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 Raw Review - 23rd June 2008

Instead of my usual style Raw review this week I am going to talk about the draft movements in detail that took place on Monday night.

From Smackdown to Raw – Rey Mysterio

Not surprised by this one Rey has done anything he possibly can on Smackdown and his highflying style will fit well on Raw. Being on Raw will also give him time to develop his character and persona which has never really been done well on Smackdown.

From Raw to Smackdown – Jeff Hardy

Again not surprised by this one after the drugs violation when Jeff was on a main event push on Raw this could be seen as some sort of punishment. Also Jeff Hardy’s body is worn down so I think Smackdown will be an easier gig for him. The fans love Jeff but has terrible mic skills and no character so I think he will fit in better at Smackdown.

From ECW to Raw – CM Punk

A great move to push CM Punk. However CM Punk struggles in five minute matches so he will never get the chance to show his full potential on Raw. I think he would have been a better fit with Smackdown.

From Smackdown to ECW – Matt Hardy

A great draft for ECW. I think Matt is a great fit for the brand and takes the US title with him. Shame the Hardy Boys reunion on Smackdown only lasted five minutes but for once I think Matt will have the chance to be the star he deserves to be on ECW.

From Smackdown to Raw – Batista

Batista needs freshening up as his character and work has been stale for some time. With Batista wanting to take time off I think this is another way of WWE convincing him not to take time off. Due to his cross promotional work as of late the only feuds out there for him at Raw are Cena and Orton when he returns.

From Raw to Smackdown – Umaga

Again Umaga needs freshening up. After a run in the main event when he first came the last 6 – 12 months have seen him rarely used in a major PPV feud. I think Umaga has the chance again for another main event run at Smackdown.

From ECW to Raw – Kane

Not a biggee, the only interesting thing about this one is that he still the ECW champion.

From Raw to Smackdown – Mr. Kennedy

Again not another biggee just another sign that Mr. Kennedy is going round in circles as he returns to where he came from. Annoyingly this may cut short his programme with Burchill.

From Raw to Smackdown – HHH

This has been rumoured for some time. With Smackdown going on to a new network and WWE wanting to start off strong and with Stephanie expecting their second a lighter schedule for HHH makes sense. Also HHH has been on Raw forever so it’s nice to show that nobody is safe in the draft and this could open up some interesting possibilities for him.

Commentator Draft – Michael Cole and JR change places

This was one of the most shocking drafts of the night JR and the King have be an institution on Monday nights and now its going to be Cole and The King. Michael Cole has called all but two Smackdown’s but again with Smackdown going to a new network and the chance to reunite old friends Foley and JR it makes sense.

Overall

Mainly good and interesting decisions by the WWE creative team. From a creative point of view I don’t think they should do a draft before a PPV as the week before a PPV should be used to build the matches not confuse them with draft moves but I understand from a promotional point of view as the draft is a way of getting viewers to tune in and then buy the PPV.

As far as the title picture is concerned this is what I think will happen. HHH will beat Cena and his title will be the Smackdown belt where as Edge will lose to Batista with that belt becoming the Raw title and start his raw career off with a bang. If not Cena will beat HHH and Edge will beat Batista which is equally as possible.

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

WWE Raw Review - 24th March 2008

The Raw before Wrestlemania is always the most important Raw of the year. This is when the wrestlers and the creative team should have created a huge buzz by and the show should do the best ratings of the year. The viewing rating for the Raw before Mania is very important at it affects the number of buys the PPV does. All the feuds should be laid out by now and this episode of Raw should just be a preview of what to expect this weekend. So with this in mind I was really looking forward to see if the WWE delivered.

Good Points

Great Start

The first five minutes of Raw were great as John Cena delivered one of his strongest in ring promos for some time. Whatever you think about Cena he knows how to work the mic and get a crowd going. However after this it became a mess which I will talk about in my bad points section later.

Good time given to Flair and Michaels

After weeks and weeks of little bits Flair and Michaels got a fair chunk of time on Raw for their in ring segment. I think Flair deserves a proper send off this weekend so although I don’t like the build up for this one I enjoyed one last Flair rant and even a history making event as for the first time since TNA used the NWA championship as their title Flair brought it with him to Raw to show his history.

Push for MVP and Carlito

With many people thinking that either Jericho or Kennedy are going to win MITB it was good to see MVP and Carlito beating the team of CM Punk and Chris Jericho. It was also a nice way to get other people from the MITB involved but still keep that Jericho / MVP feud going.

Bad Points

After Cena’s opening promo

The opening segment of Raw turned in to a mess after Cena’s promo as not only did Orton and HHH come down to the ring for a war of words we had Big Show, Umaga and JBL all jumping in there. Now it was funny to hear Umaga talk but at Wrestlemania you need to push your main event ahead of everything else which didn’t happen here. You can make a case for the Big Show to be there but only if it made sense which it didn’t but for JBL and Umaga whose matches are well down the card even below MITB and the Flair possible retirement match I think devalued the main event. This section got none of the feuds over and just felt like a comedy moment.

