By Chris Jacks on February 9th, 2008
Hi everyone and welcome to this weeks edition of Chris Reviews Smackdown. In this weeks edition I will be discussing the build up to No Way Out, Big Daddy V, Smackdown leaving the CW Network and more. Please read and feel free to leave some feedback via the comment board and I will get back to you. After a very ordinary RAW this week I was really hoping Smackdown was going to pull out all the stops this week and put on a stellar show and I was not disappointed.
First off though I would just like to briefly discuss a couple of issues of note. Firstly Smackdown will be leaving its home on the CW Network at the end of the current broadcast season in America. Now being based in the UK means I watch all my wrestling on Sky Sports so whilst this does not affect me directly it does raise some cause for concern. The CW Network and Smackdown have a long and successful history together and it seems a bit of a strange move from WWE to decide to look elsewhere. I can only assume that they have had a better offer from another network as Smackdown is consistently one of the highest rated shows on CW. However I hope the new network (whichever one it is) continues to support Smackdown and that this will not affect the quality or times the show is broadcast.
My next point of discussion is somewhat controversial. Due to an alarmingly large amount of feedback from last week it appears Big Daddy V does actually have some fans out there. This was a huge shock to me and perhaps goes some way to explain why Vince keeps putting him on TV. I personally cannot stand Big V. I think he is a lumbering waste of space that goes from being the most dominating force in sports entertainment to Undertaker’s whipping boy in a couple of weeks. As far as I am concerned about 12 years and 150 pounds ago Nelson Frazier or Mabel as he was known then was a fairly good wrestler and had some decent matches in particular the King of the Ring 1995 tournament which he won. Now however he is just taking up TV time when there are a lot more deserving guys on the roster. However in the interests of staying neutral I will try to avoid overly criticizing Nelson and try to take some positives from his involvement.
So without further ado onto this weeks show
We open with Batista making his way to the ring for a great pop. “What’s this?” I hear you say “Batista actually wrestle a match?” Sure enough Batista was not wrestling and was instead giving another interview talking himself up saying how he is going to win the Elimination Chamber. No chance! MVP comes out to interrupt and is as always golden on the mic. Batista tells MVP he is going to whip his ass. However out comes Big Daddy V and Matt Striker tells us how Big Daddy V will be the one main eventing Wrestlemania. If that happens I will boycott the event! This would have been more convincing had Undertaker not handed Big V’s ass to him in recent weeks. Next out Khali comes out and babbles something unintelligible. Translated by Singh that he will be winning the match. Now Khali vs Big Daddy V would be a match I would like to see. Not only would it keep them out of everyone else’s way these two giants could potentially work farily well together. Predictably Finlay was out next to hype himself up. Finally Undertaker came out and sent the heels fleeing from the ring.
This was a great segment to help build the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out. The presence of Khali and Big V did not stop this coming across as a solid build up to what I truly believe will be a great match. The fact that Undertaker will almost certainly be winning the match may be a foregone conclusion however I expect great things from Finlay and MVP as well and if Khali and Big V end up attacking each other that should be something worth watching. With the announcement of the 6 man tag for later in the night I was excited that we were going to get a solid main event.Next up Shelton Benjamin and Kane had something of a rematch from ECW the other week. I enjoyed their encounter then and I was not disappointed by this match either. I have always been a huge fan of Shelton Benjamin and Kane has always been one of my favourite big guys in WWE. This has the makings of a great feud and I hope this continues to a potential match at Wrestlemania. The ending of the match with Shelton picking up the win via count out was the perfect way to end the match with neither man having the upper hand so far in this feud. Shelton’s in ring ability is outstanding; some of the high spots he hits are a true pleasure to watch. Could you imagine a match between Shelton and Rey Mysterio? That would be phenomenal.
Following that great match came the continuation of the best mid card feud in WWE right now: Chuck Palumbo vs Jamie Noble & Michelle McCool. Over the last couple of weeks Chuck has been doing everything I could have hoped to get over as a credible heel and this match was no exception. Despite their contrasting styles these two have a lot of chemistry in the ring together and I always enjoy their matches. Chuck is very solid in the ring and has great strength whereas Noble has always been one of the most underused talents on the roster and I am really pleased to finally see him get a chance to shine. Palumbo finally beat Noble for the first time and then proceeded to an absolutely savage post match beat down of Noble. This feud is really heating up and I really hope they decide to continue it to Wrestlemania and some sort of gimmick match finale.
