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SMACKDOWN HITS

Benjamin vs. Truth: This was a good showing for R-Truth, possibly his best since returning to WWE. He and Shelton Benjamin worked well together and put on a good 7 minute match. Truth is getting good reactions from the crowds, although last week's was a bit stronger than this week's. I loved Benjamin's facial reactions to Truth's rapping on the way to the ring. The match itself featured good mat wrestling and athleticism. After a few so-so matches (not good, not bad) it was the start of what would turn out to be a pretty good week of in ring action. The ending was strong as Truth got the leverage pin out of a German suplex reversal. It seems early to give Truth a feud for a Title, but Benjamin needs a strong challenger, so it may work out.

Helms' Soundbites: It was good to see Gregory Helms back on WWE t.v., even in such an odd way. I enjoyed his quick bubble soundbites this week. It is an interesting way to reintroduce him to the fans as he gets closer to being ready to return to the ring. They were amusing, pointing to the possibility that WWE will be utilizing Helms' sense of humor. And, it means that he is returning soon which is a good thing.

Hardy vs. Kendrick: This was another good match. Jeff Hardy gave a good promo before hand, and The Brian Kendrick was good in interrupting that promo as well. I continue to enjoy seeing Kendrick get a push. He is very talented and is showing that his talents go beyond the ring. The match had a lot of nice high energy offense, but also plenty of in ring psychology as well. I would have liked to see the match go longer. With the commercial, we didn't get to see enough of the match. But, what we saw was good while it lasted. It was a bit disappointing that the match ended with a backslide after the leverage pin in the previous match, but that is a minor point. It is important to keep Kendrick strong right now. I certainly wouldn't complain about seeing a prolonged feud between these two down the line.

Carlito's Cabana: Last week, I would have given the pairing of Carlito and Primo Colon a Miss. It made little sense to me that after introducing Primo on Raw and having him bad mouth his brother, that they would then switch him to Smackdown to team with his brother. But, there is definitely some potential there. They had a good showing on the Cabana. They played off each other well. I loved the arguments like when Primo stole Carlito's line, and when Primo claimed to be the co-host while Carlito told him he was a special guest. They got some good lines in about Hawkins & Ryder too. This might turn out to be a good way to get Primo's career going, before he branches out as a singles wrestler, while giving Carlito something to do.

Main Event: Triple H vs. MVP was a good 14 minute Main Event for Smackdown. It went a good amount of time, and featured solid in ring action. Montel Vontavious Porter was very good early on in playing the hot dog role as he got off to a good start in the match. Triple H was good in turning the tables on MVP with a little imitation. MVP continues to show that he understands how to tell a story in the ring and pick apart a body part, this time focusing on Triple H's shoulder. I liked that when Triple H started his usual comeback, MVP was able to cut it off by luring Triple H to the outside and ramming his head into the announce table. It is a slight change up from a typical Game match that makes it more interesting. It is a small thing, but an important one. The ending was a little weak as MVP never goes to the top rope. That was cheesy and a different ending would have made the match better. However, it was still a good t.v. Main Event.

Use of Kozlov: WWE is doing a good job of building up Vladimir Kozlov as a big heel. He is undefeated, and he still has never been tested. I am intrigued at how he has interjected himself into the Hardy vs. Triple H match at No Mercy. I hope it doesn't turn into a triple threat match, but it is still raising some interesting possibilities. His surprise kick to Hardy after Hardy's match was very well executed. It really seemed to come out of nowhere. I also liked at the end when he came out to challenge Triple H, that neither guy backed down. Of course, we all knew that Trips wouldn't back down. But, how many times have we seen a heel act all tough, come out to stare down a babyface, only to back down in the end? We saw The Great Khali do it to the Big Show earlier this year. Kozlov really wants the competition, which is making him a credible heel. I still don't think he can put on good matches, but time will tell.

SMACKDOWN MISSES

Guerreros, Show, Undertaker: I did not like the build to an eventual Big Show vs. Undertaker match at all. It was cheesy and encompassed several segments. I got sick and tired of having them watch the same footage from Unforgiven over and over again. It got redundant after about the second time. The whole "fake Undertaker" POV shot was silly, along with the reveal that it was Chavo Guerrero imitating the Dead Man. Didn't Chavo abandon Vickie a few weeks back? Didn't all of La Familia abandon her? Isn't that why she needed Big Show's protection in the first place? So, why are they hanging out with her again, and why is she not punishing them for abandoning her? All of this could have been ignored accept for the very end, with the real Undertaker's POV shot over Chavo's back. That was terrible. The whole thing was bad.

My Moving Company: I guess WWE needed something creative to remind the fans that they are moving Smackdown to MyNetwork, but this use of Jesse & Festus is stupid. It really is a waste of t.v. time. It doesn't make them look good, and it makes their opponents look bad. Not that Ryan Braddock looked good before. He is just a jobber. But, it is still silly. Are we going to see it again next week? I am sure we will. And, I am also sure I won't enjoy it any more than I did the last two weeks.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

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