WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 22nd November 2008

After a good Raw showing it was up to the Smackdown crew to show what they had in the last episode before Survivor Series. Not only was the show the last before Survivor Series it was extra special as it came from Manchester England.

Good Points

Proper push for Jeff Hardy

After pushing Hardy to main event status but not spending much time on his character development many thought that Hardy would slip away from the main event scene. But now they have changed his make-up and given him some fresh and exciting promos which are filmed completely different to everything else. His out of control character is very believable and for the first time I am buying him as a possible champion.

Good build for Undertaker / Big Show casket match

I am looking forward to the return of the casket match. WWE put some good video packages together and a great last segment to the show which even saw Vickie Guerrero getting stuffed in a casket.

Bella Twins

It’s good to see a good storyline in the divas division. After weeks of Brie Bella going under the ring during her matches and then ending up winning it was finally revealed last week that she has a twin under the ring. Even though they have been uncovered they are still using their twin thing to win tag matches which is great to see.

Bad Points

Lack of good matches

Despite the HHH vs. Jeff Hardy match the card was full of below standard matches which saw Primo and Carlito losing and rehashes of matches which have been seen before.

Wrong guys getting pushed

MVP over the last few months has been reduced to bit role and since the championship scramble Brian Kendrik has been slid back in to the mid card. When most of your best talent has been used up in the first match then you know you are in trouble.

Overall

The show lacks quality and good storytelling at the moment. Smackdown seems to be stuck between not being a house show and not really being a TV show in its format and layout. The card at Survivor Series doesn’t lie with both Survivor Series tag team matches having Raw superstars as captains and the main event being the Raw title match.

After a below standard Raw I was hoping Smackdown could provide some light at the end of a dismal week to get us hyped for Cyber Sunday. With a huge main event I was interested to see what the show was going to be like.

Good Points

Main Event Push

I thought it was great that they made the main event HHH vs. Undertaker as that is a huge match that gets people interested and it provided scope for various run ins as these two are in separate matches at Cyber Sunday. The match was one of the longest Smackdown main events in some time and although the ending was predictable it did what it needed to do for Cyber Sunday.

Use of Primo and Carlito

It’s great to see WWE really pushing this team. Carlito has had to put up with a lot over the last few years but this brother tag team was worth the wait. They scored a good win over Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neeley as well as getting some backstage segments of them goofing around. With these two at the helm Smackdown could have a good tag division again.

Bad Points

Jeff left out in the cold

I think WWE are really trying to get people to vote for Kozlov as they are really going out of their way to push Jeff to one side. Jeff is such a fan favourite I don’t think it matters but this week to open the show he was pedigreed by HHH and then didn’t get involved in the run ins at the end of the main event or have his own match on the card.

Khali Kissing segment

This is cringeworthy TV and a reason why people are scared to tell their friends that they are wrestling fans. I hope this idea gets killed really quickly as at the moment it is just more ammunition for the anti wrestling brigade.

Overall

A much more exciting show than Raw although that wasn’t hard. Had some lulls during the show and maybe had some of the wrongs guys used for matches but the right stuff got pushed and the ending was effective.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 3rd September 2008

It was a special Smackdown tonight not only was it the last Smackdown before No Mercy but it was also the first Smackdown on the new network and to start with a bang on the new network the card was stacked.

Good Points

Stacked card

The show kicked off with an eight man tag that went half an hour which included Batista, Rey Mysterio, jeff Hardy, JBL and others. Then all through the night we had mix brand matches followed by an awesome champion vs. champion triple threat main event.

Good build for Big Show vs. Undertaker

Undertaker may be having problems with his knee but he has still managed to put on a good package with Big Show. This week Undertaker’s music hit whilst Big Show was in the ring then when Big Show went up the ramp the Undertaker appeared in the ring.

Bad Points

Not much storyline development

Because it was a mixed brand show there was little storyline development besides from Undertaker Big Show which was a shame just before No Mercy.

Use of Kozlov

Kozlov isn’t on the PPV but again he was put over as the top dog after laying out HHH following his main event. It may be that he will get involved at No Mercy but at the moment it makes no sense.

Overall

Match quality was great but there was little in the way of backstage segments and in ring promos so it had a feel of a house show at times.

WWE SummerSlam Review

Back in the day SummerSlam was sold as the hottest event of the Summer however in recent years I think it has lost it’s magic and it’s importance. To me SummerSlam is now just another monthly PPV which was proved by a gimmick match with no title at stake being booked as the main and two horrible title matches which haven’t been hyped. So with this in mind here are my thoughts on the show.

Good Points

Development of Jericho / HBK feud

Now everyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that HBK isn’t going to retire and him coming out to announce his retirement was just a way to get even more heat on Jericho and to add to it they have brought HBK’s wife in the mix. As Jericho went to confront HBK he accidentally hit HBK’s wife instead which will goad HBK to change his mind to defend the honour of his wife. The way that have brought his wife back I think that she is going to end up turning on HBK to add even more spice to this feud which could be the feud of the year.

Batista vs John Cena

I thought these two for the suppose little wrestling talent they have put on a superb match which was really entertaining and left you wanting more. By not having JBL win the title they needed a heel to go against CM Punk and this match did good at turning Batista in to a heel as he did everything that good heel does in the match. The only problem is besides another feud with JBL where does this leave Cena?

Bad Points

Two worst title matches ever

A major PPV should revolve around the title matches but it was the two non title main event matches that stole the show. By putting both of the matches early in the card this event devalued the belts in my eyes as the championship match should always be the match people come to see and the match people go home talking about.

Hell in a Cell

Now if you watch the original Hell in a Cell between HBK and Undertaker you will see an impressive match with lots of psychology which kept you on the edge of your seat without any major spots. Then you had the spots in the Hell in a Cell between Undertaker and Mankind that will never be topped. So to do a good entertaining Hell in a Cell match is very hard. When these two had a brilliant story to tell they instead had a match that was geared round a couple of spots which compared to the Mankind match weren’t that impressive.

Overall

A PPV that will soon be forgotten about and that lacked substance. There are too many titles in the WWE right now which only goes toe devalue them and dilute them and they need to cut back on the number of title matches on a PPV. When my highlight of the night was a non wrestling section it kind of tells you all you need to know.

