Smackdown starts with a recap of last week’s major tag match, including Henry splashing Angle through a table at Orton’s orders.
Intro music and pyro.
Surrounding the ring is all the lumberjacks for Finlay and Lashley’s match. Fit comes down first, sheleighly in hand. Video recap of Fit and Lashley’s non-match last week that spilled out of the building and destroyed a car. Lashley comes out looking exactly as he does every week, big and focused.
Lashley pushes Fit from the ring as soon as he enters. Fit pushes Funaki to the floor. Lashley whips Fit and Fit gets his foot up, but Lashley grabs the foot. Fit grabs the top rope, Lashley has both feet and lifts him high into he air before dropping him to the mat. Fit rolls out an the face side and gets into it with Tatanka and Hardy. Fit rolls out of the ring on the heel side and they don’t do anything. Lashley gets out on the face side and walks around. Heels and faces face off, but don’t get into it. Fit gets the upper hand until Lashley nails an inverted atomic drop.
Orlando grabs Lashley’s leg from outside. Lashley goes out on the apron and Fit knocks him to the floor. Fit tries to cover Lashley twice, but only gets two each time. Lashley gets tossed out on the heel side and gets completely stomped by them all.
Fit drops a couple knees to Lashley’s ribs. Fit locks on a headlock but Lashley backs him into a corner to break the hold. Fit hits two hard clotheslines and covers for two. Fit nails Lashley with an elbow to the shoulder. Fit has control. Then, suddenly Lashley gets pissed and none of Fit’s punches matter. So Fit tossed Lashley out to get stomped by the heels. Lashley gets tossed into the ring and Fit chokes him in a corner. Fit goes for Lashley in the corner, but Lashley moves. Fit nails his shoulder on the ring post.
Lashley nails a belly to belly. Irish whip and clothesline to Fit. Lashley nails a long delayed vertical suplex on Fit. Lashley picks Fit up in a military press and tosses him out onto his heels. Lashley rolls out and pretty much takes out most of the heels. He holds his own damn well.
Both are back in the ring. Lashley turns around to see Sylvan about to hit him with a chair. Lashley spears him. While the ref is trying to regain control Fit grabs his sheleighly and nails Lashley with it. Fit covers for three. Fit is in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
- Winner: Fit Finlay
- Commercial
WM Big Time Moment is the 2001Legends Battle Royal. Iron Sheik wins.
Cole plugs Hogan Knows Best.
Outback Nitro and Mercury are looking at the muscle mag with Vince on the cover. Melina says she’s been wanting to see it. She grabs it and inside is Candice’s Playboy magazine. The guys are caught. Melina told them to keep it, she had what she wanted. She said she needed to be alone. One of the guys asked why. Melina told him to use his imagination and walks off.
Outback Melina approaches Crystal. She tells her she’s impressed with her wrestling and her photos in the Diva’s magazine. Melina tells Crystal that she is the top Diva in the WWE and Crystal needs to learn that. Pirate Paul walks up next to Crystal. Melina laughs and calls the other two over to see him. Nitro and Mercury make jokes and comments until Pirate Paul pulls out his sword. They quickly disappear. Crystal then makes a comment about the size of a man’s sword and looks down rather than up at the blade.
Outback Orton is getting ready for his interview.
- Commercial
William Regal comes down to the ring with Jillian for a mixed tag match. She’d in an orange and purple two piece outfit. Damn she’s stacked! Pirate Paul swings to the ramp beautifully and waits for Crystal to join him before heading to the ring. She seems happy to be on his arm. She’s in black bottoms and a green and black top that ties in front. There are garters coming from under her shorts to hold up her stockings.
Crystal gets into a pushing match with Jillian. They lock up and Crystal gets backed into a corner. Jillian nails Crystal with a knee to the gut and an uppercut. Jillian slams Crystal’s face off the top turn buckle. Crystal gets whipped into another corner and Jillian does Molly Holly’s handspring bum splash. Crystal ducks under a clothesline and nails a decent head scissors on Jillian. Crystal stratles Jillian and starts to pound her face when Regal rushes in and grabs Crystal around the waist to pull her off Jillian.
