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Shore's WWE Smackdown Hitlist: Lots of good moments that also had major problems, Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler steal the show, Rey Mysterio and Miz have random match, and Antonio Cesaro beats up Christian

Posted in: Shore Editorials, MUST-READ LISTING
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Aug 11, 2012 - 03:17 PM

By Chris Shore

WWE Smackdown Hits

Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler: By far the best segment of the show, the Highlight Reel started rough, but settled in and found a very entertaining groove. Vickie Guerrero was convincing after the silly screeching, and Jericho was exactly what he needed to be after the over the top smarmy start to the segment. Ziggler showed up at the right time and looked like a total bad ass in the way he dealt with Jericho. I have no idea what Jericho's exit strategy is for SummerSlam, but whatever is planned is sure to launch Ziggler forward.

Daniel Bryan, AJ, and Kane: Like most of the Hits in tonight's show, there were faults with this angle. Everyone's motivation is stretch thin by the overuse of this storyline, and while I expect a good match, I do not expect to feel satisfied by the story telling. That said, they were not bad here. Everyone plays their respective parts very well, especially Bryan, and they have good chemistry together. I'm concerned that the bad guy is getting treated poorly here and the people still cheer the good girl because I don't think that gimmick will last long. Scorned women can become psycho bitches very quickly in the eyes of the beholder. WWE needs to be careful they don't push AJ to far, unless a full fledged heel turn is the plan.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio: Speaking of the good guy getting cheered for being bad, the Sheamus car theft storyline is about as bad as it comes. Sheamus is not the anti-hero. He's too busy being the Lucky Charms guy to be the anti-hero. So when he acts bad, it stands out. That said, they took a match I didn't want to see in two weeks into a match I wanted to see that night. The finish is a nice feather for Del Rio, but I think this ultimately leads to him getting killed in some gimmick match at SummerSlam.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Christian: I like Antonio Cesaro. I like Christian. I really like the idea of the matches they could have together, and I really, really hope that is what we saw setup here. Put the US title on Cesaro and then have Christian chase him. Now, that I could love.

WWE Smackdown Misses

Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz: These two didn't have a bad match, albeit a short one. It wasn't a barn burner, but I didn't feel disappointed when it was over. What I did feel was confusion. I have no idea what this was supposed to do? Was this supposed to further a fledgling feud between Rey and Miz? If so, it stalled badly with the way Miz sold the loss and Rey sold the victory. Was it supposed to continue Miz's losing streak? If so, the announcers didn't get that over. Whatever this was supposed to do, it missed.

WWE Tag Team Scene: I don't know if they cut the number one contenders match short or not, but this did not come across well on TV. The champs look stupid. Epico and Primo looks like chumps. And the guy celebrating the most is actually fired. Is that tag team division cursed? I honestly didn't think it could get any worse. I was wrong.

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