By Chris Shore

WWE Smackdown Hits

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show: I include the match, which even though it had a cheap finish was very well done, and the backstage promo they did just before. The promo was about as perfect a segment as you can get. The chemistry between these two has been as good as the chemistry between Show and Henry, and I raved about those two for months. I like Bryan's heel turn, even if I have my reservations about him turning into yet another WWE chickenshit heel. A great way to close the show, and I'm looking forward to more from these two.

Mark Henry: Henry added more to the announce team in one match than Booker T has in an almost year of matches. He put over both Show and Bryan, yet did not come across as fake. And his berating of Michael Cole made my night. His interference at the end made sense, and he played it well. Henry continues to be impressive, even while hurt.

Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T: This match was the one I thought we would get on Raw a couple of weeks ago. Cody looked sharp, and managed to make up for the last bits of ring rust on Booker. Booker has lost a step, age will do that too you, but looked so much better than he did on Raw. I'm not excited about him heading back to the booth, but I also think his time has passed in the ring. This was a fun run, but staying too much longer will tarnish it greatly.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes: As someone who grew up watching Dusty Rhodes in the NWA, the idea of him getting involved with a feud with his two sons thrills me to no great end. Cody and Dustin have had two solid weeks of promo time with each other, and the match that now seems inevitable should have a very high work rate.

Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and Jinder Mahal: Jinder Mahal gets the rub at the top of the second hour? It certainly shocked me, but I thought all three guys were good here. Most of the guys without programs aren't going to settle into one on one feuds because of the Rumble, and this is a prime example. Orton will be back soon, and will jump into the fray as well. I hope that doesn't mean any of these guys get pushed back down the card.

Primo and Epico vs. Air Boom: A wild match, albeit short, from these two teams. Rosa Mendez is doing the heavy lifting with her hips to get the cousins over, but the men are getting it done in the ring. I assume we will see a longer match at the Rumble for the titles, which should lead to a great opening match on the show.

WWE Smackdown Misses

Hornswoggle vs. Heath Slater: This just comes down to disliking Hornswoggle in the ring. The guy gets great responses, and I don't want to take away from that, but when we talk about the little guy getting the surprise win, this isn't what we have in mind. It looks like we will finally get the feud between Slater and Justin Gabriel, but why didn't they do it out of their tag team break up? There's no need to use Hornswoggle to get these two together.

Drew McIntyre vs. Santino Marella: Besides the fact that the stipulation gave away the finish, I just don't like seeing Santino used with wrestlers who should be taken seriously. McIntyre is a solid talent, both in the ring and on the mic. I don't know what he did to get misused so much, but this was a ridiculous loss. He can recover from it, but that doesn't mean I liked it while it was happening.

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