On a fateful evening in North Carolina, Brian Kendrick and Paul London overcame the formidable pairing of Idol Stevens and K.C. James to retain their WWE Tag Team Championship at No Mercy.

Having made a name for themselves with several notable victories on SmackDown, the challengers and their striking manager Michelle McCool promised to teach the champions a valuable lesson in defeat, guaranteeing a win in their pay-per-view debut. However, the prepared tag team specialists London and Kendrick came to No Mercy joined by the stunning Diva Ashley, and won an exciting, emotional contest against their rivals to solidify their position in the upper echelon in the SmackDown tag team division.

“We won tonight, but [James and Stevens] have beaten us in the past in non-title matches,�?explained a humble Kendrick. “While we beat them tonight and defended our WWE Tag Team Championships successfully, it wasn’t a walk in the park. These guys are a serious tag team.�?

Once considered unlikely champions when they first earned the gold this past May, the high flying duo has quickly become one of the most successful tag teams in recent SmackDown history �?something London believes is a matter of his bond with his tag partner and now, Ashley.

“A lot of [our success] has to do with having a genuine friendship and a similar passion,�?London said. “A lot of teams just get thrown together nowadays; you have to build a solid foundation and that’s what happens when you have two friends together. [Brian and I] know we have each other’s backs, but it always helps to have someone else in your corner,�?he added. “And tonight, we had the hottest girl on the planet as our best friend too.�?

Though London and Kendrick continue to gain momentum with each passing week, the champions�?celebration will need to be short as their challenges will surely only become greater as they head into the fifth month of their championship reign.

“It’s very easy to underestimate us because of our size,�?admitted London, “but we believe in ourselves and it’s carried us this far. We’re just going to see how long we can keep it going.�?

London continued, “We love what we do; we love entertaining and getting out there and seeing what we’re made of. [Brian and I] looking forward to a little breather, but we know that that’s not the way the business is…we’re just looking for the next challenge.�?

Montel Vontavious Porter was victorious in his first match as a SmackDown Superstar at No Mercy. But, the self proclaimed “greatest athlete on the planet�?may not have lived up to the hype he created for himself by taking on Marty Garner as his first opponent. Who is Marty Garner? Exactly.

In arguably the most highly anticipated debut on SmackDown of any newcomer, MVP’s decision to compete against a virtual unknown who has never defeated areputable WWE Superstar was a major letdown to WWE fans. SmackDown color commentator JBL stated it perfectly when he said MVP “overpromised and underdelivered.�?

After holding out for months and putting General Manager Theodore Long through strenuous contract negotiations, MVP inked a deal to join SmackDown on Sept. 27. Throughout negotiations and even after the deal was signed, MVP used every opportunity to boast about his mat skills and how he’d transform the world of sports-entertainment.

As the crowd expressed their displeasure with disapproving chants, SmackDown announcer Michael Cole asked, “all this contractual stuff, the back and forth, the loudmouth talking and this is what we get?�?

WWE.com approached MVP after his match to ask him about his questionable opponent, but the brash Superstar took offense to the line of questioning.

“I said I would take on all comers and it didn’t matter who they sent out there. I didn't pick that opponent. Don’t say another word. I don’t appreciate you disrespecting me like that,�?said an enraged MVP.

On the final edition of SmackDown leading into the pay-per-view, MVP bragged that “history will be made at No Mercy; every time I step into the ring history will be made.�?

Unfortunately for MVP, history will remember his first match as an enormous disappointment. While he may have beaten Marty Garner and left 1-0, MVP proved he can obviously talk the talk, but, perhaps, not walk the walk.

Mr. Kennedy had promised to put an end to Undertaker's decade and a half of destruction at No Mercy. While Kennedy will go down in the record books as the winner of the non-title match by disqualification, Undertaker made it clear his reign of pain was far from over.

Like so many other brash young men before him, Kennedy looked to make a name for himself by toppling the Phenom. Kennedy made quite an impression with his in-ring performance, showing explosive energy and the ring savvy of someone far more seasoned. Over the course of the match, the brash newcomer made the Deadman turn purple with a choke hold, hit him a Ken-ton Bomb and even used Undertaker's signature move, the Tombstone Piledriver, against him.

Undertaker may have lost the match when he hit Kennedy over the head with the United States Championship, but the Phenom didn't come to No Mercy to win a match. He came to the RBC Center at North Carolina State University to silence another arrogant upstart, and he did just that when he followed up the blow to the head with the championship with a vicious Tombstone Piledriver on Kennedy. He drove the point home when he also Tombstoned referee Charles Robinson for disqualifying him and making Kennedy as the victor.

For all of Kennedy's cockiness leading up to the match, his eyes told a different story when Undertaker made his entrance into the arena. While Kennedy's lifeless body was left laying in the ring, the fact remains that he won that match, much like he's won matches against King Booker, Batista and Rey Mysterio. Will it be enough for the brash Kennedy or will his ego get the best of him and drive him to go for a pure victory over the Deadman? 

