Kevin , I wonder why you felt compelled to now take a cheapshot at TNA while writing about Smackdown . Once again WWE can do no wrong . Before reading the first paragraph I knew where this entry was going . In my opinion for instance Mick Foleys act is utterly boring and just plain stupid .
If it pains you so to write about TNA , and it apparently takes such effort to watch it and report on it , why don't you stop ? Its gone to where it seems that the fans of TNA are now made to feel second-rate .
Stop calling it a blog about wrestling and call it what it is - a blog about WWE .
I guess I'm soon to be one of those that you tell " if I don't like what you write , don't read it ".
signed - "incensed jack in hebron "

I had the same feeling about the Hardy/Khali match. Not only did Hardy lose, but he was basically dominated outside of about 2 minutes of offense. Khali became too beatable the last few months for fans to buy his "unbeatable monster" persona. I understand the WWE has to try to rebuild his aura, but why at the expense of a guy like hardy? there's plenty of other people on the roster to do that job. I do hope after using all his personal issues and pain to jump-start a feud with MVP, the guy is rewarded down the line with a title run (assuming he stays clean, of course).
And with all those promos hyping Maria's return, her winning was a lock. But truthfully, seeing her beat any female wrestler with an iota of skill is hard to swallow.

That is why I am a small bit surprised why they didn't put the Diva's title on Victoria first. She is a former Woman's Champ and having the most experience I thought they would put the title around the one with the most experience kinda to show the others the way. Now maybe Victoria can shut Michelle McCool up. I hear about the problems Michelle is causing with her ego being the first Diva's Champ and going out with the Undertaker.
Jeff Hardy and MVP is going to be the top storyline on Smackdown as they are getting hotter every week. What is it about MVP and the Hardy's?
Those promos that Edge and Mick cut were awesome. I always enjoy Mick being thrown off the top of the cage. It still amazes me how he got up and walked away from it.
It still seems strange having to listen to JR on Fridays. I felt the same way when he jumped from WCW to Raw. I have to check my calender to make sure it is Friday because I am still used to listening to him on Raw.

I think the best moment of the night was Khali selling a swanton bomb by almost sitting up then laying back down and holding his head. Lovely.

Also, someone noted that Impact, with commercials skipped, offers an hour and a half of entertainment. True. But then stated that is better than Double Double E's 5 hours. With commercials skipped though, it really equals less than four. If you can't make time for less than 4 hours of "quality" entertainment then you should cancel your Brooke Knows Best TiVoing to make time.

Can we get a longer entry on THE Brian Kendrick, please? I missed his repackaged debut and last night was the first time I saw the new character. The first thought I had was Brian Pillman and JR confirmed that by referencing Flyin Brian during the entrance.

I can't imagine Kendrick as a main eventer due to his size, but with this new direction, I can see him battling for the US/IC straps in the near future, maybe even a run as ECW Champ if they feel that way. With Edge separated from Vickie, how sick would an alliance of Edge and Kendrick so Edge could get the backing of Zeke?

Who do you think the new character most resembles and how far do you think it could go?

You're right as usual Jack. It was a pathetic episode yet McMahon Jr drools all over it. Edge is the best performer in the business right now. Unfortunately, that's all WWE has going for it. The rest of the "roster" is horribly unwatchable thanks to "creative/ HHH protein guzzler/McMahon Jr's sister"

Jack in Hebron - seriously WWE is so much better than TNA it is almost unfair to say they are in competition with each other!

That aside, the Edge - Foley segement was as good as anything I have seen in a long time. The only criticism I have is that in referring to Foley's past and that highlight package of 1998, it reminded me how much better it was back then....still WWE is moving in the right direction as far as I am concerned, with Edge in the driving seat.

Jack, I love wrestling whether it be wwe, tna, roh, or just some independent circuit. You come on Kevs blog whining over him putting down tna, but in all fairness, TNA sucked out loud this week. If you dont like it, find a TNA exclusive post.

From what I understand, Kendrick used to do a "Leonardo Spanky" gimmick back in the Japanese ZERO1 promotion, generating massive heat, to the extent where Kendrick's gone on record to say that he thought it was downright impossible to even bring the gimmick down to the US.

The Leo... The Brian, together with his man 'Zeke, is incredibly intriguing from a character development/storyline standpoint and I can't wait for WWE to give them more breathing room. The character interplay is simply astonishing compared to a lot of other teams: The way Ezekiel silently but firmly grabbed Kendrick mid-air to protect him from an awkward landing was sheer brilliance, and I haven't seen that much (silent but firm) character in a bodyguard in the WWE for a long time... say, compared to Chavo's Bam Neely, who's yet to develop one inch of character and still reminds me of a big amish guy due to his shaved head and the beard...

