WWE: Friday Night Smackdown
June 8, 2007
Orlando, FL
Amway Arena

The current Smackdown champions are as follows:
World Heavyweight Champion: Edge (5/11/2007)
WWE United States Champion: MVP (5/20/2007)
WWE Tag Team Champions: Deuce N Domino (4/20/2007)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Chavo Guerrero (2/18/2007)

Read along if you have the WWE Network!

Your hosts are Michael Cole and JBL.

The Cutting Edge: His guest tonight is Mr. McMahon. Cole says McMahon is going through “mood swings galore” since losing the ECW world title. He is out of control on RAW, but almost in a trance on ECW on Sci-Fi. Here he takes on another personality. He seems like an evil religious nut with dementia. Robert Mitchum from “The Night of the Hunter” comes to mind for some reason. I may be wrong there, but let’s just go with it. Edge shows McMahon all the respect in the world that he can since John Cena and Bobby Lashley won’t. He even puts the world title in McMahon’s lap and wants the crowd to show him respect. McMahon gets up from his chair and says in his crazy voice that Edge is no better than Cena or Lashley. He then makes Edge defend his world title against Batista at Vengeance. Edge doesn’t think that’s fair since he’s already beaten him twice, but McMahon gives him the old “life sucks and then you die” line. He tells Edge facing Batista is “do or die” and then says “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” because he’s CrAzY! As Vince walks out, Edge gives him this look like he has no idea what just happened. McMahon heads to the locker room like he’s trying not to step on a crack which will break his mama’s back.

An interesting green video package airs highlighting the Finlay and Hornswoggle relationship.

• Mark Henry vs. The Boogeyman (w/Little Boogey)
  

He squeezes Boogeyman, kicks Little Boogey, and then delivers the WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM to Boogeyman for the win in 1:25. Because he’s one bad dude, Mark Henry grabs the Little Boogey for a WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM and a running splash as well. YES. THANK YOU, MARK HENRY. N/R

From backstage, the assistant GM of Smackdown Vickie Guerrero announces the double main event for tonight. Edge will meet Chris Benoit while MVP takes on Batista. Why is Teddy Long just standing there like that?

After a commercial break, Kristal is sitting on a couch with Teddy Long across from Vickie Guerrero telling her how good she was doing that announcement. Teddy says it was fine for her first time. Mr. McMahon shows up on his hands and knees telling Vickie how good she just was. Vickie creepily looks at Vince as though she were facing Jesus Christ himself. Teddy wants to talk to Vince in private because he thinks there may be a problem here. Vince thinks Kristal is the problem because she is half Teddy’s age. He feels Teddy needs to keep his eyes off Kristal because Vince has his eyes on Teddy. WHAT IS HAPPENING? Teddy can’t believe this white dude came on his show disrespecting him like that.

• Paul London, Brian Kendrick & Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jamie Noble & Daivari
  

Good to see Jamie Noble back on TV. He’ll be sticking around for a while. He gets his arm worked over by Yang to start. Tag to London, he headscissors Chavo out of a corner leading to some double-teaming and quick tags with Kendrick. Yang hits a flying bodypress for two. Daivari avoids a flying kick from Yang and knocks him down to turn the tide. Yang plays face in peril for a bit leading to a hot tag to Kendrick. He’s a house of fire until Noble trips him up into a Falcon Arrow (although Cole and JBL both call it a brainbuster) for 1-2-NO! Yang jumps off London who was on all fours to plancha onto Daivari and Noble. That leaves Chavo all alone for the powerbomb/SLICED BREAD #2 combo finish. (7:35) Good match. They have been showcasing these guys pretty well on Smackdown lately giving them time to work. ***¼

