WWE Armageddon 08 Smackdown ECW Preview Results
Preview of SD & ECW Matches Scheduled for Dec 14th and Live Results
Coming off the back of a three hour 'Slammy Awards' special, Raw looks to have a slight upper hand in terms of both the quality and quantity of matches set to take place at Armageddon. Smackdown only has one bout on the current card that is a 100% brand specific, however it may just be the match that will steal the show as Edge, Jeff Hardy and HHH square off for the WWE Championship.
ECW Bout
Finlay Vs. Mark Henry in a Belfast Brawl
For the past few months Henry has had umpteen ECW Title matches against Matt Hardy which have all arrived at the same outcome; Hardy with the title and Henry without it.
Finally the creative team have seen fit to move both men on to new feuds, and Henry's target has now been changed to the fighting Irishman; Finlay, or more precisely his son Hornswaggle.
Any WWE fans that don't follow the ECW show (which is now more of a glorified Heat/Velocity combination than an independent brand) won't know much about this feud but Finlay and Henry should be able to put on a passable match, especially with the 'Belfast Brawl' stipulation.
Prediction: Finlay will get the win with an assist from Hornswaggle, after Atlas' attempts to swing the match in Henry's favour.
ECW Vs. Smackdown Bout
Matt Hardy Vs. Vladimir Kozlov
Following in the footsteps of M.V.P, Vladimir Kozlov has gone from a feud with one Hardy right into a feud with the other, although in the opposite order.
This rivalry first began a few weeks ago on Smackdown when Matt was chosen as the opponent for Kozlov in the 'Beat the Clock Sprint' Tournament to decide a number 1 contender for Edge's WWE Championship.
With Jeff already setting a time to beat, Matt simply had to resist being pinned or made to submit in order for his brother to remain in pole position, and he achieved this with a combination of opportunistic strikes and strategic avoidance; hitting and running in layman’s terms.
This act of defiance not only cost Kozlov a title shot he believed he was entitled to, but made him turn his attention away from the WWE Championship picture and focus it squarely on the ECW Champion, leading to this non-title match at Armageddon.
Prediction: This isn't going to be an amazing match, and the fact that it is Non-Title should tell the fans everything they need to know. Hardy will lay down as Kozlov's unbeaten streak continues.
Smackdown Bout
Edge (c) Vs. HHH Vs. Jeff Hardy in a WWE Championship Triple Threat Match
This is the match that has the potential to steal the show. Edge has looked sharp since his Survivor Series return, despite being away from the ring for three months and HHH is always more than capable of turning in a main event performance, so the deciding factor in this match will be the performance of Jeff Hardy.
Hardy has really stepped up his game recently and although his promo work is still terrible at best, his in-ring performance has been pretty solid with some performances edging towards remarkable. WWE Creative have also caught on to the fact that giving a wrestler with a distinct lack of charisma the nickname of 'The Charismatic Enigma' wasn't fooling anyone, and for the past few weeks JR and Tazz have been referring to him as 'The Weird Enigma'.
Aside from being a brilliant match, this one could also shed a little more light on the attack Jeff suffered which put him out of the last WWE Championship match at Survivor Series.
Prediction: Jeff has had so many shots at the title without winning that it's hard to see him ever getting the belt, and it is also doubtful they would have the title go back the way it came only a month before, so it's likely Edge will retain and head into 2009 as the WWE Champion.
Addition to the Card
A 8-Diva Santa's Little Helper match has also been added to the card featuring two teams made up of both Raw and Smackdown Divas. Michelle McCool, Mickey James, Kelly Kelly and Maria will take on Victoria, Natalya, Jillian Hall and Maryse which will likely be a platform to further the heel turn of McCool.
Prediction: McCool will turn on Maria after her team lose the match.
To take an In-Depth look at all the outcomes of the Smackdown and ECW bouts at Armageddon Click Here.
Results
- Unsurprisingly, Vladamir Kozlov maintained his undefeated streak, defeating Matt Hardy by pinfall.
- Finlay beat Mark Henry by pinfall in the Belfast Brawl.
- The team of Michelle McCool, Maria, Mickey James and Kelly Kelly defeated the team of Victoria, Natalya, Jillian Hall and Maryse.
- The Great Khali kissed Mae Young in a christmas edition of the 'Kiss Cam'.
- Jeff Hardy wins the Triple Threat match and becomes the new WWE Champion by pinfall over Edge. The match saw interference from Vladimir Kozlov and Matt Hardy.
To read the Preview and see RESULTS for all the Raw bouts at Armageddon, including the WWE Heavyweight Championship match between John Cena and Chris Jericho; Click Here.
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