Credit: PWInsider.com
Smackdown Report for November 18, 2005
by Richard Trionfo
Last Sunday, Eddie Guerrero died unexpectedly in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 38. Instead of the regular Raw and Smackdown tapings that night, they did a number of matches featuring Raw versus Smackdown talent to honor the memory of Eddie Guerrero.
This week’s show comes to you from Minneapolis, Minnesota and your announcers are Tazz and Michael Cole.
The show begins with a graphic ‘In Memory Eddie Guerrero 1967-2005’.
Eddie Guerrero’s entrance music plays and the low rider drives out with Batista at the wheel. Batista gets a mic and he says that if he knows anything about Eddie Guerrero, he would hate to see Batista in the ring crying like a little baby, but he cannot do that because he cannot believe that Eddie is gone. He has been thinking all day and does not know what to say or if he is the right person to come out and speak about Eddie. He wants the crowd to know two things about Eddie. First, he loved his family. Eddie had a lot of demons and troubles in his past, but he fought back from hell to get that back. The second thing was that he loved this business. He lived, breathed, ate, and bled this business. No matter how much pain he was in, when he stepped through the curtain, the pain went away. Batista fights back tears as he continues and the crowd chants ‘Eddie’. His one comfort is that Eddie has found peace and is with God. Batista says that he would give anything to have Eddie back here because he misses Eddie. He will make sure that everyone remembers Eddie. Batista lays the World Title belt on the hood of the low rider and salutes Eddie as he walks to the back and we go to the video package that aired on Raw and commercials.
We are back with footage of Eddie Guerrero from his DVD where he talks about his childhood and family. He talked about how he got involved in wrestling. He talked about how Chavo Junior is more like his brother than his nephew.
It is time for our first match, Matt Hardy versus Carlito
Before the match, Michael Cole talks about how Carlito was responsible for the storyline between Eddie and Rey. Carlito with a side head lock and then he pulls the hair when Matt tries to get out of the hold. Matt counters with a hammer lock and side head lock of his own. Carlito tries to send Matt off the ropes, but Matt holds on to Carlito’s hair. Matt slams Carlito’s head into the turnbuckle repeatedly followed by a punch. Matt with a kick to Carlito and then he charges at Carlito, but Carlito with a drop toe hold that sends Matt outside the ring to the floor. Carlito sends Matt’s back into the ring apron before rolling him back into the ring. Carlito kicks and punches Matt in the corner. Carlito with a suplex to Matt for a two count. Carlito kicks Matt and then connects with a series of shoulder blocks in the corner. Carlito punches Matt and then gets a two count. Carlito works on Matt’s back and then he slams Matt before going to the second turnbuckle. Carlito mocks Matt, but when he comes off the turnbuckle, he is met by a boot from Hardy. Matt with forearms to Carlito followed by a running forearm and clothesline. Matt continues the attack with a back body drop and a Side Effect for a two count. Matt tries for a belly-to-back suplex, but Carlito floats over and hits a lungblower for a two count. Carlito slams Matt’s head into the turnbuckle and then punches Matt. Carlito puts Matt on the top turnbuckle and he goes up too, but Matt knocks Carlito off. Matt with a leg drop from the second turnbuckle and then he prepares for the Twist of Fate, but Carlito pushes him into the turnbuckle. Carlito tries for a suplex, but Matt blocks it and hits the Twist of Fate for the three count.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Vince McMahon says that Eddie Guerrero was a classic performer. He will be remembered as one of the greats. He had a passion for the craft. He was a craftsman. When he was in the ring he was happy to perform for the crowd whether they cheered him or booed him. Vince says that there was one thing the he loved more than performing, and that was his family; his immediate family and his WWE family. Whether they were on the crew, in the locker room, or wherever, they were part of his familia. A lot can be said about Eddie’s great performances, but Eddie was a damn good man. We go to commercial.
We are back with footage from Eddie’s UPN special when he talks about how he got his family back after dealing with his personal problems.
It is time for our next match, Animal and Heidenreich versus Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade
Michael Cole mentions that more than 100,000 e-mails were received in the first 24 hours after Eddie’s death and they will be given to Vickie.
Heidenreich and Cade start things off. Cade kicks Heidenreich and connects with a forearm to his back. Cade with shoulder tackles in the corner. Heidenreich blocks a punch from Cade and connects with punches of his own and a clothesline. Murdoch with a knee to Heidenreich’s back as he comes off the ropes. Heidenreich hits Cade and then Murdoch comes in and they throw Heidenreich over the top rope to the floor. Murdoch rolls Heidenreich back in for a one count. Murdoch tags in and he punches Heidenreich followed by a side Russian leg sweep. Murdoch continues the attack with an abdominal stretch. Heidenreich escapes the hold and then Murdoch punches Heidenreich. Cade tags in and he connects with a running knee in the corner. Murdoch tags in and he connects with a running knee to the corner. Cade tags back in, but Heidenreich with a spear and Animal is tagged in. Animal punches Murdoch and Cade followed by a shoulder tackle on Murdoch. Cade attacks Animal from behind, but Animal with a double clothesline to Cade and Murdoch. Murdoch is thrown out of the ring and Heidenreich with a side slam to Cade and then he hits the Doomsday Device for the three count.
