King Booker may be a king without a throne. With Regal and Finlay turning their backs on his majesty and Batista standing in his way from competing at Cyber Sunday, the World Heavyweight Champion looked to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. If having to face The Animal were not enough, WWE Champion John Cena and ECW Champion Big Show would be in attendance tonight. With the odds seemingly insermountable and with his kingdom crumbling from all sides, would King Booker continue to battle on, or would he have to raise the white flag of submission?
The World Heavyweight Champion was not the only competitor preparing for a war. Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio prepared for one of the greatest battles of their lives. Losing two battles against his greatest adversary in this bitter war, Guerrero challenged Mysterio to an I Quit Match last week on SmackDown.
"This thing between me and you," Guerrero said, "...will not end until one of us quits. That is why next week, I am challenging you to an I Quit Match."
With momentum on his side, the former World Champion accepted the challenge. "Im going to prove to both of you what Rey Mysterio is all about. You want an I Quit Match? ...the words I Quit are going to come out of your mouth Chavo."
Later on in the evening, viewers would witness a bitter and personal war between former friends that would leave the crowd stunned and held in awe. In a match where there were no rules, no pin falls, no disqualifications, both Mysterio and Guerrero reached deep within themselves and soared to new heights of brutality.
Mysterio pressed the attack early on. Combing his areobatics and skull-crushing chair shots he kept Chavo on the defensive. The Mysterio that showed up tonight on SmackDown was not one fans were used to seeing. Here was not an entertainer, but a fighter looking to survive the fight of his life.
Guerrero tried to comeback early in the match, but Mysterio was relentless. Hitting the 619, Rey looked to hit the top rope leg drop. While it looked that the former World Champion would take the match early, Vickie Guerrero showed her worth and interferred in the match long enough to allow Chavo to gain the advantage. From then on, Guerrero pressed forward. With steel chair in hand, Chavo savagely attacked Mysterio's left knee.
The animosity between the two competitors is well-documented. Both men, considered artists in the ring, used one another as canvasas to paint portraits of pain. The brutality was too intense to be contained in the ring as the match spilled to the floor and up the entrance ramp. In this match, neither Guerrero nor Mysterio were cheered as individuals, but together, the crowd appreciated the battle that unfolded; arguably, one of the best matches of the year.
As Mysterio and Guerrero raged on, it looked as if Rey would soar to his third straight win against Chavo; yet, like so many things in the WWE, anything could happen. Guerrero, able to lock Mysterio's injured leftleg in the SmackDown stage scalfolding attacked the injured limb like a proverbial shark smelling blood. Unleashing a flurry of chair shots to Mysterio's injured leg, Rey had not choice but to utter the words, "I quit."
Many times it has been said that wrestlers would never be the same after a match. After witnessing the carnage Guerrero and Mysterio unleashed would beg the statement to be made once more.
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) promised to make an impact on SmackDown and has been making quick exits as of late thanks to The Big Red Machine, Kane. Last week, MVP said that he wanted an opponent that could make him sweat. When MVP saw Kane enter through the fires of hell, some thought he would do more than sweat.
Feeling that SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long was guilty of foul play, Porter said that he was not prepared to face Kane last week on SmackDown. Tonight, however, he was ready and the outcome would be different.
As the flames of hell erupted once more, Kane made his way to the ring and wasted no time going after MVP. The self-proclaimed hottest property in sports entertainment would earn every cent of his lucrative contract.
The Rookie would not roll over easily for the more experienced Kane. Using the steel steps to his advantage, Porter turned up the intensity and went after the monster. Though Porter continued to work on Kane, The Big Red Machine demonstrated why he was considered one of the WWE's most dominating figures.
Like a quarterback running for the sidelines after a scramble, MVP took to the high road after kicking Kane in the groin, causing the disqualification.
Looking to continue his success in the ring, Elijah Burke took on wrestling's toughest man in a dress, Vito. Accompanied by The Man Bear, Sylvester Terkay, Burke gained the early advantage in the match. However, like Terkay's matches, Burke's advantage would not last long as Vito took control.
Since donning the dress, Vito remained undefeated. Terkay's interferrence would give Burke the edge he needed to hand the French maid-wearing superstar his first defeat. Now that Vito has had his first defeat in a dress, will he continue with his fashion trend?
Looking to back up is words the new tag team of Regal and Taylor brought intensity early on in the match. Taylor's deceptive strength played a pivitol role as he threw SmackDown's Number One Announcer around the ring like a rag doll. With quick tags, Regal and Taylor kept Funaki away from making the hot tag.
Sending a message to the entire tag division, including champions Kendrick and London, Regal and Taylor decimated Scotty and Funaki, not allowing the opponents to get a start in the match. Easily picking up the win, Regal and Taylor were not done as they continued their assault post match.
Like former United States Champion Ken Kennedy, Gregory Helms claimed that he had beaten everyone in the locker room. And as with Kennedy, General Manager Theodore Long would seal the Curiserweight Champion's fate as he would dance with the devil and face The Undertaker.
As darkness engulfed the arena and the ominous fog rolled in, the gong sounded heralding the coming of Death himself. The Undertaker entered the ring and Helms' decent into hell began. While Helms (the longest running champion in the history of sports entertainment) who viewed himself as a god among men, was made mortal by The Phenom.
Undertaker would not allow the cruiserweight champion to mount any offense, dominating with soul-shattering blows that made The Dead Man the fan favorite throughout the ages. Even interference from Mr. Kennedy could not deter Taker from claiming Helms as his next victim.
Layla El proved to the other SmackDown Divas that she was more than a pretty face as she was victorious in the SmackDown Diva Dance Off. Michelle McCool, Ashley, Layla, Kristal and Jillian each strut their stuff for as The Miz, Aaron Carter and Nick Carter enthusiastically served as judges.
The competition would not be without controversy as Mizanin initially announced that Kristal was the winner. While The Miz and SmackDown's newest diva have had their conflicts in the past, the crowd was shocked at Mizanin's attempt the throw the Dance Off in Kristal's favor. Fortunately, the Carter brothers announced that they had chosen Layla and she was officially announced as the winner.
Kristal, having had victory snatched from her hands attacked El, which led to the other contestants having to seperate the two. In previous weeks, Kristal has spoken out about the newest SmackDown divas trying to "do and say what they want." Is it possible that she will move beyond words to secure her spot on the SmackDown roster?
For 86 days, King Booker reigned as the soverign ruler of SmackDown and tonight, he looked to make it 87. With the Raw and ECW champions in attendance, The King wanted to send a message not only to the challenger, Batista, but to Cena and Big Show as well.
Fighting like a man with everything to lose and nothing to gain, Booker took the fight to Batista. Finlay added to Batista's beating as he appeared seemingly from nowhere to attack The Animal on the outside.
However, the hunter should be wary of wounded prey. Batista, with a burst of adreneline, speared The Word Champion through ECW Champion Big Show. The Animal would take control of the match, until Big Show interferred, causing the disqualification.
The odds were made even as Raw champion John Cena fought back both Show and King Booker while Batista recovered.
Enjoying what he saw in the ring, Theodore Long told the crowd and competitors that he would try everything in his power to book a match that would pit King Booker and Big Show against Batista and John Cena.
Contents copyright © 2006 by Trinae Angelique Ross. This document is written for www.rajah.com. No part of this report may be used without expressed written permission by the author or webmaster. Inquiries about using this material on other websites should be made to the author or to the webmaster at webmaster@rajah.com.
