Shore's WWE Smackdown Hitlist: David Otunga spits coffee and I don't care, Randy Orton throws Wade Barrett a win and then sauce on Ricardo Rodriguez, Kofi Kingston gets much needed mic time, and Sheamus finds a little edge

By Chris Shore

WWE Smackdown Hits

Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton: Once again Randy Orton is involved in a great match and does business for the younger star. This was the match of the night and one you should see if you haven't. Yes, there was a weak finish with Del Rio interfering, but that continued into the brawl in the back so I'm not completely down on it (though I hated the brawl). Barrett has looked very good since his return, but I'm not sure they have his character figured out yet. Once they do, he's got money all over him.

Sheamus and Kofi Kingston vs. Miz and Big Show: From the opening segment to the main event match, this was a complete Hit. The Big Show and Sheamus story continued nicely, with Show playing the confident heel and Sheamus gaining some much needed edge by playing the frustrated babyface. If they continue on this trajectory for Sheamus, he should recover from his Lucky Charm days nicely. Miz and Kofi were bit players to the larger storyline, but Kofi got some much needed mic time. He still needs work, but the only way you learn is by being given the time to learn. Hopefully WWE sticks with him and lets him find his sea legs for the microphone. Working with Miz will only help.

WWE Smackdown Misses

R-Truth vs. Justin Gabriel: This is one of those rare moments when you have a good match but still end up with a miss. The match happened outside of any story lines, didn't start a storyline, and the wrong guy won. Truth is even staler than John Cena, something I didn't think was possible. Gabriel is in a US Championship feud, or at least he was, and needs wins to give him credibility in there. I liked the match for the four minutes it was, but I everything else about it was a total miss.

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio brawl: Having a brawl in the back after Del Rio cost Orton a win was a good thing as it adds another layer to the Survivor Series match, and it's a non-title feud that actually gets some love from creative, a rare thing. But this moment lost all of its momentum by the comedy spot built into it. I don't mind the coffee spot so much as at least that was supposed to be hot and meant to hurt Del Rio. The tomato sauce on Ricardo Rodriguez and the cake spot with Matt Striker (especially after trying to hit Del Rio with the cake) were just too corny to make this anything but a miss.

Teddy Long, David Otunga, et all: This segment showed just how important Eve is to these backstage moments as the only character we care about. Otunga spitting coffee on Natalya was bad enough, but the slap of coffee onto Teddy was not only predictable, but who cared? It's not like Teddy was going to do anything, and Otunga was already in the match with Khali. This was a total waste of time and a complete miss.