Smackdown's Ricky Ortiz Released by WWE

There will be no more "Big O" or ralley towel waving in the ring from superstar Ricky Ortiz. In what many people feel was a surprise move, World Wrestling Entertainment released wrestler Ricky Ortiz on Saturday. Ortiz was originally part of the "ECW Superstar Initiative" and after decent performances there, was eventually moved to Smackdown. WWE gave him the standard release statement that we have commonly seen given to other superstars and divas in the past:

WWE has come to terms on the release of SmackDown Superstar Ricky Ortiz as of today, Aug. 8, 2009. We wish Ricky the best in all future endeavors

When Ortiz first started with WWE on the ECW program, he started out on a major hot, undefeated streak, until he and Jack Swagger had a memorable first match. Swagger got the win to further propel his standing, and Ortiz sort of faded a bit after this. He was moved to Smackdown's brand in April 09' as part of the WWE draft. On Smackdown, his last match ever was a squash effort by Great Khali in under a minute. Strangely enough, The Brian Kendrick, also recently released, lost his last match in just a few seconds after the bell rang to Kofi Kingston on Raw.

According to reports from various wrestling news sites, the move to release Ortiz was a business decision rather than a cost-cutting one. The WWE has recently been trimming the rosters down by eliminating any talent they feel are not good investments. Best wishes to Ricky Ortiz, and again WWE's loss may become their competition's gain...

WWE releases The Brian Kendrick

Former tag team champion and Raw superstar, The Brian Kendrick was released by the WWE several days ago. The 30 year old Kendrick first started out as a character named "Spanky" on SmackDown back in 2003, and started campaigning for a job on the show with Stephanie McMahon. He even feuded with John Cena as both superstars used a rap gimmick. Kendrick left WWE as of 2004, but made his way back in the summer of 2005 after wrestling in independent gigs.

WWE issued the following standard statement regarding the release on WWE.com:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of Raw Superstar Brian Kendrick as of today, July 30, 2009. WWE wishes Brian the best in all future endeavors.

It was a tough past several months for Kendrick since arriving to Raw, in fact he was almost ridiculed weekly, being made as a jobber for Hornswoggle, Jerry Lawler, Festus and countless others. Just a week ago, he was on the receiving end of a loss to Kofi Kingston, in less than a few seconds after the bell rang. What a way to go out huh? The Brian Kendrick had started a gimmick of looking for the best tag team partner he could find on Raw, only to end up getting into it with the ones he chose.

He did have a good bit of success on Smackdown, first with his former partner Paul London. The duo carried the tag team belts for a long period of time and were hailed as one of the top tag teams in all of WWE. Upon London and Kendrick's split up, Kendrick was re-introduced as "The Brian Kendrick", a flamboyant and cocky rockstar like wrestler who came to the ring with his bodyguard Ezekiel Jackson. At one time (probably due to the injury situation), Kendrick was even thrust into the World Heavyweight Title Scramble match last year with other top competitors. That surprised tons of fans but maybe made many fans take notice as well. Unfortunately, upon his arrival to Raw, Kendrick had no true direction for his character, and now is out of work. Best wishes to Kendrick on his future career plans wherever they may land him.

WWE Superstars Recap 07.02.09

WWE Superstars Recap 07.02.09

Tonight's episode of WWE Superstars for July 2, 2009 featured a Clash of Champions match with one half of the Unified Tag champs, Edge, taking on the current World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk. Also on the show, Santino Marella battled The Brian Kendrick, John Morrison went up against Charlie Haas, and Tyler Reks debuted against Zack Ryder. Here's the recaps and results for the 7/02/09 episode of WWE Superstars.

Santino Marella vs. The Brian Kendrick

As this match progressed with Kendrick in control, Kendrick made the mistake of angering Santino by calling him a loser and nobody. Santino responded going into his Hulkster mode, getting angry and stronger as he hyped himself up. Santino hit several hip tosses, then went right into a boot kick from Kendrick. Kendrick was able to pin Santino, but Santino grabbed the bottom rope to break it. From there, Kendrick tried a roll-up pin but Santino was able to counter and pin Kendrick's shoulders to the mat.

Winner: Santino Marella wins via pinfall over The Brian Kendrick.

---

John Morrison vs. Charlie Haas

Early on in the match, the fight spilled to the outside with Morrison trying to bring Haas up the steel steps. Haas did a leg sweep causing Morrison to fall onto the steps, hurting his midsection. Haas began targeting Morrison's injured midsection area in the ring. Morrison eventually made a comeback after a headstand type kick to Haas' head. Haas eventually kneed Morrison in the abs and knocked him down. As Haas missed on an attempted kick, Morrison did a spinning neckbreaker followed by the Starship Pain to win the match.

