Credit: pwinsider.com
Smackdown Taping
Peoria, Illinois
Dark Matches:
1. The Gymini (w/ Simon Dean) defeated CM Punk and Sterling James Keenan by pinfall.
2. Matt Hardy defeated Colt Cabana after the Twist of Fate. The crowd popped huge for Hardy's music. I guess the sound guy took notice, because he accidentally started playing his theme at the count of 2. My friend Justin thought he heard it before that time, but I didn't. After the match, Animal came out and destroyed Hardy with a chairshot against the ringpost.
Matthews and Romero come out, so I assume that this is Velocity. They'd had the side Trons with the Velocity logo on them since I'd walked in the building.
Velocity:
1. Fit Finlay defeated Psychosis by pinfall. Since I haven't really ever seen much of Finlay, I was pleased and shocked with how stiff he works. After the match, I believe it was Johnny Ace who drove the Juan Deere backstage. So if any of you were wondering who did that, it's him.
2. Kid Kash & Jamie Noble defeated Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki with a spear/clothesline combination on Funaki, scoring the pin. There were a lot of boos for Scotty.
3. Bobby Lashley (Chimmel kept his first name here, not sure about Finlay) defeated Vito after his version of the Dominator.
The SmackDown pyro went off after a few minutes and we were set for our first match...
1. Brian Kendrick & Paul London defeated MNM by pinfall after a quick roll-up. This match had a lot of near-falls and was pretty fast-paced, compared to the rest of the night.
Backstage, Booker T and Sharmell bounded into Teddy Long's office after Teddy got off the phone. Long inquired as to why Booker was so happy, and Booker said that they'd gotten a restraining order against Boogeyman. Long wasn't too happy.
2. Gunther Scott (maybe Gunner, I don't know. But if Chris Kanyon is looking for a stunt-double, this is the guy) defeated Booker T by a roll-up after Boogey's music started to play. No Boogeyman in Peoria, though.
After the match, Teddy Long came out and made fun of the "music miscue." Once again, Long announced the winner to rub it in Booker's face.
Backstage, Benoit pumped up this Scott guy.
3. Chris Benoit defeated Simon Dean after using the Crippler Crossface.
Still with Benoit in the ring, a promo aired for JBL about how he's going to have some "Great American" celebration next week. After this, Teddy Long announced there would be a cage match to close out the show, and I assume that won't be on television.
Backstage, Kurt Angle stares down Randy Orton pumping up. A video played before the break with Orton in it, too, so I thought that was kind of weird. I also thought it was odd that Orton was still on the show, despite his 60-day suspension. Anyway, Orton gets bitch-smacked by Kurt Angle and Angle screams "YEAH!" two times.
4. Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton after using two consecutive 619s and a West Coast Pop leg drop. The first was on the ring post, and then the other on the ropes. This was honestly a slow match. Slow-paced with quite a few restholds, I thought.
On the screen, Palmer Cannon says the network does not endorse the following...
A Miz promo!
Backstage, Kristal interviews Rey. Rey says he wants to say "thank you." My suspicion was correct in that I HAD heard boos during the title match when Mysterio came out, because they booed him a lot during this promo. He brought in his family too.
More backstage - William Regal goes up to Pirate Paul and tries to smooth things over. He wants to give Paul another chance. They argue over Paul's choice of attire and Paul makes a deal - if Regal wins, Regal can make Paul wear whatever he wants. If Paul wins, Regal would "make for a buxom wench."
5. Pirate Paul defeated William Regal after the C4. I'd never seen the C4 since I rarely have a chance to watch SmackDown, and I missed most of it because I was fiddling around with deleting the crappy pictures off my camera.
In Long's office, several members of the roster were assembled. Long said that the KING OF THE RING!~ tournament would be coming back, and that our first match next week would be...Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton!
