I definitely agree with you on many counts. Although I have never looked at Richards as a long term main eventer, I think he has the talent to be a mid-card mainstay given the right push.

Natalya is also one of the most impressive women in the company right now, and only rivaled on Smackdown by cohort Victoria. I definitely think giving Michelle the Title would be a mistake.

I have never been disappointed by Benjamin. Where I can regretfully accept that WWE might not want to push him to main event status, I definitely think he's deserving of being a perrennial contender in the IC/U.S. picture.

I personally never minded 'ol Horny until he started bringing water guns and buckets to the ring. If you want someone to interfere in matches I can understand, but the played out comedy routine is getting old. Also, I respectfully disagree about Jesse and Festus being entertaining, although I think they barely edge out Hornswoggle and Finlay.

As for Triple H and Edge, this is my problem with the draft, is Triple H getting over as a true face? They took away Rey Mysterio and Batista, sent CM Punk to Raw, and who do they have left? Raw has Rey, Punk, Batista, Jericho, Cena, and Michaels and Smackdown has Triple H. In my mind Trips isn't even a true face, he always plays more of a tweener role anyways. I just think Smackdown is now completely devoid of any true faces, and that they're going to be playing Edge's angle out way more than they should be.

I had the exact same potential scenario in my head for the Edge/Vickie reconciliation angle at the Great American Bash. What was the point of a big break-up (complete with horribly overacted tears), if it was just going to be reversed a week later without even involving Triple-H in the mix?
And as far as Edge being much better suited as heel champion than as a pursuer of the belt, the only person who may not see it is Triple-H. But it would be a shame if Triple-H just blows through Edge and La Familia without dropping the belt, when Batista and the Undertaker always seemed to fall victim to them.

I am not complaining that Edge and HHH had no interaction on last night's show. It was enough that HHH had a match with Chavo. I can appreciate HHH only in small doses, and that is how Smackdown has delivered him thus far. Good! Contrast that with Raw, where Trips would have a fifteen-minute promo, two or three backstage segments, and an appearance in the main event.

During the main event, I was surprised that the annoncers didn't play up Vickie's look of concern. Instead, they said she looked bitter.

Edge gets better and better each time out. It reminds me of a young, potential-laden athlete who improves each time they step on the field. He is CARRYING Smackdown right now, and I say that as a Triple H mark...

Kevin, I jsut bought "Ring of Hell" and I can't put it down. Have you read it yet?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I haven't read Ring of Hell but I feel as if I have. Plenty of people have told me about it. Right now, I'm reading Ted DiBiase's book.

Vickie Guerrero is one of the worst on air performers in WWE history. She has absolutely no charisma or acting ability. It feels like she is always reading off a cue card, even when there isn't one.

I'm sick of Hornswoggle. He is so stale as a character, if they want to keep him fresh he should leave Finlay and follow another performer around and drop the Irish persona.

I like how there is more wrestling on SD! then Raw and the blue tint on the audience. It makes the audience more interested in whats going on in the ring instead of trying to get on TV the whole time.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: We'll have to agree to disagree on Vickie as a performer. The undeniable fact, however, is that she has more heel heat than anyone in the business right now.

Smackdown was a great show this week. A little bit lacking in build up to the PPV in terms of interaction between Trips and Edge, but I have a theory on the WWE Title/Trips/Edge/Undertaker storyline.

To start, I definitely agree that it'd be great programming to see Trips chasing Edge for the title. However, that being said, the audience has suffered for months watching 'Taker get screwed every which way by La Familia. He got banished from the WWE, not because Edge was better than him, but because he had to fend off Chavito, Bam, the Edgeheads, and try and beat Edge in his specialty match. Vickiekins threw everything she could at 'Taker, manipulated her power in blatantly biased ways, and generally drew the kind of heat from the crowd that most heels only wish they could generate.

Where am I going with all of this? The audience deserves a pay-off. They deserve the satisfaction of watching 'Taker serve a sweet dish of revenge, cold as ice, not just to Edge but to Vickiekins. At this point, the wrap up of their feud doesn't need to involve the title. Sure, taking the title away from Edge will hurt him, but this type of blow-off to a feud ought to be bloody and painful.

Once that is achieved, creative can send us into a long-term Edge/Trips feud. It was Vince most recently, but the last time someone genuinely stood in Trips way for the title, he and Shawn brought back DX. So a good response to Trips dealing with La Familia, or at least Edge and Vickiekins, would be to have him bring someone like MVP up to his 'level' and the two of them can duke it out with the Evil GM (tm). That gives MVP something awesome to do, their chemistry last week was spectacular, and, eventually, Trips can help MVP attain the title. Or at least give him enough major star power backing so that the casual audience sees MVP as a credible threat when it's his turn.

I liked the match with Benjamin and Matt Hardy. Someone, at some point, is going to need to relieve Matt of the US Title so he can start chasing the ECW title. Benjamin would be a good choice if they can teach him how to talk. I think the fans want to connect to him, but he's got a lot of work in the mic skills department to do before he'll be the kind of champion that's needed.

