Smackdown
October 23rd, 2003 (taped October 21st)
Pepsi Arena
Buffalo, New York
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Keiji Sakoda pins Bobby Rude.
2. Mortis pins John Walters.
 
10/25 Velocity taping:
 
1. Orlando Jordan pins Shannon Moore.
2. Paul London and Brian Kendrick defeat Mike Taylor and Begley.
3. The F.B.I. defeat Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and the Ultimo Dragon.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Vince McMahon and Sable come down to the ring as he says that everyone knows that he’s Chairman of the Board, and he says that he’s proud to say that he beat the snot out of his daughter Stephanie McMahon as nothing can bother him and he knows where he’s going when he dies. He says that he knows he’s going to Hell though he’s very much alive and they are celebrating tonight, and he says that after he beat his daughter and shoved his wife to the mat, they celebrated unlike the men who do what they are told. He says that he didn’t spoil the child nor did he spare the rod as he used it all night long with Sable and he accomplished two things he wanted to, and he says that Stephanie is now unemployed and Brock Lesnar is still WWE Champion though he did need some assistance. He says that Lesnar shouldn’t have been in the match to begin with and when the Undertaker was reaching for the chain, the lights were turned out and then someone told the F.B.I. to get involved as when all else failed, he showed up to give Taker the ride of his life he’ll never forget. He says that Taker needs to learn the hard way and he learned you don’t cross the boss as he is on fire tonight, and he says that they need to get down to business about who the new General Manager of Smackdown will be. He says that it won’t be Sable and instead the new GM is someone that tried to put him out of business, and he says that this is a man that you would want to strangle after some time though he is a creative and manipulative genius. He then brings out the new General Manager of Smackdown, Paul Heyman who comes down to the ring and Heyman thanks Vince, and he says that he will tell him now that things will change on Smackdown as the Undertaker comes down to the ring. Vince gets out of the ring and heads through the crowd as Heyman says that Taker can take a shot at him if he wants, but he needs to hear him out as Vince will not give Taker what he wants though he has the power to do that. He says that he knows what Taker wants which is revenge as he has malice running through his veins and he will give him a chance tonight, and he says that the main event tonight will see Taker take on Lesnar and the Big Show in a handicap match. He says that there’s something in it for Taker as if he wins tonight, he’ll give Taker everything he wants in that he can have any match he wants anytime, anywhere, against any opponent in a type of match that Taker wants. He says that the odds are stacked against Taker, but he has faith in Taker’s ability and Taker says he knows Heyman is doing him no favors as he looks like a huge crap was taken in his yard, and he says that Heyman’s plan will blow up in his face because he will win and get his revenge as no one has any idea how sick and twisted he can be.
 
Commercial break
 
1. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit wrestle John Cena and A-Train to a no contest at 4:27.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. These four men went at it back at No Mercy in singles matches and now they face off here in a tag match. Angle and Benoit get a big pop from the crowd while Cena and A-Train had solid heat as heels. Angle starts off the match with A-Train and they lock up with Angle tripping A-Train up and he hooks a front facelock, and he transitions into a headlock and A-Train whips him off as Angle ducks a shot only for A-Train to knock him down. He throws Angle into the corner and pounds on him as he rams the knee into him repeatedly and stomps on him, and Cena tags in and stomps on Angle repeatedly as Angle battles back until Cena reverses a whip and hits a sitdown powerslam for a two count. He backs Angle into the ropes and pounds on him as A-Train tags in and kicks at Angle before hitting a double underhook suplex for a two count, and he hits a backbreaker on Angle and goes up to the middle rope though he lands on his feet on a springboard splash attempt. Angle avoids a charge and hits a German suplex on A-Train as Benoit gets the hot tag and ducks a shot before pounding on Cena, and he hits a clothesline on Cena and ducks a shot as he hits a German suplex on A-Train and he kicks at Cena. He hits a backdrop and whips Cena into the corner as Cena blocks a German suplex with a pair of back elbows, and he pounds on Benoit who reverses a whip into the corner and he trips Cena up as he hooks the Sharpshooter on. A-Train hits a clothesline on Benoit to break the hold as he stomps on Benoit who gets a kick in and A-Train catches a kick attempt, and Benoit hits a modified dropkick on A-Train and tags Angle who ducks a shot and he pounds on A-Train. A-Train counters a whip and hoists Angle onto his shoulder though Angle slides off and hits the Angle Slam on A-Train, and Cena gets a kick in and hoists Angle onto his shoulders though Angle slides off and trips Cena up before hooking the Ankle Lock on. A-Train hits the pump kick on Angle to break the hold and he sends Benoit to the outside as he goes outside himself and stomps on Benoit, and Cena grabs his chain which the ref tries to stop him from using as A-Train brings a chair into the ring only for Benoit to grab it from him. He kicks at A-Train twice only for A-Train to avoid the swing and Benoit hits Angle by mistake as A-Train pounds on him until Benoit sends him over the top to the floor, and Angle grabs the chair and swings it at Benoit who avoids it and Angle pounds on him as the ref throws the match out. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Angle and Benoit looked decent as a team as did Cena and A-Train and they had good chemistry until Angle and Benoit imploded at the end. The crowd was into the match and Angle and Benoit, but are not happy with the ending. The match ends with no winner and both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Benoit battles back as Angle trips him up only for Benoit to hook the Crossface on and officials come out, and they force Benoit off of Angle and keep them at bay until they trade blows again with Angle tripping Benoit up and he looks for the Ankle Lock though Benoit slides outside and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
Subway Slam of the Week: Tajiri spraying the black mist in Nidia’s face last week on Smackdown
 
