Report by WrestleMag.com

This week's edition of Smackdown kicked off with King Booker and Sharmell making their way to the ring after Booker is announced as the Champion of Champion, with Booker posing under the Titantron while some Randy Orton-esque pyro ignites. Still image highlights from the end of the Cyber Sunday main event are shown as the King and Queen pose in the ring. The new Champion of Champions thanks his "loyal subjects", and tells of how he beat Cena and Big Show last Sunday in the same way he'd beaten his previous opponents before going on to paraphrase Alexander The Great, weeping as he had nothing left to conquer.


Teddy Long cuts Booker short and says that on behalf of the Smackdown fans, he'd like to congratulate the Champ. Long poses for photos with Booker and Sharmell before getting down to business. He says that Batista protected Booker heading into Cyber Sunday, and despite his protests, Teddy Long makes King Booker vs Batista for Survivor Series, but says that Booker may not be champion going into the PPV, as he's defending his title against Bobby Lashley...right now!

Decent pop for Lashley as he heads to the ring in front of a crowd that seems pretty hot compared to RAW (and I know there's the whole issue of "sweetening", but they do seem genuinely lively early on in the night). The match starts with Lashley wasting no time and hitting a huge slam and getting a near fall. Booker briefly gets back into the match with a thumb to the eye only for Lashley to regain the upper hand with an armbar on the champ before clothlining him over the top rope as we cut to commercials.

We return with Michael Cole hyping up Lashley's involvement in the Team Cena vs Team Big Show match at Survivor Series as Lashley continues to remain in control with a delayed vertical suplex which the crowd go nuts for and has JBL making comparisons between Lashley and Rick Rude. Booker sidesteps a spear attempt and gets back into the match, sending Lashley into the steel posts as Sharmell distracted the referee. Booker follows it up with several knife edge chops then connects with a kick to the jaw for a near fall. Cole misses the chance to get in a side slam reference before Booker slows the pace down with a resthold which Lashley quickly powers out of until he runs into another kick to the face.

Booker starts to work over Lashley's leg but after Lashley tries to sneak a quick pinfall, Booker clotheslines him down. Lashley reverses an Irish Whip and hits a powerslam for a near fall, following it up with a blow to the back of the head and then a spinebuster. Sharmell distracts the referee again, in turn distracting Lashley. Booker then got distracted the referee himsefl, allowing Sharmell to interfere and distract Lashley, which led to Booker rolling him up for the pin.

Really good opening match, with Lashley looking very impressive, and the crowd into him throughout the match.

A video package airs showing the rivalry between Batista and Fit Finlay before we cut backstage to MVP telling Teddy Long how he's been in easier street fights than the MVP/Kennedy vs Undertaker/Kane match last week. Long picks up on the words "street fight", and tells WWE's #1 Power Ranger he'll take on Kane next week in a street fight.

From here we stay backstage, cutting to Chavo and Vicki Guerrero talking. Chris Benoit interrupts them, but is quickly cut short by Vicki, who says Benoit needs to worry about keeping onto his US Title at Survivor Series when he faces Chavo.

We come back from commercial with Matt Hardy making his way to the ring for our next match, as Hardy teams with Jimmy Wang Yang (accompanied by a blonde called Amy) to take on Gregory Helms and Sylvan. On a sidenote, they put up a graphic saying tickets still remain for RAW house shows here in the UK tomorrow night (Saturday) at the mighty Butlins in Minehead.

Helms and Sylvan work over Yang for the opening minutes of the match. As is usually the case with Smackdown undercard matches, the in-ring action is overshadowed by Cole and JBL talking, the highlight here being Cole saying "you used to hang out with Farooq" after JBL questions how Yang got a hot blonde like Amy. Sylvan and Helms make a succession of quick tags, each taking their turn to continue wearing down Yang before Jimmy Wang eventually makes the hot tag to Hardy after hitting Sylvan with a dropkick as he came off the second rope.

Hardy clears house and gives Helms a Side Effect before hitting a sweet bulldog/clothesline combo on Helms and Sylvan. Sylvan is sent to the outside where he is met by a diving Yang over the top as Helms receives a Twist of Fate from the top rope. Hardy makes the cover, and he and Yang get the win.

