By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

SMACKDOWN HITS

Opening Segment: This is a marginal Hit for the shock factor of Jack Swagger cashing in Money in the Bank and becoming the new World Champion against Chris Jericho. I'm a fan of Swagger and last year when WWE gave Sheamus a push and the WWE Title, I thought Swagger was more deserving. So, I'm happy to see him as Champion, but it seems like he should have been elevated more before winning. Something can be said for shooting him to the top, but if you lay the ground work, you have a better chance at a successful Title reign. I'm willing to see what WWE does with him as Champion. The rest of the opening was just ok. The mic work from Jericho and Edge was far from their best. The physicality set up Swagger's appearance. I loved how the referee was clearing the ring before starting the match. Swagger was great in showing impatience as he was worried that Jericho might recover while the referee took too much time.

State of Championship Address: WWE did a nice job of following up on Swagger's surprise Championship victory by treating it like a big deal. He had a ton of camera time walking around in the back gloating to various wrestlers and talking to Vickie Guerrero. Then came his State of the World Championship Address. Swagger has shown some skill on the mic, so having him read was a bit odd, but it worked in this case. I like how he started by saying this was the first of many Addresses he would make as Champion. He did a nice job of improvising when the fans interrupted his prepared remarks with boos. I absolutely loved his line about replacing Shawn Michaels as the greatest wrestler in the world. That was an instant heat generating line. The segment continued nicely with the appearances by Jericho and Edge. Teddy Long's announcement for a #1 conterdership match next week was ok, but I assume they are heading for a triple threat after what will likely be a non-finish. The segment and the show also had a strong ending with Swagger standing tall after hitting both Edge and Jericho with the gut-wrench power bomb (which needs a name, and Swagger Bomb doesn't count).

SMACKDOWN MISSES

Cryme Tyme Split: I don't have much of a problem with splitting up Cryme Tyme, although they are an established team who get decent reactions from the crowd. It would be nice if WWE actually built something with their tag teams, but we should not expect that. I'm not a huge fan of the team, so I won't miss them. But, you have to do a better job of building to this moment. This came out of nowhere (after a ridiculously short match which was a theme of the night, but I am mostly ignoring it two days after WrestleMania). WWE has done nothing to hint at a break up. I guess they wanted it to be a total surprise, which can work. But in order for it to work, you have to make the team a bigger deal than it has been. You have to make the surprise turn a big deal by having the fans angry over the new heel, in this case Shad Gaspard. It felt more like an afterthought as if the writers thought of it the morning of the taping.

Khali vs. Ziggler: I should be giving The Great Khali a Hit for leaving Smackdown to go back to India to regroup. However, he plans on returning so I won't. I also won't give this match a Hit. Instead, Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler finds itself in the Miss column. I just don't like the sleeper as a finisher. I like submission finishers, but it seems like wrestling has evolved since the days of Brutus "the barber" Beefcake. Wrestling should be moving forwards, not backwards. This is the same move the Dread Pirate Roberts used to defeat the giant Fezzik 23 years ago. Plus, Khali looked like a total fool for slowly backing up into position in the corner for Ziggler to apply the sleeper in the first place.

Punk's Challenge: This is a personal thing with me, but I have always hated hair vs. hair matches. They are a staple of wrestling and have been for a long time. But, I hate them. Hair grows back. Usually, the wrestler looks better with shorter hair. It is treated as such a major stipulation, when it is pretty pointless. I understand that it is humiliating for the loser, but I don't care. It is a lame stipulation. Now to transition from the general to the specific. I don't understand why Rey Mysterio would say yes to this. What does he care of CM Punk cuts his hair? Punk never mentioned that Mysterio would have to join the Straight Edge Society if he loses like at WrestleMania, so is this just his hair vs. nothing on the line? Mysterio has the power, so nothing should be on the line for him in this situation, but that doesn't make for compelling tv. WWE rushed into the stipulation where Mysterio might have to join the SES for their first match, and this is what they are left with now.

Kane vs. NXT: I don't understand this at all. I am honestly torn over the concept of having the NXT rookies wrestle on either Raw or Smackdown. On the one hand, it is good exposure for them being seen by a much larger tv audience than on Tuesday night. On the other hand, the idea of NXT is to win the opportunity to wrestle on Raw or Smackdown as a full time member of the WWE roster, so why should they get to do it in the meantime?. Moving beyond that and looking at this match, I don't get what WWE was going for. If they wanted to make the collective eight rookies look weak, then mission accomplished. Wade Barrett, the biggest of the rookies was pinned after a big boot? That doesn't make him look credible at all. None of the rookies could do anything against Kane. That does make some sense. Once you decide to book this match, you have booked yourself into a corner and this is what is going to happen. It doesn't make them look good. If you wanted to make them all look like heels, then again mission accomplished. This did nothing to establish their characters or their moves with the audience. They aren't getting much opportunity to do either on NXT, and you wasted an opportunity. If you are going to give them a chance on Smackdown, let them make something of it.

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

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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