Madman's Notepad: WWE SmackDown! 6/26/09 Thoughts & Opinions

Submitted By James Walsh on 06/28/09

I have taken to watching some wrestling early in the morning as work tends to be light and affords itself to me having the TV on as I shift through paperwork. As a result, I have attempted to tape record (VHS, DVD.. Whatever is at hand) the shows to make sure I can check them out that following day. Today, I watched SmackDown! from Friday night, June 26th. I'm glad that I did! So, as I watched this edition of SmackDown!, I typed up some thoughts on what went down. Some of them are thought fragments and this is far from something I'd classify as a point to point editorial. But, I do think I say some valid things, however, and overall do a nice job of rounding out my thoughts if I do say so myself. Oh well, enjoy and be sure and email me your feedback! Vince McMahon on SmackDown! didn't catch me the way I hoped that it would. Vince owns the company and has the right to appear on any show he chooses. But, I think SmackDown! was picking up team because it was, for all intents and purposes, the un-RAW. What I mean by that is we are not tired of seeing most of the guys currently on SmackDown! In fact, I think you could argue that we are excited to see most of that roster with a hopeful feeling as we do because they are the future when RAW, the current, isn't exactly floating our boats. It actually bothered me a little because I do not want SmackDown!, which seems to be quickly becoming the WWE's best kept secret, get told and somehow tarnished. I still am amazed that people cheer for R Truth. So, let me get this straight. John Cena plays a rapper gimmick (or used to) and has average wrestling skill and yet he is treated like an axe murderer by people... "Boo, he sucks!" Yet, a guy with a rapper gimmick that absolutely sucks in the ring like R Truth and its, "What's up, whats up?" I'm sorry, he sucked when he was K Kwick and was doing the same gimmick a decade ago and he sucks now. I usually don't rip on people this rough but at what point does in ring ability get completely left in the dark? The guy is, and always was, a damn joke when it came to what he could do inside those ropes. On the other hand, Shelton Benjamin is starting to finally hit home on where his character needed to be 5 years ago. He is playing the un-Truth. While I would have gone more towards a Carlton Banks from Fresh Prince route, he is finally playing the well educated African American that points out how stupid this "representin'" bullshit really is. What is it exactly those who "represent" are "representin'" anyway? An inability to speak properly and a love of shitty music? I digress, Shelton always came off as a well educated and finely tuned athlete. Him finally being an extension of his exterior to this level will make him a star if he can keep playing to it. All he has ever lacked was personality. This could be the first steps towards building one. If I never hear Kid Rock again, it will be too soon. What made the Dirt Sheet on WWE.com funny was funny banter and references to the past. Word Up never was any good. It is like a high school TV show where the hosst are trying to be like the host of "Yo! MTV Raps" or whatever the hell is cool these days. Again, how many sentence fragments must I sit through before I go and take a little orange pill and swallow one and stuff 2 in each ear? Absolutely nothing short of annoying. We get it, Michael Hayes! You're not a racist... Now, stop this! Have I made it clear that I absolutely love the direction they are heading with John Morrison? This is brilliant. This really is something to get excited about! From his recent Superstars loss to Chris Jericho to his great match with Edge, I am not sure I would have had him beat Punk but it did click in so well with what they are doing with Punk by having CM Punk do the dastardly thing of the post match Go to Sleep. That said, great call by Grisham by saying "Well, sometimes good people do bad thing". YES! An announcer that actually tries to give the babyface the benefit of the doubt! When it comes to Morrison, I am eating a lot of crow for ever being critical of Jim Ross. It is clear to me that Morrison's prospects excite JR. An excited JR on commentary is still the best in the business.... I just wish there was more exciting stuff for JR to call as he really has been on his game! The Rage in the Cage, which was a pretty cool video game for the ill faded Sega CD system back in the mid 90's, was a pretty cool match though somehow seemed unnecessary. I know the feeling is that without these outstanding matches that are so good they could be on pay-per-view, the ratings would go down. But, I don't happen to believe that. Ratings may have gone down before when there was another channel to flip to for other wrestling shows. These days, if someone tunes in to watch wrestling, chances are they will do so if it is Jeff Hardy against Chris Jericho in a cage (for example purposes) or Jeff Hardy against the local schmo in a tune up match. But, maybe I'm wrong, Overall, SmackDown! was a fun show. I look forward to seeing what happens at the Bash later on this evening! :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! All your favorite stars such as Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Harley Race, Andre the Giant, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Booker T, & countless others! We've also got the Divas! 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