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Jon Mezzera, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)

Smackdown was slightly better than decent this week. The focus of the show was Triple Jeopardy which had both good and bad in it. The Tables match between Triple H and John Morrison was good with a nice aftermath when Chavo Guerrero threw Triple H through a table. The handicap match was weak, particularly the end when Chavo just left The Miz. The Last Man Standing match was OK. It was a bit slow at times and unbelievable that Triple H would last as long as he did. But, it featured some good action and Triple H did lose in the end. It also set up a possible Royal Rumble subplot between the two.

I sort of liked the hit-and-run angle. WWE isn’t blurring the lines as badly as they did before Survivor Series. Also, the story needed a jump start since it hadn't been well developed since that PPV. The cell phone video was very cheesy, but on the whole it was still a good way to advance the story and set up more of a mystery.

Shelton Benjamin vs. The Undertaker was the best match of the night. It was a good 12 minute match and I was glad to see Benjamin look as strong as he did, including kicking out of a chokeslam. I also enjoyed the Tag Team Title match. But, I could have done without the odd Vladimir Kozlov video or the appearance from The Boogeyman.

Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)

Smackdown hasn't been so good lately, but this was one of the better shows, despite three Triple H matches. The first one, against John Morrison, made sense because of their history, but there is a sense with angles like these that the guy wrestling the three matches won't lose 'til the last match, or at all. Shelton vs. Undertaker was your Standard Good, Long Smackdown Match Of The Week. The two styles melded well in the match and clearly Shelton has the ability to hang with the top guys; he has also had good matches in the past with HHH and HBK.

I didn't mind the "Hit-and-run" angle as much as the Survivor Series one. Perhaps because it's clear they weren't insinuating it was Jeff's fault, and it made sense that someone would again try to take out Jeff. But how did WWE get the cell phone footage so quickly, since the incident allegedly happened Thursday night? Michelle McCool's heel turn continues, so at least there's one angle for the women on the show. The handicap match was OK, but I was surprised it was Chavo, not Miz, who would walk out on the match.

I can't wait to see what's next for the MVP angle....perhaps IRS making a return to accuse MVP of not paying his taxes? The main event was suited for the pace Big Show works now, what with the slow counts and all giving him time for breaks. It'll be interesting to see if they capitalize on the momentum Show has after beating HHH.

Lee Stevens, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)

I was pleasantly surprised to see Shelton Benjamin get more than his fair share of offense against the Undertaker and I believe this is a case of not looking worse after a loss. Another positive was a tag team title match with two sides who are traditionally tag teams, instead of a pair of wrestlers thrown together at the last minute. Also, kudos for doing the right thing at the end of the night and having Triple H lose. Too often we have seen him go against the odds to decimate an entire roster in one evening. Spirit Squad, I'm looking at you.

On the downside, did The Game need to defeat tag team champions to advance past the first two stages of "Triple Jeopardy" and why are the Raw champions even on Smackdown? Sadly, roster cuts are the norm these days, but as a result the rosters continue to get thinner and we could be in for more of the same. For the casual viewer tuning in, does it make sense to have two sets of tag champs? Also for the casual viewer, if you hadn't watched in some time, who is the champion? With almost an hour of Triple H versus shaky home video of a skinny guy on the side of the road, I think it leaves the wrong impression. The MVP lounge repossession was clever (We couldn't get The Repo Man for this?), but Kennedy works better as a non-smiling, non-movie promoting jerk and Boogeyman works better as one of the roster cuts.

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