Winner: John Morrison wins via pinfall over Charlie Haas.

---

Tyler Reks vs. Zack Ryder

Tyler Reks had a short debut and it was on the losing end, unfortunately for him. Mr. Woo Woo Woo, Zack Ryder, backed up his claims on ECW this past Tuesday by going toe-to-toe with the new superstar. Ryder had a side headlock on Reks, who slipped out and then followed with a neckbreaker. Reks tried for a move off the second rope, but Ryder countered and kikced him in the knee. Ryder used the Zack Attack to finish off Reks for the victory.

Winner: Zack Ryder wins via pinfall over Tyler Reks.

---

Edge vs. CM Punk

As things got more intense in this Clash of Champions, Punk threw Edge to the outside after Edge hit him in the eye. Punk used a baseball slide kick to knock Edge to the floor, then he went outside to collect the Rated-R Superstar. Back in the ring, Edge got Punk in his injured eye area yet again. At one point, Punk charged Edge in the corner and hit a running knee. Edge blocked a Bulldog attempt, and Punk nearly had the GTS set up. Edge escaped it by raking Punk in the eyes, and this resulted in Punk saying he couldn't continue due to his eye being hurt. The ref stopped the match, awarding it to Edge who was shocked at the win and pointed laughing at Punk.

Winner: Edge wins due to referee decision when CM Punk couldn't continue the match.

---

Raw Revelations: Batista, US Title & Kendrick

The 5/11/09 WWE Raw provided a great showing for the Animal, Dave Batista, this past week, as he turned the tables (or chairs & steps) on Randy Orton for once. A week ago it was Orton and Legacy severely injuring Shane McMahon and smashing his ankle. Shane was sent out via stretcher in agony, as Batista rushed down to chase off Legacy. Unfortunately the damage was already done. On the latest Raw, Batista unleashed all fury as he went after Legacy one by one backstage, then tried to give Orton a dose of his own medicine, smashing a chair down on his ankle. Orton managed to escape before the steel steps came into play, so he wasn't taken out of the arena on a stretcher like Shane McMahon. Of course this likely indicates Orton will retain the title at Judgment Day to continue his reign as the evil champion, but it was still fun to see things go against Orton for once.

Montell Vontavius Porter was able to score a pinfall victory on William Regal. It would be nice to see MVP keep getting a big push now on Raw. His interruption of Randy Orton weeks ago was a good start and hopefulyl an indicator that he's going to be in the WWE Title picture soon. The interruption almost reminds you of Chris Jericho interrupting The Rock years ago, except the exchange wasn't quite as entertaining. MVP definitely has the ability to become a bigger star, if the company uses him properly. He's got the cool move that the crowd seems to love with his "Ballin'" elbow drop, a la The People's Elbow or the Five Knuckle Shuffle, and he's got the "M-V-P" chant behind him. It's good to see him feuding with the likes of William Regal, since they've never been involved in a feud before, and adding Matt Hardy into this makes it more intriguing. I'm still expecting MVP to drop the US title soon to one of these guys, and then hopefully he will get back into it with Orton & Legacy. Possibly a Money in the Bank win at Wrestlemania 26?

Maybe even more intriguing was The Brian Kendrick's statement made after he defeated Carlito, that he's moving on to Step 2 of his plan to find "The tag team partner" who will help him defeat the Colons for their tag team belts. A smart choice might be The Miz, unless WWE is grooming him in the fashion of Chris Jericho to be a cocky, loud-mouthed insulting superstar heel. Beyond Miz, there's not much to choose from on Raw as everyone else really is involved in feuds. Is Paul London secretly going to return? It's hard to see Mr. Kennedy teaming with Kendrick either. Who knows, maybe we're in store for a Kendrick-Goldust pairing after all...

Smackdown Recap 09.12.08

Smackdown Recap from Milwaukee, WI:

Unforgiven highlights opened up Smackdown, as the Championship Scramble for the WWE Title was shown. At one point in the match, Jeff Hardy was the champ, but Triple H managed to get a pin and recapture the title. In the final seconds of the match. Triple H scored a pin on MVP just as Jeff Hardy was pinning Shelton Benjamin.

Jim Ross and Tazz announced tonight's show will have a Fatal 4Way involving MVP, Jeff Hardy, The Brian Kendrick and Shelton Benjamin. The winner of the match gets to face Triple H for the WWE title at No Mercy.

The champion Triple H made his way down to the ring to open the show. Triple H discussed the hype and happenings of Unforgiven, with Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy coming up big winners. Triple H added that he was the only man to walk in as champ, and walk out still champ. As HHH was discussing how he won by just a second, all of a sudden Jeff Hardy came out to interrupt.

