[Tommy Platinum]

Hopefully I'm allowed this here. I thought seeing as I'm getting back into WWE properly (meaning watching all 3 brands from now on) I should make a review thread to give my thoughts on what I see, and what better place to start than the first Smackdown I have watched since the draft...

Friday Night Smackdown, 26/6/09

As I said, this was the first Smackdown I had seen in some time. Obviously in contrast to RAW, Smackdown along with ECW has been getting rave reviews, and after watching this show I can see why. I've definitely been missing out not watching it if this was anything to go by, as I thought it was highly entertaining from start to finish and featured two very good TV matches. Here are my random thoughts....

- Wasn't a big fan of Vince McMahon kicking off the show, as I feel he is one of the bad things about RAW and I'd rather he stayed away from Smackdown. His promo was pretty much your standard heel McMahon promo and wasn't particularly interesting. He called out Teddy and basically let him know that he was the boss, telling Teddy he better have something good planned etc. Again, pretty standard Vince, and I've never been a fan of Long. Calling people "playa" does not constitute charisma in my view and he's pretty much the most bland, uncharismatic GM ever. Throughout the night we saw further segments with Vince and Teddy talking to various superstars... it was all a bit forgettable tbh.

- We started with R-Truth vs Shelton. How many times have these guys faced each other now? I've not even been watching Smackdown and even I think R-Truth is stale. The whole rapping entrance gimmick was fun at first but got old after a few weeks and he hasn't changed it up at all. Shelton's heel promo was pretty weak too. This was a fairly fun match to kick off the show though. I have to admit I still think Truth's offence is pretty cool, and Shelton looked pretty decent, hitting some nice throws. R-Truth gets the win.

- The diva match was actually pretty decent too I felt, Melina and Gail Kim vs McCool and Alicia. I dislike McCool a lot, but she was alright here, and both the faces are pretty good wrestlers in the division. Its always pretty cool seeing Melina's flexibility tested, this time by Alicia.
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. McCool eventually got the pin on Alicia after getting a blind tag. You would think Melina will retain at the Bash after McCool has got the upper hand these last few weeks, but I can't see anybody but McCool becoming the first to hold both womens titles thanks to Taker.

- I don't remember if this is in order, but the Cryme Tyme segment was pretty shitty and I'd prefer it if they wern't on my screen... ever. Eve sounded the opposite of black lol.

- CM Punk segment with Vince and Long. I liked this. With Vince talking about Punk's straight edge lifestyle, hopefully this was an indication that they're going to bring it into an angle sooner rather than later. The way Punk was talking about it sounded pretty heelish, so hopefully he uses it to put down Hardy directly at some stage. Its really too good an opportunity to miss.

- John Morrison vs CM Punk was a very good TV match in my opinion. Maybe it could have gone slightly longer, but it was certainly very fun while it lasted. This is my first viewing of Morrison as a face and he really doesn't seem any different, but it works so what the hell. His push has been well done by the sound of things and he certainly looked very good against Punk here, getting in a lot of his high flying offence and looking very strong. The finish was very well booked too. It may sound unwise to have the World Heavyweight Champion lose clean on TV 2 days before a PPV title defence, but the finish made both men look good, with Morrison countering a counter to pin Punk. It doesn't take away from Punk's credibility, but it certainly continues Morrison's momentum. He will surely be a main eventer before too long.

- After the match, CM Punk hit Morrison with the GTS. I am loving the way they are handling the Punk heel turn. This was obviously the actions of a pissed off sore loser, and hopefully the turn is complete this Sunday.

- There was a Jericho promo somewhere in here with Jericho talking about Rey's addiction to pleasing the fans and how he's going to unmask him forever at The Bash. I have found a lot of Jericho's promos fairly repetitive this year, but I enjoyed this one.

- The main event of the night was a "Rage in the Cage" match pitting Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy against Edge and Chris Jericho. When did they start calling WWE cage matches rage in the cage? lol. Anyway, am I the only one who thought this match was fucking awesome? Its been a long time since I've seen a good cage match in WWE, but this was all kinds of fun. I guess you should expect a good match when you have two of WWEs very best performers this year, as well as the always fun Jeff Hardy, and the underrated-by-Steve Edge. To cap it all off, CM Punk was the special referee, so we got some more good interaction between him and Hardy ahead of their match. There were a lot of really good spots and counters, and the chaotic finish was great, with Edge countering the Twist of Fate, Hardy getting distracted by staring at Punk and then running into a Spear. This was the most enjoyable TV match I've seen in a while.

- After the match, Punk grabbed the mic and sarcastically congratulated the loser, Jeff Hardy, for his efforts. CM Punk is such a dick, I love it!

To conclude, this was a very good show and a breath of fresh air for somebody who has only been watching RAW these last couple of months. It featured two very good TV matches and some other fun stuff, including some nice build towards the Punk heel turn. The best thing about it is probably the way the up and comers are being treated, with Morrison's push and Punk's turn both being handled brilliantly. Is the show always this good?

8.5/10

[King Steventon]

I liked both the main matches, but I didn't thin either was great. Morrison/Punk was fun, and I really liked all of the struggle for control between them at the start. The teasing of the powerbomb stuff off the aprong was also good. The story and booking was very well done, but it could have been alot better if Morrison wasn't so bland and had more personality to get behind. I thought Punk's acting for the post-match stuff was really awkward. Usually he's a guy who knows how to work angles but his whole "whoops didnt me to do that" act was pretty bizarre, he should have just hit it then walked out.

The cage match was ok, I didn't see what was so awesome about it outside of Rey just tearing it up with loads of great spots. I thought the finish came off really well though and the post-match stuff with Punk was great. He is still technically a face but is acting like such a douche.

I really enjoy the booking of Punk right now. Fantasy booking time: Have him turn at the PPV and destory Hardy, putting him out for a few weeks or so. Next Smackdown have Morrison vs Punk for the title and have Morrison take Punk to the limit. I'm not a big fan of Morrison, and I think Hardy and Punk are both hit and miss but the booking is VERY good right now... as long as they don't screw it up by having Hardy re-win the title or something, this could be angle of the year.

EDIT - Also
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Great channel to bookmark. Uploads all the weekly shows.

[Y 2 Jake]

- I thought it was a great show. Three very good matches and a women's match that wasn't as awful as it could've been.

- I really wish WWE would just decide what to do with R-Truth. I'm not a huge fan but WWE are crying out for new wrestlers. He's over, intresting look, he does flashy moves and he's black. WWE don't push many black guys, but they have one who connects with the audience so they should go with it.

- That Cryme tyme thing is going to be weekly. I can see it now. It's the sort of wrestling stuff that I could never defend in front of a non-fan.

- Two good Morrison Smackdown matches in a row. If this carries on I might have to reevaluate my opinion on him.

- It's a shame Cage matches are worthless now. That oen was very good, but it didn't really serve a purpose.

[Tommy Platinum]

Originally Posted by Lord Steventon
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I liked both the main matches, but I didn't thin either was great. Morrison/Punk was fun, and I really liked all of the struggle for control between them at the start. The teasing of the powerbomb stuff off the aprong was also good. The story and booking was very well done, but it could have been alot better if Morrison wasn't so bland and had more personality to get behind. I thought Punk's acting for the post-match stuff was really awkward. Usually he's a guy who knows how to work angles but his whole "whoops didnt me to do that" act was pretty bizarre, he should have just hit it then walked out.

The cage match was ok, I didn't see what was so awesome about it outside of Rey just tearing it up with loads of great spots. I thought the finish came off really well though and the post-match stuff with Punk was great. He is still technically a face but is acting like such a douche.

I really enjoy the booking of Punk right now. Fantasy booking time: Have him turn at the PPV and destory Hardy, putting him out for a few weeks or so. Next Smackdown have Morrison vs Punk for the title and have Morrison take Punk to the limit. I'm not a big fan of Morrison, and I think Hardy and Punk are both hit and miss but the booking is VERY good right now... as long as they don't screw it up by having Hardy re-win the title or something, this could be angle of the year.

EDIT - Also
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Great channel to bookmark. Uploads all the weekly shows.

You have to remember I've only been watching RAW. I'm not used to good TV matches so I may overrate them at first. I'm not giving star ratings because I'd have to rewatch them and I think it's usually pretty pointless when it comes to the TV shows, but they were very entertaining in my opinion and perhaps more importantly, very well booked.

Thanks for the dailymotion link. Its been bookmarked.

[King Steventon]

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!~

[Rated-RKO-Franklin]

The main event was great! I really enjoyed. All four men give it their all. It is nice to see Smackdown get a great main event. I think they call it Rage in The Cage because it is a tag team match but is not tornado style.

[Silver Saviour]

I say it all the time. Smackdown has been awesomly awesome for months. Looks like Mcmahon is going to bring that to a crashing hault now though.

