Saturday, November 22 – 10:55 A.M. (CT)

-WWE should approach Red Bull, Mountain Dew, and the folks from Folgers regarding a sponsorship deal to pass out free samples at the door if they opt to hold biweekly Smackdown tapings. The poor live crowd in Manchester was flat for most of the show and not even a Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy match was able to get a real rise out of them.

Our Smackdown correspondent noted that the live crowd was drained after sitting through back-to-back tapings and he wasn't lying. I realize WWE has to respond to the tough economic times, but I hope they'll come up with a way to avoid revamping their taping schedule because a hot live crowd enhances the television viewing experience.

-The decision to place the Hunter vs. Hardy match in the middle of the show was wise for a couple of reasons. One, the live crowd was already drained and they would have been half asleep had they waited to put that match on in the traditional main event slot. Second, it gave the announcers a chance to promote the new Hunter vs. Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov Triple Threat match for the remainder of the show.

-The MVP losing streak storyline was a mess. Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero appeared to be stacking the deck against MVP early in the storyline, yet he she apparently booked him against the incomparable legend James Mason in his last chance to end the streak and retain his signing bonus.

Given these tough economic times, one would think that Ms. Guerrero would have booked MVP in a handicap match against Big Show, Great Khali, and Mark Henry to insure that her brand would get the money back. Better yet, she could have simply left him off the card and cashed in.

I realize that I'm thinking way too hard about this storyline and I am being somewhat facetious, but this was poorly executed and served no other purpose than burying MVP. Well, unless there's some big plan to push James Mason that I'm not aware of. Don't hold your breath.

-I got a kick out of listening to Jim Ross and Tazz last night. You could tell that the back-to-back taping was getting to them because they were clearly getting squirrelly by the end of the night. The highlight was listening to Tazz say that he thought one of the Bella Twins was taller than the other by a quarter-inch, which inspired Ross to say that Tazz is the last person who should be commenting on height.

-How much Kizarny footage did WWE shoot at that carnival? It feels like he's been doing vignettes for six months. I haven't understood a damn word he's said since the vignettes started so what's the point?

-I am alone in my frustration with Thursday's TNA Impact. I've spoken with several people in the industry as well as other members of the wrestling media and everyone is laughing at the ridiculousness of holding an eight-man tag match for the TNA Title...and another Feast or Fired match...and another Turkey Bowl...and putting a three-minute commercial break in the middle of a seven-minute Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles vs. Motor City Machine Guns match...and... Okay, I could keep going, but what's the point?

Dumb Questions

-How would you react if your wife split and hooked up with your boss? Just curious.

-Am I the only one flustered by the fact that FOX is airing the "24" special opposite the Survivor Series pay-per-view? Thank God for VCRs and DVRs.

-Am I the only person ticked off that Best Buys in the Twin Cities are not holding a midnight releases for the new Guns-n-Roses album? I'm counting down the hours until morning. Yes, I know I'm a freak.

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