Next we has the welcome return of Jesse and Festus facing up against Deuce and Domino. Now this is what I am talking about. Two proper tag teams putting on a proper tag team match. I am really liking the fact that WWE seems to be properly utilizing their tag team divisions again. All four of these guys are talented and these two teams work very well together. I am certainly hoping we see more of them in action. Jesse and Festus picking up the predictable win here in their return match with Festus using a very unique finisher. Good stuff!
Up next we had the Cutting Edge with this week’s special guest Vickie Guerrero. This was a really good promotional segment that continued to build the Edge vs Rey match as No Way Out. Edge and Rey were solid on the mic as always and even though I find Vickie’s voice irritating, she played this segment very well. Teddy Long playing Vickie’s lackey is hilarious. I really find the mushy Edge and Vickie stuff hard to stomach, however it is a great story and I really look forward with anticipation to the day Edge snaps and decides to go it alone. However is the “wedding” does indeed go ahead as hinted this week that will be a great way for Undertaker to arrive and trash it to build the expected Wrestlemania encounter between him and Edge.
Next up we had the RAW rebound with the whole kiss my arse segment with Vince, Finlay and Hornswoggle, Yuk! Could have done without seeing that again!
Following this was The Edgeheads (with their ever changing entrance music) facing Team Yang. After a great encounter last week I was looking forward to this match and once again these guys but on a great albeit brief showing. Wow, two good tag matches in one night, as I said before it is good to see WWE properly using their Tag division again. These two teams work really well with each other and I defiantly would like to see them face up again. In future though I would like to see match ups like this given a bit more time on the card. Scrapping pointless elements like the RAW rebound and instead allowing these guys to showcase more of their talent would be a great way to help them get over.
Finally it was main event time. Coach made a funny joke saying Khali was favourite to win the Elimination Chamber match. As if! If Khali wins that match I will eat My Edge Sex and Violence T-shirt! I am that confident! Batista continues to get massive fan support despite the fact he has not wrestled a match on Smackdown prior to this for quite some time, Whoever is booking Cena take note, a guy does not have to be champion or even wrestle that much to be over! Seriously though it is good to see Batista back in the ring. This was a solid main event and did so much to build the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out. Finlay and MVP looked very bright. I am sure these two could have a great feud. In fact on this showing and his continued progress I think MVP could work well with just about anybody. Big Daddy V and Khali did not take anything away from this match, rather they were actually pretty well suited to it. Having them work with the big powerhouses like Undertaker and Batista is the best thing for them if they are not working with each other. Undertaker looked particularly impressive out there and did nothing to change his odds on favourite status for a No Way Out Victory. In the end the match was scrapped but in effect Team Taker picked up the win with a very inspiring performance.
So overall an absolutely superb show this week. Every match and segment was enjoyable and Smackdown did such a great job building up the matches for No Way Out. My one slight complaint was The Edgeheads vs Team Yang match was not really given as much time as it deserved. Other than that a top quality show.
On this weeks ECW Stevie Richards will be making his return. I am certainly looking forward to that, he put on a great feud with Kevin Thorn and I really hope he gets a long overdue push he deserves! That is all for this weeks edition.
I will be back next week for more Chris Reviews Smackdown as well as my No Way Out predictions. As always you can contact me on at a_agreement_called_forever@hotmail.com or on MySpace at www.myspace.com/agreement_called_forever. Please leave some feedback on the comment board and I will get back to you!
Until next time The Rated R Era is still going strong!
Smackdown Power 10
1: Edge
2: Rey Mysterio
3: The Undertaker
4: Batista (+1)
5: Finlay (+1)
6: MVP (-2)
7: The Edgeheads (+1)
8: Kane (-1)
9: Chuck Palumbo (+1)
10: Team Yang (-1)>
Tags: Big Daddy V, MVP, SmackDown, Smackdown Power 10, Stevie Richards, Undertaker
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February 9th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Why is Kane nowhere in the plans for NWO. He is a far better wrestler than BDV and TGK,all the things he has accomplished is worthy of being a main eventer for life.
