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JOEY MERCURY INJURY UPDATE
by Mike Johnson @ 9:00:00 PM on 12/17/2006

The early word on Joey Mercury is that he suffered a broken nose and a swollen eye, as well as numerous lacerations from getting hit in the face with a ladder during a teeter-tooter spot during tonight's Armageddon PPV. Mercury was rushed from the match and taken for medical examination immediately after the spot.

UPDATE ON JOEY MERCURY
by Mike Johnson @ 11:00:00 PM on 12/17/2006

Joey Mercury will be undergoing a CT Scan to make sure he didn't suffer any brain injuries in tonight's ladder match. In one of the scariest moments of the year, Mercury's face was ripped apart, his eye was swollen shut and blood began pouring from his nose and face after he was struck by a ladder during a teeter totter spot.

The WWE website quoted the company's Dr. Ferdinand Rios as saying that Mercury would likely be out 2 months and need plastic surgery. Rios said that it didn't appear Mercury suffered a concussion. Mercury was lucid after the injury and did not show any effects of being disoriented.

If Mercury's CT Scan discovers something more serious beyond the obvious cosmetic damage from the injury, his treatment and recovery could take much longer then the early estimates of 8 weeks.

JOEY MERCURY UPDATE
by Mike Johnson @ 10:18:00 AM on 12/18/2006

WWE's website reported that Joey Mercury received four stitches to the inside and 14 on the outside of his nose stemming from last night's injury in the four way ladder match.

There was no word on any issues arising from his scheduled CT Scan, which is hopefully a good sign.

JOEY MERCURY COMMENTS ON INJURIES, ARMAGEDDON 2007 SITE AND MORE
by Mike Johnson @ 4:37:00 PM on 12/18/2006

LIVE NOTES FROM WWE'S ARMAGEDDON PPV
by Joe White

Hey guys this is Joe White from p2plive.net and I was at Armageddon tonight in Richmond, VA and here is my take on things.

The dark match at last night's Armageddon PPV in Richmond, VA saw Oleg Prudius defeat Scotty Too Hotty.

Kane vs. MVP in an inferno match: An OK match, the only problem was that every time they made the flames grow after a high spot, one side would go out and they had to relight. After the match they learned that the side of the ring canvas that faces the announcers was charred and the ring apron on that side wouldn't stay up. In my section there were a lot of "Power Ranger" chants directed at MVP.

WWE Tag Team champions Paul London & Bryan Kendrick vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor vs. MNM vs. The Hardy Boyz: Ladder Match: Just one word can describe this match: AWESOME. When Joey Mercury got hurt it looked like he had been shot in the face. The blood just gushed out of his face all at once, staining the canvas.

Boogeyman vs. Mike the Miz: NEXT MATCH. 

WWE United States champion Chris Benoit vs. Chavo Guerrero: The only thing I can really say about this match is that the crowd loved Benoit and they went nuts when he his those 9 Germans on Chavo, but other than that they treated it as if it were a basic match.

WWE Cruiserweight champion Gregory Helms vs. Jimmy Wang Yang: The crowd was dead for this one, I guess because everybody was burned out by this time. But on the other hand, Jimmy Yang is super over. Even though the crowd was dead for the most part there still were some "Let's go Redneck" chants in my section.

Ken Kennedy vs. The Undertaker: Last Ride Match: Good match live. The crowd loved the high spot off the set, and of course you got a "Holy S*%$" chant out of it. I really like the spot where Kennedy was in the hearse and Taker did the old sit up bit.

Naughty or Nice Lingerie Contest: Leyla El vs. Jillian Hall vs. Kristal Marshall vs. Ashley: zzzz.....zzzz...... LET'S BRING OUT THE FAT OILY GUY...zzzz......zzzzz........zzzz....

WWE champion John Cena & WWE World champion Batista vs. Finlay and King Booker: Nothing special here. I don't see why this match even matters in the grand scheme of things, but it was nice to actually hear about half the building boo Cena.

All in all it was worth the money just to see that awesome ladder match and I would recommend buying it on DVD or getting the replay.

LOOKING AT A "ONE MATCH MADE THE SHOW A MUST BUY" ARMAGEDDON PPV

With the sour taste of the ECW "December to Dismember" show still in my mouth, I went into last night's PPV with a bit of a chip on my shoulder.  I actually expected this to be at least a good wrestling card given the matches they announced, but if this show started to stink in the slightest, I was ready to bury it given how I still feel they ripped me off of forty dollars two weeks ago.  Thankfully, I actually got value for my money last night and there was far more good than bad on the show.

In fact, the tag match alone made the show a must buy.  It was an amazing spectacle that had me jumping up from my chair at times.  It was the kind of match that WWE doesn't do much any more (and as we saw with Joey Mercury's injury there is a good reason that they limit it) but when they do, it's a must see.  Much of the rest of the show was very good as well, making WWE's second PPV of the month a whole lot better than their first.

And now, on to the matches.

