Did anyone notice Jeff Hardy look down at the briefcase and smile? I was hoping that he would drag Punk over top Edge, ask for the bell and get the three count from the ref. Oh well. All in all this was the show of the week IMO. 3 out of 5 stars. I take away two stars for bringing Sherri Shepard into the mix. What's next Jericho and Dr. Phil discuss what is making him so angry at the fans???

Best Smackdown in ages! Well deserved pushes for Punk and Morrison, I hear Morrison and Melina are back together in real life, maybe thats a part reason to Morrison turning face, I can see them two re-uniting.

Was great to see new and mid-card talent gert such a push! Smackdown looks like the place to be, Raw is too top heavy with "stars" (in my eyes nice to ship them all of to one show...) makes me wish Kofi, Matt Hardy and MVP where on Smackdown. Smackdown looks like its going to have awesome matches, thats a rareity on Raw...

Cant wait to see Undertaker back in action soon against some of the new Smackdown talent

The only way Smackdown could have been better is if Maria joined in with the dance-off...Sooooo glad Cryme Tyme hosted the dance off instead of the "Punjubi Playboy", glad he was written out of the main event...

Can't wait for next week! Think of all thats going to happen, confrotations between Jeff and Edge, Jericho and Morrison, Umage and Punk! Not to mention Layla and Eve!!! Although I do hope R-Truth has a place still on Smackdown, would be great to see him face Ziggler...and despite all the great pushes we have already had I'm still holding out for Shelton Benjamin and Kane pushes, and Charlie Haas who given time is a great worker (more ECW material though)

Best WWE show in months! (including PPV's!)

The Punk-Edge match was very good. The fact that Kofi Kingston had recently submitted to Edge's Sharpshooter made the prospect of Punk's submission seem realistic, so when Punk reached the ropes, it really seemed like he had escaped defeat.

Yeah, about that, do you find it peculiar that a lot of superstars switch between babyface and heel on a whim?

This may gain some negativity, but when John Cena turned face a while back, people were already getting with his character and it was easy to do. How does Morrison turn face all of a sudden?

My ears are still ringing after Sherri Shepherds chorus of "MVP! MVP! MVP!". That was almost as annoying as Melina's screems a few years back.

I had the same thoughts on why Jericho broke up a cover on Kane. It gave Kane more of a chance to recover and possibly kick out, but i guess it adds to Jericho's massive ego.

Don't you think that the finish to the fatal four way match - when Hardy took Mysterio's 6-1-9 then splash, and then reversed it into a pin - made Rey's finisher look weak?

I laughed at the backstage segment where Jericho ranted at Maria, then Edge entered looking like he was better than that, before going off on a rant himself. It was quite funny.

Also the segment where a brawl occured, between Jericho and Morrison, and Punk walked through, looked at Jericho and gave him a smirk, was quite funny.

It was also quite amusing when Jericho...only kidding. But Jericho was in quite a few funny segments.

Well i guess the Brands are now remaining seperate, as MVP was the only Superstar to appear on another brand, i think.

Very good show and another excellent blog, Kevin.

I thought this was a fantastic smackdown. For a second it seemed they were teasing a Edge face turn during the confrontation with Jericho. It's good that MVP is hanging with shepherd, The View gets tons of heat and publicity and being involved only raises his profile. And can Eve and Layla do that every week??

Did you notice that the opening promo by Chris Jericho sounded a little like Randy Orton's on Raw?
Every time I see Jeff hardy, I keep waiting for him to something more extreme.
I liked the dance contest probably because both Eve and Layla looked hot dancing especially when they were at the same time. Thought it be would something like extreme expose'. But in the end nobody is going to care what storyline they are going to have.
I see something between Chris Jericho and John Morrison with there little fiasco in the hallway where Teddy Long was. Same goes for Punk and Umaga.
Does this mean the MITB is over for Punk because I thought he cashed it in after he beat Edge?

I want to see as much of Layla as possible.

