1/13/03-1/19/03

Smackdown

INT. BACKSTAGE – NIGHT

Croooooow, Cynric, the Pyro Twins and Shadow are waiting to go to the ring.

Croooooow: Okay, this is it. I’m going to go out and address our fans.

Cynric: You sure you want to go alone?

Croooooow: Yeah, it’ll be all right. I can speak for all of us.

Cynric: You should take someone with you. If Nykk shows up, there’s no telling what might happen.

Croooooow: I’m not afraid of Nykk.

Shadow: We know, but there’s no point in taking chances, right?

Croooooow: Maybe you’re right.

Jay: Dusty and I will go out with you.

Croooooow: Sounds good. Let’s go do it.

They walk off camera.

INT. ARENA – NIGHT

The PPV Squad theme hits, and Croooooow, Dusty and Jay make their way to the ring.

Cole: Here comes Croooooow, along with the Pyro Twins, who will respond to the comments made by Nykk last week. Nykk said he was going to quit wrestling as soon as the rest of the PPV Squad would join him. He says that he no longer likes the wrestling business and feels responsible for getting the rest of them into the industry.

Tazz: Nykk may not want to wrestle anymore, but it looks to me like the PPV Squad does. But I don’t know, Nykk’s been acting all psycho over the past few weeks. Who can say what he has up his sleeve? Is he genuine, or is this some part of a plan?

Croooooow gets a mic.

Croooooow: When Nykk saw fit to sit in the back last week and disparage the wrestling business, I felt that I owed it to the fans of the PPV Squad, and all WWE fans for that matter, to come out here and respond to your faces. You know, a lot of what Nykk said last week was correct. I’ll give him that. For one thing, the wrestling business has changed us. As with all life experiences, we’ve grown since we’ve been here, and at least I believe it’s been for the better. However, Nykk seems to think that the industry is what is tearing us apart, rather than placing the blame on his own shoulders. He thinks if we all leave the wrestling business and go back to Bellbrookville, Ohio, that things will be the way they used to. Well, there’s almost nothing I wouldn’t give to have Nykk’s friendship back, but I think at this point that’s not an option. And why would we want to give up something we love doing, and are good at? If I thought for one second that if we left that things would be the way they were before we got here, I would quit in a heartbeat. But Nykk didn’t fool me, and I’m sure he didn’t fool any of you. Things wouldn’t be the same, and I won’t place my hopes on a foundation of illusion. The reality is that the PPV Squad is going nowhere, and Nykk can either stick around and try to make amends, or he can get the F out and stay out!

Nykk’s theme hits and he makes his way to the ring with a mic.

Nykk: Oh, Jim, Jim, Jim… is that the way of it? You speak for all PPV Squad members now? You should know better than anybody that none of us have ever agreed unanimously on anything. I only want to help the Squad, but you’re too selfish to see that, and you are getting in my way.

He gets in the ring.

Nykk: You see, I’m not out here to fight you, I’m here to prove a point. How do you know what the rest of the Squad wants?

The Pyro Twins start edging closer to Croooooow.

Nykk: We’re truer friends to you than those in the back could ever be.

Croooooow: We? Don’t you mean you?

Nykk: No, I mean ‘we.’ And once you’re safely in retirement, I’ll have proven it to you.

Croooooow suddenly realizes what’s about to happen and spins around, nailing Dusty with right hands. Jay attacks him from behind and the Pyro Twins beat him down. Dusty knees him in the face, and then they give him Final Darkness. Nykk stands over him.

Nykk: Don’t you see what I’m trying to do for you? This is your way out. You think you’re going to be doing this for the rest of your life? We gave up college to do this, and for what? A few years of infamy and then we’re done. You remember 1998? You remember the Road Dogg, the Godfather, Dennis Knight, Mick Foley, and all the others who are no longer here? You think they ever thought their WWE careers would be over in 2003? Do you know why Jay and Dusty feel the same way I do? Because they never wanted to be wrestlers, did they? We encouraged them to try this. And they don’t want to go through this anymore. They want out just as badly as I do. And I promise you, Jim, and the rest of the PPV Squad… we will help you. You will retire voluntarily or by force. It makes no difference to us. Get him up.

The Pyro Twins pick Croooooow up, but Cynric, Huh and Cheesecake run to the ring. Nykk hits Cynric in the head with the mic, and Jay sends Cheesecake down with a spinning heel kick. Dusty dukes it out with Huh, and Jay comes over to help. However, Edge runs down into the ring and spears Nykk. He slides out of the ring as Cynric gets back up. Jay and Dusty back off and join Nykk outside the ring, holding him back as he tries to get at Edge. Edge’s theme plays as they help Croooooow up.

Cole: Nykk and the Pyro Twins just attacked Croooooow, but the rest of the Squad and Edge made sure that this didn’t go any farther.

Tazz: But this is only the beginning, Cole. Nykk was dangerous enough on his own, but now that the Pyro Twins have his back, can anyone stop them?

INT. ARENA – NIGHT

MATCH: Cynric vs. Shannon Moore

Shannon Moore’s theme hits and he makes his way to the ring.

Cole: Shannon Moore, Matt Hardy’s number one… er, MFer… is on his way to the ring. That’s very interesting, because I’m told, Tazz, that right here next week on Smackdown will be a rematch between Matt Hardy and Cynric.

Tazz: I guess maybe Matt wants Shannon to soften up Cynric a little bit.

Cynric’s theme hits and he makes his way to the ring.

Cole: The martial artist Cynric has quite a week ahead of him. Not only does he have to compete against Shannon Moore tonight, but he will be one of Smackdown’s participants in the Royal Rumble match, and then has to face Matt Hardy next week!

Tazz: And on top of all that, he’s getting hit in the head with microphones by Nykk and has just been betrayed by the Pyro Twins.

