Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Devlin's Smackdown Smacktalk, this is the last stop before Summerslam & the WWE's last chance to get more people to buy it. Will The Undertaker return tonight? What will Edge do to Vickie next? How will Triple H be able to beat the Punjabi nightmare? Let's find out

 

Match #1 - United States Championship: Shelton Benjamin (C) Vs Jeff Hardy

The match kicks off with Shelton taking quick control, locking in a side headlock on Jeff. Jeff manages to break it & roll up Shelton, but only gets a two count. Jeff then hits a backslide on Shelton but only manages to get another two count. Shelton then Irish whips Jeff into the ropes, but Jeff counters & hits a sunset flip on Shelton to get yet another 2 count. Shelton manages to kick out and tries to roll over & pin Jeff, but Jeff manages to counter it & get another 2 count on Shelton. That makes 4 pinfall attempts by hardy in less than 2 minutes. After getting to his feet, Shelton attempts to hit "Pay Dirt" on Jeff Hardy, but Hardy manages to counter it & attempts a Twist of Fate, but Shelton drops to the mat & retreats out of the ring. Shelton gets into the ring hesitantly, but manages to take quick control, taking Jeff Hardy down & unleashing with some stiff kicks followed by another headlock. Jeff manages to get back up to his feet & tries to break out of the headlock, but Benjamin takes Jeff back down & tries to get the win over Hardy but only manages a two count. Jeff quickly starts to right back, hitting Benjamin with some right hands & slamming his head into the second turnbuckle. Jeff then attempts to hit his signature corner dropkick but gets caught by Benjamin.

Benjamin then tries to hit Hardy with a powerslam, but Jeff manages to slide out & hit his patented Mule Kick on Shelton, sending him into the corner as Jeff manages to hit his corner dropkick this time around, but only manages to get a two count on "The Gold Standard" as Shelton just barely manages to get his foot on the ropes as we head to our first commercial break of the night. Back from the break & Hardy is still in control, as has a leg scissors locked onto Shelton Benjamin. Shelton manages to counter out of it, flipping over & attempting to pin Hardy, but just falling short. Jeff gets up & tries to kick Shelton, but Shelton manages to catch Hardy's leg & picks him up for a powerbomb, before throwing him into the corner & getting another two count. Shelton then locks in a leg submission on Jeff, but Hardy manages to crawl over to the ropes, forcing Benjamin to break up the submission attempt. Shelton then hits a reverse Samoan Drop on Hardy for another 2 count before unleashing with a flurry of right hands on Jeff. Jeff manages to fight back with some right hands of his own, but is that is quickly cut short by Benjamin who hits "The Dragon Whip" on Jeff for another close pinfall attempt. Benjamin the sets Jeff up in the corner & tries for the "Stinger Splash", but Jeff manages to move out of the way.

Benjamin then continues to beat down on Hardy, but Hardy manages to hit a jawbreaker out of nowhere which knocks both men down as the referee begins to count them both out. Both men manages to get up at the 6 count & Jeff hits a flying elbow on Shelton before hitting "The Whisper in the Wind" off of the second turnbuckle, but Jeff only manages to get another 2 count. Jeff then tries to hit Benjamin with the Twist of Fate, but Shelton counters it into a devastating backbreaker, but he only manages to get a two count himself. Jeff Hardy manages to get back up before attempting to hit Shelton with a clothesline; Shelton has the same idea, clotheslining Hardy as he gets clotheslined himself. Eventually both men get to their feet & Jeff is leaning on the ropes as he stands on the apron. Shelton charges at Hardy & dives over his head, flipping out of the ring as he attempts to hit a sunset flip on Jeff, but Jeff manages to hold on to the ropes before countering Shelton with a hurricanrana onto outside. Jeff then throws Shelton back into the ring & attempts another pinfall but falls short yet again. He then hits an Irish whip on Shelton, sending him into the corner, but Shelton manages to jump up & over Jeff, but their heads collide & both men go down. Jeff is the first one to his feet & begins to climb to the top rope, trying to hit the Swanton Bomb, but MVP comes out of nowhere & pushes Jeff off of the top rope causing the disqualification.

Winner Via Disqualification: Jeff Hardy

 After the match, MVP climbs into the & attempts to hit the "Drive By" kick on Jeff, but Jeff drops down as MVP misses & hits Shelton Benjamin. Hardy then manages to get back to his feet & MVP tries to attack him, but Jeff counters & hits MVP with the Twist of Fate followed by a Swanton. Jeff then gets back to his feet & climbs to the top of the opposite corner & hits a Swanton Bomb on Shelton Benjamin, finishing the job that MVP interrupted. Jeff then walks to the back celebrating as Shelton & MVP get back to their feet.

This was a solid opening bout that really helped to fire the audience up. Both competitors looked strong in this match & managed to get in some solid offence on each other. The booking, however, was too predictable, I doubt anyone thought Jeff was going to win the title (even though they wanted him to) & as has been the pattern for several weeks, MVP interfering in the match was just too predictable, but the finish did allow Hardy to win, look strong & allowed for Shelton Benjamin to hold on to his title, so it wasn't a bad finish, just pretty obvious.

 

We then go backstage & see Vickie Guerrero looking nervous & Victoria comes in to ask Vickie something but gets interrupted by Vickie, telling Victoria that they haven't talked in a long time. Victoria tries to make small talk but the conversation immediately turns to Edge & The Undertaker, with Victoria saying she has yet to see the Rated R Superstar or The Phenom. Victoria then offers to find them for Vickie, but Vickie declines, telling Victoria that she doesn't want to be left alone, because Edge & The Undertaker are both in the arena. Victoria then tries to console Vickie as we head to a commercial break.

This was a good segment, showing that Vickie is basically alone tonight (even though Bam Neely & Chavo were in good enough health to appear on ECW). It showed her desperation as she has no defence against two men that she has wronged. I am curious as to what Victoria wanted to ask, I will go out on a limb & say that it might have been a title shot for the Diva's Championship.

 

Match #2: Michelle McCool & Maria Vs Maryse & Natalya Neidhart

Maria is easily the most over diva on Smackdown, but I quite miss the ditzy backstage interviewer she used to be on RAW. Maryse & Maria start off for their teams & lockup, with Maryse managing to hit a leg sweep on Maria, before getting onto the second turnbuckle & celebrating as Maria looks on frustrated. Maria then challenges Maryse, calling her out & asking is she ready to wrestle, but Maryse decides she will have none of it, as she tags in the "Submission Technician" Natalya. Maria manages to take quick control, locking in a headlock on Natalya & climbing up to the top rope, hitting her with a snapmare. Natalya manages to use her superior submission skills, countering Maria's headlock into a leg scissors, but Maria quickly manages to break out of it. Natalya then hits an Irish whip on Maria, sending her into the corner, but Maria jumps up & attempts to hits a head scissors takedown on Natalya, but it is easily reversed into a sidewalk slam, followed quickly by a snap suplex. As both Diva's get to their feet, Maria hits an inside cradle on Natalya, but only manages to get a two count as Natalya takes quick control, hitting Maria with a stiff clothesline.

Natalya throws Maria into her corner before unleashing with some right hands & some elbows, but Maria manages to fight back, hitting Natalya with a right hand of her own & hitting Maryse with an elbow, sending her flying of the apron. Maria then crawls under Natalya's legs & makes a hit tag to Michelle McCool, who leaps over the top rope, hitting Natalya with a dropkick, but the third generation diva manages to stay on her feet. Michelle McCool maintains control, hitting Natalya with a clothesline & another dropkick, followed by a spinning neckbreaker, but only manages to get a 1 count. Michelle follows up by hitting Natalya with a face first suplex, but Maryse manages to pull Natalya out of the ring before McCool can try for the pin. Michelle quickly follows, hitting Maryse with some right hands before throwing Natalya back into the ring & hitting her with a few solid European uppercuts. Natalya is then thrown into the corner by the Diva's Champion, as Michelle climbs up top, Maryse tries to interfere but gets clotheslined for her trouble, this give Natalya all the opening she needs as she rolls Michelle up & gets the pinfall.

Winners Via Pinfall: Natalya Neidhart & Maryse

After the match, Natalya & Maryse head to the back celebrating as Maryse & Michelle look on disappointed.

This was a solid Diva's match that played to the division's strengths. Maryse & Maria are still fairly green in the ring, though they are showing improvement every week, this match managed to give them both some in ring time (Maria a fair bit more than Maryse however), while allowing the more experienced Diva's to control the pace of the match. I think it is only a matter of time before Natalya gets another title shot & when that time comes, I believe that the Fan Nation's most Dangerous Diva will walk away with the gold.

 

Match #3: The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel Vs Scotty Goldman

Before can make his entrance, Kendrick cuts an in-ring promo. He talks about how every week he comes to the ring & does what he says he is going to do, he then talks about how many use the excuse, that he gets wins because he has Ezekiel at ringside. Kendrick tells the fans that just by being around him, he opens up opportunities for others and he then asks Ezekiel if there is anyone on the WWE roster that brings more to the table than he does, Ezekiel replies by saying that there is not a single one. Kendrick then says that he wins matches because he doesn't care about anyone else, he wrestles for himself & that "The Brian Kendrick" is the future. Scotty Goldman then makes his way to the ring, with an accompanying video, where he is supposed to introduce himself, but all he does is make a joke about how there are 2 Scotty Goldmans in different places at the same time. The Brian Kendrick takes quick control, locking in an armbar on Goldman, but Goldman manages to use some great counters to get out & get a pinfall attempt on Kendrick, but only gets a 2 count.

 Kendrick manages to get to his feet first & hits Goldman with a side calf kick (that almost looked like a dropkick), before hitting a dropkick to the face of Smackdown's newest superstar. Kendrick follows it up with a flying elbow before locking in a Camel Clutch. Kendrick picks up Goldman & the two Smackdown superstars exchange right hands, but Kendrick manages to get the advantage & throws Goldman into the corner. Kendrick then charges at Goldman but gets a boot to the face for his trouble. Goldman continues to stay on offence by unloading with a flurry of right hands before hitting an Irish whip on Kendrick. Kendrick manages to duck a clothesline but gets caught when Goldman jumps up, forcing Kendrick to run face first into Goldman's "posterior", Goldman then makes a pin attempt but only gets a two count. Goldman then sets Kendrick up for a powerbomb, but Kendrick manages to flip out of it & throws Goldman into the corner. Kendrick then hits "The Kendrick" on Scotty Goldman for the 3 count.

 Winner Via Pinfall: The Brian Kendrick

After the match Ezekiel makes his way into the ring as The Brian Kendrick celebrates. Ezekiel then proceeds hit Goldman with a big shoulder block before they make their way backstage.

This was a solid match that helped Scotty Goldman look good in his debut while still allowing The Brian Kendrick to pick up the win & continue his push. I liked how Kendrick managed to pick up the win this time around without any distraction or interference from Ezekiel; it really helps a wrestler's credibility when they can pick up a clean win once in a while. Goldman looked good in his debut match & the introduction video during his entrance managed to get a chuckle out of me, I am unsure if he was just joking or if Goldman's character is hyperactive. I also found Goldman's tights interesting, as the first thing that came to mind after seeing them was the old Batman series starring Adam West, with all the "POW"s, "BIFF"s, "ZAP"s & "BAM"s. As I said last week, the WWE need to get The Brian Kendrick into a feud or storyline quick, while his in ring promos are effective, there is only so long you can get by, by just winning matches before the fans get tired of it.

 

We go backstage were Eve is interviewing "The Game" Triple H about his upcoming title match at Summerslam. We are shown a clip from last week where The Great Khali manages to render Triple H unconscious using the Khali Vice Grip. Eve asks HHH if, after what happened last week, is he in any shape to compete tonight or at Summerslam. Triple H responds by telling Eve, that last week Khali made a statement, but at Summerslam, he is going to be the one making the statement, but before he can continue he is interrupted by former Spirit Squad member, Kenny Dykstra. He tells Triple H that he has more to worry about that The Great Khali, because tonight, he is facing Kenny Dykstra, one on one, Kenny then says that this is an opportunity of a lifetime & that he is going to take full advantage of it. Triple H tells Kenny that while he admires his "Spirit", Kenny picked the wrong day & the wrong guy.

This was a decent segment, but left me wondering why they would try to introduce Kenny Dykstra into the world title scene (even only for one night), when he hasn't even been on TV for the past several months, let alone hold any other single championship. It helped show the aggression Triple H has heading into Summerslam, while he also admitted that Khali got the best of him last week instead of making excuses.

 

The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh make their way out to the ring before our next match. Khali gets on the mic & cuts a promo on Triple H in Punjabi; all that was audible to me was "The Great Khali". Ranjin Singh gets on the mic & translates, saying that The Great Khali said that last week everyone witnessed his power when he crushed HHH's skull in the Khali Vice Grip, he says that while Triple H is great, no one is greater than The Great Khali. He then says that Khali does not care about Triple H's past accomplishments, he has one focus & one focus only & that focus is the WWE Championship.

Ranjin then calls Triple H "Just Another Obstacle", an obstacle The Great Khali can easily step over, Ranjin then warns Triple H, telling him that he has been a part of the WWE Universe for a long time & that he has done it all, he has nothing left to prove. He tells Triple H to get out while he can, get out while he still has his pride, get out while he still has his health & to get out while he still has the WWE Championship, because if he doesn't, The Great Khali will take all of those things away from him. The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh stay at ringside as we go to our next match.

Match #4: Triple H Vs Kenny Dykstra

As soon as the bell rings, Kenny charges at Triple H, unloading with a series of right hands, forcing Triple H into the corner. Kenny then follows it up with a series of shoulder thrusts into the sternum of "The Game", followed by a clothesline, sending Triple H to the mat. Triple H manages to come back, hitting a big clothesline on Dykstra, followed by his trademark knee to the face & another clothesline. Triple H then hits a spinebuster on Kenny, followed by a Pedigree for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Triple H

After the match, Triple H taunts The Great Khali, daring him to get into the ring, but Khali refuses, so Triple H attempts to climb outside the ring to confront Khali, but Ranjin Singh gets in between the two. Ranjin tries to dissuade Triple H, but gets thrown into the ring for his trouble & held hostage, as Triple H tries to goad The Great Khali into getting in the ring. Khali comes to the aid of his manager & Triple H hits him with a series of right hands, but once again fails to lock in The Pedigree. Triple H manages to keep control, ducking a Khali chop & clotheslining Khali out of the ring. Triple H continues to taunt Khali, trying to get him to come back into the ring, but Ranjin holds him back as we go to a commercial break.

The match itself was, in essence, a squash match that was supposed to make Triple H look strong. But on the contrary, this match didn't allow Triple H to look strong, it made him look weak. Kenney dominated for most of the match, here is a guy who has been off of TV for months & the highlight of his career was being a member of the Spirit Squad, so having him be able to dominate the current WWE Champion for as long as he did, only managed to make Triple H look weak, even though he picked up the win. And on a side note, if The Great Khali's only focus is the WWE Championship, why is he telling Triple H to back of their match, so Triple H can keep his pride, health & title? It is very illogical, if Khali wanted it, he wouldn't suggest that Triple H back out, on the contrary, he would encourage it, because if the match doesn't happen, Khali doesn't get a title shot.

 

Match #5: The Big Show Vs Ryan Braddock

Braddock steps into the ring, eager to start his first match & showing no fear as he taunts the Big Show. Braddock manages to get in two right hands before The Big Show throws him out of the ring with ease. Big Show quickly follows Ryan & throws him back into the ring before hitting a shoulder block on the new Smackdown Superstar, sending him straight to the mat. The Big show then hits a combination of right hands & chops, before landing a big right hook on Braddock & getting the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: The Big Show

After the match, the referees are attending to Ryan Braddock as he lays unconscious in the ring.

This was a squash match & a terrible way to debut a new wrestler. Seeing as he has his own music & Titantron video, I assume that he is going to be staying around for a while & not just being a once off jobber, so why have him debut only to get slaughtered by The Big Show? The Big Show does not need to have squash matches to make him look strong; he has been dominating better opponents for years. From Hulk Hogan, Sting & Ric Flair to Triple H, John Cena & Mark Henry, so how does beating up a new guy make him look strong?

Two new Smackdown superstars debut in one night with no build & don't really do anything to make an impact. I really wish the WWE would build up all of their debuting talent in one way or another, just debuting & having a regular match very rarely helps get someone over. Goldman managed to show some decent in ring work tonight & his intro video was interesting, but Braddock was just a jobber, he got in basically no offence & was just a lamb to the slaughter. I have said it countless times; you need at least one of three things to debut someone successfully.

1)      Have vignettes hyping someone's debut (e.g.: R-Truth), this allows the fans to get to know the character & have a reason to get behind them

2)      Have the wrestler make an impact on his debut (e.g.: The Great Khali & Umaga), this is mainly good for heels, as they debut & usually beat up & strong baby face. This allows the wrestler to be involved in a feud straight off the bat & allows the wrestler to look strong & become an important part of the show right off the mark.

3)      Have a unique & entertaining in ring style, while I am in no way insinuating that any WWE wrestlers are not entertaining (except for maybe Snitsky), if you have your own unique style, the fans will always get behind you, however this usually only works with High Flyers. Look at Evan Bourne, there was no build to his debut, he didn't make an impact (in fact, he lost to Shelton Benjamin on his debut), but his flashy in ring style helped endear him to the fans & now he is one of the most popular wrestlers on ECW.

 

After the match, we go backstage were Eve is trying to interview MVP. MVP takes the mic & talks to Jeff Hardy, he tells Jeff how he tried to help him, how he tried to uplift him but now he is going to hurt him & bury him. He tells Jeff that he thought he felt miserable when he was suspended & missed Wrestlemania; he thought he felt sorrow when his house burnt down & he thought he felt pain when his dog Jack died in the fire, but he won't feel anything when MVP's boot breaks his jaw & his spirit, at least not until he wakes up & when he does, he won't have to worry about how people talk about how reckless he is because they will all be talking about MVP, & how he is better than Jeff.

This was a very powerful segment & did more for their feud than the interference in the first match. This feud is very emotional, so the WWE should allow the emotions to carry it, there was no need for MVP to interfere in all of Jeff's matches over the past few weeks, the raw emotion in this feud is already making it one of the best things going on Smackdown & without a doubt, I know most fans are anticipating this match much more than the WWE Championship match with Triple H Vs The Great Khali.

 

We then go to Vickie Guerrero's office, where Victoria is reading WWE magazine, which this month is hyping the impending return of The Undertaker. Vickie Guerrero tells Victoria, that even after what happened between Edge & Alicia Fox, there was still a part of her deep inside that still loved him, but after last week, he never wants to see him again. She then asks Victoria to help her get to her limo, telling her that she never should have come here tonight. Victoria starts to wheel Vickie out as Vickie keeps claiming that she can feel that both Edge & The Undertaker are here tonight.

 

We are then shown another vignette hyping the imminent debut of R-Truth. He talks about how he had nothing but time being locked in a jail cell, he realized that he had to turn his life around & make the nightmare go away. He talks about how he had to be strong on the inside & the outside so he could make a new dream. He talks about being alone & having to be able to build a new life. He says that today his is strong & that tomorrow he will be stronger, & that's the truth.

These are very powerful & emotional vignettes that have already made a vast majority of the fans get behind this new Smackdown superstar. The WWE are building R-Truth's debut very well, they could debut him next week & he would easily get more of a reaction then Scotty Goldman, Braden Walker, Atlas Ortiz & Ryan Braddock combined.

