By Chris Shore

WWE Smackdown Hits

Kane kills Josh Mathews: This was the only real Hit on the show, even though the show itself wasn't terrible (see below). I do like how they have a plan for AJ that just doesn't consist of her skipping and being crazy, and I think Vickie is a good foil for her. How Kane and Josh Mathews ultimately play into this is anyone's guess, but it does created a multifaceted story. Something we rarely see in WWE anymore.

WWE Smackdown Misses

Overall Show: Usually misses are things to complain about. This time, my misses, including this one, are primarily just what the name implies, a missed opportunity. Very few things actually played into any continuing storyline, and what they did to hold suit on everyone wasn't very exciting, nor added any heat to anyone. The show did not drag like it has been known to do, but I didn't feel like it was worth my two hours either.

Michael Cole: The single exception to the miss rule this week in Michael Cole, who absolutely failed to get over the gravity of Kane killing Josh. He was still firmly in announcer hype mode while he watched his broadcast colleague decimate and left for dead for the second time in two weeks. The miss was compounded by the fact that after the break, he finally decided to use his serious voice. At that point, it made the poor commentating before the break stand out that much more. I usually don't spend time critiquing commentators, but this was exceptionally bad.

Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow: As much as I was looking forward to this match from seeing the spoilers, part of me also believes they wasted the "for the first time ever" part of this on a match that had no meaning. Sandow hasn't progressed enough to yet to provide good fodder for Sheamus, nor has he progressed enough to get a win over the champ. This match exemplifies why enhancement talent (a/k/a jobbers) are still needed on a regular basis, and not just saddled on a single character like Ryback.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler: This match was the one I most looked forward to, but it wasn't near as impressive as I thought it might be. I might have had unfair expectations, but it also felt like both guys were holding back a little. Vickie's post-match antics actually made Ziggler look worse than just losing did because it sounded like bitter grapes. And not for nothing, but I grow weary of Ziggler losing all the time. It's not hurting him per se, but it does make believing near falls that much harder when you just know Ziggler is going to come up short every time.

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