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The following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
WWE SMACKDOWN
DECEMBER 30, 2004
TAPED TUESDAY IN NEW ORLEANS, LA.
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
-Teddy Long then talked about how all the titles would be on the line in this show with the champions choosing their challengers.
-After the Smackdown opening, Michael Cole and Tazz introduced the show, calling it the “Smackdown Night of Champions.”
-John Cena came out for a major show-opening promo. He spun his U.S. Title belt and talked about his new year’s resolution. He declared his fanbase was a “chain gang,” coining a new term, and they would help him start a revolution. He said there was no such thing as a John Cena fan anymore. “If you ride with me, you’re riding with the chain gang, may-ann.” He went into the crowd and took off his shirt and shook hands with a kid in the crowd and some other fans. He showed great energy and enthusiasm. Back in the ring, he talked about taking his choice of an opponent for a spin. Rene Dupree came out and challenged Cena. Cena accepted.
1 — JOHN CENA vs. RENE DUPREE — U.S. Hvt. Title match
Cena got early offense against Dupree and put on his robe, then did the hand wave and Five Knuckle Shuffle. As he pumped his shoes, Dupree bailed out of the ring. Cena went after Dupree, taking him down with a punch and then throwing him back into the ring. The crowd heat sounded like fans at OVW’s Davis Arena. There was something about how it was mic’d that made it sound intimate, as if the first five rows were mic’d better than the rest of the arena. Dupree finally got in some offense, setting up a superplex at 2:15. Cole said, “This could be an important part of the match-up.” That was just dumb. Cena shoved Dupree to the mat and then punched away at his head to stop Dupree’s French Tickler dance. Cena went on to finish off Dupree easily with the FU.
WINNER: Cena at 3:56 to retain the U.S. Hvt. Title.
STAR RATING: * – Basic stuff, but good intensity and energy from both.
-Two of the Smackdown Divas – Amy Weber and Joy – exchanged catty insults about overeating during the holidays. When JBL yelled at Joy, Big Show stepped in and told him not to yell at her. When JBL began to walk away, Show asked if he was running. JBL said he is the WWE Champion and he doesn’t run from anybody. Show told him to put the title on the line against him later.
-Cole plugged that there would be a big decision later for JBL, then plugged that the Kurt Angle invitation was next.
[Commercial Break]
-Kurt Angle walked out for his Kurt Angle Invitational. He said since it’s the Smackdown Night of Champions, he wanted to talk about JBL. He said, “He likes children, is kind to animals, and may be the fightingest WWE Champion of all time.” He told JBL that the fight the people want to see is Angle vs. JBL. He then asked for his opponent to come out. Out walked Matt Stryker of ROH fame.
2 — KURT ANGLE vs. MATT STRYKER
Tazz said Stryker looked familiar to him. Stryker said he was from New Orleans, getting a quick crowd pop. Angle then popped Stryker with the mic and began beating on him. The bell rang to start the match. Stryker was bleeding from the forehead from the mic shot. Cole referred to Stryker as a “hometown hero.” What exactly makes him a “hero”? Angle applied the Anklelock for a quick tapout win. Angle held onto the hold a few seconds after the bell rang. Cole called him a coward.
WINNER: Angle at 0:48.
STAR RATING: 1/4* — Not much to it.
-Backstage RVD and Rey Mysterio talked about who they should defend the tag titles against. The catering area had a Subway banner up in the background. I don’t know if WWE put that there or it was part of the arena set-up. If that’s a new way for WWE to add some ad revenue, it’s a clever approach. Eddie Guerrero and Booker T walked up to RVD and Rey and made their case for getting the tag title shot.
[Commercial Break]
-Cole talked about last week’s Smackdown in Iraq. Then they went to footage from last week’s show.
-Daniel Puder walked into the locker room and was greeted by some wrestler. He sat down. Hardcore Holly walked in, playing off of his real life persona, and told Puder he was sitting near his stuff. Puder acted cocky, playing off of his real life rep, and said he earned his Tough Enough contract. He reiterated that he worked eight hard weeks to get where he was. (His line wasn’t scripted two weeks ago when he talked about how hard he worked for eight weeks, but their seizing the chance to use it to build up his oblivious “I’ve already paid my dues” persona.) Holly talked about all of his years. Puder said with a chuckle, “I’m sorry it took you eleven years. That’s a long time.” He asked Holly if he had ever main evented WrestleMania. Holly shook his head. Puder said he planned to win the Royal Rumble and main event WM. Holly got in Puder’s face and said, “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid.” Puder laughed off Holly’s comment, saying, “Yeah, sure.”
-Long was talking to a Smackdown Diva about her Christmas. JBL and Amy interrupted. JBL said he was going to pick his opponent randomly. He said all of the big names were on a slip of paper. He picked a name and looked worried, but didn’t reveal who it was. Cole speculated it could be Big Show.
[Commercial Break]
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3 — JBL vs. SHANNON MOORE
JBL smiled when it was revealed that Moore was the name he drew. He attacked him quickly at ringside and pinned him easily. Teddy Long walked out toward the ring as they cut to a commercial.
WINNER: JBL at 0:18.
STAR RATING: n/a.