 

We then go backstage where Victoria has wheeled Vickie out to her limo, but the driver is not responding. Vickie gets out of her chair just as the car windows are winding down & The Rated R Superstar, Edge, waits inside, saying hello to Vickie. Vickie falls to the ground terrified as Victoria runs away & Edge stands over Vickie with the same sinister look he had last week. Edge then tells Vickie that tonight; they are going to have some fun, as he helps Vickie back into her wheel chair. Edge starts to push Vickie, telling her that they are going to go for a ride; they are going to go on a ride to hell. He tells Vickie that it is not going to be a smooth ride, as he spins the chair & almost tips it over. He wheels Vickie deep into the bowels of the arena as he keeps telling Vickie that they are going to hell.

Edge's character has done more in the past 3 weeks than he has done in the past several months beforehand. His psychotic persona is just what he needed to help break out of La Familia & bring back "The Old Edge". This is being done very well & should make for a very interesting match at Summerslam, which more than likely will be the main event.

 

Match #6: Festus w/ Jesse Vs Vladimir Kozlov

The bell rings & Festus undergoes his change going from almost an almost comatose state, to an enraged mad man. He takes quick control of Kozlov, hitting some vicious right hands before throwing him out of the ring. Kozlov manages to gain control on the outside, tackling Festus into the steel ring post. Kozlov throws Festus back into the ring & hits a big belly to back suplex on the "Corn Fed Colossus". Vladimir then locks in a reverse bear hug as Festus begins to fight back, eventually breaking Kozlov's hold & unleashing with a series of right hands, followed by a clothesline & a big fall away slam on the "Moscow Mauler". Festus then hits a bit boot on Kozlov before hitting him with a big splash. Festus then attempts to hit another splash, but Kozlov manages to hit a headbutt to the chest of Festus & gets the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Vladimir Kozlov

This was easily the best Kozlov match thus far; it was an equal match that showed that Kozlov isn't an unstoppable monster. While he lost, Festus look very strong in defeat & I doubt that this is the last time these men will meet in the squared circle. I also do not like that Kozlov's finisher is a headbutt, for someone his size he needs to have a more devastating signature move.

 

We come back from the commercial break & Edge is wheeling Vickie around the backstage area, muttering to himself while pretending to run into things. He bumps over a steel rod & looks worried, muttering to Vickie that accidents happen. He then runs into more things, knocking them over, all while Vickie Guerrero is screaming & crying. Edge tries to calm Vickie down, but tells Vickie that the ride is not over & that he is taking her to the ring. He then runs down the backstage area, wheeling Vickie as she continues to scream.

 

We then go to the ring as Edge wheels down a distraught Vickie Guerrero, continuing to taunt her while she continues to cry. Edge then gets to the ring & throws her out of our chair as the fans boo. Edge stares at Vickie & at the ring, before getting a mic & lying on the ground with Vickie. Edge tells Vickie that they are just going through a rough patch in their marriage, but that every marriage does. He asks Vickie to calm down, before reminding Vickie that they exchanged vows a few weeks ago, reminding her that they went into the marriage "for better or worse". Edge than says that he knows that Vickie thinks that some lines have been crossed & that Edge has made an unforgivable sin. Edge then goes on to debate if there is such a thing as an unforgivable sin, but concludes that that is another argument for another time. He then reminds Vickie that their relationship hasn't all been bad, that, besides right now, there has been some good times they have had together. He tells the Vickie that he wants all the fans to see some of the good times they have shared, he then pulls Vickie into a hug, telling her that he thinks they should go on a trip down memory lane.

This prompts a video coming up on the Titantron, showing everything that has happened over the past few weeks, since the fallout from Edge & Vickie's wedding. The video shows Vickie reinstating the Undertaker & making the hell in a cell match for Summerslam, it leads on to the next week, showing the highlights from The Cutting Edge with Mick Foley, with Mick telling Edge that he needs to bring the "Old Edge" back, leading to Edge snapping & attacking Mick Foley. We are then shown what happened last week, with Edge attacking Chavo & warning Vickie that the only person she needs to be worried about is him & tells Vickie that if he is going to hell, he is taking The Undertaker & her with him.

The video ends as Vickie continues to cry & Edge looks like he has been watching some fun home movies. He goes on talking about how, if he is going to hell, he is taking everyone with him. Smackdown goes off the air as Edge stares up into the sky, looking as if asking for salvation.

This was another powerful segment that is allowing Edge to come into his own after separating from La Familia. I find it odd that Chavo & Bam were able to be on ECW, but were nowhere to be found on Smackdown when Vickie needed them. This did a great job of building the Hell in a Cell match for Summerslam & it is easily the most anticipated match of the entire PPV.

 

This was a great episode of Smackdown that, with the exception of another Big Show squash match, was thoroughly enjoyable. Most of the matches were solid & the continued build towards Summerslam was good.

Overall I give this week's edition of Smackdown an 8.5/10

 

Devlin's Thoughts:

Get Shelton Benjamin out of the MVP/Hardy feud & have him defending against someone else. Having him keep his title via DQ only manages to have him lose credibility & makes the outcomes of the matches very predictable.

It's about time Michelle McCool defended her title, with Victoria wanting to ask Vickie something, now would be a perfect time for a feud between Natalya & Victoria. With Natalya beating the Diva's champion, Victoria could sneak in a get the match by helping Vickie. This could lead to an argument between the two, causing one of them to turn face. It is obvious that Michelle is not very over as the WWE would like her to be, Maria was easily more over but she doesn't seem ready to hold the title. I would have either Victoria or Natalya win the title & then have a feud between the two.

 

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Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Devlin's ECW - Extreme Examination. This is the last edition of ECW before Summerslam. Will Mark Henry & Matt Hardy be able to co-exist to take on John Morrison & The Miz? Will Mike Knox continue to go after Finlay? Let's find out.

 

Match #1 - Extreme Rules Match: Tommy Dreamer Vs Colin Delaney

Dreamer makes his way to the ring with his trademark shopping cart full of weapons, ranging from kendo sticks to street signs & trash cans. Delaney then comes out very hesitantly; he tells Tommy that he doesn't want to do this & attempts to run away when the bell rings. Dreamer chases him down & Irish whips him into the shopping cart. Delaney manages to fight back, sending Tommy into the corner post, Delaney then grabs a trash can lid & attempts to dive off the apron & hit dreamer, but Dreamer manages to hit Colin in the stomach with the Singapore cane. Dreamer then throws Delaney into the ring & hits a pump handle suplex using the kendo stick for leverage. Dreamer then locks Delaney into the tree of woe, before hitting his signature baseball slide with a trash can in front of the helpless Colin Delaney. Tommy Dreamer then lays Colin on top of the trash can, before heading to the second rope with the trash can lid, he attempts an elbow drop but Colin manages to move out of the way at the last second, sending Dreamer crashing into the trash can. Colin then grabs the Stop sign & attempts a leg drop on Dreamer with the sign, but Dreamer moves out of the way & Colin crashes down to the mat. Dreamer then gets up & hits Colin Delaney with the Dreamer DDT onto the stop sign for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Tommy Dreamer

This was a fun, albeit short, match that was a great way to open the show. Since his feud with Mark Henry, the WWE have finally been giving Dreamer a bit of a push, which is good to see as he is one of the only ECW Originals left. I'm not sure where they are going to go with Delaney from here, he is a heel, but the only person he has any heat with is Tommy Dreamer, but if he keeps interfering in Tommy's matches, it will get very old, very quick.

 

Backstage we have Lena Yada interviewing John Morrison & The Miz. She congratulates both The Miz & Morrison on the debut of The Dirt Sheet last week, which they go on to put over, calling it the number one show & best rated segment on ECW. We are then shown a quick recap of The Dirt Sheet, showing Mark Henry & Matt Hardy working together to take out the disrespectful duo. Lena then asks what their thoughts are on their match tonight when they have to face Mark Henry & Matt Hardy in a tag team match, The Miz replies by saying that what happened before Matt & Mark crashed The Dirt Sheet was hilarious & that Seth Rogen (From 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up & Pineapple Express) wishes he could do comedy like they can. They then say that they were disappointed with the way Matt & Mark reacted to their comedic genius & that they are the "Pineapple Express" of the WWE & whether there is gold around their waists or not, they are the greatest tag team in the WWE, especially against two people who will be at each other's throats on Sunday. They then send a message to Mark Henry & Matt Hardy, telling them that in life there are winners (referring to themselves) & losers (referring to Hardy & Henry). Be Jealous.

This was a good segment that helped establish how good both of these guys are on the mic. It also helped build the main event well, doubting their opponent's ability to work together. However, I do not like that this is basically a duplicate of what has happened on RAW with John Cena & Batista, with the exception of the match being for the tag team titles. It is a certainty that storylines & ideas will be used multiple times in wrestling history, but using the same idea, within the same company & in the same few weeks is just ridiculous & is lazy booking.

 

Match #2: Evan Bourne Vs Bam Neely w/Chavo Guerrero

Bam Neely comes out with his "employer" Chavo Guerrero & finally has his own theme music & Titantron video; it's good to see him slowly start to come into his own as a performer, as opposed to being Chavo's lackey. Evan tries to use his superior speed & agility to take quick control of this match, but Nelly uses his impressive strength to pick up Bourne & tackle him into the corner on the other side of the ring. Bourne manages to get out of the corner & unleash a series of kicks on Bam before hitting Neely with his trademark flying knee followed by his flying head scissors take down & a devastating spinning back kick that sends Neely to the mat. Evan then climbs to the top rope but gets distracted by Chavo Guerrero, which allows Neely to knock Bourne of the ropes, sending him to the outside. Bam then throws Bourne back into the ring & unleashes a number of right hands before locking in a headlock. Neely then attempts a powerslam, but Bourne manages to reverse it into a sunset slip, but he is not able to roll Neely over for a pin attempt. Evan then connects with a hard kick to the head of Neely & hits his signature standing Moonsault but only manages to get a two count. Evan then bounces off the ropes & charges at Neely but Neely attempts to hit a flapjack on Bourne, Bourne attempts to counter that into a hurricanrana but Neely catches him & attempts a powerbomb, however, Bourne manages to counter Neely yet again, hitting Bam with a big DDT. Evan then heads to the top rope & hits "Air Bourne" (The Shooting Star Press) to pick up the win over the much larger athlete.

