Smackdown

Card Information:
 Held in: JOE ROBBY STADIUM
Location: MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
          on April 2004 at 8:00pm

The Basham Brothers defeated The Rock and Hulk Hogan when Danny pinned Rock
 with the Brain Damage in 0:34:32.
Rating: *** 1/2

The Bashams with another big upset over Rock and Hogan.

Interview:
The losers are confronted...
Click here to see highlights.

Triple H and Ric Flair issue a challenge to Hogan and The Rock, and an offer to
the People's Champion.


15-Man Battle Royal:
Scott Hall won a 15-man Battle Royal:
         x Styles threw out Savage in 0:04:56
         x M. Hardy threw out Edge in 0:08:52
         x Angle threw out Snow after an armbreaker in 0:11:49
         x Booker T threw out Cena after a flying dropkick in 0:21:30
         x M. Hardy threw out Angle in 0:22:19
         x Shamrock threw out M. Hardy in 0:22:53
         x L. Storm threw out Sting after a power bomb in 0:27:24
         x RVD threw out Christian in 0:32:16
         x Hall threw out L. Storm after a kneelift in 0:33:26
         x Hall threw out Styles after a single-leg takedown in 0:45:22
         x Shamrock threw out Booker T in 0:58:01
         x X-Pac threw out Shamrock after a jawbreaker in 1:08:20
         x Hall threw out X-Pac in 1:17:54
         x Hall threw out RVD after a belly-to-back superplex in 1:21:41
Rating: *** 1/2

Former WWE Champion Scott Hall will now face Val Venis for the IC title at
Backlash.


Interview:
The Hitman issues a challenge...
Click here to see highlights.

Bret Hart will face Jeff Jarrett tonight, with Jarrett earning a place in the
Backlash main event if he wins.


No-Countout-No-DQ-Match:
The Big Show pinned Kevin Nash after a kick to the head in 0:18:24.
Rating: * 1/4

Despite the unexpected interference of Hulk Hogan, the Big Show still managed
to get the win, leaving things wide open for the tag title match at Backlash.


Two-out-of-three-Falls Match:
Hurricane Helms, Rey Mysterio and Tajiri beat
Shannon Moore, Ultimo Dragon and Jamie Noble 2 falls to 1:
         x U. Dragon beat Rey Rey via an Asai moonsault in 0:11:52
         x Hurricane beat Moore via a flying spinning leg lariat in 0:16:26
         x Rey Rey beat Noble via a power bomb in 0:24:00
Rating: *** 1/2
(Brian Kendrick no-showed.)

Great match, where numerous cruiserweights got to show off their skills.  A
shame that Kendrick couldn't be involved as expected, though.


Interview:
Lesnar's task for the night...
Click here to see highlights.

Brock Lesnar must face the challenge of Kane, with William Regal as the guest
referee.


Match with Special Referee William Regal:
Kane pinned Brock Lesnar with the Choke Slam in 0:06:48.
Rating: * 3/4

Short, and definitely not sweet for Brock Lesnar.  After the match, Regal
commanded Kane to choke slam Lesnar again, which he duly did.


Bret Hart defeated Jeff Jarrett when Jeff Jarrett passed out in
a figure-four leglock in 0:03:30.
Rating: *** 1/4
Click here to see highlights.

An oddly quick win for Bret Hart over Jeff Jarrett.  Considering Jarrett's
desire for a title shot, it seemed strange that he would lose so easily.



Card rating: ** 1/2


Match observations: 

While some of tonight's match-ups were hardly MOTY candidates, there were
still some good bouts.  However, the way Jeff Jarrett was easily dealt with
by Bret Hart has raised many an eyebrow.

Will The Rock take up the offer of Triple H to join Evolution?  It's not as if
he's been doing much recently, and teaming with Hogan has had a fairly bad
effect on his winning streak.  Maybe standing alongside Hunter and Flair could
be the only way.

Scott Hall won the Battle Royal for a shot at Val Venis' Intercontinental Belt.
Can Hall become the first man since the company restarted to have worn both
World and IC gold, or will Venis continue his rather impressive streak?

More Backlash developments are sure to go down next Monday, as the show gets
closer and closer.

Next Show: Raw