We see footage from earlier in the week of Jamie Noble giving an update on Nidia’s condition.
 
We see the World’s Greatest Tag Team warming up in their dressing room as Paul Heyman comes in and says that he created them and now they are a bunch of liars, and he says that they never called him after Brock Lesnar took him out and he can be a vengeful guy. He says that Los Guerreros are ready for their tag title match though they won’t be getting the title match tonight, and he says that instead Los Guerreros will defend the titles against the Basham Brothers and the World’s Greatest Tag Team will compete tonight against a reunited team which is next.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Sable in one of the skyboxes.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a tribute video to Stu Hart.
 
In Loving Memory of Stu Hart 1915-2003
 
2. Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty defeat the World’s Greatest Tag Team when Rikishi pins Shelton Benjamin at 6:00.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. The World’s Greatest Tag Team were set to challenge for the tag titles, but instead they are pulled out of that match by Paul Heyman and now face the reunited team of Scotty and Rikishi. Scotty and Rikishi get a good pop from the crowd while the World’s Greatest Tag Team had solid heat as heels. Scotty starts off the match with Haas and they lock up with Haas working on the arm as Scotty rolls through and nips up, and he takes control and hooks a headlock on Haas who whips him off and Scotty knocks him down. He ducks a shot and hits a hiptoss on Haas as he hits an armdrag and ducks a shot before hitting a hiptoss on Benjamin, and he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Haas as he nips up and does the moonwalk until Benjamin trips him up from the floor. Haas knocks him to the outside and Benjamin rams his back into the apron as he throws Scotty back into the ring, and Haas pounds on Scotty and hits a back suplex for a two count as Benjamin tags in and stomps on Scotty. He rams Scotty into the corner and hits a slam for a two count as he hooks a submission on and Scotty fights to his feet, and he breaks the hold only for Benjamin to catch him with a knee to the ribs and Haas tags in as they hit a double team on Scotty. Haas stomps on him repeatedly and hooks a front facelock as Benjamin tags in and kicks at Scotty before pounding on him in the corner, and he whips Scotty into the other corner only for Scotty to catch him with a back elbow and he ducks a shot as he hits a neckbreaker. Rikishi gets the hot tag and fires up on the World’s Greatest Tag Team as he hits a double clothesline and then he hits a superkick on Haas, but he misses a charge in the corner and Benjamin hits a superkick on Rikishi for a two count as Scotty gets in the ring. He hits the bulldog on Benjamin only for Haas to yank him to the mat by his hair and Rikishi hits a spinebuster on Haas, and he splashes Benjamin in the corner and Scotty hits the bulldog again as he hits the Worm on Benjamin and Rikishi splashes Haas in the corner. He gives Haas the Stinkface and ducks a shot as he shoves Benjamin back and Benjamin catches him ducking by attempting a sunset flip, but Rikishi hits a sitdown splash on Benjamin which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Rikishi and Scotty looked good in their first match together in a long time while the World’s Greatest Tag Team were hitting their stride as a team, and they had good chemistry as Rikishi and Scotty get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi and Scotty when they won. Rikishi and Scotty get the win over the World’s Greatest Tag Team as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Rikishi and Scotty dance for the crowd.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Sable dancing in the skybox until the Undertaker comes in and grabs Vince by the throat, and he says that it’s his time to talk and this isn’t about the title as this is all about Vince who thinks he’s a big man beating up his daughter and throwing his wife around. He says that he wanted to tell him to his face that he’s not a big man, he’s a pathetic and gutless coward and if he was a real man, he wouldn’t have to pay Sable to sleep with him, and he wants to give Vince some advice in that he better hope he wins his match because if he doesn’t, he’ll come back up here and there won’t be talking as he leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eddie Guerrero being worked on by the trainer until Chavo Guerrero comes in and says Eddie needs to suck it up, and he says that the only reason Eddie lost the U.S. Title was because of what Show did to him last week and they need to focus on their tag title match. He says that the Bashams won’t feel sorry for Eddie and he needs Latino Heat by his side as this is for their family, and Eddie says that Chavo is right and this is for the family.
 
