What a feud, what a show. Of course I’m talking about Smackdown and the rivalry between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. As much as I loved Raw and I did, Smackdown really blew me away. I have so many positive things to say about almost everything that we got, with of course just a few minor segments that I didn’t care for. But even the worst parts of Smackdown didn’t add up to very much. Hey let me get right to one spectacular SMACKDOWN! I can’t wait to share my thoughts with all of you.
Of course Smackdown opened up with a bang. We got the very smug CM Punk cutting a hell of a promo. He bashed the pro Hardy crowd like crazy using lines like, "I told you all that I would beat Jeff Hardy at Summer Slam, and in case you are all too intoxicated to remember, let me show you how I did it." And then there was this line. He said that WWE higher ups are afraid of him because they don't know what a Straight Edge World Champion is. He said, "I am a pioneer.” He said he's the role model the world needs because he doesn't drink, smoke, or abuse prescription medication "like Jeff Hardy. Punk week after week is just proving what so many of his Ring of Honor fans knew and what so many of fans like me knew once WWE started using him consistently, playing a heel is what he does best.
Not only did this guy come off well but also so did his counterpart, Jeff Hardy. Throughout this feud I have loved the way that Hardy has reacted to Punk’s comments. It’s not only with verbal responses, but it’s also with some pretty good facials. Again the interaction between these two was dynamite. Punk continuously got his digs in about Hardy being intoxicated and on painkillers. Of course Jeff Hardy just took it all in. This was so good because both of these guys just played their parts perfectly. I had a feeling after watching this opening that Smackdown was going to be a hot show and yeah I was right. Before this all ended Theodore Long came out and made the cage match official. And the stipulation would be that the loser would have to leave WWE. And the winner would face The Undertaker at Breaking Point for the World Title. So this was a very STRONG opening segment, which lead to the first match of the night. That was Hardy and John Morrison against Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith.
This was a good match that could have been a fantastic match if this would have gone way past the three-minute mark. I just wish these four had the opportunity to go at least 10-15 minutes because as fans we deserved it. I love watching Kidd and Smith, especially Kidd, and with Morrison and Hardy in there this could have been a hell of a match. Well for the short time this went on it was good and it certainly kept my enthusiasm going for the rest of the show. Now I have to be honest with you, this thing that we get on and off with Melina and Maria talking about Dolph Ziggler is somewhat annoying to me. I think mostly because their acting is so bad, it comes off like two girls in middle school talking about that cute guy in their classroom. I think both women come off unlikeable and I really could do without the drama. So on to more positive things. I know it was just one short appearance but I’m kind of into the way they introduced Drew McIntyre. He was polite enough to let R. Truth get most of his, What’s Up rap in, but right before Truth finished it and entered the ring McIntyre it him hard, or I should say kicked him hard in the head with his boot. And if that’s wasn’t enough he started punching the hell out of Truth and ended it all with a DDT. This was nice work from the new guy. Drew then said that he was sorry to ruin the little party. He introduced himself and said the party is over. This really was a cool way to bring McIntyre in, I was very happy with this segment.
The whole Michelle McCool injury thing does nothing for me. Now I know she did hurt her knee during a house show a few weeks ago, but when she sits at the announce table I cringe when she opens her mouth. She has absolutely no charisma at all, and that little promo that she cut before the women’s match with Melina vs. Layla was like nails on a chalkboard. I guess McCool needs to be seen and NOT heard if they intend to continue to using her. The match between Layla and Melina was good, but right now I am not really interested in the Smackdown women’s division. They need someone with a lot more to offer than McCool as the champion. Okay the next match was with Kane vs. Rey Mysterio. Now we have seen these two go at it on Raw, but I happened to like Friday’s match. Rey and Kane have always seemed to have good chemistry and that continued with this match. Judging by interference from Khali and his brother Runjin Singh I would say we are going to see a rematch between Kane and Khali at Breaking Point. Now their Summer Slam match was enough for me, but I guess Khali could possibly get the win at that pay per view. Okay so Khali and Kane left the arena and all of a sudden Dolph Ziggler came out and attacked Rey. This I liked a lot and I am guessing with Rey being suspended for 30 days starting Wednesday, Ziggler could win that I.C. Title on this week’s Smackdown.
The segment that started out with Shad Gaspard taking on Chris Jericho, but ending as a tag team match with Cryme Tyme vs. Big Show and Jericho was a lot of fun to watch. This was another very good match with these four guys. I really expected Cryme Tyme to win, since they lost at Summer Slam but for some reason, Vince McMahon didn’t see it my way and the win went to Show and Jericho. This program between Cryme Tyme and Jericho/Show has really benefited Shad and JGT, and here’s hoping that they continue to be used a lot on Smackdown, and that they don’t slowly start disappearing week after week. Since it was the last Jeff Hardy show for a while I happened to like the little interaction between Jeff and Matt. It was nice way to get these two back together. But what I really loved was the Cage match with Jeff and Punk. This was one of the best Cage matches that I’ve seen in a while. Without a doubt this match would have been THE match of the night on a pay per view. This was just off the charts and I think most of us knew that Jeff was going to lose but it didn’t matter, because there was just so much excitement going on here. After Punk and Hardy’s outstanding TLC match at Summer Slam these two still managed to put on a five star match on free TV. What a match and what a great show. I have to say that even though Jeff Hardy’s departure was a sure thing, it was still sad to see him go and very sad to watch so many in the arena crying. I thought Jeff’s good-bye was done well and hopefully Jeff will return.
This has been a super week for all of us WWE fans. Summer Slam was outstanding, I loved Raw, ECW came off quite well, and Smackdown was excellent. Now let’s keep this streak going with a solid Raw tomorrow night and Raw’s guest host Dusty Rhodes. I think Dusty could bring a lot to Raw. I will be back with my Raw thoughts on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I’m hoping they will be really happy thoughts. By the way, I am going to the Labor Day Raw, and I am so happy because I just read today that Bob Barker is hosting our show, not Mike Adamle. Ah things are looking up.
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