So Swagger gets pinned clean and gets destroyed by Kane? Way to build your young champion up, WWE.

Rey Mysterio is an excellent worker but it was proven long ago that he couldn't talk so it's hard to believe they continue to give him the mic, knowing full well he won't be able to keep up with the likes of Punk or even Swagger and will end up embarrassing himself.

I hope TNA creative are getting royalties for the Lay Cool shtick.....

Big Show is not being used well. On one of the "Legends" episodes, somebody pointed out that Andre the Giant wasn't used at every show. His appearances were carefully chosen and sparse, so that when the "big man" showed up it was special. I also think that, traditionally and almost without exception, "big" men make excellent heels and terribly babyfaces. From Andre to Gonzalez to Sid Vicious to Khali...I can't think of one who made a better good guy than bad. It's a gimmick, unavoidably, and it's a gimmick that works better when the performer is menacing and fearsome than when he appears on the ramp (as Big Show does now) with a big, dopey smile and waving to the kids.

Good post Kev. Who do you think the belts are going to be with at the end of Fatal 4way?

I think in the upcoming Fatal Fourway, the belt is going to be between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. I just cant see Big Show winning and Swagger, from what ive read, was kept champion for this PPV so he can lose at the end. Hopefully CM Punk wins, so the fued between him and Mysterio will go further. Though it seems to be reccuring for Swagger to lose his matches in lead up to PPV and retain the belt.

Smackdown is really close to greatness but they don't have someone making sure the details work together. Every week there are 'coulda been' moments.

You're right that Swagger's still portrayed as a weak champion. His match should have closed the show (Kane's appearance could have been the impetus for his loss) and Kane standing over Swags and Mysterio would have been a great visual end to the show.

A nice tandem finisher would make Hawkins and Archer seem like a team, not just some random dudes.

Also, I can be honest about this.. With LayCool standing in the ring, I'm more likely to mute the TV than change the channel. Even when I don't want to listen, I sure do want to watch.

I was a little disappointed nothing was done to further the NXT angle. Apparently it's only going to be a Raw thing. I think Punk right now is the only reason to watch Smackdown. There is an acute lack of star power on the show. I do like MVP and Kofi and McIntyre is good. I just don't see it in Swagger and I don't see how much more you can get from Show and Kane at this point in their careers.

"For LayCool, there is a fine line between being annoying in a good way and being annoying in a turn-the-channel way."

Exactly. If you dislike the bad guy in a movie because his character is an awful person, that's good. If you don't like when the bad guy shows up because you think the actor's acting is cringe worthy, that's not good.

I think the blue brand is lacking star power since most of the main eventers are on raw. You had already stated that swagger isn't a big star despite being a champion. Punk is boring for a long time. No one looks interested to see bigshow as a world champion. The only deserving star is mysterio. I think somebody from raw (jericho/morrison) should replace show or punk to fill some interest in smackdown main event at the ppv.
Do you remember kozlov a year ago. He was having feud with triple h and undertaker. He looked even stronger than sheamus against those opponents whom sheamus have never faced. But at present he is jobbing and sheamus is main eventing. I suggest him to send back to smackdown and we may see the interest back on this brand

I didn't think SD was all that great. Christian/Ziggler was good as was Swagger/Mysterio. Not too sure about the Kane revenge plot - haven't we been ther before? I absolutely loathe McIntyre with a passion. Everything about him grates on my nerves. From his irritating accent to his girlie hair and pointed chin That means that he must be doing his job well (but I still hate him). Anyway how will they handle him vs. Teddy Long? There must be a twist surely. Maybe Matt Hardy will change his legally change his name to Teddy Long for one week. Anyone got any ideas?

Kane's storyline looks futile since everybody knows why taker is out (injury during fight with mysterio). But his actions are really interesting. The most interesting part of this storyline was his confrontation with sheamus and having a dominating win over him on raw. We may expect an interbrand feud here as something new now.
However i dont expect lesnar/goldberg level feud but it must entertain the viewers

Hi Kev

On an unrelated post, I am staggered that you responded to a comment a few blogs ago about the football World Cup by saying that you wont be watching any of it. I know Americans aren't into it like the rest of the world but from a deputy sports editor I find it somewhat staggering that you won't even bother watching the most popular sporting event in the entire world. The rest of the world has to put up with the Superbowl being rammed down our throats every year and we don't got all high above our station about it

Re: "I can't think of one who made a better good guy than bad. It's a gimmick, unavoidably, and it's a gimmick that works better when the performer is menacing and fearsome than when he appears on the ramp (as Big Show does now) with a big, dopey smile and waving to the kids."

The Undertaker is a face, and for the bulk of his career was positioned as a "big man" -- he does, however, get used the way you described: intermittently, with the bulk of the actual wrestling on PPV.

Hi Kev,

The straight edge masked man is now regularly beaten by everybody, and he hadn't a decisive influence since Over The Limit.

Don't you think that this could be in fact a trick, and that the guy could soon simply stop making appearences and never be unmasked ?

It seems to me that if it was Joey Mercury or another known wrestler, he would have been already revealed.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Where this angle is headed I don't know, but it has been Mercury under the mask.

i just mute the LayCool segments.
that outfit Michelle had this week was amazing.
i dont think it is a good idea for Ziggler to be with Vickie (i think a Diva could have done him better), unless it is doing what i think it is, and turning him into a face. much like the escobar failed stint.

The rest of the world has to put up with the Superbowl being rammed down our throats every year...

Then your beef is with your local media, whether that's the BBC or Le Monde or whatever. What does that have to do with United States sports fans? I assure you, we don't care one way or another whether the BBC covers the NFL. And that's the difference between us and you: Our enjoyment of NFL doesn't depend on everybody else's approval. We're secure.

does anyone else here thing it could have been the 'NXT' guys who took undertaker out, just and idea what better way to get them over

"On one of the 'Legends' episodes, somebody pointed out that Andre the Giant wasn't used at every show. His appearances were carefully chosen and sparse, so that when the 'big man' showed up it was special."

Not only that but I seem to remember Bruno Sammartino saying in a Kevin Eck video blog that back in the territory days, Andre would be used no more than once a year in a given territory.

Regarding the lack of star power on Smackdown in several posts, remember that the show will be leaving MyNetworkTV in the next few months. WWE isn't going to load up Smackdown until they start promoting it's new home.

"We're secure"

Trust me Stephen, we are more than secure enough about the World Cup and your lack of enthusiasm, as I said I am just staggered that a sports editor won't even watch a few seconds of the biggest sports tournament in the world