By Lee Stevens, Torch specialist

Thank you for joining me as put Smackdown "Under The Microscope." This is not a complete recap of the show, instead it's a closer and usually offbeat look at Friday's broadcast.

Tag, you're it

The Tag Team Championships took a prominent position on the show, perhaps the most attention the belts have received this year. The Hart Dynasty and Cryme Tyme faced off for the right to face Chris Jericho and Big Show at Summerslam. During their match, Todd Grisham ran down the credentials of each team, acknowledging one rather large gap on Cryme Tyme's resume. "They've never won a tag team championship," insisted Grisham. If you're only counting official WWE gold, then Grisham is correct, however Shad and JTG can claim a pair of reigns with the OVW Southern Tag Team Championships. Although they've never won the WWE belts, they did hold them for a brief time as they stole them from then-Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.

A small detail worth recognition is Cryme Tyme's reaction to the victory. When JTG got the pin, he didn't jump up in a cocky style and immediately go into a pre-planned victory celebration. Instead, he seemed genuinely excited about the win and what it meant for his team at the upcoming pay-per-view. It was a very believable win with seemingly honest emotions.

Unified Uniforms

Last week, I saluted Chris Jericho and Big Show walking to the ring dressed in similarly professional outfits, but I questioned whether they needed two separate introductions featuring two separate songs. On Friday, they continued to look the part and now they sounded like Unified Champions as they walked to the ring accompanied by a new remix combining their identifiable songs.

Maybe he said "In shorts?"

While Jericho and Show were listing their various accomplishments, Jericho bragged that they were "the most powerful duo in sports." I probably wasn't the only one waiting for the word 'entertainment' to be added at the end of the sentence. We have apparently moved from 'wrestling' to 'this business' to 'sports entertainment' to 'sports.' Granted, this was a reflection of their interaction with Shaquille O'Neal and dismissing the anticipated success of the partnership of O'Neal and LeBron James, but it was still an interesting choice of words.

Don't forget when you were 'Miss Winnipeg'

The Big Show and Jericho continued their verbal assault on Cryme Tyme by adding that they have "40 titles between us." Show also correctly added that he is the only wrestler to have held the WWE, WCW, and ECW Heavyweight Titles.

As for the number 40...

-- Jericho brings 26 to the mix ...
9 Intercontinental Championships
5 Tag Team Championships
4 WCW Cruiserweight Titles
2 WCW Heavyweight Championships
2 World Heavyweight Championships
1 European Championship
1 Hardcore Championship
1 WCW TV Title
1 ECW World Television Championship

-- The Big Show will add the following:
4 World Tag Team Championships
3 WCW World Tag Team Championships
3 Hardcore Championships
2 WWE Championships
1 U.S. Championship
1 ECW World Heavyweight Championship
2 WCW World Heavyweight Championships

Add in his 16 and you actually end up with 42 titles between them. It's probably not a question of addition as much as a question of which titles they are recognizing. Regardless of the final count, it's an impressive number and I hope they continue to look upon this title reign as an accomplishment. It can only mean good things for the future of the belts.

Told you, I did. Reckless is he. Size matters not.

The Microscope awards partial credit to Cryme Tyme for their insulting way of referring to the Tag Team Champs as Han Solo and Chewbacca. Shad Gaspard went on to do a very respectable imitation of Chewy in an obvious dig at Big Show. Only partial credit simply because Han Solo was terribly cool and that does nothing to hurt Jericho.

Remember, "Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy."

As for the furry sidekick, Chewbacca was reportedly inspired by George Lucas' dog who would ride in the front seat of the director's car. The dog's name? Indiana, also the inspiration for another Harrison Ford character, Indiana Jones.

As for the very identifiable sounds, Shad did it on his own, but the Star Wars production team used a composite of various animal noises, including walruses, camels, and bears.

Music break!

Jim Ross called Melina's victory "a primal scream into a primal pin."

Primal Scream is a Scottish band who has had music featured on several movie soundtracks including "Trainspotting" and on Video Game soundtracks such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Later, Ross was complimenting Finlay's physical style by claiming that "I like smashmouth."

Smash Mouth had several hits in the '90s, including "Walkin' on the Sun," "All Star," and "Can't Get Enough of you Baby." They also contributed music to soundtracks, although a movie with not much in common with "Trainspotting." Their remake of "I'm a Believer" appeared on the soundtrack for "Shrek."

...and now, on with the countdown.

Bruno Was Straight Edge

Leave it to Jim Ross to serve as the Chamber of Commerce for Baltimore by giving us the proper historical perspective before the Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison title match. He reminded us that three years ago, the two squared off in a Ladder match.

Morrison was still Johnny Nitro at the time and he dedicated his match to Kevin Federline, who was involved in a feud with John Cena. Hardy was also victorious in that match as he held on to his Intercontinental Title after the match from November of 2006.

Ross would rewind even earlier as he scored the "On Vince McMahon's List" double feature by mentioning "Superstar" Billy Graham and Bruno Sammartino's championship match in Baltimore from 1977. Graham won the belt from Sammartino on April 30 of that year, kicking off a reign which lasted until Bob Backlund took the belt from him the following year.

Graham ended Sammartino's second run with the title. This was not his historic eight-year stint as Champion, which had been ended by Ivan Koloff years ago. Sammartino's second time with the title started when he defeated Stan Stasiak, a championship he held for roughly three-and-a- half years before being pinned by Graham in the match held in Baltimore. For the record, Graham did have his feet on the ropes.

The People Have Spoken!

Thank you to everyone who voted in this week's Smackdown Microscope Poll. From time to time, I worry about taking liberties with the show and going in unique directions. I worry that I am not respecting wrestling history enough and I am concerned that readers will think I'm not taking the subject seriously.

Then I saw the voting results. Instead of a historical perspective on Davey Boy Smith or a rare look at Russ Haas, 35 percent of you voted for "Your Mama." I guess we can be serious another time.

Even William Shakespeare saw the potential power in a mother insult. In Titus Andronicus, Aaron digs his lover's sons with the following exchange.

Demetrius: "Villain, what hast thou done?"
Aaron: "That which thou canst not undo."
Chiron: "Thou hast undone our mother."
Aaron: "Villain, I have done thy mother."

Or in other words, "Your Mama."

Although making fun of someone's mother has been popular even back to Shakespeare's time, the "Your Mama" jabs enjoyed a rise in popularity in the early 1990s. Pharcyde released a song in 1992 entitled "Ya Mama" and there was a TV show called Yo Momma which featured contestants traded insults. The Australian group Butterfingers released a song called "Yo Mama" in 2004.

The more recent versions of the insult usually take the form of "your mama's so fat, so ugly, so stupid" or some other negative characteristic.

Although Mama's haven't played a significant part in WWE TV, Shelton Benjamin had his "Mama" walk him to the ring in 2006. The role was actually played by actress Thea Vidale, who left WWE after being scared by The Big Show. She returned briefly to help Benjamin win the Intercontinental Championship, but then left WWE.

For the record, I'm sure "your Mama" is quite charming, attractive, and in good physical shape.

Lee Stevens examines Raw and Smackdown with "Under The Microscope." He misses the comments section. E-mail him at GLStevens.Torch@gmail.com

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