I personally liked the somber music. As you said the audiences really want to like Matt so the idea of buying into him being a heel is kind of sad.

I think that could be one of the stronger elements of the feud if they play it that way. Because you don't -want- to dislike Matt, it's not -fun- to dislike Matt (like it is with Edge or Jericho).

I really liked the fact that Matt seemed to be in as much pain delivering his promo as the fans were hearing it. It leaves him still having some sympathy from the fans - and makes the feud more heart-wrenching because you don't want to simply cheer Jeff and boo Matt, you really just want them to make up...

I am hoping that you'll be making some lists heading up to this benchmark WrestleMania such as: Your Top 10 favorite WM's overall, Your Top moments/matches/career performer and maybe what were in your opinion the "worst" WM's or which matches had no business ever being on a WM card. (I can't see PPV buyers getting all excited for King Kong Bundy vs. SD Jones or George Wells vs. Jake Roberts these days). Thanks.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I did the top 20 WrestleMania moments last year. I am working on something for this year.

I don't get it Kevin. Did the Edge/Alicia Fox thing, just not happen. If I was a feminist, I would consider Vickie the poster child for the problems that women all over the world have. Last week she told him to "man-up", I thought maybe, just maybe she was going to turn on him. This week we have the "photo op" pose. So many stories, so little imagination. The FFWD button on my remote is getting worn out.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I don't mind Edge and Vickie getting back together after Edge's infidelity because that happens all the time. However, I do agree that there should have been more of an explanation for them reconciling. Where exactly was Edge when Undertaker "sent him to hell?" Was he home trying to work things out with Vickie? Why did she forgive him?

That was a really disappointing Smackdown. There was no intrigue or suspense. Did anyone think Festus would beat Big Show or that Henry would beat Taker? Or for that matter, that Triple H would not be in the Elimination Chamber? Once the Matt Hardy promo was done, the show was pretty much over. Too bad because the WWE has hit quite a few home runs recently.

The reason Khali was in the match was because if Vladimir Kozlov was defeated his streak would end so this way they cover themselves.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I get that, but why not make it a totally different match? Why not have Triple H just wrestle someone else such as Shelton Benjamin?

The matt promo was a great way to start Smackdown, it answered the burning questions on every viewers mind, and settled a few of our nerves, Matt done well and deliivered a very good promo, not great but defiantly a good way to get the ball rolling, I wonder how Jeff will react next week, seeing as his only promos as champion were pre-recorded, Im hoping he will like his brother give a good promo, he is more than capiable, we have seen glimpes of that in the past, most recently his rivalry with triple H. Matt certianly gave this rivaly more steam, but he said no one can prove he is not the attacker? Hence Christain done it, I hope WWE arent planning to have a Jeff vs Christian match at wrestlemania, a hardy boyz match is wrestlemania worthy, it would be terrible to have this as simply a no way out match and a 3 week feud. Im thinking at wrestlemania Matt will win to get him more over, then he may continue as a heel, but if the audience still dont like it he could be a more over babyface now he has defeated Jeff. Matt turning heel did remind me of Jericho, but also Stone Cold, how long did it take him to really get booed? Matt going against the biggest babyface on Smackdown is agood way to sell his heel turn

Why isnt R-Truth in the elimination chamber???? he would be a fresh breath of air like Kofi on raw, although im hoping wrestlemania will be a triple threat match for the US Championship between Shelton, MVP and R truth, that would be a great match, simular to Jericho, Kurt and Beniot from the past, I hope these 3 arent forced to participate in money in the bank unless one of the is going to win. On the other hand I am slowly getting more and more bored of Brian Kendrick, at first his cockness was great, but he has nothing to be cocky about, he only wins when his mate Ezikiel helps, I think he needs a makeover or a push, but Im not sure if I could stomach it, but give him a chance with the US title, Shelton doesnt need it anymore to get over

And where was Shelton? Him not bieng in action only makes him and the US title look bad, he really could have used the momentom from two great matches with the undertaker

Chavo vs MVP - Chavo is another no one at the moment who needs a push and make over, he hasnt changed in a while, he has great potential too, had a good match with MVP, great back and forth, but the result was already obvious. Just thinking isnt Chavo on ECW? Teddy is very genorous lending his talent especialy as that brand is already paper thin on wrestlers. MVP right now isnt a face or heel, I agree with you Kev this turn should have been much better after his loosing streak, and why is he going after the US title? what about the elimination chamber? fingers crossed he or morrison win Money in the bank at wrestlemania!

UMAGA returns! doing exactly what he did before he got injured...wish he hd devoloped a new move or two during his break, and I heard he wanted his character to be able to speak and be less animal like, wsh WWE had listened to him, he is getting a bit stale, which kills me to say as he is one of the most telented wrestlers about.

Jimmy wang yang is nothing anymore apparently, hasnt been on smackdown in a while then jobs umaga, he has bags of potential. Heres an idea for the readers and you Kev, a cruserwieght division on ECW, would give ECW new life, fit in with the new talent inisuative and give people like Chavo and Yang a place to shine.

Undertaker vs Mark Henry, both had a good match, but surly the undertaker should still be annoyed that Big Show cost him his place in the Royal Rumble? But I will keep quiet about that, hopefuly WWE have forgotten it, and I dont want to see that a feud between them again, it was okay, but not for wrestlemania.

Edge again delivered a great promo, I thought he was turning face for a second, he seemed less paraniod and more like the edge of the attitude era, suppose he doent need to be paronied anymore, he has proven everyone he is not the attacker. Having said that though I love Edhe heel but him as a face again would be great, especialy if he is going to feud with Christain or Big Show, a change is aways nice. By the way, WHAT DID BIG SHOW DO??? Why did he just pick up and hug Vickie? that was wierd, what was that about?!?! or as face Edge would say "what is that all aboot?"

Big show vs Festus...yawn. this match proved why you dont try to lift big show up or do a tornado DDT on him...I thought big show was turning face, but he beat up a Festus, and chokeslammed Jesse, not a great face move, he has turned more than a revolving door, seems hes forgotten what he is now....waste of talent..And how long will Festus keep up this gimmick? Will Jessie ever get a storyline? Personaly I dont like these two as a team,seperate for that matter...nothing personal, just in wrestling and entertainment terms, "its just business" as JBL would say

No Kizarry yet again? Seems it will be best wishes from WWE soon

NO DIVAS MATCH? Not only am I worried that the triple threat main event may go on for a while (I cant take Kozlov, Khali and Triple H all together, especialy when its obvious Super H will win) but no Maria or Maryse? :( After last week where Maria ran down and attacked Mccool I was expecting them to build on it this week, but no maria? And I know Maryse is still injured and cant participate too much but I loved how she was commentating and couldnt care less about maria or Mccool last week (couldnt care less about anyone but herself actualy) I was expecting a feud to build here....I miss Maria and Maryse already...But we did get a promo with Mccool and Eve, Michelle played her heel role well and Eve did the basic face interview well, I liked the slap, was expecting maria to interefere though....got to stop thinking about Maria and Maryse so much lol....I dont know if you get this in the US, but here in England we get lumbered with a "from the vault" match for about 10 minutes, booring! Whats the point in it? Why couldnt there have been a diva match instead? No Bella Twins? And is Natalya even still on Smackdown??? I read Trish Stratus really likes her, thinks she has lots of potential and would love to wrestle her at wrestlemania, so surly they should build natalya? If it keeps on like this they will lose her like they did Victoria

The "main event" was just bad....I would say it was an anti climax but I couldnt be much more disapointed with it than I expected to be. Started with the typical two heels fighting to beat the face, yawn. Ended badly, eveyone knew Kozlov would not be pinned so to stay undefeated, Khali is a walking joke, he cant wreslte or cut promos, suprised he can walk to be honest, all he can do is do the worst kiss cam segmants ever. That pedigree was just appaling, the "punjubi playboy" pretty much pedigreed himself, even he must know HHH is undefeatable. Dont get me wrong I think HHH is great, but he is force fed to us almost as badly as John Cena. HHH will win elimination chamber, and its going to be a bad one, no one new, no suprises like Kofi in it, its Undertaker, HHH (would bet my house on him winning), Edge and Big show....How about some new people?