Talking about lack of character, I wonder when Domino will finally get the boot (I find it hard to believe he'll last much longer) and when Deuce is repackaged as Snuka Jr. I'd actually love to see him do the "Solo" gimmick.

Kennedy-Benjamin was a top-notch wrestling match with a lot of story being told in terms of performance - I loved the short but sweet post-match interview where Shelton displayed... gasp! Character!

I think the WWE doesn't understand how a portion of the wrestling audience is really, really sad to see Victoria dumbed down and playing the silly fool heel jobber... she's a veteran, she's a talented wrestler and frankly I seriously cringe every time she has to go through another comedy skit. She could do so much with a bit of character rehabilitation.

The good thing is that she clearly knows comedy and has a physical presence that somewhat lends itself to the comedic aspect as well. Still, can't we just please have one female heel wrestler that isn't comedic or a monster?

I love how they're portraying Killings as a real-world tough-guy with a heart - in fact, I can't believe WWE's debuting a serious character! We'll see how long that lasts...

The Foley-Edge segment was once again nothing short of amazing and I can't believe how well they sold the Summerslam Hell in a Cell. Everyone watching is now certain that it's a match for the ages!

A very solid wrestling show and one to watch!

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I had heard about Kendrick getting over as Leonardo Spanky in Japan, but I never saw any of the tapes. When he first came to WWE, I liked him as a worker but I didn't see much of a personality. Guess it was there all along; he just wasn't given an opportunity to show it.

What do you think the possibilities are of Mick Foley interfering near the end of the Edge/UT Hell in a Cell match? Seems like if he left the announcers table near the end, when UT was about to finish the match, neither UT or Edge would have to walk away the lesser man. Kind of like when Kane came out at the end of the HBK/UT Hell in a Cell match. I also think it could create a PPV match with Foley/UT and allow for an easy transition away from the Edge/UT angle. This, of course, would be dependent on Foley having a desire to enter the ring again.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I guess anything is possible, but I don't think Foley will ever be involved in a high-level program like that again.

I'm sure Kevin can defend himself but I can't but agree a bit with him Jack, at least on some things. TNA has great matches, their X division wrestlers are amazing and their top level performers are great, my favorite wrestlers are A.J. and Christian. But, their stories suck. Constant rehashing of old WCW is not gonna get the company anywhere and a babyface champ that no one likes is not gonna do much for the company either. Then the whole Abyss character, which looks like a bad rip off from Mankind.

I have to disagree with Kevin on one thing though, Super Eric is funny as hell!

That segment between Foley and Edge was one of the best Mic segments I've seen since the SCSA/Rock days.

jack in Hebron whines more then AJ Styles.

It's not terribly surprising that a die-hard fan of TNA would whine as much as the show does. Quite fitting, really.

You are right, Kevin, that the Edge & Foley promo was effective not only because of the delivery but also because of the concepts they dealt with. I also feel that it was effective because there was a lot of truth in what they said. Foley rightly proclaimed Edge the greatest superstar in the WWE today and he did so even as the fans booed those very words. When was the last time we've heard a face character said something like that about a heel? Foley also rightly pointed out that the fans have a short memory and hence thinks Edge sucks. Ironically, the live crowd in attendance cheered him as he said that, proving how accurate Foley's words were in more ways that one.

If this is the return of the old Edge, the one that really deserved the moniker of Rated R, then I feel that the message could have been further reinforced by simply having Edge expressed his sincere thanks to Foley after decimating him as he did. Picture a teary Edge over Foley's body amidst the broken table and chair, repeatedly saying that he understands and thanking Foley. It would have gave the segment a surreal twist. Still, I can't complain. It was a fantastic promo that made for captivating viewing.

So, I've been reading this blog for about a year now a little less, and so far have not commented because I'm a true cowardly girl. However, I figure this week I'd try this once- rip off the band-aid see how lame I come off as.

With that said, this week was a bad week in wrestling. After so many weeks (about 3) of a solid A- performance on the part of the WWE (I'm not touching IMPACT however)... This week fell flat.

Smackdown ended up being the highlight of all the shows that aired. Edge and Foley won segment of the night. Everything else (and everyone else for that matter) just didn't capture the show those two put on. They were the scene-stealers of the week and not just for Smackdown.

Hardy came across as a jobber, and The Great Khali continued to be pushed in a way that can only be considered embarrassing. He has no business being a main event star at a PPV like SummerSlam. The WWE really needs to lay down on the whole squash match thing, it's like every Smackdown has at least two. It takes up valuable time that could on the solid matches of the night that deserve more time but don't ever get it. It’s starting to make me want to change the channel.

The worst thing of the night to me still goes to Victoria losing to Maria. If I was a male, I'm sure it wouldn't matter to me as much but it’s a shame her talent is being wasted. Jobbing to Maria no matter how "over" she is... horrible. That's about all I can say on that without getting into a diva rant that ends up multiple paragraphs.