3. The Basham Brothers (w/ Shaniqua) defeat Los Guerreros when Danny pins Eddie at 7:55 to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Substitution: The Bashams are replacing the World’s Greatest Tag Team
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Los Guerreros have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in the Bashams, who got a big win at No Mercy over the APA and now look to become champions here. Los Guerreros get a big pop from the crowd while the Bashams had decent heat as heels. Eddie starts off the match with Doug and they lock up with Eddie backing Doug into the corner and Doug shoves him back, and Eddie gets a kick in and pounds on Doug in the corner as he rams him into the buckle and tags Chavo. They stomp on Doug in the corner and hit a double team for a two count as Chavo pounds on Doug in the corner and rams him into the buckle, and he continues to pound on him in the corner and Eddie chokes him from the apron as Chavo pounds on Doug and tags Eddie. Chavo hits a back suplex on Doug and Eddie hits a slingshot somersault senton as Chavo hits a somersault senton of his own, and Eddie knocks Doug down and Doug tries to battle back as Eddie pounds on him and stomps on him before working on the arm. He hits a back suplex on Doug and stomps on him as Chavo tags in and pounds on Doug before working on the arm, and Doug gets a shot in and sends Chavo into the corner as Danny tags in and they stomp on Chavo repeatedly. Chavo reverses a whip and hits a back elbow on Danny as he hits a snapmare and tags Eddie who stomps on Danny, and Danny reverses a whip and Shaniqua grabs at his leg from the floor as Danny knees Eddie in the back and sends him to the outside, and Shaniqua hits a big boot on Eddie and Doug throws him back into the ring as Danny gets a two count. He pounds on Eddie and rams the shoulder into his ribs repeatedly in the corner as he stomps on him and Doug chokes him from the apron, and he comes in and they pound on Eddie as Doug stomps on him repeatedly and hits a suplex for a two count. He hits a snapmare and legdrop on Eddie for a two count as he hooks a submission on and Eddie fights to his feet, and Doug backs him into the corner and tags Danny as they pound on him and hit a double slam for a two count with Chavo breaking it up. Danny knocks Chavo off the apron to the floor and then he hits a slam on Eddie as Doug goes up to the middle rope and hits a springboard elbow for a two count, and Danny tags in and they stomp on Eddie repeatedly in the corner as Eddie tries to battle back until Danny ducks a shot. He holds Eddie from behind as Doug charges only for Eddie to duck and they hit a double backdrop on Doug, and he grabs Danny by the arm and goes up top as he hits a double team on the Bashams and Chavo gets the hot tag. He hits a pair of clotheslines on the Bashams and a backdrop on Doug as he hits a dropkick on Danny and a tornado DDT on Doug for a two count with Danny breaking it up, and Chavo ducks a shot and pounds on Danny who reverses a whip as the Bashams hit a double flapjack on Chavo. They set up for a double team only for Eddie to trip Danny up and he pulls him outside as Chavo hits a powerslam on Doug for a two count, and Eddie tags in and they hit a double team on Doug for a two count as Chavo knocks Danny off the apron and hits a slingshot plancha onto the floor. Eddie hits a trio of suplexes on Doug and Danny sends Chavo into the post as Shaniqua gets on the apron and Eddie kicks her in the face, and Danny switches places with Doug and has the nightstick as Eddie goes up top and Danny avoids the Frog Splash with Eddie rolling through. Danny hits Eddie in the head with the nightstick which gets the three and we have new champions. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a decent title match. Los Guerreros were hitting their peak as a team while the Bashams were continuing to grow as a team, and they had decent chemistry as the Bashams steal the win and the titles. The crowd was into the match and Los Guerreros, but are not happy when the Bashams win. The Bashams get the win over Los Guerreros and are the new tag champions as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Josh Matthews interview the Bashams and Shaniqua who say that it was only a matter of time and now it’s time to celebrate.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Chavo berating Eddie before heading to the back.
 
