The WWE intro plays, followed by:
Fireworks, cheers & a stoked crowd for the second-to-last SD! before Judgment Day!
"New intro for SmackDown! I'm digging that, Cole!"
Batista's music plays, greeted by a mixed reaction. "The Animal don't look too happy, Cole, and I got a hunch we're about to find out why."
After commanding a microphone into his hand, Batista addresses the audience, heatedly staring into the camera. "Last week, General Manager Theodore Long announced the main event for next Sunday at Judgment Day." The crowd cheers, familiar with what Batista is speaking of. "It's funny," the animal wryly chuckles. "I bet none of you idiots noticed my name wasn't part of the Fatal 4 Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship."
Batista has a smirk of suppressed anger on his face, half-entertaining the cheers of the crowd, who are trying to antagonize him by declaring how they failed, indeed, to notice. "And... that doesn't work for me." The crowd boos. "So, I reckon I'm gonna have to pulverize one of those four bastards, aren't I?" He regards the audience for one moment and then drops the microphone, which lands with a thud on the mat as Batista exits to his theme.
"Man, Cole, tell ya the truth, in all of the excitement, I didn't notice that Batista wasn't included in the Fatal 4 Way match for Judgment Day. He said last week he had his eyes on the championship gold..."
"That he did, partner. I've got a bad feeling that Batista is going to keep his word about what he just said tonight, too. The four combatants ought to be wary of the animal's threat."
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The camera cuts to backstage, where GM Thedore Long is having a telephone conversation with Eric Bischoff, the GM of RAW, who can be heard in a muffled fashion through the receiver. "You know, Eric, I think this little trade of ours might be just the fresh start that Kane is looking for." Tazz and Cole speculate, but quickly silence themselves as Eric's response filters through the phone. "Look, Teddy, if that's how it happens, then great for Kane. He's not my favorite talent. He did chokeslam me off the stage through a table last time he was on RAW." Teddy says he remembers that, a smile of nostalgic satisfaction running over his lips unbeknownst to Bischoff. "But, as long as it gets 'Carlito Caribbean Cool' off my back, I'll take my chances. Almost spit apple chunks on me last week on RAW. I can't stand that little punk." Teddy nods in understanding. "Well, Eric, I'm glad we reached an agreement. I'm sure SmackDown! will suit that young superstar well. In the meantime, good luck with Kane and I'll holla at ya later."
The bell rings, signifying that a match is about to start.
"Ain't No Stopping Me Now!" bellow into the arena as the athletic specimen, Shelton Benjamin, enters to a negative reception by the crowd. "The fans are booing this skilled young superstar because of the despicable choice he made last week to attack his former tag team partner, Charlie Haas. A quick video plays, documenting what Cole is referring to, as Rob Van Dam makes his entrance to a better reaction from the audience.
"Mr. Thursday Night, Cole! Looking sharp as ever!"
Both men showcase their talents, stalemating at first until RVD lands one of his trademark martial arts kicks. Benjamin recovers with barrels full of energy and ultimately lands a huge springboard flying clothesline. RVD crashes to the canvas from the impact. Benjamin grins like a cheshire cat, eagerly waiting for his opponent to rise back up to his feet. Once he does, the t-bone suplex is aimed to finish off Van Dam, who counters into a school-boy pin attempt for a near fall.
"That was close, Cole!"
"Great reversal by Rob Van Dam."
Angered, Shelton aims a roundhouse kick, but RVD ducks, spins and nearly takes some of Benjamin's teeth with him after a nasty spinning kick. "Shelton's busy counting his teeth and Van Dam's eyeing the turnbuckle, Cole!"
"Five - Star - Frog - Splash!" Cole exclaims after RVD smashes into Shelton Benjamin, scrambling for the pin as he clutches his own stomach from the impact.
"Well, Benjamin, bless his heart, just got stopped-- pardon the pun-- ha! My man, RVD, doing what he does best."
"And a great way to kick off SmackDown!"
Backstage, the camera sneaks up on the masked sensation, Rey Mysterio, and the coveted US Championship that is found to be resting on the door of his locker. There comes a knock on the door, Mysterio turns to see who it mentions, and it's the former champion, Eddie Guerrero, who is also Rey's good friend.
"Wassup, holmes? I see you're... adjusting... well to your new blue locker room, ese." Eddie smirks, fun-having ways evident as he approaches his friend. "That's what I do." Mysterio retorts, smirking beneath his mask as the fabric adjusts to the facial movement. Eddie flicks the hanging title belt in lonesome regard, turning to his friend. "I gotta hand it to ya, holmes. You jumped out the sky and left with my title last week." Rey nods warmly to the slap on the shoulder from Guerrero. "What would you say... to a rematch here tonight, holmes? You and me? Lighting up the ring again, vato?"
