TV REPORTS WWE SMACKDOWN ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 3/6: Mezzera, Parks, Stevens rate and review
Mar 7, 2009 - 7:25:54 PM
PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY
Jon Mezzera, PWTorch.com Contributor (5.0)
This was a decent Smackdown. There was a good amount to like, but also a good amount to dislike. Much of what there was to like centered around the Hardy brothers. It was a good build to their eventual match, between Jeff Hardy's good scene with Vickie Guerrero, Matt Hardy's pre-match promo, and the results of the two Money in the Bank qualifiers. The two qualifiers themselves were good, particularly Matt vs. MVP. The one bad thing about this build was the way that Matt cost Jeff in his match against Shelton Benjamin. It makes the referee look bad for disqualifying Jeff when that was so obviously Matt's intention. That shows the up and down nature of this show.
The other ups were the contract signing with Vickie, Edge, The Big Show, and John Cena. It featured good mic work from Edge and Show, and played up the ongoing speculation about a possible affair between Vickie and Show. Cena's unannounced appearance was strong. I was very intrigued when he whispered into Vickie's ear. I also liked the end of the show with Legacy standing tall over Triple H, despite them overdoing it with Triple H foaming at the mouth.
The downs on this show were the poor opening with Undertaker's promo. He talked too much for his character. The interruption by the Shawn Michaels video was awkward. I also didn't like how Undertaker talked about Michaels as if he were some punk kid trying to make a name for himself at Undertaker's expense. Another down was Maryse vs. Eve Torres which was just a bad match. Another was the immense number of videos shown on the show. I won't recap them here (you can read by Hits & Misses for that), but I will say that there were too many, most of which we've seen numerous times before, and they took away from time that should have been given to add some actual wrestling content (which was very low) to this show.
Greg Parks, PWTorch.com Contributor (5.5)
Was there anyone REALLY pining for Big Show being in the title match at Wrestlemania, especially after last week's incredibly boring match with John Cena? At least he handled himself well on the mic this week and clearly Cena will be added to the match. I don't really care how many times they've run with Edge vs. Cena, I'd rather see that one-on-one match than have Show added in.
Undertaker had a solid promo to start the show, which established a baseline for his feud with Shawn Michaels. Matt Hardy vs. MVP was a fine match and when he lost, it became clear Jeff would lose later on, though Jeff had the better match of the brothers. I didn't like the DQ in that match either- refs should be instructed (in storyline terms) to use the DQ at their discretion. This incident did not call for its use. Maryse vs. Eve was bad; Eve has shown she can perform OK with someone decent across the ring from her and Maryse is still kinda learning the ropes too even though she's improved lately. It made for a mess of a match.
Triple H vs. Umaga was a nothing match, and the post-match beating on Triple H went on too long and was rife with overacting on HHH's part. I love how they just COULDN'T KEEP HIM DOWN. And Orton kicking Triple H in the head with his concussion kick would've given him an advantage at WM; knowing Triple H, it wouldn't completely keep him off the show.
Lee Stevens, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)
This was a case of good intentions with bad results. I wanted to hear from The Undertaker, but when he was talking about opponents trying to make a name for themselves, I couldn't help but think that Shawn Michaels is pretty well established, thank you. I also didn't understand the "mind games" Undertaker mentioned. Stealing the urn? Maybe. Accusing him of killing his parents? Sure. Running a video resume showing why they call you Mr. WrestleMania? I don't think it really threw him much.
I was pleased that they saved Umaga from taking the pin with Triple H, but are you telling me that Shane McMahon could fend off all three members of The Legacy, but The Game couldn't? The beat-down was the right thing to do, but after setting up the face that Triple H couldn't touch Randy Orton on Raw, we jumped to a physical confrontation a bit sooner than I liked.
We've seen better from MVP and Matt Hardy which is another reason the smaller roster hurts. Too many repeat match-ups bring an inevitable comparison. The Divas match was uncomfortable in the ring and on the microphone. The contract signing was decent (mandatory overturning of the table? Check.), but The Big Show seems like an unnecessary add-on.
My favorite moment of the show was Matt Hardy turning his back on his brother and just standing there daring him to attack. It was a very cool, calculated move and I'm learning to like the Hardy turn.
THE TORCH REACHES MORE COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT FANS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling full time since 1987 starting with the Pro Wrestling Torch print newsletter. PWTorch.com launched in 1999 and the PWTorch Apps launched in 2008.
He has conducted "Torch Talk" insider interviews with Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Eric Bischoff, Jesse Ventura, Lou Thesz, Jerry Lawler, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Paul Heyman, Bruno Sammartino, Goldberg, more.
He has interviewed big-name players in person incluiding Vince McMahon (at WWE Headquarters), Dana White (in Las Vegas), Eric Bischoff (at the first Nitro at Mall of America), Brock Lesnar (after his first UFC win).
He hosted the weekly Pro Wrestling Focus radio show on KFAN in the early 1990s and hosted the Ultimate Insiders DVD series distributed in retail stories internationally in the mid-2000s including interviews filmed in Los Angeles with Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara and Matt & Jeff Hardy. He currently hosts the most listened to pro wrestling audio show in the world, (the PWTorch Livecast, top ranked in iTunes)
REACHING 1 MILLION+ UNIQUE USERS PER MONTH
500 MILLION CLICKS & LISTENS PER YEAR
MILLIONS OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTERS SOLD
PWTorch offers a VIP membership for $10 a month (or less with an annual sub). It includes nearly 25 years worth of archives from our coverage of pro wrestling dating back to PWTorch Newsletters from the late-'80s filled with insider secrets from every era that are available to VIPers in digital PDF format and Keller's radio show from the early 1990s.
Also, new exclusive top-shelf content every day including a new VIP-exclusive weekly 16 page digital magazine-style (PC and iPad compatible) PDF newsletter packed with exclusive articles and news.
The following features come with a VIP membership which tens of thousands of fans worldwide have enjoyed for many years...
-New Digital PWTorch Newsletter every week
-3 New Digital PDF Back Issues from 5, 10, 20 years ago
-Over 60 new VIP Audio Shows each week
-Ad-free access to all PWTorch.com free articles
-VIP Forum access with daily interaction with PWTorch staff and well-informed fellow wrestling fans
-Tons of archived audio and text articles
-Decades of Torch Talk insider interviews in transcript and audio formats with big name stars. **SIGN UP FOR VIP ACCESS HERE**