4. Tajiri pins Zach Gowen with a superkick at 3:31.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Gowen got his first big win back at No Mercy and looks to get another win here over Tajiri, who was rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and looks to get a win here. Gowen gets a good pop from the crowd while Tajiri had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Tajiri hooking a headlock and Gowen trips him up as he floats over into a front facelock, and they trade momentum until Gowen hooks a rollup for a two count and Tajiri gets a kick in as Gowen avoids a legsweep and hits a dropkick. He hits an armdrag and works on the arm until Tajiri rakes the eyes and Gowen catches him with a back elbow, and he goes up to the middle rope only for Tajiri to counter a tornado DDT with a spinebuster and he stomps on Gowen repeatedly. He chokes Gowen with his boot and Gowen tries to battle back only for Tajiri to pound on him and he slaps the back of Gowen’s head twice, and he hits a suplex on Gowen only to miss the knee and Gowen hits a dropkick to the knee as he pounds on him. Tajiri holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick with Gowen landing on the mat and Tajiri stomps on him, and Gowen escapes a suplex attempt and ducks a kick as he hooks a rollup for a two count and Tajiri ducks a shot. He gets a kick in and hoists Gowen onto his shoulders only for Gowen to escape with a sunset flip for a two count, and Tajiri reverses a whip into the corner only to miss a charge and Gowen hits a springboard side dropkick for a two count. He goes up top only for Tajiri to get a shot in and goes up himself only for Gowen to knock him back to the mat, and he sets himself on the top rope only to miss the moonsault and Tajiri hits a superkick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Tajiri was hitting his stride by this point while Gowen was still getting into a groove, and they had decent chemistry as Tajiri gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and Gowen, but are not happy when Tajiri wins. Tajiri gets the win over Gowen and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Tajiri calls for someone in the crowd as two men come out of the crowd and get in the ring, and they raise Tajiri’s hands as Gowen gets to his feet only for the two men to hit a double team on Gowen and they head to the back with Tajiri.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Brock Lesnar and the Big Show in Paul Heyman’s office as Lesnar says that he’ll only say this once in that Show needs to be on top of his game, and he says that they both know what it’s like to face Taker and Show won the US Title at No Mercy as the last thing he wants is to defend the WWE Title against Taker one more time. Show says that Lesnar has nothing to worry about and it’s Lesnar that needs to be on his game as he’ll have bigger problems than Taker, and he says that he wouldn’t mind having both the US Title and WWE Title on his shoulders.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Sable in the skybox.
 
We see highlights from the 9/12/02 Smackdown.
 
Hardcore Holly says that Brock Lesnar broke his neck though made a mistake in that he didn’t finish the job, and he says that he won’t play games with Lesnar in that he’s coming back for one reason and that’s to end Lesnar’s career.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Pepsi Arena.
 
We see a tribute video for Michael “Road Warrior Hawk” Hegstrand.
 
In Memory of Michael “Road Warrior Hawk” Hegstrand 1957-2003
 
Commercial break
 
5. The Undertaker defeats Brock Lesnar and the Big Show in a No-DQ, No-Countout, 2-out-of-3 Falls Handicap match.
 
Decisions:
1. Taker pins Show at 5:18.
2. Taker pins Lesnar at 14:17.
 