• Edge vs. Chris Benoit
  

Benoit is aggressive to start. IMAGINE THAT. He chops back at Edge and Edge sells it so well like his entire body went numb. Benoit wears down Edge with chinlocks and armbars. A hard whip into the corner followed by a series of running elbow drops won’t be enough to stop Edge though. He tries the Crippler Crossface and wants to German Suplex Edge off the apron, but neither happen. Edge winds up in a backdrop to take a hard ride out to the floor as we go to break. After the commercials, Edge claws out of a cravat only to get chopped out of the ring. Again, the man can really sell those chops. Back inside, Benoit takes the Bret Hart corner bump. He headbutts Edge down to avoid a superplex, but Benoit misses the Swandive Headbutt, which damages the shoulder. Edge rips at the shoulder and boots down Benoit for a two-count. Benoit knees out of an armbar and enziguri kicks Edge down. He mounts his comeback with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Now Benoit goes through the Three Amigos and the Hat Trick of Germans! Good grief. He flies off the top with the SWANDIVE HEADBUTT for 1-2-NO! WHAT. Benoit complains to the ref and charges Edge in the corner, but gets caught with a flapjack into the buckle. Edge wants the Spear, but gets tripped up into the CRIPPLER CROSSFACE. Edge finds the ropes and yanks Benoit shoulder-first into the post. That staggers Benoit for a SPEAR and Edge gets the three-count. (15:41 shown) The finish felt anti-climatic to me after all those suplexes. Nevertheless with a heavy heart, you are looking at the last strong match of Benoit’s career here. ***¾

Jillian Hall interrupts Ashley while she’s getting her hair brushed backstage. Ashley claims Jillian broke her leg. WHEN? If Jillian doesn’t get drafted elsewhere, Ashley will end her career. Well, what if Ashley gets drafted somewhere else? Did she think about that? Jillian slaps Ashley across the face and runs off causing Ashley to chase after her. Is Ashley’s leg hurt or not? She’s really booking it there.

Elsewhere, Mr. McMahon comes upon Matt Hardy signing stuff for charity. He asks Matt how he’s doing after he and Jeff lost the RAW tag titles to Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch thanks to Vince forcing them to defend the belts the next night after a crazy ladder match with Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. As Jillian and Ashley run by, Ashley shoulder tackles Vince and spills his coffee on his clothes. Ashley is very upset. After Matt is sent off to get ready for his match leaving McMahon there to talk with Ashley, he gets up in her face and suspends her indefinitely. HAHAHA. YES.

• Deuce & Domino (w/Cherry) vs. Matt Hardy
  

Jeff Hardy is nowhere to be found since he is part of a RAW tour over in Portugal. Matt has his ribs taped to show how injured he is. This goes on longer than it probably should have because MATT HARDY WILL NOT DIE! He still manages to get all of his moves in, which makes the tag champs look like total chumps (surprise, surprise), but Deuce breaks up a pin after the TWIST OF FATE with the CRACK IN DA MOUTH to put an end to this one. (5:45 shown) Yeah they win in the end, but they still look like ham-and-eggers. *½

Some random white dude interviews MVP backstage. MVP is something the WWE fans aren’t: he’s a champion because he’s better. He’s even better than Batista. He calls the shots and he’s straight up BALLIN’.

• Batista vs. MVP
  

MVP decides to box with Batista to start. When Bats has enough, he forces MVP into a corner and drives the shoulder into the gut. Seeing that he’s in trouble, MVP hits the floor and snaps Batista’s neck off the top rope when he isn’t looking. He goes to the knee, but Bats doesn’t stand for it and delivers a shinbreaker. MVP punches out of the corner, but charges into a clothesline to take us into commercial. AND WE’RE BACK! Bats is in charge and hits one ugly suplex. MVP comes back with the Helluva Kick that sends Batista to the floor. Back inside, MVP stuns him with a DDT for two. More abuse to the head. Bats fights back and catches MVP with the Bossman Slam. The Spinebuster comes next and as he calls for the Demon Bomb, Edge charges the ring only to run right into a SPEAR from Bats to signal the DQ. (10:33 shown) Bats just has to Demon Bomb somebody and grabs Edge, but Edge pushes him away and scurries back up the ramp for obvious reasons. Cole makes an analogy about an animal being forced into a corner as he inch closer to Vengeance, but NOBODY PUTS BATISTA IN A CORNER. MVP is awesome, but Batista is back to his old self again stinking up the ring. **½

Nobody.

Next time we revisit 2007, it will be on RAW for the WWE DRAFT~!