PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category





WE ARE A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999




prowrestling.NET

WANT MORE NEWS? JASON POWELL, A TEN YEAR VETERAN INSIDER FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL REPORTER, BREAKS NEWS AND OFFERS INSIDER INSIGHT EVERY DAY

MMATORCH.com

CLICK FOR DAILY UFC NEWS, UFC PPV LIVE COVERAGE, DAILY PODCASTS, BLOGS




The Specialists
11/23 WWE Smackdown Hitlist: MVP vs. Mysterio, Noble, Finlay, Edge and Vickie
Nov 24, 2007 - 7:03:27 PM


Email This Article - Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

| subscribe to this feed

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

SMACKDOWN HITS

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.

Comment on this Article Below

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

(CLICK FOR COMMENTS RULES OR TO REPORT ABUSE)

ALSO DISCUSS MORE SUBJECTS IN OUR PWTORCH FREE FORUM

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA!
VISIT OUR AFFILIATE - PROWRESTLING.NET


For UFC NEWS & BLOGS:
VISIT OUR SISTER SITE - MMATORCH.COM

Upgrade to PWTORCH VIP: DETAILS & SIGN-UP INFO


MORE "The Specialists" ARTICLES
1/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Finlay vs. Swagger, Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
1/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Michaels - Cena, IC Title Match, Legacy, Main Event
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/5 WWE Raw: HBK's "history," Axiomatic Jericho, Substantial Penalty for Early Withdrawal
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE RAW 1/5: Thou shall not come off the top rope, Conflicted HBK, Evil Kelly Kelly, Chumpy Punky
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/2 WWE Smackdown: Triple H selling eBay pics, Not-so-hot history of Smackdown GMs, Paging Boris Zhukov
KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK (highly recommended read!): U.S. Government Remembers the Wrestling Industry
1/2 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: McCool, Edge's Promo, Helms Loses, Big Show & Edge vs. Hardys
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE SMACKDOWN 1/2: Trips plays with Dolls, Kozlov = New Khali, Scary Debut of Kizarny, Saturation, Snail Races
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/1 TNA IMPACT: The perfect example of how to present a best-of show
WWE Misses of 2008: Suspensions, Coach, Adamle, Khali Kiss Cam
The 1st Annual Absurd Awards: Awarding the Very Best and the Very Absurd of both WWE and TNA in 2008
WWE Hits of 2008 - Flair Farewell, Miz & Morrison, Michaels vs. Jericho
12/30 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Dirt Sheet, Finlay & Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 12/30 WWE RAW: JBL-HBK employee relations, How to play Hunter's Monopoly Game, Who played Charlie Snuka's coconut?
ECW Storylines and Feuds - A short edition as WWE wraps up many of the brand's ongoing rivalries
Raw Storylines and Feuds - A look at a possible feud collision, plus a rundown of all the other rivalries
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - Full analysis on a chaotic main event landscape and more
12/29 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Glamarella, Haas vs. Snuka, Kelly & Orton, Fatal 4 Way
THE ABSURDITY OF IT ALL - WWE RAW 12/29: HBK Melodrama Mania, Designing Raw For Five Year Olds, Mr. Fuzzy Is A Year Old!
MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Making house shows more important - use TV to hype local events

(c) 1999-2008 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Latest Free Podcasts
PWTorch Free Podcast
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
1/4 East Coast Audio: Smackdown - Sputtering Show, Vickie pics, Kizarny debut (7 min. clip)
1/3 Radican Audio Showcase with Burgan (pt. 2): Radican and Burgan are joined by Torch VIP member DrunkNinjaMast2 for his in-person perspective of ROH's Final Battle 2008. (FREE 5 min. CLIP!)
NEW VIP FEATURE: Vintage Audio Torch Talk Series - Keller's 68 minute British Bulldog interview from 1993 (never-before-heard!) - FREE 7 MINUTE CLIP
1/3 Radican Audio Showcase with Burgan: Reader mail, Mitchell announcement, Derek reviews The Wrestler and big picture analysis, special listener thank you, more! (FREE 5 MIN. CLIP!)




