Smackdown
May 29th, 2003 (taped May 27th)
Pensacola Civic Center
Pensacola, Florida
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. The Ultimo Dragon defeats Crash Holly.
2. Sean Evans and Chris Kanyon defeat David Flair and Jim Stack.
3. Orlando Jordan defeats Jamie Noble.
 
5/31 Velocity taping:
 
1. Bill DeMott pins Shannon Moore (w/ Crash Holly).
2. A-Train pins Joey Matthews.
3. Matt Hardy pins Funaki.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Sable comes out to be the ring announcer for the first match.
 
1. Nidia (w/ Jamie Noble) pins Torrie Wilson with a rollup at 3:25.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty basic matchup. These two women have been going at it for the last few months and look to finally settle their issues here. Wilson gets a good pop from the crowd while Nidia had decent heat as a heel. Wilson shoves Noble off the apron to start the match and he gets back on the apron as Wilson sends Nidia into him, and she hooks a rollup for a two count and hits a pair of armdrags as she kicks at Nidia and pounds on her in the corner. She whips Nidia into the other corner and Nidia leaps over her as she rams the shoulder into Wilson’s ribs repeatedly in the corner, and she pounds on Wilson and gets a knee in as she hits a suplex for a two count and Wilson catches her ducking with a kick. She pounds on Nidia only to seemingly hurt her knee on a leapfrog and Nidia kicks at her leg as he stomps on it repeatedly, and she slams Wilson’s leg into the mat and hooks a submission on as she rolls outside and rams Wilson’s knee into the apron. She rolls back into the ring and wraps Wilson’s leg around the rope as Wilson gets a kick in and tackles Nidia to the mat, and they roll around as they include the ref as well and he celebrates until Nidia argues with him as Noble gets on the apron and shoves Wilson which allows Nidia to hook a rollup and get the three to win the match. The match itself was nothing much as Nidia pretty much dominated after Wilson hurt her knee and Noble also provides the assist. The crowd was into the match and Wilson, but are not happy when Nidia wins. Nidia gets the win over Wilson and both women move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Tazz leaves the table and rams Noble into the apron as Nidia chokes him from the ring and he escapes though hesitates throwing a punch, and Wilson pulls Nidia’s shorts off and she rolls outside as Sable tosses a pitcher of water on Tazz and heads to the back.
 
We see a limo pull into the parking lot as Vince McMahon steps out of it and says he doesn’t care if they are parked in a handicapped zone, and he says that he won’t be long as he is about to prove that Mr. America is Hulk Hogan.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office being administered the lie detector test that Mr. America will take later, but she quickly stops when asked if she’s cheated on her taxes as she confirms everything works.
 
We see highlights from Smackdown last week.
 
We see Team Angle walking down the hallway as they say they will win the tag titles back and with Kurt Angle returning next week, they can’t let him down.
 
