"WWE Friday Night SmackDown" 7-31-09 Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

After Night of Champions Jeff Hardy is once again World Heavyweight Champion after he defeated the man who took the title from him after his win at Extreme Rules, CM Punk. John Morrison has been declaring his intent to challenge the winner for weeks and tonight he will get his chance. In other SmackDown action, Rey Mysterio kept his Intercontinental Title out of the hands of Dolph Ziggler, Women's Champion Michelle McCool beat Melina and Chris Jericho retained the Unified Tag Team Championship over Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase with his new partner, RAW's Big Show.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown #519
Friday, July 31, 2009 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on MyNetworkTV

FIRST DEFENSE
In his first match since becoming New World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy puts his gold on the line tonight against the hungry John Morrison. Will The Charismatic Enigma or Friday Night Delight prevail?

[Condiment King]

Hardy's promo at the top was awful. He's gotten real bad the last two weeks. He sounds like he's a musician opening up an act, with his stuff like THANK YOU <CITY>! that he did last week.

Harts vs Cryme Tyme was the best match they've had. There were some exchanges with Tyson Kidd and JTG that were real good, especially Kidd's springboard blockbuster. Jericho & Show vs Cryme Tyme could be good. At the very least, these two are elevating tag teams to a higher level with their feuds.

Morrison's promo was kinda awkward and stilted, but I loved the line about Jeff partying on the mountain with the freaks. Haha.

Women's tag was fine with a great finish, but I can't believe they'd continue Michelle vs Melina after two PPV matches. But honestly, where else do they have to turn to now?

Rey & Finlay vs Dolph & Knox was pretty good, but I thought this match actually got too much time. They teased the Rey tag in for what seemed like forever. I also was expecting Dolph to get the win to keep the feud going, but Rey just pinned Dolph again clean. I liked Dolph's angry demeanor tonight. He even didn't do his hair taunt for most of the match, having it in a ponytail.

Khali vs Charlie Haas was pointless. This Kane vs Khali feud has been the same freaking thing every week.

Morrison vs Hardy was great and got plenty of time, which I liked. I also liked how much they built it throughout the show as John Morrison's biggest match ever, and they had the "important intros" and everything. I hated the two commercial breaks in this match, but oh well. I liked Morrison kicking out of the swanton the first time. Lots of good spots here actually.

The finish was a WIN. Punk was fantastic. I loved how he teased being a nice guy for so long and then finally hit him with the mic! What a great spot. Hardy vs Punk next week should be good, and that being next week really makes me think it could be a three-way at Summerslam.

[hobbyfan]

Hardy-Morrison was the match of the night, easily. Lots of back & forth between champion & challenger, recalling when Morrison, then known as Johnny Nitro, traded the IC title with Hardy in '06, as JR & Grish brought up during the match. Awesome.

And just when you think CM Punk is going to quickly return to being a face, WHAM! A severe beatdown of Hardy to set up a title rematch next week. Meltzer is reporting that Hardy is on the books until at least October now, so maybe he is going to re-up (let's hope).

I get the idea behind Cryme Tyme over Hart Dynasty---again---but I'm not ready to buy them as tag team champs. It speaks to the lack of tag teams across the rosters right now. Yes, the two teams had another solid match, but what do the Harts have to do to earn a title shot?

Women's tag was fine. Oh, and Grish, that wasn't the Faith Breaker (Styles Clash) that Michelle tried on Melina, but rather the Widow's Peak.

Grish also screwed up when he said (I think) that Mike Knox & Dolph Ziggler hadn't teamed before. Well, that's what it sounded like to me. Last I remember, Ziggy left Knox hung out to dry in a match involving Great Khali. One other factor that worked against Ziggy is that Maria opted to remain backstage this time. I guess she figured she wasn't a good luck charm at Night of Champions, so she'll stay behind.

Has anyone else noticed how much Tyson Kidd resembles Aang from "Avatar: The Last Airbender"?

[Hobbes829]

the hardy morrison match was good but i wouldn't call it great. JR made a statement that is so absurd. It's one thing for grisham to say that jeff is one of the most popular stars ever in wwe (true) and it's instant electricity when he walks in the building, but it's absurd when JR said "the same could be said for John Morrison" That's not even remotely true. The fans are just getting to know John. He's not anywhere near being one of the most popular in history. I'm fine with them saying he's a huge up and coming star, but this was just way too much.

