-- 12/18 WWE Smackdown Reax

Luke Fleeman of Tulare, Calif., grad student (7.5): Best Match: Batista vs. Rey. Worst Match: None. As usual, Smackdown was the best wrestling show this week. The wrestling matches were good and entertaining, with good pacing. Even the Beth vs. Maria match was decent, and you could see that it was setting something up. For the most part, it was just solid booking. I understood the motivations of all the wrestlers, and the matches played into that. Batista is doing some great heel work. He comes off as the typical bully - arrogant and self-absorbed. His facial features and comments reflect this perfectly and the fact that he doesn't really yell during promos makes it better. It helps that Rey plays a good underdog. I am glad that Beth stood up to the heel divas, and that we see now that the heel divas are being mean, and Mickie is not actually fat. The main things that hurt this show were the complete absence of World champion The Undertaker and the Escobar angle. Vickie is a great heel, but the focus on her looks is unnecessary. She is shrill, abrasive, and mean. Why not focus on those qualities instead?

-- 12/17 WWE Superstars Reax

Jarel Barnes of Virginia Beach, Va. (8.0): Best Match: Knox/Ziggler vs. Cryme Tyme. Worst Match: "The Monster" formerly know as Lance Hoyt vs. Tommy Dreamer. WWE Superstars seems like the best show on WWE TV right now. I was blown away by the first match, as I was thoroughly entertained by the high-flying maneuvers and scientific wrestling psychology. Big ups to Mike Knox, who seemed to step out of his shell with some real impressive moves for a guy his size. Cryme Tyme wrestled their best match yet. JTG was on fire, as his character seemed to open up beyond just dancing around. Usually, I'm not high on Knox at all, but WWE
should play up this guy's athleticism some more. I think a tag team with Ziggler and one other person would do the trick, but too many mixed undercard tag teams will weaken the division. ... Tommy Dreamer has done a lot for ECW and I respect what he's done, but he just needs to go. Every time he's in the ring, he gets beat around like a never-was. Lance...I mean "Vance" Archer is one of the most athletic big men in the game. WWE is making a huge mistake marketing him as a slender version of Psycho Sid. That haircut is horrible and it seems WWE has misunderstood the value of presentation and marketing. ... The last match was decent with MVP and Jack Swagger. I like both performers and look forward to seeing them get into the upper tier. I do wish they would mix in some other matches between these two to avoid the same thing every week.

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.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more