Hardy came to the ring with a mic and told HHH he's great for winning the Scramble. Hardy said everyone looks up to HHH as a legend, and so does he. Triple H told Jeff how much he respects him also. Triple H remarked how Jeff always reaches for the top, but it's always just a step or second away. Jeff told HHH maybe he never had the right people or group to push him along. HHH told Jeff his brother Matt used to keep him focused more, but since they've been apart, Jeff has been unable to stay out of trouble which prevents him from achieving the title status he wants. HHH said he doesn't want to make this a war of words, and should they meet again at No Mercy, Jeff will just prove him right.

---

Maria, Brie Bella & Michelle McCool vs. Victoria, Natalya & Maryse

In the match, new diva Brie Bella was tagged in by Maria and began to go after Natalya. After whipping Natalya into the corner, Brie ran at her and jumped onto her. Natalya held Brie's legs then flipped her over her back onto the mat. The heel divas began to triple team Brie in order to keep her from tagging out. At one point Maryse rushed into the ring and knocked Maria and Michelle off the side apron. Brie Bella was knocked outside the ring. Victoria went out after Brie, but Brie crawled underneath the ring. As Victoria retrieved Brie and got her back into the ring, Brie was able to roll up Victoria for a surprise pinfall.

Winners: Brie Bella, Maria and Michelle McCool win via pinfall over Victoria, Natalya & Maryse.

---

WWE Slam of the Week took a look at R-Truth's entrance through the crowd last week on Smackdown, and then his victory over Bam Neely.

R-Truth vs. Chavo Guerrero

R-Truth came out from a tunnel up in the crowd and began to rap to his theme song as he came down the steps. With Bam Neely looking on, R-Truth hit an impressive spinning dropkick on Chavo. Chavo retaliated as Truth came off the ropes to hit a spinning kick of his own. Chavo began to wear Truth down with a submission hold on the mat, but Truth got to his feet fighting out of it. Truth caught Chavo with a solid clothesline off the ropes twice, then an elbow to the chest and powerslam. R-Truth hit an impressive bicycle kick but Chavo escaped the pin. Chavo hit the Tres Amigos suplexing Truth to the mat, then went to the corner for a Frogsplash.

R-Truth got up on the corner with him to try to suplex Chavo. Bam Neely got onto the apron and shoved Truth down away from Chavo. The ref called for the bell to award the match to R-Truth. Chavo began yelling at Bam that he had things under control. Chavo began to shove Bam several times until Bam had enough and shoved Chavo down to the mat. R-Truth had got up by now and delivered his finisher on Bam. Chavo tried to attack but Truth took him down as well with a 360 forearm.

Winner: R-Truth wins due to disqualification of Chavo Guerrero when Bam Neely interfered.

Backstage Shelton Benjamin was telling Eve why he's the Gold Standard. Triple H came up to them and Eve left. Triple H told Shelton he was the only guy who was never pinned in the match. HHH said Jeff Hardy is pretty intent on winning the Fatal Fourway later. Shelton told HHH the last thing he needs to worry about is Jeff Hardy, because Shelton's reaching for HHH's gold.

---

Smackdown returned and Jim Ross plugged the Broadcast Television premiere of Wrestlemania 24 as well as Smackdown's All-Star kick off on October 3rd, check local listings. Tazz added that Smackdown had 3 times the viewers that college football had on ESPN last Friday.

Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra

Jesse and Festus came down to the ring with a dolly and moving box, dressed in mover staff uniforms. Kenny came down the ramp with a mic in hand saying how he had more potential than anyone else in WWE, but doesn't get the respect he deserves. Kenny delivered a cheap shot punch to Festus before the bell even rang, then punched Jesse off the side apron. Jesse got back to his feet and punched down Kenny, then went to the outside and rang the bell on his own.

Festus went wild as the bell sounded and immediately came off the ropes to knock Kenny down. Festus continued to beat up Kenny and had him down on the mat after a slam. Jesse came into the ring with duck tape and they began to tie Kenny up. The duo pulled Kenny to the outside of the ring and loaded him onto the dolly, then wrapped him up and taped his mouth. Festus wheeled the dolly with Kenny up the ramp to the back.

Winner: No winner announced due to Jesse and Festus tying up Kenny and taking him backstage.

Footage was shown from Unforgiven where Big Show came to the ring discussing how he should have been allowed in the Championship Scramble by Vickie Guerrero. Vickie came to the ring yelling at Big Show for causing another disruption. All of a sudden, Undertaker's druids came out from backstage and carried a coffin down to the ring. Undertaker came on the Titantron demanding Vickie get into the coffin he had sent to the ring, or he'd come get her himself. Vickie refused to voluntarily get in the coffin.