FINISH: Cynric goes for the Lift Off, but Moore somersaults backward to avoid it. He tries a clothesline, but Cynric ducks and then floors him with a rolling koppo kick. He hits the Shock Cannon, and covers for the three count.

Winner: Cynric at 4:13

Cole: Cynric is victorious over Matt Hardy’s friend Shannon Moore… wait a minute!

Matt Hardy suddenly slides in the ring with a chair and hits Cynric across the back. As Cynric falls to his knees, Hardy gets in front of him and taunts him. He then nails Cynric in the head with the chair and leaves him in the ring, unconscious. He walks back up the ramp with Moore by his side.

Cole: What a despicable attack by Matt Hardy. He’s in the Royal Rumble match as well, Tazz, and he’d love to cost Cynric a shot at the WWE Championship.

Tazz: And you can bet that Matt would also love to soften Cynric up for next week, and that’s exactly what he’s done.

INT. PROMO SET – NIGHT

Josh Matthews is standing by with the Pyro Twins.

Josh: Jay, Dusty, earlier on you turned on Croooooow to join Nykk, the very man who has been feeding the PPV Squad lies week after week, and the same man that attacked your friend Huh.

Jay: First of all, it was for Croooooow’s own good. Maybe now he and the rest of the PPV Squad will see what Nykk’s been trying to say all along.

Dusty: You see, Josh, Nykk not only wants to get out of this business, he wants to help the rest of the PPV Squad get out too, just as he’s helping us out. Not only that, he wants to go out with a statement, with a title belt around his waist. That will show everyone in this damn industry once and for all where they can stick it. So Jay and I are vowing to do the same thing. We’ve been granted a tag title shot at the Royal Rumble against Los Guerreros. Not because Stephanie McMahon wanted us to have a title shot, but because we earned our way back into contention.

Jay: We were supposed to be the tag team of the PPV Squad, Josh. But somewhere along the way, Croooooow and Cynric decided to selfishly stick their noses into the title picture, and what happened? They got to reign as World Tag Team Champions while we were fighting two fat Samoans on Sunday Night Heat. Well, we may be on our way out, but as Los Guerreros will find out this Sunday, we will scorch this company until nothing is left but ashes and cinders.

They walk away.

INT. STEPHANIE’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Stephanie is writing something on a clipboard when there’s a knock at the door.

Steph: Come in.

Nykk walks in.

Nykk: Stephanie, I have to talk to you about something.

Steph: What is it?

Nykk: Well, you announced the Smackdown participants in the Royal Rumble last week, and I want to know why I wasn’t on the list.

Steph: Nykk, you said yourself that you’re sick of wrestling and want to quit. So why would you want to be in the Royal Rumble? Even if you won, you’d have a shot at the WWE Championship, and why go for it if you’re just going to quit?

Nykk: Look, Steph, I need to be in this Royal Rumble. Not only to silence all the doubters, but if I won a shot at the WWE Championship… Steph, the lure of that would make me stay, I guarantee it. I mean, worldwide recognition as a champion and the purse that goes with it? If I took that ride, I’d imagine I’d be around for a long time.

Steph: Are you sure you’re not just trying to keep the PPV Squad from winning?

Nykk: Of course, Steph. This whole thing started because I wanted to be a World Champion, after all.

Steph: Well, if you want to be in the Royal Rumble that bad… how do you feel about going double or nothing?

Nykk: What do you mean?

Steph: I mean, how about you put your Cruiserweight Title on the line tonight against someone in the Royal Rumble. If you win, you take their spot. If not, you lose the title and aren’t in the Rumble.

Nykk: (thinks) I can do that. Yes. I accept.

Steph: All right. I’ll ask around for a volunteer.

Nykk smiles and leaves.

INT. ARENA – NIGHT

MATCH: Nykk vs. Billy Kidman

Billy Kidman’s theme hits and he makes his way to the ring.

Cole: Billy Kidman has a chance right here to recapture the Cruiserweight Title, but if he loses he has to give up his spot in the Royal Rumble. I guess Billy Kidman is Stephanie McMahon’s volunteer for this opportunity.

Tazz: It’s double or nothin’ right here on Smackdown!

Nykk’s theme hits and he makes his way to the ring, along with the Pyro Twins.

Cole: This match came about because Nykk was upset that he wasn’t in the Royal Rumble match. He says he’s in it for the title shot and the money, but I think he really just wants to try and keep any member of the PPV Squad from winning.

Tazz: Well, it would be difficult to convince them to retire if one of them had a shot at the WWE Champion.

FINISH: The Pyro Twins interfere during the match, and Nykk manages to lock in the Cedarleaf, but Kidman gets to the ropes. He makes a comeback and hits a shooting star press, but Nykk gets a foot on the rope. The Pyro Twins try to pull Nykk out of the ring, but the ref makes them back off. Kidman bounces off the ropes and jumps onto the top rope, hitting a standing shooting star press to Dusty and Jay on the outside. The ref then tells them to leave. Kidman gets back in the ring and goes for a Rydeen bomb, but Nykk counters with a hurricanrana and somersaults backwards, quickly applying the Cedarleaf. Nykk is so close to the ropes that he stands on the bottom rope to lean back and put extra pressure on Kidman. Kidman taps out and Nykk releases him before the ref can detect what he was up to.

Winner: Nykk at 8:12

Nykk: Nykk emerges victorious, but Kidman had him beat a couple of times. He may have won if not for the Pyro Twins and Nykk using the ropes.

Tazz: Them’s the breaks, Cole. Nykk is now entered into the Royal Rumble match this Sunday.

Velocity

MATCH: Cheesecake vs. Matt Hardy

Matt wins after hitting Cheesecake with the Twist of Fate.