By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

Unfortunately, I forgot to check to make sure my dvr was set to record the Super Live Smackdown, which it was not. I realized this about 5 minutes into the show and hit record, so I missed Daniel Bryan's opening promo and saw from when The Miz came out.

SMACKDOWN HITS

Sheamus vs. Miz: I enjoyed the roughly 6 minutes that we got to see of this match joined in progress after the first commercial break. WWE is doing a good job of keeping Sheamus strong between The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. He worked well with The Miz and they put on a good match. I wouldn't have minded it going a little longer, but it was good while it lasted. I like that Sheamus is getting wins with multiple finishing moves. It underscores how dangerous he is in the ring. Miz is really not anywhere right now in terms of a push. He is a big enough name that a win over him still means something, but he isn't really in a position where taking losses like this hurts him too much. I am curious to see where they go with him after the talk from the announcers about his state of mind over not having a WM match yet lined up after winning the main event of last year's WM.

Big Show's Embarrassing WrestleMania Moment: I don't like the fact that Cody Rhodes interrupted a match between The Big Show and Mark Henry to introduce his video on Show's sumo match loss to Akebono from WM 21. However, I love the concept of the video itself. It fits in well with Rhodes' character and flows well from the promo he cut on Show a few weeks back talking about how Show is the anti-Undertaker when it comes to the biggest stage of them all. I have enjoyed in the past when WWE has done WM Moments videos, and this works in the same nostalgic way, but at the same time advancing a feud. It also underscores the importance of WM in that you don't want to be embarrassed at that show of all shows. What happens at WM matters and what happens at this year's WM might be brought back in the future. As far as the match that Rhodes interrupted, it was fine, but I wish there had been an announced winner (presumably Henry via count out).

SMACKDOWN MISSES

Kingston & Truth vs. Ziggler & Swagger: I feel that when you put a match together with this much star power (even if it is just mid card star power), you do a real disservice to yourself to have it last less than 3 minutes. The wrestling quality was fine. This Miss isn't for the effort put out by Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. I don't understand booking this match in the first place and not having it go at least twice as long as it did. I also don't understand why you give Kingston & Truth a win over the Tag Team Champions on Monday, and then have them lose on Tuesday. This makes no sense to me. How are they supposed to build any momentum as a new team? This really makes the Tag Champions look weak for losing to a team that loses the next night in such a quick fashion.

Why Does McIntyre Still Have a Job?: Teddy Long threatened for several weeks that Drew McIntyre needed to start winning or he would be fired. Then, he fired him, but only changed his mind after Santino Marella asked him to so that they could have a rematch and he could prove his win over McIntyre the week before hadn't been a fluke. So, Long fired him momentarily. After losing again to Santino and after losing every match since then, he is still in the company? This storyline makes no sense. It makes Long look bad for threatening something and then not carrying it out despite ample opportunity. The show would have been better if the time for this match, the entire segment had been given to the tag match to give it more time.

Videos: Was it just my imagination or was a lot of time on Smackdown taken up by videos that could have gone to original content? I know this happens on every show, but this live one seemed more full of videos than normal. I could be wrong, but that was my perception at least. There was a video on SyFy's "Face Off", the Ron Simmons Hall of Fame video, replay clips of Raw's battle royal, the Big Show's Embarrassing WM moment, a recap on Triple H and Undertaker's encounter on Raw, a clip of WWE's YouTube show "Are You Serious", a second clip from "Face Off", and a replay of Eve's heel turn from Raw. That just seems like an awful lot of wasted time (not that every video was a waste, but did we need three Raw recaps?).

Bryan vs. Punk: I loved the match between Daniel Bryan and CM Punk from the Raw after The Royal Rumble. I was looking forward to more of the same, but unfortunately, WWE gave us this match that was too over booked and more of an angle than a match. I am not a fan of the John Laurinaitis vs. Teddy Long feud which dragged down a Champion vs. Champion match between two of the best in ring performers WWE has. When allowed to just wrestle each other, Bryan and Punk delivered. But, the match was restarted twice, once by Laurinaitis and once by Long. The second fall was really botched as they were too far away from the ropes and Bryan had to reach way too far for leverage. It looked terrible. I supposed that was my only complaint about their performance. But, this was more about this stupid feud over who will become the permanent GM of both shows than about the wrestlers in the ring. The ending was also very predictable as soon as the superplex spot was set up. I said to my wife, "after the superplex, they are going to pin each other and you won't know who won." Then as soon as they hit the mat, I said "watch their legs as they're about to hook each other." I was right. I don't like that ending, especially on a night when we had a non ending in Show vs. Henry. I don't like the angle with the two GMs feuding. It ruined what was an otherwise good main event.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw and Smackdown each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt

9/7 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Paige vs. Banks, Rollins vs. Ryback, Orton vs. Sheamus, Cena & PTPs vs. Rollins & New Day

8/24 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Opening Segment, New Day, Dudleys return, Stewart, Sting