Vickie tried to run from the ring as Undertaker came down, but Big Show grabbed Vickie and brought her back in the ring. Taker came to get her and put his hand around her throat, but Show leveled him with a punch. Big Show beat on Undertaker and eventually held him so that Vickie could slap and spit on him.

Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero came down to the ring to discuss what happened at Unforgiven. Vickie joked about how Undertaker was unable to take her soul at Unforgiven, and he couldn't even take her job away. Vickie then proudly introduced the man who helped her stop the Undertaker, the Big Show. Show came to the ring and shook Vickie's hand before addressing the crowd. Big Show said he's on a path towards the WWE title, but to get there he has to give Vickie what she wants. Show vowed that Undertaker will apologize to Vickie, because if he's not sorry now, Show will make sure Taker will be.

---

Scotty Goldman & Funaki vs. Vladimir Kozlov
2 on 1 Handicap Match

Kozlov showed no trouble at all as he manhandled his two opponents. First he whipped Funaki to the corner, then threw Goldman into him. Kozlov headbutted Goldman down to the mat and stared down at him. Funaki tried to surprise Kozlov by jumping off the corner, but Kozlov just batted him down from the air. Kozlov took the pinfall on Funaki then asked for a mic. Kozloz began demanding better challenge, and said if nobody will give him one, he'll find one for himself.

Winner: Vladimir Kozlov wins via pinfall over Scotty Goldman and Funaki.

Backstage, Triple H snuck up behind Ezekiel who was reading a magazine in the lockerroom. The Brian Kendrick came up and asked Triple H if h needed something. Triple H wished Kendrick good luck in the Fatal Fourway later on. Kendrick began saying the #1 contender spot should be rightfully his. Triple H said he was impressed by Kendrick at the Scramble, and of all the losers, he was definitely the biggest.

---

Primo & Carlito Colon vs. Ryder & Hawkins

Primo and Carlito debuted as the tag team "The Colons". Prior to the match the two brothers cut a promo saying they look too good to lose on Smackdown. Ryder and Hawkins displayed effective tag team work as they isolated Carlito so he couldn't tag in his brother. Despite the beatdown, they were unable to capture a pinfall on Carlito. Carlito finally escaped from the corner and rolled over to tag in Primo. Primo came in and had momentum as he knocked down his opponent in the ring, then knocked his partner off the apron. Primo had the pin, but it was broken up. Carltio got into the ring and tossed one opponent out of the ring, then hit the Backstabber on the other. Primo scored the pinfall to win it in this non-title match.

Winners: Carlito & Primo win via pinfall over Ryder & Hawkins.

MVP was shown backstage walking down the hall, when he came up to Triple H. Triple H said he wasn't sure why MVP's part of the Fatal Fourway because he didn't even pin anyone during the Scramble. MVP said he's in the match because he's the man who will take HHH's title at No Mercy. Triple H said he hopes he doesn't choke like Sunday night.

---

WWE 24/7 Classics on Demand took a look at the Ric Flair vs. Harley Race NWA World Title match in a steel cage. Both men gave it all they had, with Flair coming up victorious. Call 1-888-MY-WWE-247 to order.

MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Jeff Hardy
Fatal Fourway

The winner of this Fatal Fourway will go on to face Triple H at No Mercy for the WWE Title. During the match, Brian Kendrick and Jeff Hardy were both thrown to the outside. Shelton Benjamin gained the advantage on MVP, but out of nowhere Kendrick got back into the ring and blindsided Shelton. Kendrick was able to do his running Kendrick finisher off the corner ropes. Jeff Hardy had also got back into the ring. Jeff ran over and delivered a dropkick through the ropes into Ezekiel's chest, then got onto the turnbuckle. As Kendrick was trying to pin Shelton, Jeff did a Swanton off the corner crashing onto Kendrick. Jeff took the pinfall and became #1 contender for Triple H's WWE title at No Mercy.

After his win, Jeff had little time to celebrate as Vladimir Kozlov came down to interrupt the victory party. Kozlov got into the ring and went at Jeff. Jeff avoided the initial hit but then was headbutted down off the ropes. Kozlov proceeded to brutally attack Hardy in the corner, ramming him several times. Kozlov finished off Hardy with his finishing move, a reverse DDT style move leaving Jeff layed out in the ring.

Winner: wins the Fatal Fourway to become #1 Contender and will face Triple H at No Mercy for the WWE Title.

