Smackdown
September 11th, 2003 (taped September 9th)
BJCC
Birmingham, Alabama
 
9/13 Velocity taping:
 
1. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) pins Chris Kanyon.
2. The Basham Brothers (w/ Shaniqua) defeat Poker Face and Scott Fantastic.
3. The World’s Greatest Tag Team defeat the Ultimo Dragon and Funaki.
 
Actual Show:
 
World Wrestling Entertainment salutes the heroes and honors the memory of those who were lost on September 11th, 2001
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
We see the cars being put into place for the Latino Heat Parking Lot Brawl.
 
1. Tajiri and Nunzio defeat Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman when Tajiri pins Mysterio at 4:19.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. Tajiri turned on Mysterio last week after losing his chance at the Cruiserweight Title and now they face off here in a tag match. Mysterio and Kidman get a big pop from the crowd while Tajiri and Nunzio had decent heat as heels. Nunzio wastes no time and attacks Mysterio from behind to start the match as he stomps on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, and Mysterio catches him with a boot to the face and hooks a headlock as Nunzio whips him off and Mysterio hits a headscissors. He grabs the arm and tags Kidman who hits a slingshot sunset flip for a one count and he does a giant swing with Mysterio hitting a low dropkick, and Kidman gets a two count and Nunzio reverses a whip as Kidman attempts another sunset flip though Nunzio rolls through. He hoists Kidman up as Tajiri comes in and hits a baseball slide on Kidman with Nunzio getting a two count, and Tajiri tags in and stomps on Kidman as he gets a series of knees in and hits a snap suplex for a two count. He hits a slam on Kidman and drops a knee on him for a two count with Mysterio breaking it up and Tajiri rams Kidman into the buckle, and Nunzio tags in and hits a snapmare as he drops a knee on Kidman and hooks a submission on with Kidman fighting to his feet. Nunzio escapes a back suplex attempt and hits a jawbreaker on Kidman who catches him with a standing dropkick, and Tajiri tags in and walks across Kidman’s back as he knocks Mysterio off the apron to the floor and Kidman ducks a kick. He hits a back suplex on Tajiri and goes for the tag though Mysterio is still on the floor and Tajiri gets a shot in, and he kicks at Kidman who reverses a whip into the corner and Tajiri leaps over him as he gets a kick in. Kidman counters a tornado DDT with a sitdown spinebuster and Mysterio gets the hot tag as he hits a springboard seated senton on Tajiri, and he knocks Nunzio off the apron to the floor and pounds on Tajiri who reverses a whip and Mysterio ducks a shot. He hits a springboard crossbody on Tajiri for a two count and pounds on him on the mat as Tajiri reverses a whip into the corner, and he catches Mysterio on a leap only for Mysterio to hit an armdrag and he hooks a rollup for a two count with Nunzio breaking it up. Kidman comes in and pounds on Nunzio in the corner as Tajiri counters a whip and gets a kick in though Mysterio reverses a whip, and he avoids the handspring elbow and hits the 619 on Tajiri as Kidman hits a dropkick that sends Tajiri into the ropes. Kidman sends Nunzio over the top to the floor and hits a slingshot plancha onto Nunzio as Tajiri avoids the 619, and he hits a superkick on Mysterio 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 decent tag match. Mysterio and Kidman still look great as a team while Tajiri and Nunzio looked decent as a team, and they had good chemistry as Tajiri gets a clean win over Mysterio. The crowd was into the match and Mysterio and Kidman, but are not happy when Tajiri and Nunzio win. Tajiri and Nunzio get the win over Mysterio and Kidman as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Tajiri grabs the belt and hits Mysterio in the head with it.
 