It was an interesting choice to start off with Kane and MVP in the Inferno Match.  I didn't expect a lot of great work from the two but thought that the gimmick would make the bout interesting, and that is exactly how it played out.  Given the limitations of the two men, this was a good way to use them on the show and it got things off to a hot start, pun intended. ... I have to say, they are better men than I am for playing with fire.  Me?  I have a healthy respect for the flame.  You couldn't pay me to get set on fire, even under a controlled circumstance like that.  It takes a lot of guts to do that.

Next up was the match of the night.  What can I say about the tag bout other than it was amazing and brutal (in a good way).  Those guys busted their butts from the get go and delivered an amazing performance.  I also liked the booking in that they had the champs win.  By beating three teams, they pushed London and Kendrick as more than a novelty act and showed that they were truly worthy talents.  Fantastic stuff all around on this one. ... Ordinarily, the only bad thing you can say about it would be that it killed the heat for the next match but given what that match was, that isn't even an issue on this night.

Miz and Boogeyman?  Whatever.  I just wish Boogey would have put Miz out for good so I didn't have to see him on my screen any more.  That guy is beyond annoying.  At least it was short so it only sucked for a few minutes.

Chris Benoit and Chavo had a solid match that was hurt a bit by the crowd still coming down from the tag bout.  They definitely played Benoit as the good guy by not having her club Vickie.  Maybe they can have him club Vince McMahon instead, for continuing the Eddie storyline.  Hey, I can hope can't I?  Anyway, this was a good effort from both men.

The string of enjoyable matches continued as Greg Helms and Jimmy Yang put on a solid show.  They didn't have all the big names on this show, but guys came wearing their working shoes.  By now, they had already blown away the ECW debacle.

Then came the second best match of the night as Undertaker and Ken Kennedy busted their butts in the Last Ride match.  This was another spectacle match and both men busted their asses to make it a good match as well. ... Taker has to be commended for how he works with younger talents.  He works harder than most guys of his stature would, takes big bumps and elevates guys.  He is a true pro and the kind of guy who is everything good about the business.  I loved this match.

The diva stuff was "whatever" city.  I appreciate them wanting to get hotties on TV, even if it's often done in a forced manner.  Why they feel the need to subject us to Santa Johnson however, I just don't know.  Then again, this is the same company where they had the owner fart Shakespeare into Mel Gibson's face on their website so we shouldn't be surprised.  I don't know what is scarier, that I just wrote that or that it's true.

The main event was OK, nothing more.  It was short and very predictable but given what we saw on the rest of the card, I won't complain.  Frankly, it was just what I expected. ... I still think that Batista could do a lot more other there than he does.  I am not saying he should be Chris Benoit, but a lot of the time he just doesn't seem like he cares that much to me (and I am not saying that he doesn't, just that the fire often seems to be lacking).  He especially looks bad in comparison to Cena, who is every bit as limited but has so much more fire and desire.  Their careers have run very parallel to each other which bears even more poorly on Batista. Cena does more with less than his counterpart does and when they work together, it's very obvious.  It's also pretty clear why they made him their poster boy and not big Dave.

JERRY LAWLER RESPONDS TO HULK HOGAN'S CHALLENGE AND SAYS HE WAS STIFFED BY THE MILLIONAIRE, NITRO PUSHES K FED, RAW AND MORE

Here's a link to video from Memphis' CW affiliate of Jerry Lawler answering a challenge that Hulk Hogan made a week earlier when he was in town pushing daughter Brooke's CD.  Lawler responded that it was typical Hogan pandering, which it was.  The funny thing about the story is that Lawler said that Hogan owes him because he co-signed for Hogan's first car and the Hulkster skipped town without ever paying him back and said if Hogan really wants to wrestle him, he knows where to find him..  Obviously, this is just a case of Hogan dropping Lawler's name because he was in town and Lawler responding to get a plug for the Memphis wrestling show.

Here's a link to a story where Johnny Nitro puts over Kevin Federline and hypes the 1/1 Raw appearance of the former celebrity husband.  The story noted that they were told by a WWE spokesman that K Fed will "likely" be at Raw tonight.

Speaking of the 1/1 Raw, WWE sees it as a very important show for the company and think that it will get some mainstream hype.  As we mentioned over the weekend, in his website blog (which is a great read by the way), Jim Ross mentioned that he wanted to get a day off from this show to watch his beloved Oklahoma Sooners play in their Bowl game and was denied by WWE.  From what I was told, the didn't grant the request because of how important they see the show as being.

And speaking of tonight's Raw, this is the three hour extravaganza that will feature a 30 man battle royal where the winner gets a title shot against John Cena later in the evening.  It will be interesting to see which 30 guys they put into the battle royal.  Also, we will have an interview with Sylvester Stallone pushing his new movie where an old boxer gets back in the ring.  There are some wrestling corollaries to be made there. 

NITRO AND MELINA ADMIT THEY ARE DATING, POST WRESTLEMANIA TV PLANS, BOOKER T, KANE AND MORE WWE NEWS

Chris Johnson reporting. ... The Nuter Center's website is advertising the following matches for the Smackdown & ECW house show on 12/28 in Dayton, Ohio: ECW Champion Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly, Test vs. RVD vs. Sabu, World Champion Batista vs. King Booker in a Steel Cage and The Undertaker & Kane vs. MVP & Mr. Kennedy.

