Original Airdate: Friday, February 3rd, 2006
TD Waterhouse Centre
Orlando, Florida
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Teddy Long is out to announce that the main event of No Way Out will indeed be Kurt Angle facing Undertaker. Teddy then brings out the winner of the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio. Rey comes out in a low rider again. Rey is paying his respects to Eddie and out comes Randy Orton to interrupt. Randy challenges Rey to a match with his WrestleMania spot on the line. We then get the cringeworthy line of Randy saying that Eddie isn't looking down on him because he's in hell. Rey immediately attacks him until a group of officials pull him off.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
MNM vs. Mexicools
This is a TV tag match that I can get behind. The Mexicools start off hot and hit a moonsault/leg drop combo move. Mercury pulls Nitro out of hte ring, so Psicosis hits a springboard moonsault. Super Crazy goes for a dive, but Jimmy Korderas gets in his way. Super Crazy has other plans and dives over Korderas as we go into commercial break. Nitro is able to move Mercury out of the corner, avoiding a running dropkick. Melina puts a leg scissors on Psicosis and Mercury then hits a backbreaker. Melina gets up on the apron and accidentally gets knocked off by Mercury. Nitro is checking on her ankle and Super Crazy gets a hot tag. He hits a variety of dropkicks and then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He hits the standing moonsault for a nearfall. Super Crazy then hits a tornado DDT and now all four men are in the ring. Crazy goes up for a moonsault, but Melina runs up and hits him in the head with her boot. This is enough for the victory, as MNM retain their titles. This was a really good TV match up until the abrupt ending. This was all action and Super Crazy continues to be an unsung hero on SmackDown.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Booker T and Sharmell are backstage meeting with Teddy Long. They are claiming that he can't compete tonight against Chris Benoit. Long allows Booker to pick a substitute tonight and if they lose, Booker loses the title.
JBL is in the ring and says that he will no longer be wrestling any more freaks. This leads into Lashley coming out for his match.
Lashley vs. Chad Dick
While Lashley is distracted by JBL, Dick attacks him from behind and then hits a dropkick. Lashley hits an overhead suplex with a release. Lashley takes care of both Dicks and then hits the Dominator for the quick win. After the match, JBL hits him with a Clothesline From Hell.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We see some of the junior division backstage. I guess that's a thing again.
Undertaker is here to tell Kurt Angle that the time is drawing near. Out comes Angle and he lets him know that he won't be resting in peace, he'll be breaking Taker's ankle in pieces. The lights go out and Taker and when the black light comes on, Taker is gone.
Tzuki vs. Octagoncito
The logo for the Junior Division is middle school quality. Tzuki hits a dropkick and then a somersault dive through the ropes. Octagoncito starts using his size advantage by hitting some power moves. He climbs up and hits a second rope elbow drop. Tzuki avoids a charging Octagoncito and hits some classic luchador moves. Tzuki hits a top rope crossbody and then rolls him up with a shoulder roll and gets the victory. It was paced just right and didn't overstay it's welcome. Nothing wrong with that.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Mr. Kennedy confronts Benoit in the locker room. He recaps all of the losing Benoit has been doing lately and tells him that he's heard who Benoit's opponent is going to be. Benoit says he doesn't care who it is and that if Kennedy gets too close again, he'll break his arm.
United States Championship Match
Chris Benoit vs. Finlay
Sharmell and Booker come out first to introduce Finlay. Booker joins Michael Cole and Tazz and Cole makes fun of him for being in the Rumble for such a short time. Meanwhile, Finlay is taking it to Benoit with a keylock on his arm. Finlay does a vicious spot where he slams Benoit face-first on the apron. Benoit tries to fight back, but Finlay is back at it. Benoit is able to hit the three German suplexes and then tries to go up top. Booker distracts him and Finlay hits him with a clothesline. Benoit is able to put on the Crippler Crossface, but Booker distracts the ref. Sharmell comes in and hits Benoit with the crutch, but Jimmy Korderas sees it and calls for the bell. Booker and Finlay continue the attack on Benoit after the match. It was nice to see Finlay get a fair amount of offense in there, even if it just led to a predictable ending.
Match Rating: **
Mark Henry and Daivari are interviewed backstage. Daivari says that Henry didn't lose to Angle, he lost to a chair and an exposed turnbuckle.
Booker and Sharmell are backstage laughing at their actions and when they get back in their dressing room, Boogeyman is behind them.
Gregory Helms is interviewed backstage and claims to be the entire cruiserweight division. Nunzio comes in and challenges Helms to a match next week.
William Regal and Paul Burchill are with Teddy Long and Palmer Cannon. They no longer want to be a tag team and Burchill claims that he has ancestors that were pirates. Regal's facial expression here is just fantastic and he then bids him farewell.
Mark Henry & Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle
I can't even imagine how good a Mysterio/Angle tag team would be if given a run. Orton is able to sucker Mysterio in and pull him into the turnbuckle, but Mysterio recreates the elimination from the Royal Rumble and hits Orton with a seated senton. Mysterio goes up top, but gets crotched by Orton and in comes Henry. He wears down Mysterio and Orton comes in and hits a dropkick. Orton charges at Mysterio and misses, hitting his shoulder on the ring post. Mysterio finally makes the tag to Angle and he puts the Ankle Lock on Henry. Henry is able to push him out of the ring, but Angle runs back in and hits the Angle Slam. Angle was just a lunatic. In comes Orton, so Angle puts him in the Ankle Lock. While Nick Patrick is distracted, Henry hits a low blow to slow him down. Henry throws Angle into the steps on the outside and tags in Orton. They trade uppercuts until Orton rakes Angle's eyes. Mysterio is in and hits a bulldog on Orton. As he's building momentum, Orton clubs him with a huge clothesline. Mysterio pulls a 619 out of nowhere, but Henry clubs Mysterio after. Angle goes after Henry and they are fighting on the outside. Daivari attacks Henry and Angle chases him all around the arena. Henry follows him, leaving just Orton and Mysterio. Mysterio goes for a sunset flip, but Orton counters it for an awkward pin and steals the victory. That was a good main event that continued the story they started earlier on. After the match, Orton gets on the mic and tells Rey that he can't beat him. He then says that Mysterio has as good of a chance of winning the World Heavyweight Championship as Eddie Guerrero does at coming back alive. Mysterio then says that he accepts Orton's challenge.
Match Rating: ***
Outside of the two cringeworthy lines from Orton about Eddie, this was a good show. They set up No Way Out nicely and it is looking to have one of the stronger cards for a brand specific show that I can remember. SmackDown feels rejuvenated and starting to roll early on in 2006.
Overall Rating: 70%
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