Winner Via Pinfall: Evan Bourne

After the match, Evan celebrates as Chavo tries to help Bam up, as they both stare down Evan.

This was a great face paced match that was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Neely got in some good offence & is finally starting to come into his own as a performer. While I am a huge Evan Bourne supporter, it seems that besides one or two new moves, he only uses the same few moves, the standing Moonsault, the head scissors take down, the flapjack into a hurricanrana, the flying knee & Air Bourne, he needs to change it up every now & then. While his in ring style is very fast paced & entertaining, if he keeps going the way he is, it will become very repetitive real soon.

 

We then go backstage where ECW General Manager Theodore Long is talking with his assistant Tiffany. They are then interrupted by Armando Estrada, who comes in with his new ECW contract; he tells Teddy that even though he didn't want Armando to have a contract, he did it & is officially an ECW star. Theodore Long then signs the contract making it all official, he then tells Armando that he knows the only reason he came into the office was to rub the contract in his face, but tonight, Armando will have his first match as an official ECW superstar. His opponent will be Finlay & the match is next.

This was a simple segment that helped make another match for ECW while keeping this little rivalry with Armando & Theodore Long still alive. As with most things the WWE have been doing lately, I don't see where they can really go with this now. If Theodore Long continues to put Armando in matches against tougher opponents, it's only going to make Armando look weak & just take up time that could be used for more competitive match ups. In my opinion, Armando should have never been removed from his GM position, but all is not lost with the Cuban Superstar.

 

Match #3: Finlay w/Hornswoggle Vs Armando Alejandro Estrada

The bell rings & Finlay takes quick control, hitting Armando with a right hand, followed quickly by a European uppercut & a very stuff clothesline. Finlay then hits an elbow drop on Armando & locks in a headlock, before picking Armando back up & hitting another stiff Clothesline. Finlay then climbs out of the ring & slams Armando into the apron throat first as we then see Mike Knox standing on the Entranceway. Finlay then climbs into the ring & hits a powerslam on Armando as he stares down Knox. Finlay then locks in an armbar on Armando but it quickly gets broken as Armando manages to get his foot on the ropes. Armando is then thrown into the corner by Finlay & hit with a bit shoulder block followed quickly by another powerslam. Finlay then climbs to the second rope & hits a big splash on Armando before he once again stares down Knox. This distracts the fighting Irishman, allowing Armando to hit some right hands on Finlay & lock in a sleeper of his own. The fans begin to get behind Finlay as he begins to fight out of the sleeper, but Armando throws Finlay back down & goes for a pinfall attempt, but Finlay roles it through & gets his own two count. Finlay then begins to fight back & eventually hits the Celtic Cross (Which Striker referred to as "Emerald Fusion") for the win.

Winner Via Pinfall: Finlay

After the match Finlay stares up to Knox, challenging him to come to the ring. Knox declines & heads to the backstage area as Finlay & Hornswoggle get a child from the front row & celebrate with him in the ring.

This was basically a squash match that was used to continue the feud between Knox & Finlay, while also continuing the rivalry with Armando & Theodore Long. After the good in ring promo that Knox & Finlay did last week, I expected something more to continue their feud, possibly interference in a match or a confrontation backstage. But other than that, this was a good match, albeit a squash match, but it just seemed to go longer than was necessary to do what needed to be done.

 

Back from commercial & Ricky "Atlas" Ortiz is in Theodore Long's office. Ortiz shows Theodore & towel, calling it the Ricky O' towel & that it is the greatest thing in sports entertainment. He then says that he has an O on the towel to signify his loses as he is still undefeated. He then offers Teddy an opportunity as an investor to help pay for & distribute the towels. Teddy then says that once he proves himself over a longer period & he will get action figures & t-shirts. Teddy Long then makes a match for next week, pitting Ricky Ortiz against a new ECW superstar being brought in as part of the ECW talent initiative. Ricky then thanks Teddy before heading off talking about making his streak 4-0.

This was a good segment but made Ricky seem a little too cocky. It also has me interested as to who is going to be brought to ECW, who is going to be brought to the main roster. We will have to wait & see. And as a side note, while the "O" on the towel supposedly signifies Ricky's amount of loses, wouldn't it make more sense for it just to represent his last name?

 

Backstage we have Matt Hardy with Mark Henry & Tony Atlas, he tells Mark that he is not excited to be teaming with him & that he would rather be teaming with Jeff Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, Finlay or Evan Bourne (Basically anyone but Mark Henry), he then says he would rather team with Lena Yada because then who wouldn't have to worry about his partner more than he has to worry about his opponents. Mark Henry then says that the only reason he is tagging with Matt is so he can get his hands on The Miz & John Morrison. He then tells Matt that this isn't going to be a case of staying out of each other's way; he wants Matt in his way so he can run through him, just like he will at Summerslam.

This was very well done, it was simple but effective in a way that helped build the main event & their match at Summerslam. It is obvious that they will end up fighting each other before the night is out & this is basically just a rip off of what has been happening on RAW.

 

Match #4: Matt Hardy & Mark Henry w/Tony Atlas Vs John Morrison & The Miz

The Miz debuts a new strobe light effect in his entrance that actually looks quite good. Mark Henry smiles as he makes his way to the ring, as he cannot wait to get his hands on The Dirt Sheet duo. Mark Henry & Matt Hardy argue over who is going to start for their team, with Matt eventually allowing Mark to start off. John Morrison starts off for his team & quickly tries to hit a belly to back suplex but is unable to lift the World's Strongest Champion. Mark Henry then begins to beat down on "The Shaman of Sexy" throwing him into the corner; he then gets the Miz into the ring & throws him into the corner with his partner. Mark Henry then attempts to hit a splash on both his opponents, but The Miz manages to escape, which prompts Matt Hardy to get into the ring to help his partner. Matt Hardy& Mark Henry quickly throw both of their opponents out of the ring as we go to a mid-match commercial break. We are back from commercial & Mark Henry is still dominating the "Tuesday Night Delight" before tagging in his partner. Morrison manages to regain control against Hardy & tags in The Miz, who is quickly overcome by Matt & retreats to the outside of the ring. Once on the outside, the Miz catches Hardy off guard, throwing him into the steel steps before getting himself & Matt back into the ring before tagging in Morrison. Morrison continues beating down on Matt. The fans rally behind Matt as he begins to fight back, hitting the side effect on John Morrison from the second rope. Mark Henry then puts his hand out waiting for the tag but Matt pins Morrison & gets the win.

Winners Via Pinfall: Matt Hardy & Mark Henry

After the match, Henry gets into the ring & throws both The Miz & John Morrison out of the ring before he raises Matt Hardy's hand in victory, showing sportsmanship. Mark then picks up Matt & hits the world's strongest slam on him onto the ECW Championship as he laughs & heads to the backstage. ECW goes off the air with Matt & Mark Henry staring each other down one last time before Summerslam.

This was inevitable; I doubt there was anyone who believed that this match would not end up with Henry attacking Hardy. This match seemed like a throw away, it wasn't needed & was more of a way of giving John Morrison & The Miz something to do, as it seems the talent exchange program with Smackdown has come to an end & there are no other real tag teams on ECW.

 

This week's edition of ECW was solid as always, it had good matches & managed to fit a lot into 1 hour. The main event was entertaining but unnecessary to continue the feud, it was the same with the Finlay/Estrada match, it was only used to help build a feud. I doubt Henry is going to lose his title at Summerslam, but I doubt that it will be the only shot that Matt gets.

Overall, I give this week's edition of ECW a 7/10.

 

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Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to Devlin's RAW Rewind. This is the last stop for the RAW brand before the "Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer", Summerslam. Will General Manager Mike Adamle be true to his word & get Kane to reveal the contents of his bag? Will John Cena & Batista be able to defend their newly won tag team titles? What is the challenge JBL has in store for CM Punk that he cannot lose? Let's find out.

 

This week's edition of RAW kicks off with The Doctor of Thuganomics & one half of the Tag Team Champions, John Cena, makes his way to the ring. The fans apparently don't like Cena, as they shower him with boos. He gets on the mic & mentions how 2 weeks ago, in one of his first decisions as GM, Mike Adamle made a match pitting John Cena against Batista at Summerslam for the first time ever. He tells the fans that he has never had any problems or issues with Batista but, poof, out of thin air; he has a match against Batista. He goes on to talk about how, somehow, through thick & thin, they managed to become WWE Tag Team champions. He says that it's just Mike Adamle's way of spicing things up & to build up the hype for the match, he mentions how earlier in the night Mike Adamle called him over (after mis-pronouncing his name 5 or 6 times) & asks Cena what he thought they could do to hype the match more, with Adamle suggesting things like a press conference, a weigh in or a broken glass arm wrestling match, but Cena explains how this match does not need any hype, Adamle has put Cena & Batista against each other for the first time & that is enough. They do not need any photo ops, face offs, pose downs, hoe downs or anything else like that. All you need is John Cena & Batista in the ring right now.

This of course leads to "The Animal" & the other half of the Tag Team Champions, Batista, making his way to the ring to have some words with his Summerslam opponent. Cena talks about how last week, they went into battle as allies, not enemies & now they are the Tag Team Champions but tonight they have a rematch & if they do not manage to coexist, they will both suffer defeat. Cena then says that that will not be the case at Summerslam; they will not step into the ring as allies, because this is a match that has been 6 years in the making. Cena then tells Batista that for 6 years he has been watching "The Animal", seeing him being picked & groomed by both Triple H & Ric Flair, being taught about everything the wrestling business could throw at you, he then mentions that he didn't have that luxury. He did what he had to do & now he has turned critics into believers & now every Monday night he stares before a nation that goes into battle with him. He mentions how both of their resumes are impressive & they have answered a lot of questions, yet the only question they have yet to answer is, who is better? This incites a mixed reaction from the crowd as half begin chanting for Cena & the other half start to cheer for Batista. John Cena says that on Sunday, they are going to answer that question & that he is going to be the better man.

