rumble at 8:56!
After the match Mysterio jumps up to his feet and celebrates his victory by climbing up to the top rope and raising his hands in the air. Cole says that the Biggest Little Man will once again be an underdog at the Royal Rumble, but as he has proven before in 2006, that doesn't matter to him. Once Cole is done kissing Rey's ass, we are taken backstage to Batista's lockerroom, where he is busy getting his gear on for his handicap match that is coming up in a few minutes. Batista is seen doing some stretches when the lights go out. Everybody wonders what is going on, but when the lights turn back on Batista sees the Undertaker, who is standing to his left. Batista nonchalantly takes a sip of his water and asks Taker what he wants, and Taker replies, "I'm here to wish you good luck tonight. May darkness bestow Edge and his lover and may you claim the title that he shan't hold." Batista is about to reply, but the lights go out again, and when they come back on, Taker is gone and Batista is by himself again. Batista is a little confused at what happens, but he simply takes another sip of his water and leaves his lockerroom on his way out to the ring for the main event of the evening, as Smackdown goes to their final commercial break of the night.
Commercial
"I Walk Alone" plays as we come back from commercial, with the former World Heavyweight Champion Batista makes his way down the ring, to a loud ovation from the crowd. He does his normal pyro midway down the ramp before he gives the crowd some high fives and walks up the steps into the ring. Batista climbs the top turnbuckle and flexes his pecs for some of the ladies, always wanting to please his fans 
side. Batista then gets down and waits for his opponents to make their way out.
After a few seconds of waiting, "You Think You Know Me" hits and Edge, Curt Copeland, and Zack Reso all make their way out of the curtain. Edge leads them out with his World Heavyweight Championship wrapped around his waist, ski cap on his head. Curt and Zack both have similar attires to their cousin, and understandably so. Edge gets some nice heat from the crowd and slides under the bottom rope into the ring, with Curt and Zack following him in. Edge takes off his title and hands it to the referee, then gets handed a microphone, as he has a few more words to say. "I would just like to thank Batista for even bothering to show up here today. I mean it takes a lot of guts to come out and face us on a handicap match, even though it's gonna be a cakewalk for us." Boos come from the crowd, but Edge isn't done, "No, what I really came out to tell you, Batista, is that our special guest referee is in the back. He's about to come out right now. You wanna know who our special guest referee is? Well, it's..."
"Ooooh, Chavoo" hits and Chavo Guerrero comes out with a referee shirt on, which gets some boos from the crowd, mainly because he's associated with Edge and Vickie. Chavo somewhat quickly enters the ring and gives Edge a hug and Curt and Zack handshakes, but barely acknowledges Batista. He does a little bit of refereeing by telling Edge's team that only one of them can be inside of the ring at a time, so Curt is the first man out to start the match, despite his inexperience. Chavo sees if Batista is ready, and Batista tells him to 'ring the damn bell.' Chavo agrees, and the main event 3 on 1 handicap match is on the way!
The beginning of the match does not go the way Edge planned, with Batista easily dominating the very inexperienced Curt, hitting a big boot to the jaw and a running turnbuckle clothesline within the first few minutes, before Edge bails him out by running inside of the ring and clubbing Batista across the head. For the next couple of minutes this is how the match goes, Batista dominates Curt or Zack, then just as he's about to really put them out of their misery, Edge interfere's and gives them some time to recouperate. After the fourth time that Edge does this, Batista tells Chavo that he better start refereeing, but Chavo says that he's not seeing the interference as he's busy checking up on Curt and Zack and seeing if they can still go in the match. Batista, frustrated by Chavo's inability to be fair, pushes him down on his ass. Chavo threatens to disqualify Batista, but Edge tells him no, that he wants to end his hopes by pinning him himself.
So, for the next few minutes, we actually get a teaser of Edge versus Batista, however Edge constantly is trying to avoid all of Batista's offense by maneuvering around the ring, which starts to piss off the Animal. Batista finally had a chance to attack Edge when he Irish Whipped him into the turnbuckle opposite of Curt and Zack, but when Batista came charging at him he ran out of the way, causing Batista to run chest-first into the turnbuckle. Edge then bounced off the ropes and attempted a Spear on Batista, only for Batista to get lower and deliver a thunderous SPINEBUSTER TO EDGE! Batista then starts to get pumped up and does his rope-shaking taunt as he waits for Edge to get back up to his feet. Once Edge does Batista delivers a kick to the gut and places Edge's head between his legs, picks him up and places him onto his shoulders in Batista Bomb position, only for Curt and Zack to come inside of the ring and clip Batista's legs, forcing Batista to drop Edge back on the canvas.
While Batista is busy recovering from his hurt legs, Edge crawls over to his team and tags in Zack, wanting him to finish off what he started. Zack timidly comes inside of the ring, wanting to pick his spots on Batista. He sees Batista is holding his left leg in pain, so he begins to attack on that by stomping on the muscle part of his calf, which makes Batista scream in more pain. Zack then has a plan and drags Batista over to his teams corner and tags in Curt. The two flip Batista on his back and both apply one-legged Boston Crabs to opposite legs, which leaves Batista screaming in utter pain! Batista has no idea of how to get out of the hold, but he eventually notices the ropes that are a few feet away, so he starts to crawl over, and with Zack being forced out and no pressure now applied to one of his legs, he starts to make some progress. After a few more seconds of scratching and clawing his way to the ropes, he dives and gets his hands around the ropes, forcing a rope break! However, Curt keeps the hold locked in until Chavo finishes counting to 5, which he does rather slowly.