We see Eddie Guerrero in his locker room as he asks Tajiri what’s taking so long and Tajiri comes in wearing a Guerrero bandanna and shirt, and Eddie says that he’s feeling him now and Chavo would be proud of him as Tajiri is starting to feel more like family.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri defeat Team Angle by disqualification at 14:18 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. These two teams fought last week with Eddie and Tajiri retaining by DQ and now Team Angle get another shot here. Eddie and Tajiri get a big pop from the crowd while Team Angle were pretty hot as heels. Team Angle waste no time and attack Eddie and Tajiri from behind to start the match as Benjamin sends Tajiri to the outside, and Haas stomps on Eddie repeatedly in the corner and Benjamin does the same as Eddie tries to battle back only for Haas to knock him down. Eddie reverses a whip and hits a back elbow on Haas as he kicks at him and pounds on him in the corner, and Haas reverses a whip and hits a backdrop as he throws Eddie to the outside and Benjamin chokes him on the floor. He throws Eddie back into the ring and Haas pounds on him as Benjamin tags in and kicks at Eddie before getting a knee in, and he drives the elbow into the back of Eddie’s head and hoists him up only for Eddie to hit a dropkick and he tags Tajiri. Eddie hits a snapmare on Benjamin and Tajiri kicks him in the back as he pounds on Benjamin who reverses a whip, and Tajiri blocks a hiptoss and gets a shot in as he hits a hurricanrana on Benjamin who reverses a whip and Tajiri catches him ducking with a sunset flip as he rolls Benjamin around repeatedly for a two count. Tajiri hits a dropkick on Benjamin and drives the elbow into the back of his head twice as he hooks a headlock, and Tajiri escapes a back suplex attempt and both men duck a shot as they kick each other in the face and Haas and Eddie come in and have a standoff. Tajiri hits a dropkick on Benjamin as Haas comes in and catches a kick attempt with Benjamin hitting a superkick to the knee, and Haas stomps on Tajiri’s knee repeatedly and drives his knee into it as he hooks a submission on and snaps the knee twice. He slams down on Tajiri’s knee and hooks another submission on as Tajiri fights out of the hold only for Haas to hit a kneebreaker, and Benjamin tags in and goes up top as he hits an axehandle on Tajiri’s knee and pulls at it before hooking another submission on. He drives his knee into Tajiri’s knee and hooks another submission on as Haas tags in and stomps on Tajiri’s knee repeatedly, and he hooks a modified half Boston crab on Tajiri until Eddie comes in and breaks the hold up as Benjamin comes in and hooks the half Boston crab back on. The ref forces Benjamin out as there was no tag and Haas comes back in as he drops an elbow on Tajiri and stomps on the knee repeatedly, and he hooks another submission on Tajiri and tags Benjamin as he slingshots over the top and slams down on Tajiri’s knee for a two count. Tajiri counters a kneebreaker attempt with a headscissors and Eddie gets the hot tag as he hits a slingshot kick on Haas, and he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Haas as Benjamin gets a kick in and whips Eddie into the corner. Benjamin misses a charge and Eddie hits a monkey flip with Benjamin landing on his feet though he collides with Haas, and Eddie hits a double clothesline on both men and hits another clothesline on Haas as he kicks at Benjamin and sends him to the outside. Haas gets a kick in and Eddie escapes a suplex attempt as he gets a knee in and hits a trio of suplexes before going up top, and he kicks Benjamin to the floor and hits the Frog Splash on Haas for a two count with Benjamin breaking it up. Eddie counters a whip and Benjamin ducks a shot as Team Angle hit a double team on Eddie for a two count with Tajiri breaking it up, and Team Angle pound and stomp on Eddie in the corner as Eddie tries to battle back only for Team Angle to keep him from tagging. Eddie hits a double DDT on Team Angle and Tajiri tags in as he pounds and kicks at Haas who counters a whip and grabs the leg, and Tajiri hits an enzurgiri and attempts a monkey flip only for Haas to put him on the top rope and Tajiri gets a shot in. He attempts a tornado DDT only for Haas to counter with a Northern lights suplex for a two count with Eddie breaking it up, and Benjamin comes in only for Eddie to backdrop him over the top to the floor and Tajiri ducks a shot as he hits a superkick on Haas. Eddie goes up top and hits a crossbody onto Benjamin as Haas ducks a kick and trips Tajiri up before hooking the Haas of Pain on, but then the bell rings and Haas thinks he won though the ref tells him Tajiri didn’t tap and he confers with the timekeeper. Eddie brings one of the belts into the ring and Haas does a swing as he and Eddie fight over the belt with Haas taking it, but then Eddie lays on the mat and the ref sees Haas with the belt as he calls for the belt and Eddie and Tajiri retain the titles by DQ. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. Eddie and Tajiri were getting into a groove as a team while Team Angle were hitting their stride as a team, and they still had good chemistry as Eddie against outsmarts Team Angle to retain the titles. The crowd was into the match and popped for Eddie and Tajiri when they won. Eddie and Tajiri retain the titles over Team Angle and both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
We see Mr. America in his dressing room.
 
Josh Matthews interviews Zach Gowen, who says that he’s concerned even though the charges were dropped by police and he bought a ticket to be here tonight, and he says that he is nervous though it is out of his hands and all he can do is pray Mr. America passes the test.
 