Overall this was a very forgetble week in wrestling

Matt's speaking wasn't great, last night, but at times, I thought I saw a sinister look on his face that made the segment work. This is evidence that good talking and good acting are not always the same thing.

Last night's main event was terrible. The Great Khali looked awful as usual. That was the worst pedigree I've ever seen. Is it just me or does Vladimir Kozlov look slow and anticipate his moves a second too early?

I agree that MVP needs a push. I definitely think he could be in the mix for the WWE title, not just the U.S. title.

I also agree that R-Truth is main event worthy. He has all of the physical tools plus he's a fan favorite. I'd much rather see an R-Truth/Jeff Hardy match than an Edge/Jeff Hardy match.

Keep up the good work Mr. Eck!

I guess you thought more of Matt's promo than I did. It came off more as a bloop single than a double off the wall to me. The angle really needed a strong promo from Hardy to take off because the fans don't truly want to buy into the angle or boo him, and I'm not sure if he's capable of delivering it. It was a pretty generic heel promo, with the old fallback of blaming the fans. Some of the boos seemed like post-production editing.

Edge had another good promo, but the rest of the show as utterly forgettable. The main event was a train wreck. A few months ago Festus was in a solid competitive match against the Undertaker, and now he's being squashed by the Big Show in under 2 minutes. Umaga needs a manager in the worst way. I hope there's a bigger payoff to MVP's losing streak than what's happened so far. I do agree that R-Truth could add a lot to the Elimination Chamber, he's already over and could use the boost of a high profile match. I would argue the same thing about Shelton Benjamin.

In any case, this had to be the worst week of wrestling television in quite some time.

The Hardy promo wasn't bad. Decent. Not sure if he should go "dark heel" or the cocky "I'm the better brother that should get the most praise". I hope everyone can remember when Matt was the heel Cruiserweight champ. He actually did a good job in his feud with Rey Mysterio. So I believe he can do the heel well, just give him time and don't have such a short memory.

No doubt MVP is doing the generic heel turn. I don't blame him because I can see "the powers that be"
trying to direct him instead of allowing MVP to let his own charisma do the work. This will surely kill his character! The match with Chavo looked forced. Imagine if this turn-around match had been filled with a number of signature moves the fans would have went wild. MVP should now be letting us know match-wise that this is what you gonna get from now on...ala John Cena when made his final face transition to where he is now. All he did was establish his signature moves and let the fans do the rest of the work. MVP will probably take Shelton's title, no need for a feud; because black-on-blacks feud rarely fly on wrestling. Just give MVP the Money in the Bank win and let him take it from there. I just can't wait to start BALLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIINNNN!

Umaga needed a better return and a manager period.

Kendrick need not to be buried, it makes no sense. Just give him the US title and let him do his thing.

Do you think Umaga or Samoa Joe is fatter?

I'm going to have to disagree with the Matt Hardy promo - I thought it was very well done. He was committed and honest - he didn't indicate, it wasn't contrived, and he didn't undermine the seriousness of the feud by cutting a traditional, presentational heel promo. There is room in wrestling for elements of Stanislavsky and I think the fact that Matt and Jeff are really brothers allows, even demands, a more realistic and internal style of acting than wrestling usually requires. If you think the background music was melodramatic (in the modern understanding of the word, i.e. derogatory), then fine, but I think you're wrong about the entirety of Matt's performance. To be more clear, a Jericho-like promo (whom I am pretty much obsessed with) would, I think, have been too slick and practiced and too presentational. It would have lacked the honesty that Matt showed. And, the fans may be understandably reluctant to boo him, but his reaction to the fans chanting "We want Jeff," at the end of the promo was point perfect.

Is anyone else sick and tired of triple h getting everything.....cuz i know that i am...

...any reason why Big Show's Knockout Punch is legal?

"Not sure if he should go "dark heel" or the cocky "I'm the better brother that should get the most praise".

My vote is for dark heel. Matt's limitations just don't themselves to the alternative (in my opinion), and he should have a dark demeanour if he is indeed the stalker although, as Stan alluded to, WWE seems to have left the door open on this one, in light of fact that Matt didn't confess to any of the other misdeeds.