I am *thisclose* to agreeing with you about Edge's performance ability, though I wouldn't cite him before Shawn Michaels or Triple H, or Undertaker and Jericho, for that matter. He's great, and he's definitely the best heel in the business right now, but I do have one major qualm with him in the ring. The Spear as his finisher? Really? More powerful men use the Spear as regular moves. Batista, for one, uses the Spear regularly, and his is much more impressive. Goldberg's Spear was probably more impressive than Batista's. But here's Edge, using it a finisher! I wish he'd bring back the Edgecution.

On Finlay/Hornswoggle, I have to admit that seeing Morrison and Miz sell for the little person is bothersome to me. I adore that Morrison and Miz are being good sports about it, and for the most part, the lion's share of the beating they're taking is from Finlay. But these two guys worked really hard to be credible tag champions. I'd like to see them keep that credibility.

Glad to see you giving your thoughts on Smackdown post-draft. I can't recall it being a regular occurrence in the months before.

Also glad to see that this blog has presumably picked up steam in the number of readers (as seems clear through the number of comments), thanks in part to other wrestling sites linking to your writing.

As soon as Smackdown began, I thought Vicki and Edge were going to re-unite. The fans were absolutely clueless on how to act at the beginning of the show with Edge.

The WWE had to come up with something safe for now, that is keeping Edge with Vicki.

Darn shame how they are burying the Big Show now. But it's also clear that Big Show isn't the same as he was 5 years ago. He's really slowed down a lot. They need to use Big Show's microphone skills more often, he really does that well.

When is this Russian Mauler Koslov stuff going to end BTW? He's so dead with the fans and they are really extending his buildup too long. He needs a manager but even with that, he's just going to go over. Put him on ECW if anything.

I am enjoying WWE right now. Edge is certainly the top performer right now - in and out of ring, and he generates the right amount of heat for a heel - better than anyone else. As a heel he is more over than any face is as far as I am concerned. I have to disagree with Mina, Goldberg aside, Edge's spear to me is the most impressive, I guess you could argue because he isn't as bulky it doesn't have the same effect....but his execution of it is brilliant.

I have said it before, WWE is keeping things unpredictable and I cannot wait to see where they go with things. My main disappointment is MVP. Not him, I like the character(actually think he would make a good face, or tweener at least), but his lack of direction. Maybe the start of a feud with Kennedy would work as it would appear, or with Jeff Hardy perhaps.

Did you hear that pop Kennedy got on Friday? The WWE has the next big star right in front of their faces...give him a main event shot!

I am sorry, but I couldn't help laughing when Natalya suplexed Michelle McCool on the outside and somebody whistled as Michelle lay on her back, writhing in pain.

Vicky Guerrero is AMAZING. She is seriously the only reason I am tuning into Smackdown as opposed to just reading about the results. Everything about the character is great and hilarious, including the fact that she gets out of the wheelchair and walks perfectly fine whenever she wants. I can't praise her enough. My thought is that Edge steals the belt from HHH at the PPV, and then HHH chases up until Summerslam when Undertaker returns and costs him the title.

With only one week of programming before Great American Bash, I think I am ready to conclude that taking the World championship off Edge was a big mistake.

The past couple weeks would have been far more interesting (minus RAW in OKC) leading into any of your previous scenarios at Great American Bash, especially that tag match with both championships on the line.

On RAW, they could have had Vickie Guerrero say that two men would challenge both champions in a tag match at GAB, and then set up a mini-tournament (or an Iron Man competition) with the top 8 competitors, citing if HHH and Edge won the match at GAB, then they would wrestle in a Winner Take All, double title match at SummerSlam.

On Smackdown!, Edge could have blamed Vickie for the match, saying he never gave her permission to make the match, and then she could pull the power card saying she was still the boss, if WWE still needed to fit in a brief break-up (which they probably needed to postpone the wedding).

Then, we would be struggling to guess whether Edge would lose his title, HHH would lose his title, or if we would have a title-for-title match in August. As it is now, I struggle to remember the current card for Great American Bash.

If WWE were ready to elevate CM Punk, then they could have had him cash-in on PPV after a surprise HHH/Edge win. A shocker like that belonged on PPV for a higher-paying audience.

Cant help but think that Vickie is goin to turn on Edge at the bash now .... otherwise the whole angle loses any meaning - great site by the by

It seems like several agree that Shelton Benjamin should get a bigger push but his mic skills are holding him back. Why not get him a manager, even if they have to bring back his mama? I thought she was pretty funny.

Your comments certainly bear out something I have been saying for a long time. Tag Team wrestling in WWE is considered a gimmick. It seems like they lay the groundwork for something great and then they tear it down and start over. Miz and Morrison have been fine champions. They have gelled into a real cohesive unit. When you build something like that, why not KEEP building on it. If they are going to be challenged, let them be challenged by legitimate contenders, not a carnival act.

