Instant Reaction - WWE Smackdown 5/4
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 6.5

Smackdown has this issue every year - because of the lack of a large roster, the show starts to develop storylines that never seem to end or move on when they should. And, while tonight was a decent show, some negative signs are starting to arise, exemplified by the Orton & Show vs. Kane & Rhodes tag match tonight. Two storylines that serve no purpose but to simply exist. It's never-ending stories like these that can make Smackdown over the summer a bit dull to watch. The match was fine, as was the show in general, but it is falling into that summer "boring and repetitive" trap.

That being said, it's not like there wasn't a lot to like tonight. Damien Sandow had a great promo, and Ryback had another good squash (but is he a face or heel now?). The Divas match was a throwaway, as well as Brodus's match, but the two were decent buffer segments during the show. Teddy's humiliation saga is starting to drag a bit, but as of now it hasn't quite overstayed its welcome. I mean, more than it already has - there's a story like this once every couple of years as it is. And, at least it's being used as a vehicle to get Antonio Cesaro over. The tag team champs's match was acceptable, but wasn't much more than filler.

The only real talking point for this show involved the World Title. While it ended up leading to a great main event match, I'm confused as to why they'd muddy up the World Title stories by having Bryan challenge for the World Title just days after winning the number one contendership for the WWE Title. And, on top of that, he lost! How is this going to make people want to see Punk vs. Bryan? Once again, I have no doubt that it'll be a great match, but Bryan needs all of the cred that he can get at the moment, and this didn't quite do that. Del Rio can be a good foil for Sheamus, but he's one of the most one-dimensional characters in WWE. At least Zack Ryder has a new catchphrase every couple of months - Del Rio hasn't changed his promo since his debut!

Overall, tonight was okay, but a bit dull. Nothing too exciting happened, and the World Title situations are a bit too muddied, but the show was by no means bad.

Any questions or comments? Follow me on Twitter at BTuckertorch, or e-mail me at btuckertorch@aol.com.

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt