The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 01.27.00
Carrying on from the last 2000 episode of RAW, as I’m just looking for some good wrestling with a hot crowd these days…
Taped from Baltimore, MD
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
Smackdown
Date: May 12, 2005
Location: Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,700
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
We’re on our way to Judgment Day and that means we should be in for Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio. Most of the time you have to worry about how the big match is going to go but how bad can a Mysterio vs. Guerrero match go? Other than that, we continue the build to John Cena vs. JBL II. Let’s get to it.
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 02.10.00
Might as well carry on for a bit in this era because the Dallas 10 man RAW was really fun to relive.
Previously on RAW: https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2019/09/05/the-smark-rant-for-wwf-monday-night-raw-02-07-00/
Taped from Austin, TX. Could this mean the return of Stone Cold? No, of course not, he was recovering from major neck surgery. Don’t be stupid.
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 04.27.99
It’s the original pilot, which the Network files under the “12 Days of Attitude” section in the Vault, rather than with the other episodes of the show. Because WWE. Fun fact: UPN was not available in Edmonton at the time, so I never saw this show.
This was of course in the thick of the Vince Russo era, following the Russo-est show ever in the form of Wrestlemania XV. This was originally pitched to upstart network UPN as an all-Divas show, headlined by Sable, but cooler heads prevailed and we got RAW Jr. instead, where it remains to this day.
Taped from Hartford, I think? They never mention it on the show.
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jim Cornette
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 01.20.00
Hey, back to 2000. Here’s where we left off, for those keeping track:
https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2019/01/15/the-smark-rant-for-wwf-monday-night-raw-01-17-00/
Taped from Providence, RI. So is it a road, or an island? Make up your damn mind.
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 01.13.00
Taped from Chicago, IL
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 01.06.00
The McMahon Helmsley Era lay down the law to D-X to start, since they failed to get Rock fired on RAW. So X-Pac faces Big Show, and he’s not happy with that. HHH points out that he beat Big Show single-handedly on RAW, so shut up. Billy Gunn gets to face the Acolytes in a handicap match so he can soften them up for Royal Rumble. And hey, HHH is putting his title up in the main event against the winner of a random draw.
Taped from Orlando Jordan, FL
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 12.30.99
OK, back to the McMahon-Helmsley Era as we close out 1999. Honestly the Nitro ’97 rants do such ungodly huge numbers that I should probably just do those 7 days a week.
Previously on RAW, Mick Foley lost a Pink Slip on a Pole match to the Rock, thus ending his employment: https://blogofdoom.com/index.php/2018/11/10/the-smark-raw-rant-12-27-99/
Taped from Richmond, VA
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
The SmarK Rant for WWE Smackdown – 12.23.99
Earlier today, Mick Foley assembles the locker room for a speech, rallying the troops against the McMahon-Helmsley Era and all the damage that they’re doing. Although he did think the Topless match was pretty cool. But worst of all, no one needs seven Mean Street Posse segments in one show. Stephanie butts in, however, and declares that she’s no longer listening to HHH and this is her show from now on. So it’s a Clipboard Smackdown, as Steph makes Mankind v. Big Show for the WWF title, plus Rock v. Al Snow in a cage, and Test v. Road Dogg. Well there’s one rebellion quelled! If only the Hunger Games had been that easy to deal with.
Taped from Dallas, TX
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 12.16.99
So HHH and Stephanie remain in charge this week, because HHH didn’t yet hate working Thursdays. They actually spend the first 5:00 of the show recapping RAW, so you know stuff happened.
HHH and Steph are running a roster meeting to start, and Steph has switched from leather pants to leather skirt today. HHH promises that those who have been held down, will be given their chance to shine. And all the silver platters will be taken away! So yes, we’ll have Al Snow v. Mick Foley and Rock v. Big Show tonight. It’s the MCMAHON-HELMSLEY ERA! That’s cool, it was a pretty good era.
Taped from Florida State University, or “Tallahassee” for those us who don’t work for the WWF. So weird how they only name certain cities by campus. The show was a sellout of 6500.
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 12.09.99
Taped from Boston, Mass, drawing a sellout.
Your hosts are Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
Normally I’ll be posting these on Sundays, but I’m doing Armageddon 99 this weekend instead.
The SmarK Rant for WWF Smackdown – 12.02.99
So here we go with the replacement for Heat here on the blog, as we’ll do 1999 RAW during the week and then Smackdown on Sundays.
Now, to do what I do best and make it about me: I have no recollection of what the TV situation for this show was in Canada, but I definitely was recapping it for someone for the first few episodes. Maybe CBS Sportsline? UPN was definitely available in Canada, if you subscribed to the movie channels or had…other means…which we definitely did in the days before digital cable ruined it for hard-working Mexican electronics exporters the world over. So I probably watched it. But I don’t remember.