If you’re of the opinion that there’s too much “sports entertainment” on wrestling shows these days and not enough wrestling, I hope you caught Smackdown last night.
There was an Undertaker-Vickie Guerrero angle sprinkled throughout the show, but the main focus was on the action in the ring, highlighted by two outstanding matches – Jeff Hardy versus MVP, and Triple H versus Shelton Benjamin.
I don’t know that WWE would want to do a show this wrestling-heavy every week, but it was a nice change of pace. With a quintet of talented workers competing in the Championship Scramble at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on Sept. 7, there is no better way to sell that match than to showcase the wrestling skills of the participants.
Benjamin looked especially strong last night, even though he lost to Triple H. Earlier in the show, he laid out both Hardy and MVP after Hardy’s victory. Then, after doing the job in a hard-fought, back-and-forth match, Benjamin got his heat back by knocking out Triple H with a belt shot to the head.
Other thoughts on last night’s show:
The Brian Kendrick, the only wrestler in the Scramble who did not have a match last night, cut his best promo since adopting his new persona. He and Ezekiel were sitting in the back reading. Kendrick quoted The Art of War and talked about the fine line between genius and insanity. This was the first time that I saw a touch of Brian Pillman in Kendrick. …
Hardy took a nasty spill, landing on his head and neck, during his match against MVP. I’ve seen him have bad landings like that before, and it always amazes me that he hasn’t suffered a serious injury. Jim Ross called him “The Rubberband Man.” …
I don’t understand the purpose of having The Great Khali attack Triple H after his match with Benjamin. Khali isn’t in the Scramble, so it’s not like it’s going to help sell the pay-per-view. Perhaps it was done to make Triple H seem banged up heading into Unforgiven, theoretically increasing the likelihood that he will lose the WWE title. …
I think R-Truth is going to get over in WWE, but his debut could have been booked better. I see now why Vince McMahon reportedly was furious with how this match was laid out. Kenny Dykstra, who the fans consider a joke at this point, got in far too much offense against a guy that figures to be getting a big push. …
Victoria has been reduced to putting over women making their debut, as she jobbed to Brie Bella last night. For those who don’t know, I won’t give it away, but there is something unique about Bella’s gimmick that warrants a push. …
Maryse, who teamed with Natalya to defeat Michelle McCool and Maria, is starting to look more comfortable in the ring and she’s getting better at being a heel. McCool, by the way, should either carry the belt to the ring or gain about 20 pounds so that it fits around her waist. …
I like Jesse and Festus, but I really don’t need to see them wrestle Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder anymore. Of course, the sole purpose of this match was for The Big Show to come out and destroy everyone. Hopefully, WWE is planning on doing something meaningful with him soon.Source://
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