Welcome to another edition of 10 Thoughts on Smackdown, where the brand extension is seemingly dead, and we’re in for a cage match tonight that SHOULD end what has been pushed as one of WWE’s major feuds of the summer. With that in mind…here…we…go!
1. Oh crap…am I watching the right show here? John Cena…is on Smackdown again?? Oh wait, it’s Super Smackdown, so I guess I’m not seeing things. All bad jokes aside, that opening segment was by-the-book development of the feud. I will give credit where it’s due though; it also managed to give some hype to the underwhelming match he had with Wade Barrett. My only question…if Cena was trying to “pay back†Barrett, would he really have been smiling? Wouldn’t he have been a little more aggressive? Not the most consistent storytelling, but a decent way to open the night.
2. Wrong, Josh Matthews. Not every man who ever cashed in Money in the Bank used the element of surprise…Daniel Bryan’s not the first one who stated when he’d cash in…Rob Van Dam did the same thing at One Night Stand. Another way for WWE to try to erase former stars? Hmmm…
3. Wait, WHAT??? I must admit, I did NOT see that Sin Cara turn coming. I guess they’re really going with another mirror match, Sin Cara v. Sin Cara. I know who’s winning that one…Sin Cara. With Alberto Del Rio working on his work visa in Mexico, they booked a good match at the last minute, but I don’t know if this “turn†will go over very well or not.
4. The Divas match, once again, was too short. They are obviously going for a slow burn on this angle, but the problem is, by doing that, they require actual storytelling in the ring, which is NOT the strong suit of the Divas division. This story might be passable, but it’s looking quite convoluted at the moment.
5. The contract signing between HHH and CM Punk was quite entertaining, easily one of the highlights of the night. Kevin Nash’s interjection added a new wrinkle to the mix, but I have to wonder: it’s obvious they’ve been setting up for Punk/HHH all along, but did they pull the trigger too soon? And how do you kick someone’s “skinny fat ass� Isn’t that an oxymoron, like TNA creative?
6. Sheamus/The Great Khali: Didn’t I just cover this match a couple of weeks ago? Their first match was much more entertaining, but it looks like we might have to sit through Sheamus/Mahal. Mahal is still really green, and
7. It’s 8:30 and they’re lowering the cage…30 minutes of Christian and Randy Orton…makes me think something big’s going to happen. We’ll see…
8. In order for this feud to end, there needed to be something decisive done in the cage, and while predictable, an RKO from the top was the best way to do so. One could argue about the punt being used, but that could lead to an angle of “the punt should be bannedâ€, and they obviously want to end this feud. Now it will be interesting to see where they go with Christian.
9. Mark Henry destroying Randy Orton in the cage did a great job of making Henry look unstoppable while making Orton look as if he may have a small chance. Both workers get over this way, and it makes for a good buildup. Also, is it just me, or is Henry improving SOMEWHAT on the mic?
10. Joe’s Food For Thought: I noticed during the show tonight that Booker T called John Cena a man of “limited abilityâ€. I don’t quite know if that was a shot on Cena directly, or if it was another attempt to make Cena look more common and less like the “Super Cena†character that many of us have referred to in the past few months.
Not a very “Super” Smackdown, save for the main event. It kind of took away from the luster with Alberto Del Rio being absent, as well as Triple H’s announcement of the brand extension being done away with. I’m just curious to see where things are going now that the rosters seem to have been brought together again.
Until next week…