OA sent this one. ... I was searching through some websites and noticed that a video has been made for when Molly Holly and Ivory went on a road trip to wedding of Trish Stratus. It has to be purchased on the website www.noradvd.com.  Also, the ladies have a myspace page for there tour at www.myspace.com/ivorymolly.

Adam sent this report. ... Play.com, which had See No Evil listed as being released in the UK on 1st January 2007, is now listing the UK DVD release as 26th March 2007.

Antonio Tseng reporting. ... On Thursday morning on the CW11 morning show in NY, Melina and Johnny Nitro were part of the entertainment/gossip portion of the show. They broke character and admitted to dating each other and why Nitro is attracted to her (Melina's pouty lip). Then they went back to character and started hyping K-Fed versus Cena on January 1. Nitro talked about how he was training K-Fed and that he is a "relentless pit bull and has no weaknesses." They also hyped the new WWE DVD board game. They ended the segment with Melina saying how Paris Hilton had betrayed their friendship by going out with Britney and would call her out in the ring.

Joseph Lopez reporting. ... On Thursday night on our local CBS affiliate (KHOU 11) in Houston, TX, during Sports segment, there was a spotlight segment on Booker T, er, King Booker.  He talked about his new wrestling training school, the Booker T Wrestling Academy, they interviewed some of the Academy's students ($3,500 for 6 months is the cost).  They talked briefly how he grew up not playing sports and was more into dance, and his current status as WWE superstar now.  His wife, Sharmell, was featured too, and she talked about how the King Booker name came to be.  He will be hosting an upcoming indy show down in Pasadena TX, later this month (the 21st? - not sure).

WWE announced yesterday through their wrestlemania.packages@wwecorp.com address the location of the post WrestleMania TV tapings.

RAW on April 2, 2007 will emanate from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.  Tickets on sale to general public on December 30, 2006

SmackDown! on April 3, 2007 will take place at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Tickets on sale to general public in February of 2007.  

Thanks to Jason Head for sending that along.

Friday's edition of Smackdown did a 2.6 fast national rating, with a 5 share.  The final number will be out later this week.

JIM ROSS TALKS ABOUT DEATHS IN WRESTLING, DREAMER LOOKS AT CLASSIC ECW SLOGANS AND IF THEY STILL APPLY, HOGAN RETURNS TO MSG, LEGEND PASSES AWAY
by Buck Woodward 

Jim Ross has posted his latest blog, which you can check out by clicking here.  In it, Ross discusses premature deaths amongst those in the wrestling business, Paul Heyman and ECW, whether Umaga is a ripoff of Samoa Joe, Michael Cole & JBL and a lot more.  Ross also comments on The Rock, the New Japan-WWE meetings, and also responds to reader email.  His blogs are quickly becoming "must read" material lately.  Again, you can check it all out by clicking here.

Tommy Dreamer has returned with his commentary on the WWE.com ECW subsite. In this commentary, Dreamer looks at the classic ECW slogans and notes which ones still apply to the current brand. Dreamer also takes an optimistic attitude towards ECW and asks for the fans to support it. He closes by saying "If you see something you like on the show, enjoy it, if not, then do something about it. Fight the fight." Click here to check it out.

Mike Informer sent along this link, which has pictures of Hulk Hogan and Brooke Hogan appearing at the Z100 "Jingle Ball" concert, which was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Mike also sent a link to a Slam Wrestling article, reporting that the legendary Spoiler, Don Jardine, passed away this weekend after battling leukemia at the age of 66.  The article also includes a look at his storied career, and you can check it out by clicking here.

RODDY PIPER UPDATE, BOOKER'S NEW TERRITORY'S LOADED SHOW, HOGAN AND MORE

Sanjay Kothari reporting. ... Rowdy Roddy Piper was interviewed on the "2 Live Stews" radio show on Friday on WQXI 790 The Zone (Atlanta sports talk). Ryan Stewart made a point of putting over Controversy Creates Cash consistently throughout the interview, but Hot Rod mainly wanted to discuss his battle with Lymphoma. He also mentioned his first match (he got squashed in 10 seconds), and the origin of his persona. It was a friend's idea to escort him down with the bagpipes and the ring announcer, on the spur of the moment, introduced him as "Roddy the Piper." He also put over the WWE fans, giving them credit for his catching the disease early. He talked about Cyber Sunday, and the fans voting him into the title winning tag match, which then put him on the European tour with Ric Flair, and that was where the swollen lymph nodes were discovered while the doctor was examining a bone injury. He also talked about "kicking the disease's butt" (I guess he's scared of the FCC, too), and using the experience to help with his work in children's hospitals. He was extremely positive, and funny as hell (as always), and it was a really fun interview. I'll bug the station to add the interview to their archive and let you know if it ends up out there.

Here's a link to a Q and A that Hulk Hogan did.  No new ground was broken really.  He just said he wants to help Brooke with her career and help Nick race cars.

Here the line up for King Booker's first show in his new territory, which debuts this coming Thursday and features a lot of WWE talent.  There is a lot of talk that Booker would like to pitch it as a developmental territory to WWE.  I think that would be a good move by WWE to make.

