Smackdown

Card Information:
 Held in: PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS
Location: MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
          on January 2005 at 8:00pm

Interview:
Benoit's acceptance and proposals...
Click here to see highlights.

The TV main events in the run-in to the Rumble are set up by Chris Benoit and
Hollywood Hogan.


Goldberg pinned X-Pac with the Jackhammer in 0:04:28.
Rating: *** 1/4

Goldberg ploughed through another one of his former nWo team mates, while
Randy Orton watched on from ringside.  Orton still seemed unimpressed with
Goldberg.


Scott Hall pinned Bubba Ray Dudley with the Outsider Edge in 0:11:44.
Rating: **** 1/4

One half of the new tag champions defeats one half of the number 1 contenders.

Meanwhile, it's announced that the former tag champs, Bret Hart and Stone Cold
Steve Austin will be in the Royal Rumble.


Interview:
Member down...
Click here to see highlights.

The Big Show is attacked in the back, with an eerie message left behind by the
apparent attacker.  This puts the big man out of the upcoming 6 man tag match.


Handicap-Match:
Cactus Jack, Shawn Michaels and Booker T defeated
nWo (Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner) when Booker T defeated Jarrett by countout
 in 0:08:10.
Rating: ** 1/2

Still clearly spooked by what happened to the Big Show, Jeff Jarrett ended up
being counted out.  After the match, the lights went out, and the Undertaker's
sinister laugh could be heard.  Jarrett was even more terrified when the lights
came back up.


Taka Michinoku pinned Jamie Noble with the Michinoku Driver in 0:12:10.
Rating: **** 1/4

Taka was able to defeat Noble, who is set to face Tajiri for the Cruiserweight
Title at the Rumble.  Could Taka be added into the mix to make it a 3-way?


Interview:
The Game speaks...
Click here to see highlights.

Triple H's interview is interrupted by Kane, who sends a message to the Game.


Four Corners Match:
Triple H defeated Steven Richards, Rob Van Dam and Rhyno:
         x RVD beat Stevie via countout in 0:14:19
         x RVD beat Rhyno via pinfall in 0:18:11
         x HHH beat RVD via the Pedigree in 0:19:41
Rating: ****

Helmsley wound up victorious in the four corners match, but was unable to 
celebrate for long, as Kane made his way down to ringside and choke slammed
the Game.


Chris Benoit and Edge defeated nWo (Brock Lesnar and Hollywood Hogan) when Edge
 pinned Lesnar after a power bomb in 0:13:40.
Rating: ****
Click here to see highlights.

With constant persistance, Edge was able to pin one of the Number 1 contenders
to the title, Brock Lesnar.



Card rating: *** 3/4


Match observations: 

Things didn't go so well for the nWo here tonight.  Despite Scott Hall getting
a win over Bubba Dudley, there were losses all around for the rest of the show,
with the most high profile being Hogan and Lesnar losing to Benoit and Edge
when Edge pinned Lesnar.  With that victory here tonight, surely Edge has
earned himself a shot at the title in the near future, if not a spot in the
main event at the Royal Rumble.  We may well find out the fate of Edge on Raw
this Monday night.

Also tonight, we saw a confrontation between two Royal Rumble participants,
Triple H and Kane, which later led to the Big Red Machine attacking the Game
after a 4-corners match.  As a result of this, a match between Triple H and
Kane will take place this Monday night on Raw.

Two other matches have been signed up for Raw, these being Kevin Nash versus
D-Von Dudley, and Goldberg versus Ted DiBiase, as Goldberg continues to work
his way through the nWo, hoping to get to Randy Orton.  Also, based on one of
tonight's results, the Cruiserweight Title match at the Royal Rumble will now
be a three-way elimination match between Tajiri, Taka Michinoku and the nWo's
Jamie Noble.

Will there be any more mystery attacks this Monday, and will the Undertaker
actually be the man behind them?  He has been playing mind games with Jeff
Jarrett for weeks now, and apparently stepped them up a notch here tonight.
The Dead Man must surely be back in town, but the biggest question is whether
we'll see him first before or at the Rumble.

Next Show: Raw