Crystal bitch slaps Regal and tags Pirate Paul in. Paul starts kicking Regal and hits a cross body for two. Paul pushes Regal face first to the mat and puts his foot on Regal’s back while yelling to the crowd. He looks like Captain Morgan doing it.
Paul slams Regal and drops a leg for two. Regal takes control with forearms, but Paul comes back with a back body drop. Regal gets his head slammed into the top turn buckle. He’s resting in the corner and Paul climbs to start punches, but takes too long showboating and gets pushed back to the mat. Regal kicks Paul in the side of the head. Regal backs him into a corner and keeps pounding his knee into Paul’s face. They start exchanging forearm shots. Regal gets the upper hand. Regal drops Paul with a back elbow. Regal covers for one. Regal gets Paul into a headlock and the ‘Regal Sucks’ chants start. Paul gets to his feet and elbows out. Paul throws a bunch of punches, but then gets a knee to the gut.
Paul lands a standing moonsault for a cover, but Jillian breaks up the count. Crystal comes right in after her. Crystal tackles Jillian and they roll around on the mat until Jillian pokes Crystal in the eye. It looks as though Jillian is going to clothesline Crystal from the ring, but Crystal moves at the last moment and Jillian goes out through the ropes to the floor.
Regal kicks Pirate Paul in the gut and starts setting up for a move, but Paul reverses out and nails Regal with the C4 and covers for the win. Pirate Paul and Crystal celebrate in the ring while Regal and Jillian look mortified out on the floor.
- Winners: Pirate Paul & Crystal
Outback Sharmell is yelling at Booker T that she’s scared and wants to go home. She begs Booker not to go out to the ring. He tells her to calm down, but she can’t finally he kisses her and tells her to trust him.
Outback Rey Rey is getting hooked up for his interview.
- Commercial
The list of Hall Of Fame inductees and who is inducting them. Ted DiBiase is inducting Sherri.
Sharmell comes out in a white bee keeper’s outfit with a tiara on top and heels on her feet. She introduces Booker, her voice shaking in fear the whole time. He has to almost pull her to the ring. ‘The Fire’ Jeremy Young is in the ring.
Booker backs him into a corner and throws punches. Booker nails a clothesline and a hard suplex. A chop to the chest drops Young. Booker nails a heel kick to the face and the kid can barely get up. Booker again chops him to the mat. Booker picks him up and slams him face first into a corner. Booker stomps him to the mat. Booker slaps Young across the face and Young tries to mount an assault, but Booker nails a hard spinebuster. ‘Boogeyman’ chants start freaking out both Booker and Sharmell. Booker kicks Young in the gut then nails his scissors kick for three.
Sharmell yells at Booker to get out of the ring and then the Boogeyman’s music starts. Sharmell is close to the announce table. Booker leaves the ring from the ramp sid. He runs over and pulls up the skirt so Sharmell can crawl under the ring to hide. Booker slides in with her and then peeks out like a huge square turtle.
Suddenly Booker comes flying out from under the ring like his assis on fire, pulling Sharmell with him. Right after them the Boogeyman comes out. They run up the ramp while the Boogeyman dances with his red smoking stick and chomps on worms.
- Winner: Booker T
- Commercial
16 days until WM
Video Recap of Mark Henry complaining about Taker taking his title shot. Then the tag team match last week when Angle was splashed through a table. Taker then challenges Henry to a casket match at WM. Then they show Orton charging on at RAW and nailing an RKO on Cena.
Angle, Rey and Orton are introduced for their interview. They are all outback, but separate. Orton cuts off Cole and says he has a question for Angle. He asks how his health is doing. “How’s your health champ?”