THE SMACKDOWN REPORT
by Richard Trionfo

Armageddon is on Sunday night and it is time for the final build to the pay per view. Will we see King Booker and Fit Finlay try to take advantage of Batista, or will Batista’s tag team partner, WWE Champion John Cena, show up to help out his partner? Will Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero try to get inside Chris Benoit’s head as Benoit and Guerrero prepare for their match on Sunday? Will Montel Vontavious Porter and Ken Kennedy weaken their opponents as they face Undertaker and Kane in a tag match? Will there be any tension between Paul London and Brian Kendrick or will they be able to focus as they prepare for William Regal and David Taylor? Will we see Gregory Helms as he prepares for Jimmy Wang Yang? Will we be fortunate enough to see the final build between the Boogeyman and Mike Mizanin?

We are live on tape from Boston, Massachusetts and your announcers are Michael ‘Flutie’ Cole and John ‘Big Dig’ Layfield

John Cena comes to the ring to start off tonight’s show since we are in his ‘home town’. John says that he knows the fans are confused and along with wondering where is ‘parts unknown’, they are wondering why the WWE champion is here on Smackdown. Cena says that he is here for three reasons. First, he lives here. He shows his dad in the front row and then he goes to hug him. Cena says that there is no way that he is going to miss a Smackdown in Beantown. Second, it is the holiday season. Cena talks about the Secret Santa program. This year, he got stuck with his favorite announcer of all-time. After looking at Michael Cole’s Christmas list, which was a little bizarre, he was able to find all of Cole’s gifts. Cena gives Cole a large salami, a photo of David Hasselhoff without his shirt, and a giant bag of salty nuts because everyone knows that Michael Cole loves to eat salty nuts. Cena wishes Cole a Merry Christmas and reminds Cole that he cannot return them after he puts them in his mouth. The third reason he is here is because of Armageddon. Besides being a sweet movie starring Michael Clarke Duncan and Bruce Willis and his favorite Def Leppard song of all time; Armageddon is where history will be made. On Sunday, the WWE Champion gets a history making opportunity. That is to fight on the same side as the World Champion Batista. They will go face to face . . . 

Cena is interrupted by King Booker and Queen Sharmell. They are accompanied by Fit Finlay and his shillelagh. Booker has a mic as he stands under the Fist-o-Tron. He says that it is not so funny now. Cena might talk about making history; and history will be made at Armageddon as him and Finlay defend the WWE Champion and the World Champion in the same match. Last week, Batista had to be humbled and humbled he was. He is no more than a wounded animal. We go to footage from last week’s Smackdown when Booker and Finlay attacked Batista. Booker shakes Finlay’s hand for that royal beatdown. Booker says that Batista will not be here tonight. Booker agrees with Cena that it is the holiday season. So Cena does not feel left out, Finlay and him will give Cena the same beatdown that they gave Batista.

Finlay and Booker get to the ring, but they stop when Batista’s music plays. Batista comes to the ring and Finlay and Booker leave the apron and the ringside area.

Teddy Long comes out and he has something to say to Booker, Finlay, Batista, and Cena. Teddy tells the playas to hold on. He heard them talk about making history at Armageddon, but he is going to make history tonight. Teddy reminds them about the tag match on Sunday. Tonight, Finlay will face John Cena. We go to commercial.

We are back with the Slam of the Week: William Regal and Dave Taylor defeating Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a non-title match.

Match Number One: Paul London, Brian Kendrick, and Jimmy Wang Yang versus William Regal, Dave Taylor, and Gregory Helms
Helms and London start things off and Helms kicks London followed by a fireman’s carry into a side head lock. London with an arm drag and Kendrick is tagged in. London with a reverse atomic drop and Kendrick with a flying forearm to Helms. Helms with an Irish whip and while the referee is distracted by Taylor, Regal hits Kendrick when Kendrick tries to float over. Helms with a hard Irish whip into the corner and Taylor is tagged in. Taylor gets Kendrick on his shoulders and then he drops Kendrick across the top turnbuckle and then hits a fallaway slam. Taylor with a European uppercut and then he tags in Regal. Regal chokes Kendrick and then Helms does the same while the referee admonishes Regal. Regal with a series of knees to Kendrick. Regal continues to choke Kendrick while he talks to the referee. Regal with a side head lock with the arm isolated and then it turns into a regular side head lock. Regal with an exploder before tagging in Taylor. Taylor with a head butt to Kendrick’s chest. Kendrick tries for a sunset flip, but Taylor does not go over and he punches Kendrick. Taylor with a European uppercut and then he tags in Helms. Helms with a front face lock and take down. Helms with knees to Kendrick and then Taylor is tagged back in. Taylor misses a charge into the corner and Kendrick with a jumping leg lariat to the back of Taylor’s head and both men are down. Helms tags in and he knocks London off the apron. Kendrick with a suplex and Yang tags in and he hits a springboard cross body on Helms and then he hits Regal on the apron with a forearm. Yang with clotheslines to Helms and then he hits a head scissors on Regal. Helms with a forearm to Yang and he tries for a suplex but Yang floats over and lands on his feet. Yang hits jumping spin kick on Helms but Taylor breaks up the cover. London with a drop kick to Regal followed by a heel kick to Taylor. Regal and Taylor leave the ring and London and Kendrick go to the apron. Yang with an Asai Moonsault from the top on Helms for the three count. We go to commercial.
Winners: Paul London, Brian Kendrick, and Jimmy Wang Yang

We are back with highlights from the Armageddon press conference.