We see the lie detector equipment being set up in the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
Vince McMahon comes down to the ring and says that he’s still got the smile on his face as tonight is a special edition of Smackdown, and he says that tonight will be the last night anyone ever sees Hulk Hogan in any form whatsoever in this ring. He says that he’s hired these two officers to conduct a lie detector test and Mr. America will be subjected to questions he can’t answer, and he says once Mr. America fails the test it will prove that he is a fraud and that Mr. America is Hulk Hogan. He says that then Mr. America’s contract as well as Hogan’s contract will be null and void and he can get rid of both men on the same night, but then he notices Zach Gowen in the crowd and says that he was being arrested and thrown out last week. He says that Gowen and Hogan have a lot in common though the one thing they will have in common after tonight is neither will have a leg to stand on, and then he brings out Mr. America who comes down to the ring and Vince says that he wants Mr. America to take a seat which he does. The officers set Mr. America up to the machine as Vince says nothing will save Hogan now and he says that he makes all his employees take the test, and he says that he can’t stand liars and this will be the end of Hogan’s charade as the officers start the machine and confirm they have a reading. He says that he wants Hogan to tell the truth for the first time in his life and they can begin as the head officer asks if he is the man known as Mr. America, and Mr. America answers yes and the machine beeps signaling the truth was told and the officer asks if he’s sitting in a ring in Pensacola. Mr. America answers yes and the machine beeps as Vince says he wants him to ask the main question and the officer says they have a method to this, and the officer asks if Mr. America is currently employed on Smackdown and Mr. America answers yes as the machine beeps. Vince says that he wants the officer to ask him the question he wants or he’ll find someone else who will, and the officer asks Mr. America if he is really Hulk Hogan and Mr. America hesitates before asking for a drink of water. Vince and the officer agree as the officer pours him a cup of water and Mr. America takes a drink as Vince says that’s not truth serum, and Vince says he’ll ask the question this time as he asks Mr. America if he is Hulk Hogan and Mr. America hesitates again. Finally, he answers no and the machine beeps as Vince asks what that means and the officer says that Mr. America is telling the truth, and Vince wants him to ask the question again and the officer does as Mr. America again answers no and the machine beeps. Vince says he’s not asking the question properly and he knows Mr. America is lying as the officer asks the question again, and Mr. America answers no again and the machine beeps as Vince rants that it is Hogan though Mr. America says no repeatedly and the machine beeps repeatedly. Vince asks what’s going on and the officer says that Mr. America has passed the lie detector test as they unhook Mr. America from the machine, and he poses for the crowd and goes to leave though Vince stops him as he says he’s not done with him. He says he doesn’t know how Hogan did this, but he knows he’s lying and if Mr. America can pass the test, then so can he as he has the officers hook him up to the machine. Vince says that for the record, these tests aren’t admissible in court because people like Hogan cheat to beat them, and they start the machine and confirm they have a reading as Vince says the officer can ask him anything he wants. The officer asks if he is Vince McMahon and Vince answers yes as the machine beeps and the officer asks if he’s the chairman of WWE, and Vince answers yes and the machine beeps as Mr. America takes the mike and says he wants to ask a question. He says he’ll ask this nice and slow so Vince can comprehend it and he asks if Vince is the biggest asshole on God’s green earth, and Vince answers no and the machine buzzes signifying he is lying which Vince can’t believe. Mr. America asks if he is a sick, perverted, power-hungry freak and Vince answers no as the machine buzzes, and Vince says he doesn’t know what they are doing but he say he is a well-respected businessman around the world and the machine buzzes. He says that he does what he does for the fans around the world and the machine buzzes as he admits it was an overstatement, and he says he does it for most of the fans and the machine buzzes as he then says some of the fans and the machine buzzes again. He then says he does what he does for himself as the machine finally beeps and he wants to say that he’s no pervert as the machine buzzes, and Mr. America asks Vince spends his time pleasuring himself to Torrie Wilson’s Playboy and Vince answers no as the machine buzzes. Vince admits he did though it was a long time ago as the machine buzzes and then he says it was last month as the machine buzzes, and then he says it was earlier this morning as the machine buzzes and then he admits it was in the limo on the way to the arena as the machine beeps. He says that doesn’t make him a pervert because anyone can lust after Torrie Wilson and he doesn’t fantasize about the Mae Youngs of the world as the machine buzzes, and he gets angry as he says he doesn’t know what they are trying to prove and he tells Mr. America he hates him as the machine beeps. He demands the officers unhook him from the machine which they do and Mr. America says the test proves one thing which he is he’s telling the truth and Vince is a liar, and he blocks a shot and knocks Vince down before heading to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office as Vince McMahon barges in and asks if she saw what happened as he was made an ass of, and he says that she was the one who hired the officers and that the equipment worked properly as she was also the one who hired Mr. America in the first place and he is wondering what is going on around here. She asks if he wants her to take the test herself and he says that’s real cute as he says starting next week, things are going to change around here for the better.
 