I would give this Smackdown about 6.5 out of the obvious 10. It wasn't the worst ever but it still could have been much better.

So yea, that's my addition to your commentary. Laugh at will.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Good stuff. Please comment more often!

I may be in the minority, but I think "excuse-making" Shelton Benjamin would be a funny gimmick. It could be like those commercials which had Leon, the football player. I forget what those commercials were advertising, though.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: An "excuse-making" Shelton Benjamin means that he is losing matches. Losing isn't a good way to push someone.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kitty's comments. Don't be shy. You have a lot a ;ot of insight and interesting opinions to offer. I'd like to read that multiple paragraph Diva rant sometime.

"An excuse-making" Shelton Benjamin means that he is losing matches. Losing isn't a good way to push someone."

I thought that would be the rebuttal, and honestly, I don't disagree, but maybe there could be a compromise: scrubs such as Funaki and Nunzio give Shelton tough nights before losing cleanly, and then Shelton is asked how he can defeat the Kennedy's and Jeff Hardy's of the roster when he finds lesser competitors so difficult to handle.

I don't really expect to see such a thing; it's just one fan's musings.

Great comments, Kitty! Please comment more often.

Ask Kevin, it took me a good few months to even make the most timid of comments. As time went on, I got a little bolder. I'd say the progress was definitely a few small steps at a time. So I certainly feel you on being shy about commenting.

Your views on Victoria doing the job for Maria are dead on. The entire time watching that match, I was thinking that I would be much more comfortable with Maria winning her debut match if it was against Maryse. Victoria is simply too stunning a talent to be wasted.

I'm sure Kevin will also back me up that I tend to be the eternal optimist of his regulars posters. That being said, I'd like to insert a little ray of light on the Hardy/Khali match. Jeff didn't get in as much offense as I would have liked to see, but when he started getting his heat in the match with the Whisper in the Wind and Swanton, he got distracted by MVP. Turning his attention away from the giant he'd felled, he focused on the new threat in the form of one Montel Vontavious Porter. It was because of the distraction of MVP that Jeff fell victim to the Khali Vice Grip.

Yes, I am aware that Khali needed a victory in order to appear strong going into his title match with Triple H. Thereby, it makes perfect sense to take a super over babyface and have them put up a fight before ultimately losing. And Jeff Hardy, by virtue of being able to claim victory over Triple H, made the perfect choice. No matter how much we may not have liked seeing it, it was the correct choice.

What makes me happy in how the match played out is that we not only got a decent build for the upcoming PPV in the demonstration of Khali as a monster heel, we also got another chapter in the unfolding storyline between Jeff Hardy and MVP. That storyline has the potential to be fantastic with good to great matches.

(I did mention that I was an idealist.)

No laughing here, Kitty. I really enjoyed reading your comment!

Kev, love the blog and have been a daily reader for some time, but this is my 1st post.

In all the prior draft years, it seemed like maybe 2 or 3 people were affected positively or negatively, but this year it seems like guys that I thought would be buried like Koffi, Punk, Henry, Shelton, Noble, etc, have actually been elevated and the addition of JR to Smackdown (great chemistry with Foley) has made all 3 brands interesting. Was wondering what your take was?

I am in the minority on this, but I like Cole as a play by play announcer, but the problem isn't him, it seems like the King, isn't bringing much to the table, as I don't know why since these guys have worked together in the past? I know this wont happen, but I would love to see Tazz and Cole together again because in their own way, they had a chemistry similar to what JR and the King had. I personally thought that the King would be GM and that would bring in Tazz, as Cole's color analyst, but if Mile fails, who knows?

Last question, awhile back you wrote about Mike Knox and I wanted to add that he reminds me of A.A. in that he isn't flashy, doesn't have the cool wrestling gear, but he looks like he is a tough guy and someone that you wouldn't want to mess with. Any chance, we see bigger things from him?

Thanks and keep up the great work, as I love your insight and take on what's going on in Sports Entertainment.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I agree that this year's draft has been beneficial for more guys than usual. I'd put Brian Kendrick's name on the list, too.

As for Knox, he has grown on me. His look reminds me of a 1970s-type heel, and that makes him stand out. The guy has good size as well.

I hope they use THE Brian Kendrick at Summer slam. If they put him up against John Morrison and build it up well, it could steal the show.

Victoria jobbing to Maria is a VERY unfunny, VERY offensive joke. It just shows what WWE thinks of thier Women's Division. Here you have a great worker, one of the most athletic women on WWE's roster, one of the only former Women's Champs from the Stratus era and the only former Women's Champ on Smackdown, and she jobs to a model. Victoria should be the backbone of the new Women's division, I can't even stand to call it by it's name. Jobbing her out is disgraceful, plain and simple.