It is so nice to have Chris Benoit back. And after watching Smackdown last night just the return of Benoit and even the debut of Kane just added so much to a very good show. Smackdown again gave us solid matches, not too much talk and all in all I was very entertained by what I watched. So let me get right into a hot Friday night Smackdown, with a very hot Jacksonville, Florida crowd.
Mr. Kennedy…Kennedy just can’t wait to move to Raw. I thought the arrogant Kennedy did a nice job with his “I want to go to Raw” promo for the show’s opener. In the back of my mind I do see a Kennedy move to Raw happening, but not quite yet. I thought his match with the returning Chris Benoit was very good. Poor Mr. Kennedy…Kennedy, just when he thought there’s no one else to beat on Smackdown, Chris Benoit showed up. Not only did Benoit win the match but he is now the new U.S. champion. As I said this was a very good match, a match that was given quite a bit of time and because of the length we saw some very strong wresting from both men. Watching Benoit made me realize even more how much I have missed him on the show. Let’s face it when it comes to his work in the ring, he’s outstanding. The appearance by Taker costing Kennedy the match was a nice touch, however I think it would have been even nicer if after the loss, Taker would have come out and attacked him. Even without a Taker attack this was a great way to get the show going.
Even though we have seen William Regal vs. Vito before I liked what I saw last night. I can’t tell you how much I like watching Vito wrestle and really it was this gimmick that made me interested in watching this man. I think these two could have a very funny feud going. We have already seen some of comedy between both men, so I say let this continue and just give these guys a storyline which will give the fans more of a reason to really care about what happens. I will say this about one character that isn’t working like I thought it would and that’s MVP. I think that they took way too long to build this guy up with mic work. And even though his mic work has been good it seems like that isn’t enough to really get this character over. Now I know it’s early and things can change, but from reading about his No Mercy debut and then watching him last night against Kane, there isn’t much there. While I was glad to see Kane on Smackdown, which by the way I’ve been waiting to see happen for the last two years; having him work with MVP was a let down. Now if Kane would have beaten the crap out of him, oh then I would have been ecstatic, but this time I’m not blaming Kane for any of this I’m blaming a character that is just flat.
This was the weakest match of the show, but watching Jamie Noble take on Rey Mysterio got the show back on track. I feel kind of bad for Noble to have lost Kid Kash and the Pit Bulls. Let’s face it Noble as a single’s wrestler definitely has it, but my concern is does Vince McMahon know that. I feel that Noble on his own might get lost in the shuffle, but going back to the match he and Rey were a perfect fit out there, and even though this was a short match it still worked very well. I was also glad that Chavo and Vickie watched on the ramp because this way there was no Chavo interference. And the I Quit match coming up should be an excellent match and the rumor going around is, well maybe I shouldn’t spoil the rumored result but you can bet that next Mysterio vs. Chavo will be a hard worked match.
I was totally into London/Kendrick and Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Stevens/James and Sylvan. I will admit Sylvan in there eh, I could do without. But he did a good job I would be lying if I said he didn’t. And even though I’m not feeling that redneck character I have always thought that Jimmy Wang Yang is a terrific wrestler, and teaming him with London and Kendrick really pleased me. I also like Ashley with this group I think she fits in so well, and of course Michelle McCool is a favorite of mine as the manager of Stevens and James. This was one of the best matches of the night. Now before I hit the main event I want to add one thing. The 24/7 This Week In WWE history with Steve Austin and Vince McMahon really appealed to me last night. That’s because the video that they showed was just when I started watching wrestling. That’s exactly when I came into things so it was really nice to see that. I can’t believe that I’ve been a fan for 8 years; the time has just flown by. Okay anyway on to the main event for the number one contender for the World Title.
Fit Finlay vs. Batista vs. Bobby Lashley was a nice main event. Nothing that we haven’t seen before, but still good. I liked Booker doing commentary especially when at one point Michael Cole pissed him off and he went back to the old Booker and let him have it. There are times when King Booker is too much and other times when I like it and last night I thought the character was just right, it worked for me. The match as I said was good and I feel Batista each week is getting his groove back, Finlay is still doing an awesome job and Bobby Lashley is coming through as well. These three guys deserve to be where they are, and while I see Bobby Lashley one on one in that title picture in the near future, Batista winning was the way to go. However I don’t see him winning next week and going to Cyber Sunday, I still feel Booker will be at that pay per view as the World champion.
Whether it’s a Batista win or Booker win next week, Smackdown is shaping up to be a very good show. I will return on Tuesday with my thoughts on Raw, and by the way tomorrow Raw and Smackdown will be taped in Los Angeles, Ca. The reason for the taping is that the Raw crew will be heading to Japan right after tomorrow’s show. Hey just remember on Monday night Cryme Time debuts, and I have a feeling that in the ring these guys are going to deliver. Let me leave you with a request from one of my readers.
I was wondering if anyone could help me get a tape or DVD of The Raw Reunion. I was there live last week, and I would really like to see how it came off on TV. You can email me at
myself.ktrain@hotmail.com
Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com