Angle says his health isn’t very good. He lives with pain everyday. He’s had three neck surgeries. Angle is going into his Olympics talk, but Orton cuts him off.
Orton then asks Rey how he feels considering he shouldn’t even be in the main event. Angle cuts Orton off saying Rey deserves to be in the main even and Orton isn’t. Rey won the RR. Rey beat Orton, but Orton played on his emotions to get into the match.
Orton accuses Angle of being a paper champion who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Angle shouldn’t even have been in that match, and would not have won if Orton had been allowed in the match.
Angle told Orton he was not a paper champion, that Orton was a paper challenger. Angle asks Orton how long he actually held the belt when he did win it. They go back and forth with this a bit just cutting each other down.
Orton goes back to Rey saying he’s just a charity case. Rey says people have told him that his whole career. He’s been the underdog all his life. At WM he’s going to become champion.
Cole cuts in and asks how the three of them are going to be tag partners tonight and SNME. Rey says Orton aside, Angle knows Rey has his back.
Angle says he knows Rey does. Angle says he wants to win the best of RAW against the best of Smackdown. But at WM it’s everyman for himself and he’s going to treat Rey as he would anyone else.
Cole asked Orton how he’s going to be in the tag matches. Orton says it would be a shame if either Angle or Rey were injured before WM. But, in these matches Orton says he’s going to shine.
- Commercial
Video promo for Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizannin.
Animal comes down to the ring in a black tank, blue jeans, black leather chaps and black leather vest. It looks good on him. Matt Hardy comes out to huge pop.
Matt throws forearms and a clothesline. He has to hit a high forearm to knock Animal to the mat. Matt climbs but Animal kicks the ropes to drop him. Animal slams Matt’s knee against the edge of the mat. ‘Hardy’ chants.
Animal applies a leg lock on that same knee he attacked last week. Matt starts to throw punches and gets out. Matt boots Animal to the face and a double boot to the chest. Matt nails an inverted DDT and a side effect for two. Matt hits another side effect.
Matt beats on Animal in a corner with punches and kicks. The ref gets an elbow to the face and Animal puts on his brass knucks. He punches Matt who drops like a rock to the mat. Animal covers for three.
The ref raises Animal’s arm in victory and the knicks fall from under his arm where he was hiding them. The ref reveres the decision and Matt wins by DQ. Animal attacks Matt before leaving the ring. Matt is laying flat on his back in the ring, but he’s in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match!
- Winner: Matt Hardy
- Commercial
Video of the Divas photo shoots for Divas Do New York.
JBL comes down to the announce table. He has a beer cooler in his hand. Video clips of Austin set to music. Tazz is wearing a light greet shirt and a darker green satin kerchief in his pocket - only on St. Patty’s Day.
Orlando Jordan comes down to the ring. Hasn’t he learned to stay away from Benoit? Guess not because Benoit comes down to the ring.
Orlando attacks Benoit as he enters the ring. They throw punches back and forth until Benoit nails a high back body drop and pounds Orlando in a couple of corners. Orlando rolls from the ring and Benoit follows. Benoit throws chops and glares at JBL. Orlando gets a couple of punches and Benoit goes for an arm bar. Orlando reversed the arm bar and gains control.
Orlando gets Benoit into an arm lock. Benoit hits an armdrag to get out of it. Benoit hits a couple of clotheslines and the three amigos. Benoit then nails two Germans. Orlando nails a sunset flip. Benoit is able to get to his feet and lock on the sharpshooter.
JBL rushes the ring and nails Benoit in the back with the beer cooler.
- Winner: Benoit
- Commercial
Video of Angle and Taker’s match where Henry attacked Taker and then put him through an announce table.
Outback Josh is talking to Henry and Daivari. He asks Henry what his thoughts are about the casket match. Henry asks if he’s supposed to pack up and go home? No. Legend says you have to fear the casket. Legend says you have to fear Taker at WM. Last week Taker was the one who didn’t show up. Henry calls Taker out tomorrow at SNME.