We see highlights from the Hardys versus Nitro and Mercury match from December to Dismember.

Match Number Two: Matt Hardy versus Joey Mercury
Hardy backs Mercury into the corner on a collar and elbow tie up, but Mercury turns the tables and he punches Hardy. Mercury follows that with a short arm clothesline. Hardy with an Irish whip followed by a running clothesline into the corner and a bulldog for a two count. Hardy punches Mercury and then he hits an elbow on a charging Mercury. Hardy goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Mercury pulls Hardy off the turnbuckles and he gets a two count. Mercury punches Hardy and then the referee tells Mercury to stop. Mercury with a running boot to Hardy that knocks Matt to the floor. Mercury brings Hardy back into the ring for a two count. Mercury with a sleeper to Hardy and then he hits a neck breaker. Mercury goes to the second turnbuckle and he hits a forearm to Hardy for a two count. Hardy punches Mercury. Hardy moves when Mercury charges into the corner and Hardy hits a clothesline. Hardy follows that with a slam and then he hits an elbow from the second turnbuckle for a two count. Hardy with a side effect and then he hits the Twist of Fate for the three count.
Winner: Matt Hardy

We go to a video package for the Inferno Match with footage from previous Inferno Matches.

Montel Vontavious Porter is in an office on the phone with his agent and he says that he should not be in an inferno match. He says that if anyone is going to be ‘fired’ it will be his agent. He turns around and sees Ken Kennedy. He says that he does not want to deal with any of Kennedy’s nonsense. Kennedy reminds Porter that they have a tag match against Undertaker and Kane. Porter reminds Kennedy that he is in an Inferno match. Porter says that he has to accept the possibility that he might get burned. Kennedy points out that he is in a Last Ride match. Kennedy talks about being incapacitated to the point where he is put in the back of a hearse. Porter and Kennedy argue over which match is more violent on Sunday. Kennedy says that they need to stop this because their tag match is next. Porter says that they need to be on the same page tonight. 

We see Kane and Undertaker staring at each other. Then they look at the screen and snarl as we go to commercial.

We are back and there is a hearse in the arena. When Montel Vontavious Porter takes a look inside the hearse, pyro goes off and it freaks him out.

Match Number Three: Montel Vontavious Porter and Ken Kennedy versus Undertaker and Kane
Kane with a kick to Kennedy and then he punches Kennedy in the corner. Kane with an Irish whip and then he gets Kennedy up for a vertical choke. Kane with an Irish whip but he charges into an elbow from Kennedy. Porter is tagged in and he connects with a knee, but Kane responds with a side slam. Kane goes up top and he hits the jumping clothesline Kane works on Porter’s shoulder and then he tags in Taker. Taker with a boot to Porter and then he punches Porter in the shoulder and then hits a back elbow. Taker with an Irish whip and a clothesline. Taker punches Kennedy off the apron. Taker punches Porter and then he works on Porter’s arm. Taker goes up for Old School, but he is distracted by Kennedy and Porter with an arm drag. Kennedy is tagged in and he punches and kicks Taker in the corner. Kennedy kicks Taker out of the ring and then Porter slams Taker’s head into the ring steps. Porter tags back in and he kicks Taker and punches him in the corner. Taker tosses Porter into the corner and he punches Porter. Taker goes Old School. Taker with an Irish whip and he tries for Snake Eyes, but Porter gets out of the hold. Kane makes the blind tag and Porter runs into a big boot. Kennedy comes in and he is met with a big boot. Kane tosses Porter over the top rope to the floor and then they give Kennedy a double choke slam. Taker tries for a tombstone piledriver on Kennedy but Porter gets Kennedy out of the hold. Taker goes after Porter and sends Porter into the Smackdown set up. Kennedy gives Kane a drop toe hold into the ring steps and then sends Kane into the ring steps as the referee calls for the bell. Kennedy gives Kane a DDT as Taker and Porter fight to the back. Kennedy gets into the hearse and he prepares to run over Kane. Porter comes out and he kicks Kane. The lights go out and when they go back on, Taker is sitting next to Kennedy. Kennedy leaves the hearse and then Kane sits up. Kennedy and Porter run to the back. We go to commercial.

We are back and before our next match, we see footage of Vickie Guerrero getting knocked off the apron by Chris Benoit after Chavo kicked him towards the ropes.

Chavo gets on the mic and wonders what kind of man hits a woman. He tells Chris to take a look at Vickie. Chavo says that Benoit scarred Vickie. He wants Benoit to come to the ring to apologize to everyone and to Vickie. He tells Benoit to take responsibility for his actions. 