[PY]

Was Morrison/Punk better then Morrison/Edge from a few weeks back?

[Tommy Platinum]

WWE The Bash Review

Now onto my review of a show I was really looking forward to....WWE's The Bash PPV from last night. I'm using star ratings because I feel like it. I think I'll always use them for PPV but not TV, because on PPV it is expected that the matches are of a higher standard. Anyway....

ECW Scramble Match

This was a great choice to open the show. You could argue it makes the ECW title look a lot worse than the other two, but I’m used to that when it comes to PPV. The match was sure to be fun so it was a good way to get the crowd into the show, and the match delivered. Swagger and Christian starting it out was also a good decision as they are the two best wrestlers in the match. The two battled it out in an enjoyable opening to the match before Finlay entered and started to dominate both men. It remained entertaining throughout, as the Champion was next to enter. I like the stip of the match that anybody can be pinned for you to become the current champ. It was also a good decision letting Henry come in last so we don’t see too much of him, because he’s actually fun in small doses, especially in multi man matches like this. Cool turnbuckle spot and I enjoyed watching him power the others round. I really liked the finish too with Dreamer breaking up the pin and hitting the DDT on Finlay, then fighting everybody off to retain against the odds. Good opener.

***1/4

Intercontinental Title vs Mask match
Chris Jericho vs Rey Mysterio

This match was pretty great. I would go as far as saying the 2nd best WWE match in 2009 that I can think of currently. It was a whole lot of fun from start to finish and definitely topped their previous matches, which were very good. It contained everything I look for in an entertaining wrestling match, with a lot of action including many great counters and near falls. There were a lot of memorable moments and it flowed very well. Pretty brutal spot when Jericho hit Rey’s head against the barricade. I loved Jericho avoiding the 619 and hitting a clothesline too. There was a pretty awesome Codebreaker when Rey came off the top, and for the most part Jericho seemed to counter all Rey’s highflying offence, although he did hit a pretty great dive and a springboard moonsault. What is it about Rey in 2009? He’s suddenly become amazing again. Just when I thought it was over, when Rey hit Jericho with the 619 and seemed set to win, Jericho countered and caught him in the walls, leading to several near falls. Eventually, Jericho took off Rey’s mask, but Rey had another underneath, and this distracted Y2J long enough for Rey to hit the 619 and splash for the win.

Maybe I should have expected this to be very good considering we are looking at probably 2/3 of the best wrestlers in WWE in 2009 so far, but I think this exceeded expectations. I even liked the finish. Hopefully the feud continues, because I think this is the best feud of 2009.

****1/4

Dolph Ziggler vs The Great Khali

I didn’t expect a good match here, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I’ve not been watching Smackdown lately (until the last episode) but the video package made the build look pretty good. I don’t remember much from the actual match, but I seem to remember Ziggler held his own until the arrival of Kane, which was suprising to say the least. Ziggler left the ring and Kane hit Khali several times with a chair, allowing Ziggler to get the win. Good for Ziggler to be able to say he got a pinfall victory over Khali, and hopefully he gets a push from here, but the Kane return seemed very random. I forgot he was even on Smackdown. Another Kane/Khali feud certainly doesn’t interest me.

**

Womens Title
Melina vs McCool

This was pretty much your average womens match, meaning it wasn’t particularly good. Melina looked amazing and I always enjoy seeing her flexibility tested, but the match was meh and McCool winning after getting the upper hand every week in the build up seemed like a burial to me.

*1/2

Unified Tag Team Titles
The Colons vs Priceless vs Chris Jericho and Edge

Edge had been complaining to Long that he wasn’t on the card, and Jericho complained about the way he lost to Rey. Vince had been on Long’s case again about not being entertaining, so his solution was to add both of them to this tag team title match. I wasn’t really sure whether I liked it or not. Seemed kinda bad that they took attention away from the real tag teams and stopped them from showing what they can do, but at the same time, we already knew WWE doesn’t really value tag team wrestling. The match was fairly decent if I recall correctly, but the only thing that stood out was the finish, and that stood out for the wrong reasons. It was just too predictable that Edge would get the win in those sort of circumstances, hitting the spear when nobody was aware he was the legal man. Jericho and Edge new tag champs. Main eventers holding tag gold yet again. <_< At least it could be an interesting angle with these guys holding the belts, and when they lose them they could put someone over… hopefully not Cryme Tyme.