Personally I would like to see him win a Rumble,headline a Wrestlemania and win a championship.He at least deserves that.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
NICE Blog!!!!
February 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Feedback:
Punkfan: Thanks for the praise!
Navin: I totally agree with you, there is no one in WWE more deserving of a title run than Kane. However from what I have read Kane is much happier putting other guys over and helping young talents develop. As for him not being in the EC, well I think that is because he is pimarily a face character and Smackdown ceative wanted to put some of their monster heels in here to help balance out the match. But I totally agree in the fact I would much rather see Kane than Big V or Khali and day.
Keep up the comments!
February 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
i wanna see undertaker make Edge REST IN PEACEEEEE
February 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
good blog again
February 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Feedback
Ben: Thanks as always
Punkfan: As much as I am going to hate seeing it I cannot see Edge beating Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Simply due to the fact that Undertaker NEVER loses at Wrestlemania. This however does not mean it wont be a great match cause it will. A real shame, however I see Edge cheating his way back to the title before too long after that possibly at Summerslam and then The Rated R Era will begin again
February 9th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Chris:
After getting on your case last week, I figure some serious praise is due. This was a much better blog, and you really did have some good insights into each match.
There’s no question Viscera’s got some serious flab (I threw up a little in my mouth each time ‘Taker punched him in the gut), but yeah he actually wasn’t a liability in this main event. BTW: It wasn’t the title “Big Flabby V” that I was so critical of, it was just the OVERUSE of it. Great work on toning it down, though – your blog looked far more professional this week than last!
Question for discussion, though: Kane/Shelton. Do you really think that one has the look of a long-term feud? I almost got the impression that it was a quick “Kane jobs to Shelton” thing, push him along on ECW and let it go. Now, especially after this week, I’m wondering if Kane might get moved to ECW full time (where he should have been anyways) and let this become a decent feud to the top…
Kudos!
–Databoy2k
February 9th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Great blog, I’ve been reading blogs here since the days Richard wrote the original Raw is Blogged, just the first time I comment in one of the blogs lol Big Daddy V makes me happy…..happy that I don’t have a HDTV XD It would be cool if BDV mde a Swanton off the top of one of the cages, prefferibly on Kahli, that would rule!
Silliness aside, can’t wait to see Smackdown (here in Puerto Rico, they transmit it on Saterday afternoons instead of Friday). Anywhos, keep up the cool blogs!
PS- I’m not the same Lance that usually comments on the blogs lol
February 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Feedback:
Databoy: Thanks for the praise, glad you enjoyed the blog. I think if Big V lost about 100 pounds and worked on converting some of that flab to muscle and worked on polishing his in ring ability and added a few more moves to his arsenal he could easily be a credible monster heel that people wouldnt mind seeing win as he would look impressive as oppose to repulsive
I think the whole Shelton/Kane feud will depend on how it is booked. If they continue for a few weeks with neither of them getting the upper hand they could potentially turn this into a Kane/MVP style feud. The reason I think this will go one is there really are no credible face wrestlers other than CM Punk for Shelton to feud with on ECW (I pray to god they dont feed him the returning Stevie Richards) The Punk/Chavo feud is almost certainly going to continue for awhile so I see no reason for this to be rushed as it could potentially help both of these guys as neither of them have many more credible opponents right now. One way it could potentially work is they continue feuding upto Wrestlemania and both end up being entered in the MITB match and then take each other out culminating with a final do or die match at Backlash (something like an inferno match) with Shelton emerging victories and pushing him to the next level. I am a big fan of quality mid card feuds and really hope WWE dont rush this one.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
On a slightly related note to what I was just talking about I can certainly see CM Punk being promoted to the big leagues in the next draft. This could result in a potential Shelton vs Stevie Richards feud for the ECW title and I think this is something any ECW fan would want to see. Stevie deserves a push so please WWE give the guy a chance, he has earned it.