Chris Benoit comes to the ring and he says that he does not owe her an apology because he did not do anything. He will not apologize for what he is going to do to Chavo on Sunday. The referee asks Benoit to leave the ring

Match Number Four: Chavo Guerrero (with Vickie Guerrero) versus Funaki
Chavo kicks and punches Funaki and follows that with a Latino uppercut and belly-to-back suplex. Chavo tells Benoit that what he is doing to Funaki will happen to him on Sunday. Chavo with a drop toe hold and two Saito suplexes. Funaki punches Chavo but Chavo responds with a kick. Chavo with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker followed by a brainbuster. Chavo goes up top and he hits the Frog Splash for the three count.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero

After the match, Benoit comes into the ring and he puts Chavo in the Sharpshooter. Vickie slaps Benoit in the face, but Benoit does not flinch and he starts to smile. Vickie cowers in the corner and prays for mercy. Benoit looks at Vickie and we go to commercial for the Tribute to the Troops show on Christmas night.

Match Number Five: Vito versus Sylvan
Vito flashes Sylvan before they lock up and Sylvan backs away. Sylvan backs Vito into the corner on a collar and elbow tie up and then he flashes Sylvan one more time. Vito punches Sylvan outside the ring and they return to the ring. Vito with forearms to Sylvan. Sylvan sends a charging Vito over the top rope to the apron. Vito punches Sylvan from the apron and then he dances for the fans. Sylvan with a clothesline that sends Vito to the floor. Sylvan with forearms and punches in the corner followed by an Irish whip. Sylvan charges into an elbow from Vito. Vito with a back body drop and clotheslines. Vito slams Sylvan and then he hits a leg drop for a two count. Sylvan hot shots Vito into the corner when Vito charges at him. Sylvan presses Vito and slams him behind his head for a two count. Vito with a Lou Thesz Press and then hits a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Vito

We go to an Earlier Tonight moment when Undertaker mysteriously appeared in the front of the hearse next to Ken Kennedy.

It is time to run through the main events for Armageddon:
Montel Vontavious Porter versus Kane in an Inferno Match
Ken Kennedy versus Undertaker in a Last Ride Match
John Cena and Batista versus King Booker and Fit Finlay

We see Fit Finlay in the locker room getting ready for his match as we go to commercial.

We are back with the Smack of the Night: Mike Mizanin leaving Kristal Marshall in the ring with the Boogeyman last month.

Kristal and Mike Mizanin are in the ring with a table and a number of covered dishes. Mizanin says that this will prove that he is not afraid of his opponent on Sunday night. He will take the Face Your Fear Challenge. Mike talks about how he has been on Fear Factor and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Tonight, he will eat one fear after another to prove that he is the most dominant, fearless, superstar in the WWE. You can be good, you can be bad, but there is nothing like being the Miz. Mike says that Kristal will be his assistant. The first item is a pig’s tongue and he takes a bite. He says that it is salty, tangy, and done. The next ‘fear’ is monkey brains. The final ‘fear’ is revealed and it is worms. He says that the Boogeyman thinks that Mizanin is afraid of worms. He takes a whiff of the worms and he cannot eat them. He puts the lid on top but it pops off and the Boogeyman appears. Mizanin and Kristal leave the ring. We go to commercial.

Match Number Six: Fit Finlay versus John Cena
Cena backs Finlay into the corner on a collar and elbow tie up. Cena with a clean break and Finlay has some words for Cena. Finlay with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Cena with a hip toss and slam followed by an elbow drop for a one count. Cena with an Irish whip, but he charges into boots from Finlay. Finlay follows that with a European uppercut and short arm clothesline. Finlay with a nerve hold on Cena’s neck and an elbow to Cena’s nose. Cena punches Finlay but Finlay responds with a kick. Cena with a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count. Cena with an elbow drop and a splash for a two count. Finlay with a head butt and Irish whip followed by a running shoulder tackle into the corner. Finlay slams Cena’s throat into the apron followed by an elbow to Cena’s throat. Cena with an inside cradle but he can only get a two count. Finlay with a clothesline. Cena with a drop toe hold and he tries for the STFU, but Finlay makes it to the ropes. They fight outside with Finlay punching Cena and then he runs Cena into the apron. Finlay gets Little Bastard and he tosses him at Cena. Cena catches him but he wants to throw him back, but Finlay moves and Little Bastard lands on Bradshaw. Bradshaw throws his hat at Little Bastard while Finlay slams Cena’s head on the announce table. We go to commercial.

We are back and Finlay has Cena in a key lock. We see Finlay sending Cena into the ring steps during commercial. Finlay with a running shoulder tackle followed by a seated senton for a two count. Finlay with an arm bar but Cena with a back body drop. Finlay with a drop toe hold and he returns to the arm. Finlay with a knee to the arm and then he connects with a forearm to the back of the head. Finlay throws Cena out of the ring to the floor. Finlay slams Cena’s arm into the ring steps and apron. Finlay returns to the key lock. Cena gets Finlay up as he returns to his feet. Cena punches Finlay but Finlay responds with a kick. Cena tries to get Finlay up for an FU, but Finlay escapes the hold. Cena with a series of clotheslines followed by a flying shoulder tackle, Blue Thunder Driver, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena charges into the corner, but Finlay moves out of the way and Cena hits it with his shoulder. Finlay with the Celtic Cross, but he can only get a two count. Finlay exposes the turnbuckle and while the referee fixes it, Little Bastard gives Finlay a chair. Cena kicks the chair into Finlay’s face and he gets the three count after an FU.
Winner: John Cena

After the match, King Booker comes into the crowd and Booker and Cena fight in the ring. Booker holds Cena to allow Finlay to hit Cena in the back with the shillelagh. Batista comes out and he takes care of Finlay and Booker. We go to credits.