Mark Henry cut a promo. I really couldn't tell you about what it was, since I was too busy starting a successful "WHAT?!" chant. But with respect to Henry, he ran with it and let us have our fun after the frustration went away.
6. Undertaker vs. Mark Henry goes to a no-contest, I guess. Undertaker had taken Henry outside and was doing some damage until Daivari marched to the ring with Dalip Singh from Deep South Wrestling, who puts a beating on the Undertaker. The Deadman stays down as this monster raises his arms and holds them, sets them down, holds them up again, and repeats the process a few more times. Why? I don't know. Finally they leave, and Undertaker slowly walks back.
While they set up the cage, they aired videos on the troops and on the Divas.
DARK MATCH:
JBL defeated Chris Benoit to retain the United States title in a steel cage match. I couldn't believe all the people that had left while setting the cage up, and the little reaction the whole match got. A few minutes into the match JBL did the little Eddie dance and pointed up, but the fans booed what I thought was a nice little tribute. JBL put the 3 Amigos on Benoit, and Benoit came back with 3 of his own. A FINE-looking Jillian Hall got involved by distracting the ref as JBL tied Benoit to the top of the cage with the tag rope. Benoit struggled, but JBL ran out the door and back to his limo, which I think passed me a few minutes away from the arena (sans horns & insignia). After JBL's music played, Benoit's played as he sucked in more adulation from the fans.
Overall, it was a pretty good show. I think that there could have been a promo or two to keep some Wrestlemania steam, at least from Angle anyway. And speaking of Angle, I'm surprised he wasn't involved in the show more than he was. If you see me, I'll be holding the "www.EWCOMMUNITY.com" sign off from the far right corner (on the screen). I think I might be on a few times.
Some notes about the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois...
-Not a lot was tarped off - about 6 sections to the right of the hard camera (if you're standing at the camera).
-More people were in the upper bowl on the side the camera was facing. I assume they might've moved some people around beforehand.
I just got back from the Smackdown taping in Peoria. I'm a little fuzzy on some things, but I'll give you as best of a recap as I can.
Tony Chimel welcomed everyone and announced that the show will start with Velocity...but the Velocity announcers didn't come out until the third match in, so I think the first two were dark matches.
Gymini (with Simon Dean) beat CM Punk & Sterling James Keenan. Punk & SJK tried, but even they couldn't make Gymini look good. Even if this was supposed to be a Velocity match I doubt it makes it to the webcast.
Matt Hardy pinned Colt Cabana after the Twist of Fate. This was a fun (and short) match. Colt heeled it up. Road Warrior Animal jumped Hardy after the match and ran Matt's shoulder into the ring post.
Josh & Steve came out to "Click Click Boom" by Saliva.
Fit Finlay pinned Psicosis
Bobby Lashley pinned Vito
Kid Kash & Jamie Noble beat Funaki & Scotty Too Hotty.
This is where things might get a little hazy. Some of this stuff might not be in order.
Brian Kendrick & Paul London beat MNM in a non-title match when Paul London pinned Joey Mercury. This was a fun match, and the crowd slowly got into it before the end. Lots of near falls.
Booker T & Sharmell enter Teddy Long's office. They jaw-jack a bit and eventually they tell Teddy they have a 100 foot restraining order against The Boogeyman. If Boogey violates that order Booker is going to sue Teddy for everything he's worth.
Brent Albright (billed as Gunter something or other) pins Booker T after Boogeyman's music, Titantron, and lights begin. Book gets distracted by this and Albright rolls him up for the three. On the way back, Teddy Long meets Albright in the entrance and raises his hand and announces him the winner once again.
A little while after Gunter (Brent Albright) beat Booker T they showed him backstage. Chris Benoit came up to him and said something I couldn't make out very well. It sounds like Benoit was serving as some kind of mentor to Albright.