My only other fear about Shelton is he could potentially end up being drafted along ith Elijah Burke and forming a new tag team. Whilst there is no doubt they would make a great team I believe it is time for Shelton to have a solid singles run as he has pretty much done it all with regards to the tag division.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Feedback:
Lance: Thanks for the praise, always good to have new people on the comment boards to keep the discussion fresh.
Big V doing a swanton??? that really would be something to see, however there is more chance of him winning the match than doing a swanton! I really would like to see him and Khali in a feud though. These big guys are only entertaining when they are wrestling each other cause when they go up against mid carders they dominate but as soon as they encounter a main event star they are squashed back down and made to look weak. You wouldnt even have to have a face turn by either of them. One oculd just be pissed that he other pins him in the elimination match and they could go from there. The best thing about these guys is they both have great mouth pieces in Singh and Striker so we could potentially end up with a strange tag match!
If you cannot wait to see Smackdown I have the address of a website that streams it just after it shows in America and UK if thats any help?
February 9th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Who do you think will win Cena or Orton?
February 9th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
For the first time in a long while there is a WWE Championship bout where you are not sure of the winner.Barring No Mercy ,every single WWE Championship match has been kinda predictable for the longest while.
Cena has a good chance of winning ,but I wont count out Randy just yet.I guess it all comes down to Hunter and Stephanie’s choice,seeing as how Hunter is 90 percent more than likely gonna win EC and headline WM.
If Hunter had worked the Raws prior to NWO and had a heel turn I would have said Cena ,if he remains a face then Randy will win.It’s all up to you HHH
February 9th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
great blog! i didnt watch smackdown but by reading it looks to be a great show. Its most likely going to be undertaker or batista winning the chamber match but dont underestimate khali, since he is afterall, even though its sad, a former champion.
February 10th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
who do u think will win cena or orton?
February 10th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Chris good blog first of all. I agree Taker will win the EC. Edge vs Taker at Mania in a streak vs streak match for the Title. I wanna see this match bcuz i dont believe they have ever had a legit 1 on 1 match yet
Punkfan77 : I think Cena will win. They put him in the title match at NWO instead of WM24 for a reason and that is so he could walk in wrestlemania as champ. I guess they wanted Orton out of the title picture for WM.
A couple other reasons why i think Cena will win is bcuz the way I see it there is only 2 people i think that have a shot at winning the elimination chamber. The main choice would of course be Triple H. Second would maby have to be Jeff Hardy (I highly doubt he will main event mania). When you think of all the guys that are in the Chamber most of them have already face Orton at a ppv for the title. (HHH, Jericho, Hardy, HBK). I don’t think they would repeat one of these matches again at WM.
Therefore I am calling it to be HHH vs Cena at WM. They teased it at the Rumble and the last time they fought for the title was WM 22 i believe.
February 11th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Wow, so many comments, ok here goes:
Punkfan: I am almost 100% certain that Cena will be walking out of No Way Out as WWE champion. They would not have had him come back early and win the Rumble if he wasnt going to main event WM. This is a shame from the fans perspective as now both title matches at No Way Out are highly predictable and there is no way Cena will lose at WM, regardless of who he faces as they wouldnt give him just a months title reign.
Navin: I thought Jeff Hardy vs Orton at The Rumble I was unsure of the winner. I really did think Jeff was going to win and I was really confused as to why he didnt untill Cena came in at number 30 and then it made sense. I dont believe HHH will win the elimination chamber and I will explain why in a minute.
Billy: Thanks for the praise. You should definatly try and catch the show, it was the most solid I have seen since starting these blogs. I think it will definatly be Undertaker. If Batista and Edge has not already worked a long title program I would say Batista was in with a shout but since Edge vs Undertaker has not been done and they have quite a history I can only see Undertaker walking out victorius. As for Khali I expect to see him start the match off with Big V and be one of the first ones out. There is NO Way I see Khali winning it (thank god) I expect Finlay to be the one to eliminate Khali as they have been feuding recently.