Big Show / Mayweather feud

This has to be the worst handled feud in recent wrestling history. You have got the big Show trying to be face but not succeeding and then being booked on the heel side of the tag match main event for Raw. On the other side you’ve got Mayweather who is trying to be the cool face but who again not many people like. If this wasn’t bad enough Mayweather has hardly been seen on Raw and was nowhere to be seen on the most important Raw except for video inserts. This started off with what was one of the most memorable moments in WWE history and has just fizzled in to a mess much like there match will be at Wrestlemania. Also slightly on another note Kennedy is suppose to be one of the main stars in the MITB match but ever since the Raw after No Way Out he has hardly wrestled.

Wasting Time

Every moment is precious selling space on the Raw before Mania so what the WWE creative team was doing having Holly for Khali who are both only going to be in the Battle Royal if anything which hasn’t been promoted.

Terrible Ending

Now on the Raw before Mania the person you should be pushing at the close of the show is either the champion or the challenger for the championship. Instead in what can only be described as sentimental booking by WWE Ric Flair made Orton tap from the figure of four winning the big eight man match for his team. I’m all for giving Flair a great send off but you don’t do at the expense of the show as a whole. To have Orton lose clean in the middle of the ring the show before Mania has weakened his position and weakened the main event.

Overall

If this was just your average episode of Raw this would have just been a mess but as it was the Raw before Mania it was an absolute disaster.

WWE Raw Review - 17th March 2008

Two weeks away from Wrestlemania and the last week of Triple Threat Takeover, I was really looking forward to this week’s Raw and it delivered in spades with their best offering for some time. The show with a few minor exceptions was well paced and very entertaining and developed a lot of feuds nicely for Mania.

Good Points

A push for Jericho

With only two episodes of Raw to go before Mania it was great to see him opening the show with his Highlight Reel section. His guest this week was the Big Show and after a good war of words between the two a match was made between them for later on in the show for the Intercontinental title. After being poorly handled since his return I hope they continue his push and that he wins ‘Money in the Bank’ at Mania.

Good storyline development

With a few exceptions all the matches served well to develop storylines for Wrestlemania. Umaga was dominant again beating Kendrik and London, Jericho got himself disqualified to keep the belt but ended up being knocked out after one punch from the big Show and HBK came and made the save for Ric Flair to prevent him getting fired after Flair had asked him not to.

JBL the one man Heat machine

His match with Colin Delaney may have been pointless, you make think he is an idiot and you may think that he wrestling ability is limited at best but one thing JBL can do is work a crowd. His mic and character work as a heel are awesome and after only recently coming back to the active roster he is already one of the most hated heels on Raw.

Great Ending

TNA really need to watch this episode of Raw as they showed how to end a show. An ending of a show should be crazy with lots of things happening like this week’s episode of Raw had but when the cameras go off air the viewers need a definitive image and happening which they got. I thought Cena and Orton’s match against the entire Raw roster was well booked and kept both of them strong whilst still keeping it believable. We also finally ended a Raw with HHH on top after laying the beat on Orton and Cena after their match.

Bad Points

No Mayweather

With Mayweather costing the WWE millions of dollars to bring in you thought they would be getting better use out of him. With this being the match that has got the media attention for Wrestlemania they need him on their weekly shows to get their money’s worth. Now his non appearance may have been because of a contractual reason but if the WWE invested all this cash in him and not to have it put in a contract that he had to be on every Raw before Mania makes no sense.

Two people with the combined age of hundred having a wrestling match on Raw isn’t the best idea.

The Vince McMahon vs. Ric Flair was one of the most shockingly awful matches I have seen on raw and was only saved by HBK in the end. The match looked weak and was very slow. I know they did it to cash in on Vince’s induction on to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood but the match must have left every wrestling fan across the world hiding behind the sofa because of it’s cringeworthyness.

What to do with Santino

Santino Marella was in three segments of Raw this week normally it is main event stars that get this amount of segments in a show. By putting him in a number of segments it’s obvious the WWE like him but they won’t put him in a full blown singles match and is yet to have a proper one on one feud. I fear in a minute he may be the next Taz who came over to be a wrestler but was soon moved to other duties which now see him as a commentator.

Overall

The WWE did the most important things right and built the right matches for mania. Would have liked to have seen Batista on the show to develop his feud with Umaga but at least I got see a minute or so of Burchill. If the WWE just iron out these little issues they could have the best Raw for some time next week.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 14th March 2008

We are starting to get the business end now with two weeks to go until the biggest show of the year. This is the time for tight well planned out TV shows and shows which entertain the casual fans in order to get as many people talking about it and buying the PPV a possible. So did Smackdown do its job this week in getting us ready for Mania.

Poor Start

Many people will say that the main events and the endings of weekly wrestling shows that are the most important thing but I disagree to me the opening segment of a show is the most important. Unless you are channel surfing the only way you are going to watch the main event is if the opening of the show hooks you. It may be very formulaic but I enjoy seeing a non wrestling segment opening a show to set the scene for the rest of the show. If a show starts with a match which has nothing to do with the rest of the card and if that match is not interesting you are going to be watching with nothing to look forward to and not enjoying what you are currently watching so you are going to switch over. So opening up with a divas segment which had nothing to do with the rest of the card or wasn’t built the previous week on Smackdown was not the right idea.