Elevation - Samoa Joe .

I read that some people thought Edge's 5secondpose was a definant hint at Christian. I would want christian back but i think anything will excite these people towards his return.
On a side note I was shocked that the undertaker half botched his finisher.
Anyways can't wait to see Jeff back on Smackdown ;]

Kyle,

Ha! Good point. My guess, the kayfabe answer is that it isn't, but like any illegal closed-hand strike, it would be subject to a referee's five-count. The backstage answer might be that Big Show isn't much of a worker and a clumsy right hand is the best they could come up with. ;-)

I think with all that we know about the Hardyz in real life, (such as the fact that Jeff lives with Matt now after his house burned down), it might be a tougher sell.
Second thought, the Hardys sell lots of merchandise and they are 2 of the stars that does not need to hold any title to be popular.

Matt Hardy's promo actually reminded me of Mick Foley's old promos, back when he was Mankind. There was the haunting music in the background and Mankind would sit down somewhere, pausing every now and then in his delivery. Of course, Hardy's promo wasn't as great as Foley's best but I felt it was good enough for his feud with Jeff.

Once again, we were treated to another promo by Edge that softens his heel-ish persona. Not only did he initiated communication with the fans, he actually forgive the fans for being wrong about him. No more paranoia, instead we took a trip down memory lane with the pose. I still suspect they are slowly turning Edge face. Perhaps Vickie will end up siding with the Big Show.

I thought Matt Hardy's promo was awesome, and I was thinking the music was overdone until I read the first comment by Jeremy Hale when he said the buying into Matt as a heel is kind of sad.

I was thinking, Big Show and Kane should just team up again since neither one of them seems to be a face or heel, they could face both heel and babyface tag teams!

I thought Matt did a pretty good promo but that was the only good thing about smackdown on Friday night as the rest of the show was awful. It was just to obvious who was going to win each match and the standard of wresling will lets say triple
HHH finnishing move on the Great Kali summed it all up. Looking forward to big improvements on all wresling shows next week.

Matt is almost certainly not Jeff's stalker and I believe that Christian is a red-herring. No doubt Christian will be back soon on WWE but there's someone else who could be a plausible stalker and connect together multiple storylines. I think it's...LITA! If it is Lita, not only would she be connected to the Matt-Jeff storyline, but to the Edge-Vickie storyline too. A Lita return may explain "where Edge was" after Undertaker sent him to hell. So far, that loose end has not been tied up. And we can easily see that all is not well between Edge and Vickie.
WWE is on a purple patch now. I would like to think that they won't be so anti-climactic as to reveal the stalker as someone who everyone has suspected to date. Christian will return but have you considered maybe he isn't the stalker either. Also, the return of Lita may also pave the way for the return of Trish Stratus. I just think that if it's Lita who is the stalker, it opens the possibility of so many more storylines than if it was Christian.

That is only my conjecture, though! My ideal main event for WM would be heel vs heel : Edge vs Orton! Probably will never happen though.

Apparently the powers at WWE think that R-Truth isn't "what's up?" Should have cut his teeth in ECW first.

Hmm.. I would have to say that was the perfect way to open the show. Matt was good. Atleast he exceeded my expectations. This whole Matt-Jeff fued reminds me of Eddie-Rey fued few years back. Even though that fued turned into a complete soap opera during final stages but the main reason for the fued was same thing - JEALOUSY. Edge was once again brilliant. I really liked the way half of the crowd actually stood up and started clapping for him when he told them to do so. Barring these 2 segments, Smack Down was boring.

Kevin,

First of all, I'm a first time poster. Wanted to tell you I'm a big fan of your blog. Seems like you would do a better job booking than the writers currently in WWE. After Matt Hardy's promo regarding the fact he didn't admit to causing Jeff's "accidents", it dawned on me that this would be the perfect scenario for Triple H to once again get what he wants, a heel turn. He's always said he likes being a heel better and he is the best in the business at it. What better way to get his heat back as well as give a rub to both Matt and Jeff Hardy than to be the orchestrator of the whole thing. It could go down something like this:

No Way Out- Have Triple H, Edge, and Matt Hardy be the last 3 in the elimination chamber. Jeff Hardy returns for the 1st time since the Rumble and attacks Matt Hardy and Edge, leading to a Triple H win. The controversial finish leads to a Wrestlemania X-like scenario where Triple H and Edge wrestle for the title, Matt and Jeff wrestle, and the winners meet at the end of the night.