Stipulation: If Taker wins, he would get a match against an opponent of his choice in any type of match of his choice at a location of his choice.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. After getting screwed at No Mercy, Taker must now face Lesnar and Show in a handicap to be able have carte blanche against anyone he wants. Taker gets a big pop from the crowd while Lesnar and Show were red hot as heels. Taker starts off the match with Show and they square off until Show shoves Taker into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he hits a headbutt on Taker and sends him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly again while Lesnar chokes Taker from the apron. Taker fights out of the corner and goes outside to regroup as he brings a chair into the ring and clears Show and Lesnar from the ring, and Taker throws the chair out of the ring and Show returns to the ring as Lesnar tags in and they square off with Lesnar ducking a shot and he gets a kick in. He rams the shoulder into Taker’s ribs repeatedly in the corner and rams him into the buckle as he continues to ram the shoulder into the ribs, and he stomps on Taker and rams the knee into him twice as he pounds on him and stomps on him in the corner. He gets a pair of back elbows in and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Taker as he gets a knee in only for Taker to battle back, and Lesnar gets a kick in and hits a suplex for a two count as he stomps and pounds on Taker before tagging Show. He pounds on Taker and hits a pair of headbutts for a two count as he whips him into the corner and Taker catches him with a boot to the face, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Show and ducks two shots as he hits the flying clothesline on Show for a two count with Lesnar breaking it up. He pounds on Taker who ducks a shot and he hits the flying clothesline on Lesnar as Show grabs Taker by the throat and hits the Chokeslam, and Lesnar tags in and gets a two count as he has Show go up top and he sets Taker up for a powerbomb. Taker trips Lesnar up and drops an elbow on him as he pounds on Show and grabs him by the throat, and he hits a chokeslam on Show off the top which gets the three and he seemingly wins the match only for Paul Heyman to come out and say that the match is a 2-out-of-3 falls match. Lesnar gets in the ring and Taker pounds on him as he stomps on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, and he hoists Lesnar onto his shoulder and hits Snake Eyes as he hits a big boot and legdrop on Lesnar for a two count. He sends Lesnar to the outside and goes outside himself only for Show to get a shot in and he hits a headbutt, and he throws Taker back into the ring and hits another headbutt as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor and he goes outside as well. Taker ducks a shot and knocks Show over the barricade into the crowd as he catches Lesnar with a back elbow and pounds on him, and he sends Lesnar over the barricade into the crowd and rolls back in the ring as the ref counts Lesnar out and Taker again seemingly wins only for Heyman to announce the match will restart with no countouts. Show brings a chair into the ring and hits Taker in the back with it which draws the DQ and again Taker seemingly wins, but Heyman announces the match will continue with no disqualifications as Show pounds on Taker who grabs a chain off his bike. Show throws Taker back into the ring as Lesnar gets in the ring and hoists Taker onto his shoulders though Taker slides off and he hits Lesnar in the head with the chain, and he hits Show in the head with the chain which knocks him to the floor and he gets the three on Lesnar to finally win the match. The match itself was decent as it was pretty much Heyman continuing to screw Taker until Taker finally wins in the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Taker when he won. Taker gets the win over Lesnar and Show as he now can face anyone he wants in any match he wants, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Heyman heads to the back and Taker celebrates as he leaves the ring and gets on his bike, but Show grabs him and throws him to the floor as he stomps on him repeatedly and throws him back into the ring. Lesnar stomps on Taker repeatedly in the corner and chokes him with his boot as Show wraps the chain around his fist and beats on Taker with it, and he grabs Taker by the throat and hits the Chokeslam before hitting a legdrop as Lesnar goes outside and Show tosses Taker to the outside. Lesnar hoists Taker onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 with Taker’s knee hitting the post as Vince says that he wants to come down and personally congratulate Taker.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince come down through the crowd to ringside as he says we have the American Badass who doesn’t look so bad, and Taker tries to make his way to the back as Vince taunts him by calling him a bitch and he wanted to congratulate him on his victory. He says that he wanted to ask Taker if it was worth the beating he took just to get a title shot and he says as long as he’s alive, Taker will never be champion again and he says Heyman has now allowed Taker to have any match he wants anywhere against whomever he wants. He says that he knows Taker wants Lesnar so he wants to know where the match will take place as Taker says Survivor Series, and Vince asks what match Taker wants and Taker answers it will be a Buried Alive match as Vince says that Lesnar will bury him six feet under. Taker gets to his feet and takes the mike as he says that Lesnar won’t be his opponent, Vince will as Vince is left stunned and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty interesting episode coming off a solid No Mercy. While No Mercy didn’t live up to the expectations surrounding it after how great Vengeance was, it was still a good show and we waste no time in starting the build to Survivor Series. We did have one title match as the Bashams now rule the tag division while Rikishi, Scotty, Tajiri, and Taker get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as the big story was Heyman becoming the new GM and Taker forcing Vince to face him in a Buried Alive match. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as Smackdown has outclassed RAW for most of the year, and we will see which brand has the better night at Survivor Series as their cards are fleshed out. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show to start the build to Survivor Series for the Smackdown brand. Final Grade: C+