General Manager Stephanie McMahon comes out to start the show. Looking sexy, as always. She grabs the mic, telling us it's been a tough week, but it's time to get down to business. She says it's time that she starts taking her show back. Taking back SmackDown!... in Fresno! Audience pops. She says ixnay on the handicapped matches and assigns tonights main event a 6-man tag match. It will be the team of Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, and The Big Show against Kurt Angle, Zach Gowen, and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. She then tells Sable to watch out, 'cause at Vengeance she's gonna treat her like the bitch she is. John Cena interrupts Steph to some huge heat and unloads a rap on her that was rather flirtatious. Cena wants to smack dat ass... and he does! Steph actually let him touch her lucious booty... Speaking of which, here's Sable on the tron! Sable talks about last week and shows the footage of Steph getting food-faced. Steph said it was rather convenient that the footage was edited to not show her taking Sable down and having security pull her off. Sable mentions the mishaps of Linda McMahon, then promises Steph she will take "good care" of Vince. Steph rushes out of the ring to pursue Sable.
A Torrie Wilson photoshoot promo is shown. A Confidential preview follows, which will feature Zach Gowen.
Stephanie searches for Sable, and gets ready to pummel a blonde she thought was her... but it's just Torrie Wilson. Steph apologizes and continues her persuit.
Match #1: Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman vs. Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore
Rey and Matt both get good pops. They start the match off, with Matt and Rey exchanging good moves. Kidman gets tagged in, and he becomes isolated by Matt and Shannon. Kidman's torture included getting hit by a flying clothesline from Matt on the outside then the Side Effect inside. Kidman battles back and gets the hot tag to Rey. HE'S ON FIRE!!! Shannon gets set up for the 619, but Matt grabs Rey's leg. Rey then meets a flying heel dropkick. Kidman becomes the legal man, and brawling ensues. Moore finallys gets smacked with the 619 by Rey. Matt's on the outside, and Rey nails him with a spectacular moonsault. Kidman finishes off Moore with the Shooting Star Press and gets the three. Kidman and Rey celebrate together after the bout. Good match.
Winners: Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman
Stephanie and Sable catfight next to Sable's limo. Steph proceeds to rip Sable's pants off, then rips off her shirt and bra. PUPPIES!!! Sable secures herself inside her limo. Steph finds a lead pipe, but Vince McMahon stops her. He tells her her match with Sable is at Vengeance, where Sable will incapacitate Steph just like her mother. Vince leaves and Steph hurls the pipe and screams in disgust.
The T-Shirt guy returns. "You Suck!" chants returns with him.
Smack of the Night - Jamie Noble's indecent proposal to Torrie Wilson
Match #2: Jamie Noble vs. Billy Gunn w/ Torrie Wilson
Noble grabs the mic, calling us all low-lifes and telling us Nidia ain't here. He turns his attention to Torrie, asking her to name her price. 5K? 100K? Gunn charges the ring to start the match. He takes down Noble. Gunn to the outside, where Noble baseball slides him. Noble chases Torrie around the ring. She lures Noble into the ring where Gunn slams him and wins it. That's it. Well, I guess a dud match had to happen sooner or later. Noble's not finished, though. He wants a rematch with Gunn at Vengeance. He claims that he's better in bed than Gunn. Torrie then tells Noble that she's so confident in all of Billy's attributes that, should Noble defeat Gunn at Vengeance, she will sleep with him next week on SmackDown. Gunn looks stunned.
Winner: Billy Gunn
This probably won't be shown on TV, but Billy and Torrie both tease the crowd with showing their asses (yes, Gunn too). Gunn shows his ass to get a mild female pop, while Torrie's mooning goes over waaaay better with everyone else. We all love Torrie's backside.
A promo for the Triple Threat Match at Vengeance is shown.
The APA are shown in the locker room. They're approached by A-Train, who wants to go to the APA Invitational to kick some ass. Bradshaw names some of the people there, including the Tough Enough 3 champions and Doink the Clown. Somehow they start talking about the Easter Bunny (who A-Train hates). Blah. The Brooklyn Brawler comes in and says he wants to beat up Doink. APA seem reluctant in letting him in.
An Undertaker promo is shown. John Cena follows it up with a rap of his own. He's in a dark setting holding a burning 2x4. The camera zooms out to show Cena standing in the middle of an upside-down pentagram etched in flames. Always a pleasant touch.