If you look at the history of tag team wrestling, even though Miz and Morrison are a good tag team, they need other legitimate tag teams to help them get over more with the fans. Rock'n'Roll Express was nothing without Midnight Express or the Russians or the Road Warriors on the other side of the ring.

Tag Team wrestling also jumpstarted the careers of some of the finest singles wrestlers ever. Arn Anderson, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Edge were all tag team staples before they were successful singles wrestlers.

Okay Kevin - so when do you think the Undertaker will re-appear? I've got two guesses/speculations - my first will be in the midst of Vickie and Edge's nuptials. However, at the Great American Bash - when I assume Vickie will send in the "cronies" to assist Edge to take the win from Triple H --- wouldn't it be nice for the Undertaker to re-appear at that time and cause Edge to lose.

When I initially saw the interview that Richards did about his throat, all I could think about was that it was a money thing and WWE could do a ton of stuff with it. It was huge when he first came back and the following couple of weeks and then he just tapered off after that. Not even sure why, but hell....they almost had something going with Mike Knox and had they ran something with Knox possibly injuring Richards' throat again and then run another emotional promo and bam you've got something big. Just wishful thinking though.

They've been trying FOREVER to give Shelton some type of position and it just didn't work on ECW. Him/Kofi had some really competitive and aggressive matches towards the end though which I think contributed to him being in the position he's in on Smackdown now where he gets some decent time. It's been always apparent that Shelton has potential but alas he can't cut a promo for beans or a paper bag. Shame though. He really needs a manager/valet that has some good mic skills and will put him in the position he needs to be. I remember when he was IC champ on RAW and he did commentary one time and said he was "educlated" and bam, there went Shelton's push.

Finlay/Hornswoggle is so great and awesome but the squash thing is really the bad part. They could just put Hornswaggle in the ring and get Finlay the hot tag and the place explode since well...Hornswaggle draws a lot of sympathy from just getting kicked. Look at Wrestlemania when JBL slapped him, he went flopping all over the place. Just imagine how much tag teams could get just from doing a couple of hits and he go flying all over. It'd be great.

Vickie/Edge has only gotten better with the time they've been on television. It's been a big thing for Smackdown for a long time running and it's so awesome. I agree with your idea and I think it would definitely work out better that way in the end. Somehow, eventually, and hopefully they can toss Jeff Hardy down the road. Reinvigorate the old Taker/Jeff feud sans the "Respect" deal and you've got gold since Jeff has gotten wiser and has the potential to be the hottest babyface Smackdown has. As much as I love watching Triple H, I just don't want him as champion. He doesn't need it with the position he's in. People are going to know he's THERE regardless of whether he's in the main event or not.

Miz/Morrison are going to be some key players in the midcard for WWE. Miz has tons of potential since he's gotten 100x's better than when he started. John Morrison just has so much ability in the ring and I think he could play on both sides of the field (baby/heel) and be damn good once he gets everything rolling.

i am not sure if everyone knows this but the GM doesn't really have any power, the board of directors make the matches but the GM just tells everybody about them

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Thanks for clearing that up for us.

just to add on lee's list : the hardy boyz , christian cage, booker t and sid vicious ( with the four horse men ) also started as tag team wrestlers and went on to become great singles competitors

I'm sorry , but wasn't there a TNA PPV last night 7/13 ???? Guess 4 day old WWE post takes precedence .

The Miz is a competent worker, has some cool moves, he's good on the mic, gets loads of effortless heat and is hilarious on the dirt sheet. I don't see what the problem is with him other than his reality tv roots. Morrison is one of my favourite performers in WWE and I'd love to see him pushed to the highest level. He wrestles on smackdown every week and has done for months now, a small tweak to his character and he could be a great heel champion, although I think his gift for comedy could be developed to turn him into a cult face. The way his career has panned out in WWE reminds me a lot of when Christian Cage was with the company in - he really should have been main event and of course he subsequently proved he could do the job admirably in TNA.

I knew that they would reunite Vickie Guerrero and Edge and I agree it was way too soon. I think that WWE botched what could have been a better storyline. Deep down I was hoping that when Vickie went into the ring she would handle this the way that anybody named Guerrero has handled emotional situations in the past, a chair shot. Then they could have used the lovers reuniting at the next PPV for emotional fodder. I know it's old hat but still a lot better than this unless they throw in a really wicked twist and have Vickie cause him to blow his next shot at the title for revenge. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"

no offence to hhh but edge is the true champion on smackdown right now the guy just gets better and better they really need to put the title back on this guy edge always makes a great champion when he seems obessed with the title , triple h dont need the title hes already done it all and his current chracater is rather booring he is like a tweener nethier heel or face lol im just saying guys like undertaker hhh dont need the title edge needs right now hes is on fire the best thing in the wwe right now

i think you insulted me with that" thanks for clearing that up " comment :- O

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Just a joke. Please don't take offense.

ok :)