SmackDown and Cyber Sunday Thoughts
Lots to cover here with the latest PPV Sunday night - Cyber Sunday, as well as taking a quick look back at the SmackDown from Friday night. The overall theme of the last few days has been the build up and then the PPV last night, which I think the company will see failed to deliver on many levels, and other than the push on a non-wrestler, I don't really understand what they were trying to get to with the hype and I think in the end this whole "fans pick the matches" deal is nothing more than a money loser. Fans feel one of two ways - 1. They don't want to pick the matches, that's what bookers are for, or 2. It's all a fix anyway to get certain guys to wrestle certain guys, so what's the point of saying that the fans picked it that way?
The SmackDown Friday night was basically a two hour waste. The only thing that is really worth talking about on the show was the tag match between Kane and Taker vs MVP and Kennedy. The match was long and drawn out, but overall it was the best thing on the show, and on a show that really went nowhere, this should have been the closer. Instead we had to put up with a lot of backstage interaction with Batista "protecting" Booker so that he would be ready to go Sunday at the PPV.
The upcoming program with Benoit vs Chavo also got some air time, as Mystero came out to say that despite the surgery, he would be back. He was then attacked by Chavo, which brought out Benoit. Those should be pretty solid matches between two good workers. The non-title tag match really made no sense, mostly due to the fact we've seen this match about a dozen times already. What was the point?
The Vito/Layla vs Miz/Krystal disaster was just to be able to bring out the Boogeyman again. Jimmy Wang vs Gregory Helms was filler so that they could basically debut one of the former Diva sluts in daisy duke shorts to be in Yang's corner. Ugh. I also don't understand this whole build to Batista vs Finely. I don't see this being this great match, and the fans are so not into the interaction between them, it's almost as if they are saying "let's get it over with" before it even starts. More poor booking of the show.
The PPV was equally as bad, with just a weird feel that it was not a well put together PPV and the matches, booked ahead of time or not, were just sort of lame. It should show the company to please scrap the fan interaction format, as stated above - either no one cares, or they think its a fraud anyway.
The only real things to talk about from the show were the pair of belt changes - Lita, in the worst match of the night, beat Mickie James for the women's title, and the legend team of Flair and Piper (PLEASE put a shirt on Roddy) beat the Spirit Squad. I mean, how long can they keep the belts on Flair and Piper before the straps become total jokes?
The other thing that will get pushed of course is the Champion of Champions main event, which wasn't a bad match, but had a disputed ending with Kevin Federline coming out to help King Booker retain the only belt on the line - his, as he pinned clean John Cena. This outcome was interesting, as it pushed Federline and Booker over anyone else, and it sets up the obvious in-ring match with Cena vs Booker and Federline. I guess that is the route they are looking to go with it, as they have to find a way to allow Booker on RAW, and Cena on SmackDown to push the feud.
This brings to mind the Survivor Series PPV upcoming. You have to wonder if they are going to still have the planned main event of ECW vs RAW vs SmackDown, or if they are going to scrap that whole thing and go with some sort of gimmick match or the mentioned above Cena vs Booker and Federline handicapped match. I would be they would go with star power over a main event that would just include wrestlers, partly due to the pub they think they could get with a Federline sighting.
All in all, not a good TV week and sort of a train wreck of a PPV. They have to start the build to the SS PPV real quick tonight with it just three weeks away, so we'll see what stops they pull out on the show tonight.