The people really got behind that tag match with mysterio.

They really need to stop giving morrison and hardy mic time. Either that or they need to get better quickly

[Djm912]

I get the idea behind Cryme Tyme over Hart Dynasty---again---but I'm not ready to buy them as tag team champs. It speaks to the lack of tag teams across the rosters right now. Yes, the two teams had another solid match, but what do the Harts have to do to earn a title shot?

They've been in WWE longer, and have wrestled better competition, including wresting for the belts in the past. What has the Hart Dynasty done?

[LinkG07]

They really need to stop giving morrison and hardy mic time. Either that or they need to

I would agree, but their options are pretty limited as of late. With the lack of Main Event talent on Smackdown! (and in general if you wanna get technical) there aren't many talkers to put up to the Mic for the crowd... or good talkers for that matter. I'm just gonna say they're pretty much in a hole. With that said:

Jeff's promo was a snore at the beginning, and it seemed like he knew people would doze off SO HE RAISED HIS VOICE LIKE THIS ON THE EXCLAMATION POINTS! Sorry Hardy, you're off tonight...

So JGT's finisher is called the Shout Out. Huh... Nonetheless, I love seeing JGT in action, he seems so smooth when he pulls off his moves and seeing him do the Shout Out was a treat, that's for sure. Oh and about the Break Down the Walls, Crank It Up mix... no. Although, the promo was pretty nice.

Michelle McCool actually lost? Wow, good thing I was sitting down already. :anime: Anyways the finish was nice but I wasn't really paying attention till I saw/heard Michelle kick Melina's skull in.

I didn't really feel the Mysterio/Finlay - Ziggler/Knox match. I guess I was sort of out of it, but bleh.

Its just a blank space here, out of it.

Main event was nice, and ended as I expected: Morrison losing clean. But the end was tremendous, I kind of laughed when Punk started talking then all of a sudden bum rushing Jeff. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Heel Punk.

[Hobbes829]

I would agree, but their options are pretty limited as of late. With the lack of Main Event talent on Smackdown! (and in general if you wanna get technical) there aren't many talkers to put up to the Mic for the crowd... or good talkers for that matter. I'm just gonna say they're pretty much in a hole. With that said:

Jeff's promo was a snore at the beginning, and it seemed like he knew people would doze off SO HE RAISED HIS VOICE LIKE THIS ON THE EXCLAMATION POINTS! Sorry Hardy, you're off tonight...

Main event was nice, and ended as I expected: Morrison losing clean. But the end was tremendous, I kind of laughed when Punk started talking then all of a sudden bum rushing Jeff. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you: Heel Punk.

sorry i seemed to trail off in mid sentence. In any event, that's why the business is in the state that it is.

Your second point is great. He does do that.

Why couldn't they have morrison lose clean to Punk? The match was good but i dislike the fact that the ending had morrison kick out of the swanton. Come on! He's an up and comer and i realize they are trying to put him over strong but i've never been a big fan of guys kicking out of eachother's finishers, except in big matches like HBK/Taker but even then it can be overkill.

[Condiment King]

I would agree, but their options are pretty limited as of late. With the lack of Main Event talent on Smackdown! (and in general if you wanna get technical)

You've been saying this, but I couldn't disagree more. It just seems like less because Edge is hurt and Jericho is tied up in the tag titles. Smackdown has plenty of main event talent. In fact, they probably have more than Raw when it comes to depth (and I think anyone can guess my opinion on who has the more quality main event talent).

And Smackdown has been the show where guys like Dolph and Morrison have been elevated, yes, but is that a bad thing? Can you honestly see guys getting maxed out like this on Raw? The Miz was looking like he might be for awhile and then he was jobbed out to Cena. I can really only think of Kofi as a good example.

[Hobbes829]

raw has more main event talent. The difference in main eventers and the talent you're thinking of is tickets sold. A main eventer isn't a guy that neccessarily has great matches but the guy that sells tickets. Raw has more of them.

Morrison is upper mid card now, but not ready for the main events. Neither is Ziggler.

Kofi still needs some seasoning. I think MVP is ready.

[Condiment King]

raw has more main event talent. The difference in main eventers and the talent you're thinking of is tickets sold. A main eventer isn't a guy that neccessarily has great matches but the guy that sells tickets. Raw has more of them.