When Jericho pulled Hardy off Kane I was thinking the same thing. It makes no sense to break up a 3-count in an elimination match. I was very glad to see Morrison attack Jericho. I really think Jericho-Morrison has good potential. It is good to see new names getting what seems to be good pushes on SD.

It is good to see Jeff Hardy still getting a good push. He and Mysterio had a good few minutes at the end of the elimination match.

I liked this weeks SD ithought the fatal 4 way was suppose to be a scramble match whats up with that. I was puzzled by the main event i was happy to Punk beat edge straight up in the non title match but unless their trying to set up Umanga/Punk for the breifcase at the next PPV then i don't understand why, Iwas glad to see R-Truth get some face time backstage breaking up the MorrisonJericho fight boy he really needed to go to ECW. I thought the 4 way was great except kane got hit with Jeff's move who got a 2 count then jericho pulled him off thats more time then Jericho covered him and still got the 3 count on him and for Rey to lose to a sunset flip after hitting his finisher is a little unbelievable to the only thing i didn't really mind in the match was Jericho getting DQ'ed since he is right now the #2 heel it would not have made sense right now 4 him to get pinned. Egde cut another great promo thats why he is the best heel today.

the clean loss to kane doesn't hurt punk because punk looked like he belonged in the ring with kane, however it was just kane's night. Also, punk needs people to work with at the top, and having kane strong helps everyone. Plus, since punk is already getting the push with the money in the bank i don't think it hurts him. They just shouldn't make him lose too often.

SD was awesome!!! And ECW is quickly becoming my favorite brand to watch. I can't wait until next weeks SD to see where everything goes. Great show last night. Love the blog man..

out of all the wrestling shows on tv this wk i have to say smackdown was the best. nice to see how the drafted wrestlers made a nice impact on the show.

"By the way, how do you have a dance contest and not invite Alicia Fox?". It would have been great if Gabe & Alicia would have interupted the dance contest.

Good for Punk! I'm still confused about Kane.

Smackdown tickets go on sale today, but how its that all of the ringside seats are taken. Are these family or insiders who get these seats???

Jeff and Rey made the whole show. It actually had me on the edge of my sofa the whole time, and its been a long time since WWE has done that. A program between these two could be amazing.

Kev, I think you're being a little harsh on Sherri. She wasn't any worse than Sharmell anytime Booker T is wrestling...

I don't understand what anyone benefits from a WWE/The View crossover. Apart from the negligible shared audience that might already exist, there is exactly zero chance that either program could do anything, ever, to attract viewers from the other. It ain't gonna happen. So what's this about?

I think there's a degree to which Vince just doesn't understand television. I realize that sounds somewhat silly given Raw's history...but did you catch his comment this week that WWE isn't worried about oversaturating because more shows allow people to keep up with storylines when they miss a given episode? Has he not heard the term "live plus seven"? Most current WWE viewers can watch Raw, regardless of whether they're home Monday night. And that number is only rising.

If you want a surefire way to torpedo the product: (1) Create more shows; and (2) Dedicate larger portions of each show to "recaps," rather than new material. That's a guaranteed ticket to ratings death. And it's basically exactly what Vince proposed.

Well, first of all, where in da hell have you been? LoL! No, it's cool to take break every once in while. I'm surprised you have the energy to write up a column weekly on RAW. I'd get lazy after long.

Anyways, sadly I missed the first half of SD and only caught the end of Jeff Hardy's match which reminds me. If be nice if you'd do a colum blasting Time Warner for their new cable box since your posts comes up in one of the first search results on Google.

But ya, I think Jeff Hardy seriously deserved to win that match. The WWE universe is neglecting their best acrobatic, highflier who is Jeff Hardy. I noticed how we all went crazy for The Undertaker and Shelton Benjamin at WrestleMania for their highflying stunts and no one made any mention of the highflying stun that Hardy pulled which left him injured the following day. You know why? Because it's nothing new with Hardy. He does it so consistently that we start taking him for granted. And he has every right to be a little resentful and make some remark about getting tired of the WWE which I heard he said from somewhere but ya, I hope he doesn't leave. He is a great talent that both the WWE and fans take for granted a lot.

