Shore's WWE Smackdown Hitlist: Dolph Ziggler and Damien Sandow show off their mic skills, Hell No, Kofi Kingston, the Prime Time Players, and Wade Barrett show off their ring skills, Great Khali and Hornswoggle just show off

By Chris Shore

WWE Smackdown Hits

Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler not only earned a Hit with his promo this week, but I think it was a home run. Not a towering shot mind you, but I think it was enough to convince people who might have still been on the fence about Ziggler's mic skills. WWE has finally started giving him significant mic time, and his confidence is starting to show through. He's still a work in progress--aren't we all--but he has a bright future that gets a little brighter each and every week.

Hell No and Kofi Kingston vs. Prime Time Players and Wade Barrett: This was the match of the night, and a serious Hit for the show. It may have been what ultimately saved it as the Wade Barrett/Kofi Kingston marriage is the only one that put the two wrestlers together for more than a few seconds. The match was well wrestled, with Hell No not resorting to silly gimmicks, and Barrett and Kofi teasing what we can expect at TLC. I would have like a little more verbal interaction between Kofi and Barrett, but this was still a Hit.

John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio: The surprise Hit of the show, Cena once again proved that when he is in the ring with the right guy, he is more than capable of holding his own and putting on an enjoyable match. The match was a waste of time from a story telling standpoint, but considering a number of people assumed this would be a quick Cena squash when the match started, you have to appreciate the effort of both men. The thing I liked the most was that the finish didn't come on an AA or STF. Cena took advantage of a situation for the win. WWE needs more of that as not only are we overexposed to the wrestlers themselves, but also their moves, especially finishers.

Damien Sandow: Sandow has quickly become my favorite new act, and his interaction with the "fan" (I assume he was a plant) this week was a serious Hit for him. His gimmick is not a main event gimmick, don't get me wrong. What it is though, is a solid mid-card act that also shows flashes of talent that make you believe once this gimmick has run its course, Sandow can be repackaged as a more serious person and move into the top of the card. He has the mic skills and the in-ring ability. He's another work in progress, but he's already exceeding expectations for me.

WWE Smackdown Misses

Great Khali and Hornswoggle: The only good thing about Hornswoggle and Khali together on TV is that it means I won't have Khali and Hornswoggle on my TV separately. Khali is an impressive human, and I get Horny's appeal to children (that's an awkward phrase, isn't it?), but it will always be a miss for this viewer.

3MB: I realize we pick on 3MB a lot around here, but with good reason. As I mentioned in the All Access audio review with Jake Barnett, the act is bad, and it comes across on TV that the guys in it don't seem to want to be there. That's not exactly a recipe for success. I applaud WWE for giving these guys characters and time to get the gimmick over, but it's a miss. Time to go back to the drawing board.