William Hillock

Two weeks after the WWE Draft, things are finally settling in with each brand.  RAW and Smackdown! are now equal with one Heavyweight Championship each, and finally, it looks at is the Edge-Vickie Guerrero storyline is coming to an end.  I will admit, I have been pleasantly surprised with Vickie over the past several months, she has become one of the most hated heels in the WWE today.  Other thoughts from the show:

• I’m hoping within the next couple of years, MVP gets the push he rightfully deserves (much like Mr. Kennedy…..Kennnedy).  The guy has charisma, talent, and a passion for wrestling.  His VIP Lounge with Triple H was a great start to the show.  It was nostalgic to have Triple H refer back to his alopement with Stephanie McMahon back in the day…..ahhh those were the years.
• Sooo the new WWE Divas Belt is ugly as a Pug.  A butterfly on the belt…cmon McMahon.  My my Kelly Kelly and Maryse were looking great in the Golden Dreams Match.  Thankfully, Michelle McCool won, and will face Natalya at a future point.  It’s interesting to note there is real backstage heat between Michelle and Natalya, after Michelle tried to teach Natalya (who has wrestled much longer than McCool) how to grapple the WWE way.  Note to Michelle: You don’t teach a member of the heart family how to wrestle.
• Oh..my..goodness, could it be?  Building Vladimir Kozlov towards something??? The video promo they aired this week leads us to believe a push towards Something…Anything, is in the works.
• Leave it to Festus to dress like Uncle Sam for the July 4 Show.  Jesse & Festus easily manhandled the manservants Ryder and Hawkins this week, hopefully the Biscuits and Gravy duo get a shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles after Finlay and Hornswoggle.
• Jeff Hardy made his debut this week against John Morrisson.  Both these guys are extremely talented and I enjoyed their feud back on RAW for the Intercontinental Title, and this match didn’t disappoint again.  A nice filler match that went quite a while.
• Smackdown’s #1 announcer was up next, to get squashed by the debuting Umaga that is.  Hey, at least it wasn’t Vladimir Kozlov this week.  Quick squash match, enough said.
• The Main Event of the night pitted Matt Hardy defending his U.S. Title in a Fatal Four Way Match against Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjamin, and Chavo Guerrero.  This was a fast paced, back and forth match, which showcased the talents of all 4 wrestlers.  Matt Hardy retains in a solid outing.

Overall, an excellent Smackdown, the draft has considerably bolstered this show’s roster.  The vignettes with Edge and Vickie Guerrero somewhat resembled Karen and Kurt Angle from TNA, however Vickie calling off the wedding will make it interesting to see how this storyline unfolds.

Til next time,

Will

William Hillock

Well, well, well, after many years of being the bridesmaid to RAW, Smackdown! finally became the bride this week after the WWE Draft that considerably shook up the WWE roster.  The effect of the draft too an immediate effect, as this week’s show was solid and hopefully this continues towards the switch from the CW Network to MyNetworkTV.  Other thoughts from the draft and Smackdown!:

• This week’s show was a mix of new and old with a lot of past Smackdown! stars making their last appearances before switching brands.  Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Matt Hardy were all present, saying farewell to the brand.
• When Mr. Kennedy was drafted back to Smackdown! on Monday, I was disappointed as I feel this is a step backwards for him, because Smackdown! is so stacked now, he may be relegated to the upper midcard for the time being, until a new opportunity arises to give him his much needed push.
• It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the Undertaker’s return now, he was originally scheduled to crash Edge and Vickie Guerrero’s wedding in July, however it is will known that Undertaker and Triple H do not get along backstage, therefore we may see Taker go to RAW (and enter Kennedy a la Wedding Crasher)
• I was surprised that MVP did not get drafted to RAW this past Monday, I feel his situation is much like the one of Kennedy, he has the potential to be a main eventer, but with so many established main eventers on the brand, his time will take longer to come.
• Vladimir Kozlov is really annoying me now for the 5 minutes that he gets week in and week out to destroy jobbers on the show.  Hopefully they give him something soon or enough is enough.
• He’s gone! He’s gone! He’s really really gone! Batista was drafted to RAW which makes me nothing less than a very happy man.  His talentless performances can now plagued RAW, and be masked by fresh feuds.

It will be much clearer after Night of Champions tonight, what the landscape of the fresh WWE will look like.

‘Til next time,

Will

William Hillock

With just 3 days before the draft, things continue to heat up between Edge and Batista, leading into the Night of Champions PPV.  It will be interesting to see how much changes come Monday Night, and which brand comes out the strongest.  I for one hope that Smackdown!’s main event gets injected with some much needed new blood, because if I see Batista in the main event one more time…I don’t know what I’m going to do.  Other news and notes:

• Great segment with MVP in the VIP Lounge, unfortunately I think he is on the move to RAW, much the same as Kennedy did last year.  Hopefully this time, they give MVP the rightful push he deserves, because I honestly believe him and Kennedy Kennedy are the future of the WWE.
• Not sure what the whole point of putting referee Charles Robinson in the spotlight on this week’s show.  Maybe…oh could it be…they’re going to start drafting referees too!  Wake me up when it’s over.  Khali squashing Robinson was a big waste of time..period.
• There seems to be a nice little feud heating up between Michelle McCool and Natalya, two of my favourite WWE Divas.  Expect them to be the first to challenge for the upcoming WWE Divas Title…might as well give them something to fight for.
• Jesse and Festus are a great tag team to watch, with Festus having so much potential, if only his body had more of a look to it, Vince McMahon would love him.  The destruction of Deuce n Domino continue..I guess all wasn’t Pleasantville in the 1950’s after all.
• Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. The Miz/John Morrisson was signed this week for Night of Champions…..my first question is why?  If the Irishmen win next Sunday, WWE will have reversed all the accomplishments the Miz and Morrisson have established up ’til now.  They can beat Kane/CM Punk…but not Finlay/Horny..come on.
• I really think WWE should change Vladimir Kozlov’s gimmick from silent Russian Communist destroyer to the School Yard Bully.  Honest it’s been almost 3 months of squash matches, when will WWE give this guy something to do…
• And in the main event, La Familia once again screws over Batista, having Edge be the special referee for Batista’s match against Chavo Guerrero.  Oh Undertaker, where art thou?

A decent show this week, with continued buildup of only the main storyline really, everything else has simply been put together for the NoC PPV, but has no substance beyond that.  I look forward to the draft this coming Monday…when it will be time to shake things up again!

Til next time,

Will