The Chase for the Championship
Let me take this time to congratulate the WWE for finally having a network program that was fantastic from start to finish. I'm just really surprised it was Smack Down not Raw that gets these honors. The Championship Chase tonight for the vacated World Heavy Weight title was by far superior to the King of the Ring tournament. Other than two meaningless matches, Smack Down featured its best super stars combined with the best from ECW to deliver a show worth watching. With all the matches in the chase I cannot say I was disappointed one bit. Each match brought out the best of the competitors and gave those on ECW a chance to show they belong on the bigger brands. Yes Natalya quickly disposing of Kelly Kelly and Vladimir Kozlov pummeling a jobber again were dull, but they were basically filler matches for the program tonight in between the qualifying matches.
Firs let me talk about those who were eliminated in the Chase. There was one match that was a given, but we all know Tommy Dreamer is going to lose to the Big Show. Dreamer does what he does best; he's one of the great workers you know you can throw into a match and it will be decent. And that is what he did tonight, nothing special, just a classic Dreamer lose. Chavo would lose to Kane to keep the fire alive for this rivalry on ECW. CM Punk again showed why he needs off ECW in his match against Matt Hardy. This was a great match-up as it featured to very athletic performers in the ring. They both were able to show off their quick up tempo moves and both looked very good. Of course Punk didn't need the win as he has Money in the Bank. Most likely look for him to move to Smack Down over the summer once Edge and the Undertaker are done with each other. They have previewed Punk and Edge and I look for him to use his shot at the title this way. The man who really impressed me tonight was John Morrison. He was faced with a brawler in Batista and was able to mix his high flying moves in perfectly. He has been up in the past and has been Intercontinental champ, and tonight he showed why he he belongs back up from ECW. This guy has the looks, talent and attitude to be a big time superstar. Look for a big push for Morrison later this year or next.
The winners all moved onto the Over the Top Rope Challenge to face the Undertaker for the title at Judgment Day. But the ending would have a big surprise. Edge was left out for medical reasons, but after Batista eliminated the Big Show, Vickie announced Edge was cleared and he ran into the ring for a cheap win. So it looks like Edge and the Undertaker again, but don't be surprised to see Batista added to the picture due to the screw job. Also, I can see them adding the Big Show due to him not really being in any type of program right now. This would no doubt spice up the title picture as we have seen plenty of Edge and the Undertaker straight up as of late. As for the rest of the winners we know there will still be at least one more match between MVP and Matt Hardy for the US belt, so not much was gained for them. But the inclusion of Finlay was interesting. First he and MVP wrestled to a draw to qualify them both for a shot at the Heavy Weight title, then he holds his own in the challenge. Tonight showed what a good wrestler he is if you take away the lame Hornswoggle gimmick, but what does his future hold? Perhaps he will find himself in the US title mix in the near future, until then we have to wait and see.
Firs let me talk about those who were eliminated in the Chase. There was one match that was a given, but we all know Tommy Dreamer is going to lose to the Big Show. Dreamer does what he does best; he's one of the great workers you know you can throw into a match and it will be decent. And that is what he did tonight, nothing special, just a classic Dreamer lose. Chavo would lose to Kane to keep the fire alive for this rivalry on ECW. CM Punk again showed why he needs off ECW in his match against Matt Hardy. This was a great match-up as it featured to very athletic performers in the ring. They both were able to show off their quick up tempo moves and both looked very good. Of course Punk didn't need the win as he has Money in the Bank. Most likely look for him to move to Smack Down over the summer once Edge and the Undertaker are done with each other. They have previewed Punk and Edge and I look for him to use his shot at the title this way. The man who really impressed me tonight was John Morrison. He was faced with a brawler in Batista and was able to mix his high flying moves in perfectly. He has been up in the past and has been Intercontinental champ, and tonight he showed why he he belongs back up from ECW. This guy has the looks, talent and attitude to be a big time superstar. Look for a big push for Morrison later this year or next.
The winners all moved onto the Over the Top Rope Challenge to face the Undertaker for the title at Judgment Day. But the ending would have a big surprise. Edge was left out for medical reasons, but after Batista eliminated the Big Show, Vickie announced Edge was cleared and he ran into the ring for a cheap win. So it looks like Edge and the Undertaker again, but don't be surprised to see Batista added to the picture due to the screw job. Also, I can see them adding the Big Show due to him not really being in any type of program right now. This would no doubt spice up the title picture as we have seen plenty of Edge and the Undertaker straight up as of late. As for the rest of the winners we know there will still be at least one more match between MVP and Matt Hardy for the US belt, so not much was gained for them. But the inclusion of Finlay was interesting. First he and MVP wrestled to a draw to qualify them both for a shot at the Heavy Weight title, then he holds his own in the challenge. Tonight showed what a good wrestler he is if you take away the lame Hornswoggle gimmick, but what does his future hold? Perhaps he will find himself in the US title mix in the near future, until then we have to wait and see.
