» On Friday, January 28, 2005 at 1:03 AM EST WWE Smackdown
January 27, 2005
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Announcers: Michael Cole and Tazz
72 hours before the Royal Rumble, and tonight we saw the final two slots being filled for Sunday’s Royal Rumble Match. In addition to the qualifying match on tonight’s show, here are the results of the other featured matches:
Before the show began tonight, highlights from last week of Kurt apologizing to Joy and the subsequent events that followed were shown.
Backstage at this week‘s show, JBL and his cabinet were with Angle and his stable, rehashing how they destroyed Big Show last week. They then plotted on how they were going to take out Booker T, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero.
Match #1:Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and Booker T vs. Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns and Orlando Jordan.
Booker and Jindrak locked up, both ending up in a corner of the ring. Jindrak applied both an elbow and hammerlock to Booker. Booker responded with a clothesline to Jindrak, followed by Jindrak being slammed to the mat. Rey then got a springboard off the top rope onto Jindrak for the cover; Jindrak kicked out.
Right hands and kicks by Orlando Jordan were rained onto Rey; but not for long, as Rey got away and went off for another springboard onto Jordan for the cover; Jordan kicked out. Right hands were then exchanged between Jordan and Eddie, then Eddie got in a back body drop.
Booker and Eddie then double teamed Jordan before Jordan was covered; the cover was broken by Jindrak.
Booker then put some right hands to Jindrak, followed by Booker, Eddie and each subsequently being tossed outside of the ring as the match went to a commercial break.
Back from commercial break, it seemed that the team of Jindrak, Reigns and Jordan had the upper hand of the match as they worked over Rey. Rey came back once Eddie put a thumb to the eye of one of the heels. Ref was briefly distracted at one point when Rey went for the cover, but Jindrak kicked out. The heel team then continued to work over Rey.
Rey did manage to get loose and tagged in Eddie; with Eddie and Booker eventually cleaning house with the heels and Rey connecting with the 619 onto Jindrak and Eddie connecting with the frog splash and a successful cover for the win.
Winners: Eddie, Rey and Booker T
Aftermath:
An angry Luther than confronted Jordan, slamming him to the ring, The Bashams, followed by Angle came out to the ring, and JBL made his way to the ring as the show went to another commercial break.
Upon return from the break, JBL was raising hell and how Angle needs to get ‘his boys’ under control. The two group leaders then went back and forth bickering in the ring. Angle then got in that he was winning championship when JBL was getting drunk at frat parties and that he would be the last man standing at the championship. JBL then bellowed to the boos of Arkansas that it was home of the biggest liar of them all, Bill Clinton, and that Angle would not ever be champion again.
Teddy Long then came along to interrupt while Kurt was about to speak again, announcing that Big Show would be at the Rumble on Sunday night. He then announced a singles last man standing non-title match as the main event later tonight.
Highlights from the Steve Austin press conference were shown.
Royal Rumble event announced-Undertaker vs. Heindenreich casket match, with past clips of Heindenreich/Undertaker history shown and Heindenreich reading one of his poems in the background.
Match #2: US Title Match: John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki (w/Hiroko)
For a championship match, this was relatively short.
Cena was immediately on Kenzo for practically the entire match, with Suzuki not getting in very much offense at all during the entire match. Suzuki was doomed from the time Cena had driven him into the steel post outside of the ring, followed by driving Suzuki into the announce table and then the floor. Cena would then continue to dominate the rest of the match before finishing off Suzuki with the FU for the win.
Winner: John Cena
Aftermath:
Cole interviewed Cena briefly, asking if the match tonight helped him build momentum toward the Royal Rumble match Sunday in Fresno. Cena responded by cutting another promo, with “Chain Gang” references peppered in.
Rey and Eddie were backstage trading some friendly banter when Booker walked in. Booker wondered what was so funny, and Rey answered how they were talking about their win and how great hey are. Booker went on to say how they lost the Tag Team titles, and Eddie admitted he did screw up, and how he would win the Rumble and main event at WrestleMania. Booker reminded that the Rumble was every man for himself; Rey getting in how Eddie was lying, cheating and stealing, and if he were Booker or Rey, would they trust him? Booker said that the winner of the Rumble would be….Booker T (with Rey joining in with “Rey Mysterio!”) at the same time.
Another Pittsburgh area promo for next month’s No Way Out was aired.
Heidenreich came to the ring, yelled at the crowd to shut up, then read some of his poetry. In the darkened arena, Heidenreich spied a casket outside the ring, Heidenreich then freaked out, kicked it several times before continuing with the poet reading. once again and took refuge behind the ring, foaming at the mouth at one point and collapsing in the ring, still obviously freaked about the casket match.
Backstage, Angle knocked on Long’s door several times and wanted to talk to Long. He was obviously upset about the match later tonight and that someone could get hurt. Long wondered if Angle was afraid, but Kurt went on about the consequences of such a match before Long cut him off and made it clear that the match was still on and Angle had a match to get ready for.