We see Vince McMahon, Sable, and the Big Show in Vince’s office as Vince is on the phone with someone until Stephanie McMahon walks in, and Vince says that she must be taking her job as GM very seriously and she says she is as she asks if he’s proud of himself about what happened to Zach Gowen last week. She says that Vince ordered Gowen to the arena under threat of termination only to feed him to Brock Lesnar as Vince says that he’s not capable of something like that, and he says that Lesnar went into business for himself and Stephanie says she’s not gullible as she doesn’t believe a word he says. She says that she knows he unleashed the animal in Lesnar and that he doesn’t care about Gowen as he loves what Lesnar is doing, and she says that Lesnar is a liability to Smackdown and should be in jail as everything he does is criminal. Just then, Brock Lesnar comes up behind her and Stephanie reminds him that he tapped out to Angle as he says that he will beat Angle in the Ironman match next week, and he says that he will be a 3-time WWE Champion as Vince reminds him who he is talking to and Lesnar says that he needs a warmup match for tonight. He says that he has a great idea in that he can face Angle, the Undertaker, and Gowen in a handicap match as Show says he’s too much, and Stephanie says that Lesnar knows none of them are here tonight because of what Lesnar did and Lesnar says that he still needs to wrestle tonight. He says that he needs to fight someone that will test him as he and Show have history and he already fought Vince in a cage, and he says that he’s wrestled everyone in this room except for Stephanie and Vince says he can’t be serious as Lesnar says it would be a great challenge. Vince says that they should think about the box office and the ratings this could bring as he likes the idea, and he says that she could get out of this match by quitting as GM and she has a big decision to make as she walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
Lugz Boot of the Week: Shaniqua attacking the Divas after the Bourbon Street Bikini Contest last week on Smackdown
 
We see Torrie Wilson and Nidia backstage as Nidia says she knows about Wilson’s history with Dawn Marie, but they need to stick together as they walk up to Marie warming up and remind her about what Shaniqua did to them last week. Marie says that they can’t let Shaniqua run around every week and beat up anyone she wants as it has to stop tonight.
 
2. Shaniqua defeats Dawn Marie by disqualification at 1:24.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Shaniqua has been attacking the Divas for the last few weeks and now Marie steps up here to face here. Marie gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Shaniqua had decent heat as a heel. Marie wastes no time and kicks at Shaniqua to start the match as Shaniqua reverses a whip and Marie attempts a springboard, but Shaniqua catches her with a clothesline and throws her to the outside as she goes outside as well and hotshots Marie on the barricade. She stomps on Marie and whips her into the steps as she throws her back into the ring and she brings a chair into the ring, but then Torrie Wilson and Nidia run down to the ring and attack Shaniqua which draws the DQ and Shaniqua gets the win. The match itself was basically a squash as Shaniqua dominated until Wilson and Nidia got involved. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy with the ending. Shaniqua gets the win over Marie by DQ and both women move on. Grade: DUD
 
After the match, Shaniqua fights both women off and whips Nidia into the corner as she hits a clothesline only for Wilson to hit her in the back with the chair, and she helps Marie out of the ring and they head to the back with Nidia.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stephanie McMahon backstage as Sable walks up to her and says that she can either quit as GM or face Brock Lesnar in a match, and she says that she would never face Lesnar as Stephanie will be mangled though she supports whatever decision she makes and Vince will find someone more than capable of being the new GM.
 
3. Chris Benoit forces Rhyno to tap out at 10:35.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two have been going at it since Rhyno turned on Benoit back at Vengeance and they face off here to finally settle their issues. Benoit gets a big pop from the crowd while Rhyno had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Rhyno hooking a headlock and Benoit whips him off into the corner as they have a staredown, and Rhyno gets a knee in and pounds on Benoit as he works the arm only for Benoit to turn it around and he trips Rhyno up. Both men counter a whip and Benoit takes Rhyno to the mat as he hooks the Crossface on though Rhyno reaches the ropes to force a break, and they trade blows with Benoit hitting a back elbow and he pounds on Rhyno in the corner as he whips him hard into the other corner. He hits a snap suplex on Rhyno and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and hits a short clothesline, and Rhyno rakes the eyes and sends Benoit throat first into the ropes as Benoit rolls outside to regroup and Rhyno distracts the ref. Just then, A-Train runs down to the ring and hoists Benoit up as he rams his back into the post and throws him back into the ring, and he heads to the back and Rhyno gets a pair of two counts as he pounds on Benoit and puts him on the top rope. He goes up himself and hits a superplex on Benoit for a two count as he stomps on him and chokes him with his boot, and he stomps on Benoit and hoists him up as he puts him in the tree of woe in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly. He rams the shoulder into Benoit’s ribs and pulls him down to the mat for a two count as he hooks the Sharpshooter on, and Benoit reaches the rope to force a break and Rhyno hits a short clothesline as Benoit ducks a second one and goes behind Rhyno. Rhyno blocks the German suplex and Benoit ducks a back elbow as he trips Rhyno up and hooks the Sharpshooter on, and Rhyno reaches the rope to force a break and Benoit rams him into the buckle as Rhyno gets a kick in and Benoit reverses a whip into the corner. Rhyno catches him with a back elbow and Benoit ducks a shot as he hits the German suplex and goes up top, but Rhyno nails him first and goes up himself as Benoit pounds on him and hits a sunset flip powerbomb for a two count. He whips Rhyno into the corner only for Rhyno to catch him in a spinebuster and he sets up for the Gore, but Benoit takes him to the mat and hooks the Crossface on as Rhyno taps out and Benoit wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Benoit was hitting his stride by this point while Rhyno was back in his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Benoit gets the win despite A-Train getting involved. The crowd was into the match and popped for Benoit when he won. Benoit gets the win over Rhyno and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
We see the APA, Matt Hardy, Orlando Jordan, Sean O’Haire, and the F.B.I. in the APA’s office playing cards as Matt says it’s insulting the way the APA treat Bruce, and then Shannon Moore comes in and says that after a long search, he got Matt’s orange juice without pulp though Matt screams he wanted extra pulp as that was a Matt Fact a few months ago. Faarooq says this is the pot calling the kettle black as Matt says the APA downgrade Bruce while he upgrades Moore, and he says the APA need to take part in Alcoholics Anonymous and face them in the ring tonight as the APA agree though they say the office is closed as they head out for the Parking Lot Brawl. Bradshaw says that today is 9/11 and they should do a toast to the heroes of that day as they are real American heroes and they drink before walking away.
 
