[2000-07-06-WWF-Smackdown] Val Venis vs Rikishi

[soup23]

They really keep presenting this as a blood feud but something feels a little off. It is odd because I like Val and his new attitude was way overdue. Rikishi is still over huge. Still, while the action here is fine this is just two guys that don’t have great chemistry with each other so far. This match doesn’t last very long before we get a ref bump and T&A and Too Cool have a brawl revolving around the T&A run in. Tazz makes his way out and kills Rikishi with the tv camera. It is nice they are doing something with Tazz after a few months of nada. Val wins the match and IC title with the Money Shot. *1/4

[GSR]

Rikishi was ready for the ‘Big Valbowski’, getting in the first shots on his foe. Whip to the turnbuckle with authority before throwing Val through the ropes to the floor where he hurls him into the ring steps. He picks up a steel chair but the ref grabs hold of it to prevent him from using it. Rikishi decides to roll him back into the ring, although that gives Val the opening he needs, booting the big man in the mid-section and then DDT’ing him to the mat. He heads upstairs, however is too slow and Rikishi with a right to the gut as Val takes a great bump in crotching himself. Press slam off the top half way across the ring. Teddy Long then gets squashed as he’s standing in the wrong place after an Irish whip is reversed. Samoan drop and as Rikishi makes the cover, Trish waves for the troops, Test & Albert. Test with a big elbow off the top however Rikishi kicks out of the pin, but in doing so he presses Val onto Long who gets bumped again! As T&A watch on from the ramp way they’re jumped by Too Cool and the two teams fight to the back. Rikishi counters the sunset flip with a sit down splash but still no Teddy Long. Now Tazz is out and he continues his attacking of the faces, this time stealing a video camera off one of the camera men and KO’ing Rikishi with it as he’s about to give Val the stinkface. ‘Money Shot’ and old man Teddy comes around as we have ourselves a new Intercontinental champion. Too Cool return to check on Rikishi while a champagne celebration is going on in Val’s dressing room.

 

This was actually fairly heated, a stark contrast to Val’s recent match with Jeff Hardy, and I imagine is a result of when Val bloodied Rikishi up last month. Would like to hear an explanation from Tazz or some reasoning for his actions lately in the random attacks he’s been dishing out.