Morrison is upper mid card now, but not ready for the main events. Neither is Ziggler.

Kofi still needs some seasoning. I think MVP is ready.

Randy Orton is like the only main event heel unless you count the Big Show who seems to only be in main event feuds every so often.

We haven't seen Raw yet at "full strength" with Cena, Triple H, Batista, and HBK all wrestling at the same time and all on the face side, but I think that instead of being something you necessarily like, it'll probably be like a cluster.

When it comes to ticket sales, of course Raw has the edge because they have more stars, but that's not really what I was talking about.

I almost never look at wrestling with a business man's perspective, so I think the current setup is great for Smackdown. Some might perceive it as making WWE more of a stepladder with ECW at the bottom rung, Smackdown in the middle and Raw at the top, but I see it as making Smackdown the really exciting show.

Though with Edge hurt and Jericho in the tag division, the episodes haven't been quite as awesome as the initial amazing like two-month run they had immediately after the draft took effect.

EDIT: I feel like if I was MVP I would really regret being on Raw more than anyone else. I know it's the live show and everything, but I just cannot see MVP ever being elevated to main event status on Raw. There's too many main event stars. I mean you could almost see their thought process. The first night he was on it, they had MVP wrestle Orton to emphasize that the draft was new and exciting, and then they just forgot about him. His run on Raw has been completely unremarkable, and they essentially gave his push to Kofi. (Which, honestly, I think was a good move because I like Kofi better than MVP.)

[Hobbes829]

Randy Orton is like the only main event heel unless you count the Big Show who seems to only be in main event feuds every so often.

We haven't seen Raw yet at "full strength" with Cena, Triple H, Batista, and HBK all wrestling at the same time and all on the face side, but I think that instead of being something you necessarily like, it'll probably be like a cluster.

When it comes to ticket sales, of course Raw has the edge because they have more stars, but that's not really what I was talking about.

I almost never look at wrestling with a business man's perspective, so I think the current setup is great for Smackdown. Some might perceive it as making WWE more of a stepladder with ECW at the bottom rung, Smackdown in the middle and Raw at the top, but I see it as making Smackdown the really exciting show.

Though with Edge hurt and Jericho in the tag division, the episodes haven't been quite as awesome as the initial amazing like two-month run they had immediately after the draft took effect.

EDIT: I feel like if I was MVP I would really regret being on Raw more than anyone else. I know it's the live show and everything, but I just cannot see MVP ever being elevated to main event status on Raw. There's too many main event stars. I mean you could almost see their thought process. The first night he was on it, they had MVP wrestle Orton to emphasize that the draft was new and exciting, and then they just forgot about him. His run on Raw has been completely unremarkable, and they essentially gave his push to Kofi. (Which, honestly, I think was a good move because I like Kofi better than MVP.)

but the business side and the art side don't have to diverge. Guys like Austin, HHH, HBK, and Orton got over because they are good artists. They understand how to paint the picture of 2 prize fighters trying to beat the other. Psychology allows you to connect with the audience. it's an interemotional art form. The people feed off the wrestlers and the wrestlers feed off of them. That's what makes a great wrestling show so fun.

I will agree on one thing though, Smackdown thus far has better utilized the talent that it has which is what a good booker should do.

There's no such thing as too many main event stars. If you have guys that are main eventers, you just put some of them into just the featured roles while a few guys take the top spots and you switch off depending on where the stories go.

[Wade Kruse]

There's no such thing as too many main event stars.

While I agree with you, I'm not sure the WWE brass does. They seem far too focused on a small handful of guys, and tend to make everyone else look like they're far, far below them. I'm really tired of seeing midcarders fed to main eventers and treated like jobbers, and I'm especially tired of seeing main eventers plow through multiple midcarders at once in handicap matches and such. Like, it's ridiculous how ineffective Legacy is made to look. They can't even beat down a guy when it's three-on-one most of the time.

That's why I like Smackdown so much. A midcarder can go against a main eventer and have a good, hard-fought match that makes both guys look good. Over on Raw you have Cena tearing through Miz in five minutes on ppv, Big Show squashing the US champ, and Triple H sending three men running scared every week. Just...bleh.

[Hobbes829]

While I agree with you, I'm not sure the WWE brass does. They seem far too focused on a small handful of guys, and tend to make everyone else look like they're far, far below them. I'm really tired of seeing midcarders fed to main eventers and treated like jobbers, and I'm especially tired of seeing main eventers plow through multiple midcarders at once in handicap matches and such. Like, it's ridiculous how ineffective Legacy is made to look. They can't even beat down a guy when it's three-on-one most of the time.