Totally agree with everything in your post. Love Love Love that you dig CM Punk. I am mad that I missed the beginning of SD. Sounds like you brought up something I didn't see from the beginning of the show in which he showed off impressive mic skills able to match those of their best mic wrestlers--Edge and Jericho. Oh well, I will catch it on youtube. As you said, much overdue and great match between CM Punk and Edge. Dude, I am stoked Umaga's back. Umaga is a beast. You didn't really say your feelings on him being ina feud with Punk. Don't you think they are going to fight stiff as hell? You've got Umaga (manic, crazed person) and CM Punk (vicious striker). If they feud it's going to be even more vicious than Punk's feud with Regal in February.

You brought up how it was puzzling how CM Punk lost to Kane at Backlash. See that's what I am talking about? WWE needs to learn to make matches more consistent and make sense. If CM Punk can take Edge, he should be able to take Kane. Just like the deal with Batista. Batista's match with Show should have been far more even. Instead Show pretty much squashed Batista throughout that match. Unlike Big Show and Taker's match, Batista isn't fighting the kayfabe neck injury like Taker. Batista is supposed to be at one hundred percent.

A lot of things with Batista have been bothering me lately. Batista should be represented as a powerhouse, but 2 weeks ago he was taken out by Shane. I was looking for your column to see if you'd rant about that like we all were ranting about Shane back in January and February (that was funny as hell how ever yone got mad at Shane btw) They seemed to fix the issue with Batista and gave him back his steam in the squash match last week but then took it away again this week.

I'm really happy to see Big Daddy V make the smooth transition from professional wrestler to panelist on the View.

This Smackdown reminded me of what Raw was like last summer when a lot of young guys were getting pushed (especially when in the course of two nights Punk, Kingston, and Team Priceless all became champions).

I would love to see Morrison do an impression of Jericho's first appearance on Raw from 1999. I could see Jericho doing a promo and then Morrison's name coming up in big letters on the screen. Then the back of Morrison would appear on the screen and he'd yell "Welcome to Friday Night Morrison!" Then he'd talk about being Y2M and.... oh man. I'm getting to into it. I better leave that subject alone for now.

Speaking of Jericho, I really miss him being the star of the show. When Orton was out last year, Jericho really stepped up. I enjoyed Raw very much when he was the top heel and the world champion. He performed his best work during that small period of time.

And TNA just blows. I can't believe they even said the word "Wrestlemania" on their own show. Does Vince own TNA already? That promotion just needs to go away.

So has Shelton been demoted to jobber status?

Considering the definition of recalcitrant is "marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance", and Jericho is constantly calling the fans some version of "mindless sheep", I don't think he chose the right fifty cent word for this occasion.

Enjoyed SD very much, especially the fatal 4 way elimination match. Like a lot of responders, I to waas wondering why Jerhico pulled Jeff Hardy off of Kane. Glad to see Jeff get his rematch with Edge. I thought that Morrison beat Shelton Benjamin rather easily...considering the fact that Benjamin took The Undertaker to the limit twice before losing. Sherri Sheppard may have been annoying but she is not as annoying as when the WWE had Thea Vidal playing Shelton Benjamin's mother a ffew years ago

For U Kev. Sherri Sheppard used to play on The Jamie Foxx Show a few years ago.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I know I am in the minority on this, but I actually found Shelton's Mama to be so-bad-it's-good.

Too... much... wrestling...

Seriously, how are we supposed to keep up with watching Raw, ECW, Superstars, iMPACT, and Smackdown?

Methinks it be impossible.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Tell me about it.

That US title did'nt help Shelton one bit, nor did Shelton help the title's status. How bout this storyline...Shelton asks Taker to be his mentor, in which Taker makes Shelton wrestle him over and over until Shelton gets a clean pin. We get to see some great matches.Taker looks like a hero without the loss hurting him. An Shelton gets the credit that might finally stick!