Smackdown Preview 09.12.08

At Unforgiven, Triple H's WWE title was up for grabs in one of the 3 Championship Scramble matches. During the match, the title changed hands momentarily several times. Surprisingly, The Brian Kendrick had a short-lived reign as WWE champ. Jeff Hardy also made his claim to HHH's gold. However in the end, The Game was able to collect the final pinfall, keeping his championship belt. Jeff Hardy was very close to a win, as he took out several of the competitors, but it was Triple H scoring the pinfall. Hardy's pin was slightly late according to the ref's decision. How will Jeff Hardy react to this situation on Smackdown? Will Hardy come forward to challenge Triple H for the gold?

Unforgiven also saw Vickie Guerrero storm to the ring and demand an apology from Undertaker. Undertaker had plans of his own, as he sent druids down with a coffin for Vickie. Taker demanded that Vickie turn herself in, or he'd come and get her. At the same time, Big Show was in the ring, apparently interrupting Vickie. Undertaker made his way to the ring, but was ambushed by Big Show. Vickie Guerrero seemed to have the last laugh as Big Show held Undertaker for her to humiliate. What will Undertaker's next move be? Will he seek revenge on Big Show on Smackdown?

In another Smackdown championship contested at Unforgiven, Michelle McCool successfully defended the divas title against Maryse. For weeks Maryse had been letting her ego become inflated as she talked down to other divas. However, it was All-American McCool who prevailed and showed Maryse just who Smackdown's top diva is. Will Maryse continue to lay claim to the title, or will a new femme fatale step forward?

Catch Smackdown Friday night at 8PM EST on CW Network!

Official WWE.com Smackdown Preview!

Smackdown Recap 09.05.08

Smackdown Recap from St. Louis, MO:,

Smackdown began with the WWE champion, Triple H coming to the ring to discuss the Unforgiven Pay Per View, and his Championship Scramble matchup. Shelton Benjamin came out to interrupt, discussing how he took the Game to the limits in their match a week ago. Triple H reminded him that he still won the match. Next, MVP came out and began to get in Shelton's face about hitting his finisher on him last week. Shelton said it was retaliation for the Drive By kick that MVP did to him. The two kept arguing and Triple H interrupted them, explaining how a PPV promo should be done.

Brian Kendrick came to the ring next along with his bodyguard, Ezekiel. Ezekiel got in the ring staring down HHH and looked ready to fight him. With the Game distracted, Kendrick took the opportunity to dropkick HHH down from behind. Ezekiel landed a punch on HHH's face, and then MVP, Shelton and Kendrick all began attacking HHH in the ring corner.

Jeff Hardy rushed down to Triple H's aid, helping him knock down the other opponents. Jeff climbed to the top rope for a Swanton on Shelton, but Kendrick's bodyguard Ezekiel knocked Jeff off balance. Jeff fell to the mat and Ezekiel got in the ring to further beat up Jeff. Triple H re-entered the ring with a chair and hit Ezekiel over the back, but it barely caused a reaction. Eventually, Kendrick pulled Ezekiel back and had him leave the ring before it got worse.

---

MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin

A great matchup went down between the former US champ and the current title holder. Prior to the match, Shelton had a promo video shown up on the Titantron, saying there's no talent more precious than him, the "Gold Standard". Shelton had control of the match with MVP down to the mat. As Shelton jumped up to the corner ropes, he saw MVP rolling away, so Shelton hopped down. MVP got up fast and ran at Shelton with a serious boot to the face. MVP tried for the pinfall win, with Shelton escaping. MVP pulled Shelton up his feet and prepared for another move, but Shelton shoved him away. Shelton quickly caught MVP with the Paydirt finisher, slamming him face first to the mat.

Winner: Shelton Benjamin wins via pinfall over MVP.

Backstage, Maria was getting makeup done as Maria came up to her. Maryse insulted the outfit Maria had on saying it was poorly made. Maryse said she could get Maria the clothes she gets specially made in France but it might be too big for certain body parts. Maryse left and Maria seemed peeved by the remark prior to the match.

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Maria vs. Maryse

Maryse seemed to dominate most of the matchup. Maria eventually started to make a bit of a comeback. Maria got whipped to the corner, but was able to deliver a kick into Maryse as she charged at her. Maria then climbed the turnbuckle, but as she tried to jump at Maryse, Maryse ducked and avoided her, going to the corner. Maryse regained her composure then delivered a DDT finisher to win the match.

As Maryse was posing on top of the ramp, all of a sudden Michelle McCool came out from backstage. Michelle and Maryse stood face to face, with Michelle smiling as Maryse backed away and went backstage.

Winner: Maryse wins via pinfall over Maria.

