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3/14 WWE Smackdown Reax #1: "That opening segment fell like a cow dropped out of a helicopter."
Mar 15, 2008 - 4:06:02 AM


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Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Flair/Michaels vs. Edge/Chavo/EdgeHeads Worst: Finlay promo (sadly). Smackdown wasn't as riddled with replays as Raw and ECW were, but Smackdown's scare was saved by the main event. The first hour kinda crawled along. By the time it got to Miz vs. Morrison, the crowd was restless, as noted by the "boring" heckles. Could they have come up with someone other than Shannon Moore & Jimmy Wang Yang to job to Big Show? All that hard work was for nothing. And the decline of the Finlay-JBL continues. While the script was lousy, Finlay's passion came through on the mic when fessing about Hornswoggle being his son. Didn't feel the passion tonight. MVP vs. Batista was good, but could have been a tad shorter and still featured Umaga's interference. I wonder what was on the mat about mid-match when MVP slipped on what looked like a drop toe hold on Batista. Kane/Noble-Palumbo/Khali did nothing for anyone, except put Jamie Noble back to where he started before his feud with Chuck Palumbo. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels had a chat to set up later; nothing fancy, but it was fine. Michael Cole and Coach mused aloud why Shawn was allowed to be on Smackdown considering who the general manager is; they could have enumerated a few possible reasons without giving anything away. The main event was fantastic and told the story it needed to tell and, as expected, Undertaker figured into the match. Edge didn't beat Undertaker; he just outsmarted him. But a win is a win there. But the match with a bittersweet feeling: is it just me, or did the Flair/Michaels match just get buried?

Shane McKinley of Danville, Calif. (7.5): Best Match: MVP vs. Batistia, Main Event Worst Match: Opening annoying segment. I watched a bit of "Coming to America" and then the news. I flip over if I have seen the video package already (Smackdown has at least four or five per show). Brand supremacy? We all know that Raw gets the better treatment. That first hour was a whole lot of nothing. I've rather get a huge dose of Karen Angle drama than Maria talking. Her voice (unlike her ditz character) alone guarantees channel surfing. Was I watching a wrestling show or a lame high school pep rally? That opening segment fell like a cow dropped out of a helicopter. Audio proof (MVP's entry into MITB match) is not enough, so the visual proof was a good idea. Flair is the man. You had two real good matches, a decent Morrison vs. Miz, and the rest was stuff tied in to promoting Mania. Good stuff with Batistia-Umaga and Edge-Undertaker. Hopefully the draft will help things out. You wouldn't think it, but Miz and Morrison are the most credible tag team champions in both WWE and TNA, since they actually do defend their titles.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

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