By Wade Keller, Torch editor

WWE SMACKDOWN
SEPTEMBER 23, 2004
TAPED TUESDAY IN PHOENIX, ARIZ.

-Vince McMahon introduced the show, saying they would be remembering the first five years of Smackdown throughout the show.

-A new opening montage aired that was a bit more generic in terms of music (and anything is better than sounding like Raw with a hard rock opening), but incorporated cool computer altered versions of Smackdown wrestlers diving around in a virtual zero gravity environment. Nice change for the new season.

1 -- PAUL LONDON vs. BILLY KIDMAN

WINNER: London via countout at 0:10.

STAR RATING: n/a

2 -- BOOKER T vs. PAUL LONDON

Booker came out to replace Kidman on his own. He elbowed London in the face and busted open his nose. The blood was pretty heavy, especially for the "family hour" period of broadcast network TV. Booker won by using the ropes leverage on a small package. Booker cut a promo at ringside over the house mic , disparaging Cena and London. London eventually went after Booker at ringside, showing great fire.

WINNER: Booker at 3:10.

STAR RATING: 3/4* -- Good action in the short match.

-Michael Cole and Tazz were shown on camera at ringside. Tazz asked Cole about Heidenreich. Cole said it's been an emotional week and he didn't want to talk about it. Instead, he introduced a Smackdown Throwback feature on Mick Foley. He talked about a time when Rock's sunglasses fell during a post-show segment with the crowd. He also narrated a clip of Triple H reacting to the unmasking of Mankind and his conversion to Cactus Jack.

[Commercial Break]

-Teddy Long scolded Kidman backstage for being a "quitter." He said everyone wants to see the Shooting Star Press. He told him he would have to face London at No Mercy and if he decides not to show up or walk out, he would make him the first person he fired since becoming G.M.

-Spike Dudley and Rey Mysterio went nose to nose and exchanged some words. When Rey began speaking in Spanish, Kenzo Suzuki stepped in and told him to speak in English or he'd be sorry. Rey said he understood, but then nailed Kenzo with a mic.

[Commercial Break]

-A Smackdown Throwback segment aired with Rock giving Coach a hard time for not paying attention to what he was saying. He made him dance the Charleston.

-They showed members of the Phoenix Suns at ringside without mentioning anyone by name.

-Cole said he's filled a notebook full of his best memories of Smackdown. Yeah, sure.

3 -- SPIKE DUDLEY vs. REY MYSTERIO -- Cruiserweight Title match

In the opening minute, Bubba and D-Von were ordered to the back by the ref after interfering early. Rey was going to dive onto Spike at ringside, but the ref stopped him. Rey then dove over the ref's back as he was counting Spike out of the ring. Cole said Smackdown is like a "highlight reel" every week. They cut to a break abruptly.

[Commercial Break]

Cole apologized for the abrupt commercial break. That's strange since the show isn't live and they're in control of when they insert breaks in post-production. They hit a sequence of near falls. Then Rey landed on the ref with a bodyblock by mistake. Rey then set up Spike for the 619, but Kenzo and Rene Dupree yanked the middle rope down so Rey tumbled to the floor. Then they rammed his head into the ring apron. Rob Van Dam made the save.

WINNER: Spike at 8:15 (est. due to commercial break)

STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Good TV match.

-Clips aired of the WrestleMania 21 press conference.

-Cole plugged a Hollywood Hogan "Smackdown Memory" coming up later.

-Stephanie McMahon said her favorite Smackdown moment was when she slapped her mom. "That was really, really hard for me to do, but I was on some kind of power trip and took it all out on my mom and she went down like a sack of potatoes." She said another favorite moment was when she was in a love triangle with "Triple H, who was my husband at the time," and Kurt Angle. Funny, since she wasn't married to him then, but is now. A clip aired of Hunter carrying her to the back, but Angle later kissing her. She said Kurt is the worst kisser in the world.

-A Big Show vignette aired promoting his match against Kurt Angle at No Mercy.

[Commercial Break]

-Teddy Long told Dupree & Kenzo that they'd have to defend the WWE Tag Team Titles against Rey & RVD at No Mercy.

-Tazz said it was time for Cole to address the Heidenreich situation. Cole said he didn't want to revisit it. Clips aired of last week's bizarre angle.

-Heidenreich was shown backstage. Cole got alarmed and stood up as if he were going to run away. Cole relaxed when he saw Heidenreich go into Vince McMahon's office.

[Commercial Break]

-A clip aired of Big Show causing the ring to collapse.

4 -- UNDERTAKER vs. VISCERA & GANGREL

JBL drove his limo into the arena and watched the match with Orlando Jordan. Taker dominated except for brief three second segments here and there. His comebacks were immediate and decisive. He pinned Gangrel after a Tombstone Piledriver. Afterward, he shot some mean looks at JBL and Jordan, who looked scared. He also rammed Viscera into the ringpost with a chair against his throat.

WINNER: Undertaker at 2:35.

STAR RATING: 1/2*

-Heidenreich talked to Vince McMahon about all of the rage inside of him. Heidenreich said he and McMahon are a lot alike because they give the people what they want and people think they're crazy for it. He read McMahon a poem.

No one knows the real me
No one has ever taken time to even try to see
No one has even given me the chance to be free
But you, Mr. McMahon, have set Heidenreich free
And that freedom has given me hope
And that hope has given me happiness
That I will finally get the chance to make the world pay for the pain have endured
So when I am done with the world, the world will be pure
Because pain is a purifier
And that was a poem by Heidenreich

McMahon told him it was a very good poem and tanked him. He seemed a quite uncomfortable in his presence.

[Commercial Break]

-After Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson were introduced for a "school girl" contest, Teddy Long came out and said he was making it a match with Mae Young and Fabulous Moolah. Long kissed them and danced with them.

5 -- MAE YOUNG & FABULOUS MOOLAH vs. TORRIE WILSON & DAWN MARIE

Cole noticed that Young had a new tattoo on her forearm. Marie was especially upset with the match. Young kneed Torrie between the legs. Torrie went for a sunset flip, but Young shoved her crotch in Torrie's face. The ref plugged his nose as he counted to two. Tazz said someone must have passed gas. Torrie passed out in the corner and then got a stink face from Young. Cole said he never thought he'd not want to be near Torrie. Dawn slapped Moolah and shouted, “This is not for you, old lady." Moolah took her down with forearms. Then she stripped off her top revealing her bra. Moolah shoved Marie over Young as she stooped on all fours and pinned her.

WINNERS: Young & Moolah at 3:39.

STAR RATING: Unratable.

-Steve Austin spoke about his favorite Smackdown moment and said by far it was going to Iraq. He said he'd like to go back. Another clip aired of Austin signing to McMahon in his admitted horrible singing voice. Angle then joined in and sang. Austin said when the cameras stopped rolling they laughed their asses off. Debra was in the skit, too, but he didn't mention her. It was nice to have Austin talk about his Smackdown memories, but it does eek away some of the impact of his eventual return to have him anticlimactically show up on Smackdown in this low-key, retrospect circumstance.

[Commercial Break]

-John Cena reminisced about Rock on Smackdown, then talked about drinking with Austin, and then cut a promo about facing Booker T in the fifth match at No Mercy. He said, "The champ is here." He closed with, "It doesn't matter what your name is." and his high-pitched "Ah-ha!"

-Cole and Tazz ran down the No Mercy line-up: RVD & Rey vs. Kenzo & Dupree, Eddie Guerrero vs. Luther Reigns, Big Show vs. Kurt Angle, Undertaker vs. JBL in a Last Ride Match for the WWE Title.

-Backstage Angle demanded the attention of the viewers. He said he has been the top star on Smackdown all along, yet he wasn't asked to share his favorite Smackdown moments, such as his 60 minute Iron Man match, or winning the WCW Title, or the time he kissed Stephanie McMahon. He said despite providing more great moments than anyone, he was taken for granted, and that is a disgrace. He said an even bigger disgrace is Big Show. Am I the only one who sees a resemblance between Angle's delivery style and Reese on Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle." Anyway, Angle closed by saying he would provide a Smackdown moment later in the main event that no one would ever forget.

-They showed Hulk Hogan and plugged that he was about to give his Smackdown memory.

[Commercial Break]

-Hulk Hogan said "Real American" might have been uncool for a while in the '90s, but it's back and it's great to be positive again and wave the flag and love America. He reminisced about Edge wearing Hogan's boa backstage. Clips aired of Hogan & Edge winning the tag titles together. He said that was a passing of the Torch proving Hulkamania would live forever.

6 -- KURT ANGLE & LUTHER REIGNS vs. BIG SHOW & EDDIE GUERRERO

Guerrero fought the first five minutes, working against Angle and Show as they tagged in and out against him. He hot-tagged Big Show at 5:30 and Show chokeslammed Reigns. When Guerrero went to leap off of Show's shoulders in the corner, Angle shoved Guerrero to the ground.

[Commercial Break]

They went into the same sequence this time with Guerrero and Angle mostly exchanging matholds. Guerrero eventually reversed Angle in his own Anklelock finisher. Angle tagged in Reigns. Guerrero hot-tagged Show who cleaned house on Angle and Reigns. Show splashed both in the corner, then sideslammed Angle. He tagged in Guerrero, who then leaped off of Show's shoulders with a frog splash in what Cole called a "Smackdown Moment." Mark Jindrak then jumped into the ring and attacked Guerrero to break up the pin. Show clotheslined him. Reigns at ringside gave Guerrero his neckbreaker. Reigns attacked Show from behind as Show was beating on Jindrak.

WINNERS: No contest at 12:30

STAR RATING: **1/2

Meanwhile, after the ref called for the bell, Meanwhile, Angle got a dart shooter at ringside and loaded it with a dart. He shot it into Big Show's back. It stuck in his back. Show looked shocked and he began to lose consciousness. He eventually collapsed to the mat. Jindrak ran to the back and returned to the ring with scissors and a clipper. Angle and Reigns kicked at Show to be sure he was out. Then Angle, Reigns, and Jindrak took turns clipping Show's hair. Angle told Big Show that's what he gets for messing with him. If you just listened and didn't watch, you'd think Angle was engaged in some other type of activity with all of his "oh yeahs" and "yeah babies" and the source of the buzzing noise can be left up to your imagination. The dark sticking out of Show's back was a great visual. I don't remember seeing that done before. Angle posed by sitting on Show's back and holding his nearly bald head up and smiling. Cole said that was the moment Angle forecast earlier would be a moment no one would ever forget.


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