The SmarKdown Rant – February 19 2004

The SmarKdown Rant – February 19, 2004

– Taped from Fresno, CA.

– Your hosts are Cole & Tazz.

– Opening interview: #1 contender Kurt Angle comes out to congratulate Eddie for his title victory, and in fact he was behind him all the way. Such sincerity. John Cena interrupts and makes fun of Angle’s whiteness, but before they can come to blows, Heyman puts them in a tag match against the Basham Brothers tonight.

– Kurt Angle & John Cena v. The Basham Brothers. Angle starts with Danny and takes him down, and then again with a fireman’s carry. A pair of armdrags follow and he works the arm a bit, and a lariat gets two. Cena comes in, but gets caught with a cheapshot from Danny, allowing Doug to tag in. Cena comes back with a backdrop suplex and pumps up the shoes, but gets hit from the apron by Danny. Cena keeps coming with a spinebuster, and it’s kinda BONZO GONZO, but Angle collides with Cena off a whip and they get into an altercation. We take a break. Back with the Bashams working Cena’s knee over in the corner, and Danny grabs a leglock. Cena comes back with a lariat, but gets cut off again as Doug stomps him down. Cena dives for another tag, but Doug cuts him off again and takes him down. Danny stays on the knee with a kneecrusher and a half-crab, but Cena makes the ropes. He gets a DDT and finally makes the tag to Angle, who suplexes Danny and backdrops Doug. Angle Slam is countered by Danny, into a Doug clothesline. Very nice. Angle escapes a double-team and sends Doug out, and the Angle Slam on Danny results. Anklelock is quickly countered by Danny, but Cena tags in with the FU at 11:59. Good little tag match. **1/4

– Elsewhere, Rey Mysterio visits with Heyman, but not to whine and complain, just to ask for a rematch. Sounds like whining to me. Anyway, Paul gives him a rematch against Chavo, next week, IF Chavo can win the WWE title from Eddie later tonight.

– World champion Eddie Guerrero (and boy is THAT gonna take some getting used to) joins us for his victory celebration. Complete with tickertape and balloons. And pyro. Well, that certainly makes the title seem more important than it’s been as of late. Eddie says his thank-yous and offers some Spanish curses to those who didn’t support him. Which of course brings out Chavo & Chavo, as they seem confused by the lack of parade for them. Chavo throws a tantrum in fine Owen Hart fashion and whines about everything that comes to mind, finally announcing that Chavo Sr. will be the guest referee for the title match tonight.

– US title: Big Show v. Hardcore Holly. Another title defense for Show? Is the world coming to an end? Show pounds him in the corner to start and tosses him to the other corner, but can’t get a press-slam. Holly clips him to come back and gets an Alabama Jam for two. Missile dropkick is swatted aside by Show, and the chokeslam finishes at 2:32. That’s about where Holly belongs. Ѕ* Cena comes out to cut a rap on Show and challenge him for Wrestlemania.

– Brock Lesnar joins us, even though it’s his night off. What a trooper. He gives a tearful interview about how much the title meant to him and how Eddie doesn’t appreciate it and stole it. Them’s strong words. Onto Goldberg, as he gets down on his knees and begs Vince for a match at Wrestlemania. Kind of a weird interview.

– Elsewhere, the Chavos prep for the title match (they love him in Kansas City, you know) and Chavo Sr. promises to call the match right down the middle.

– Elsewhere, yet another backstage attack, this one putting Chavo Sr. out, as Kurt Angle is indignant because it could have been him. Obviously Angle did this one, as well as all the other ones lately. After the break, Heyman gets the brilliant idea of making Angle the referee instead of Chavo Sr., and Kurt reluctantly accepts.

– Smackdown World title: Eddie Guerrero v. Chavo Guerrero. You know, had they foregone the rush-job match at Rumble between these two, this would mean a lot more. Eddie catches Chavo off-guard by tossing the belt at him to start, and gets the leg lariat to set up the slingshot splash. They slug it out in the corner and Chavo charges with a corner clothesline and backdrops him. Eddie goes to the eyes and hammerlocks the arm while choking Chavo behind Angle’s back, and pounds away in the corner. Gory Special, but Chavo counters out into an armdrag, only to get dropkicked right away. That gets two for Eddie. They slug it out and Chavo gets a backbreaker for two. Chavo chokes away and fires off some forearms, into the rolling verticals. Chavo goes up, but hits knee on the frog splash attempt. He charges and Eddie casually backdrops him to the floor, but now Chavo Sr. wanders out and yells at people. This allows Chavo to sneak in with a rollup for two. Eddie hits him with the rolling verticals to end that rally and stops to nail Chavo Sr., then goes up and misses the frog splash, as Sr. pulls Jr. out of harm’s way. And now Rey Mysterio comes out and disposes of Chavo Sr. with a ringpost 619, until the refs send him back and we take a break. We return with Chavo working on the knee and getting a half-crab, but Eddie reverses for two. Chavo takes him to the corner and hammers on the knee, then gets a standing dropkick for two. He keeps on the knee, but Eddie slugs back, only to get dropkicked in the knee. Chavo bridges off an Indian deathlock and turns it into a form of the surfboard, then back to the half-crab again. Eddie fights out and gets a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a series of clotheslines, and brings Chavo off the top with a rana. That gets two. Chavo dropkicks the knee again, however, and goes up, but gets caught by Eddie. Superplex, but Chavo is up first. He tries a Gory Special but gets reversed by Eddie and it’s a powerbomb to set up the frog splash. Angle won’t count, however, because he’s EVIL now. Had to see that coming. He lays Eddie out and it’s a Sportz Entertainment Finish at 16:00 or so. ***1/4 Angle destroys him on the floor and calls him names, and Eddie does some bleeding. Rey tries to make the save and gets powerbombed coming in, and tossed to the floor. Now this is the heel Angle we know and love. He waits for Eddie to pull himself up under his own power, and then WALLOPS him with the belt. See, now this is the kind of hardcore heel edge Angle has been lacking all this time. Good beating there.

The Bottom Line:

This was pretty much entirely the Angle & Eddie show, with only three matches for the entire show and two of them involving Angle. For me it was a bit much, but the final angle was tremendous and made Angle into the kind of threat he needs to be again instead of the goofy babyface.