Match #3: Fatal Four Way Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Paul London vs. Shannon Moore vs. Funaki vs. Spike Dudley
Funaki immediately attacked by Spike before he got into the ring. Moore thrown out of the ring by Spike after London kicked out by the cover by Moore. Spike seemed to take turns with each of the other three contenders, but this was a very fast-moving match of impressive moves between all four cruiserweights. London had a nasty landing outside of the ring at one point when he went over the ropes.
Dudley Dog by Spike was countered by Funaki; Spike then attacked Moore from behind and put him outside the ring. Quite a many time that London and Moore were going at each other before London put Moore off the top rope and out of the ring.
The match finished when London did an impressive 450 off the top rope onto Spike for the cover and London picking up the win and a spot in the Royal Rumble.
Winner: Paul London
Backstage, JBL was complaining to Amy about how stupid this whole Last Man Standing match was and banged on Long’s door to confront Long about the match. He raised hell at Long about the match, before Long slammed the office door in his face. Carlito then showed up with his petition and asked JBL to sign it. JBL signed without hesitation. Carlito was excited that his petition that the WWE Champion had signed his petition and that was cool!
All the waste of screen time Lack of Talent Bimbo Brigade members were backstage when Amy said she had an announcement. Amy asked the women to sign Carlito. Amy said she was not afraid of Joy and how Amy was an image consultant and that Joy was a ‘walking disaster,’ with the others getting in their bitchy digs on Joy as well. Joy then walked in and said that she was still here and that Amy was the one that needed an image consultant before throwing liquid on her. Yet another pointless segment that had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of show, but I guess they had to get in these sluts in somewhere, since none of them have a match at the Rumble (thank goodness for the latter--we’re actually getting a break from these airheads at the PPV for once).
JR and Lawler announced the Royal Rumble matches via the RAW side, followed by Tazz and Cole announcing the Smackdown matches.
Match #4: Kurt Angle vs. JBL-Last Man Standing Match
It was announced for this particular match that anything goes and that the first man that could not get to his feet by the count of 10 would be the loser of the match.
Kurt was already all over JBL once the show resumed from the commercial break, before JBL drove Kurt into a turbuckle. JBL went for the cover before the ref informed him that there was no cover in this match. It appeared in the beginning that Kurt had the upper hand in this match.
Angle was down at one point, but was able to get back up at the count of five. JBL took Angle off the top rope in suplex, and both were down. JBL was able to get up at first, and Angle was up by the count of nine and then getting JBL into an ankle lock. JBL tapped, but this also didn’t count in this match. The ankle lock was broken up by the Bashams nevertheless.
There was a brawl between the two factions outside of the ring before the ref broke it up and sent everyone to the back as the match went to a commercial break.
Upon returned, the match continued when Kurt and JBL were continuing to battle outside of the ring and Kurt was whipped across the announce table and then into the barricade. JBL was in control during a large part of the second half of this match until Angle countered a back body drop by JBL and then JBL countered a potential Angle Slam and drove Angle into the announce table once again.
On the floor, Angle got up before the count expired again before being driven shoulder first into the steel post by JBL and was once again back up at a count of nine and a half.
Angle got in eight German suplexes on JBL, before both men were down on the mat. Angle was up first this time before JBL was up at the nine count and Angle got him into a sleeper lock. JBL’s arm went down three times before the ref began the ten count once again. JBL was again up and Angle got him down once again.
JBL got in a power bomb on Angle and the count began again; Angle then got up at the nine count, only to be put off the turnbuckle by JBL. Missing the boot on Angle, Angle then connected with the Angle Slam, sending both to the mat, and JBL was back up at the nine count.
JBL connected with the Clothesline From Hell, and both men were down again. JBL got up first, followed by Angle, barely beating the ten count. JBL went for a steel chair and missed Angle with it; Angle got in yet another German suplex.
Angle then plowed JBL with a steel chair. Both were eventually down and even though it looked as if not up by the time the bell rang to end the match.
Winner: No Contest
Meanwhile, at the end of the show, Teddy Long and Big Show were backstage grinning, with Long thanking Show for the match idea.
Show then cut a promo directed at both JBL and Angle, saying he loved when a plan comes together and that he would be the next WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble.POST-SHOW NOTES:
For a show that is the final episode before the Rumble, there wasn’t really much Rumble hype to speak of. I found this a little odd for a show that was happening before a PPV.
For those that haven’t really paid attention, this was London’s first appearance on Smackdown since before last fall’s No Mercy PPV.
What did you all think of Teddy’s jacket tonight? Was that pink or salmon? I really couldn’t make the call.
The ending to tonight’s show was very suprising to me….then again, I knew eventually that Show would get in his own type of revenge against his two Royal Rumble opponents.
Next week will be the first post-Rumble episode and the beginning of the road to the February PPV, No Way Out.
Until then, enjoy wrestling.