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The 7 - Pro Wrestling - Smackdown 5-22-09 Register and log in to post!
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Matt Tracker
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#1 Posted on 23.5.09 1533.34
Reposted on: 23.5.16 1533.40
RAW is dead dull since the draft, so I'm turning my attentions to SmackDown.

Champ Edge starts the show by deriding Jeff Hardy, who is getting molten-hot reactions. GM Teddy Long upholds the results of the Judgment Day match and wants to set up Jeff vs. Edge at the Extreme Rules PPV. Jeff enters the arena to mega-face pops and quizzes audience members if they want a a match with Edge tonight. They say "yea," and Teddy obliges. That's your main event. The winner decides the stipulations of the PPV match.

John Morrison & Cryme Tyme def. Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas & Ricky Ortiz
Morrison gives Haas a stun gun and hits the Starship Pain for the win. Shelton used a nasty armlock shoulder breaker on JTG, but his team really didn't pursue the limb injury.

Via the Big Board, Rey vows to live up to the legacy of the IC title, especially the Latino champs like Pedro, Tito, and Eddy. JR asks about the mask, and Rey details its significance -- it's a legacy, it gives me superpowers, and it looks cool. Sure enough, later in the show, Jericho revives his mask-of-cowardice accusations from his Kane feud when he talks to Teddy. But Teddy tells him Rey has already asked for a match with Jericho at the PPV.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho ends in a DQ when Umaga attacks Punk with a "Samoan strap." It was a sweet little match complete with Punk catching Jericho off the ropes into a sideslam position and shrugging him up to the GTS. The eventual GTS knocks Jericho to the outside, and Umaga clobbered Punk from behind. Umaga ties Punk into a strap-assisted Tree of Woe, grabs a mic, and SPEAKS PERFECT ENGLISH to challenge Punk to a PPV match with that strap. A clearly enunciating Umaga becomes interesting immediately, and his English debut is much better than Rikishi's ("hickory dickory dock ...").

Michelle McCool beat Gail Kim (Women’s Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match) when McCool knocked Kim off the turnbuckle and grabbed her for the Faithbreaker.

Dolph Ziggler beat R-Truth with his nifty leaping Side Russian Drop. The match was a string of kicks and elbows. Ziggler is chased into the ring by Khali, and he runs into Truth's brilliant spinning elbow. Ziggler escapes Khali by darting into the audience. This midcard is tons of fun.

Jeff Hardy beat Champ Edge in a solid TV match with lots of near falls. The best was Hardy leaping to avoid the spear and flipping into a sunset pin. Hardy worked a head injury throughout the match and hurt himself a few times with his offense (the springboard turnbuckle dropkick, the legsdrop to the groin). Edge tried to repeat the top-rope Edgecution from the PPV but Hardy blocked and hit the Swanton. He immediately announced their PPV match will be a ladder match.

What a fun show.
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djp
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#2 Posted on 23.5.09 2226.22
Reposted on: 23.5.16 2226.30
    Originally posted by Matt Tracker
    Umaga ties Punk into a strap-assisted Tree of Woe, grabs a mic, and SPEAKS PERFECT ENGLISH to challenge Punk to a PPV match with that strap. A clearly enunciating Umaga becomes interesting immediately, and his English debut is much better than Rikishi's ("hickory dickory dock ...").


This is great - I hope it's not jumping the shark for his character tho - but he's probably due for a shakeup of sorts. The screaming monster is cool but gets a little tired. I remember Yokozuna's first perfect English interview. It was odd; mostly because at the time I still thought he was Japanese.

I don't know if Hardy & Edge have ever had a one-on-one ladder match, but I'd love to see this one.
Big Bad
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#3 Posted on 24.5.09 0107.28
Reposted on: 24.5.16 0107.28
I'm not crazy about another Jeff/Edge title match. I'm sure it'll be a terrific bout, but it just seems to scream 'Matt runs in to ruin the finish.' I was hoping we'd get a final Jeff vs. Matt blowoff at Extreme Rules and then build Jeff back up for a further title challenge later in the year (when he actually has a chance of winning it).

Great classic face interview from Rey. I wonder if Jericho will try to label Rey as a 'hypocrite' since he already lost his mask back in WCW.
used2bcool
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#4 Posted on 24.5.09 0232.28
Reposted on: 24.5.16 0232.36
I was really digging the Rey interview as well. The significance of both the IC title and his mask being highlighted is a smart move. The title needs any boost it can get, and a high-profile feud with two established stars can only be good. And the mask stuff sets up a future Mask-on-the-line match, which I would be interested in. Plus this was the first time in a long while where Rey's given an interview almost entirely in English. Usually he starts in English and ends in Spanish, which causes me to lose interest really quickly.
hansen9j
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#5 Posted on 24.5.09 0325.03
Reposted on: 24.5.16 0325.03
So, if Edge had won, what match would he have chosen? Probably TLC, right?
John Orquiola
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#6 Posted on 24.5.09 1321.25
Reposted on: 24.5.16 1322.23
I dug Rey's promo too, but it was pretty weird that he opened with announcing he was done with Chris Jericho and wanted to face new contenders, then later Jericho demands a match with Rey from Teddy Long only for Long to announce that "Rey was already in here and requested a no holds barred match." So, Rey wasn't done with Chris after all? Bad writing, Creative.

