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A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (8.5): Best match: No. 1 Contender's match; Worst: Time slot. A very solid show (Tuesday must have been some night for WWE to pull off a successful ECW and Smackdown showing). After the long feud MVP and Matt Hardy had, it would make sense for the Hardys and MVP to be close in real life and as such, have a real-life promo. I think a lot of fans have been thinking the same thing about Hardy that MVP said on air for a long time (I know I have) and it was time for WWE to acknowledge those thoughts about Hardy's reckless behavior and throwing away a promising career. This is by no means a knock at Hardy or MVP - the promo only makes them both more endearing to fans and will mean that they can have non-title matches for months that people will be clamoring to see. Great R-Truth teaser promo. Great in-ring action. It is amazing how the show that has more wrestling does a better job of character development than the show with more promos (yes, I'm talking about you, Monday Night Raw). If I had any complaint, it's the Friday night time commonly known as the "death slot." Why can't Smackdown be moved to Wednesdays or Thursdays or even be live on Tuesday?

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: VIP Lounge; Killings video. Worst: Kendrick vs. Moore. Of the three shows this week, Smackdown may have their first big matches made, but Raw's got the hottest build going in week one toward it. Tonight's show was one that did its duty, and the fans were there to respond well to things, but it lacked the full spark to really drive home the importance. I am getting annoyed that it looks like, yet again, another title is going to go without the champion getting a rematch. Matt Hardy did lose the U.S. Title, but seems to have skipped his rematch in favor of challenging for the ECW Title. The little stat facts did make the title seem prestigious (11 Hall Of Famers have held the title). And verbal steps were taken to make the Divas Title an equal to the Raw Women's Title. On Michelle, though, the belt looks like it was designed for a man. Hawkins/Ryder did get a boost for winning the tag titles, but it wasn't made clear why they were too busy for Edge now - Edge's behavior or their taking in the importance of their new prize. Trying to now make Brian Kendrick akin to Bill Pillman versus an early Shawn Michaels is a clear indication that WWE Creative hasn't got a clue what to do with Kendrick now that he's separated from London. Jeff stopped short about MVP's second chances, and at first I didn't undertand why; Killings video explained it all. Both Killings and MVP have ex-con pasts, but MVP's has been somehat closeted in terms of TV exposure. Still not keen that MVP is still getting buried elsewhere, but he did have pyro and made good of his airtime, so maybe the punishment is being lefted somewhat. Bam as messenger was interesting; either he really flubbed up or he played telephone well (meaning the misconstrue flub was on purpose). Taker gets reinstated - as expected - and the crowd was happy, but wasn't "blow the roof off" happy. Either they know something's up, or Taker's return is so expected that it was a matter-of-fact response. Hell In A Cell should cap the Edge-Taker feud for now, while Triple H deals with Khali. Sigh.

SUPER-BONUS 7/22 ECW READER REAX

Mike Metzger from Long Island, N.Y. (7.0): Best Match: The new ECW Title. Worst Match: Dreamer vs. Delaney. Yeah, I know that's a little high for ECW, but I was pretty impressed with tonight's show. I missed a lot of the good stuff in ‘95/'96, but I was a hardcore ECW fan from '97 until its demise. Since they were in Philly, the opening angle/match seemed genuinely geared toward the fans of the original ECW. I've been hearing reports about Tony Atlas not being a great talker, but his harsh words for the Philly fans were spot on. And how about that new title belt! It looks like a combination of the 1980s Intercontinental strap and TNA's current belt - totally vintage, yet so cutting edge. Anyway, onto the matches: Dreamer-Delaney was an okay TV brawl and the crowd was into it. Evan Bourne's squash illustrated the purpose that enhancement talent can serve and it's fun to just watch Bourne do his thing. As far as the main event, I just have to say it really made me try to remember what it was like before the advent of the three-way and four-way matches in the late 1990s. It was a solid match (I loved how Morrison had Finlay's ring apron spot well-scouted), but did they have to crown a #1 contender so fast? Like we really need four weeks of build-up for the "Battle of the M.H.'s." All in all, good show. ECW seems to be finding its niche as the developmental brand.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Smackdown 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 Smackdown, click here.


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