House of ZAN Forum

[Ravage]

Okay, this was the first Friday in a very long time I was able to sit and watch Smackdown...not to say it's something I've pined for. I've only barely kept up with what's happening on RAW, and have completely forgotten ECW exists...never the less, here I go:

- Opening Teddy Long & Edge segment was fantastic. It was a little long, but Edge shows again why he's the top heel in the business. Nobody draws heat (good heat) like Edge. I definitely don't need to see any more replays of him making out with Vickie, though...egad!

- Tag match...Morrison and Miz vs. Jessie & Festus. Oh, boy, a good tag match! M&M (lol) make a very good tag team, although they are better as singles, IMO. Jesse is just a moderately talented small-stature man, much like an RVD or JTG. Festus, however, could be the best big man since Kane's younger days. That big dude can wrestle.

- Elijah Burke can cut a mean promo. He could give Edge a run for his money some day in the heel department. Burke vs. Batista...kind of a squash, but an excellent short showing by Burke. He's good. Batista converting Burkes diving splash into a spear/spinebuster was pretty above average for him, too.

- Jamie Noble is so cool, why do they misuse him so badly? His Noble-2 Palumbo-0 shirt is great! Too bad Michelle McCool can't act, or this whole angle could be really good. There's hope, though.
LOL @ the match. Palumbo is okay, and this whole story is pretty entertaining, I have to remember to watch the Noble/McCool "date".

- LOL, I think JBL had the line of the night with "What kind of caveat' was that?" I'm getting to the point where I think I'd rather hear JBL/Cole than JR/King any day. King used to be so funny, but now he's pretty much just a schill, and JR gets old. JBL is totally awesome on color.

- MVP is great on the stick. Yet another great up-and-coming heel. Wow, another great segment, too. Michael Hayes hit some pretty rough points on the Von Erich's and personal responsibility, and the two played off each other quite well. I hope MVP doesn't drop to ReyRey, although I'm happy Rey didn't return to the HW division.

- Good intra-show hype for the Kane/Edge main event. They really should have made this into a full-fledged revenge feud, isntead of using it as justification for a leadup match for the next PPV.

- Between Batista and that new backstage interviewer, I think there is some kind of charisma-sucking interdimensional singularity forming. It drains all life, energy, and entertainment from the universe.

- Finlay vs. Deuce...good. Nothing special, but solid. His match against Khali will undoubtedly be the talk of my bowels. I am a fan of Finlay going face, but I don't know how people will take to him.

- Oh, joy, Batista is joining the commentary team for the main event. I'm sure his very intellectually nuanced series of gurgles and grunts will add to the overall enjoyment of this evening's events.

- Oof, Edge is nursing his chest/shoulder...hope he didtn't strain his pec. injury. Hmmm...decent match. Again, nothing too special.

It's like going back in time one year. I remember last year commenting that Smackdown was the show to watch for wrestling, but it was mostly centered on the lower/mid card. That's still the case. The wrestling was better tonight than RAW, by a long shot, even, but only up until the end of the show. Kane and Edge were fine, but MY GOD, did Batista's commentary detract from it! I was monotoned into submission.

[Dana]

I also watched SD tonight, mainly cuz there was nothing else on. I was pleasantly surprised!

As usual, I'm gonna have to agree to disagree on Edge. I thought his segment with Teddy was all Teddy, and I FF'ed thru his little dedications to Vicki Guerrero both times he did them. I think that whole angle sucks and Vicki never should have gone along with it. Basically they got her to do the angle with Edge that they tried to make Kristal Marshall do. Kristal refused on grounds that it was demeaning and they fired her.

Jesse & Festus are awesome. Jesse needs to work on his presentation & in-ring style a lot more, but Festus is the show-stealer. As for ability, Festus seems a tad reckless to me. I know he should appear that way, but he takes awfully long strides and builds up a LOT of speed without showing a lot of agility. Hopefully he's more in control than it looks and he doesn't hurt himself anytime soon...

I never used to care for Elijah Burke but he's really coming into his own. His promo blew Batista's out of the water. I don't understand Batista's character at all. In the ring, he's intense, he's on fire, and he's entertaining -- but put a mic in his hand and he becomes slightly more animated than a pre-bell Festus.

I remember telling Damin one time that Michael PS Hayes could rival Ric Flair when it comes to cutting a promo. Tonight wasn't one of his best, but I marked out. Hayes is rarely seen on TV anymore, but whenever he is, he commands attention! I want the WCCW DVD!

Deuce & Domino need to be in the title chase again. They really have no one to have tag matches with right now and they really aren't going anywhere.

MVP vs. Rey = YAWN, what's in teh fridge?

Kane vs. Edge was decent, but Batista ruined it. I think JBL is the best color man in the bidness today, but I can't stand Michael Cole any longer. I'll listen to JR or Joey over Cole any day. Cole is quickly becoming a younger, more caffeinated version of Mike Tenay. Now he just needs two faces.

How come Kane never sits-up anymore? Seriously, when was the last time anyone saw him do it? Gah, it's infuriating. MASK PLZ KTHX!
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[Wang]

smackdown? What that be?