Chris Benoit beat Simon Dean by submission. Another quick match. I was a little surprised how much heat Simon Dean had, especially since he hasn't been featured on Smackdown as much lately. As Benoit celebrated a video aired about "Great Americans" and of course it turned out it was a JBL video. Benoit looks disgusted and heads to the back.
At this point, Teddy Long comes out during what seemed like a "commercial break" and announced that Benoit will get his shot at JBL tonight for the US title in a steel cage.
Randy Orton was shown backstage preparing for his match with Rey Mysterio. Kurt Angle appeared. Orton told Kurt that he looked like he was missing something. He then "realized" he was missing the World Title. He told him that he couldn't help him now, but next week Angle could look around Orton's waist because he's beating Rey tonight. Kurt Angle then gave Randy a pretty stiff slap and walked away.
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a World Title match. Best match on the card. Really back and forward. The crowd was again some-what split on Rey. Orton had a few cheering sections as well. Dozens of two-counts. Rey ended up hitting two 619s (one from around the corner of the ring) and a springboard leg drop to the back of Orton's head for the win.
Backstage, Paul Burchill and William Regal jaw-jacked a bit. Regal wants Burchill to stop acting like a pirate, but Burchill isn't having it. Burchill reminded Regal that since he turned into a pirate, Burchill has been undefeated. He also said that Regal hasn't won many matches lately. They eventually agreed to a match tonight with the stipulation that the winner will pick what the loser wears. As Burchill walked away, he came back and told Regal how good he'd look as a bar wench.
We switch to the locker room where Teddy Long, Fit Finlay, Matt Hardy, Kurt Angle, and a few other men are standing. Long announces that he is bringing back a WWE tradition - The King of the Ring and it starts next week with Kurt Angle facing Randy Orton.
Paul Burchill defeated William Regal. The crowd wasn't into this match so much.
Mark Henry came out and did a promo. It was hard to listen to.
Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker went to a no-contest when Davari came out with Dalip Singh while Taker and Henry were fighting in front of Cole & Tazz on the outside of the ring. Taker disposed of Henry and climbed in the ring and stood toe to toe with the big man. Taker threw a punch, but it had no effect. The big guy gave Taker a sort of over-head chop and took him down. He beat up Taker and did the same pose 5 times....left the ring...then turned around and did the pose again before leaving.
I believe this was the end of the taping.
JBL retained Chris Benoit in a Steel Cage Match. Your standard steel cage match. Nothing all that special. JBL did the 'Three Amigos" and danced like Eddie to get some heat. I'm not a big fan of that, but whatever. The end came when JBL took a rope off the turnbuckle, hid it in his trunks, had Benoit follow him to the top of the cage, and then he tied Benoit's wrist to the top of the cage. JBL went out the door and won.
That's all I can remember. It's been a long few weeks with ROH, Wrestlemania, and the sort. So I'm lacking sleep. Hope this helps.
I just got back from the Smackdown taping in Peoria, Illinois. It was a good night, not great but not bad, just good. The crowd was kind of out of it most of the night.
Dark Matches:
Gymini with Simon Dean vs. CM Punk and James Keenan. Punk took most of the beating and Keenan got most offence for that team. Gymini win but need a lot of work still.
Matt Hardy vs. Colt Cabana. Hardy wins with Twist of Fate and his music cued at 2 not 3. After the bell rang, Animal came out beat Hardy, threw him into to ringpost then hit his arm with a chair
Josh and Steve come out
Finlay vs. Psicosis Finlay gets mixed reaction from crowd. Finlay get win with Emerald Fusion.
Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki vs. Jamie Noble and Kid Kash Scotty got a small "Scotty sucks" chant and saw very little of the match. He ended up getting hit by both guys. Kash held Funaki back while Jamie got the pin
Lashley vs. Vito with Nunzio Quick match, Lashley over BIG Wins with the Dominator
Smackdown:
MNM vs. Paul London and Brian Kendrick. London and Kendrick come out and pick up Melina while she was doing her split intro and did a circle while carrying her. Kendrick in most of the match and beat up good. London gets tagged but it wasn’t seen, when he finally gets in he clears the ring but ends up getting knocked down and set up for the Snapshot. Kendrick comes in and takes out Nitro. London gets a small package and a 2 and 9/10th count. Near fall for Mercury another Snapshot set up and Kendrick stops it again, this time London gets the pin with the small package.