---

Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick

In the matchup, Jeff began to gain serious momentum as he knocked Kendrick out of the ring. Kendrick stood up, but Jeff swung into him with a dropkick through the ropes. Jeff followed with a leap over the top rope landing on top of Kendrick. As Jeff threw Kendrick into the ring, bodyguard Ezekiel Jackson came over, grabbed Jeff and flung him back against the crowd barrier. Jeff fell against the side apron, half in the ring. Kendrick pulled Jeff into the ring, then did his running DDT move off the corner ropes to finish the match.

Winner: The Brian Kendrick wins via pinfall over Jeff Hardy.

A man was shown pushing a wheelchair backstage just as a black limo arrived. Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero got out of the back of the limo and walked over the man. Vickie yelled at the man saying she didn't call for the wheelchair, because she doesn't need it. Vickie walked perfectly fine and screamed at the lim driver to get the cars out of there.

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Super Crazy vs. Bryan Braddock

Super Crazy whipped Braddock to the corner, causing the newcomer to hit hard, then fall to the mat. Crazy finished with his trademark Moonsault flip off the corner ropes.

As Super Crazy was celebrating his victory, all of a sudden, Vladimir Kozlov came marching down the ramp to the ring. Kozlov stared down Crazy with a mic in hand, yelled some Russian then kicked Crazy hard down to the mat. Crazy fell to the mat rolling out of the ring, as Kozlov said he wasn't competition. Kozlov got up on the corner ropes and began yelling "no more games, I demand better competition". After a moment's pause, Big Show's music hit with the Big Show coming down to the ring.

Show told Kozlov that Vickie made an oversight before, so they probably should just take it upon themselves to fight. Kozlov and Show dropped their mics and got into fighting stance. Before any punches were thrown, Vickie Guerrero came storming out from backstage, yelling for Kozlov and Show to get out of the ring. Vickie got into the ring and yelled for Kozlov to leave the ring. Vickie then turned her attention to Show and told him he better not cause any more distractions on her show. Vickie told Show to leave the ring and head home or she'd fine and suspend him. An angry show looked at Vickie then took off out of the ring and up the ramp.

Winner: Super Crazy wins via pinfall over Bryan Braddock.

In the ring, Vickie demanded that the crowd quiet down because she had an announcement for Undertaker. Vickie said she reinstated him and apologized to him for her prior actions, yet Undertaker threatened her life. Vickie declared that she's been to tough places before and she's not scared of him anymore. Vickie proclaimed that at Unforgiven she'll get what she wants, Undertaker to apologize to her.

---

Brie Bella vs. Victoria

In a rematch from last week, new WWE diva Brie Bella faced off with Victoria. Last week Brie got a surprise victory when she rolled up Victoria into a small package, after crawling under the ring to recuperate. In tonight's match, Victoria started off dominating the new diva, using a headlock for a while until Brie escaped. Brie was able to pull Victoria's arms back down on the mat, causing Victoria to yell in pain. Brie delivered a kick to Victoria causing her to spill out of the ring. Outside the ring, Victoria regained control of things and brought Brie in to finish her. Victoria got Brie up on her shoulder using a backbreaker, then dropped her to the mat.

Brie tried to fight back against Victoria, but Victoria punched her out of the ring. Once outside the ring, Brie crawled under the ring. Victoria pulled up the apron cover looking for her, but it seemed Brie came out on another side of the ring. Victoria went after her, but Brie kicked Victoria in the gut, then tossed her in the ring. Brie scored a pinfall to finish off Victoria two weeks in a row.

Winner: Brie Bella wins via pinfall over Victoria.

Footage was shown from the Republican National Convention with Josh Matthews along with WWE superstars Mickie James and Mr. Kennedy.

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The Raw Rebound showed footage of the ongoing feud between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. Things got further incited at Summerslam, where Shawn Michaels came to the ring with his wife to tell fans his time was done wrestling. Michaels said he would follow doctor's advice and stop wrestling due to his injuries. Jericho came out and demanded that Michaels say the reason he was leaving was because of Jericho. Michaels told Jericho to go home and tell his family he'll never be Shawn Michaels. Jericho got infuriated and went to strike HBK, but missed, knocking down HBK's wife Rebecca.

Weeks later on Raw, Shawn Michaels came to the ring and demanded Jericho give him a match. Jericho came on the Titantron and agreed, and the two went to sign a contract for an unsanctioned match last week. In the end, Jericho's protege Lance Cade came down to the ring and tried to attack HBK. Jericho escaped up the ramp as Michaels beat up Cade in the ring and stared out at Y2J. The two meet Sunday at Unforgiven despite Michaels' suffering a recent injury.