Curt then waits for Batista to get up and off the ropes, but that proves to be a mistake, as when Batista gets on the ropes, he delivers punches to both Edge and Zack, knocking them both off of the apron, then Batista turns and charges at Curt, DELIVERING A SPEAR TO THE CHEST OF CURT! Curt crumbles to the ground, as does Batista, but Batista manages to get one hand around Curt's chest, which leads to a slow pinfall count by Chavo. After the first slap of the mat, Chavo looks around and tells Edge to get up and break up the pin. Chavo then slaps the mat again a few seconds later, with there being no signs of Zack or Edge breaking up the pin. Chavo, hesitantly and reluctantly, lifts his hand in the air, and slams the mat a third time, giving Batista the victory at 14:39 and a date with Edge for the title at the Royal Rumble!
After the match Chavo quickly darts for the exit, not wanting to listen to the bitching out that he will receive from Edge after counting the pinfall. Batista on the otherhand, continues to lay on the canvas, out of energy after his hard-fought battle, which he somehow picked up the win on. Meanwhile, Edge is on the outside, pulling at his hair, not believing that Batista managed to pull out the victory out of his ass. Edge walks over to the ring announcer and grabs two steel chairs and slides inside of the ring with them. He begins to stomp on the head and places one of the two steel chairs under Batista's head, but before he attempts to deliver a thunderous con-chair-to, he tells Zack to come inside of the ring and Curt to get up and restrain Batista so he can't move out of the way. Edge's cousins oblige and hold onto one of Batista's legs and arms, while Edge raises the other steel chair that he brought inside of the ring and SLAMS IT ON BATISTA'S HEAD! HE DOES IT AGAIN! AND AGAIN! The crowd then begins to boo Edge and throw garbage inside of the ring, not pleased with Edge's actions. Edge then goes back to the ring announcer and grabs his World Heavyweight Championship before re-entering the ring. Edge tells his cousins to pick Batista up and hold him upright so he can take him out with his title. They yet again agree and Edge runs full-force at Batista and TAKES HIM OUT WITH HIS CHAMPIONSHIP! Batista's face is now a full crimson red, and some 'Edge Sucks' chants are heard in the crowd. With Batista crumbled on the ground, Edge stands overtop of him, hoisting his title in the air as Smackdown goes off the air.
Fade to Black.
---
*Poster To Come*
Royal Rumble
When: January 27, 2008
Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Confirmed Matches
Royal Rumble Match:
Snitsky vs. Elijah Burke vs. Rey Mysterio vs. 27 other competitors
Singles Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:
Edge (c) vs. Batista
---
End of the Week News and Notes
Provided by the WrestlingObserver.com
-With the Royal Rumble just around the corner, only a few weeks away, there has been many options discussed as the winners of the Rumble. Of course, the WWE had their plans figured out ahead of time, but there is talk of who they should give the win to, and who it would benefit the most. Of the names discussed, the most talked about are Triple H, who would take on Randy Orton with their Evolution days being played up, Shawn Michaels, who could possibly jump brands and take on Edge, and Chris Jericho, whose return hasn't been as hot as once thought, and with a win, would give him some momentum. However, all of these talks are still up for grabs, and they will probably go into the wee-hours of the morning on the day before the Royal Rumble.
-Jeff Hardy was barely included after his huge victory over Triple H at Armageddon which won him a WWE Championship Match at the Royal Rumble, but expect him to be majorly involved after the Tribute to the Troops show, as the WWE wants to wrap up the Orton/Jericho feud for now.
-There has been some talks of some major TNA Superstar's contracts running up within the next 3 months, with them including Christian, Kurt Angle, Raven, Team 3D, Rhino, Chris Harris, Robert Roode, and James Storm. However, the chances of the WWE even signing half of them are about slim to none, as many of them, such as Rhino, 3D, and Angle, are still bitter over Vince treating them poorly. Christian did sound open for a return, if plans on pushing him were to come through, and Harris, Roode, and Storm all said that they wanted to make it to the number 1 company someday, so there's a chance they would come if the WWE offered a heavy amount of money for them.
-And while there are many superstars that may be on their way into the WWE, expect a handful of people to be released after Wrestlemania 24, with the WWE wanting to bring new superstars up from developmental and in from other places. Some names being talked about being let go are Kane, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Val Venis, and Super Crazy, among others.
-With JBL expected to return back inside of the squared circle on the RAW brand, there has been a lot of discussion of who should be the man to replace him at the commentators booth. Tazz seems like the most viable option, as he's doing nothing now that ECW is gone and has many years of experience. The only other two options seem to be Mick Foley and Todd Grisham, although it's highly unlikely either of them is taken over Tazz.
-Saturday Night's Main Event has been confirmed to make a return on March 2nd, only two weeks after the No Way Out pay-per-view. It is expected to be used as a heavy-build type of show for WrestleMania 24, instead of a throw-away show like how it has been used since it returned.
