-- 1/15 WWE Smackdown Reax

Richard Houghland, Torch reader: While I love Mr. 619 Rey Mysterio's work and talent in the ring, he is not a viable or believable opponent for the Dead Man. You can hide his small stature in a Royal Rumble match, but not in a one-on-one title match. He is just not a believable opponent for Taker. Now that Y2J is officially off Raw for the 20th time, is there any way WWE can put a muzzle on him on Smackdown? Or better yet trade him to TNA for one of their up-and-coming stars? Just askin'.

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT professional/author (8.0): Best Match: Kane vs. Ziggler. Worst Match: Four-team tag match. This is the second week in a row that Kane and Dolph Ziggler put on a really interesting match. Did it drag at times? Sure. But all the same, the story being told was really enjoyable and well-done. I was so blown-away by the Divas segment. Beth Phoenix and Mickie James told a great story of rivalry and anger, carried it into a pretty brutal, high-speed women's match, and followed up by a nice piece of work at the end with the DQ and Team Lay-Cool beat down. (Where was Maria to make the save?) I am a bit curious/annoyed by why McCool hasn't defended her title in a long time, especially with two super-strong contenders beneath her. McCool seems to be stepping into the ring almost as infrequently as Undertaker. The C.M. Punk "saving" was well done. Each week, he manages to find a way to make his character even more over the top; this week, it was his version of the Pledge of Allegiance that just "worked." Is it my imagination, or does he look more and more like Charles Manson? Luke Gallows did a good job on the mic and the way he rubs his hands on those being saved is creepy in a very cultish way. Ditto for the way he and Punk touch each other in rather intimate way on occasion. I wouldn't be surprised to hear DX making lame jokes about that. Too bad the tag match was a mess. I was expecting The Hart Dynasty to grab the #1 contender slot and start a program involving Bret Hart somehow. The Morrison-Jericho match felt slow to me, but it was otherwise a good match. Morrison really hurt himself in the late summer by bringing out a new move every match or so. We've come to expect really great surprises from him, and he's now settled into a routine and it makes his matches less exciting. Everyone has the routine, but we just expect more from Morrison. The cage match was decent enough, and I was a bit surprised by the Mysterio win. The Undertaker needs to lose the belt immediately. He may be the "face of Smackdown," but he is never there and even without being on TV in ages, he is still walking like he is hurt. Maybe it's The Undertaker, not Shawn Michaels, who will hang up the boots at WrestleMania 26. I am hoping to see C.M. Punk and Gallows get the tag titles; Punk is as good as Jericho or Edge on the mic, has massive heel heat, and has the ability to be on two or three shows a week, which really beat up Jericho and you know HBK doesn't want to do.

-- 1/8 WWE Smackdown Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Cryme Tyme/Truth vs. Hart Dynasty/Jericho. Worst: stringing along the triple threat story; Punk "saves." Now that the Royal Rumble is starting to come into focus, it's becoming more of a big deal. The matches on the show collectively told the stories they needed to tell. Some did better (six-man) than others (Gallows-Hardy). I liked the count-out finish for Kane-Ziggler. I didn't expect a clean finish for this, but at least the way they got to the count-out to set up the follow-up match was constructive. The way "Piggy James" is playing out is annoying, but it does prove to be a good foil for Beth Phoenix's turn in the making. Like with Punk before the heel turn went all the way, Beth is in the same place swinging face. I'd personally like to see her stay up the middle; not quite a perfect face turn. Meanwhile, Maria did a nice pitch for her upcoming run on "Celebrity Apprentice." Looking back at the Beat the Clock, I didn't like the Batista-Truth finish, as it was clearly a DQ in favor of Batista. This week's follow-up failed to bring up the finish as Batista's defense for another opportunity. Also, this week's finish for Rey-Batista was another poor way to get toward what WWE was hinting at - a triple threat at the PPV. The middle was decent, but the end didn't justify the means...or middle.

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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