JBL, MVP, and Mysterio: After the bad very beginning of the show (more later), Smackdown picked up nicely with John Bradshaw Layfield’s special presentation to Montel Vontavious Porter. JBL was his usual great self on the mic, doing a great job of putting over MVP. MVP was good as you would expect as well. They did a nice job of covering why he took out Matt Hardy (there is some confusion though, is he out due to a knee injury, or due to an emergency appendectomy?). Rey Mysterio showed up as I suspected to crash the party. Rey did a good job with his verbal interplay with MVP, which is his strong suit as opposed to cutting a solo promo. He brought an intensity to the segment to counter balance the somewhat goofy self congratulatory tone that it had.
MVP vs. Mysterio: MVP and Mysterio had a good night. Not only were they involved in that nice segment early in the show, but they also put on a good match. I was looking forward to this match, and was a little surprised that it came right away. But, it delivered and I can’t complain about Smackdown putting on a match of this caliber. It went a good length and had very good action. It went back and forth, and the traditional Rey beat down seemed less heavy handed than normal. Both guys put a lot of effort into the match. I was surprised to see a finish, but since it wasn’t clean, there is plenty of reason for Rey to continue coming after MVP. I look forward to more matches between these two.
Jamie Noble: Noble continues to be very entertaining. His backstage segment with Michelle McCool was very good. I groaned a bit when I saw him, since I naturally assumed he would be jobbing to Chuck Palumbo, but I was still entertained by his interaction with McCool. His match with Palumbo was solid. I was pleasantly surprised to see him pick up the clean win. His flirting with McCool after the match was fun too. I am not a fan of Palumbo, but this has a chance to develop into a nice feud.
Finlay: I enjoyed Finlay’s interaction with Vince McMahon on Smackdown much more than I enjoyed their interaction on Raw. I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t into it on Raw, but I was on Smackdown. His use of Hornswoggle during the handicap match against Mark Henry was fun as well. WWE has done a nice job of turning him face, and the fans are giving him a good reaction. I am more intrigued now to see exactly what this “deal” that he had with McMahon was. Of course, The Great Khali’s involvement will bring this storyline down at least a peg or two.
Final Segment: The show had a strong ending with the Cutting Edge segment. Edge was right, I was glad to see him back. It is great to have him back again. Edge cut a nice promo to start things off, then introduced Batista who came out and delivered very well. His short, intense and to the point promo was very strong. It was a good set up for their match next week. When he left with so much time left before 10:00, I knew that Undertaker was out next, and he was. His tombstone on Vickie Guerrero seemed to come too quickly. It was well done, in that he took his time, giving Edge ample time to try to come to the ring to save her. Edge played his part well, looking legitimately concerned for her. But, it was too quick after the sudden heel turn to start the show. Other than that, it was a good way to end.
SMACKDOWN MISSES
Edge and Vickie Guerrero: Their make out session was nearly vomit inducing. I guess it is supposed to be, but I still don’t need to see it. Vickie hasn’t impressed me as the General Manager, and nothing changed here. She isn’t very good. Her involvement with Edge seems out of place. It also cements her as just another heel GM, which is very played out. Edge is a big enough star that he shouldn’t need her to help him win another World Championship. He has won the big titles three times, but twice it has been in a very underhanded way, and the other time it was in a triple threat match. He should be able to win the Title in a more decisive way than having the GM of Smackdown in bed with him.
Kane vs. Big Daddy V: This is not a surprise, but once again, Kane and Big Daddy V delivered a bad match. It was short, which is good, but it was bad. I am sick of this feud, and the worst part is that we are seeing it play out twice each week. If they kept it only to either ECW or Smackdown it would be much better. But, it is overkill to see them face twice in a week, when once is bad enough.
Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hitlist Specialist, providing his point of view in the Torch's hitlist format for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.
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