WWE SmackDown! - 03/13/03
Taped 03/11/03
Pittsburgh, PA

• Team Angle d. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Billy Kidman in a non-title match (Haas p. Kidman via Superkick/German Suplex combo, 7:08)
  • Cole says "Rey and Kidman have teamed in the past", but I think he's just talking about a couple weeks.
  • This is a decent match, with Rey and Kidman working good as a team and Team Angle working off of them with their usual stuff.
  • Kidman's left arm was the Team Angle focus
  • Kidman did hit his feet on the ropes going for a late Shooting Star Press, landing awkwardly on his shoulder.
    • The thing is, even though he came up holding his arm to his side, that's the same way he always sells arm damage and it was that shoulder they were working on.
    • He did sell it pretty well, maybe too well, though.
• Later tonight: Los Guerreros vs Rhyno/Chris Benoit for a title shot at WM
• Brian Kendrick gave Stephanie flowers as a thank you for the match last week

• Jamie Noble visits the Playboy Mansion to protest Torrie being in the magazine instead of Nidia
• Rikishi d. Chuck Palumbo (w/FBI) (Rump Shaker, 3:58)
  • Chuck hit a distracted Jungle Kick to start the match...for one.
  • This was what you'd expect from Chuck and Rikishi - lots of pushing, usual Rikishi spots, occasional Chuck Is Strong stuff.
  • FBI enter the ring for a sneak attack, but Los Guerreros manage to charge the ring and ambush them before hand. No DQ.
  • Contusing FBI vs Los Guerreros/Rikishi tension would seem to play against Los Guerreros changes later tonight.
• Added to WM: Undertaker/Nathan Jones vs A-Train/Big Show
  • Undertaker and Nathan talk about this development, and A-Train/Big Show's match next

• A-Train & Big Show d. Tajiri & Funaki (Train Wreck on Funaki, 3:46)
  • Show's wearing bigger tights (with his pink undershorts showing) in an attempt to look less fat.
    • I'm pointing it out, so you can tell how well that work.
    • Seeing the pink undershorts makes it look very messy. Must've lost a bet.
  • Not even a pre-match vignette with Tajiri recycling his plan for WrestleMania into a plan for this tag match can make this worthwhile.
    • Even Funaki thinks Tajiri is a little bit off.
  • Big Show sits out half the match to talk (still hurt?) and the Japanesse duo get token comebacks, but it's pretty much a given.
  • Announcers (though prompted by Show) even note that A-Train isn't having much trouble 2 on 1
  • One comeback too many, and Show comes in to half sell the KO Kick and chokeslam Tajiri.
  • A-Train's definitely being pushed as #4 of 4 here.

• Sean O'Haire convinces a disappointed Dawn Marie (about Playboy) to flash the crowd.
  • Dawn either was wearing pasties or one of 'em prosthetic breasts like they used for Mae.
  • In between parts of this bit, Torrie ("live from the GGW PPV site") showed off the cover of her Playboy magazine
  • This was a GGW/Playboy hype segment.

• John Cena raps about Brock Lesnar
• Los Guerreros NC Chris Benoit and Rhyno for the WM Title Shot (Team Angle lays out both teams, 17:45)
  • They have new music that isn't as distincitive as the ones either had before
    • It's a basic any catchphrase associated with them repeated often
  • Chris Benoit RAISES BOTH HIS ARMS UP AS HE COMES TO THE RING!
    • What a show of emotion from the Crippler!
  • Brian Hebner signals for the bell but it never rings.
  • Tazz says all four guys are great technical guys, which doesn't exactly fit Rhyno's persona.
  • This was possibly (and probably) a good match but I wasn't paying a lot of attention
    • More mat wrestling for longer than you'd expect than you might have expected if this match was say 5 months ago.
  • Chavo wanted to play it really heel but Eddie only wanted to play it moderately heel, leading to a discussion at one point.
    • Eddie's side is that too much and they get DQed, which is a decent point.
    • But with all the cheating that goes on that doesn't get a DQ, Eddie being worried about an illegal man in probably is being a little too unnecessarily cautious.
  • This stretched over one break...10:11 in the first segment

• Very much a Los Guerreros controlled match, with Benoit and Rhyno getting comebacks and runs.
• They held off on the Benoit/Eddie full speed section till about 13 in.
• The "all ehck is breaking loose" segment started about 3 minutes later.
• It seemed like they had run out of things to do without giving a finish or having someone break out something new, right as Team Angle showed up to belt both sides.
• Vince/Hogan recap from last week

• Stephanie made a Team Angle vs Los Guerreros vs the Broken Neck Combination WWE Tag Team Title match for WM
  • After the NCO, this was incredibly obvious coming, having done this same finish so many times.
  • It's probably noteworthy that they let Shelton and Charlie complain for themselves here.
  • I guess they haven't figured out if/where the FBI fit in on all of this.
    • Or they're very much short on face tag teams and so Los Guerreros got drafted
• Hulk Hogan history montage.
• Vince talks about how he hates Hogan because Hogan never appreciated him
  • I guess that Vince got the HGH in the divorce
  • That line brought to you by "cheap jokes are us", fine sponsor of this very SmackDown! report

• the Pittsburgh Penguin (Brian Kendrick) CO WWE Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy (w/Shannon Moore) in a non-title Cruiserweight Exhibition match (walk out, 5:05)
  • Matt has never locked his keys in his car and hates cleaning his carpet
  • In a VERY controversial decision, this was ruled a match for ladder purposes.
    • Matt may not approve
    • He was very funny in pointing it out was an exhibition after he got a little down
  • Penguin was wearing a familiar mask and pants to those who've watched Velocity.
    • He at least made up a different weight this time
  • Matt pulled off the mask about 3:30 in, to reveal Brian.
    • Matt was not happy about that, er, twist of fate.
  • This led to Brian's comeback.
  • Brian hit Sliced Bread #2, but Shannon was able to pull Matt to safety, and that was that.

• Rey congratulated Brian, and vice versa
• Kurt/Brock look back
  • For those perhaps tracking where this feud started, they start the flashback at post-Armageddon here.
• Tale of the Tape

• Kurt Angle (c) d. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title (small package, 1:17)
  • They do an Eric/Kurt switch when the lights go out for Brock's entrance.
  • Brock ambushes "Kurt" from behind.
  • Eric takes the F5, but Choida and Lesnar figure out that it's not Kurt and hold up the count at 1.
    • Announcers do not figure this out, though we're not really given a good shot to do so
    • Someone yells quite audibly "THAT'S NOT ANGLE"
  • Team Angle shows up and Brock, having nothing better to do, chases after them
  • Kurt rolls out his brother and takes his spot, rolling up Brock as he returns to the ring
    • Brock looked pretty chump like.
  • Announcers are confused that it's Kurt who got the pin after the switch.
  • Crowd is definitely mixed.
  • Kurt (and Team Angle before him) makes his escape, but Eric is caught and F5-ed
    • Eric takes a F5 to the post
    • Tazz and Cole put it together soon after
  • Note ends more on a quiet than anything intense.