After months and months of frustration, Rey Mysterio was finally able to put the tumultuous events in his personal life aside to capture a dramatic victory over Chavo Guerrero. But as an incensed Vickie Guerrero hovered over the defeated body of her business associate and screamed at Mysterio, one must question whether or not this feud has yet been resolved �?even after this vile, intense encounter at No Mercy.

It was Falls Count Anywhere on Sunday night, and it’s a good thing because the squared circle was not big enough to contain the hostility that exists between Mysterio and Guerrero. The rivalry, which began several months ago, has reached a level of emotion that can no longer be described by words, only actions, and at No Mercy, the action spoke for itself.

After a few brief exchanges in the ring, the action spilled outside to the floor.
With Chavo in control, the fight made its way towards the No Mercy stage. At one point, Chavo hoisted Rey up over his shoulders, and prepared to drive him to the arena floor with a powerbomb. Had Chavo succeeded, the match may have ended on the spot. Fortunately for Rey, the construction of the set provided relief as he grabbed a hanging steel beam for support and reversed the powerbomb into a hurricanrana on the ramp.  

Moments later, the brawl made its into the crowd where Chavo displayed a level of brutality not seen on WWE programming in recent memory, if ever. At one point, Chavo secured Rey’s legs, and swung him forcefully back and forth between the permanent floor chairs, and the hockey boards that accompany the ice of the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes.
On this night however, Rey was not going to be denied. With a fire in his eye that hasn’t been seen since his run as World Champion, Rey showed the resiliency that has made him a crowd favorite since the first day he stepped foot in a WWE ring. It became apparent to all in attendance and those watching on pay-per-view that Mysterio had purged his heartbreak into rage and fury.

With the crowd urging him on, Mysterio rallied back, taking control of the battle and setting up the rally that would ultimately win him the match. In a match full of unique maneuvers and unorthodox offense, Mysterio’s use of one of the most unbelievable moves in WWE history set the stage for his victory.

Chavo stood stunned and reeling near the stairway to the 200 level of the RBC Center as Mysterio leaped and grabbed hold of the metal barricade and executed an incredible 619 which rendered Chavo helpless for the devastation that would soon follow.

Mysterio ascended the stairway towards the fans and climbed the barrier. Seconds later, Rey shocked the entire state of North Carolina by leaping off the top of the stairway with a suicide plancha on top of his former friend. With Chavo knocked out, Rey made the cover on the arena floor and secured the pin.

After the match, Chavo laid motionless on the arena floor. Perhaps overcome by the emotion of the event, thinking back to all the things said and done by Chavo over the last few months, Mysterio went back for more. Rey continued his assault on a helpless Chavo until Vickie stepped in, covering her prone client.

After the match, Mysterio spoke about the overwhelming emotion with WWE.com.

“I was very angry. I went in the ring with one thing in mind: beat Chavo Guerrero. I was able to take out months of frustration tonight and it felt good. I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but it did. I did what I had to do.�?

No Mercy was one of the worst nights of Sir William Regal’s career. A night filled with embarrassments culminated when a returning Chris Benoit made Sir Regal tap out to the Crippler Crossface in what Michael Cole and JBL called an old school, physical match-up.

Five months ago, Benoit went on sabbatical after suffering internal injuries following a match with Mark Henry. But at No Mercy, a well-rested and apparently healthy Benoit returned to a thunderous ovation in Raleigh, N.C. Showing very little if any ring rust, the Rabid Wolverine made Sir Regal's night one to truly forget after locking in his signature submission move.

The trouble began for Sir Regal when he approached King Booker early in the night The King asked him to find Finlay and make sure the Irishman would help him retain his championship later in the night; it seemed like a simple enough request, but it proved to be harder than it should have been.

Leaving King Booker with the promise, “My lord, I will not let you down,�?Sir Regal began his search and ran into Vito jumping rope. As if seeing Vito in a thong wasn’t bad enough, Regal turned away too quickly and bumped into a hot dog cart. Within moments, his embarassed face was as red as the ketchup covering his suit.

When Regal went to the showers to clean up, he once again found Vito. This time, as the "toughest man in a dress" dried off, Sir Regal was forced to look at his “ghastly undercarriage.�?As he ran into the hallway, Sir Regal forgot to keep himself covered with his towel and his bare backside was broadcasted for the world to see. A moment later, General Manager Theodore Long told him to start warming up because he would be in a match at No Mercy.

Regal was as ready as he could be, but when Benoit's music filled the RBC Center, Sir Regal’s bad night took a turn for the worse. The two Superstars know each other very well, coming into No Mercy having had many matches with each other in the past; unfortunately, this helped Benoit more, as he was victorious over the embarrassed Knight.

To top the evening off, Sir Regal came across a very upset King Booker in the locker room. After telling his King he failed to locate Finlay, the Irish brawler showed up for the first time all night and told Booker not to even bother asking him to lie down in the upcoming Fatal Four Way Match. He walked away and an enraged king slapped Sir Regal, calling him “useless.�?But in an act that shows he does in fact have a mind of his own, Sir Regal hit King Booker back, knocking him to the ground with a left hand.

No Mercy may have been the worst night of Sir Regal’s life, but he managed to leave with a shred of pride.