3. Sean O’Haire (w/ “Rowdy” Roddy Piper) pins Chris Benoit with a rollup at 4:14.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Benoit was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over O’Haire, who was gaining steam as Piper’s protégé and looks to get a big win here. Benoit gets a big pop from the crowd while O’Haire was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with O’Haire backing Benoit into the corner and he pounds on him as he kicks at him, and he stomps on Benoit who ducks a shot and catches a kick attempt as he snaps O’Haire to the mat. He kicks at O’Haire and pounds on him in the corner as O’Haire counters a whip and gets a kick in before kicking him to the mat for a two count, and he pounds on Benoit on the mat for a two count and hooks a submission on as Benoit fights to his feet only for O’Haire to get a shot in. He hits a facebuster on Benoit who ducks a spin kick and he gets a kick in as he hits a DDT on O’Haire and he pounds on him, and O’Haire reverses a whip and Benoit catches him ducking with a kick as he ducks a shot and hits a German suplex for a two count. He whips O’Haire into the corner and gets a kick in as he hits a neckbreaker for a two count and knocks him down, and Piper trips Benoit up from the floor only for Benoit to knock O’Haire down again and he goes outside as he chases Piper into the ring. He ducks a spin kick and knocks O’Haire down as he takes Piper to the mat and hooks the Crossface on, and O’Haire kicks Benoit in the back of the head to break the hold and he hooks a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Benoit was hitting his stride by this point while O’Haire was getting back into a groove, and they had good chemistry as Benoit gets distracted by Piper and O’Haire gets the win. The crowd was into the match and Benoit, but are not happy when O’Haire wins. O’Haire gets the win over Benoit and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Pensacola Civic Center.
 
We see highlights from Smackdown last week.
 
Michael Cole interviews Rey Mysterio, who says that this is important to him and he has no doubt that he will be the new Cruiserweight Champion, and he says that this is why he’s in WWE and he admits he’s hurt though there’s nothing that can stop him. He says that he’ll keep going for him and his family as next week in Anaheim on the West Coast, but then Matt Hardy comes in mocking him and says he already beat him at WrestleMania as he will destroy him in front of his people. He says the people can chant Mysterio’s name all they want though there is nothing that will stop him from beating Mysterio’s ass, and he says that if Mysterio thinks he’s hurt now, he will learn the pain of Mattitude and Mysterio shoves him back as Matt hits a low blow and says he should be scared.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the Ultimo Dragon.
 
4. The Basham Brothers defeat Rikishi and Brian Kendrick when Doug pins Kendrick at 3:02.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second tag match of the night. The Bashams were making their debut here on Smackdown and look to make an impact against the makeshift team of Rikishi and Kendrick. Rikishi and Kendrick get a good pop from the crowd while the Bashams get a tepid reaction from the crowd. Rikishi starts off the match with Doug and Rikishi pounds on Doug who gets a knee in and he hooks a headlock as Rikishi whips him off and knocks him down, and Doug ducks a shot and Rikishi sends him over the top to the floor as Danny comes in and attempts a sunset flip only for Rikishi to fake him out. Doug gets in the ring and Rikishi hits a clothesline as Kendrick tags in and splashes Doug in the corner, and he hits a dropkick on Danny and gets a two count on Doug as he hooks a headlock and Doug sends him into the corner. Kendrick catches him with a boot to the face only for Danny to trip him up from the floor and Doug hits a legdrop to the back of the head, and Danny tags in and stomps on Kendrick in the corner as he hits a snapmare and drops an elbow on Kendrick. Doug tags in and they pound on Kendrick as Doug hits a slam for a two count and he hooks a submission on, and Kendrick fights to his feet and escapes the hold with an armdrag as he hits a standing enzurgiri and Rikishi gets the hot tag. He fires up on the Bashams and hits a superkick on Danny as he hits a Samoan drop on Doug and then he whips Danny into Doug in the corner, and he splashes both men and gives both of them the Stinkface as Kendrick tags in and attempts a monkey flip on Doug. Danny holds Doug from the apron and Kendrick hits the mat as Doug hooks a rollup with Danny providing leverage which gets the three and they win the match. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic match. Rikishi and Kendrick looked decent as a team and the Bashams looked ok in their debut, and they had decent chemistry as the Bashams end up stealing the win. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi and Kendrick, but are not happy when the Bashams win. The Bashams get the win in their debut over Rikishi and Kendrick as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Vince McMahon’s limo being towed as Vince comes out and asks what’s going on as the driver tells him the car has been impounded for being in the handicap zone, and Vince says he wants the driver to tell the tow truck driver to drive him to the airport first and he gets in the limo. Just then, Zach Gowen walks up to the limo and asks Vince if he knew parking in the handicap zone is illegal, and the tow truck drives off with the limo as Vince yells at him to stop and Gowen waves at him.
 
Commercial breaks
 
5. The F.B.I. (w/ Nunzio) and the Big Show defeat Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker in a handicap match when Show pins Lesnar at 10:32.
 
