-- 8/7 WWE Smackdown Reax

Sam Weiss of San Diego, Calif. (7.0): Best Match: Jeff Hardy vs. C.M. Punk main event (barely). Worst match: Khali-Ortiz squash. Regarding the main event - not too surprised to see Matt thrown into the match, and his refusal to look at Jeff during the intro was poignant indeed. I didn't like the finish, both Matt pulling off the ref and then the stretcher angle, which shouldn't be played on TV very often if it's to be believed, and we've had enough of stretchers this year. This match wasn't really that much more entertaining than the Morrison-Tyson Kidd match, or for that matter the Jericho match. There was a bit too much WWE-formula in the main event, likely because McMahon was around. As for the other matches: "Slam Master J" - eesschhh, did WWE have to go there? While watching that match, it dawned on me that the only way Haas will ever become a noticeable player is if WWE turns his character darker, much darker; he needs to be seen as someone who really hurts people, causes pain, etc. If they don't do that with Haas then they might as well give him his walking papers; I've yet to see a Haas match that I could take seriously. That they keep Haas around while letting go of Brian Kendrick is a head-scratcher. On top of all of that, having Haas do the job to "Slam Master" just didn't feel right. Another sign that I've been overly programmed by the WWE formula machine: when the promo came on for the IC challenger match, instead of seeing Ziggler in the four-person-panel, I saw a picture of Kane! This is a purely psychological phenomenon (the video was fine). Perhaps having watched so many Kane-Mysterio matches, my mind was programmed to see another one? Oh, and was anyone surprised Ziggler won? Finally, Jericho vs JTG: Jericho teaming with the Big Show is a waste of talent; Jericho is IMO the best talent in the whole company and I wish it were him vs. Jeff for the World Title at Summerslam. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable enough match to watch and Jericho should be congratulated for making something out of nothing.

Tyrone Dudley of Salem, Va. (7.5): Best: Kidd vs. Morrison. Worst: Khali vs. Ortiz. I was a fan of this week's episode of Smackdown. I knew the opening match wouldn't come to fruition, but I didn't know how it would be post-poned. McMahon coming to Smackdown was a pretty good surprise (I don't read spoilers.) The ironic thing is that McMahon seems to have a problem with the way Teddy Long runs Smackdown even though Smackdown is the best wrestling show WWE has, by a mile. You'd think he'd try to fix the debacle known as Raw before anything else. Morrison vs. Kidd was great, again. That Starship Pain to the face looked painful. The subtle check by Morrison to see if Kidd was all right was a great show of class on his part. Khali winning a match in two moves against a guy north of 250 pounds is unbelievable. I just hope Singh doesn't get Heidenreich'd. The main event bringing back Matt Hardy was a good moment because I missed Matt. However he looked really swollen. Not fat or out of shape, just swollen like he's still a long way from recovering. Hopefully he gets better sooner than later and gets his career going again. Punk's beat downs are quickly becoming my favorite parts of the show. You can see the hatred for everything Jeff Hardy in every punch, kick, and maneuver. I really hope Jeff signs (if he hasn't signed already and I just missed it) an extension because I can really watch this program through Survivor Series.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE 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 SD, click here.

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