Slam of the Week - Eddie Guerrero beats Billy Gunn to advance to the U.S. Title Tournament Finals
Enormous pop for Eddie Guerrero as he low-rides his way to the arena. He gets out, checking and cleaning his car. He wipes down the front end of the car, then hugs it. Aawww. He grabs the mic, and ODALAY! Continous "Eddie!" chants throughout his promo. He talks about the pleasure of wrestling in the first SmackDown exclusive PPV for the returning United States Championship against his best friend Chris Benoit. He goes over the history he's shared with Benoit. He says he respects Benoit, saying let the best man win at Vengeance. Out come Chris Benoit... getting booed? More Eddie chants. They both hug out of respect. Benoit starts by saying Eddie is a liar. They're not best friends. It has been months since he last called him. He asks how many friends Eddie has, and the whole crowd cheers in response. He says their history won't lower his guard like what Tajiri did. Nothing will stop the best technical wrestler from taking the title, he says. Eddie claims that Benoit got him. He lied about being Benoit's friend. The truth is he can't stand Benoit. It's always been Chris Benoit and Eddie who? He talks about them coming is as the Radicals, and he always got Benoit this and Benoit that, Eddie should be a leader like Benoit. Eddie says he's sick of being in Benoit's shadow and being 2nd best to him. He says he's numero uno, and he's gonna kick Benoit's ass. Benoit challenges Eddie to prove him wrong. Eddie doesn't like the idea of Benoit telling him what to do, and insists he will face Benoit on his own terms. Eddie leaves to some booing. Benoit turns his back, but Eddie sneaks up and attacks him. Benoit back body drops Eddie to the outside, almost hitting his ride. They fight outside and back in the ring, where Eddie proceeds to beat down Benoit. Rhyno makes the save, but Benoit is hurting. Several refs rush down to help him to the back. Rhyno then challenges Eddie to a match, but Eddie tries to leave. Rhyno calls Eddie a jackoff and asks if he has any cohoneys (sp?). Eddie comes back in and we have an impromtu match.
Match #3: Rhyno vs. Eddie Guerrero
Dang. Rhyno got heel heat throughout the whole match, and Eddie's supposed to be the heel here. Eddie hits a leg scissors and gets on the offense. Rhyno rams Eddie's head into the turnbuckle, then gets his turn offensively. He pulls Eddie around by the hair and gets him in a headlock. Massive Eddie chants. Rhyno clotheslines him to a chorus of boos. 2 count. Eddie turns another headlock into a slam for 2. Rhyno applies a crossface-like submission hold, but Eddie gets to the ropes. Eddie sails Rhyno over the rops and crashes to the outside. Leaping crossbody to the outside onto Rhyno. He rams Rhyno's head into the post and sends him back into the ring. Eddie does his famous elbow drop over the top rope to get 2. Eddie stands on Rhyno's hair and pulls at his arms. MORE Eddie chants. Rhyno gets back up and knock Eddie down several times and nails a spinebuster for a near fall. A belly-to-back suplex follows, and we get set up for the Gore. Rhyno charges but the ref gets pulled in the way. The ref gets bumped lightly, and, as he regains his senses, Eddie low blows Rhyno. Eddie then fakes being low blowed. The ref sees both men holding their crotch in pain and becomes confused. Eddie, of course, is the first one up. Rhyno's on his knees and gets plastered with a dropkick for the uno dos tres. Eddie backs out of the arena on his lowrider to major Eddie chants.
Winner: Eddie Guerrero
Footage is shown of the SmackDown team's tour of the east.
Match #4: The APA vs. The FBI (Johnny Stamboli & Chuck Palumbo) w/ Nunzio
The FBI was already in the ring. The match immediately turned into a brawl. The FBI work on Bradshaw, but he immediately fights back. He clobbers Chuck with the Clothesline From Hell and the match is over. Just like that. The match didn't even last 30 seconds. What a joke... Afterwards, the APA hits a double spinebuster on Nunzio. Brooklyn Brawler runs out and hits everything in sight with a steel chair. A-Train, the Basham Brothers, and Sean O'Haire assist in the beating. O'Haire superkicks Bradshaw while A-Train delivers a second rope splash. They all leave to a "Shave Your Back!" chant.