MNM come down to the ring. Mark Henry and Daivari come down to join them.
- Commercial
Kurt Angle comes out with his ribs taped. He actually climbs in the ring by himself, with out waiting for the other two. Or at least Rey. Rey bounces out of the stage and comes down to the ring. Orton comes down last to join his team.
Orton bitch slaps Nitro. Angle and Nitro start the match. Angle gets his arms around Nitro’s waist and takes him down. Angle then gets Nitro in an armlock.. Nitro reverses the hold. Angle gets to his feet, but gets nailed in the ribs. Nitro kicks Angle in the ribs.
Mercury tags in. He gets Angle in a corner and gets some rib shots, but Angle nails a belly to belly.
Rey tags in, Orton is busy fixing his knee pad to tag in, and takes Mercury down. Rey hits a springboard moonsault for two. Nitro tags in. Rey somehow kicks Mercury from the ring and drops Nitro for two in the same move. Rey hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors for two. Melina gets on the apron to distract and Rey gets tossed into Henry who tags in.
Henry stands on Rey, while holding the ropes to carry most of his weight. Rey gets tossed into a corner, but moves before Henry can smoosh him. Rey gets up on the ropes and throws punches, but Orton distracts the ref so Daivari can go after Rey and hang him up on the top rope.
Mercury tags in and punches Rey. Nitro tags in and they double team Rey. Nitro covers Rey for two.
- Commercial
Rey does Eddie’s little ‘jig for power’ (as my friends call it), the little shoulder dance to get energy to fight back. Rey elbows his way out of Nitro’s hold. Nitro gets Rey up for an delayed vertical suplex, but Rey switches his weight and rolls Nitro up. The thing is that Melina is on the apron distracting the ref, so he didn’t see it. As the ref notices Nitro breaks free. Nitro slides Rey out of the ring on his stomach. Angle and Orton start yelling and the ref is distracted by them. Daivari holds Rey while Melina bitch slaps Rey a couple times. Daivari tosses Rey in and Nitro covers for two. ‘Eddie’ chants begin.
Nitro distracts the ref while Melina applies head scissors on Rey who is hanging off the side of the apron. Mercury tags in and he and Nitro drop Rey gut first onto their knees. Mercury hits a sunset flip, but Rey rolls through and dropkicks Mercury. Rey can’t make it to his corner. Mercury keeps a hold on him. Orton actually looks like he’s reaching for a tag at this point, but he probably would have pulled back if Rey had gotten close enough. Nitro tags in. Nitro chokes Rey.
Henry tags in and headbutts Rey to the mat. Henry stomps Rey a couple times. Rey gets tossed in a corner, but Rey gets a few kicks to Henry’s gut. Rey can’t get to his corner, Henry grabs him by the ankles and drops an elbow. Henry tosses Rey into a corner and then picks him up in a military press. Henry drops Rey to the mat. Henry tries to splash Rey on the mat, but Rey moves. Rey dropkicks Henry to the side of the head. Rey finally gets to his corner. Angle tags in while Orton turns away from Rey’s tag to adjust his knee pad.
Angle clotheslines Mercury and Nitro. Angle then nails Mercury with a German and the same to Nitro. Angle’s straps come down. Mercury gets an Angle slam. Angle covers, but Henry breaks it up. Henry whips Angle into a corner, but Angle moves before Henry gets there.
Angle nails an Angle slam on Henry. Angle then sets up Mercury for the 619 and tags in Rey. Rey hits the 619 and Orton bounces over the ropes while tagging Rey in the back of the head. Orton tosses Rey out over the top rope and out. Orton covers Mercury for three.
- Winner: Rey & Angle & Orton
Biggest pop
Hardy
Rey
Angle
Benoit
Biggest heat
Mark Henry & Daivari
Orton
JBL