I rejoiced yesterday when I learned Smackdown is now on hulu. My MyNetworkTV reception is horrible. Smackdown is the only show I don't get in HD. I was thrilled to have the hulu option and it was going great... until I learned Smackdown on hulu is EDITED FOR CONTENT. The fuck?! It's already a PG rated show. Umaga's strap shots on Punk were all cut out - they went to crowd shots each time, like an old WCW show. Then the footage from last week of Eve and Layla brawling in the make up area was also edited into a series of still shots. The fuck?!

Hulu also inexplicably shows a From the Vault match in the middle of the episode. This week was half of a John Cena vs. Finlay match from 12/2006.

The editing for content is awful, though. It's not like violence isn't shown on the hundreds of other shows on Hulu. Now I have the "choice" between a horrid VHS-taped-over-100-times-like MyNetwork reception or Hulu's edited version. (There's also the Capt. Jack Sparrow option, I suppose, but we won't speak of such things.)
Super Shane Spear
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#7 Posted on 24.5.09 1418.56
Reposted on: 24.5.16 1419.15
It seems like Hulu picks up the international version of Smackdown. They usually dump out "extreme" violence and (I think) most female-on-female fighting. They also wedge in a from the vault to pad out whatever gets cut out.

Even if you go Jack Sparrow, the int'l version is usually the first (and therefore the most prevalent) version available.
Oliver
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#8 Posted on 24.5.09 1455.59
Reposted on: 24.5.16 1456.08
    Originally posted by Big Bad
    Great classic face interview from Rey. I wonder if Jericho will try to label Rey as a 'hypocrite' since he already lost his mask back in WCW.
That's a good question...though I doubt they'd bring out pictures of him unmasked. I can't recall exactly when this was, but I remember a segment on a WWF/E program (Confidential?) where they were touring his house, and any pictures of him without his mask were blurred.

As fun as it would be to bring up this bit of history, I doubt they'll do it. I can only imagine them glossing over (or ignoring it) in the Rise/Fall of WCW DVD they're releasing.
Nenz
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#9 Posted on 24.5.09 1525.28
Reposted on: 24.5.16 1525.33
    Originally posted by Super Shane Spear
    It seems like Hulu picks up the international version of Smackdown. They usually dump out "extreme" violence and (I think) most female-on-female fighting. They also wedge in a from the vault to pad out whatever gets cut out.

    Even if you go Jack Sparrow, the int'l version is usually the first (and therefore the most prevalent) version available.
The From The Vault segment is actually to make time and fill the two timeslot, as we have less adverts than in the US. I'm guessing that Hulu has the international version since WWE cuts out all the in programme adverts (eg when the commentators shill Just for Men) which maybe Hulu requires. I don't know why they Hulu shows the edited version, since WWE also does an uncensored version for the UK.
The Game
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#10 Posted on 24.5.09 1827.08
Reposted on: 24.5.16 1827.29
The win over R-Truth shows that the WWE is trying still to push Dolph Ziggler; I think it would be better to push R-Truth a little bit more because he has more crowd reaction behind him and is a little bit better in the ring.

Overall Smackdown was alright; it really had no down points but at the same time, the episode had no surprises or rising points of the show.
Spiraling_Shape
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#11 Posted on 24.5.09 2147.08
Reposted on: 24.5.16 2147.33
I could watch Jericho and Punk face off every day of the week...or at least twice a week if WGN was carried in Philadelphia.

But I wonder...how is a Samoan Strap Match different from a Yappapi Strap Match?
John Orquiola
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#12 Posted on 24.5.09 2235.23
Reposted on: 24.5.16 2235.43
    Originally posted by Spiraling_Shape


    But I wonder...how is a Samoan Strap Match different from a Yappapi Strap Match?


Well, you see, a Samoan strap match is like a regular strap match where the goal is to drag the opponent and touch all four corners.

The goal of the Yappapi Strap Match is to get your opponent in position for the strap-ation, brother!
dWs
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#13 Posted on 27.5.09 1406.44
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1407.19
Question about Rey and his mask: he lost it in 1999 in WCW when he lost to Kevin Nash. Through the rest of his WCW career, he was mask-less, but would sometimes come out with an entrance mask (which he would then discard before wrestling).

Next time I saw Rey was when he popped up in WWE in 2002 (not sure on date) with his mask intact. I think he was down in AAA or CMLL during the gap, but did he appear mask-less while down there? Is there some sort of precedent for luchadors that allows them to go back to wearing their masks after a time? Or did Rey just lose his "mask rights" for WCW and never had the stipulation applied to him for Mexico and his subsequent WWE stints?

