Preview: The rough road to "Hell" November 9, 2007 Related Content

Hadean history is guaranteed when The Undertaker meets Batista inside Hell in a Cell one week from Sunday, at this year’s Survivor Series. But first The Deadman has an equally epic challenge awaiting him this Friday on SmackDown: A Phenom-requested “No Holds Barred” contest against the 7-foot-3, 420-pound Punjabi powerhouse, The Great Khali.

After laying down the gauntlet to meet the World Heavyweight Champion in a hellish rubber match within the steel confines of Hell, Undertaker teamed with Batista to face The Great Khali & Mark Henry last week. Unfortunately, the match ended in controversy when SmackDown commentator JBL interfered, delivering Clotheslines from Hell to The Animal and The Phenom. Hopefully, the outspoken “Wrestling God” will remain behind the announcers’ table when Undertaker and Khali go one-on-one in Bakersfield, Calif. The Deadman has managed to triumph over the Punjabi Goliath before. However, unlike Khali, he’s not facing the dwarfish McMahon, Hornswoggle, at Survivor Series. Battling the Indian behemoth under an anything-goes stipulation like “No Holds Barred,” and only nine days before Survivor Series, what condition will Friday’s showdown leave Undertaker in when he faces the champion Animal in “Hell”?

Rey Mysterio was victorious over Jamie Noble last week, though it didn’t stop Finlay from getting on the mic and calling the Master of the 619 a loser. The ornery Irishman even promised to prove that fact to our fans on SmackDown this coming Friday, when he and Mysterio step into the squared circle and continue their ongoing rivalry. Rey may have gotten the better of Finlay at Cyber Sunday, but does the Celtic combatant have something nefarious in mind when they lock up in Bakersfield?

ECW World Champion CM Punk will be on hand for Friday Night SmackDown. Clearly, the ECW-SmackDown working agreement between respective General Managers Armando Estrada and Vickie Guerrero continues to pay off, amping up the level of competition for both brands. What brings the ECW World Champion to SmackDown this week, and how well will he be received by the Friday night brand’s Superstars?