ARE YOU VIP? SIGN UP NOW FOR $7.50 A MONTH FOR INSTANT ACCESS TO AD-FREE, BENEFIT-PACKED VIP VERSION OF PWTORCH.COM (see screen capture)
PWTORCH VIP HOME PAGE

INFO ON SUBSCRIPTION TO AD-FREE VIP SITE

INCREDIBLE BENEFITS!
Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business... SIGN ME UP NOW!


PWTORCH READER POLL

Who was the MVP of the Jan. 5 Raw if you saw the event?
John Cena
Chris Jericho
Randy Orton
Shawn Michaels
JBL
Stephanie McMahon
Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston
Cody Rhodes
Sim Snuka
Manu
Kelly Kelly
Jillian Hall
Melina and/or Goldust
Santino & Beth Phoenix
William Regal
C.M. Punk
Cryme Tyme
The Miz & John Morrison
Kane
  

VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
PWTORCH YEAR-END VOTING ANNOUNCEMENT: Torch readers nominate top picks for major categories
NEW APP NEWS: Announcing a second pro wrestling news app (free) available for download as of this week
TORCH TODAY RECAP 1/6: Every News Item for Tuesday in one handy guide
WWE News
WWE News: First TNA, now WWE could be severely affected by Time Warner Cable
WWE News: John Cena's "12 Rounds" movie poster released here; Analysis of the importance of Cena's movie
WWE News: JBL comments on "The Wrestler" movie; describes drug testing performed by WWE through Wellness Policy
TNA News
TNA News: Profile of new TNA Knockout appearing on Thursday's Impact against Awesome Kong (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: Rhino discusses wrestling Kurt Angle, his time in WWE, future of TNA
TNA News: TNA heavily discounting tickets for Sunday's PPV with three ticket offers
ROH News
ROH News: Cary Silkin discusses WrestleMania weekend fan convention, Gabe Sapolsky firing, Paul London and TV deal rumors
ROH News: Latest Video Wire footage of Austin Aries attacking Tyler Black; steel cage match promos (w/VIDEO)
ROH News: Sapolsky DVD trailer released, New Sapolsky blog entry
Other News
Other News: Why "The Wrestler" was almost scrapped; wrestlers who were used to model Mickey Rourke's character
Other News: Notes from "The Wrestler" U.K. premiere - Mickey Rourke describes most difficult scene; conflict with Marisa Tomei
Where Is He Now: Former U.S. champion Mongo McMichael lined up for NFL coaching job
PPV Reports
KELLER'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event - John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
CALDWELL'S WWE ARMAGEDDON PPV REPORT 12/14: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
TNA Final Resolution ALT PERSPECTIVE mini-recap by Wilkenfeld
TV Reports
1/6 ECW on Sci-Fi Report: Mayer's "alt perspective" report on Swagger vs. Finlay, Hardy vs. Henry, Kennedy DVD drinking game
CALDWELL'S ECW TV REPORT 1/6: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of WWE Sci-Fi show featuring Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry ...again
WWE RAW ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 1/5: Caldwell, Parks, Stevens rate and review
Arena Reports
12/30 WWE Smackdown Taping Results: Full results of Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 editions taped in New Jersey
12/28 WWE in New York City: John Cena cage match and crowd reaction, Team Rey vs. Team Orton, HBK vs. Kane
12/27 WWE in Trenton, N.J.: John Cena vs. Chris Jericho, Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels, Jack Swagger real deal
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMATorch Briefing: Fight announcements, contributor editorials, ESPN.com covers UFC's attempts at New York regulation
UFC 92 PPV Coverage: Detailed team coverage of Frank Mir vs. Nogueria, Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson, Brock Lesnar at ringside
MMATorch Quick Hit: Penick's Fight Night 16 coverage
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: John Cena is the perfect son Vince McMahon never had
KELLER: WWE lacks basic human decency and judgment one again as they tease: Jeff Hardy might be dead! Stay tuned for update!
KELLER: ROH's new "subscription" plan falls short in about every regard for its fans
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL: Kayfabe Commentaries Owner Disputes My Characterization of Iron Sheik Roast DVD
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 12/29: Stream of Manu Out, Shawn Michaels Sold Out, C.M. Punk Counted Out, and JBL On Top