Substitution: Show is replacing Nunzio
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Taker made his return last week to save Lesnar from the F.B.I. and they were set to face off here, but the F.B.I. pull a swerve by Show take Nunzio’s place. Taker and Lesnar get big pops from the crowd while Show and the F.B.I. were pretty hot as heels. Lesnar and Show have a staredown to start the match as Palumbo gets in Taker’s face and Taker pounds on him, and he stomps and pounds on Palumbo in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and Palumbo catches him with a back elbow. He hits a clothesline on Taker and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and Taker ducks a shot, and he hits the flying clothesline on Palumbo for a two count and grabs the arm as he goes up top and hits Old School on Palumbo. He grabs the arm and tags Lesnar who kicks and pounds on Palumbo as he sends him into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Palumbo and shoves him into the corner as Palumbo gets a kick in and knocks Lesnar down. He rams Lesnar into his corner and tags Stamboli who kicks and pounds on Lesnar as he whips him into the corner, but Lesnar fires out with a clothesline and kicks at Stamboli as he hits a suplex and Taker gets a shot in from the apron. Lesnar stomps on Stamboli repeatedly in the corner and chokes him with his boot as Taker tags in and hits a big boot, and he drops an elbow on Stamboli for a two count and then he hits a slam only to miss the elbow and Stamboli pounds on him. Taker catches him ducking with a DDT for a two count with Palumbo breaking it up and Show tags in as does Lesnar and they lock up with Show shoving Lesnar into the corner, and Lesnar goes behind Show who hits a back elbow only to miss a charge in the corner and Lesnar rams the shoulder into his ribs repeatedly. He gets a knee in only for Show to counter a whip with a clothesline and he whips Lesnar into the corner as he pounds on him, and he hits a headbutt on Lesnar and stomps on him in the corner as he hits a slam only to miss the legdrop. Lesnar fires up on Show and hits a pair of clotheslines as he ducks a shot and hits a flying clothesline that knocks Show down, and he hoists Show onto his shoulders only to put him down as he hits a spinebuster on Stamboli and knocks Palumbo to the floor. Show grabs Lesnar by the throat and hits the Chokeslam for a two count with Taker breaking it up and Show rolls Lesnar outside, and the F.B.I. assault Lesnar and throw him back into the ring as Show knocks him down and tags Stamboli. Palumbo chokes Lesnar from the floor and Stamboli stomps on him repeatedly as Nunzio also chokes Lesnar from the floor, and Palumbo comes in and the F.B.I. hit a double team on Lesnar that sends him to the outside and Show hoists Lesnar up as he rams him into the post. Nunzio stomps on Lesnar and Stamboli throws him back into the ring as Palumbo gets a two count and hits a discus punch on Lesnar, and Stamboli tags in and they hit a wishbone on Lesnar only for Lesnar to catch Stamboli with a clothesline and Taker gets the hot tag. He fires up on Show and pounds on Palumbo as he splashes both men in the corners twice and gets a kick in on Stamboli, and he whips him into the corner and hoists him onto his shoulder as he hits Snake Eyes and a big boot on Stamboli. He clotheslines Palumbo over the top to the floor and Show hits a clothesline on Taker as he hoists him onto his shoulder, but Taker slides off and hooks a Dragon sleeper on Show as Stamboli gets in the ring and Lesnar hits a clothesline on him before stomping on him. Nunzio brings a chair into the ring and hits Taker in the back with it to break the hold though Taker no-sells it and Nunzio begs off, and he grabs Nunzio by the throat and hits the chokeslam only for Palumbo to hit the Jungle Kick on Taker and Lesnar tags in. Palumbo clotheslines Taker over the top to the floor and Lesnar gets a kick in as he hoists Palumbo onto his shoulders and hits the F-5, and Show hits a clothesline on Taker as Lesnar gets a kick in and hoists Stamboli onto his shoulders before hitting the F-5. Show gets in the ring and grabs Lesnar by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid match. Taker and Lesnar looked good as a team as did the F.B.I. and Show, and they had good chemistry as Show pins Lesnar to keep himself in the title picture despite losing clean at Judgment Day. The crowd was into the match and Taker and Lesnar, but are not happy when the F.B.I. and Show win. Show and the F.B.I get the win over Lesnar and Taker as these issues aren’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Show and the F.B.I. head to the back and Taker checks on Lesnar as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid edition as we still had a long way to go before their first PPV with Vengeance. Since RAW had their first PPV in June, these next few weeks were going to see a lot of things that were probably not going to make it to Vengeance, and it will be interesting to see how they fill June before starting the main build to Vengeance. We had one title match as Eddie and Tajiri still rule the tag division while Nidia, O’Haire, the Bashams, the F.B.I., and Show get big wins, and the matches were decent with the tag title match being the best though the main focus of the show was Mr. America’s lie detector test. 2003 has been an interesting year for Smackdown as they still had some great in-ring guys and with Kurt Angle returning next week, it was going to be interesting to see how he factors back into everything. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show as we head into the month of June. Final Grade: B-