Rey mulls it over with a hand under his chin and smiles. "I got a better idea, man." Eddie shrugs. "You say you wanna light up the ring one more time, right?" Eddie nods. "Orale!" Rey stands up to face Eddie. "How about a 2 out of 3 falls match?" Eddie likes the idea, but Rey holds up a finger and takes the title from the locker, wrapping it over his shoulder in an intense moment. "And... if you win, then I give you a rematch." Eddie flinches away in surprise, laughing it off. "Oh, I see! It's like that, holmes?" He responds in between chuckles. "Yeah. It's like that, man," Rey firmly states with a smirk on his face. "Alright, Rey-Rey. You got a deal. I'll see ya later tonight, holmes." The two men pump fists as the screen fades to black.
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A promo for Judgment Day plays as SmackDown! returns from a commercial break. The focus of the promo is the fatal 4 way match for the World Heavyweight Championship, and it isn't lost on Batista, who is seen watching the promo after the screen splits. "Oh, man, Cole. Like gasoline on a fire."
"Well, Batista's brooding intent aside, last week's SmackDown! wasn't immune to violence. Kane, who we learned earlier has been traded to RAW, was in a Last Man Standing match with Muhammad Hassan. And, well... chaos ensued."
A video plays showing what transpired between Kane, Hassan, his masked henchmen. The video is highlighted by the heroic interference by the Hurricane, Charlie Haas, and to a much more successful extent, the Undertaker, who is then shown crushing Hassan's larynx with a steel chair.
Tazz is nodding at ringside, darkly humored by the incident, as Michael Cole isn't as amused, saying: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've been told that Muhammad Hassan won't be in action tonight because of his injuries caused by the Undertaker." Tazz butts in, saying that Hassan got what was coming to him. Cole grimaces, unable to side either way. "Regardless, we wish a speedy recovery to both parties." The show goes on.
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"Last week, Christian and Rob Van Dam were engaged in a #1 Contender's Match for the Cruiserweight Title. We were all stunned by the interference from then-RAW superstar, Y2J Chris Jericho..." Cole explains alongside a video that shows Christian's controversial victory.
"WOO!" abruptly fills the arena, along with the powerful theme music for Ric Flair, the Nature Boy, who is set to defend his title, wearing a dazzling robe.
"If you close your eyes!" The rock anthem plays, declaring Christian's entrance, but he isn't alone. He's got Chris Jericho with him!
"I don't like this, partner. After last week, Jericho shouldn't be out here."
"What do you mean, Cole? Ain't nothing wrong with Y2J coaching Christian through the match."
"C'mon, Tazz, you can't seriously think that's all Jericho is planning to do. You were here last week!"
"Well, that may be so, but there's only one way to find out. The Nature Boy knows what he's doing!"
Flair, as usual, takes Christian to school. The crowd loves it, and also boos Jericho throughout the match. He trips up Flair's leg, which is admonished by the referee as Christian gloats in the ring, using the attack to his advantage. "This isn't a handicap match!" Cole complains, but Tazz counters it, saying: "You're right, Cole. It's strategy and experience! Flair did it a million times for Triple H in Evolution..."
But their coup fizzles as Chris Masters runs down to the ring, the other half of the tag team champions, and strong-arms Jericho into the Masterlock at ringside. Meanwhile, it is Flair's turn to play dirty. As the referee tries to talk down Masters & Jericho, Flair delivers a low blow to Christian, who crumbles to the mat and is momentarily subdued by the classic figure 4 leg-lock. The crowd rejoices as Masters & Flair celebrate in the ring!
"Dirtiest player in the game, Cole!" Tazz commentates as the replay shows Flair's use of a low blow to win the match. Cole impartially sticks to documenting the events, flustered overall.
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After a commercial break, a recap video catches the audience up on last week's surprise announcement by JBL to leave SmackDown! instead of wrestling a scheduled match for the US Championship, the dazzling surprise debut by Rey Mysterio and his victory over Eddie Guerrero, and the agreement the two men reached tonight.
The crowd is alive after Mysterio makes his frenetic entrance, followed by Eddie Guerrero, sporting a flaming orange low-rider. The first fall belongs to Mysterio, who cradles Eddie up in a fascinating pinning maneuver, but the second fall goes to the former champion, who makes Rey submit to the Lasso from El Paso after an evasion of the West Coast Pop. The third fall is quite a spectacle, the crowd nearly falling into cardiac arrest after witnessing multiple near falls, one after the next-- hurricanranas galore, a springboard moonsault by Mysterio-- until Eddie Guerrero catches his breath. He impressively pulls off 6-- six! -- consecutive vertical suplexes and climbs the top rope, finishing off Mysterio with the frog splash.