That's why I like Smackdown so much. A midcarder can go against a main eventer and have a good, hard-fought match that makes both guys look good. Over on Raw you have Cena tearing through Miz in five minutes on ppv, Big Show squashing the US champ, and Triple H sending three men running scared every week. Just...bleh.

that's why i've never understood the logic of having a single person beat a team in a handicap match. I get that they want to show the guy overcoming the odds but the people will get the idea of someone trying their hardest but coming up short and won't think the less of him for it.

Wrestling can be out there in many ways but there still has to be a consequence and logic to it.

[Wade Kruse]

Exactly. Would kids stop cheering for Cena if he lost a handicap match to Legacy? Of course not. If anything, it would rally Cena's fans against the heels even more, and build the anticipation to Cena getting his payback.

[Hobbes829]

Exactly. Would kids stop cheering for Cena if he lost a handicap match to Legacy? Of course not. If anything, it would rally Cena's fans against the heels even more, and build the anticipation to Cena getting his payback.

There are circumstances where it could work because, you have only 1 guy on the team in the ring at a time, and you could tell a story where the 2 in the team aren't getting along or there is a miscommunication, etc. and the person out numbered capitalized but that takes skill and should be done sparingly.

[Wade Kruse]

Yeah, but it's usually just "main eventer beats a tag team by himself" in the WWE. Which is annoying.

[The Penguin]

Regardless of the quality, Jeff's promo and the build to his entrance made this feel like the first time rather than third time he has been Heavyweight Champion. That says to me that he'll have the belt for awhile, but we'll see what happens.

With Jericho & Show being the Champions, it was to be expected that Cryme Tyme would win the title shot. Regardless of tenure, the Harts have been fairly successful since their debut and they haven't even gotten close to the Tag Titles. I guess now is not the time.

Todd says he wakes up at night thinking of the Eve-Layla dance off. I do too, I wake up screaming. We are in our third month of these these two not getting along. The finish of the Diva tag match was fantastic with Melina flipping Michelle. Bravo.

They didn't win, but the Ziggler/Knox team was at least more cohesive this time. I thought it was great how Ziggler looked so angry on his way to the ring. He still did his standard entrance, but he didn't have the usual cocky energy. He didn't slide across the ring apron like he usually does and there were no smiles when he took his vest off. It was a bit subtle, but it so worked. Ziggler probably won't be in a much better mood after losing to Rey again. After some of the horrible ring positioning we have seen from the Divas lately I just want to point out that Ziggler did a great job making sure his arms didn't end up under the ropes when Mysterio rolled him up. Normally with a sunset flip, the arms of the guy being pinned are above his head, but Ziggler kept them to the side to prevent either a rope break or a sketchy pin.

I said last week that the Kane actually being afraid of someone is rather intriguing, but not if the story doesn't advance at all past the point it has been at since the first time Kane ran away. Perhaps Kane attacking Ranjin Singh will move things along a bit.

After the WWE Rewind to hype the Cryme Tyme match it seemed kind of pointless to then have the RAW Rebound cover the same information, but whatever. Really they should have positioned the Cryme Tyme match on the card to work with the RAW Rebound.

I liked the time the Hardy-Morrison match got and was just pretty happy with how everything turned out. Only two things I was not particularly thrilled with. I realize they are trying to build Morrison as an up-and-comer, but it seems unfair to seemingly ignore his ECW Title reign. It's not overly important, but when they run down his titles, I don't believe it's ever been mentioned. And I don't know if it's really fair to blame Jeff for this, but it seems like more than any other high-flyer, it is on the guy on laying on the mat to awkwardly roll around until he is in position for the Swanton. Shouldn't that be Jeff's job?

Punk's build from the handshake the night before was fantastic. After the hand raise and nothing happened I really thought Punk wasn't going to do anything. The blast with the mic and the brutal attack that followed was perfectly executed. Will Punk actually take the title back? After what we saw, I'd believe it.

[halinar]

So the guys with their underware sticking out want us to think that Jericho is girlie because they chant Christina.... Not buying it.

Please.... no more Hart's vs Cryme time. I'm tired of FF though those matches week after week.