Jim Ross and Tazz ran down the lineup for this Sunday's Unforgiven Pay-Per-View including all 3 Scramble matches, and the Shawn Michaels vs. Jericho Unsanctioned match.

Backstage, Eve interviewed Triple H about Sunday's Championship Scramble and tonight's Lumberjack match against Great Khali, defending his WWE title. As HHH spoke about overcoming challenges, Jeff Hardy came up to interrupt. Jeff told HHH he has a big problem this Sunday, him. Triple H reminded Jeff he has 2 strikes against him and "with 3 strikes, he's out of the Game".

---

WWE Slam of the Week showed the Triple H vs. Shelton Benjamin match from last week. Great Khali came down the ramp trying to distract HHH, and as Shelton tried to blindside the Game, Triple H was able to deliver the Pedigree. As Triple H stared down Khali up the ramp, Shelton knocked HHH down from behind. Khali came into the ring and picked up HHH with a double-chokeslam move.

Triple H vs. Great Khali
Lumberjack Match

In this bout, the ring was surrounded by Triple H's Championship Scramble opponents: Jeff Hardy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin and The Brian Kendrick with bodyguard Ezekiel. Early in the match, Triple H tried to punch away at the giant Khali. Khali soon overcame Triple H with his power. After beating Triple H around the ring, Khali knocked Triple H to the outside. Kendrick & Ezekiel, MVP and Shelton all got in their shots and rolled Triple H back into the ring as Smackdown went to break.

Smackdown returned with Khali applying a vice grip on the shoulder muscle of HHH in the ring. Triple H fought to muster up strength to get to his feet and punch Khali in the gut. Khali hammered his forearm on HHH's back and took him to the corner. Triple H avoided Khali coming at him in the corner, but as HHH went off the ropes Khali was ready with a boot to the face. Khali clotheslined HHH out of the ring, and the heels went to attack.

Jeff Hardy ran over to assist Triple H, but he was soon grabbed by MVP and Shelton. The duo tossed Jeff shoulder first into the crowd security wall, causing him to crash down. Ezekiel rolled Triple H back into the ring for Khali to finish off. Khali did a double chokeslam and went for the pin, but HHH kicked out at 2 1/2. HHH was able to smash Khali's face into his knee, then jumped off the corner for a shoulder block. Triple H got pulled out of the ring by Shelton, MVP and Ezekiel and they all started beating on him. Jeff Hardy had recovered, got into the ring and ran across to jump over the rope, crashing down on the 3 heels. Brian Kendrick came over and grabbed Triple H to attack him.

As Kendrick tried to whip HHH into the steel steps, HHH reversed sending Kendrick crashing into the steps. Triple H got onto the side apron and yanked Khali down against the top rope. Once back in the ring, Triple H went for a Pedigree, but Khali flipped HHH over his back. Khali applied the Vice Grip squeezing HHH's skull for a while, but HHH managed to generate the power to get out. Khali headbutted the Game down to the mat, but Triple H recovered, then avoided Khali trying for another Vice Grip. HHH finally kicked Khali in the midsection and delivered a winning Pedigree. Jeff Hardy got into the ring and applauded Triple H's effort. HHH turned and patted Jeff, but out of nowhere Jeff hit a Twist of Fate, slamming HHH to the mat.

Winner: Triple H wins via pinfall over Great Khali.

Smackdown Preview 09.05.08

Tonight's Smackdown will come just two days ahead of Sunday's Unforgiven Pay Per View. The big event will of course feature 3 Championship Scramble matches, including one for Triple H's WWE title. In anticipation of the event, Smackdown will feature a trio of great matches putting each of the Scramble competitors into competition against each other! Jeff Hardy and The Brian Kendrick will be competing in the squared circle against each other for the first time ever. This will definitely be a matchup full of skill and aerial maneuvers by both men. Hardy will need to watch outside the ring as well, with Ezekiel, Kendrick's bodyguard lurking. Also in action Montell Vontavius Porter will face Shelton Benjamin in a non-title contest. The two stars definitely have supersized egos. How will Hardy, Kendrick, MVP and Shelton fare in their matchups prior to Unforgiven?

Also in action, current WWE champ, The Game, gets to go one-on-one with The Great Khali in a title match. The two met during last month's Pay-Per-View for the WWE title, with Triple H prevailing. Triple H will need to dig deep to beat the towering giant in the ring, as well as watch out for Khali's manager Singh outside the ring. Will Triple H be able to successfully defend the WWE title prior to Unforgiven? Or will Great Khali spoil Triple H's title reign?

