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A few lessons we learned from Smackdown this week:
- Big monsters can get the crap kicked out of them.
- CM Punk is definitely being depushed right now.
- MVP-Flair is way more interesting of a Rumble undercard match than JBL-Jericho.
- Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman were the least annoying announce team this week when it came to dropping "HD" references.
- Chuck Palumbo could have a future as a destructive heel.
A good show to wrap up the week, and they certainly hyped the Rumble, although I don't think it was the usual "over the top" build (no pun intended) we usually get before a major WWE PPV.
Plusses:
Rey Mysterio vs. the Edgeheads was a perfectly fine opener, and it made sense that Edge would have his goons try to weaken Rey before the Rumble. I liked the way Mysterio rolled away from Zack Ryder when he first tagged in, and constantly worked to keep it a one-on-one situation as much as possible. Ryder and Hawkins hit a nice double team backbreaker, but the match was more about Mysterio's offense, which was just about perfect, including a picture perfect springboard bodypress. The finish, with Mysterio dropkicking the chair into Hawkins' face, was also very well done. Now, I know some don't like the finish, since Hawkins never used the chair, and I can see that argument. At the same time, the finish made total sense. The Edgeheads didn't care about the win, their job was to weaken Rey, and with Mysterio on the verge of victory, Hawkins was looking to take Rey out with the chair, since they didn't "get the job done" yet. Rey survived, and the only thing missing was a shot of a frustrated Edge (since we knew he was watching) after the match.
The video on Jeff Hardy was really well done. He's got a ridiculous amount of momentum going into this Sunday's WWE Title match.
After stretching it a bit longer than expected, WWE pulled the trigger on Chuck Palumbo's heel turn. Before getting to the actual turn, I liked the segment with Noble and Palumbo arguing, then cooling it because Michelle was coming towards them. I liked the fact that they paused for a few moments, as if they saw her in the distance and realized they needed to stop yelling, rather than having her "suddenly appear" and pretend like she couldn't hear them. It was a good first step.
Step two was the turn, and the mixed tag match with Miz, Morrison and Layla was the pefect backdrop, since it allowed the announcers to talk about the Rumble (since we have four Rumble participants involved). Other than a brief exchange with Noble and Miz that looked good, this was all about Noble and Palumbo not getting along. Michelle gets bumped to the floor, and it is angle time (hey, we were spared having to watch Layla wrestle, a bonus!). Noble shows concern for Michelle immediately, while Chuck does a slow burn in the ring.
Then, the switch is flipped, and Chuck Palumbo becomes a monster. Him beating the hell out of Noble, knocking around the referee, etc. was good stuff. If Chuck keeps this kind of fire going, I could see a Batista or Undertaker feud in his future. He looked that good. Yes, there was a noticeable edit during Chuck's pounding of Noble on the floor, but it isn't the first time Smackdown took advantage of being post-produced. Chuck throwing down Michelle was the icing on the cake, and the announcers once again clamed up and allowed the moment to speak for itself. Palumbo walking off, shaking with anger, and even forgetting his bike, was a nice ending. Did it work? We'll know on Sunday when he comes out for the Rumble. If the fans react, then it worked.
Later in the show, they did a nice job with the beaten and discombobulated Noble apologizing to Michelle as she was being taken to the ambulance. Obviously, this was the final step in setting up Noble as the sympathetic underdog when he goes for revenge against the monster Palumbo.
MVP and Ric Flair really felt like an "encore" from last week, with the two getting a little more TV time to add to their great segment from last week. The video bits with MVP narrating them were well done, then Flair got in his response and emphasized that he will beat MVP on Sunday. Not as great as last week's segment, but this week they were only given a fraction of the time to work with.
The Belfast Brawl was a thing of beauty, especially if you like seeing Finlay beat the crap out of Khali (and who doesn't?). As always, Finlay doesn't back down, and while he got a few moments of offense (essentially whenever Khali went off his usual gameplan to go for a chair, Finlay would get a brief advantage) the majority of the match was Khali dominating. Then, Khali went to hurt Hornswoggle, and Finlay went ballistic. It was like that scene in the movie A Christmas Story where Ralphie snaps and lays out the bully, Scott Farkus. Finlay just decimated Khali, and just when you thought he had done enough, he beat him up some more. Yes, the match was supposed to end by pinfall or submission, but Finlay's destruction of Khali was so thorough, I don't think anyone doubted that Finlay had "won" the battle.
If you didn't see it already, make sure to check out the Rumble "numbers" video package, either on TV or on WWE.com. Just a really done piece that uses actual Rumble facts to help hype the big event on Sunday.
Minuses:
If I was at a WWE house show, and I saw Yang vs. Domino, I would probably say "That was a good match". Yang started off hitting Domino with stiff shots, then he missed the baseball slide and took a big bump to the floor. Domino got some offense, then Yang came back with highflying spots. Deuce interferes, Yang gets hung up, Moore takes Deuce down with the rana, and Domino takes a crash landing into Yang's ribs before the moonsault and pinfall. Nothing wrong with the match, except that it served absolutely no purpose on the "go home" show before the second biggest WWE PPV event of the year. Coach even pointed out that they weren't in the Rumble match. I have no problem with Yang & Moore or Deuce & Domino getting TV time, as I enjoy their work, but this match should not have been on the show. How about a "Last Chance Battle Royale" for a spot in the Rumble? Or maybe give Mark Henry or someone else who is actually in the Rumble a showcase? Again, the match was quality, but it was pointless and a waste of time on this show.
Vince McMahon tells Finlay, who just beat the crap out of Khali, that Khali is going to be "angry" and looking for him at the Rumble. Thanks Vince, never could have figured that one out. Then Vince takes a moment with his son to try and worry the little guy that he can't trust Finlay at the Rumble. Um, is there a point to Vince playing mindgames with Hornswoggle every week? At first I thought they were building to something, but now it just seems like Vince is messing with the leprechaun for the hell of it.
I've found it really strange that not once this week, did WWE take the time on TV to run down the list of Rumble participants. Maybe it is because they don't have 30 names listed for it, but they should run down the entrants at least once on the "go home" week of television.
I am a little surprised Edge didn't get any mic time this week to hype the Rumble match.
A Mixture Of Both:
Hey, the new Smackdown set looks a lot like the new Raw set! That's probably because it's the same set, just replacing the red with blue and "Raw" with "Smackdown". I'm far more concerned with what happens in the ring than I am the stage production, but I do think it would be nice to have a different set for Smackdown. Then again, I should just be happy that they finally retired that ugly looking "giant fist" set.
I was glad to see Jesse acknowledge that he and Festus haven't been on television lately, since I've been wondering if their push was on temporary hold (due to the push of Yang & Moore) or whether their gimmick was being dropped. Festus getting help? Well, I guess this could lead to some cheesy vignettes of Festus with a doctor. Part of me wishes they'd just drop the gimmick, since Festus (in angry mode) and Jesse are a pretty good tag team, and I'd like to see them in the mix with Yang & Moore, Deuce & Domino and Miz & Morrison now.
Batista cut a simple, but effective, promo to hype the Rumble. Nothing wrong with it, didn't go too long. However, it wasn't a "must see" segment either.
I couldn't help by chuckle at the way they kept putting over that Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V was their "first ever" meeting. Yeah, first ever meeting, in a singles match, on television, since Mable/Viscera changed his name to Big Daddy V. Honestly, this was your typical "Undertaker vs. a fat guy" match, right down to the choke shove (because it wasn't really a slam). About the only interesting thing going on was Matt Striker selling his hand as being hurt after punching Taker. Nothing to write home about.... until the finish. Undertaker choking out BDV with his combination armbar/shin-to-the-throat choke was awesome. Big Daddy V bleeding from the mouth and Mark Henry yelling "You've gone too far" gave the whole segment a sudden air of seriousness. Really, an awesome finish to a pedestrian match.
How you feel about CM Punk vs. Edge probably depends on what you were hoping to see WWE do with Punk. There was no hype for this match, no plugs during the show (Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V got more attention), no pre-match interviews from either man. Just a quick recap of Edge costing Punk the ECW Title, and then the match itself, during which the announcers kept saying Punk winning would be a "huge upset". That should tell you where Punk stands on the WWE ladder these days. The match itself was very good, with Punk kicking Edge and showing some real fire (including calling him "Goldylocks") before hitting a sweet hammerlock suplex. Edge turned the tide with a boot to the face, and both men ended up on the floor before going to break. After that, we had a nice back and forth exchange, although I wonder why the announcers didn't play up that Punk had wrestled (and been KO'd) just a few days ago, while Edge was fresh. Punk blocking the spear with the knee was great, but in the end, Edge hits the spear after Punk's leapfrog and gets the 100% clean pin. Rey comes in after the fact for a staredown with Edge, and see you Sunday for the Rumble! So, anyone dreaming of a massive push for CM Punk is going to be waiting a little longer (unless they let him into, and win, the Rumble).
What To Make Sure And Watch If You DVR'd The Show: MVP-Flair, the finish of Undertaker-Big Daddy V, and Finlay beating the snot out of Khali. The Palumbo-Noble angle, Mysterio-Edgeheads and Punk vs. Edge is worth checking out as well.
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