Wrestlemania- Triple H and Jeff win and go to the main event. Matt attempts to interfere with a chair shot only to be stopped by Triple H, who then uses the chair to take Jeff out. On the next Smackdown, Triple H cuts a promo to the effect that he wanted to remind people who he is and using his "cerebral assassin" persona explains the events of the past few months.

I think this would open up a whole slew of things that could happen on Smackdown plus it could help Matt's heel turn and elevate Jeff to an even higher level as a babyface. Of course, this isn't a likely scenario, especially because it would greatly outshine the Raw main event, but if done right, would be one heck of an angle.

I don't know if it was just MyNetwork tv channel or everyone ones but during the commercial break before the end of the Khali, Big Show, HHH match, they showed the 4 chamber participants would be in action next week on Smackdown which featured clips of Triple.. it was quite the spoiler really..

Edge is great he is probably the best heel in the WWE in almost a decade he knows how to play a heel better than anyone so you can't compare matt's turn to Edge i do think his V1 a few years ago was very good. anyway what are the doing with the truth it looked like he was gonna win the US title and then he loses to a spirit squad member and know he's beat Kendrick looks WWE is taking cues from TNA. none of the matches from smackdown realy made since like why is a ECW guy in a scramble match for the smackdown title and my greatest question is how did R-Truth get away with bringing his final TNA theme song to WWE and why is it about every 6 mo.s they change the Big show i guess he's going face again which I think he is a better face because if they let him do what he does best be funny but dominating =$

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: II believe R-Truth wrote the song, so it's his to use wherever he goes.

"I read that some people thought Edge's 5secondpose was a definant hint at Christian."

That's how I took it.

Excuse me for going a bit off topic, but last night, I watched the ECW episode that aired five days ago, and I doubt that I am the only one who spotted a problem. The show-long storyline was that Jack Swagger couldn't find his title belt, but "belt" is apparently a banned word in WWE, so Jack and everyone else kept saying "championship" and "title" to the point where it was quite silly.

I have to agree with Joe Barber, that was a bloop single and I think that's being generous.

I got the idea that the WWE used the mood music and Hardy family slideshow because they didn't trust Matt Hardy to get the angle over by the power of his promo alone. I can't imagine a HHH or a Jericho being given audio and visual backup to sell an angle.
I find it amusing you question why Khali is in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match but say nothing about Festus being in one. They are both basically comic relief, but at least Khali has some resume to back up his inclusion. And I do find it strange that they keep showing these Kozlov training promos, presumably to build a push for him, then leave him out of the Chamber match.
Last thing: why would anyone worry about whether they win the Royal Rumble when they know that at the very next PPV they could be one of 5 wrestlers getting a title match anyway? To me, having both titles defended against 5 challengers the month before WrestleMania, really dampens the impact of winning the rumble. I think the Chamber match should be used to determine the #1 contender for whichever title the Rumble winner isn't competing for, and that's it.

Maybe it's just me but WWE seems to be pushing the righteous heels somewhat these days. First it was Jericho with the complaint that no matter what the babyface, in that instance Shawn Michaels, did he was always cheered and that pushed Jericho over the edge to Heelville. Then Matt does a similar turn, pointing out that no matter how much Jeff screws up he's always cheered but Matt just gets half hearted receptions compared to his brother. In some ways this is similar to Bret Harts turn when he went anti-American, righteous anger and frustration (although attacking your brother multiple times and trying to kill him might be a tad over the top).

I don't know if this is a good thing or not, they are kind of half heels. Personally I like it and in many ways understand their frustrations. But it makes it harder for me to boo them.

Well i couldnt belive that Matt did that. I got Pretty upset when he hit Jeff with that chair. I know Matt is a kind man but he didn't have to do that. Jeff did say Matt is more compatitive than him but that doesnt mean that everyone loves him more. everyone loves them both. Matt, you need to listen before you deside to hit anyone with a chair or somthing. I know there is somthing taht will make him himself again for his brother.

ashly,

You know wrestling's scripted right?

