By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Friday Night Smackdown
January 2, 2009
Upcoming PPV: Royal Rumble (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

SMACKDOWN STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-fourth edition of Smackdown Storylines and Feuds.

For those wondering about the Intrigue Level system that I employ, you can refer to the numbers as follows:

10 (excellent), 9 (great), 8-6 (very good, good, pretty good), 5 (decent; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)


WWE Champion JEFF HARDY vs. EDGE vs. TRIPLE H (20 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Vickie Guerrero announced that Jeff Hardy would put his WWE Title on the line at the Royal Rumble against Edge. She also promised to name the Smackdown participants in the Rumble.

-Triple H interrupted Vickie. He had a Vickie Guerrero action figure with him, which he used to mock her. She eventually caved, granting Triple H access into the Rumble. He then mentioned that he found nude photos of her online, but someone named ChavoG2009 kept outbidding him for the pictures.

-Big Show claimed to have seen Vickie's naked photos, so Vickie bolted out of the room as if she were about to puke. Edge and Big Show then argued about embarrassing situations (like Big Show losing to Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania last year).

-Vickie demanded an apology from Triple H backstage, but he refused to give one, of course. So she booked him in three matches next week in what was called Triple Jeopardy: a Tables Match, a Handicap Match, and a Last Man Standing Match.

-Edge cut a pre-match promo about how WWE fans blame him for everything, yet they are never right. He said that when he takes the WWE Title away from Jeff Hardy at the Royal Rumble, then they can blame him with accuracy.

-Matt and Jeff Hardy beat Edge and Big Show when Jeff landed the Swanton Bomb on The Rated-R Superstar to pick up the big win. Big Show bailed on Edge toward the end of the match.

Analysis:

Triple H's narrative position on Smackdown is somewhat unclear at the moment. There doesn't exist a cohesive association between him and Jeff Hardy at the moment, yet certain events such as the interaction with Vickie this week indelibly link him with the heel side of the main-event equation (Edge). The nude photo subplot was both random and confusing. Is that something WWE plans to run with in the coming weeks or was it meant as a one-time reference that set up Vickie's Triple Jeopardy plan?

As for the main event, everyone played their parts well, as usual. Seeing Edge take a loss against Jeff Hardy still seems a little unusual, despite the fact that Show walked out on him and despite the fact that the Hardys were essentially working together to defeat him. But if Jeff is going to get a proper push as WWE Champion, he's going to have to cleanly beat the top heels on the roster.

As good a job as WWE has done with him, there's still a nagging feeling that he is the underdog in every match he competes in. The risk-taker persona that he currently has fits him flawlessly and uniquely, but within that persona is the inherent idea that things could come crashing down for him with one misstep in any given match he's involved with. When you watch a Triple H match or a John Cena match or an Undertaker match, you can sense the certainty—unless the odds are stacked against them, they are likely to win. With Jeff Hardy, the feeling is completely different; risk begets uncertainty.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9.5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Edge: Kane, Batista, Vickie Guerrero, The Undertaker
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL, Randy Orton, John Cena
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, MVP

MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MARIA (12 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Eve interviewed Michelle McCool about her attack on Maria last week. McCool said she thought that Eve was her friend, but maybe not anymore. When Eve gave her advice on how to mend her friendship with Maria, McCool told Eve to stick to what she does best—presumably, asking questions on the mic.

-Michelle McCool publicly apologized to Maria. She then asked Eve to come to the ring so that she could apologize to her as well. Things seemed fine at first, and Eve hugged McCool in a sign of forgiveness.

-As Eve left the ring, however, McCool went on the attack, blindsiding Eve with a barrage of punches and kicks. McCool repeated slammed Eve's head against the guardrail, the ring apron, and the floor. She then tossed Eve straight into the ring post before officials told her to leave the scene.

Analysis:

Michelle McCool is currently undergoing a dramatic shift in character with this latest heel turn, and WWE isn't messing around. Last week's attack on Maria seemed significant with WWE's focus on the incident and with Ross and Tazz's commentary. This week Michelle went through the trouble of feigning two apologies before commencing an unexpected attack on another innocent victim. It's a good storyline with McCool ridding Smackdown of their divas one after another. It also seems like Michelle is more comfortable in this particular role than she had been as a babyface. She acted almost directionless when she was a babyface, eating up the crowd cheers but not sure how to get even more popular. Her lines were almost forced and rugged. But this week she did much better, as if the heel diva role was easier to play for her.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo
Maria: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Santino Marella

United States Champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. HURRICANE HELMS (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Vladimir Kozlov defeated Hurricane Helms after hitting his part-chokeslam, part-spinebuster finisher for the 1-2-3.

-Jim Ross announced some of the participants in the Royal Rumble: Triple H, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov, and Shelton Benjamin. JR was then interrupted by The Gold Standard because he didn't claim that Benjamin was the odds-on favorite.

-Shelton warned JR that he should promptly exit the ring; then he began a short promo about how no one in the Royal Rumble can compare with him. He listed some names like Orton, Jericho, and Finlay. But then an ominous voice simply said, "You forgot someone."

-Undertaker's gong hit as the lights suddenly fell to darkness. When they returned, Taker was already in the ring with Benjamin. A chokeslam brought Shelton crashing to the mat.

Analysis:

It seems pretty clear that WWE concluded their short-lived Shelton-Helms feud. Kozlov has again been left directionless since his main event spot has disappeared and his rivalry with Matt Hardy fell through the cracks. And Hurricane Helms may have just lost his momentum since returning to WWE after a prolonged absence due to injury. As for Shelton, he may be gearing up for an intriguing feud with The Dead Man; then again, this could just be one of those random Rumble segments where various superstars briefly interact with one another as WWE heads into the final weeks before the PPV event.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Shelton Benjamin: Kane, CM Punk, Money in the Bank, Kofi Kingston
Hurricane Helms: n/a

WWE Tag Team Champions CARLITO & PRIMO vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK & EZEKIEL (8 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-The Brian Kendrick teamed with Ezekiel to defeat Jesse and Festus in tag team competition after Ezekiel hit his finisher on Jesse.

Analysis:

This week was mainly intended to promote Kendrick and Ezekiel as a team that's eligible for a title opportunity. The time has come for WWE to finally pit these two teams against one another for the WWE Tag Team Championships, and it looks like this is where they are headed.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
The Brian Kendrick: Triple H & Hardy & Benjamin & MVP
Carlito & Primo: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
(2) Shelton Benjamin vs. Hurricane Helms


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Edge vs. Big Show
(2) Triple H vs. Vickie Guerrero
(3) Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show
(4) Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) & The Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) vs. Hawkins & Ryder
(5) MVP vs. Kizarny
(6) The Undertaker vs. Shelton Benjamin
(7) Michelle McCool vs. Eve
(8) Vladimir Kozlov vs. Hurricane Helms


Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I greatly appreciate all the feedback that I receive, and I will respond to every email. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "DH Smith" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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