[Commercial Break]
-Long confronted JBL, asking him if he really put everyone’s name on those slips of paper. JBL said he was a fighting champion and didn’t like his integrity being questioned. Long said he was going to check. Joy KO’d Amy Weber with the plastic bucket with the names in it at ringside. Long ordered them to be escorted to the back. Long then read several slips of paper and they all said Shannon Moore. Long said he didn’t like to be played and demanded an explanation. JBL said it wasn’t his fault, he ordered Jordan to put the names on the paper. Jordan accepted the blame. Long said at the Royal Rumble, it will be his choice who he faces. He announced that JBL would have to face Kurt Angle. Angle walked out and thanked Long for doing what was right for business. He said what Smackdown needs is a champion who is a role model and won’t deceive the public. Angle and JBL argued. Long told them they didn’t let him finish. Then Long announced that Big Show would also be in the match. JBL was even more upset, and Angle wasn’t happy, either.
[Commercial Break]
-Josh Matthews interviewed Carlito Cool who said his resolution for the new year was to rid Smackdown of Teddy Long, who had made unfair decisions recently. He threatened to spit his apple at Josh. Just when Josh thought the coast was clear, he was sprayed with apple pieces.
-Heidenreich stepped out and insisted to everyone that he is not scared of Undertaker. He asked members of the audience and Cole and Tazz if they believed him. He said the Royal Rumble was coming and that would be the final resting place for Undertaker. Taker’s music interrupted and druids rolled a casket to the ring. It was a major production that took two and a half minutes before Taker popped out of the casket. Heidenreich jumped backward several feet and his eyes showed great fear. Taker shot an ice-cold stare at Heidenreich. Cole said he thinks that means the match at the Rumble between Heidenreich and Taker would be a casket match.
[Commercial Break]
-Josh Matthews interviewed Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns. Jindrak didn’t talk, actually. Reigns talked about how they were the most dominant, aggressive tag team. The Bashams interrupted and said they were. Then RVD & Mysterio walked into the scene with Booker T & Eddie Guerrero. Nothing was clear regarding what would happen later in the tag title match. I like the theme of the show as it’s giving the impression the titles are very important. There have been times in recent years where certain titles haven’t been mentioned for months at a time on Smackdown, or treated like props.
4 — FUNAKI vs. SPIKE DUDLEY — Cruiserweight Title match
Funaki scored a quick pin with a sunset flip during a fast-paced exchange. Funaki celebrated with great spirit afterward.
WINNER: Funaki at 3:05.
STAR RATING: 3/4* — Best action of the night, but too short to amount to much.
-Cole said, “I still can’t get over what a life-altering experience it was for the WWE Superstars to go over and entertain the troops last week.” He chose his words more carefully this week and did not give an overt impression he was among those overseas.
[Commercial Break]
-Rochelle, Lauren, and Michelle introduced themselves to a stammering John Cena, who was overwhelmed by their flirtatious flirting. They asked if they could “see it.” Cena didn’t know what to think. Another asked, “Can we touch it!?” The other said, “Can we play with it.” They all then played with his spinning belt. Cena then looked into the camera and said, “I guess being champ definitely has its advantages.” It was strange to see them break the fourth wall and talk into the camera, which again confuses the internal logic of whether the camera is supposed to be invisible, or whether the camera is invisible and what happens on TV is known to the other wrestlers on the show (i.e. when “secret plotting” takes place on camera that someone else doesn’t react to later in the show or even in future weeks; there’s been less of that lately, which is nice.)
-The Raw Rebound aired.
-Josh interviewed RVD & Rey who revealed that they would be granting the tag title shot to Booker T & Eddie Guerrero. Josh let out a big grin, like he was just told by his dentist he had no cavities.
[Commercial Break]
-Booker T and Guerrero narrated footage of their visiting the troops last week. They gushed over how much it meant to be graced by the presence of the soldiers and all that they are sacrificing for their freedom.
5 — ROB VAN DAM & REY MYSTERIO vs. BOOKER T & EDDIE GUERRERO — WWE Tag Team Title match
Lots of solid action in the opening minutes, as you’d expect with a babyface vs. babyface headline tag team match. They gave it 20 minutes of TV time.
[Commercial Break]
Rey sold for a long stretch, then hot tagged RVD. RVD then sold for a stretch, bleeding from the mouth late in the match. Booker hit the Book End at 17:30 for a near fall, but Rey made the save, the third time he broke up a pin. RVD hot-tagged Rey at 18:45 and went to work on Guerrero and Booker. Four-way action ensued, with Rey hitting the 619 on Booker. Booker came back with a scissors kick and a Spinarooni. RVD then took Booker down with a spin wheel kick. Guerrero scored a visual fall on Rey, but the ref was KO’d. RVD and Booker tumbled over the top rope to the floor. That gave Guerrero a chance to play into his “lying, cheating, stealing” gimmick. He grabbed the tag title belt and put in a fallen Rey. When the ref saw it, he was going to call for the DQ, but Rey explained what happened. Why haven’t the heels who have been victims of Guerrero’s tricks ever tried to explain themselves to the ref before? Rey then scored the pin on a roll-up on Guerrero after a leg scissors out of the corner. Guerrero tried to explain what happened to Booker, who wasn’t happy with the result of the match. Rey and Guerrero shared some smiles after the match over what went down.
WINNERS: Rey & RVD at 21:30 to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
STAR RATING: ***1/2
Be sure to check out our “alternative perspective” report from Dusty Giebink in the “TV Reports” section later tonight.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 30 YRS AGO – Keller’s WWE Raw Report (12/17/1994): King’s Court with I.R.S., Bob Backlund vs. Doink, plus Aldo Montoya, Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Michaels, Santa Claus
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Creative team member announces departure from NXT
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