We see John Cena in the circle of cars as he confirms with the ref that he can do whatever he wants.
 
Commercial break
 
Maxim Cool Color of the Night: John Cena assaulting Eddie Guerrero on Smackdown two weeks ago
 
4. Eddie Guerrero pins John Cena with the Frog Splash in a Latino Heat Parking Lot Brawl at 8:08.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last two weeks and now look to settle their issues here in a Parking Lot Brawl. Cena was pretty hot as a heel as he cuts a freestyle rap on Eddie who gets a big pop by driving his low rider into the parking lot to close the circle of cars. Eddie wastes no time and hits Cena in the ribs with the belt to start the match as he gets a kick in and rams him into a car, and he pounds on Cena and rams him into another car as he continues to pound on him until Cena battles back. He rams Eddie into the car and stomps on him as he pounds on him and rams him into the first car, and Eddie rakes the eyes and throws Cena onto the hood of a car as he gets on the hood himself and sets up for a suplex. Cena blocks it and hits one of his own onto the roof of the car as he pounds on Eddie and opens the trunk of a minivan, and he pulls various garden tools and a lawn mower which he powers up and he charges at Eddie who gets a kick in. He rams Cena into the car and pounds on him as he gets a kick in only for Cena to shove him back into another car, and Cena grabs a shovel and swings it twice at Eddie who avoids it and he gets a kick in and pounds on Cena who shoves him away. He charges at Eddie who hits a flapjack onto the hood of the car and he grabs the shovel as Cena avoids the swing, and he gets a shot in and rams Eddie into another car only for Eddie to open the door into Cena’s ribs and he takes the seat belt and chokes Cena with it. He pounds on Cena and rams his knee into Cena’s head as he rams him into the trunk and opens it up only for Cena to get a kick in, and he throws Eddie into the trunk and closes it as he taunts him until Eddie opens the trunk hitting Cena. He gets out of the trunk only for Cena to get a kick in and he hits a hiptoss onto a car with Eddie breaking the windshield, and Cena gets a two count and he slams the door onto Eddie for a two count as he tries to crush Eddie’s head between the door though Eddie avoids it. He gets a kick in and puts Cena through the window though Cena gets a shot in and rams Eddie into another window twice with the window breaking the second time, and Cena gets a two count only for Eddie to ram him into the car and he gets in another car with Eddie following him in. He pounds on Cena and rams him into the steering wheel repeatedly as he takes the lighter and burns Cena with it, and both men get out of the car and Eddie leaps over another car as he gets a shot in and rams Cena into the car. He turns on the windshield wipers and gets water in Cena’s eyes as he charges only for Cena to backdrop Eddie onto the hood of a car for a two count, and he hoists Eddie onto his shoulders though Eddie slides off and rams the knee into Cena repeatedly as he hiptosses onto him the hood of another car. He leaps onto the roof of the minivan as someone breaks a hubcap over Cena’s head and it’s revealed to be Chavo Guerrero, and Eddie hits the Frog Splash onto Cena on the hood of the car which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was very good as both men worked hard and put on a fun fight. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had very good chemistry as Eddie gets the win thanks to Chavo. The crowd was into the match and popped for Eddie when he won. Eddie gets the win over Cena and both men move on. Grade: 3.5
 
After the match, Eddie celebrates with Chavo and they get into Eddie’s lowrider as they drive off.
 
