COMPLETE SMACKDOWN AND ECW SPOILERS FROM WICHITA, KANSAS
by Kenton Lane @ 12:04:00 AM on 10/4/2006

OK, first, the big news: The Main-Event at No Mercy will now be a Fatal Fourway between Booker, Lashley, Batista & Finlay.

Now that that's out of the way, crowd was red hot all night. Everyone got a big pop...even Tatanka! They may not even need to do any crowd sweetening for this show!

Dark Match:

*Kendrick/London vs. The Gymini - The Gymini aren't the best wrestlers, but the crowd was hot for this match since it was the first of the evening. Kendrick & London won.


Smackdown, Oct. 6, 2006:

1 - Rey Mysterio & Matt Hardy vs. Chavo w/Vickie & Gregory Helms - Good opening match., as you'd expect from these 4.End came shortly after Mysterio hit a double 619 on Hardy & Chavo to get the win.

2 - Tatanka vs. Elijah Burke - Burke is not only a pretty good wrestler and can cut a promo (which he did before the match) but he is also much more interesting than Sylvester Terkey. Burke won with interference from Terkey in the first heel win of the night. Lord knows Tatanka just can't be beat on his own, it takes two men to do the job. Terkey beat down Tatanka following the match.

*Backstage segment between Finlay, Booker, Sharmell & Regal. Booker demanded Finlay lay down for him tonight. Finlay said he won't, and asked Regal what he would do. Regal, looking flabbergasted, just walked off. Finlay reminded Booker that "...my name is Finlay, and I like to fight", before walking off leaving Booker and Sharmell mortified.

3 - King Booker vs. Finlay - If anyone wants to play the world's fastest drinking game, I think I invented it tonight. Every time Sharmell says "All Hail King Booker" take a shot. You WILL be intoxicated within 3 minutes flat. Good match. Crowd was really into Finlay with lots of Finlay chants, and then got bored out of nowhere and started a brief boring chant. The end came when Sharmell grabbed Finlay's leg, letting Booker nail him from behind, and also bringing out Little Bastard who chased Sharmell around the ring with a rat. This distracted Booker and the ref just long enough for Booker to be nailed in the head with the Shillelagh. Finlay pins the world champ for the win!

4 - Batista vs. Lashley - Batista easily, I mean easily, got the biggest pop of the night. Easily. This wasn't the, um, best idea for a match and I would advise WWE not to program these two in a feud anytime soon. Match ended in a no contest when Finlay ran out and attacked Batista. Booker then ran out and attacked Finlay. Then Lashley and Batista went at it. Then the referees & trainers got involved. Nothing could contain the mayhem until...

*Teddy Long showed up and announced since these 4 wanted to go at it so bad he was changing the main-event of No Mercy to a Fatal Four-Way for the World Title. Lashley got angry and attacked a guy who looked like Johnny Ace. The lookalike (not sure if it was him) landed in a wet spot and the cameras focused on the big wet area on his rear as exited the ring.

*Booker, Finlay & Lashley were all arguing with each other in Teddy Long's office when Batista came in and said "Hey Guys", causing them all to stop, "Can't we all just get along"? That got a big laugh out of the crowd. Batista then shook Long's hand and told him thank you. Then all 4 started arguing and Long interrupted and announced a main-event tonight of Lashley & Batista vs. King Booker & Finlay. No one looked happy about that.

5 - Sylvan vs. Jimmy Wang Yang - Yang is very over. After he made it to the ring they darkened the arena and played a backstage promo where he did his routine.This was actually one of the best matches of the night. Sylvan has really come a long way and he and Yang work really well together. Yang hit several innovative spots before losing to Sylvan, who grabbed the ropes to help pick up the victory.

* A platform that took forever to set up was brought out....so that MVP could come out and cut a boring promo on it. That guy's a double threat so far: He's not interesting and he's not over. If he's a bad wrestler I guess that'll make him a triple threat.

*The platform was taken away.

*Kennedy cut an incredible promo about the Undertaker from a room with a black background. One of the best promos I've seen all year on any WWE program. It's not a short promo either, they gave Kennedy a chance to really talk and build it up. It ended with him saying all the fans and other wrestlers might fall for cheap parlor tricks, which is all an exploding microphone is, but one man, one man won't and this Sunday Undertaker will never forget the name Kennedy". This promo alone is worth watching Smackdown for. It really is that good, and I'm not even a big Kennedy fan.

6 - Ashley w/ London & Kendrick vs. Michelle McCool w/ Idol & Stevens - McCool, Idol & Stevens cut a backstage promo before the match. Let's just say it was no Trish vs. Mickie or Lita, and that ended when Idol & Stevens interfered, allowing McCool to roll up Ashley with a handful of tights.

7 - Batista & Bobby 'The Bore" Lashely vs. Finlay & King Booker - Thankfully we were spared Sharmell's introduction this time. A decent tag match that was made above average by the crowd. They were louder than any pyrotechnics when Lashley made a hot tag to Batista. That guy is popular in Wichita. I thought it was just me, but apparently it's not. Matche ended in a no-contest when Regal ran down and got involved. Chaos ensues. Little Bastard gets involved, almost gets mauled by Batista, but flees the ring, leaving a staredown between Batista and Lashley to close the show.

*Overall, a hot crowd and a good show.