I'm not trying to point out inaccuracies or storyline gaps in Rey's career. I'm just curious if luchadors are allowed to return to their masks and how that's handled.
Mr. Boffo
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#14 Posted on 27.5.09 1511.01
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1511.03
    Originally posted by dWs
    Question about Rey and his mask: he lost it in 1999 in WCW when he lost to Kevin Nash. Through the rest of his WCW career, he was mask-less, but would sometimes come out with an entrance mask (which he would then discard before wrestling).

    Next time I saw Rey was when he popped up in WWE in 2002 (not sure on date) with his mask intact. I think he was down in AAA or CMLL during the gap, but did he appear mask-less while down there? Is there some sort of precedent for luchadors that allows them to go back to wearing their masks after a time? Or did Rey just lose his "mask rights" for WCW and never had the stipulation applied to him for Mexico and his subsequent WWE stints?

    I'm not trying to point out inaccuracies or storyline gaps in Rey's career. I'm just curious if luchadors are allowed to return to their masks and how that's handled.


How it's been told to me before (probably on here when Rey first came back) is as follows: The mask is a big deal in Mexico, and losing the right to wear your mask is a big deal that should not be ignored. But they also understand that it's not such a big deal up here, so losing a mask vs. mask match (or a hair vs. match mask, or title vs. mask, what have you) in a US promotion doesn't hold over to down there. And WWE doesn't care about what happened in WCW either.
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#15 Posted on 27.5.09 1543.39
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1543.47
Rey was supposed to lose his mask a second time, in Mexico, shortly after he lost it in WCW - to Psicosis, I believe - but the commission nixed it, saying you can't lose your mask twice. So it WAS kind of a big deal, and really it just kinda goes unaddressed every time they throw him on a Mexican tour. (Although the commission kinda practices more than a few double standards, this is one of the more egregious ones.)

(edited by CRZ on 27.5.09 1544)
hansen9j
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#16 Posted on 27.5.09 1609.14
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1609.40
Yeah, they let it go when Rey tours as part of WWE, but they are capable of enforcing the mask rules when they want to, and I believe the time limit only really applies to getting a new mask as part of a gimmick. If I recall my Observers right, Silver King re-masked as Silver King, and was going to put his mask up in a major match (TripleMania maybe), and the commission put a stop to it.
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#17 Posted on 27.5.09 1648.15
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1650.41
    Originally posted by hansen9j
    Yeah, they let it go when Rey tours as part of WWE, but they are capable of enforcing the mask rules when they want to, and I believe the time limit only really applies to getting a new mask as part of a gimmick. If I recall my Observers right, Silver King re-masked as Silver King, and was going to put his mask up in a major match (TripleMania maybe), and the commission put a stop to it.


Yes. Dave discussed that in the Observer this week.

Fantasma, the head of the commission in Mexico City/DF, apparently is hating on AAA these days and is being a stickler about that (and the stuff with Konnan and Juvi).
thecubsfan
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#18 Posted on 27.5.09 1650.07
Reposted on: 27.5.16 1650.54
Rey was supposed to lose to Psicosis, right. It was going to be in Tijuana to be four days after he lost in US, and the commission to threaten the promoter of the show (who was doing monthly shows and would be harmed by the suspension, unlike Rey at that point.)

In between the end of WCW and starting in WWE, Rey wrestled for CMLL a few times, unmasked. And Rey explained it was something WWE wanted to do, and everyone just accepted it because WWE's considered something different.

Things have changed on that front since WWE shows got picked up by over the air networks; in the press, WWE's now the enemy trying to destroy an important part of Mexican culture (WWE taking something away from lucha libre, which hasn't really happened). As a way of proving how horrible WWE is, at least one sports daily has taken to posting pictures of Rey unmasked in WCW whenever news of WWE comes up.

If WWE ends up doing the mask match they seem to be setting up, there will be more anger. It's just not clear if it's the ticket buying public who cares, or just the people who get paid to cover this stuff.

The Mexico City Box Y Lucha commission, the most powerful in the country, kinda just sees WWE as something outside their scope when they come to town (except for whatever money they happen to collect.)

It's come up again lately because of that Silver King situation - he put his mask back on, and is currently suspended from wrestling in Mexico City as a result. Silver's argued that double standard, but he's also argued a half dozen things, and is a total BS artist. It's not the arguments that actually got him suspended, but the stunt he pulled before his last match in Mexico City - he put on his mask backstage, told the commission he was going to take it off before the match, then did the match with it on and only took it off just before he went back thru the curtain.

AAA (where Silver King is) and the Mexico City commission are waring on this issue and a couple others at the moment, which will come to a head in a couple weeks when AAA runs TripleMania in Mexico City. It's possible the commission tries to makes Rey wrestle without a mask this time thru, to put it in better shape for the fight to come. (Or, they could just cave on everything, which is probably more likely.)

(edited by thecubsfan on 27.5.09 1650)
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