Commercial break
 
5. The APA defeat Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore when Bradshaw pins Moore at 3:12.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two teams got into it earlier in the night and now they face off here to settle their issues. The APA get a good pop from the crowd while Matt and Moore had solid heat as heels. Faarooq starts off the match with Moore though he turns his back to him and Moore gets a shot in as he shoves him back twice, and Faarooq knocks him down and pounds on him as he hits a back elbow for a two count and Matt tags in. He goes behind Faarooq and shoves him away as Faarooq gets a kick in and hits a powerslam before tagging Bradshaw, and they hit a double tackle on Matt and then Bradshaw hits a suplex for a two count as he pounds on Matt. Matt reverses a whip and Bradshaw catches him ducking with a shot as he pounds on him until Matt rakes the eyes, and Moore tags in and Bradshaw reverses a whip as Moore catches him ducking with a shot though Bradshaw no-sells it. He knocks Moore down and Moore ducks a shot as Bradshaw catches him on a crossbody attempt and he hits the fallaway slam, and he hits the big boot on Matt and a back elbow on Moore as he drops an elbow on him for a two count with Matt breaking it up. He pounds on Bradshaw who reverses a whip and sends Matt over the top to the apron as he hits a swinging neckbreaker on Moore, and he sets Moore up for a powerbomb as Matt goes up top and hits a clothesline on Bradshaw with Moore hooking a rollup for a two count. They whip Bradshaw into the corner and Moore misses a charge as Bradshaw hits the Clothesline from Hell which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as Matt and Moore got a few shots in, but they put the APA over strong with Bradshaw working most of the match. The crowd was into the match and popped for the APA when they won. The APA get the win over Matt and Moore as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Bruce comes down to the ring and presents the APA with a couple of beers which they drink.
 
We see a video package highlighting Brock Lesnar’s destruction since SummerSlam.
 
Commercial break
 
Vince McMahon is in the ring and says he wants to see some Southern hospitality for the man who will once again be WWE Champion, and he brings out Brock Lesnar who comes down to the ring and Vince says it’s time for Stephanie McMahon to make a decision. He says that she’ll either quit as GM or face Lesnar in a match and she comes down to the ring dressed to compete, and Vince asks if she’s really going to do this and she says she won’t quit as he says she’s putting him in a position that he doesn’t like. He says that she’s defying him and she thinks he won’t unleash Lesnar on her as he says Lesnar will break her in half which she deserves, and she slaps Vince in the face only for Lesnar to grab her by the throat and back her into the corner though she hits a low blow on Lesnar. She tries to get out of the ring only for Vince to pull her back in and she hits a low blow on Vince as she gets out of the ring, but Lesnar grabs her and taunts her as he throws her into the barricade and sits next to her before saying what he’s going to do. He grabs the steps and throws them at Stephanie who avoids them and they bounce off the post as she runs to the back, and Lesnar runs after her and Vince recovers in the ring as Lesnar comes back out with Stephanie on his shoulders. Just then, Kurt Angle runs out and pulls Stephanie off Lesnar’s shoulders as he pounds on him until Vince nails him from behind, and Angle knocks Vince down and Lesnar gets a knee in as he hoists Angle onto his shoulders only for Angle to slide off. He rams Lesnar into the post twice which busts him open and he grabs the steps as Vince and Lesnar head to the back, and Angle throws the steps up the aisle and stands tall as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid edition even though it was only a 90-minute edition of the show. Given the cut in time, it did feel like they were more streamlined and didn’t waste a lot of time as we got a good amount of matches and very little fluff backstage. We had no title matches as Tajiri, Nunzio, Shaniqua, Benoit, Eddie, and the APA get big wins, and in terms of the matches the Parking Lot Brawl was easily the best while the rest of the show focused on the Ironman match next week. 2003 has been a very good year for Smackdown as they were still consistently better than RAW and we will see if next week’s show pays off with how hyped the Ironman match has been. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show as we continue through the month of September. Final Grade: B-