Smackdown Thoughts:

What better way to show how important your show is than to have a wrestler from another brand have the opening promo.

I wonder if Cena had to promise his dad that Edge would not be in the building after the last time that he appeared on WWE television.

The interaction between Cena and Cole reminded me why I did not like Cena’s promos for a while because this one reverted to the juvenile toilet humor that I thought ruined Cena’s character.

Any time that you can have William Regal, Dave Taylor, Gregory Helms, Jimmy Yang, Paul London, and Brian Kendrick together in the ring, you cannot go wrong. This was a very good match. I liked the touch of having Taylor and Regal abandoning Helms. 

If they are going to do an angle where London and Kendrick break up over Ashley, I hope whoever chooses her gives her a Christmas present of charisma because she looked lost standing at ringside during the match.

When they had Kennedy and Porter in the locker room trying to one up the other to try to convince the other that their match was more dangerous, I was waiting for the ‘am not . . . are too . . . am not . . . are too’ responses.

The Mercury/Hardy match was good and I hope they will both find a way onto the pay per view. I know that I would rather see both of them than the MizTake or Boogeyman.

I am assuming that they are not going to be on the pay per view, so what does having Vito, Sylvan, and Funaki wrestle a match while Benoit is not do to build the pay per view?

They can’t get Chris Benoit to wrestle on the show, but they can waste our time with that ridiculous MizTake segment. Who did Kristal anger in the company to get stuck in this angle? 

I thought that it was funny to see Cena accidentally hit Bradshaw with Little Bastard. I was surprised that Bradshaw was so outraged when it happened.

I know that this question has been asked many times, but if Batista is not scheduled to be wrestling on the show, why is he in his wrestling gear? I realize that he was part of the dark main event, but logic needs to be considered at some point.

Why didn’t they mention the other matches on the pay per view besides the three main events? They announce that the United States and Tag Team titles will be on the line, so announce the matches.

Feel free to send feedback to richard@pwinsider.com 

KEN KENNEDY TALKS ABOUT USING VINCE'S MIDDLE NAME AND HOW IT HAPPENED, HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH HEYMAN, JBL'S ANNOUNCING, OVW, MANIA, UNDERTAKER AND MORE
by Errol Leigh Farrell

Interview Conducted by Dave Anchorking and Ger Walsh on World Wrestling Revolution. 

Ger Walsh mentioned that in his first match he referred to himself as Mr. Anderson. Ger asks Kennedy to give us an insight into where the Mr. Kennedy character emerged from. Kennedy says his real name is Ken Anderson. That's the Ken Anderson that writes the checks and pays the bills. Mr. Kennedy makes the money. Kennedy explains that that he met Vince McMahon. McMahon said that that there had been so many other great Andersons in the business like Ole, Gene and Arn and that he didn't want Ken associated with them and for people to think that he's related to those guys. McMahon told Kennedy he wanted him to stand alone and come up with some names that's never been heard before, something completely new. Kennedy said he called up Paul Heyman and asked if Heyman had any suggestions. Heyman said Kennedy is Vince's middle name. If he gives you that he loves you. Kennedy said he pitched it to Vince McMahon and McMahon bought it. From that night on he was introduced as Mr. Kennedy.

Dave Anchorking asks Ken who came up with the use of the old school microphone lowering down the lights and the spotlight in your entrance. Kennedy said he thought about it the day when Dave Lagana pitched him the idea. So it was Dave Lagana who came up with the idea and pitched it originally.  Ger says the gimmick was intended to be a heel gimmick and to annoy the crowds but after a few weeks it started to get face pops. Ger asks Kennedy what did it feel like to get face pops when your meant to be a heel character. Kennedy said one thing he remembers is standing at the building fourth or fifth week out there and asked Vince had he any words or wisdom. Vince told him not to worry about being a heel or face. Just be yourself and get over with the people and let them determine if you are baby face or heel. After a couple of weeks, Kennedy said he started to get more entertaining and took Vince's word as a green light to do whatever he wanted to do. Kennedy said he got a little carried away with the antics involving Tony Chimmel. Vince told Kennedy to hold back a bit and get a little more serious.

Dave Anchorking asks Kennedy if Tony Chimmel enjoyed the mini feud. Kennedy said he thinks he does because it gives him some extra time on TV. Kennedy also said Tony came up with some of the ideas on House shows like Kennedy spitting water in his face.