Fun match. It's refreshing to see even the undercard matches given time to get over on TV. The fans really bought into the last few minutes of this.

After a couple of quick promo packages, Mr Kennedy hits the ring, and it's time to find out if The Undertaker will accept his challenge for Survivor Series (which if you missed it was made via WWE.com at the start of the week). Kennedy does his usual introduction and proceeds to talk about how 'Taker debuted sixteen years ago at Survivor Series, and has dominated ever since. Kennedy says it's time for him to be the man in WWE, that he is the future of the company, and that he refuses to let the Undertaker ruin his legacy before it even begins. He calls Undertaker out to answer his challenge (and hopefully cut short this promo, which included Kennedy talking about how he wanted to leave but 'Taker stopped him, which I see no sense in), and after a few awkward moments of silence, 'Taker makes his way out.

After making his lengthy entrance, 'Taker tries to choke Kennedy, but Kennedy uses his microphone (which was still hanging from the rafters) to repeatedly hit 'Taker, busting him open. Undertaker does his sit up routine as Kennedy leaves the ring, swiftly heading backstage as a bloody Dead Man looks on, slumped across the middle rope.

Another commercial break out of the way, Chris Benoit vs KC James is up next, with KC accompanied by Michelle McCool. There's no reason for somebody who has been involved in a program with the tag team champs to be in this match (and without Idol Stevens at ringside) that I can think of, but perhaps this is heading somewhere next week. Or perhaps not. The match gets underway with Benoit in control early doors. James briefly mounts some offense but Benoit hits back with a snap suplex for a near fall and follows up with three German suplexes. He hits a diving headbutt from the top rope, quickly locks in the Cripper Crossface and picks up the win.

Backstage, The Boogeyman tells us he's coming to get us. Next. Before that though, we get a quick behind the scenes look at Batista filming for his role on Smallville.

It's The Boogeyman's turn to get the Hogan pop as he makes his way to the ring for a match with TJ Dalton (and I may have got his name wrong there - if anybody wishes to correct me, feel free!). It's a total squash that is ended in about a minute with the worms having more of a role in the match than either wrestler.

We're reminded that Batista will take on Finlay tonight, with another quick video package airing to hype the match up before the weekly 'RAW Rebound' video airs, showing Kevin Federline's challenge for a match with John Cena which will take place on the New Year's edition of RAW, providing it's not K-Fed's day to have his kids visit.

Backstage, Kristal shouts at The Miz for letting The Boogeyman get to her. Miz says not to worry, as he's challenging The Boogeyman to a match next week on Smackdown. Don't forget we'll have live coverage right here next Tuesday evening from Smackdown as it is taped in Manchester, England.

Yet another quick video package is shown to hype up the Batista-Finlay match, which is up next. We cut away from Finlay making his way to the ring for a quick video package showing...Finlay. Pointless. Batista comes out to a big pop, and after much pyro explodes, we get underway with tonight's main event. Batista takes it to Finlay from the opening bell, showcasing his power and pretty much throwing Finlay around. They go to the outside where Batista takes down Finlay with a clothesline, and after Josh Matthews interrupts to tell us here in the UK that tickets are still left for Wednesday's house show in Scotland, we head off to our final commercial break of the night.

When we come back, we see highlights of Batista continues to dominate during the commercials, then cut to the action in the ring as Finlay escapes from a bear hug. Batista quickly regains control with an elbow to the face and a backdrop before slingshotting (if that's a word) Finlay into the ropes. They again go to the outside, with Batista remaining in control until The Little Bastard appears from under the ring and takes out Batista's leg. Finlay quickly makes the most of the situation and works over Batista's leg, wearing him down for several minutes. JBL rips into Cole (again!) after he defends Batista, with JBL responding by saying "will you stop defending the people that you like." Again, JBL has been on fire tonight, and if you can look past the face he forgets about the face/heel divide, he's (at least for me) one of the reasons to watch Smackdown right now.

Batista makes his comeback, laying into Finlay with a succession of right hands. King Booker tries to interfere but as he approaches the ring apron, Batista tosses Finlay into him, sending The King crashing to the outside, and allowing Batista to roll Finlay up for the cover. The show ends with Batista posing in the ring as JBL puts him over as looking like the man he was when he last held the World Title.