Winner: Animal and Heidenreich
Booker T and Sharmell talk about how they go back to WCW and have wars in and out of the ring. They almost got into a fist fight in the locker room. Their hearts go out to Eddie’s family and his girls. If they ever need help, they can go to him and Sharmell. He knows that Eddie is up there watching this and would want everyone to put on the best show possible. He knows that he will see Eddie again and he says that he loves Eddie. We go to commercial.
We are back with the part of the UPN special that talked about the Los Guerreros ‘Lie, Cheat, and Steal’ vignettes.
Big Show says that Eddie was very spiritual and was a great dad. Every time he saw Eddie around his kids, he was so full of life and joy because he was so proud of his family. Show’s only comfort in losing a friend is knowing that he is with God now and all of the pain and all of the things that he endured, he is safe now and he is loved. He says that he cannot believe that Eddie is gone while he fights back tears. He says that there will never be another like Eddie. We go to commercial.
We are back with clips from the UPN special where he talked about how he grew up with wrestling and the El Paso Coliseum and how he would wrestle during intermissions.
It is time for our next match, Chavo Guerrero Junior versus Bradshaw (with Jillian Hall)
Bradshaw backs Chavo into the corner and they exchange punches with Bradshaw getting the advantage. Bradshaw with a side head lock followed by a shoulder tackle. Chavo with an arm drag and side head lock take down. Chavo holds on to Bradshaw’s hair when Bradshaw tries for an Irish whip. Chavo grabs Bradshaw’s hair again. Chavo does it a third time. He lets go of the side head lock and connects with a thumb to the eye followed by a punch that knocks Bradshaw out of the ring. Chavo with a pescado onto Bradshaw. Bradshaw pulls Jillian in front of him, but Chavo still punches Bradshaw. Chavo goes up top and hits a missile drop kick for a two count. Chavo goes to the top again, but Bradshaw catches him and hits the fallaway slam on Chavo. Bradshaw does the Latino shimmy before connecting with a forearm to the back and a kick that sends Chavo to the mat. Bradshaw continues the attack with a swinging neck breaker. Bradshaw with another swinging neck breaker for a two count. Bradshaw punches Chavo in the corner. Bradshaw with a sleeper to Chavo, but Chavo is able to get out of the hold with elbows and a punch to Bradshaw. Bradshaw tries for the Clothesline from Hell, but Chavo is able to hit a drop kick and both men are down. Chavo blocks punches from Bradshaw and connects with punches of his own to Bradshaw’s head and then he does the Eddie shimmy before punching Bradshaw. Chavo with a tilt-a-whirl head scissors to Bradshaw. Bradshaw tries for another fallaway slam, but Chavo is able to counter with a DDT. Chavo goes for two chairs. Chavo throws one in and then he pulls the second one in and tosses it to Bradshaw before the ref sees it. The ref yells at Bradshaw and tells him to get rid of the chair. Chavo with a low blow followed by the Three Amigos and the Frog Splash for the three count.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero Junior
After the match, Chavo thanks everyone in the crowd and leads an ‘Eddie’ chant.
We see more footage from Eddie’s UPN special featuring his mother as we go to commercial.
We are back and Michael Cole talks about how he will always remember Eddie’s smile. Tazz says that he was a friend of Eddie for ten years. Eddie would have loved what aired tonight and Monday. Cole says that the one thing he wanted to do was main event Wrestlemania. He got that chance at Wrestlemania. We see the part of the UPN special that talks about Wrestlemania XX as well as the moment when Eddie and Chris Benoit were in the ring together with the title belts.
Bradshaw says that he has been Eddie’s arch nemesis for over two years. He talks about how he needed an escort out of El Paso. He also said that there were near riots in most of the cities in the southwest. He started wrestling Eddie’s brothers in Texas and has known the family for a while. While they were enemies in the ring, they were best friends outside the ring. His first main event was at a pay per view in Los Angeles against Eddie. If not for Eddie Guerrero, Bradshaw would not have been in the main event. He was a groomsman at Bradshaw’s wedding. When he was going through a divorce, Eddie was there with him in Calgary and would give him passages to help him get through everything. The world was a better place because of Eddie. Bradshaw was a better person because of Eddie. Eddie and his family had just moved to Phoenix. He thanks Vickie and her family for letting Eddie be a part of his life. He wishes that he could see Eddie come out in the low rider one more time. We go to commercial.
We are back with footage from Eddie Guerrero’s match against Brock Lesnar when Eddie won the WWE Title at No Way Out in 2004.
