MATCH CARD PREVIEW SMACKDOWN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Sting {c} vs. John Cena
After being the sole survivor in his Survivor Series match, last eliminating “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and John Bradshaw after all his teammates were eliminated, Sting was asked, “What’s next for the Smackdown World Champion?” by Mean Gene Okerlund. He told Mean Gene that he was ready to defend his championship against anyone in the locker room. John Cena, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, and John Bradshaw Layfield all came forward and made their cases for a title shot. It was decided that they should compete in A Beat the Clock challenge, along with the members of the Dudley Boyz and Beer Money Inc. All four matches took place on Friday, December 3, with John Cena defeating “Glorious” Bobby Roode in under 8-minutes to win the title shot.
SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bayley {c} vs. Ember Moon
On November 12, exactly one month before NO MERCY, Ember Moon defeated the Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley in a non-title match. Bayley had been attempting to duck Moon ever sense. She had also been attempting to duck Becky Lynch since cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase to steal a title win away from her at Clash of Champions. Lynch and Moon fought in a number one contender’s match on the December 3 edition of Friday Night Smackdown. Moon defeated Lynch, but only after Paige interfered to cost Lynch the match. Now, Moon has the shot she feels she earned a month ago, and if it goes anything like their previous encounter did, we’ll be looking at a new Smackdown Women’s Champion at No Mercy.
TRIPLE THREAT MATCH FOR THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
WALTER {c} vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Brian Cage
In the month leading up to Survivor Series, Daniel Bryan and Brian Cage had issues with The Miz and John Morrison, leading to them teaming up for the first time on the November 19 edition of Friday Night Smackdown, where they lost when Bryan inadvertently struck Cage with the running high knee. They patched things up to team again a week later on the November 26 edition of Friday Night Smackdown with an opportunity to come to No Mercy to compete for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships on the line. Once again, Bryan inadvertently hit Cage with the running high knee and the Lucha Bros. capitalized on it. The next week, Cage interrupted a backstage interview with WALTER to say that he deserved a shot at the United States Championship. WALTER accepted. However, later, Daniel Bryan called out Brian Cage, saying he didn’t deserve anything, let alone a title shot. Bryan challenged Cage to a match on December 10 to determine who would face WALTER at No Mercy. When their match ended in a stalemate with both wrestlers getting counted out for brawling outside the ring for too long, WALTER said that he would beat them both at the same time, thus setting up this triple threat match.
SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCH
Hart Foundation {c} vs. Lucha Bros.
Lucha Bros. earned a shot at the Smackdown Tag Team Championships when they won a fatal fourway tag team match versus the Dudley Boyz, The Miz & John Morrison, and Daniel Bryan & Brian Cage. Since the Lucha Bros. earned the opportunity to win the titles, they have traded wins in singles competition with the members of the Hart Foundation. On December 3, Rey Fénix pulled off what many might call an upset by beating Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and on December 10, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart defeated Penta El 0M. Now, these teams will collide with the titles on the line in a match that could steal the show!
STEEL CAGE MATCH
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
The beef between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase goes back to Summerslam when they both competed in the Casino Battle Royale. Austin, making his WWE debut, eliminated DiBiase. However, DiBiase slipped back into the ring when he elimination went unseen by the referees who were dealing with a ringside brawl on the other side of the ring. DiBiase would sneak up on Austin to eliminate him and earn a shot at the Smackdown World Championship at Clash of Champions. A month later, Austin had a chance to get the title shot that he felt was stolen from him, but lost to DiBiase, who received a lot of outside help. DiBiase again got the better of Austin by eliminating him from their Survivor Series match a month ago. Austin holds John Cena responsible for his elimination and has vowed to get even with him, but first he intends to finally get even with DiBiase. On December 10, Austin would defeat JBL and IRS in a handicap match to get this match. Now, he vows to make The Million Dollar Man pay a hefty price for screwing him time and again.
Randy Orton vs. Umaga
On the first episode of Friday Night Smackdown after Survivor Series (November 26), Paul Heyman said that the loss of his client Roman Reign to Samoa Joe at Survivor Series was an insignificant fluke. He claimed it didn’t matter because there was no one on the Smackdown roster who could defeat him. He alone occupied an island of relevancy. To prove it, the Tribal Chief vowed to embark on a campaign of total domination in which he intended to win the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, the United States Championship, the Smackdown World Championship, and the UWA Universal Men’s Championship all by Wrestlemania – and hold them all at the same time. There was no one who could stop him. That’s when Randy Orton returned after a month away. He ambushed Reigns. A brawl ensued. They fought up the entrance ramp and onto the stage where Reigns looked to send Orton off the stage with a spear. Orton moved out of the way and Reigns went off the stage and slammed into a pile of electrical equipment. The following week, Heyman announced that his client was severely injured, and Orton would pay dearly for it. A family mercenary was coming for Orton’s head. Later in the show, Umaga interfered in Orton’s match, sending Orton to the hospital after giving him a super Samoan drop and a Samoan spike. On December 10, Umaga made his in-ring debut, defeating Adam Rose in under a minute. After the win, Paul Heyman boasted of Orton’s injury, but the Apex Predator returned to say that he was well enough to fight Umaga and challenged him to a match. Heyman accepted on Umaga’s behalf, and now they will face off just two days later at No Mercy.
Becky Lynch vs. Paige
During the December 3 episode of Friday Night Smackdown, a Smackdown Women’s Championship number one contender’s match between Ember Moon and Becky was held. Paige interfered in the match, attacking Becky Lynch. Paige said that Lynch’s ego is too large, and she needed to be put in her place. Lynch said that she has a target on her back because to be The Man, you’ve got to beat The Man, and she is The Man. Lynch said she’ll fight Paige at No Mercy and show her why it is impossible to make it to the top of the Smackdown Women’s Division by stepping into the ring against Becky Lynch.
Dudley Boyz vs. The Miz & John Morrison
The Dudley Boyz competed against The Miz and John Morrison in a fatal fourway match to determine a new one competitor for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. The other teams in that match were Daniel Bryan and Brian Cage and the winners of the title shot, Beer Money Inc. During the match, The Miz was able to execute a Skull Crushing Finale on Brian Cage, which Morrison followed up with Starship Pain. It looked like they were going to win, but the Dudley Boyz broke up the fall. The two teams brawled outside the ring while Beer Money Inc. swooped in to get the win. The Miz and Morrison blamed Bubba Ray and D-Von for taking the title shot away from them and attacked them backstage. Now, Bubba Ray and D-Von are out for revenge.