WWE Smackdown Hits

C.M. Punk promo to open the show: I mentioned in my Smackdown audio that this was the same promo Punk has been giving every week. However, it has been good every week, so it scores as a hit one more time. Of course, he does need to start changing it up a bit. He could go the old route, with a Punk like twist, of saying he will not be scared by The Undertaker and that those before him were scared because of their drug and alcohol use.

John Morrison and Finlay vs. Dolph Ziggler and Mike Knox: This is definitely a marginal hit as the opening minutes of the match were very slow and plodding. Once Morrison took over for his team, things picked up significantly and minus Finlay, the other three guys in the ring should be stars for years to come for WWE. Knox is proving he can work with quicker opponents like Morrison, so he has a lot going for him.

Drew McIntyre: Drew received the in ring endorsement from Vince McMahon himself, which is high praise. However, the last guy to receive such an endorsement was Elijah Burke, so I hope this works out differently this time. It’s no secret I am a fan of McIntyre and by Vince using the term “future World Champion,” I hope he is also saying he plans to push new and deserving talent.

WWE Smackdown Misses

Teddy Long in the casket: Most fans can tolerate the casket stuff around WrestleMania because, let’s face it, we see it every year around WrestleMania. However, seeing it in September, especially when Taker has been off for so long, is redundancy at its finest (or worst). Jason connected a lot of dots on DNW, so maybe all of this is leading to the return of Bret Hart, but if it isn’t, damn, (for you Family Guy fans), it is like watching the same episode of Who’s The Boss? In hell.

Undertaker vs. C.M. Punk: The match was decent. It was not bad and it was not memorable either. Given that they just had a pay-per-view match and they have another one coming up, they really could not do much here and rightfully so. My problem was the booking of the match to begin with. Why book yourselves into a corner WWE by even having this match on the show? I understand the point of having the match on free television, but then again, seeing this match for free makes me less excited to pay for it again. With Punk winning, I know they want people to pay to see Taker get his revenge, so I get it. I just don’t agree with it in this particular case.

Rey Mysterio returning: JeriShow vs. Batista and Mysterio for the tag team titles is a big match. Seeing Mysterio and Jericho in the ring together again (and hopefully for the bulk of the match) will be a great treat for those who enjoyed their feud (which should be everyone). However, I cannot help but think this is sending a bad message to the young guys on the roster. Mysterio failed a drug test and complained that the company was wrong in suspending him. Not only does this send a message that the top guys can get away with things, but it tells the young guys to do whatever they can to become top guys, so let the backstabbing and politicking continue.

Batista vs. Big Show: I’m sure most people had low expectations for this thing coming and it turned out to be pretty bad. Batista and Show can have good matches, but despite their size similarities, they just do not work well together. The match was there more to promote the tag title feud, but it was a long eleven minutes. Here’s hoping Jericho and Mysterio can wave their magic wands and make the tag title match one for the ages.

David Hart Smith vs. JTG: I’m just tired of seeing matches with any combination of the Harts and Cryme Tyme. I do like the fact that WWE seems to be slowly building the Dynasty into something special by having them win their matches. Perhaps all they need is a little boost from a Hall of Famer. Okay, it’s obvious I am thrilled about Bret Hart possibly coming back.

Kane vs. Slam Master J: Smackdown is not supposed to be like Raw, but having Slam Master J in multiple segments is just ridiculous. Also, we’ve seen the “you are being punished, so you will face Kane or Big Show in a match” angle done to death. Kane does not need to win a squash match at this point in his career. Slam Master J, in that character, does not need to be on television at all.

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