***

World Heavyweight Title
CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy

This was a match I was really looking forward to, and I wasn’t disappointed. It wasn’t great by any means, but I think it told a good story of Hardy desperate to recapture the gold he earned, but falling short to bad luck and a dick move on Punk’s part. The action was pretty good throughout, and there was a few times I thought Hardy had won even before the swanton bomb which saw him pin Punk, only to be told Punk’s leg was under the rope. Before that, there was a lot of good offence from both men. I really like Punk’s MMA style offence, though I think he should have another finisher, and Jeff got in some good moves and seemed to be dominating at times. Unfortunately for Jeff, after the match was ordered to continue, Punk pretended he’d been struck in the eye and cheapshotted the ref with a kick to the back, leading to the DQ. I think this worked very well and once again left slight question marks over the heel turn, as Punk claimed he couldn’t see. Hardy took out his frustrations on Punk after the match which for me put over what it means to be champ and what a dick Punk had been. Hopefully his heel reign is only going to get better from here and this feud continues. Decent match, but its more about the angle and the ongoing feud here.

***1/2

John Cena vs The Miz

Wow where to start with this one. I thought this would be a very good match in which Cena makes Miz look a legitimate thread and helps to elevate him to that next level. What do we get? A squash match. I really don’t understand why they had all those weeks of build just to make Miz look a joke. Miz did get in offence but it didn’t really matter considering how short the match was and how easy Cena made it look to win. If it wasn’t enough that the match ended so fast, the insulting gesture from Cena afterwards made Miz a laughing stock. He’s pretty much buried now. Nothing good to say about this.

*3/4

WWE Title
Randy Orton vs Triple H

Next up was the main event. I was strangely excited about this match beforehand, despite the fact that I have really disliked the feud and feel that not only has it been done to death, but they work awfully together. The first fall was over pretty quick when Triple H intentionally got himself DQ’d (how typical that he chooses not to win the fall rather than Orton beating him. Can’t have HHH losing 2 matches in a night). So basically, from the outset, Orton looks pretty bad. Triple H hits the pedigree on the outside and amazingly, we’re into the 3rd and final fall already, that fall being a stretcher match of all things. The match became slightly enjoyable at times. I always mark for Orton’s signature DDT, this time off a stretcher onto the ramp, but in general this was just a dull brawl with a load of overbooked crap designed to protect Triple H at the end. I think a stretcher match was a ridiculous stip to choose because it looks pretty silly and certainly doesn’t put over a brutal match. In the end if was the 3 on 1 beatdown by Legacy which led to HHH being pulled over the line for Orton to retain.

The silliness wasn’t finished there though, as Triple H had to hit Orton with the sledge and get the last word. Even when he loses, he has to be the guy standing tall with his music playing. This match basically made Orton look a joke even though he retained. Just to make it even worse, Triple H did the patented DX crotch chop which hints at a possible DX vs Legacy match down the line. Oh joy.

Surely this can’t last till October?

**1/4

Overall:

This PPV had a very very promising card, and unfortunately that left me feeling disappointed when the show was over, because only one of the matches truly delivered, that being the great Rey/Jericho. Everything those two touch seems to be turning to gold this year. Aside from that, Cena/Miz and Punk/Jeff were highly anticipated matches by me. I have no real complaints about Punk/Jeff. It wasn’t spectacular but it was enjoyable and most importantly, continued the impressively booked Punk heel turn well. Cena/Miz on the other hand was just awful and one of the worst burials I’ve seen. I really don’t get why they decided to bury him like that after all the hype, but WWE is WWE. Less said about that match the better. Triple H/Orton was pretty awful but I expected it to be. The Womens match was average at best and it wasn’t nice seeing McCool win, and Dolph/Khali didn’t really seem PPV worthy.

On the bright side (aside from Y2J/Rey excellence) the scramble was a very fun opener which told a good story, and the tag match was decent. The swerve in having Edge and Jericho win the belts could either be very good or very bad. We’ll just have to see.

Overall, a bit of a letdown PPV but still easily better than the last 2 PPVs. The card just promised so much and it didn’t really deliver.

6.5/10

[King Steventon]

Yeah I also really enjoyed Henry in the match too, he came out and just destroyed everything that moved. Also liked him teasing a dive, even if we've already seen that.

Too much PBP, most people saw the show so no need for the recap >.>

I also think you overated the main event. If I was laying down the stars it wouldn't get more than one from me.