Building Big Show

They are doing well at building the Big Show as an unbeatable monster this time having him win a handicap match in under five minutes. The problem is now that they are building the Big Show as that unbeatable do we really believe Mayweather can beat him?

Morrison in ‘Money in the Bank’

In a match that made no sense pitting the tag champs against each other Morrison beat The Miz to win a spot in ‘Money in the Bank.’ The match was good for wrestling quality but made no sense, saying this though I am glad to see Morrison in the ‘Money in the Bank’ you know he isn’t going to win it but he could definitely add something to the match. This match just showed you how bad the tag team scene is at the moment in the WWE. The Tag Belts, the US belt and the Intercontinental belt do not change hands often enough for my liking and the reason there are long title reigns for the these belts is that talent is so thin on the ground.

Great Finlay promo

Promo’s in my opinion are just as important as matches for telling storylines and a great promo can really take a feud to another level. Finlay’s promo about Hornswoggle and the JBL situation was superb and should be a lesson for the younger guys in the business on how to cut a promo.

Batista vs. MVP

After being my least favourite match in recent history on Smackdown I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this again. Thankfully the match was a lot better this time and the ending was great with Umaga coming in to set up a win for MVP which gave him a push before ‘Money in the Bank’ and helped develop the feud between Umaga and Batista.

Great main event

If I wasn’t a wrestling fan I may have missed this main event as I would have turned off after the first five minutes. Going back to what I was saying earlier it don’t matter how great a main event is if nobody is watching it’s meaningless. The main event pitted HBK and Flair vs. Edge his two cronies and Chavo Guerrero in a steel cage. The action was great and the ending was superb with the lights going off and Undertaker appearing in the ring causing Edge to once again flee the scene but this time in the process winning the match. The only problem I have is with the HBK / Flair set up for their match. As HBK is inducting Ric Flair in to the Hall of Fame the night before you know they are going to continue to be buddy, buddy up until the match so there is no real excitement of it they are going to fall out or not.

Overall

The show was a good episode of Smackdown. The creative team just need to be careful to make sure that Raw guys don’t get too much time and attention in a Smackdown main event which they managed to do this time but it is a very thin line. This week I enjoyed Smackdonw a lot more than Raw and was happy not to see Jesse or Festus.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 29th February 2008

After a well booked Smackdown last week I was looking forward to what the Smackdown creative team and performers had install for us this week. However this excitement didn’t last for long.

Too many big guys

Now last week I talked about Smackdown being heavy of wrestlers around the 300 pound mark or higher but this week it was evident. Now if you have too many big guys the answers is not to put them all in to two matches. First we had Kane & Batista vs. Khali & MVP and then we had Balls Mahoney vs. Big daddy V. Luckily the latter didn’t last long. There is a place on a wrestling show for big guys but they need to be used well and not all booked together.

Slow developing feuds

Now the idea of having a weekly TV show is to develop storylines ready for the next PPV. I know it’s harder at the moment as there are more episodes between No Way Out and Wrestlemania than normal PPV’s but to keep a viewers interest you can’t have a feud treading water. The feud which is suffering at the moment was Chuck Palumbo and Jamies Noble as they had a match which Chuck won but nothing happened in the match to develop the feud so it was a waste of time.

Who has Batista annoyed?

After being in the main event scene for as long as I can remember Batista has now confirmed that he is going to be representing Smackdown in the inter-promotional match at Wrestlemania. With the two title fights, Big Show / Mayweather, Money in the Bank and Falir’s retirement match this match isn’t even on the main event radar. The only good thing for Batista is that this feud could mean him going to Raw shows and Umaga the Raw representative coming to Smackdown shows which will lead to more TV time for Batista.

Larger than life storylines

For me Smackdown has always been a product more designed for young people than Raw with more larger than life characters and storylines. This is why the WWE are trying out the tag team of Jesse and Festus in Smackdown but I for one am not a big fan. Eugene had a similar storyline and he made it work as he endeared himself to the fans but for me Festus is used as a character just to poke fun at which I don’t think is right or fits with the fans base.

The Edge / Undertaker feud

I think the Smackdown creative team are doing a good job with this on the whole. As a great heel Edge will keep on putting stumbling blocks in Undertaker’s way and Undertaker being the face will keep knocking them down. This week it was time for Zack Ryder to be used as a pawn and just as it looked like Undertaker would get his hands on Edge he fled leaving his minions to take a beating. The only thing I would watch if I were the creative team was giving the Undertaker too much mic time as with Edge being such a great talker I think the feud works best if Undertaker lets his actions speak louder than words. The other thing is to not build Edge’s minions as I thought Undertaker’s match with Zack Ryder should have been a match to show Undertaker’s dominance not to build Zack Ryder which it did.

Overall I thought it was a solid show but there wasn’t enough storyline development for my liking.