-- 4/9 WWE Smackdown Reax

Steven S. of Wisconsin (8.0): Best Match: Morrison vs. Swagger. Worst Match: Hart Dynasty vs. The Dudebusters. I think this episode of Smackdown was geared towards pushing some of the younger talent. Jack Swagger and John Morrison were both successful on the mic, and they really delivered in their match. The fake-out on the apron made it feel all the more organic and real. And I could forgive the blood stoppage, even if it was basically nonexistent. Seriously, I've never been a huge fan of some of the newer guys inevitably taking the top spots, but these two made me think otherwise. Drew McIntyre vs. Matt Hardy was a good match too, and the spot where Matt went face-first into the ring supports was sick. Will someone tell me why Matt isn't getting a bigger opportunity? He gets some of the biggest pops on the roster. Hart Dynasty's tag match was ho-hum; just too short. Hopefully the rub from Bret has some effect. Shad's promo was surprisingly good, along the follow-up with JTG. This is better than the annoying Cryme Tyme gimmick any day. Also, Punk continued to keep me interested in the S.E.S, and the follow-up to his rookie standing up to him is the reason I'm going to watch NXT next week. Edge and Jericho continue to deliver in their matches and promos, and this match-up was no different (even if it had a double count-out to continue the story). I thought this was one of the better shows this year, showing potential for the future.

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT professional/author (9.0): Best Match: Morrison vs. Swagger. Worst Match: Hardy vs. McIntyre. Outstanding episode of Smackdown. I liked how Wade Barrett got a bit of useful rub from Chris Jericho, and Darren Young was inserted into a C.M. Punk full segment piece to get a lot of definition as a character. It's probably a case of "too little, too late" for Young, unless he's a dark horse (perhaps getting help from Rey in NXT?). Swagger put on an outstanding match with Morrison other than the blood stoppage, which wasn't their fault. The ending was well done, particularly Swagger using a feint motion like he did. It was very creative and realistic. The Cryme Tyme breakup needs to hurry up because I am bored with it already. I wasn't a fan of CT to begin with (I like the performers, but I didn't like the gimmick). I thought the Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntyre match was thoroughly boring. There is no heat on their feud other than this vague "Hardy cost Drew the MITB match" non-sense, which is pretty thin given that MITB was a 10-person match. Hart Dynasty and The Dudebusters put on another excellent match. Both teams seem to have great upside and it's a shame to see these teams wasted battling it out with each other to get Hart Dynasty over. I thought the main event was rather dull. I have a hard time getting into Edge's matches, and I thought this match was forgettable, even with the post-match brawl. The ending was predictable. It was clearly either going to be a double count-out or Swagger would interfere. Speaking of which, he is making an awesome champ and the announcers are building him up well. I am predicting a long Swagger run, and perhaps a feud with Morrison (who said that he wasn't selected as a pro for NXT because they had bigger plans for him).

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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