Ashly, your perpetuating alot of stereotypes about wrestling fans.

I really though Matt hard's Promo was great. Obviously he'll never go down as the greatest talker in the biz but he really stepped up to the plate this time.

I hope they do something meaningful with Umaga. I think he has a lot of potential. I also think if they build him up right and make a good story he and Undertaker could work a good program.

I really hope they haven't given up on R-truth.

I have to agreee with people thinking R-truth deserves a bigger push he has main event potential plus the fans love him. Also getting sick of The Great Khali he is a waste, what is his role anyways, should kick him to the curve. I also liked the Matt Hardy promo, as you said Kev would have been better if Matt explained more about his amoiousnity against Jefft

I thought it was a solid promo from Matt Hardy and I agree that it was better than the ones he cut against Edge after the love triangle debacle. The Hardys feud is off to a good start but Matt Hardy needs to be repackaged. New music, new hairstyle, new look or it will fall flat. He needs to be a dark heel and not some V1 comedic side show. In a shoot interview from 2003 that I watched over the weekend, Jeff Hardy commented that when the two squared off in 2001 it didn't work out because none of the fans wanted to see it. I wonder if this has changed eight years later...only time will tell.

Is Jeff hurt? He has been fairly absent from the scene these past few weeks. Or perhaps the WWE is giving him some time off to prevent him from "burning out" like what happened in 2003. And who is the big babyface on ECW now that Matt Hardy has jumped shipped? Finlay?! I would anticipate a ratings slip for the 3rd brand and who knows whether it will survive once the new WGN show starts up later this year.

Other than the Matt Hardy promo, Smackdown was unwatchable. Looked like Khali jumped to soon on the pedigree and HHH had to try to cover. There was also a ton of filler in the show: Raw recaps, Mickey Rourke stuff, and Cena's movie trailer which looks like a hot mess.

Hi Kevin,
I was surprised that you said that "Jeff really is the more successful and popular of the two. And Jeff has received a bigger push even though Matt has always been more responsible, dependable and dedicated." Do you really think so? Matt appears to be the better wrestler to me. I think a lot of people like Jeff moreso for his looks and willingness to take risks. I think that has at least helped to make Jeff as successful as he is. Matt, on the other hand, does not need to do all of those stunts that Jeff does to get attention. There is nothing wrong with Jeff having his own distictive style, but to me Matt is running the show.

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Who is the better wrestler is a debatable point, but I think it's pretty clear that Jeff is more popular and has gotten a bigger push. That's why this story line works.

Give ashly a break, guys. I enjoy the product more when I watch it as a wrestling fan instead of a smart mark.

I agree with 1champ that Matt is the better wrestler. I wondered if I was the only one who thought so.

Not only did WWE make the fans not really anticipate Umaga's return, they also failed to build any momentum for him when he did return.

His bookings for the first two weeks (mild spoiler here) look to be extremely weak.

They're not even trying with this guy.

well matt isnt really just a star here. I mean he does diserve some respect for what he said but of what he did wasn't really need to be that way. Jeff is just loved because he brought the crowds intention. He won the belt from edge and he did deserve it too. Matt, i love him but somtimes he needs to think before doing somthing like that. Poor Jeff. but no matter what, if matt reads this we all love him no matter what it is. I do care for everyone for what it is thats bothering them. Matt Hardy, if your reading this, i love u no matter what it is bothering you. I've been the same way. My sister was always in the spotlight but now its both us. I've moved and all but it dont matter what is bothering you. So... you are not alone in the spotlight or jeff being the most better one of yall. Yall are both great. I mostly like you.

"I've been the same way. My sister was always in the spotlight but now its both us."

Gee, could Ashly be Ashlee Simpson?

With regards to Matt's promo, I think that WWE used the music in the background to dub out all of the "WHAT?" chants that were going on during the live promo, according to live reports from the Smackdown taping. I like the comment by the person who said that the music reminded them of the old Mankind promos from the 90's. Let's see where the next step goes.