Batista then gets on the mic & mentions how he has also been watching Cena, saying that they are two different sides of the same coin. He then goes on to list their similar accomplishments, mentioning how they have both won a Royal Rumble match, they have both won main events at Wrestlemania & they have both been WWE & Tag Team champions, they have both done it all. Batista says that he has seen Cena get standing ovations from the fans & he has also seen Cena get booed out of buildings but through all of that, Cena has never changed who he is, which Batista respects.  Batista tell Cena that he personally wouldn't be caught dead doing some of the things Cena does, (he then imitates the 5 knuckle shuffle), and he also says that he understands why certain people over the age of 15 would want to see him beat Cena senseless. He then tells Cena that he is going to beat him senseless, but that is nothing special, because as with every other opponent he has ever faced, he wanted to beat them senseless to. Batista says that on Sunday they are going to answer the question of who is better & it's going to be him. They then stare each other down & seem on the verge of fighting, but Cena offers his hand as a sign of respect, which Batista accepts & we head to our first commercial.

This was an ok opening segment that seemed to go a little longer then was necessary, it seemed that they just kept on repeating the same basic stuff, talking about how they have both done a lot in the WWE & then claiming that they are the better man. There wasn't really anything they said that hasn't been said before & while it was entertaining for the most part, seemed a fair bit redundant. They should have added a little something extra to this, they should have made it personal after everything that happened last week. While a respectful match to prove who is better works well most of the time, this feud just needs that little extra something, that little bit of sizzle to add to the steak to make it work better.

 

Match #1: Kelly Kelly Vs "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix w/Santino Marella

Santino joins the commentary team as Beth stares down Kelly. Kelly manages to get some quick offence in on The Glamazon, hitting some good right hands, as well as a head scissors take down. Eventually Beth manages to gain control, using her superior strength to keep control of Kelly. Beth then picks Kelly up in a gorilla press & holds it for several seconds, but Kelly manages to counter it into a sunset flip for a two count. When they get to their feet, Kelly charges at Beth, but The Glamazon manages to counter it & hit her signature face plant finisher for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix

After the match, Santino gets into the ring & congratulates Beth, saying how awesome her victory was. He then asks Beth to do him a favour & that is to send a message to Mickie James & Kofi Kingston, by doing the move to Kelly that Santino likes, the one where "she picks them up, does that thing & crushes them". But before Beth can continue her assault on Kelly, "The Jamaican Buzzsaw" Kofi Kingston & Mickie James run down to stop her. Santino then issues a challenge, saying that he wants a match right now & Kofi is quick to accept. However, Santino was not challenging Kofi, he was challenging Mickie James, saying that he has to get used to wrestling a woman, so he can know where he can & can't put his hands. Santino then tells Mickie not to be a girl, even though she is a girl, while Kofi tries to tell Santino no. But Mickie takes the mix & accepts Santino's challenge; Santino gets excited as he tells Mickie that he is going to "put her in the kitchen where she belongs".

 

Match #2: Santino Marella w/Beth Phoenix Vs Mickie James w/Kofi Kingston

Mickie backs up from Santino, obviously nervous, but she manages to get Santino in a headlock, which Santino quickly counters. Santino then hits a snapmare, which Mickie quickly counters into a leg scissors. Santino then hits Mickie with a leg sweep for a two count and then Mickie hits a leg sweep of her own for a two count. Santino gets up & charges at Mickie James which she counters into a drop toe hold, she then proceeds to "ride" Santino like a horse before she hits him with an arm drag. Mickie manages to take control, kicking the downed Santino as he acts as if he is injured. Santino then takes off his knee pad & throws it at Kofi Kingston, Kofi then gets on the apron to attack Santino which distracts the ref, allowing Beth Phoenix to sneak into the ring & throw Mickie James shoulder first, into the corner post, which allows Santino to roll up Mickie for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Santino Marella

After the match, Santino celebrates like crazy, running around the ring before jumping in the air & hugging Beth. Beth & Santino then make their way up the entrance ramp celebrating as Mickie & Kofi look on.

These matches were a good way of building for the inter-gender tag team match at Summerslam, the first match continued to prove that Beth Phoenix is a dominating force in the women's division, while the second match was mainly comedic, showing that Santino needs assistance from Beth to beat anyone, while also showing that Mickie is great in the ring & is willing to go toe to toe with anyone. This should be an interesting match at Summerslam & I am clueless as to who is going to win.

 

We then go backstage to Mike Adamle's office, where he is talking with Todd Grisham. Adamle tells Grisham that he is going to be taking a Ronal Reagan approach to being General Manager & that is letting the wrestlers do as they like & only intervening when necessary. He then compliments Grisham on his commentary work on ECW before being interrupted by "The Big Red Monster" Kane. Adamle tells Kane that, with all 3 brands being represented at Summerslam, he has made one match too many for it, so tonight, they are going to have Kane Vs Chris Jericho in a "Summerslam Spectacular". Kane tells Adamle that if that is all he has to say, than that is fine & he then attempts to leave, but Adamle then mentions that after the match, Kane can hand over his bag. Kane tells Adamle that he doesn't want see what is in Kane's bag, but Adamle persists, saying that with school coming back soon, he does not want to see young boys & girls carrying burlap sacks to school, scaring their classmates & teachers. Kane tells Adamle that he is making a huge mistake & then leaves as Adamle looks on.

This was an interesting segment, but it would have been more effective if there was no warning to the confrontation between Adamle & Kane over the bag. Everyone knows that Adamle promised to get into Kane's bag, so why have him talk to Kane, only to have him wait longer to see what is in the bag. They should have had Jericho being told about the match, this would have built the match, while allowing Y2J to go on his usual rant about being overlooked again as he is not going to be in a match at Summerslam.

 

Back from commercial & we have the former tag team champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase backstage. Cody talks about how he & Ted respect history unlike most people from their generation. He mentions how they learn from history; going on to use Ivan Putski & Tito Santana won the WWF tag team championship on October 22, 1979, because they worked & acted as a team. He then says that John Cena & Batista are not a team, they cannot stand each other & will not be able to work together. He then says that tonight, they are enacting their rematch clause to take back their WWE Tag Team Championships. DiBiase then mentions how, Ivan Putski & Tito Santana were in their 50's when they were inducted into the WWE hall of fame. He then says that he & Cody are only in their early 20's, yet their careers are further along than any hall of famer's were at their age. He then says that while John Cena & Batista have the gall to talk about who is "the man" on RAW, but next year, it may very well be Cody Rhodes V Ted DiBiase in the main event at Summerslam. DiBiase then says that tonight they are going to earn everyone's respect when they win back their tag team titles.

This was a very good segment that put over both of these young competitors as future main eventers of tomorrow. Both of these young stars are good on the mic & in the ring & in my opinion, have long fulfilling careers ahead of them.

 

Match #3: Cryme Tyme Vs The Highlanders

The Highlanders did not even get their own entrance, which is disappointing as they were, at one stage, a promising new tag team, but now seem to be the jobbers of the tag team division. Cryme Tyme used some good teamwork in this match, with Shad using his strength to "slingshot" JTG over the ropes on Rory. Rory manages to get an arm bar locked onto JTG, but he manages to break out of it & make the hot tag to Shad as Rory tags in Robbie. Shad then begins to clear house, hitting a powerslam into a face first hanging vertical suplex on Robbie before hitting a big boot onto Rory, knocking him off of the apron. Shad then hits a Russian leg sweep/Rock Bottom called "The Nemesis" on Robbie for the 3 count.

Winners Via Pinfall: Cryme Tyme

This was essentially a squash match, helping to put over Cryme Tyme before possibly challenging for the Tag Team titles down the line. With all the recent releases the WWE has made, I wouldn't be surprised to see The Highlanders let go in the near future, which would be a shame as they have a lot of potential as a tag team but were never really given a shot, other than being a comedic tag team. What I find interesting, is that back at Cyber Sunday 2006, Cryme Tyme won a fatal 4 way match for a future title shot for the Tag Team Championship, but they have yet to receive a single shot.

 

Back from commercial & JBL makes his way to the ring as he has issued a challenge to the World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk. There is a table set up in the centre of the ring with a white sheet covering what is on it. CM Punk then makes his entrance to a loud response from the crowd. JBL gets on the mic & says that before he beats CM Punk at this contest, he is excited that in 6 days, Punk's pathetic excuse of a title reign comes to an end. Punk the interrupts JBL & tells him to shut up, he says that he has been listening to the same old boring argument (mainly from JBL), since he won the World Heavyweight Championship, he then tells JBL, that the title is around his waist because he deserves it. He then tells all his naysayers & doubters like JBL, who say he doesn't deserve it or that he doesn't fit the "traditional image" of a champion, to think about this, that in one week it's the 20^th anniversary of Summerslam (to which he has viewed everyone) & that as a little "punker" he would watch Summerslam & picture himself in the ring. He says that at Summerslam, he will beat JBL & defend his title, & when he does, which all due respect to John Cena & Batista, he will prove that he is "The Man" on RAW.

JBL then goes on a rant about how on Smackdown, he held his championship for longer than both of them, he then asks Punk how he has the nerve to come out here, into a business he built, into an arena full of people who have come to see JBL & talk about his merits of being a champion. JBL then asks what are CM Punk's merits, going on to list some of CM Punk's history in the wrestling industry, although in a crude fashion. He mentions how CM Punk broke into the wrestling industry on the independent scene in Chicago, ends up in ECW, where the only reason they wanted him is because he didn't grow up in a bingo hall, then he gets drafted to RAW on a fluke, only to be standing here as the Champion, like Cinderella fitting into the glass slipper. He tells Punk that in 6 days, midnight will strike; he congratulates CM Punk on his victory at Wrestlemania in the MITB match & tells Punk that he has talent.

JBL then goes on to challenge CM Punk to a drinking contest, mention how CM Punk calls not drinking, smoking or making a fool of himself in public is healthy, but JBL calls it boring. JBL then says that CM Punk should sit down with the man who built this business & have a drink. He then pours a shot of Jack Daniels & says that if Punk has that one shot, that he will concede the contest to Punk. JBL says that he will beat a wrestling god by taking that one drink & that he wants to see that Punk will throw away his morals & his beliefs to win, like he should be at Summerslam. He says if Punk isn't able to do that, then JBL will win the title at Summerslam as easy as he is going to win the drinking contest. Punk then asks that if he drinks it, does it mean he is just like JBL? He then tells JBL that he isn't like him, he's not JBL, he's CM Punk, willing to check his body at the door at Summerslam, but not willing to compromise his beliefs because they got him where he is today & that is being World Heavyweight Champion. He then tells JBL that he is not willing to let a bully force him to be what he believes to be the image of what a champion should be. JBL then says that he expected that, he then says that he is going to toast CM Punk & his footnote of a title reign. CM Punk tells JBL that he has changed his mind & is willing to have a drink, he then takes the shot & throws it into JBL's eyes at attacks him, hitting a flying knee to JBL while he is in the corner, before celebrating as we head to another break.

While that was a long segment, it did more for Punk then anything in the past few weeks or even months. It helped build his character as someone who will do what he feels is right, not what other think is right. It helped build their match for Summerslam well & created some doubt as well. If Punk isn't willing to do anything to win, how can he remain champion? But it also showed that Punk stands by his morals & his beliefs & that if he has to sacrifice what he believes in to win, then he doesn't deserve to be Champion.

 

Match #4: Chris Jericho w/Lance Cade Vs Kane

I said it last week & I will say it this week, those shorts do not suit Jericho, while he is going for a "New Chris Jericho", it doesn't mean he has to change his attire. Jericho manages to take quick control, forcing Kane into a corner and unloading with some solid kicks, but Kane manages to throw Jericho off & start to pound on him. Kane hits a number of slams, as well as a dropkick & some right hands before throwing Y2J out of the ring. Kane quickly follows, throwing Jericho back into the ring & as he attempts to climb in, Lance Cade grabs Kane's leg, distracting him & allowing Jericho to hit a dropkick on Kane sending him back to the outside. Jericho manages do maintain control until Kane manages to hit a tilt a while slam, which seemed to have been let go too soon. Kane then follows it up with a sidewalk slam & climbs up to the top rope, but Jericho manages to climb up as well, but Kane managed to throw him off & hit his trademark clothesline off the top rope. Kane then gets ready for the Chokeslam as Mike Adamle comes down to the ring with security, Kane being distracted allows Jericho to break out of the chokeslam & eventually hit the Code Breaker for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Chris Jericho

This was a solid match that helped both combatants, Jericho managed to gets some solid offence in on a man who has been destroying people as of late, while Kane stayed strong as it seemed that he would have won had it not been for Adamle distracting him. This was a solid match, but just seemed to be "filler" & an excuse to get Kane in the ring with his bag.

 

After the match, Adamle gets into the ring, he tells Kane that he knows things are difficult but he is here to help. He tells Kane that he knows what is inside the bag & he knows who Kane has been referring to when he asked is "he" alive or dead. Adamle says that the "he" is Kane , he then tells Kane that he understands that he is struggling for an answer. He then tells Kane that when he said that "he is dead", Kane proved that he can exorcise he demons & live a normal life. Adamle tells Kane that he can lead a normal life by giving him the bag, because he knows what is inside & the fans deserve to know as well. Adamle then promises Kane that if he opens the bag for all to see, his life will be better for it. He then reference Ronald Reagan, when he told Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear Down This Wall" (Of course, referring to the Berlin Wall), he then tells Kane to "Hand Me That Bag".

Kane then gets on the mic & tells Adamle that there is a mask in his bag, a mask of someone who has been scarred, tortured & damaged beyond all human recognition, but it is not his mask. He then opens his bag to reveal Rey Mysterio's mask, as he laughs & walks away. Adamle looks on stunned as Kane heads backstage & we go to a commercial break.

This was an interesting segment that had Mike Adamle giving the theory that many people have had (myself included), that it was Kane's mask in the bag & Kane was referring to himself. However, the WWE threw a major swerve, revealing Rey Mysterio's mask. Some people see this as a huge let down, expecting Kane to go back to wearing his mask, but I am intensely curious where things are going with this & reserve judgement for when things have played out a bit more.

 

Match #5: Jamie Noble Vs William Regal

Regal took control early on, hitting some vicious right hands & a European uppercut on Noble. Noble eventually fights back, hitting a flipping senton splash onto William Regal in the corner, before hitting a flying cross body off the top rope for a two count. Regal then fights back, hitting an under hook suplex followed by a vicious knee to Noble's head to get the win.

Winner Via Pinfall: William Regal

This was a short but interesting match, that had a lot of intensity. Both combatants got in some good offence, with Noble looking better here than he has since being drafted to RAW. I doubt this is the last encounter with these two & look forward to future & hopefully longer matches.

 

Match #6 - World Tag Team Championship: John Cena & Batista (C) Vs Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

Before the match even begins, Cena & Batista argue over who is going to start the match, both wanting to be the one to start. Cena eventually allows Batista to start but when the match starts, he makes a quick blind tag on Batista, getting into the ring. With the referee distracted, Rhodes & DiBiase double teamed Cena, which is eventually broken up by the referee. Cena manages to fight back, hitting two flying elbows on Rhodes, followed by a spin out powerbomb. He then hesitates doing the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, opting to instead do his "You Can't See Me" pose to Batista before hitting Rhodes with the elbow as we go to another commercial break. Back from the break & DiBiase has been tagged in & has John Cena in a sleeper hold. Cena manages to fight back & power out of the sleeper, eventually tagging in Batista who runs rampant on DiBiase, hitting a number of clotheslines followed by a spinebuster. He then sets Rhodes up for the Batista Bomb, but Cena gets in the ring & breaks it up, allowing DiBiase to get the tag in to Rhodes, who quickly attacks a distracted Batista. Cody gets in a quick roll up but only manages a two count. Batista fights back & hits a powerslam on Rhodes & slaps Cena, effectively tagging him in. Cena gets into the ring & stares down Batista, this allows DiBiase to run into the ring & hit Cena from behind & knocks Batista off the apron. DiBiase then gets a quick roll up on Cena, grabbing his pants & getting the 3 count.

Winners Via Pinfall & New World Tag Team Champions: Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

After the match it looks like Cena & Batista are going to attack each other, but instead they opt to attack their opponents, completely destroying them & throwing them into the steel steps. Cena then begins to makes his way to the back as Batista stands in the ring & calls him back. Cena eventually accepts & makes his way back into the ring, but securities beats him there & quickly get in-between Cena & Batista. They quickly break free of security & start to brawl as security keeps trying to break them up. We go off the air as Cena & Batista continue to go at it.

This was a good match that has done more for their feud than the opening promo did. It was obvious that this feud was eventually going to go from a respectful match to see who is better, to an all out brawl between two of the biggest stars in the WWE today. The match & feud would have been built up better if it had gotten to this point sooner, with people knowing that at any moment, they could start attacking each other again.

 

This week's edition of RAW was entertaining, but seemed to drag on in certain parts. The opening segment seemed to go for too long & didn't really do much. Mike Adamle's explanation of what Kane was talking about seemed to drag on as well, where he seemed to repeat himself frequently, telling Kane his life could be better, countless times. The matches were all solid, but other than the segment between CM Punk & JBL, very little was done to truly build up to Summerslam.

 

Devlin's Thoughts:

I have stated numerous times that the feud between Batista & Cena should have escalated sooner than it did. It would have made their segments & matches more interesting as you would not have known when things would degenerate into another brawl, as opposed to being insulting but respectful.

I stand by what I said last week, in that The Burchills should be injected into the inter-gender, "Winner Take All" match at Summerslam, otherwise they are just going to be seen as a way to buy time until the Santino & Beth "relationship" got to where it is now.

 

Get Cryme Tyme into the title scene quick, for the past few weeks they have done basically nothing, they need to do something to keep going forward as opposed to just being there. It would also be good if Cryme Tyme's alliance with John Cena actually lead to something. Other than talking backstage, there has been nothing done to establish them as a true stable. Whether the WWE decided to drop that idea or not remains to be seen, but if not, then do something with it.

 

Overall, I give this week's edition of Monday Night RAW a 7.5/10

 

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Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys & Girls, Children of all ages, welcome to your stop Smackdown spot, Devlin's Smackdown Smacktalk. This week's edition follows up a great show, which included a phenomenal edition of the Cutting Edge. Will we see the return of the "Dead Man" this week? Will Edge dig down & become what he needs to be to survive the Hell In A Cell Match? Let's find out.

This week's edition of Friday Night Smackdown kicks off with J.R & Tazz (Covering for the injured Mick Foley) going over tonight's card, including Jeff Hardy Vs Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match & The Great Khali Vs Triple H in an "Indian Broken Glass Arm Wrestling Match".

 

Match 1 - 6 Diva Olympic Tag Team Match - Maryse (Tennis Player), Victoria (Gymnast) & Natalya Neidhart (Horse Rider/Equestrian) Vs Michelle McCool (Beach Volleyball Player), Cherry (Boxer) & Maria (Skier)

In the spirit of the Olympic games, each diva is dressed as an Olympic competitor from various sports. I just have to say that Victoria's gymnastic routine on her way to the ring was hilarious & painful to watch at the same time. The match kicks off with Natalya & McCool in the ring, with a lot of quick back & forth action. McCool manages to hit a flipping arm drag of the top rope on Natalya & uses her agility to keep out of reach of the vicious Natalya. McCool makes the tag into Maria who is quickly outmatched by the crafty Natalya. Maria is quickly thrown out of the ring which leads to Cherry entering the ring & hitting a hammerlock DDT on Natalya, which leads to Victoria rushing in & hitting Cherry with the Widow's Peak. McCool then surprises Victoria with a boot to the face, but is quickly thrown out of the ring by Maryse. Maria then manages to climb back in & hit a bulldog on Maryse, but Maria is then tripped up by Natalya who locks in the Sharpshooter for the win.

Winners Via Submission: Natalya Neidhart, Victoria & Maryse

This was a good opening match that, even though it turned into total anarchy, was fun to watch & gave each diva some time to do something. I like how Cherry is less shy now & is getting more competent in the ring. I also like how the Diva's seem to be getting more & more ring time which is a drastic improvement over how divas on Smackdown were treated over the past few months & even years. I can't wait to see where the division goes from here; will Natalya get a match for the Diva's title? Or will someone else step up to the plate & get a shot?

 

Backstage we see Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder standing over the fallen body of Bam Neely as it seems someone has attacked him. Vickie & Chavo Guerrero quickly get their & ask what has happened, but no one has an answer. Chavo then picks up a black rose that was by the fallen body of Neely & shows Vickie, who just stares at the rose as we go to our first commercial break.

 

Match #2: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder Vs Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore

As Hawkins & Ryder make their way to the ring it is obvious they are still nervous over what has happened to their fallen comrade Bam Neely. The match kicks off with Yang & Hawkins in the ring as Yang uses his speed & agility to take quick control with & arm drag/armbar combination before tagging in Moore who hits a flipping Senton onto Hawkins for a one count. Moore quickly tags in Yang again who hits a strong dropkick on Hawkins, but Hawkins manages to hit a rear clothesline on Yang before tagging in Ryder. Ryder gets in & hits a reverse neckbreaker on Yang for a two count. Ryder then goes for a scoop slam, but Yang manages to reverse it into a pinfall attempt but he only gets a two count. Yang then hits a sunset flip, but Ryder manages to tag in Hawkins before going down. Hawkins gets in & continues to beat down on Yang, hitting a vertical suplex on the Oriental Redneck before locking in a sleeper hold. Yang manages to reverse the sleeper into a stunner but Hawkins manages to tag in Ryder, who charges in & attacks Yang, stopping him from making the tag. Ryder then misses a clothesline on Yang which allows him to tag in Moore, who takes out both Ryder & Hawkins, hitting a flying cross body off the top rope onto Ryder but Hawkins breaks up the pin at the two count. Yang then charges in to help his partner but is quickly subdued by the referee & while he is distracted, Hawkins & Ryder hit a double DDT on Moore & pick up the win.

Winners Via Pinfall: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder

This was a solid match that helped build up Yang & Moore's credibility after weeks of jobbing out to the likes of The Big Show & Vladimir Kozlov. Hopefully the WWE will increase the use of the tag team division just as much as they have with the Diva's division.

 

Backstage we have Eve Torres interviewing MVP about his match at Summerslam against the Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy. He talks about how at Summerslam it is going to be the highest paid superstar on Smackdown versus the most reckless superstar on Smackdown. We are then shown a clip from Saturday Night's Main Event, where MVP cost Jeff Hardy his match against Edge. MVP defends himself by saying that people are blind or ignorant to what Jeff Hardy does, as no one complained about Jeff Hardy interfering in his match last week on Smackdown, saying that what happened to Jeff was a direct result of what Jeff did to him the previous night. (If I recall, Jeff attacked MVP after his match & after MVP tried to get a cheap shot in on Jeff. Also, if I recall, MVP then cost Jeff his match against the Great Khali.) MVP then says that he does not have to beat Jeff Hardy at Summerslam because Jeff Hardy's worst enemy is, was & always will be Jeff Hardy, so MVP just has to sit back & be himself because Jeff Hardy will beat himself.

This was a decent segment but lacked all the emotion that has been flowing between the two over the past few weeks, these two should put on a hell of a match as they are two of Smackdown's top stars &future WWE Champions (In my opinion).

 

Match #3: Jeff Hardy Vs Shelton Benjamin

The match kicks off with a tie up, where Shelton manages to get Jeff pinned into the corner. After the referee breaks it up the lock up again, this time Jeff is able to lock in an armbar on Shelton Benjamin but Benjamin manages to counter it into a drop toe hold before locking in a headlock. Jeff manages to break it quickly, but Shelton takes Jeff back down with a shoulder block before locking in another headlock. The fans cheer Jeff on as he fights his way back to his feet as he takes Benjamin down with a hip toss followed by an arm drag. Jeff then locks in another armbar, changing up from his usual high flying style. Benjamin manages to fight back, pinning Jeff Hardy in the corner before unleashing a flurry of right hands & kicks before getting Jeff back into the centre of the ring & locking in another Headlock. Jeff once again manages to get out of the headlock again, hitting his signature Mule Kick on Benjamin, sending him to the outside before hitting a flying cross body on Benjamin. Jeff makes his way back up to his feet & throws Benjamin back into the ring before hitting a scoop slam on Shelton & heading to the top rope. Shelton manages to get up & leaps onto the top rope where he exchanges right hands with Hardy. Hardy manages to fight him off and shove him back to the mat before attempting the Swanton Bomb, but Shelton manages to move out of the way at the last second, sending Jeff crashing down to the mat.

Shelton then tries to pin Jeff but only manages to get a two count as we go to a mid-match commercial break. We come back from the break & Shelton has Jeff in yet another headlock in the centre of the ring as Jeff struggles for air. Shelton then brings Jeff back to his feet, throwing him in the corner & hitting him with some solid right hands, but Hardy manages to fight back with some right hands of his own. Benjamin then Irish whips Jeff into the corner where he attempts the Whisper in the Wind, but Benjamin takes out Hardy's leg, sending him falling to the mat below as Benjamin takes control once again. Benjamin then starts to work over Hardy's injured leg, hitting a chop block on the leg before getting a two count. Benjamin then locks in a leg bar as the fans continue to cheer for Hardy. Shelton gets up and kicks Hardy's leg a few times before locking in a single leg Boston crab but Hardy refuses to tap out. Jeff manages to get back to his feet & attempts to fight back, but Benjamin kicks Jeff's leg out from under him sending Hardy back to the mat before locking the another single leg Boston crab.

Hardy barely manages to reach the rope, forcing Benjamin to break the hold as Jeff then climbs out of the ring. Benjamin then dives off the apron but gets caught with a dropkick by Hardy. Both men manage to get back into the ring where Hardy takes quick control. Benjamin manages to hit an Irish whip on Hardy, but Jeff manages to hit the Whisper in the Wind successfully but only manages to get a two count. Jeff then attempts to hit a dropkick to Benjamin in the corner, but Benjamin was playing possum & counters the move into a powerslam. Benjamin then gets up, waiting for Hardy to get back up to his feet & when he finally does he attempts for his finisher (Pay Dirt) but Hardy counters it & hits a Twist of Fate followed by the Swanton Bomb. But before Jeff can make the cover, MVP climbs into the ring & hits Hardy with his Drive By Kick.

Winner Via Disqualification: Jeff Hardy

After the match, MVP stands over Hardy, holding his MVP pendant high before heading to the back as Jeff tries to recover.

This was a good, fast paces & technical match that put both competitors over, allowing both of them to look good, while at the same time playing off of the "Jeff Hardy beating himself" storyline, with Jeff's failed attempts at the Whisper in the Wind & The Swanton Bomb almost costing him the match.

 

Backstage we see Chavo & Vickie Guerrero holding the black rose, suspecting that The Undertaker is behind the attacks. As they continue to talk, Curt Hawkins comes in asking them if they have seen Zack Ryder as he hasn't been seen since after their tag team match. Vickie & Chavo tell them that they haven't & ask where he has checked. He goes on to list all the places he has searched before coming to the conclusion that he must be in the parking lot.

 

We then go to some in-ring action with Triple H coming down to the ring for his arm wrestling match with The Great Khali. Khali then makes his entrance with his "Handler" Ranjin Singh. Before the competition can get underway, Triple H makes fun of the situation by touching some shards of glass & acting like he was cut. The referee then checks both competitors' hands for any illegal objects as Ranjin Singh gets on the mic, telling Triple H that The Great Khali has something to say. The Great Khali then gets on the mic & speaks his native language to which, I do not understand, but words such as "WWE Smackdown Champion", "Big Show", "John Cena", "Shawn Michaels" & "Great Khali" are just barely audible. Triple H then gets on the mic saying that The Great Khali just made a very good point, but goes on to say that he has no idea what Khali just said. Ranjin then translates for Triple H, telling Triple H that he should get out while he is still WWE champion, he says that The Great Khali doesn't care that Triple H has been some of the greatest in the business like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, Edge & John Cena, because the fact of the matter is that he has never gone up against the Punjabi nightmare, the Great Khali.

Triple H replies by saying that he thought that is what Khali said, he then makes fun of Ranjin Singh's name, calling him "Bunyan" before telling him to find a lamp & rub it really hard until Khali goes back in, where he came from & then to stick a cork in it to protect Khali. He then goes on to tell everyone what is going to happen at Summerslam, admitting that while he has never been in the ring with The Great Khali, but the Great Khali has never been in the ring with "The Game". He then says that he is the kind of guy who normally formulates a plan on how to beat someone, doesn't tell anyone & then does it, but in this case he will make an exception as he tells The Great Khali that he is going to break his legs, taking him down to his height before beating him, he then calls Ranjin "Onion" before telling him that there is nothing that he or the jolly genie (Khali) can do about. He then says that if Khali is not down with that he has two words for him, to which the fans yell "Suck It".

The competition finally gets underway as Triple H takes his time stretching before he backs out a few times to get under Khali's skin. They finally lock up & their wrists are tied together, the match finally starts, with Triple H getting the early advantage by catching Khali off guard. Khali then manages to fight back & they go back & forth, & as it seems Triple H is going to win, Khali hits Triple H with two headbutts, he then tries for his Khali Bomb, but Triple H manages to fight back with some right hands & tries to hit the Pedigree, but is unable due to Khali's size. Khali then hits his trademark chop to Triple H, before locking in the vice grip, Triple H tried to fight out of it but eventually Triple H goes down as Khali keeps it locked in, eventually Triple H passes out as Ranjin gets on the mic, telling Triple H that at Summerslam, Khali has two words for him, "Game Over". Khali then stands over the fallen body of Triple H as we go to a commercial break.

This segment was okay but seemed very unnecessary, this could just have easily been done with Triple H doing a promo to open the show, only to have Khali come out, get in his words & eventually attack Triple H. This would have accomplished the exact same thing, got in the same line & taken up less time in the show. While this segment was entertaining during parts of it, it just dragged out way to long & eventually made me bored.

 

Back from the commercial break & we are backstage & we see him knocked out with a black rose on top of his fallen body as it seems that only Vickie & Chavo remain.

We are then shown another vignette hyping the debut of R-Truth, showing how he was raised on the wrong side of town & made some bad choices in his life, but he has learned from his mistakes. He takes about how playing basketball is like life, you cannot do it alone, you need teamwork, you cannot win the game not knowing what you are doing because you have to have a direction, and if you want to play the game, you have to be in the game. And that's the Truth.

These vignettes are very powerful & very emotional. They are allowing the fans to connect with R-Truth long before he debuts. This is going to lead to him having an established fan base weeks before he even steps into the ring. This is one of the best example how to have a superstar debut effectively & I for one cannot wait until we get to see R-Truth in the ring on Friday Nights.

 

Backstage Chavo & Vickie are talking about how everyone else has been taken out, talking about how they are both vulnerable on their own. Chavo then tells Vickie that they need to get the one person who can help them, her husband Edge. Vickie says there is no chance but Chavo says that if they don't get his help then they are both next. Vickie tells Chavo that she will not go to Edge for help but Chavo convinces her & says that he will go to Edge & ask for help. Vickie reluctantly agrees as Chavo heads off to find the Rated R Superstar.

 

Match #4: Vladimir Kozlov Vs Jesse w/Festus

Before the match kicks off, Kozlov gets on the mic & cuts a promo in ½ in Russian ½ in English. What is understandable is that he is undefeated & that he demands better competition. Unless I am mistaken, he was involved in a handicap match on the night of Vickie & Edge's wedding against the Big Show where he & his partners were disqualified, so technically he is not undefeated. The bell rings & Festus goes insane, trying to get to Kozlov, but Jesse manages to restrain him, telling him that it is not Festus' match but rather Jesse's. This was nothing more than a squash match, something we tend to expect from Kozlov over the past few months. Jesse gets in a little bit of offence while Festus looks on from the outside. Jesse then goes to the top rope, but as he dives he is hit with Kozlov's headbutt & Kozlov picks up the three count.

Winner Via Pinfall: Vladimir Kozlov

Just as the match comes to an end, Festus attempts to get into the ring, but the bell sends him back into him almost, comatose-like state. Vladimir then gets out of the ring, examining Festus before heading to the back.

 

This match was nothing in itself, but I would like to see a match between Kozlov & Festus as it will truly be Kozlov's first real competitive match, as opposed to the usual squash match. I never thought I'd say this, but I am looking forward to something Kozlov may do.

 

We then go backstage, where Chavo is once again talking to Vickie Guerrero. Chavo tells Vickie that Edge has agreed to come in & talk to Vickie, he then tells Vickie to be civil, he knows what has gone on in their marriage, but this is bigger than her marriage, this is about survival, his, hers & Edge's. Vickie then rips up one of the black roses before reluctantly agreeing.

 

Match #5: The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel Vs Super Crazy

The Brian Kendrick gets on the mic, talking about how knowledge is power & if that is the case, then he is the most powerful man in the WWE today. He then introduces his "Advisor" Ezekiel Jackson, but before anything else can be said, Super Crazy makes his way to the ring. The match kicks off & The Brian Kendrick takes control early on, hitting some right hands on Super Crazy before hitting a standing dropkick for a 2 count. Kendrick follows this up with some solid kicks to the torso of Super Crazy before locking in a submission hold. Super Crazy then manages to break out of the submission & take control briefly before being hit with another dropkick from The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick then locks in another submission while hitting Super Crazy with some forearms. Kendrick breaks the submission & nails some more kicks before getting a quick two count & then locking Super Crazy into yet another submission. Super Crazy finally manages to fight back, breaking out of the submission  & hitting The Kendrick with some kicks of his own, followed quickly by a tilt a whirl backbreaker & a nice looking flapjack. He then hits a standing Moonsault & rolls up the Kendrick but only gets a two count. He then hits a scoop slam on Kendrick & tries to go up to the top rope, but gets distracted by Ezekiel, allowing Brian Kendrick to knock Super Crazy down & hit "The Kendrick" for the 3 count.

Winner Via Pinfall: The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel

After the match, Ezekiel locks in a Torture Rack on Super Crazy before slamming him down as he & The Brian Kendrick head to the back.

 

This was another good competitive match that helped put all 3 participants over. Even though Super Crazy lost, it was mainly due to the distraction from Ezekiel, & he also managed to get in some good offence, which is more than you can say about most of his previous matches in recent memory. Ezekiel is a monster who I see, sooner or later, breaking out & becoming a star on his own, similar to how Kevin Nash/Diesel did it with Shawn Michaels, which is who The Brian Kendrick & Ezekiel are being based off of. I hope the WWE continue to push The Brian Kendrick & get him a meaningful feud soon before the initial hype from him new gimmick wears off.

 

We are backstage once again & we see Edge joining Vickie & Chavo in Vickie's office. After an awkward moment between Edge & Vickie, Edge tries to apologize but Vickie quickly yells at Edge, saying that he made her miserable. Chavo tries to calm down the situation as Edge tries to apologize again, only to have Vickie yell at him for what he has done to her. Edge then says that they will get past what has happened between them, because they cannot let what happened to Hawkins, Ryder & Neely happen to the three of them. He then says that since he is the "head of the family", he has an idea, but it has to be done his way, to which Chavo quickly agrees & Vickie eventually agrees without looking at her husband. They all then stand up & head out of the office & make their way to the ring as we head to the final commercial break.

 

Back from the break & the 3 remaining members of La Familia make their way to the ring, Edge grabbing some chairs to defend them as well as a microphone. He then gets on the microphone, calling out The Undertaker, telling them that if he wants to take out members of his family, then he can use "powers" to strike Edge down. He then challenges The Undertaker to strike him down with his lightning or to make the lights go out, but nothing happens. Edge then says that he didn't think the Undertaker would respond because La Familia is ready for him. Edge then asks Chavo to move Vickie, Chavo agrees & hands Edge his chair as he wheels Vickie into the corner of the ring as Edge continue to call out the Undertaker. Edge then drops Chavo's chair & as Chavo goes to pick it up, Edge hits Chavo over the back with his own steel chair, before hitting a devastating Con-Chair-To on Chavo as he stares wickedly at Vickie. Edge then eyes up Vickie, taunting her as he wheels her chair into the centre of the ring, teasing her by acting like he was going to tip it over. He then looks a bit remorseful & attempts to comfort Vickie before he eventually does tip her chair over, sending her down to the mat. Edge then lies down next to his wife with a mic as Vickie begins to break down & cry. Edge then asks if Vickie is ok, he asks if she is alright. He then asks if it is finally dawning on her that the person that she should be worrying about isn't The Undertaker. He yells at Vickie, telling her that she wants to put him in a Hell In A Cell against the Undertaker like its some form of punishment. He then tells Vickie, that Mick Foley was right, that the Old Edge is the Edge that needs to step into the Cell with the Undertaker & that's who he has become once again. He tells Vickie that the Undertaker is going to take him to hell, but he is going to take The Undertaker with him & that he is going to take the entire "family" & more important than anyone else, he is going to take her to hell with him. He then stands over Vickie as another edition of Smackdown comes to an end.

 

This was another very powerful & emotional segment from Edge to follow up his edition of The Cutting Edge last week. As much as people don't like Edge (which is actually his job), he is one of the best performers in the WWE  today, he is great in the ring, is willing to put his body on the line in TLC, Ladder & now Hell In A Cell matches, & his facial expressions are golden. His crazy expressions made me believe that "The Old Edge" is back & just as crazy & maniacal as ever.

 

This was a extremely good edition on Smackdown, which was thoroughly enjoyable besides a handful of boring or unnecessary segments & matches (The Kozlov Match & The Arm Wrestling). I would easily recommend anyone to watch this week's edition of Smackdown, especially the end segment.

I give this week's edition of Friday Night Smackdown a 9/10

 

 

 

Devlin's Ideas:

I don't really have many ideas for Smackdown as they have been doing a great job for the past few weeks. My only suggestions would be to finally give Kozlov some decent matches as opposed to squash matches & to put The Brian Kendrick into a feud soon before the hype about his gimmick change wears off & he becomes just another wrestler.   

 

So ends another Devlin review, as always, feel free to leave comments whether you agree with me or disagree with me, add me as a friend or join any of my groups.

Creatures Of The Night - For Fans Of The Undertaker

Hardcore Straightedge - For Fans Of CM Punk

Exist 2 Inspire - For Fans Of The Hardys

ECW R.I.P 2001 - For Fans Of The Original ECW

WWE Australia - For Australian WWE Fans

A Star Is Bourne - For Fans Of Evan Bourne

Or add me to MSN or yahoo at either clintd88@gmail.com or clintd88@yahoo.com

And Remember, That Love me, Hate Me, Or Anything In Between

I Will Always Be The Warrior Of The Web, The Icon Of The Internet.