3 for 3? (updated)
3 FOR 3?
Last week on SmackDown, Mr. Kennedy made it 2-0 against Batista. This week, Kennedy and The Animal will go face-to-face again.
WWE.com has learned that on SmackDown, Batista will collide with Mr. Kennedy for the third time in two weeks. Mr. Kennedy earned his second victory in a row against Batista last week on SmackDown. After getting counted out in his match with Kennedy, the infuriated Animal could not manage to get his hands on the man he bloodied at The Great American Bash. Batista endured a hellacious confrontation with ECW Champion Big Show on ECW on Sci Fi. The Animal won by disqualification, but what condition will he be in on Friday night? Will Batista be able to beat Mr. Kennedy? Or will Kennedy be up three on Batista?
wwe.com
Mr. Kennedy has a 2-0 record against Batista, but has never gotten a pin on the former World Heavyweight Champion. At Friday Night SmackDown, Kennedy will try to silence his critics with a trifecta over the big man.
Kennedy has made quite an impact since coming to SmackDown less than a year ago as part of the New Talent Initiative. Eager to make his mark, Kennedy answered Batista’s daunting open challenge for a match at The Great American Bash; daunting because the Animal had openly admitted that he wanted to take out his frustration on someone. Kennedy indeed took a severe beating, but won the match (via disqualification.) Is he feeling any apprehension for Friday?
"He can’t do much worse than he did at the pay-per-view when he opened me up," Kennedy told WWE.com. "Here I stand with more than 20 stitches in my head"
Batista may have lost by disqualification, but he showed the world that the Animal was just as vicious as ever when he unleashed his wrath on the spunky newcomer, leaving him in a river of his own blood with deep cuts down to his skull.
"It’s pretty much a joke," dismissed Batista of Kennedy’s two wins. "They’re half-assed victories at best. I’m looking forward to our third match and proving a point… I have to give him credit, though. He’s a fighter, and I have earned a bit of respect for him, but his wins over me are nothing but a joke."
Kennedy feels otherwise, though.
"Where I come from, a win is a win," said Kennedy, who won their second match through countout.
But Batista doesn’t seem worried about his win/loss record with Kennedy, as he is fixated on reclaiming the Championship he was forced to surrender six months ago when he was sidelined with a torn triceps.
"Kennedy’s not even in my league, and he’s really just a stepping stone on my way to the World Heavyweight Championship Match," Batista said. "I’ve got tunnel vision right now. It’s all about the World Heavyweight Championship for me. I would accept nothing less."
But Kennedy thinks Batista might be getting ahead of himself.
"You know, some might think that the Animal has underestimated me, and one thing that I never do is underestimate my opponent," boasted Kennedy. "Maybe if he’s smart he’ll plan accordingly and realize I’m not just a joke out there in the middle of that ring."
Is Mr. Kennedy worried about giving his an opponent a winning strategy?
"No, that doesn’t worry me because I also have been given time to plan."
What does the man with a name so great it has to be said twice have in store for Batista? Tune in to SmackDown this Friday night at 8/7 on UPN to find out.