Dave asked Kennedy about the Dublin, Ireland house show in The Point Depot when Kennedy came out to face The Undertaker, when JBL came out. Dave also asked what was it like being in Dublin and did he feel The Point Depot was a good crowd.. Kennedy said he loved it. Kennedy said one of the things he remember was when JBL ribbed the Dublin crowd. Kennedy went on to say that the fans started throwing stuff. Kennedy said it was not little pieces of candy or paper. Kennedy said it was the first time he was in an arena were he thought a riot would start. He said he wasn't scared and he had goose bumps because the fans were so patriotic.  

Ger asked Kennedy about his lat tear at a house show in Italy in December '05 that forced him out of the ring for six months.  Ger also asked Kennedy how he felt to miss a possible Wrestlemania match. Kennedy said it was terrible. The doctors told him it would keep him out six to eight months. Kennedy said he had known people to come back early. The doctors told him six months at least. Kennedy said he missed out on a trip to Japan, which he always wanted to do, a trip to New Zealand, Australia and Wrestlemania. Ken said he sat in the back at Wrestlemania and watched everybody do their thing. Kennedy said next year he is going to Wrestlemania and nobody is going to stop him. He will be a better person for it. Dave Anchorking asks Kennedy who he would like to face next year at Wrestlemania in Detroit. Kennedy said whoever is the world champion.

Dave asked Kennedy how did he feel to lose to Matt Hardy on July 14th and to be pinned for the first time, ending his winning streak of never being pinned or submitted. Kennedy said he has taken it out of his memory bank and can't remember how it went down. He said he thinks he rolled him up and the referee counted fast. Kennedy said he didn't lose his match and that he was screwed. Kennedy laughed.  Ger asks Kennedy to cast his mind back to November 11th 2005 edition of Smackdown in what you describe as an unfortunate honor facing Eddie in what was Kennedy's first loss and Eddie's final match before he died on November 13th. Ger asks Kennedy what it felt like to be in the ring with Eddie and how the match came across to the fans. Kennedy said he remembers that day when he was told he was going to wrestle him and what an honor it was to be in the ring having a singles match with him. Kennedy said he only had tag team matches with him up to that point. Ken said he teamed up with Randy Orton against Eddie and Batista and in another match he teamed up with Bob and Randy Orton against Roddy Piper, Batista and Eddie. Ken said he didn't get much time in the ring with Eddie in either of them matches but does remember getting into the ring one on one and being excited about the deal. Ken said it was an honor to wrestle Eddie.  Dave asked Ken how it felt to defeat Finley and Bobby Lashley for the US title and win his first title in the WWE. Kennedy said it was fantastic. Ken went on to say it was an honor to hold the same title that Bret Hart and Steve Austin held.

Dave asked Kennedy who was his idols growing up? Kennedy said when he was a kid he didn't really watch wrestling much. Ken said he briefly watched it in the eighties and that Junk Yard Dog was his favorite. Kennedy said he didn't know why other than the fact that he thought he had a cool entrance and the chains around his neck. Kennedy said he would go to school with chains around his neck but his mom would not allow him for some reason. Kennedy said he got back into watching wrestling around '96/'97 and that Steve Austin was the reason.

Dave asked Kennedy about his OVW experience. Kennedy said it was great. Kennedy explained how Al Snow and Lance Storm were the head trainers and how they would rotate between each of them each week. Ken said they were great guys. Ken also said Danny Davis and Paul Heyman were great. Kennedy said Jim Cornette never saw anything in him. It left a little sore spot in his heart a bit because he was busting his ass trying to get into the big leagues but said it was a good experience. Ken said he had nothing but love for OVW.

Dave asks Kennedy how much of a blow is the departure of Paul Heyman to the WWE locker room. Ken said it was a little bit of a shock to him but not a real surprise. He knew things were bad between Heyman and Vince and had to come to an end at some point. Ken said Heyman was a friend and he was doing fine. Kennedy said he would keep in touch with him.
Ger asks Kennedy if Hardcore Holly is as stiff as people say he is. Kennedy says yes and laughs. Ken says he worked several house shows with Holly when he first came to the WWE. Kennedy said Holly introduced him to the world of chops. Ken went on to say that at more than one occasion he opened up his chest, bleeding. Ken said it does not bother him. He said he enjoys working light and stiff.

Dave asked Kennedy if he thought JBL fitted in the role of Smackdown color commentator. Kennedy says yes. He also said that JBL has a wealth of knowledge and one of those guys that shoots from the hip and doesn't hold back on the things he said.

Dave asked Ken what was it like to be in a feud with The Undertaker. Kennedy said it's been fantastic. It makes it exciting to go to work every week. Kennedy said he enjoyed the blood dumped on him, beating the hell out of The Undertaker with a microphone and enjoyed his two PPV matches with The Undertaker. Ken said The Undertaker was a big influence on his career and helped him out. He said working with The Undertaker takes him to the next level.

Dave asks Ken if he can get the job done at WWE Armageddon. Ken says he has gotten the job done twice. He said he beat The Undertaker at No Mercy and threw first blood at the Survivor Series. Kennedy said were going to 3-0 at Armageddon and will be The Undertaker's last ride.

Dave thanks Mr. Kennedy for coming onto WWR.  Ken says the pleasure is all yours. 

You can hear the interview at www.WorldWrestlingRevolution.com.

 

 

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