Backstage, Booker T and Sharmell talk to Teddy Long saying they got a restraining order on Boogeyman, if he gets within a 100 feet they will sue Teddy and Smackdown.
Booker T vs. Gunner Scott. Booker way over with the crowd, Boogey’s entrance plays, Scott with schoolboy for the win. Teddy comes out and says it was an accident that Boogey’s music played, but we all had a Boogeyman experience tonight, then repeats that Gunner won.
Chris Benoit congratulates Gunner backstage.
Chris Benoit vs. Simon Dean Benoit attacks Dean before Dean gets to ring. Eventually hits 2 Germans Suplexes then crossfaces Dean for the tap. This was followed immediately by a JBL video about him being a Great American and having a party next week.
Long announces Benoit vs. JBL in a cage for the title later tonight.
Kurt Angle confronts Randy Orton backstage. Orton asks if he lost his belt somewhere then tells him he’ll win it so he can find it on his waist. Angle acts like the Hulk with facial, grunt, slaps Orton’s face, then grunts again.
Orton vs. Rey Not main event kinda upset but you’ll see why it wasn’t later for two reasons. RKO chants throughout out along with Eddie chants. Long match. Rey avoids the RKO, hits the corner 619, then the real, then drops the dime for the win
WWE 24/7 video
Miz Video
Rey promo backstage thanking people for his title win.
William Regal confronts Pirate Paul about how he dresses. Paul responds by saying he likes wearing the coat, carrying a sword, and he gets to swing on a rope. They end up betting that the loser of the match has to dress how the other wants. Normal dress for Paul or wench for Regal. Can you guess where this is going?
William Regal vs. Pirate Paul Little heat against Regal at first but overall dead crowd for this one. The Royal Mutilation, next week we get to see Pirate Paul and Wench Regal.
Mark Henry Video
Backstage, there was Hardy, Finlay, Booker T, Benoit, Lashlay, Angle, and possibly one more not noted. Long comes in and says he’s bringing back the King of the Ring with the first round next week with Angle vs. Orton who was seated behind the other guys. (So what’s up with this 60 day suspension then?)
First and only in-ring Promo was Mark Henry, oh boy. It was HORRIBLE. Same old’ I’ll never be the same, almost died, gonna beat up the Undertaker, who cares.
Mark Henry vs. the Undertaker Slow start but eventually Taker gets Henry out of the ring and is beating him up when Daivari and Dalip Singh come down very slowly, Taker meets them in the ring for a stare down, one big hit and Taker is down, sits up then gets up just for Singh to tear open a ring post cover and slam Taker into and knock him down again. Taker sells the beat down for a long time.
Dark Match
Benoit vs. JBL in a cage for U.S. Championship First it took a good 5-10 minutes to set up the cage cause they brought it from the back in 8 pieces, not very sturdy. JBL comes down pushes on the cage some, Benoit comes down. JBL throws jacket at him and they start. For the most part it was the same match from Sunday just it had Benoit throw JBL into the cage 3 times, JBL did to mock Eddie, then 2 Amigos before Benoit countered and hit all 3, then flying head butt, JBL gets up and hits the Clothesline from Hell for a 2 and an half, Crossface with Jillian climbing the cage to distract the ref while JBL taps (you tapped out chant follows), then JBL takes a tag rope and climbs the cage. Benoit catches him, ref bump, then Benoit’s head hit against top of the cage. Then JBL ties Benoit to the top of the cage with the tag rope, then hops down and leaves through the door.
Credit: pwinsider.com