My SummerSlam Predictions

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

MVP is stuck going nowhere at the minute, at one point I thought they may give him a main event push but seem to be stalling with him here. This match does nothing for either guy really, I expect Hardy to get the win in his first major Smackdown feud and help propel him further up the card on Smackdown.

Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy is going to be the new face of ECW so I expect him to win this one. To have him lose would ruin his position and with him winning Mark Henry can always have a rematch which would keep ECW moving nicely for the next month.

Kofi Kingston and Mickie James vs. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix

I know WWE are really starting to push Santino and Beth as a couple so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the titles changing here. Love the concept for the match by having singles titles on the line in a tag match. Mickie James has got stale as champ and I’m not sure if Kofi is ready for a title yet but it will be a bold move by the creative team to switch both titles in one night.

John Cena vs. Batista

Since coming back and winning the Rumble Cena really hasn’t done much he has lost at Mania and on PPV to JBL. He really needs a win to get it back on track but WWE seem to be really pushing Batista at the moment. With this in mind I would probably go with a Batista win.

CM Punk vs JBL

I love CM Punk but with the undercard that Raw has at the moment with John Cena and Batista both being seen as faces it makes sense for JBL to win the title here to set up a feud with either or. CM Punk is only a transitional champ and has held the title for longer than I expected him to.

Triple H vs. The Great Khali

Word is that Khali is soon to be done with wrestling and after being booked in a shocking match I don’t think they are going to have the belt taken off Triple H as well. With no title change here it then makes sense for this title to stay the same.

The Undertaker vs. Edge

Makes no sense for The Undertaker to lose although when people get built up in a match for not being able to lose they normally have them lose to build the other guy. If Edge wins it will be a screw job type finish but my money is still on an Undertaker win.

One more thing to look out for

When Randy Orton got injured WWE originally said SummerSlam as his return date and this week there have been many stories circulating about Orton getting injured which could be a cover story for the fact that he will be at SummerSlam. If he is to get involved anywhere it will either be in the John Cena / Batista match or Hell in a Cell.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 15th August 2008

It being the last Smackdown before SummerSlam I was expecting to see some great build up for Edge vs Undertaker which should headline the show.

Good Points

HHH actually has a wrestling match

Was good to see HH actually wrestling on Smackdown all it be it in a throwaway match against Kenny Dykstra. The match set up the situation for HHH to get Khali in to the ring who was watching from the outside and lay a beat on him which is all good build for SummerSlam.

Good build for MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Although this match will do for their future career the build has been really good for this one. I feel the animosity from MVP and can’t wait to see the match. This week MVP cost Hardy the US title as he had Shelton beat but Hardy still managed to lay a beating on MVP. MVP followed this up by later cutting a great promo on Hardy.

Bad Points

Match order

For the last match of the card to be Kozlov vs. Festus is shocking there is no way that should ever be a last match of any show. They should have saved either HHH or the Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin match for last.

Too many new guys

This week we had Scotty Goldman who many wrestling fans will know as Colt Cabana, Bryan Braddock and Kenny Dykstra who may not be new but has not be on TV for some time. I love Colt or should I say Kenny but the rest I’m not a big fan of. If you are going to bring new faces in the fold you have to do this gradually not all at once.

Overall

It was like wrestling the 90s when the big named stars use to wrestle local jobbers. The show lacked any entertainment and quality, it was of house show standard at best.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 8th August 2008

After not being too impressed with recent editions of Smackdown I was hoping this week would see an upturn as we get closer to SummerSlam.

Good Points

Edge going off the rails

Edge is doing a brilliant job at the moment playing this out of control guy who has been pushed over the Edge by the fact that he has been put in Hell in a Cell with the Undertaker and is slowly going crazy. He is carrying Smackdown at the moment with the highlight this week of him turning on Chavo and delivering a beatdown on him whilst scaring Vickie half to death. The greatest thing about though is the logic put behind it with Edge saying he has to get himself this on Edge to survive Hell in a Cell.

Creative team taking a leaf out of TNA’s book with the Undertaker

It looks WWE creative read this blog as they followed my ideas from last week of having the WWE do a similar thing that TNA is doing with Sting. This week they had people being found laid out all over the building with a black rose left by every beaten man as the calling card of the Undertaker. It is a great way of hyping his return without him being on the show.

Bad Points

Worst title match for some time

HHH vs. Great Khali is going to be the worst match in PPV history at SummerSlam. Khali can’t wrestle and HHH has done nothing to sell the feud. With it being the title feud and involving HHH thy only give it under ten minutes in the middle of the show for an arm wrestling contest between the two to hype the match. I have never been this uninterested with a heavyweight title match in my entire life.

Wrestling quality continues it’s downwards spiral

If it wasn’t for Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin saving the show it would have been a dire night on Smackdown for wrestling. The thing that made Smackdown unique and made me want to watch is that time was given to quality matches featuring quality wrestlers but that doesn’t sem to be the case anymore.

Overall

I think Hell in a Cell will steal the show at SummerSlam but nothing else much excites me on Smackdown at the moment, the hype of the good names acquired in the draft seems to have worn off and if Edge was to win an Oscar for his wrestling performance as lead guy best supporting wrestler wouldn’t go to anyone at the moment.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 1st August 2008

After an exciting Raw with a terrible ending I was looking forward to seeing what Smackdown were going to offer this week and to see if they could put on an exciting show with a better finish.

Good Points

Big Push for Hardy / MVP Feud

The creative team are really getting behind this feud which is good to see. The direction may not have been the best with the feud being based on MVP’s problems with Hardy’s past which not many casual fans would have known about but these two should put on a good match at SummerSlam.

Two other feuds developed

With Mr. Kennedy scoring a non title victory over Shelton Benjamin and with Umaga interfering after Big Show’s match it looks like we have three strong undercard feuds for SummerSlam.

Hawkins and Ryder getting promo time

Was good to see Hawkins and Ryder getting more backstage promo time. After getting the titles I would like to see them in more tag matches on Smackdown but at least thy are getting something.

Bad Points

No HHH again

Ok HHH has a reason no to be on TV after the birth of his and Stephanie’s new child but his absence is costing Smackdown. As Khali can’t sell anything by himself as he has no promo skills he needs HHH to be there.

No Undertaker

With Edge doing his best in his character of being pushed over the edge by recent events and acting a bit crazy but he needs the Undertaker on Smackdown to really make the build up memorable. Even if they did the same that TNA are doing with Sting with lights going out and people getting beaten up it would be something.

Overall

The undercard feuds look great but for one of the major four PPV’s of the year more should have been done to push the two main event feuds. Don’t get me wrong Edge vs. Undertaker in Hell in a Cell is guaranteed to be awesome but to get the hype and the buys they need to push it.

WWE One Night Stand Review

After a terrible Judgment day and a drop in viewing ratings WWE really need to pick their game up for One Night Stand. After two chaotic weeks of crazy booking on the TV shows I wasn’t expecting great things but was looking forward to seeing the return of matches like TLC.

Good Points

Big Push for Edge

Was great to see him in the main event putting on a good match with Undertaker which featured some great bumps. Edge won the match thus forcing The Undertaker to leave the WWE which is a big thing to have on his resume. It also frees him up for a new challenger to work with on Smackdown in the coming weeks.

Jeff Hardy starting where he left off.

Before his lay off Jeff was enjoying one of his biggest pushes to date and it looks like the WWE creative team want to start where they left off with Hardy opening the show in a good match with Umaga. The match featured the spot of the night as Hardy did his Swanton Bomb out in the parking lot from a huge scaffold structure to get the win.

Nice continuation of the storyline for Batista

Many were saying that Batista was about to take some time off from WWE but with his big win against HBK it looks likely he will be the first challenger for Edge. Was great to see Jericho getting involved again as that also provides another option for Batista or HBK to work with.

Bad Points

Not Extreme enough

For a show that was being billed as the most extreme of the year it was very mild to say the least. Except for Hardy’s Swanton and a few stand out bumps in TLC the action was very tame. I wasn’t expecting anything like the old ECW style but a bit more hard hitting would have been nice.

Orton Injured

It is being reported that Orton suffered a broken collarbone during his match with HHH which could put him on the shelf for a little while. This means we need a new contender for HHH whilst we wait for the draft. This means we will probably see either JBL or Cnea pushed to fill the gap.

Cena vs. JBL just doesn’t work

To have a good match Cena needs to work with a technical or highflying wrestler. JBL’s smash mouth style doesn’t work with Cena’s fan orientated style. Hopefully this is the last Cena/JBL match we have to see for some time.

Overall

Besides from the first and the last match it was all pretty much filler. With only two weeks to build for the show none of the storylines were intense enough or as strong as they should have been. We have got two more pay per views to go until Summerslam now so it will be interesting to see what storylines the WWE will go with to push for Summerslam.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 30th May 2008

After an entertaining Raw I was hoping this week Smackdown could provide a bit of entertainment. Normally the episodes of Smackdown that are just before the PPV’s are the most exciting ones so I’m normally not disappointed.

Good Points

Great build up for TLC

The build up for the match between Undertaker and Edge was brilliant. With the show kicking off with a great Edge promo on how it was going to be the last time the fans saw the Undertaker on Smackdown which was followed by a great end segment. The end segment saw the family put Undertaker in a coffin just for the lights to go out and for The Undertaker to appear right next to Edge at the top of the ladder.

Building for the future

Was a good move by the writers to start building for after One Night Stand with Batista stating his intentions of going after the heavyweight title after he beats Michaels on Sunday. His match with Hawkins and Ryder was instantly forgettable but at least it saw Batista getting involved with Vickie Guerrero and some of the family.

Jamie Noble

Was involved in some funny backstage segments with MVP and Vickie Guerrero that guy should be given better storylines.

Bad Points

Too Many matches

Normally on an episode of Raw we get five matches tonight on Smackdown we had seven matches. In a two hour show seven matches is far too many it is better to invest time in a smaller number of guys and give them more out of ring time than having seven matches.

Guys in need of something to do

Now I may not be the biggest fan of Chuck Palumbo but WWE need to give him a decent storyline which involve a PPV match and see what happens if they don’t he is just wasting TV time. Other guys that need better things to do are Finlay, Jamie Noble, Big Show, Chavo Guerrero and MVP who isn’t even on the PPV.

Overall

A nice edition of smackdown which managed to keep me entertained and get in the mood for One Night Stand.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 23rd May 2008

Smackdown

After an ok Raw this week I can’t say I was expecting much from the Smackdown crew. With only two Smackdown’s before One Night Stand though they needed to pull their fingers out.

Good Points

Solid Opening

With the first show after a Pay Per View I always feel that it is best to start with a segment which sets the wheels in motion for the next main event and this was they did. Edge and Vickie Guerrero came to the top of the ramp to announce that Edge would be facing The Undertaker at ONS in a TLC match which is great idea as the World heavyweight title has never been contested for in this manner and Edge has a good history in these matches.

Nice ending

They ended the show well with Chavo going up against the Undertaker. This was seen as punishment for Chavo but the family and his bodyguard came down to the ring to make it an interesting main event which made The Undertaker look strong as he still managed to pick up the win.

Bad Points

Everything in the middle

If something goes right on Smackdown it is usually the beginning and the end but if they want the fans to keep watching until the end they need to sort out the middle. In this day and age and on an entertainment TV station just trying to do a wrestling show doesn’t work you need backstage segments, strong storylines and to give characters time on the mic everything which Smackdown is light on.

Links with ECW

It seems that on the whole Smackdown does more work to link with ECW. The problem is now they are not just bring ECW wrestlers on to the show but thy are now carrying ECW storylines across to ECW. For those fans that don’t watch ECW it just becomes confusing.

Weak storyline of the week award

Goes to Smackdown this week. Teddy Long was a guest on the VIP Lounge and after being berated by MVP Batista came to leap to his defence to set up a match between MVP and batista for later in the show. Now MVP and Batista hav no major history together, Batista and Teddy Long have no real history and Batista is in the midst of a programme with Shawn Michaels. Great logic WWE creative team.

Overall

As expected not really much going on this week. They’ve got the wrestlers to entertain but until they get better writers and a better grip on what the brand should b then Smackdown will always be referred to as throw away TV.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 2nd May 2008

After the worst Raw in living history I was hoping Smackdown could provide me with some thought out entertainment as well as their usual quality wrestling bouts.

Good Points

Strong Start

The show opened solidly with a Theodore Long announcing that all the Smackdown belts were going to be on the line tonight. Although the intelligent fans know that titles rarely change hands on TV it gets the casual fans and the live audience hyped up.

Start of a new feud

After his feud with Khali, The Big Show has now started a feud with the only remaining monster for him on Smackdown mark Henry. Although I’m not a fan of big man matches it’s nice to see Big Show enforcing his dominance by beating on the other big guys which will then put him in a strong place for main event feuds with smaller guys.

Bad Points

Not enough talking

After recent improvements with Smackdown and them having more non wrestling segments it was back to the old formula of just having match after match. Viewers start changing channels when they aren’t interested by who wins or loses and the only way you make them interested is by giving them a storyline. If they want to keep viewers and attract new viewers they need to find a brand of sports entertainment like they have on Raw but put their own spin on it.

Poor card strength

I went to a Samckdown house show a few backs and was impressed by the strength of the card however if I had pay to be in the audience for this Smackdown taping I would have asked for a refund. We had Finlay fighting a non named jobber, Koslov fighting Colin Delaney a rare appearance by Nunzio and the return of Jesse and Festus going against Edge’s cronies. For a card boasting three title matches it was very weak.

Smackdown ends like Raw with a crazy finish

Ok this wasn’t quite on par with Raw’s worst ending ever but it was still very poor. After building Undertaker for so long they decided to have Vickie Guerrero strip him of the title in a move that no one saw coming and for a stupid reason. The reason given was because his choke hold was illegal and that he was hurting Smackdown stars. It would have made more sense to have Undertaker getting disqualified on a regular basis first because of the choke hold and then get the title taken away. Because this wasn’t built many fans would have missed this so was a very silly out of the blue idea which like Raw I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just cooked up five minutes before the show.

Overall

I’m glad I am going away in a week’s time to escape the current terrible state of WWE booking. I can’t believe both shows were so terribly booked.

WWE Backlash Review

It’s always a hard job to follow Wrestlemania as the next PPV which normally shows with Backlash. Normally Backlash is an event with a couple of decent matches but not much storyline movement as most of this would have happened at Mania and the WWE wouldn’t want to change direction that quickly. So Backlash is always an event I go in to with low expectations but hope to be surprised by.

Good Points

Matt Hardy wins the US title

Great to see Matt Hardy and MVP kicking off the show and Matt Hardy building on his comeback push with a title victory. It was an obvious result to guess but needed to happen as the US title had been on MVP for far too long. I hope this now frees up MVP for new feuds as he is my talent to watch for this year.

Nice ending to Edge vs. Undertaker match

Again it was obvious that Undertaker was going to hold on to his title but it was nice how they ended the match. The match ended with Undertaker failing to let go of his submission move for long after the bell forcing Edge to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Will be interesting to see how they use this in the storyline development.

Finally Triple H is back on top

In a move which should have happened at Mania HHH finally got his title in an unexpected win in the four way elimination main event. This leads me to believe that Orton has either caused problems backstage or has injury problems as it makes no sense to push him at Mania just to drop the belt a month later. I think it is a shame that such a historic moment wasn’t done at Mania where a lot more people would have seen and o have it mean so much more. I’m just glad though that it has happened and I am looking forward to see what happens with HHH as champion.

Bad Points

No Tag title matches

To have two sets of tag champions and have none defended on a PPV is ludicrous. Every PPV should have a tag title match or at least a well built tag match. What is the point of pushing Carlito and Marella or bringing back Cryme Time not to use them on the PPV. The idea of the weekly TV shows is to build for the PPV’s. I think they should unify the tag belts having two separate tag divisions one on Raw and one on Smackdown but with champions who fought challengers from both brands. It’s like on Smackdown what’s the point of having a women’s division with no champion or no chance for them to fight the Raw champion.

Batista losing to Michaels

I’m not a big Batista fan but to keep booking him low down the card or losing in big matches is starting to really effect his position on the roster. I think it would have made more sense for him to win and then trade to raw to face new champion Triple H and have a Raw guy transfer to Smackdown as a new opponent for the Undertaker.

No matches for Regal or CM Punk

After having Regal win the King of the Ring and CM Punk having his biggest push to date it made no sense for these two not to have matches. Again the weekly TV shows are suppose to be used to promote the PPV’s so what’s the time of giving these two major ring time and not have them on the PPV. It’s just a waste of time on the weekly shows.

Overall

Happy about the two title changes and there were a couple of decent matches in there but I think they used the wrong talent. Out of the pool they have they could have made a much better card which made more sense than the one that was on offer.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 25th April 2008

After a Raw that will be remembered more for the presidential candidates than for the quality of show I was hoping Smackdown could provide my entertainment this week.

Good Points

More non wrestling segments

I was glad to see lots more talking with segments involving Edge and CMP Punk as well as MVP and Matt Hardy being given time. I thought over all there was a better balance between wrestling and non wrestling segments. The only things thy need to do is break these segments up by not having too much talking in the first hour in the first hour and having more in the last hour.

Push for CM Punk

Was great to see CM Punk after Monday’s incidents where they dropped the ball with him to be put in the match of the night against Edge. Those two were given mic time and time for a decent match. Hope the consistency improves for CM Punk’s push.

Good Recap Video

Was great to se again at the start of the show a video recap of what has been happening over the last few weeks. This should be made mandatory for all TV shows.

Great Ending

The best ending to a Smackdown since before Wrestlemania. Was great to see HBK getting involved and costing Batista his title match against Undertaker with his swet chin music. Was great to see something so important and pivotal to a storyline happening on Smackown.


Bad Points

Use of Vladimir Kozlov

The way they are pushing him by having him beat on no name jobbers is getting rather boring. Yes it may have worked for Goldberg but wrestling has changed a lot since then and I think people are going to get very bored of his winning streak very quickly.

Working of Batista vs. Undertaker

Having this match as a championship match and trying to promote to the fans that the title could change hands was stupid. Most fans with at least 2 IQ knew that they were going to put all the promotional push in to the Undertaker vs. Edge match just to have Undertaker lose a couple of nights before. WWE needs to start treating it’s fans with more intelligence.

Overall

A good solid little Smackdown which got us hyped for Hardy vs. MVP and Batista vs. HBK. Don’t think it did enough to push Undertaker vs. Edge but a marked improvement.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 18th April 2008

It was time for the second TV show in a week from the UK as Smackdown like raw came to us from the O2 Arena in London. After a terrible show last week I wasn’t expecting much from this one.

Good Points

Use of Chris Jericho

Ok he may have been mishandled since his return and he may have been bumped in to a non wrestling role as special guest referee for the HBK / Batista match but he is running with it. He is getting good TV time with his Highlight Reel becoming a semi regular segment of Raw and Smackdown. Twice in the space of one week Jericho was left laying as he has now been on the receiving end of both HBK and Batista’s finishers.

Big win for Hornswoggle

Hornswoggle has to go down as the most successful midget in WWE history. After being pushed in to major storylines the fans have really taken to him and this week he registered a big win against Matt Striker.

Using all the big guys in one match.

As you know I’m not a fan of Khali or Mark Henry but the way in which WWE are using those two and Big Show all in the same segment of Smackdown is good to see as it’s not wasting other precious segments and to his credit Big Show is making his feud with Khali a little bit interesting.

Bad Points

No Edge again

For the third week running Edge didn’t have any in ring action which is crazy. After seeing him perform on a house show this week I know he isn’t injured and with backlash just round the corner he needs to be in the ring. This week his involvement was saved to a crazy ending segment.

No Natalya

After two weeks of involvement for the latest WWE Diva Natalya Neidhart she was nowhere to be seen this week. This seems to be the WWE pattern this year with new guys is to use them for a couple of weeks in throw away segment and then not use them for a few weeks.

Crazy ending segment

With a strong main event booked as Batista vs. Undertaker I was really looking forward to seeing these two guys go at it again. They had a nice little match when at the end all hell broke lose with Edge and his team of cronies interfering in the match to make it a no contest. Undertaker and Batista cleaned house to leave a good ending to Smackdown as Edge and his cronies scampered back up the aisle. Instead thy ruined this moment with Vickie Guerrero coming out to announce that next week ordering a title rematch with the winner facing Edge at Backlash. Ending the show on an announcement leaves the audience flat instead of excited which they should be. Add to this it was the most stupid announcement anyway as we already knew Edge was going to be facing the champ at Backlash.

Overall

Again another week goes by of terrible TV. I think I enjoyed the Smackdown House Show I saw more than this.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 11th April 2008

After delivering in spades last week with a great show I was wondering if Smackdown could keep that momentum going until Backlash. I knew Smackdown had to an off day soon as shows on the whole have been a lot better lately but was hoping this wouldn’t be the one.

Good Points

Batista / HBK feud

Finally the writing team are moving the feud away from them arguing over Ric Flair and no we are moving on to their own reasons to dislike each other. We also finally almost got to a physical confrontation between after Batista ducked out of Sweet Chin Music and HBK slipped out of the Batista Bomb.

Natalya Neidhart

Natalya got her first formal introduction on Smackdown after last week appearing as a mystery Diva. Yes all you long time wrestling fans will know her as daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart a star of the 80s and 90s in the then WWF. Natalya or Nattie as some may know her as gave a great promo and teaming with Victoria has a great feud going with Michelle McCool.

Big Show

Big Show is doing the best he can with a terrible opponent in Khali. As long as they keep their proper wrestling matches o a minimum and concentrate on segments like the opening segment of Smackdown where the Big Show interrupted a Punjabi Peace Offering seremony as delivered a knock out punch to Khali which was a nice way to link in Big Show’s previous feud with Mayweather.

Bad Points

Push for Festus

You know Smackdown has problems when we have Festus in the main event. The WWE are really getting behind a big push for him at the moment. Now I’m all for slingshotting talent and seeing what happens but I don’t agree with this move for Festus who has yet to be involved any big tag feuds with his tag partner Jesse let alone singles feuds. I will give WWE credit though for making him look strong in the main event and I know the WWE likes to push big guys so this probably isn’t the last we have hard of Festus.

Use of Edge

If having Festus in the main event wasn’t bad enough this week the only involvement Edge had in the show was two pre-recorded segments of Edge and Vickie at a hotel getting massages and enjoying a hotel room. If you are only going to use Edge in pre-recorded segments you need to build it in to many segments as an on going them for the night.

Vladimir Kozlov

It’s the second week of Vladimir’s push on Smackdown an I am already bored, beating no name wrestlers in squash matches may have worked in the 80s but it has no place in the modern era. With no mic time o out of ring segments how are we suppose to get on board with this storyline.

Overall

A waste of two hours of television. From top to the bottom there was little of interest and the good points I talked about earlier were only good points in comparison to the terrible nature of the show. The creative team need to buck their ideas up if they are going to get the viewing ratings up.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 4th April 2008

Tonight was Smackdown’s chance to hit the ground running after Wrestlemania as they started their run to Backlash. After a very strong Raw I was looking forward to see wht Smackdown had to offer.

Good Points

Strong Opening

Edge’s crew started off the show in the ring with Edge and Chavo bemoaning the fact that they are no longer champions. Vickie Guerrero though helped the heel faction in to an upbeat mood as rematches for both titles were announced for Backlash but this wasn’t all as they announced a brother vs. brother / champion vs. champion match for the main event with Kane taking on the Undertaker. It was a great way to kick off a show.

Batista / HBK feud

It was predicted that these two were going to feud but how they built it on Smackdown was great. Shawn still trying to come to terms with retiring Ric Flair and making sense of the situation during an in ring promo was interrupted by Batista who went on to question Shawn’s motives. Batista got in to his head and got him doubting himself in a great piece of character interaction in the ring.

Great Main Event

The main event with Kane taking on Undertaker was the best Smackdown main event in some time. Great storytelling and some great back and forth moments as Edge and his cronies interfered to get the match thrown out. I can’t wait to see how they continue to develop this one.

Bad Points

MVP vs. Matt Hardy

After Matt’s return at Wrestlemania and his involvement on Raw Matt was on a big push with a ready made opponent in MVP to continue a great feud with. This could have been a great match for Backlash but instead the WWE creative team gave it away for free with no build up in a throw away match which Matt picked up the victory in killing it dead.

Handling of debutants

Smackdown saw two new faces appearing on Smackdown those being a yet to be named blonde Diva who attacked Michelle McCool and the Russian Vladimir Kozlov. With no build up Vladimir came out to no music and competed against a no name jobber. Ok the Blonde Diva segment I can kind of understand but if they are trying to make Vladimir in to some sort of unbeatable monster they are going the wrong way about it.

More time given to Jesse and Festus

Now WWE creative team I do want a return of Tag Team wrestling but if it means us having to watch Jesse and Festus every week I would rather not have any tag wrestling at all. I know I keep on harping on about Festus but I will continue to do so until the WWE creative team see sense.

Overall

Sloppiness on WWE’s part spoiled what was on the main a great show. To have two strong feuds Edge/Undertaker and HBK/Batista going on is turning Smackdown in to an entertaining show which you don’t want to miss an episode of.

Wrestlemania 24 Review

As the show kicked off the arena was a sight to behold with hundreds of thousands worth of dollars going in to set up one of the most impressive Wrestlemania sets of all time and I was starting to look forward to a Wrestlemania which had potential to be a highly memorable evening.

Here is my match by match run down from last night’s show.

Belfast Brawl: JBL (RAW) Vs. Finlay (SmackDown)

This match as expected was just a glorified hardcore match. They knew they couldn’t do many big spots and bumps because of the Money in the Bank match happening later but both competitors provided us with a solid start. It was good to see Hornswoggle back at Finlay’s side but no Vince McMahon which showed you how much he thought of his own storyline. Highlight of the match was Finlay’s suicide dive in to a trash can lid.

Winner: JBL

Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match: Mr. Kennedy (RAW) Vs. Shelton Benjamin (ECW) Vs. Chris Jericho (RAW) Vs. Carlito (RAW) Vs. MVP (SmackDown) Vs. Vs. CM Punk (ECW) Vs. John Morrison (ECW)

I thought it was the wrong choice to put this on straight after another gimmick match involving weapons. In a match where we were expecting Jericho, MVP and Kennedy to reign supreme it was Morrison who was doing all the early work. Although some of the spots were the same as last year like the ladder break there was still enough innovative moments to keep us on the edge of our seats. Highlight of the match was the return of Matt Hardy to screw his nemesis MVP out of the match. In a surprising twist it was CM Punk who climbed the ladder to grab the briefcase and the open contract for a title shot. I don’t se CM Punk in a Raw or Smackdown main event so he will cash it in for the ECW title which will devalue this match and was not needed as CM Punk’s standing in ECW means he doesn’t need a contract to get a title shot.

Winner: CM Punk

Battle For Brand Supremacy: Batista (SmackDown) Vs. Umaga (RAW)

This match was the worst on the card. It was slow, boring and sloppy. I expected Batista to put a showing on to prove why he should be in the main event but after some sloppy work it looked like he was trying to get out of there as quickly as he could.

Winner: Batista

ECW Championship Match

We found out that Kane had won the pre-show Battle Royal and was going to be facing Chavo. Well if you blinked you missed this one as Kane beat Chavo in 10 seconds in a match reminiscent of Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake from Wrestlemania 10. Chavo’s entrance takes around two minutes match lasts ten seconds, you got to love it.

Winner: Kane

Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair (SmackDown) Vs. Shawn Michaels (RAW)

On a second viewing this was a really good match. Shawn Michaels worked his ass of to make Flair to look good and took some sick bumps including a moonsault through an announcers table. The submission and mat work was top notch and it was a much better match than I thought Ric Flair would have to end his career although being very predictable. However I though they could have made more of the scene after the match as Flair said his last goodbye.

Winner: Shawn Michaels

BuunyMania Lumberjack match: Maria and Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina

Luckily a technical fault made this match more memorable than it should have been with the lights going out during the match. The WWE scrambled well to spotlight the ring but in all fairness I was enjoying it more in the dark. If it hadn’t been for Santino, Jerry Lawler and Snoop Dogg all getting involved this match would have been a complete uninspiring waste of time.

Winner: Beth Phoenix and Melina

WWE Championship: Triple Threat: Randy Orton (c) Vs. Triple H Vs. John Cena

After being the most built up match on the WWE’s biggest weekly show it made no sense for this match to be on so early. Having it this early meant we weren’t going to see a big Cena or HHH win as if that was going to be the case they would have had it as the main event but in a triple threat which wasn’t a patch on Wrestlemania 20’s Triple Threat title match I was glad to see the back of it.

Winner: Randy Orton

Wrestler Vs. Boxer: Big Show Vs. Floyd "Money" Mayweather

In a match that many including myself thought was going to be the worst of the night both the Big Show and Floyd Mayweather surprised us both by putting on an excellent, entertaining match. This is probably why we haven’t seen Mayweather a lot on TV because he has been working hard to get this match to be the best it could be. This has to go down as one of the most successful appearances of a celebrity in a wrestling match.

Winner: Floyd Mayweather

World Heavyweight Championship: Title Vs. Streak: Edge (c) Vs. The Undertaker

After just witnessing one undefeated streak remain in tact it was time for The undertaker to put his streak on the line. In a very occurrence of a Smackdown match headlining a joint brand PPV The Undertaker and Edge put on a brilliant match with an edge of your seat ending. Edge through all he had at Undertaker including a camera and his two cronies but regardless of what he tried Undertaker was in no mood to let go of his streak.

Winner: And new World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker

Overall: In my predictions I only got two wrong and one was a result nobody would of could have predicted so I’m happy with that. I thought the event had lots of memorable moments but not outstanding matches that will be remembered for years to come as classics. I think the WWE could have done more with Flair and the WWE title match but they handled Big Show vs. Mayweather and Undertaker vs. Edge very well which helped Wrestlemania go out with a bang and send the fans home happy.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 28th March 2008

Smackdown was the WWE’s last chance to push Wrestlemania to try and get a few more buys for the PPV this Sunday. So I went in expecting the best Smackdown we had seen in some time. I knew that all the major develops would have happened on Raw this week if they were going to happen but I still thought they would pull out all the stops to continue the Wrestlemania buzz.

Good Points

Wrestlemania theme

To get people excited for Wrestlemania a lot of the matches tonight had a Wrestlemania theme with an over the top rope elimination match between some of the competitors who are taking part in the Battle Royal this weekend, an inter-promotional match for Batista and having the Money in the Bank briefcase above the ring for matches featuring wrestlers who were going to star in that match.

Some solid matches

It was up to the stars of ‘Money in the Bank’ to provide the wrestling quality this week for Smackdown as the matches which featured CM Punk vs. John Morrison and Chris Jericho vs. MVP being the highlights of the show.

Undertaker funeral segment

The end segment of Smackdown was a great classic old school Undertaker moment as Edge held a mock funeral for Undertaker’s streak at Wrestlemania which he thinks he is going to end this weekend only for the Undertaker to pop out of the coffin and attack Edge and his clan forcing Vickie Guerrero to expos herself as a fraud by getting up off her wheelchair and making a run for it as the Undertaker cleaned house.

Bad Points

Not enough Raw stars

In the week running up to a PPV where there is a joint brand show and inter-promotional matches happening it is important that Raw stars are on Smackdown and that Smackdown stars are on Raw. The show needed Umaga, Big Show, Floyd Mayweather and others to best develop the buzz before Mania.

Too much wrestling

Regardless of whether the WWE want Smackdown to be the wrestling show or not in the last Smackdown before Mania wrestling isn’t important it’s building the feuds and the hype for Wrestlemania which they didn’t do and if it hadn’t been for their Wrestlmania theme there would have been no build. The best way to develop feuds on TV is through mic time and backstage segments.

Jesse and Festus – Why, why, why?

Again back on Smackdown taking up time when they have no major role in Wrestlemania. The character of Festus has no place in the modern era and unlike the character of Eugene the man playing this character can’t pull this type of character off. If you are to use characters like this you have to use them on Raw as the style of show is more suitable for it.

Another poor Divas segment

It’s turning in to a weekly occurrence on Smackown that you can guarantee there will be some stupid pointless and inappropriate moments with the Divas. This week it was a wet and wild match which was cringeworthy at best and featured Divas who haven’t really got a part to play in Wrestlemania.

Overall

The last episode of Raw and Smackdown have if anything quelled my excitement for Wrestlemania and am now wishing it happened last weekend. Instead of getting us hyped and using the last two shows correctly they have just been treading water.

Wrestlemania 24 - My Predictions

The WWE are branding Wrestlemania 24 as “The Biggest Wrestlemania Under The Sun” making it’s reference to the fact that for the first time it is taking place in Florida and from the open air arena known as The Citrus Bowl. The tagline can’t be making reference to the biggest card or the biggest venue for a Wrestlemania and I highly doubt it will do the biggest amount of Pay Per Views buys so it’s only in Florida they can get away with a tagline like this.

I know we are yet to see what happens on Smackdown this Friday night but as we stand these are my match-by-match predictions for this years’ Wrestlemania starting from the bottom of the card.

ECW Championship Match

What a mess this has been. For many years the WWE have put on an inter-promotional Battle Royal as a dark match before Wrestlemania and chucked in on the DVD extras but this year we were lead to believe that for the first time we would be seeing this on the main show. For once the WWE had come up with an interesting angle for the Battle Royal with the winner facing the ECW champion Chavo Guerrero that same night but now it’s pointless as we will be watching Mania not knowing who is going to be facing Chavo and as we won’t see someone winning the Battle Royal live we won’t care too much for the match. The WWE should have either kept it in the main show or not done it at all and built a proper feud for Chavo against a pre-announced opponent. The WWE have proved Battle Royals work at Wrestlemania like with Wrestlemania 2 and 17 so why they couldn’t just keep it in I don’t know.

Don’t expect much from the match itself, out of the 24 named participants for the Battle Royal your most likely winners are Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Kane, Jamie Noble or Chuck Palumbo. On a side note I can’t believe after being on Raw for three weeks out of six they can’t even give Paul Burchill a spot in the Battle Royal. I expect the creative team to slingshot the winner of the Battle Royal to capture the ECW championship.

Winner: Whoever Chavo faces.

BuunyMania Lumberjack match: Maria and Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina

Now that Candice Michelle is out of the match it has lost the only shred of a storyline it had with her returning to face Beth Phoenix who put her out of action. Now the only reason for the match is because of Maria’s recent photoshoot. We have hardly seen Ashley on TV as of late and Melina is just there to make up the numbers so this match could be a time to stretch the legs and go to the fridge. The only good thing about the match is that it is a great way to get Snoop Dogg involved in Mania which fits his rap character as he performs the duties as Master of Ceremonies. On a side note I thought the WWE referred to female lumberjack matches as lumberjill matches. For those unfamiliar with this type of match it is where fellow wrestlers surround the ring and throw the competitors back in the ring if they are thrown out.

Winner: Do we care?????????

Battle For Brand Supremacy: Batista (SmackDown) Vs. Umaga (RAW)

Unless they do something big on Smackdown the build up for this one has been rubbish. The only build up we have had is them both squashing opponents on their respective shows and then the odd bit of interference in each other’s matches. This is not going to be the greatest match by any stretch of the imagination so the build up was what was going to get this match over. Last Wrestlemania Batista’s match with Undertaker was down to be one of the worst matches of the night and he managed to make it a good match so hopefully he does the same this year. It just depends how Batista reacts to being booked this far down the card which is the same for Umaga who had one of the main matches last year. I don’t see this being more than a one off match as Batista will want to get back in to the main event scene.

Winner: Batista

Belfast Brawl: JBL (RAW) Vs. Finlay (SmackDown)

This match came about because of the worst change in creative direction I have seen in some time just so they could give JBL a match for Mania. Since then however it has had a strong build up and I have no doubt that this is going to be one of the most intense matches on the card. It is good to see Finlay in a match on Mania where he isn’t just making up the numbers like the Money in the Bank match. Depending on how the WWE want to play it they could have a comedy moment with Hornswoggle returning to get involved in the finish but I hope they don’t as I want this to be an intense encounter. With JBL being the one man heat generating machine I’m sure the fans will be in to this one.

Winner: JBL

Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match: Mr. Kennedy (RAW) Vs. Shelton Benjamin (ECW) Vs. Chris Jericho (RAW) Vs. Carlito (RAW) Vs. MVP (SmackDown) Vs. Vs. CM Punk (ECW) Vs. John Morrison (ECW)

Normally at Wrestlemania this match is put on early to get the crowd going but in the past many wrestlers have had problems following this match as the fans after witnessing crazy stunts are normally less appreciative of a solid wrestling match. I like traditions and Wrestlemania needs tradition so am glad this match has become an annual event. However with the talent pool being light at the moment it’s hard to have eight or in this years case because of Jeff Hardy seven guys used up in one match as it means either this match suffers or the rest of the card suffers. In my opinion there are three guys there to win it, the rest are just making up numbers with Kennedy, MVP and Chris Jericho being the guys who could win it. Four weeks ago I would have said Kennedy to win it for the second year in a row but after hardly appearing on Raw on recent weeks and with the brilliant MVP / Jericho feud going on I have to side with one of them. Of course this would have all been irrelevant if Jeff Hardy hadn’t got suspended as in my opinion this was his match to win. My only fear for this match is they may be running out of ideas for what they can do with this match as so many spots have already been done.

Winner: Chris Jericho (although I would like them to take a gamble on MVP and give him the push by having him win this match)

Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair (SmackDown) Vs. Shawn Michaels (RAW)

This is a match in which we can forget about the terrible build up and just enjoy it as it is what looks like Flair’s last match. When Flair was out of favour in the WWE last year he said he wanted to end his career at Wrestlemania and this weekend he has his chance. I’m glad they haven’t made too much of a storyline of this one as it should just be about Ric Flair having an athletical encounter against someone he respects and who respects him. Many would argue Flair doesn’t deserve a place on Wrestlemania but for what he has done for and in the business I only think it’s fitting for him to bow out here. I would love for the WWE creative team to pull the rug from under us and have Flair win but I don’t see it happening.

Winner: Shawn Michaels.

Wrestler Vs. Boxer: Big Show Vs. Floyd "Money" Mayweather

I take it back Batista and Umaga this in matter of fact is going to be the worst match. Everyone knew as soon as it was signed that this match was going to be awful but it was going to be the build up which saved it but because of the WWE’s terrible creative direction and planning it didn’t even get a good build up. After the best start to a feud ever with Floyd Mayweather jumping the barrier at No Way Out to legitimately break Big Show’s nose in a planned shoot to get people talking it has dwindled out to a point where I can’t wait for it to be over. This match is going to be like the disaster that was Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar from Wrestlemania 20 as nobody knows who to cheer or boo as the WWE didn’t book it properly. Floyd’s main involvement has been through video segments rarely appearing in person on Raw and the Big Show has just kept going on about taking Floyds undefeated streak, message to Big Show results of wrestling matches don’t count in the boxing world.

Winner: Floyd Mayweather (The WWE have paid him far too much money and he is far to egotistical to lose)

World Heavyweight Championship: Title Vs. Streak: Edge (c) Vs. The Undertaker

This match has been excellently booked so far although I wait to see the final installment of the build up this Friday. Edge like a good heel champion has thrown obstacles in the way of the Undertaker and escaped every time it looked like he was going to get a beating and then when Edge has attacked it has been in numbers and not by himself. Throughout this The Undertaker has been made to look strong by running down the obstacles and only getting a beating when set upon by a group. I am intrigued by this match to see what the creative team do with it. To build Smackdown and to build Edge to have him taking Undertaker’s legacy would solidify his position as a main eventer and be great long term planning. However I don’t see The Undertaker giving up his streak so I still have to put him odds on. Whatever happens I think Edge will get the best match out of the Undertaker that he has had at Wrestlemania since his match with Triple H at Wrestlemania 17.

Winnter: The Undertaker

WWE Championship: Triple Threat: Randy Orton (c) Vs. Triple H Vs. John Cena

Although the build up to this has been a bit hit and miss this match has the most excitement in my eyes. John Cena and Randy Orton may not be the best wrestling technicians but it’s not about what moves you can or can’t do it’s about how you tell a story which I think these two can do adequately well especially with Triple H there. The thing with this match is that you don’t honestly know who is going to win as you can make a case for all three and that’s what makes it exciting. The reason going to a football match on the weekend or watching it on TV is exciting is anything can happen and you don’t know who is going to win which is exactly what wrestling fans want. They may go to an event supporting their favourite but the reason they get vocal and excited about supporting their favourite is that there is a real chance they could lose so they have to support them in anyway they can.

If WWE are doing their usual safe booking they will put the belt back on Cena as that is probably the reason they rushed him back so early. If the WWE want to do what’s right and take the company in a new direction they will put the belt back on Triple H. Triple H hasn’t won at Mania for some time as he has been involved on the booking committee and the unwritten law of wrestlers booking shows is that you don’t book yourself at the top however he is the most deserving but with one child and another on the way is he going to want a champions schedule? Again if the WWE are thinking long term and really want to build Orton they will have him retain the belt and retain it clean. So there you go three cases why each could win it. I think we will see at least one major title change at Mania and if it is going to happen anywhere I think this is where it will happen.

There is also an outside chance of a Rock appearance at Wrestlemania itself. After John Cena went on my friends Simon and JK’s Wrestlecast at The Sun to say that the Rock annoys him and that he doesn’t give back to the business that made him people are thinking it may all be a work to get Rock on Wrestlemania. Hulk Hogan has before gone to the Hall of Fame the night before and then got involved in Wrestlemania but even that wasn’t the main event so I don’t see it happening here.

Winner: Triple H