Winners: The APA
A promo showcasing Stephanie vs. Sable for Vengeance is shown.
Zach Gowen is in the back getting ready for his match when Vince waltzs in. He says he's not the kind of guy that sneaks up on people and take advantage of them. Vince then tells Gowen he has no sympathy for him, and after his mauling at Vengeance people will have another reason to feel sorry for him. Gowen calls Vince a sorry excuse for a human being. Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar surround Vince. Vince wishes Gowen good luck, since he has a feeling he's gonna need it.
The complete Vengeance card is shown. This includes:
- Indecent Proposal Match: Jamie Noble vs. Billy Gunn w/ Torrie Wilson
- The First Ever APA Invitational
- WWE Tag Team Championship: Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman vs. World's Greatest Tag Team
- Stephanie McMahon vs. Sable
- Vince McMahon vs. Zach Gowen
- U.S. Title Tournament Finals: Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
- Undertaker vs. John Cena
- Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle vs. Big Show
Match #5 (Main Event): Big Show & The World's Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin) vs. Kurt Angle, Zach Gowen, and Brock Lesnar.
The crowd was pumped up for this one. Angle and Benjamin start with some good amateur wrestling moves. Angle with a Belly-to-Belly. Haas interferes as Benjamin elbows Angle. Haas in. Angle works on Haas' arm, but Haas punches away. Angle responds with a clothesline and tags in Lesnar. Haas gets shouldered in the corner. Haas fights back and dropkicks Lesnar. Lesnar responds with a back body drop and a press slam. Lesnar presses Zach and tosses him onto Haas & Benjamin. Lesnar is on a roll. Zach jumps over the top rope and leg drops Haas. Show is in now. Show tosses and slaps Zach around like a rag doll. He goes for the chokeslam, but Lesnar with the chop block to take the big man down. Zach pins Show for 2. Show starts cleaning house before Angle and Lesnar double team Show. Haas and Benjamin enter the fray as Zach is knocked to the outside. Out runs Vince McMahon as he whacks Gowen's knee with a chair. Zach gets examined and helped to the back. It's 2 on 3 now. Show throws Lesnar into the post. Angle goes punch crazy on Show, but he responds with a sidewalk slam to Angle. Show walks on Angle, then headbutts him. Benjamin is in to work on Angle. Angle is double teamed at one point by Haas and Benjamin. Heavy Angle chants arise. Haas knocks Lesnar off the apron, allowing Haas and Benjamin to perfom their leapfrog double team technique to Angle. Benjamin covers for 2. Show is in, slapping Angle then suplexing him. Show applies a Boston Crab. A USA chant erupts. Angle reverses it into a pinning predicament. 2 count. Haas runs into a Russian Leg Sweep. Angle and Haas trade punches. Benjamin knees Angle in the back followed by a clothesline from Haas. Lesnar is itching for the tag. Angle punches Show as he comes in and clotheslines Benjamin down. Lesnar finally gets the tag. HE'S ON FIRE!!! His flame is extinguished by a Show boot for a 2 count. He calls for the chokeslam. He picks up Lesnar only for him to counter the chokeslam into a suplex. Angle is in now, taking out Haas and Benjamin. Angle and Lesnar work on Show. Haas then waddles in to an F5 setup, but when Lesnar executed the move he hit Angle sqaure in the head! Lesnar and Benjamin roll out of the ring. Show then plants Angle with a chokeslam for the 1-2-3. After the match, Lesnar proceeds to beat down Hass and Benjamin on the outside. Lesnar grabs a steel chair and unleashes a fury of chair shots on Show. Haas again waddles in to an F5, and this time it connects cleanly. Lesnar goes to pick up the chair to continue the chairshot massacre on Show, but Angle grabs it. They both start fighting over the chair and exchaning words and staring each other down. Angle reached out and slaps Lesnar across the face. Lesnar sets up Angle for the F5. Angle fights out and sets up Lesnar for the Angle Slam. Lesnar fights out and they both walk into a double chokeslam by the Big Show. Show is lookin' evil as he feels confident that championship gold will be around his waist after Vengeance. Show proceeds to leave at the point where I believe SmackDown officially goes off the air.
Winners: The Big Show & The World's Greatest Tag Team
Credit: Matthew Tremley of LordsOfPain.net