February 11th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Feedback:
Mr Kevo: Thanks for the praise. I agree I think it will be Edge vs Undertaker, however they cannot do streak vs streak as Edge lost money in the bank last year. Ok he wasnt pinned or submitted (infact he was carried out on a stretcher) But he still didnt win and I will be annoyed if WWE take this angle. I was annoyed Edge didnt win the MITB anyway seeing as he got his hands on the case a few months down the line. I know this was due to the fact Kennedy got injured but still it ruined Edge’s otherwise perfect streak.
I cant see HHH winning the Elimination Chamber simply because he has not been on RAW last week (or this week) I may change my mind if they add in a long promo for him tonight. Obviously he has had some major family problems and I believe that those will be his concern right now rather than the EC. In all honesty I can see HHH missing No Way Out altogether and being replaced by Snitsky (groan) However he will then show up on RAW and get involved in the title picture making it a triple threat at Wrestlemania between Jeff Hardy, HHH & Cena. I completley agree with what you say about the other guys not winning as they have already faced Orton so the logical choice is Jeff Hardy and this would be my personal favourite result because as you all know I am a big Jeff Hardy fan.
February 11th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Oh, a link to that Smackdown streaming would be cool for those Fridays I stay put at home, thanks!
BTW, if HHH doesn’t win the EC or doesn’t participate, maybe he’ll challenge the winner for the #1 conterders spot on RAW, could set him up for the win or set up a triple threat (or go WM 2000, and have a fatal 4 way with Cena, Orton, HHH, and whoever wins the EC).
February 11th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
who do u think will win Kennedy or Flair?
February 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I think Flair will win. It would be best if Flair lost at Wrestlemania. After all its the next PPV after NWO. It would make more sence if they would end the legendary career of Ric Flair on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. Flair truly derserves it.
As for who he would be facing, Im thinking Shawn Michaels. The two are close friends and they may have teased this after the Rumble. A second choice if i had to guess would probably be Batista because from the way I see it he has been doing nothing ever since he lost the WHW title. I also say this bcuz the way I predict the Wrestlemania card, Batista does not have a descent opponant.
February 11th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Also does anyone else think that Mick Foley will make the save for Hornswoggle tonight on Raw when he faces Vinny Mac?
Since the match is no DQ and Finley if banned from the match I would think that someone would make the save for Horny. Perhaps setting up a match for Wrestlemania between Mick Foley and Vince?
February 11th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
i thought the same thing Kevo..
any way instead of asking who u think will win one by one
What are your predictions for no way out?
mine are:
Flair def kennedy
Edge def reyrey
cena def orton
HHH wins raw chamber
taker’ wins smackdown camber
February 11th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Also Chris I realize that Edge technically didnt win last year at WM therefore his shouldnt have his WM streak, but I wouldnt put it past WWE to say that Edge still has his streak at WM. I can see them playing it off because of the fact that Edge was “unable to finish the match.”
Either way though I think we can both agree that The Undertaker will win the Title at Wrestlemania and extend his streak to 16-0.
February 12th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Feedback:
Lance: http://iluvdesi.com/wwe
Punkfan: I think Flair will win. I am sure he will go on to finish his career at Wrestlemania. Kennedy shouldnt come off looking too bad though just like MVP didnt at the Rumble. Ill give you my Now Way Out predictions in a blog later this week.
Mr Kevo: I agree that HBK will almost certainly be facing Flair at Wrestlemania. I dont know why but I have a feeling Batista will be facing Orton as neither of them have opponents and both are already to big names to have in MITB. I could be wrong but I see that as the direction it is going.
I would imagine it will be Vince & either Shane or Big Show (or both) vs Finlay and Hornswoggle at Wrestlemania. I am slightly disapointed by this. I was expecting it would be Ric Flair vs Vince since Flair would beat everyone and then Vince would get pissed and say he would beat him himself. However a good storyline like this is clearly being overlooked in favor of a lame comedy angle that is slowly starting to dominate TV and we are still over a month away from Wrestlemaina. I am glad I review Smackdown
I am sure that is how WWE will play it saying that Edge still has his streak even though everyone knows he hasnt. However I am almost certain Undertaker will be walking out as heavy weight champion and 16-0
Keep up the comments gus, this is great stuff!