Darkness Returns
We have now reverted back to the old Undertaker who embraces the black arts in order to inflict fear upon his enemies and I for one love it. Yes the ending of Smack Down last night was bit soap operaish, but having Taker back and questing for Vickie's soul helps establish the dead-man image. Of course he does not need these gimmicks as he is fantastic in the ring, but it help keep the story line fresh and adds some theatrics when you have moments like the ring catching on fire. This is what wrestling is all about, putting on a big spectacular show to keep the crowds coming.
It was a great night for those who will be in the Championship Scramble as they had singles matches against each other, except for Brian Kendrick. I let me say I really didn't miss Kendrick on the program. I'm still not sure why he is in match for the title but that's the WWE's choice. Shelton Benjamin did a great job of raising his stock as he and Triple H put on a nice long match. Benjamin was able to match the champ blow for blow and showed the powers that be that he is serious about being a major player in the company. But for what ever reason they had to ruin this match by having Khali come to the ring. I though it was over with him and Triple H, as H beat him cleanly and nobody wants this to continue, so why keep getting him involved. It did open up the chance for Benjamin to attack Triple H from behind but that could have been done without Khali.
Jeff Hardy and MVP also had a good match that featured Hardy using some technical moves. It was not till the end of a very long match that Hardy reached into his aerial arsenal to get the win over MVP. The ending of this won feature Benjamin running in and taking out both MVP and Hardy after the bell. Now this helps to establish a strong US title picture as all three of these men now have beef with each other. This will also help establish some heat for the Scramble as you figure these guys will be at each other in order to win the belt.
Big Show made it know that he is tired of being overlooked for matches on this brand. He showed his displeasure by interrupting a tag match between Hawkins and Ryder against Jesse and Festus. Since the bell rung Festus was of no use as the Show proceeded to take out all the rest of the participants. The crowd reaction was on Big Shows side and they have been loving him since his return. I'm not sure if the WWE wants him to be a face or heel but it doesn't seem to matter as the fans love him regardless. He would perfect fit for Triple H fora few months until we sort out who should be the big opponent for H at Mania.
The divas had another one of their tag matches as Michell McCool and Maria would lose to Maryse and Natalia. They are starting to develop Maryse into the main rival with Michelle now. This is good as it give us another heel to challenge for the belt, but I think there is still some unfinished businesses between McCool and Natalia. Yes they have met but it's always in tag matches and they have not defended the Divas belt since its inception. But given the lack of female talent on Smack Down we will see those two again.
It was a great night to be new talent on Smack Down as both R-Truth and Brie Bella both walked away with wins. Truth got a big win over Kenny, who now has become the whipping boy as of late on the show. I like what Truth brought to the ring, other than his entrance. If he is supposed to be this tough streetwise guy lose the Dance Fever routine. With the push of this guy look fro it to mimic what MVP went through when he debuted a few years ago. I would not be surprised if he ends up in a program for the US title within a year. As for Kenny things do not look good for him as he keeps losing and you have to wonder if this will help his career or not. Brie on the other hand may have won but it was not impressive at all. She was very lucky to be paired with a seasoned veteran like Victoria who did everything in her power to carry Brie. Her moves were horrible as Victoria would stop and pose and wait for her to put the move on her. Yes Brie has the looks but she needs to get her act together in the ring if she wants to stick around.
It was a great night for those who will be in the Championship Scramble as they had singles matches against each other, except for Brian Kendrick. I let me say I really didn't miss Kendrick on the program. I'm still not sure why he is in match for the title but that's the WWE's choice. Shelton Benjamin did a great job of raising his stock as he and Triple H put on a nice long match. Benjamin was able to match the champ blow for blow and showed the powers that be that he is serious about being a major player in the company. But for what ever reason they had to ruin this match by having Khali come to the ring. I though it was over with him and Triple H, as H beat him cleanly and nobody wants this to continue, so why keep getting him involved. It did open up the chance for Benjamin to attack Triple H from behind but that could have been done without Khali.
Jeff Hardy and MVP also had a good match that featured Hardy using some technical moves. It was not till the end of a very long match that Hardy reached into his aerial arsenal to get the win over MVP. The ending of this won feature Benjamin running in and taking out both MVP and Hardy after the bell. Now this helps to establish a strong US title picture as all three of these men now have beef with each other. This will also help establish some heat for the Scramble as you figure these guys will be at each other in order to win the belt.
Big Show made it know that he is tired of being overlooked for matches on this brand. He showed his displeasure by interrupting a tag match between Hawkins and Ryder against Jesse and Festus. Since the bell rung Festus was of no use as the Show proceeded to take out all the rest of the participants. The crowd reaction was on Big Shows side and they have been loving him since his return. I'm not sure if the WWE wants him to be a face or heel but it doesn't seem to matter as the fans love him regardless. He would perfect fit for Triple H fora few months until we sort out who should be the big opponent for H at Mania.
The divas had another one of their tag matches as Michell McCool and Maria would lose to Maryse and Natalia. They are starting to develop Maryse into the main rival with Michelle now. This is good as it give us another heel to challenge for the belt, but I think there is still some unfinished businesses between McCool and Natalia. Yes they have met but it's always in tag matches and they have not defended the Divas belt since its inception. But given the lack of female talent on Smack Down we will see those two again.
It was a great night to be new talent on Smack Down as both R-Truth and Brie Bella both walked away with wins. Truth got a big win over Kenny, who now has become the whipping boy as of late on the show. I like what Truth brought to the ring, other than his entrance. If he is supposed to be this tough streetwise guy lose the Dance Fever routine. With the push of this guy look fro it to mimic what MVP went through when he debuted a few years ago. I would not be surprised if he ends up in a program for the US title within a year. As for Kenny things do not look good for him as he keeps losing and you have to wonder if this will help his career or not. Brie on the other hand may have won but it was not impressive at all. She was very lucky to be paired with a seasoned veteran like Victoria who did everything in her power to carry Brie. Her moves were horrible as Victoria would stop and pose and wait for her to put the move on her. Yes Brie has the looks but she needs to get her act together in the ring if she wants to stick around.