MITCHELL SHORT: Statistics and Superlatives From WWE Smackdown/ECW Greensboro N.C. House Show
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Tougher Than Chinese Democracy: McNEILL Previews WWE Armageddon 2008!
McNEILL's Mailbag: On WrestleMania, Punk & The DiBiases
Deja Vu All Over Again: McNEILL previews TNA Final Resolution 2.0!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S Daily Word 1/1: Happy New Year, HBK employee program, McMahon and Torch reader response to "The Wrestler"
CALDWELL: Christmas edition of Impact showed TNA's contempt for itself as a pro wrestling promotion
CALDWELL'S MEDIA CLUB: Eddie Guerrero DVD review series - final overview of WWE-produced DVD on Eddie's life and career
RADICAN'S TAKE
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #1 Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Age of the Fall from Driven PPV
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #2 Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries from Rising Above 2008
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #3 Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black
The Specialists
1/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Finlay vs. Swagger, Boogeyman, Hardy vs. Henry
1/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Michaels - Cena, IC Title Match, Legacy, Main Event
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - 1/5 WWE Raw: HBK's "history," Axiomatic Jericho, Substantial Penalty for Early Withdrawal
Guest Editorials
GUEST REVIEW: "The Wrestler" will make manly men cry, Mickey Rourke makes you believe he's a wrestler
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "con" argument - Insulting to fans with real economic issues
EDITORIAL: JBL/Shawn Michaels "pro" argument - Suspend disbelief and enjoy the mic work
Torch Feedback
WWE Raw Reax #2: "Raw was the story of little things adding up to equal big things."
WWE Raw Reax #1: "Angry and conflicted Shawn Michaels is much more effective than sad, facially twitching Michaels"
ECW TV Reax #1: "There was nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive in the last episode of 2008."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
RADICAN: Iron Sheik gets roasted and hilarity (and controversy!) ensue
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW: Return Engagement (Ibushi-Generico, Briscoes vs. Shelley & Sabin)
RADICAN: Last Call with Raven & Sandman dissapoints despite fantastic production and high expectations
Torch Flashbacks
RATINGS: Vintage 1988 PWTorch ratings of top singles, top tag teams, top all-time masked wrestlers
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (12-29-03): Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H for 30 minutes, Lita & Trish & Stacy, Mick Foley and Steve Austin
POWELL (2003 Flashback): Rock refuses to wrestle Cena at WrestleMania, but he's earned right to reject proposed match
VIP Exclusive Features
1/5 Daily Keller Hotline: In-depth walk through Raw with the pros and cons of the current direction and storylines (22 min.)
Tazz wins title on ECW TItle, Keller's ECW Roster Evaluation, Monday Raw Ratings Battle - 1999 PWTorch Newsletter Back Issue (PDF and Text Formats!)
Nash lays down for Hogan, Keller's WCW Roster Evaluation, Schiavone-Foley comment - 1999 PWTorch Newsletter Back Issue (PDF and Text Formats!)
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 1/7: Checking your WCW Saturday Night knowledge - main event 14 years ago
TORCH TRIVIA 1/6: Answer to the main event of the first Raw of 2002 when Triple H returned from his quad injury
TORCH TRIVIA 1/6: What was the main event of the first Raw of 2002 when Triple H returned from his quad injury?
Torch Instant Polls
Who was the MVP of the Jan. 5 Raw if you saw the event?
Rate the 1/5 WWE Raw on a 0-10 scale if you saw the event
Who was the MVP of the Dec. 29 Raw if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
1/7 East Coast Audio: ECW - Two fine matches, Alicia's debut loss, Boogey is Boogey, End of Hardy vs. Henry? (7 min. clip)
1/5 WWE Raw post-game Show: HBK delivers again, When Bam Neely was relevant, Who's the Boss? (7 min. audio clip)
1/4 East Coast Audio: Smackdown - Sputtering Show, Vickie pics, Kizarny debut (7 min. clip)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart