WWE Raw Review - 2nd March 2009

After the segment with HHH and Orton we left Raw on last week excitement was in the air to see if HHH could finally get his hands on Orton and tonight we were also going to find out whether it would be Kozlov or HBK facing Taker at Mania.

Now normally you are accustomed to me doing my review which highlights the good points and bad points of Raw but for once I couldn’t find any good points about the show.

Same old every week

This week it was the turn of Jimmy Superfly Snuka to be on the receiving end of a beating from Jericho, wonder who it will be next week? Yawn! To top all of this off before that segment lawler started Raw in ring with a mic to announced the main event, having these segments back to back is only adding fuel to the rumour of Lawler vs. Jericho at Mania which would suck.

HBK to face Taker

Now I wanted to see this match at Mania but the way they got it was crazy. First last week you have Kozlov beating Taker on Smackdown and next he is losing to HBK on Raw giving away his streak on a free show. I think they may turn this in to a triple threat but one minute you turn Kozlov in to a monster next he is getting beaten clean.

Orton’s heat and character killed

In a nice little swerve announced he would face the winner of Edge vs John Cena for the World Heavyweight Title and not HHH. Only for this to be destroyed within a few minutes as HHH after a few words on the mic got him to change his mind making him look so weak in the process. Then to make things worse he added a clause saying neither were allowed to touch each other until mania but wait there is more Orton then tried to bait HHH in to hitting him and he couldn’t even do that as HHH wouldn’t bite. Whoever wrote this segment should be fired.

John Cena underused

This week Cena got no promo time and only came out for his title match at the end which ended weak by Edge getting himself disqualified. The show ended with Vickie Guererro announcing it would be Big Show vs. Edge at Mania and not Cena. I personally don’t want to see Show in a main event and I can only hope they turn it in to a three way.

Overall

Before this show I was pumped for Mania but this is a great example by the creative team of how to kill the hype, the storylines and the wrestlers all in one night.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 27th February 2009

With Cena promising to turn up on Smackdown and the development of the Hardy Brother feud on paper we had what looked like a promising night of action ahead of us.

Good Points

Old storyline but with a twist

Now the brother feud storyline has been done before in the WWE like with Bret and Owen Hart. This time round it is the Hardy Brothers who are feuding and this week on Smackdown used the age old formula of having one brother wanting to fight the other but the other that being Jeff backing down from any confrontation. Of course Matt playing the heel is doing all he can to bait Jeff in to a fight but being a good guy Jeff will never fight his brother. Like I say this is old but the way that Jeff played at the end getting the fans to get on their feet to applaud his decision was something different. Normally the fans want to see the heel get taken down a peg or two so are annoyed when the face won’t fight so it’s a nice little twist.

Cena on Smackdown

Was great to see Cena on Smackdown after two years away from the show and he cut a nice little promo to kick off the show talking about how things have changed since he last was on the show. In typical cowardly heel fashion Edge won’t fight Cena but by using Vickie Guerrero as the one to block any match between the two it keeps Edge strong. In the main event we had Cena vs Big Show in which Edge distracted Cena so the Big Show could win but Cena still looked strong. This was good oslid booking by the creative team.

Bad Points

Giving away matches before Mania

Having Kozlov fight Undertaker when next week he is going to be on Raw fighting for the right to face Undertaker at Mania made no sense. With Kozlov picking up the win against Taker it now looks like it will be Kozlov vs Undertaker at Mania as now Taker has something to avenge.

Four matches is not enough

On a two hour show you should be getting in at least five matches, the matches were good and I enjoyed them but needed one more. Two matches continued on smackdown storylines that being the hunt for the US Title and the tag team feud between both tag champs but these are feuds which probably won’t even get a match at Mania. I thought it would have made more sense to have like on Raw a qualifying match for Money in the Bank.

Overall

Was a good show by Smackdown standards at least now with all the cross brand storylines it is helping the quality and big name draw power on Smackdown.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 20th February 2009

After all the developments from Raw it was now Smackdown’s turn to build their feuds for Mania.

Good Points

Jeff and Matt get ready to get it on at Mania

After a little lull in the Matt screwing Jeff storyline this week Edge was used as the decoy to push the feud. All show had been building the main event between Edge and Jeff after Jeff teased Edge about beating him in three minutes. After a solid main event Matt came down and got the match thrown out after he delivered a Twist of Fate to his brother and left him lying. The way they used Edge in this storyline makes me think he will on his way to Raw in the draft.

HHH shows the Smackdown crew about intensity

His pre-recorded interview with JR only lasted one question and a couple of minutes but HHH showed intensity on a crazy level which made the storyline fee believable. These two could tear the house down at Mania. The thing now is that with the level of intensity HHH has set they now need to maintain it five or six weeks.

Booking for next week

I liked how they started hyping matches for next week’s show on this episode of Smackdown the build also involved some hilarious segments which were filmed at the valentines date with The Miz, Morrison and The Bella Twins.

Bad Points

Kozlov in the Undertaker mix

On Raw both JBL and HBK were touting themselves as opponents for The Undertaker at Mania but this week Vickie said it was going to be Kozlov who gets the nod. All I can say is that I hope isn’t going to be Undertaker vs. Kozlov as rumours have it as Kozlov should be no where near Mania or no where near doing a programme with Undertaker. I think he needs to go to ECW.

Not much wrestling

Like Raw not much wrestling again this week with the only thing decent besides the main event being the US title feud match. To have only four matches in two hours is unacceptable to me as a wrestling fan.

Overall

Unlike Raw this show featured on two storylines and built them well which I found more interesting to watch than Raw’s scattergun approach. The only thing with the whole Orton / Stephanie thing is the fact that HHH is champion has been overlooked.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 6th February 2009

With things really hotting up on Raw could Smackdown deliver this week? I missed last weeks episode so was looking forward to see what was happening in the Hardy storyline.

Good Points

Stacked main event

It was great to see such a stacked main event with Edge and Big Show going against HHH and The Undertaker. There was also a nice little twist with Big Show punching out his tag partner to let HHH and Undertaker pick up the win. It looks like they are building Big Show vs. Edge for Mania.

MVP back on the winning streak

After months of going on a losing streak MVP is back to winning ways. It looks like he is going to be pushed for the US title after beating Shelton in a non title match. Now I would have preferred for him to be given a bigger push and not just back to the US title but I am just happy to see him winning again.

Bad Points

Jeff gets another week off

Since becoming champion in December and then losing it Jeff has hardly stepped foot in to the ring. This week he was absent again and it was up to Hurricane Helms to stand up for Jeff and fight Matt only to come out on the losing end. This could be the biggest feud at Mania but at the moment all they seem to be doing is killing it.

Kozlov gets another push

Kozlov won himself a space in the Elimination Chamber and after stinking up one PPV main event match he has the chance to ruin another although at least this time there are five other people who can save it so it shouldn’t be that bad.

Overall

Smackdown desperately need an injection of talent and good storylines as at the moment it is a million miles away from Raw.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 19th December 2008

With 2008 drawing to end Smackdown couldn’t forget that tonight they needed to start building for Royal Rumble. With the Smackdown title match being the highlight of Armageddon would Smackdown continue this momentum in to their weekly TV shows.

Good Points

Jeff gets his moment

Was great to see Jeff being introduced to kick the show off with a huge pyro and confetti entrance as he got the chance to address the fans. It looks like they are building him vs. Edge for the Royal Rumble which will be a good new feud to kick off 2009 with.

Use of Matt Hardy

Great to see Smackdown weaving Matt Hardy in to the storyline of his brother as champion. Last week they had Matt Hardy and Edge disputing who was the one to beat up Jeff in the hotel and this week they had a one on one match on th show in where Edge got some revenge for his lost at Armageddon.

Bad Points

Hardly any HHH

HHH made an impact at the end of Smackdown by coming on to save Jeff from an attack from Edge and Kozlov but outside of those few minutes he was nowhere to be seen. With no good undercard feud at the moment on Smackdown they need HHH to start a feud to be the second main event.

No tag team scene

The tag belts on Smackdown are worthless. Not only are they not defends on PPV’s but they don’t ever seem to be defends on Smackdown these days, if you aren’t going to use the belts your only degrading them by not using them.

Overall

Smackdown have on great feud that could steel the show at the Rumble, but outside that they have nothing.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 31st October 2008

After a better than usual Raw I was looking forward to see how the fallout from Cyber Sunday was going to develop on Smackdown and what direction they would be going in towards Survivor Series.

Good Points

Kozlov calls out HHH

It looks like the Smackdown title match for Survivor Series is going to be Kozlov vs. HHH after Kozlov . Personally I would have done this first at a smaller monthly event to see how the fans were going to react o it but it is good to see the Smackdown team trying to change it up and they are doing their best to put Kozlov over as a believable threat.

Casket Match

It’s not often we are given a casket match on Smackdown but as it was Halloween we got a treat. Undertaker beat Chavo Guerrero in the match and fended off the interfering Big Show to continue on his roll since Cyber Sunday but I’m sure this feud isn’t over yet.

Bad Points

Khali Kiss Cam

I think the quicker that Khali’s contract expires the better. After not being successful in the main event scene and having no one to work with in the mid and under card Khali is not relegated to comedy and cringeworthy moments through feuds with the Jackass guys and now in each week coming out to kiss some fans that they deem to be the leat attractive.

Jeff Hardy pushed to the side

So not only did Jeff suffer a succession of clean defeats to HHH but now he has completely been pushed to the side as tonight his only involvement as in a six man throwaway match. His time in the main event scene could have been handled so much better just like his exit from the main event scene.

Overall

Nowhere near as good as Raw this week, after the draft Smackdown looked like the strong brand but the card and booking is making it to start to look weaker than ever and that is with HHH.

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 17th October 2008

After a fairly poor Raw I was looking forward to see what the Smackdown crew were going to produce this week. With viewing ratings being considerably low even by Smackdown’s standards since the switch to MyNetworkTV would WWE be working hard to get those ratings back.

Good Points

Undertaker on Smackdown

It was good to see Undertaker in ring action this week against Khali. The match kept his feud with the Big Show going nicely as it gave Big Show the chance to interfere only for The Undertaker to get the last laugh. Next week’s main event is Undertaker vs. HHH which could be the biggest main event in Smackdown history and is being hyped as such.

Nice title feud

Slingshotting Kozlov to the top has added some extra spice to the title scene. Now we have Jeff Hardy the fans favourite wanting another crack at the belt but then we have Kolov the guy that the fans hate but seems to be an unstoppable force at the moment.

Bad Points

Kizarny

Two vignettes were played for this new character which reminded me a bit of Michael PS Hayes back in the day. His character a make up wearing either Carnival worker of Carnival enthusiast didn’t do much for me. When I see characters like this it gives me awful memories of WWE in 1992/1993 with characters like Papa Shango an Doink.

Another John Cena video

Ok I understand the WWE promoting John Cena on Raw but we don’t need it on Samckdown as well where he isn’t on the roster. Also WWE seem to be playing the same two videos over and over again. If it was a new video every week I could understand but it is getting a bit repetitive now.

Overall

A great episode of Samckdown two great main event feuds which should deliver at Cyber Sunday, can’t wait for next week’s episode.

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 Smackdown Review - Friday 19th September 2008

After a decent enough Raw it was Smackdown’s turn to see how they were going to build for No Mercy. Would The Undertaker show up and what would they do with Kozlov this week.

Good Points

Good build for Undertaker / Big Show

Smackdown did everything they could to build the feud without having Undertaker on the show. They built it well with Big Show and Vickie having many backstage segments including Chavo impersonating The Undertaker and then later on getting choked out by what we assume was The Undertaker as we didn’t get chance to see who it was.

Primo & Carlito

It’s good to see these two together and given some mic time as they had the funniest segment of the night as Primo co hosted or should I say guest appeared on Carlito’s Cabana. The segment also served to set up a tag title match as Hawkins and Ryder came down to interrupt the segment.

Big with for R-Truth

R-Truth got a big non title victory over Shelton Benjamin. On Smackdown with some of the guys that are and aren’t currently on TV they have the potential to have a great United States title division.

Bad Points

Use of HHH

No promo time for HHH this week just a quick instantly forgettable main event against MVP which was then overshadowed by Kozlov beating him down. I don’t know what this sudden Kozlov push is all about and to have him dismantle the champion and make him look week a couple of weeks before the PPV when Kozlov isn’t in the main event I think is a little crazy.

Jesse and Festus

It’s already getting stale, out of nowhere they turn themselves in to some form of package and delivery men and you know now that at the end of every match they are going to try and tape their opponent up.

Guys not getting a run

After appearing a few weeks on the trot there was no Kenny Dykstra this week on Smackdown and after not appearing for a couple of weeks Scotty Goldman was back jut to beaten in a Squash match by Khali. They need to give some of these guys a run and not bit parts.

Overall

Not as good as Raw but by far not the worst Smackdown ever. Although I don’t agree with how they are using Kozlov at least he is making it interesting at the moment.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 11th July 2008

With an interesting main storyline surrounding Edge and Vickie Guerrero I was wondering if the creative team could this week put some interesting storylines around it to make it a fuller show.

Good Points

Another great day at the office for Edge

Edge held Smackdown together again this week with great in ring and backstage segments. They have crafted the storyline brilliantly with Vickie wanting revenge by putting Edge against the Big Show but then feeling remorse after she goes through with it.

New feud for Smackdown

It’s great to see two of Smackdown’s recently acquired stars Kennedy and Umaga starting a feud on the show. Both need something big to push them back near main event so hopefully this can help them back near the main event.

Bad Points

Poor use of HHH

This week HHH had no mic time and was used in a middle of the show match against Chavo. Ok Edge might hav a hot storyline at the moment but that doesn’t mean you sell the champion and established star down to five minutes and no mic time.

No Jeff Hardy

This week Smackdown gave time to Shelton, Hornswoggle, Chavo, Domino, Jesse & festus and Hawkins & Ryder yet there was no Jeff Hardy. Jeff is a crowd favourite and smackdown need him on the show every week.

Kozlov is a waste of time

This week Kozlov got to get another win against Stevie Richards who I had completely forgot was still employed by the WWE after not seeing him for years. Kozlov is a waste of five minuteso f TV time which could be used a lot better.

Overall

Until they put some interesting storylines around the Edge / Vickie Guerrero storyline Smackdown is always going to be lite and weak.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 27th June 2008

It was the first Smackdown after the draft and the last Smackdown before the PPV so it had potential to be an explosive Smackdown especially with raw mainstays HHH and Good Ol’ JR making their debuts.

Good Points

An exciting main event picture

The show started well with HHH cutting his first promo in Smackdown only to be cut off by Edge who reminded him whose house it was. Batista was thrown in to the mix and took down Edge to leave both HHH and Batista in the ring but it is the Edge and HHH feud which I am most looking forward to over the next few months. HHH later made the save for Batista after The Family set upon him.

Push for Umaga

Was great to see Umaga in the main event of the show against Batista. After doing diddlysquat on Raw for months this move to Smackdown seems to have already invigorated him as he aligns himself with the heel faction The Family.

Rey Mysterio leaving speech

It’s not often after a draft that a superstar gets the chance to say goodbye to their fans so it was nice to see Rey being given the chance. This was well done and classy by the WWE and I thought it was a fitting end to his Smackdown tenure.

Bad Points

Crazy Booking

After their heated rivalry of years gone to put Edge and Matt Hardy in a throwaway match was a bit stupid and then to have Finlay and Hornswoggle who in the supplemental draft got moved to ECW beat up and coming Smackdown team Hawkins and Ryder made no sense. Add all of this to the under use of MVP Smackdown’s creative team just needs to start thinking sensibly for once.

Kozlov

Another week another boring Kozlov match which does nothing to build him. Are we just going to have him going a year beating no name wrestlers on the slowest push ever.

Overall

Even after the draft Smackdown still has nothing going on in the undercard / midcard as it continues to be a top heavy brand.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 13th June 2008

With some good feuds building on Raw I was wondering how Samckdown this week were going to continue to build Edge vs Batista and what other feuds they were going to develop for Night of Champions.

Good Points

Good build for Edge and Batista

I’m really looking forward to this at Night of Champions as they are building this feud well. This week Vickie got Batista to sign the contract for the match without realising that he signed on a clause which said he had to beat the Great Khali tonight to get his shot at Edge. Seeing Batista continuing to overcome huge obstacles is continuing to build his position and is start making the fans believe he can beat Edge at Night of Champions

Continuation of non wrestling segments

Was good to see a lot of backstage stuff and in ring interviews. Not as much as last week but better than most weeks on Smackdown.

Finally Kozlov gets some mic time

After weeks of wasting time with Kozlov the WWE creative team finally started the ball rolling on his character. As the interviewer tried to interview him backstage he delivered a tirade in his native language which no one could understand. This leaves great scope for them to bring in an interpreter or for other ways they could take his character.

Bad Points

Not enough feuds for Night of Champions

So far the only two matches we have on the Smackdown side for Night of Champions is Edge vs. Batista and Matt Hardy vs Chavo which Chavo announced this week on Smackdown. All the matches at the PPV are going to be title matches so they need to set in stone a tag team title match and the new Divas Champion match.

Too many guys getting time on the show that yod don’t see on PPV’s

Smackdown this week gave TV time and matches to Mark Henry, Tommy Dreamer, Chuck Palumbo, Deuce & Domino and Jesse and Festus. Now when was the last time you saw these guys on PPV or actually do something meaningful on PPV? Smackdown writers need to invest in guys they are actually going to use at PPV.

Overall

Smackdown needs three strong feuds to hold the show together whereas it currently has only one. The entertainment factor has gone up they just now need to more thoughtful and careful with the time they have each week.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 6th June 2008

After the Smackdown main event stole the show at One Night Stand it was about time that Smackdown started winning the war of the brands. As Raw is currently experiencing its worst ratings in some time can Smackdown pick up the slack and show thm how it’s done.

Good Points

Lots of non wrestling segments

Finally the Samckdown team have got the balance right between matches and non wrestling segments. The show felt like an entertainment show and not a wrestling show which is what Smackdown needs to be. If they can continue with this balance they are on to a winner.

Two long term storylines put in place

Batista is the new challenger for Edge as after Edge set him what he thought was an impossible task which was to beat The Familia in an eight man tag team match but with Edge and Vickie picking Batista’s partners. Batista and his team of Funaki, Nunzio and Colin Delaney got the win and provided an entertaining main event. On a weekly TV show your job isn’t to put on five star matches but to entertain which I think this match did. The other long term storyline is the planned wedding between Edge and Vickie which got announced at the top of the show, the wedding is going to happen on smackdown.

Women’s division on Smackdown finally gets some direction

After years of just being there for decoration and pointless matches they finally have their own Smackdown only women’s championship entitle the Divas Championship. There is now a good group of female wrestlers on Smackdown and it’s great to see them getting a championship. Natalya won the Golden Dream match to win a place in the first title match, we still wait to see who her opponent will be.

Bad Points

Kozlov

Having Kozlov win squash matches for over two months is not entertaining. They have to do something with him soon and actually integrate him in to a proper storyline.

The Jimmy Kimmel experience

Having a match on Samckdown with on of the cast called Cousin Sal against Raw wrestler Santino Marella made no sense. If they were going to have a match with one of Jimmy’s crew they should have saved it for a filler on a PPV.

Overall

Superb, best Smackdown I have seen in some time. The show was well paced and had lots going on. Smackdown went from being the wrestling show to the entertainment show which it needed to do. Top marks.

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.