Two other Smackdown stories of interest involve Divas champion Michelle McCool, Maryse and Big Show. Maryse informed Michelle that she would soon take away her Divas championship. The two get to meet at Unforgiven, with the newest of WWE gold on the line. Maryse further inflated the feud by attacking Michelle on Smackdown. What will be in store for these divas on Smackdown? Also, keep an eye on Big Show, who continues to unleash havoc on the Smackdown roster. In consecutive weeks, Show has destroyed a field of Battle Royal competitors and then tag teams, Hawkins and Ryder and Jesse & Festus. Will Show continue to unleash his fury on Smackdown, or will someone intervene?

Find out the answers to all the above questions on Smackdown, Friday night on CW Network at 8PM EST!

Read WWE.com's official Smackdown preview!

Smackdown Preview 08.29.08

Last week Smackdown narrowed its field of competitors for the WWE title to 4 men. In a series of qualifying matches, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Jeff Hardy and The Brian Kendrick all put themselves into title contention at Unforgiven. The match will be the brand new Championship Scramble, with Triple H entering as the champ. After 20 minutes it's possible someone new will hold the WWE title. Now on tonight's Smackdown each of the competitors looks to prepare and gain some sort of psychological edge. Which of these superstars will have the best performance on Smackdown?

Big Show was an obvious snub from last week's qualifying matches, but still made his presence felt. During the 10 man Battle Royal, Big Show got involved and basically eliminated most of the competition. The last man Show disposed of, or thought he did, was The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick was luckily caught mid-air by his nearby bodyguard Ezekiel. Kendrick won on the technicality that his feet never hit the floor, but Big Show really won the match for him by eliminating all other competitors. Now the question becomes, will Big Show have a bone to pick about not being a part of the Unforgiven match?

Another qualifier was Jeff Hardy, who was able to beat The Great Khali. Jeff had some help though, as Triple H watched their match from ringside. Triple H was able to smash a steel chair over Khali, allowing Jeff to pick up the eventual pinfall victory. Now Jeff heads towards Unforgiven with a chance to finally gain the WWE title he's been after. Will Triple H have words for Hardy since he assisted him with the win?

Last week also saw a diva attack, as Maria was facing Natalya, yet Maryse decided to interfere. How will Maria respond to the attack? Will Maria team with Michelle McCool to take on the two heel divas? Also, the Undertaker seems in search of souls. Who will his first victim be on tonight's Smackdown? What will Vickie have as a response to Undertaker's statement last week?

Find out all the answers on Smackdown at 8PM EST on CW Network!

Read WWE.com's official Smackdown Preview!

Kendrick is a Surprise Scrambler

Bleacher Report member Alevyn Shareef has a great write up to analyze the recent scramble for title matches set for Unforgiven. These of course are the 2 "Championship Scramble" concept matches which will see a total of 5 wrestlers in the ring for 20 minutes. Whoever scores the final pinfall of the match before 20 minutes elapses, becomes the champ. For Raw it's John Cena, JBL, Kane and Batista all vying for CM Punk's World Heavyweight title. On Smackdown's side, it's Triple H trying to outlast MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, and yes..... "The Brian Kendrick".

Alevyn Shareef on Bleacher Report writes:

The biggest surprise in this match however is The Brian Kendrick. A man who re-debuted on Smackdown a few weeks ago. Since then he's been in a squashing jobbers with the help of his bodyguard. The WWE seems to have wanted to split him up from Paul London and give him a push for a while, even including a small heel turn just before Wrestlemania.

Now it looks like they were able to do it with the draft. Unlike the other names in the scramble, he has never even made it to the upper-mid card. In fact he's the only guy in the match who has never held a singles title.

I agree with "The Brian Kendrick" as being the biggest surprise but don't consider him a lock for the match yet. As Alevyn also notes in his article, Mr. Kennedy and Umaga were both recently lost to injuries, keeping them out of the big main event with Triple H. However, after seeing Big Show not officially entered in Smackdown's Qualifying Battle Royal, but eliminating most of the competitors so Kendrick could win, I'm expecting we see Show vs. Kendrick on Smackdown. Big Show will likely lobby with Vickie Guerrero for a spot in the Unforgiven PPV match, leading to a contest with Kendrick to prove it. And possibly we see Big Show take over Kendrick's spot. It seems far too strange for Kendrick to enter the title picture like this over guys like Big Show, Undertaker and Vladimir Kozlov who are all far more capable title contenders.

And looking at the last two names, we might have the makings of yet another matchup for Unforgiven, as the Russian destroyer Kozlov faces the Deadman, the Undertaker.

Read Could We Really See A New Champion at WWE Unforgiven? at Bleacher Report here.