"What a match! Too bad it wasn't for the title, eh?"
"Well, Tazz, that was the agreement. Now Eddie gets his rematch!"
"If Mysterio can walk next week! Ha!"
The camera cuts to the backstage area...
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm joined here by none other than the World Heavyweight Champion, the Showstopper, Shawn Michaels..." Josh Matthews explains backstage in front of a SmackDown! background, but Michaels isn't in a cheerful mood. "Lately, the fans haven't been on your side. And it seems that matters only keep getting worse. We're just one week away from Judgment Day on pay-per-view and you've been tasked to defend your title in a fatal 4 way match against 3 hungry challengers that want the gold for themselves. To top that off, tonight you have a tag team match with all 3 of them. How do you respond?" HBK frowns, pauses as boos grow for the Heartbreak Kid, and sighs before speaking.
"It's Batista!"
"Yeah, and he's beating the hell out of the World Champ!"
The Animal pummels HBK through the backstage area, slamming his face on equipment tables and knocking him into supply crates. "I don't understand this, Tazz! Why does it have to be this way? What's taking out the champion going to solve?" Tazz chimes in with his answer. "If there ain't no champ left standing for Judgment Day, the GM will have no choice but to make the main event an Interim Championship match." Cole disagrees. "You're reaching on that one, partner. I don't see how Theodore Long can tolerate this, yet alone give Batista what he wants." But their discourse is ended abruptly as Batista presses after HBK, who recovers and nails a perfectly timed Sweet Chin Music. The Animal is sent crashing through a pile of various backstage equipment, including a row of piping, clanging noises abound as HBK flees the scene.
"Well, Batista's heinous actions aside, last week, we witnessed a bitter showdown between The Rock and The Undertaker." Cole explains alongside a video that covers the gist of the outcome and the midway interference by Hassan's goons who were seeking revenge on the Phenom. "The Rock was the better man, but tonight... they'll be teaming up against the Immortal One, Hulk Hogan, and-- well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm no longer sure if Shawn Mi--"
Cole is cut off by the hip-hop entrance music that belongs to none other than the SmackDown! General Manager, Theodore Long!
"Batista, I know you can hear me back there, playa." Long impatiently beckons inside the ring, eyes toward the stage. Batista only gives Long a via-camera appearance, not gracing the stage but appearing on the big screen. "Yeah, I can, Teddy, but the question is... are you going to say anything that is worth listening to?" The Animal is still seething from the half-successful attack on Shawn Michaels. "That attitude is only gonna get in ya way, playa. Regardless, I'm a sensible man capable of making compromises." Batista raises his eyebrows, impatient and unbothered by Long's tempered warning. "What'd you have in mind?" Long clears his throat. "How about, next week on SmackDown!, you have a match against the World Champion, Shawn Michaels--face to face this time, playa, not from behind--and if ya win, I'll make... the main event at Judgment Day... a Fatal 5 Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship."
"That's a guaranteed rocket-buster, Cole!"
"I'm not so sure Batista deserves Teddy Long's generosity."
"You heard the GM, Cole. It ain't about what he deserves; it's about what he earns next week."
"That's the best offer you're gonna get, playa. Whaddaya say?" Long continues, finalizing his proposal.
"You've got a deal, Teddy. And once I walk out of Judgment Day with HBK's World Title, you'll have my gratitude." The big screen goes black again as Long addresses the crowd. "Well, SmackDown! fans, we've still got a main event for ya. And if the world champ can't compete, Batista will take his spot!" The crowd likes the twist as Hogan, The Rock & The Undertaker make their popular entrances...
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The three fan-tastic talents wait in the ring, awaiting the outcome of who Hogan's tag-team partner will be. "Moment of truth, Cole..." Tazz anticipates at ringside. But what plays next isn't Batista's theme-- it is the one that belongs to the beaten, but resilient World Champion!"
"Ha! HBK! What a soldier!"
"I don't know how wise the Show-Stopper's choice is, considering how we're only 1 week away from Judgment Day."
The animosity between the four combatants is quite clear as the match develops. Off a hot tag, all order is lost. HBK daringly hurls himself into The Rock as both men go flying over the top rope. Hogan gets chokeslammed, but the Undertaker gets cracked by Sweet Chin Music from a returning Heartbreak Kid. The Rock crawls back in and re-claims Michaels, wanting payback for HBK's attack. Meanwhile, Hogan recovers and lands the leg drop on a still incapacitated Phenom for the 3 count.
"What a match, Cole..."
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