Jus sayin'

" Jericho does get points , however , for calling the fans " recalcitrant frauds " .... "
Kevin , outside of Ring Posts readers , of course , just how many wrestling fans do you suppose know the definition of the word recalcitrant ?

got to disagree with you, Mr. Eck. I thought Punk was PAINFUL to listen to on the mic to open the show. I do appreciate his ring work, however. Oh, and where the heck is Mr. Kennedy? I though he was supposed to be back by Wrestle Mania.

Matt Hardy is fat and sucks on the mic and in the ring.

I don't think MVP should have said Sherri Shepherd looked sensational. She's not quite Sensational Sherri Martel.

I would have preferred the time given to Cryme Tyme, Layla, and Eve be given to Benjamin and Morrison. Just think what they could have done with an extra 5 minutes.

If I remember, at the end of the opening confrontation after Punk promised to turn in his Money in the Bank after hitting the GTS in their non title match, Edge said he was going to call Vickie. My guess is we will find out Vickie had Umaga on call to prevent Punk from winning the title. I wonder how many times we will see Punk try to fight though Umaga to get to Edge.

The John Morisson push is finally here!!! This guy has tremendous talent and will probably go all the way to become a top WWE superstar a la "Shawn Michaels" and even Randy Savage should he get back with Melina. I'm not just too sure how many feuds could he get involved in as a face but I'm definitely sure Chris Jericho can put him over big time. I wouldn't mind him switching between heel and face occasionaly to enlarge and secure his fanbase. I have to say Smackdown with this talent and interesting pushes will become the number one WWE show in the next few months!!!

*wow, you really are an ass. Miz has improved beyond anyone could have imagined and yet you continue to label him as useless. if you cant get over your initial dislike of Miz, you have no right to say anything to people that still hate Cena like you do several times. you have one of the most biased blogs available on the internet.

*also, it would be a travesty if CM Punk became the champ, he does not have the "it" factor and would be a horrible choice for the face of the company

*i agree with you about how Morrison's turn should be carried out though

i'll quit talking but i aint reading any of you blogs from now on, not a big loss for you, but will be a big relief for me to not read your work.

If Punk can continue to get better on the mic he can shoot up to headlining main events. That's the only thing I see holding him back. He needs to keep away from the cliched crap and get a funny/sarcastic edge in interviews.
Not that Punk needs one now, but if WWE had mangers again they could provide the voice of the wrestler until they were comfortable. It would help out the younger wrestlers emmensly. Look at someone like Ed Leslie (B. Beekcake). He never spoke for years but eventually got the hang of it and rose to main event level. I know WWE thinks managers cost too much but I thik they'd be well worth it. I think if Morrison had a mouthpiece years ago he would have risen faster instead of falling from IC Champ back down to ECW. He's doing better now and I hope WWE gives him a chance in the top tier.

LOL Jack... I think Dictionary.com is getting used more than ever, since Jericho has started using words bigger than his head. Is it possible that SD could become the flagship?

"The key to Morrison getting over as a babyface is for him to maintain his cocky persona and still be someone the fans want to cheer. It shouldn’t be that hard. Fans already like watching him because of what he can do in the ring, and if he just directs his smart-aleck remarks at the heels instead of the babyfaces, it will work."

except wwe doesnt do baby faces like this anymore.

I'm kinda confused with Jeff getting another push.
The reason he lost all those matches with his brother is because he is leaving and WWE wanted to use that to make Matt look even better. I guess WWE has something in mind for Jeff as he goes out.

CM Punk has a large amount of silent critics who are content with him as a mid-carder, but they'll be more vocal if he were pushed higher. Don't forget, he did not even get the popularity vote for a match at Cyber Sunday when he was the event's poster boy!

Here's hoping you hit the nail on the head in your previous comment, "I wouldn’t be surprised if (CM Punk) becomes the first MIB winner to fail to capture one of the world titles."

You know, I have to agree with that "cocky persona" for Morrison and still be a babyface. Kinda reminds me of MVP. Baaaaaaallin'!