It is time for our next match and it is a Cruiserweight Battle Royal: Tajiri, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Gregory Helms, Scotty 2 Hotty, Kid Kash, Nunzio, Funaki, Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy, and Psicosis
The Smackdown wrestlers surround Tajiri and Helms. Helms pushes Tajiri into the middle and Tajiri with a back kick to Helms. Tajiri with the handspring back elbow to Kash and London. Tajiri with Nunzio on his back and he knocks everyone down. Kendrick with a drop kick to Nunzio. Guerrera tries to eliminate Kendrick, but Kendrick stays on the apron. Juventud with a drop kick that eliminates Kendrick. Super Crazy is crotched and eliminated by Nunzio. Funaki eliminates Tajiri while Helms eliminates Funaki. Kash kicks London and then hits a head scissors from the top turnbuckle. London gets Kash up and Nunzio hits a missile drop kick on Kash. London with the double stomp to Nunzio followed by a springboard jumping leg lariat. Scotty with a bulldog to Helms and it is time for the WORM to Helms and Nunzio. Scotty eliminates Kash. London with a dropsault to eliminate Helms and then London mocks Hurricane’s pose. Nunzio eliminates Scotty and Psicosis. London and Guerrera exchange chops and kicks on Nunzio. Nunzio sends Guerrera to the apron and does the same to London. Nunzio tries for a shoulder tackle on both men, but London and Guerrera send Nunzio to the floor. Guerrera and London with kicks on the apron. London kicks Guerrera and then gets Guerrera on his shoulder, but Juventud sends London over the top rope to the floor.
Winner: Juventud Guerrera
We see the Mamacita segment of the UPN special and we go to commercial.
We are back with footage from Eddie’s final Smackdown match, last Friday against Ken Kennedy that he won by disqualification.
Shane McMahon says that there are few families that have the privilege of spanning many generations in this business. You have the Harts, Ortons, Briscos, Jarretts, and many more that he is leaving out. Then there were the Guerreros. Eddie was a wonderful man. All he wanted to do was wrestle and perform. He lit up the crowd every night. He loved the fans and loved being there. Eddie’s legacy is not in the ring, it is his family. He loved his wife and his daughters. That is what he fought for every single night. Eddie loved to get home the most. He addresses Vickie and his daughters and says that Eddie loved them and he did everything for them. He will miss Eddie very much. The chants will live in our hearts forever. We go to commercial.
We are back with footage from Wrestlemania XX when Eddie and Chris Benoit embraced in the center of the ring after Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match.
It is time for our main event, Triple H versus Chris Benoit
Hunter with a side head lock followed by a shoulder tackle. Benoit with a hip toss and then he goes for the crossface, but Hunter gets out of the ring. Hunter returns to the ring and they go into the corner on a collar and elbow tie up. Hunter with punches instead of a clean break. Benoit with an Irish whip and back body drop followed by another crossface attempt. Hunter gets outside the ring to regroup. Benoit with a side head lock and then he ducks under a clothesline. Benoit with a double leg take down and he tries for the Sharpshooter, but Hunter gets out of the ring. Benoit chases after Hunter and chops Hunter around the ringside area before slamming Hunter’s head into the ring steps. Benoit chops Hunter in the corner and then goes up for the punches of ten and Hunter falls to the mat. Hunter begs for mercy and then he throws Benoit over the top rope to the floor as we go to commercial.
We are back and Hunter with a hard Irish whip to Benoit. Hunter with a second hard Irish whip for a two count. Hunter sends Benoit off the ropes and connects with a forearm to Benoit’s kidneys. Hunter sends Benoit into the ropes again with another forearm to the kidneys. Benoit with a forearm to Hunter and both men are down. Benoit chops Hunter, but Hunter with a spinebuster for a two count. Hunter with an abdominal stretch and Hunter uses the ropes for additional leverage. The ref sees Hunter use the ropes and tells him to release the hold. Hunter yells at the ref and that allows Hunter to chop and connect with a forearm to Hunter. Hunter with a sleeper to Benoit and then it is Benoit’s chance with a sleeper. Hunter tries to escape, but Benoit lands on his feet and tries for a Sharpshooter. Hunter tries for the Pedigree, but Benoit is able to counter and he catapults Hunter into the turnbuckle and hits the Hat Trick German suplex combination. Benoit goes up top and hits the diving headbutt for a two count. Benoit chops Hunter in the corner. Hunter tries for the Pedigree, but Benoit counters with the Crossface and Hunter tries to roll out of it, but Benoit holds on and gets the three count on a rollup.
Winner: Chris Benoit
After the match, Benoit starts an ‘Eddie’ chant and Hunter and Benoit shake hands and hug in the ring. Dean Malenko comes into the ring and he hugs Benoit and raises Benoit’s hand as we go to credits.
