By Jonathan Bain, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to Week Six of Depth Perception! This week we saw a World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage match, the announcement of more matches for No Mercy and the (sort of) return of Gregory Helms to Smackdown in which backstage vignettes of him were shown, taking shots at the heel Champions on the show. There's a lot more to discuss so onto this week's Championship Rankings!

World Heavyweight Champion - Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho had a busy night on Raw this week, his Championship Steel Cage match against C.M. Punk opened the show and he made several appearances throughout the night. The Steel Cage match was a very good and was a great way to start the show. Jericho won when he and C.M. Punk butted heads and Jericho fell out of the cage through the open door. After the match, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talked up Jericho's win as lucky due to basically being head-butted out of the cage. I was disappointed with the booking of the finish and the commentator's remarks because for weeks Jericho has been portrayed as a serious, ruthless heel and I don't want to see him turn into a cowardly, fluke Champion.

With that said, he did win the cage match to retain his title so it wasn’t a bad start to the show for him. Jericho then told GM Mike Adamle that he's been through a lot in the past eight days and should be taken better care of. Still cowardly heel at this point. Then Jericho was involved in a locker room segment in which JBL tried to talk him into giving him a title shot. Jericho cut a good promo, basically telling JBL he wasn’t going to give him one because he doesn’t like him. Here Jericho wasn’t a cowardly heel and was more of a take no BS kind of heel, much better.

Finally, Jericho closed the show in the ring with a good promo, where he suggested that at No Mercy, Batista and JBL face each other and then immediately afterwards, Jericho would give the winner a title shot. Mike Adamle didn’t like that idea, so instead made Shawn Michaels the number contender for No Mercy, in a ladder match. Jericho looked on from the ring as HBK cut a promo at the top of the ramp. Jericho hugged his title belt and looked concerned. A mixed week for Jericho and while he won his title match, he was booked as cowardly and lucky. He won't move up or down this week.

Challengers:

Shawn Michaels: HBK was announced as the challenger for Chris Jericho's title at No Mercy in a ladder match. Shawn cut a promo saying he wanted to permanently disfigure Jericho and take his Championship. HBK closed the show sitting atop a ladder staring at Jericho.

C.M. Punk: C.M. Punk failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship when he lost to Chris Jericho in the Steel Cage match on Raw. Despite losing, Punk was booked really well and dominated the early stages of the match. At the end of the match, Punk and Jericho butted heads and Jericho fell out of the cage to win. It was put over as unlucky for C.M. Punk and he still looked pretty good, so perhaps he'll get another title opportunity sometime after the winner of No Mercy's number one contender's match gets their shot.

Batista: Batista was shown watching Chris Jericho's celebration after winning the Steel Cage match backstage on a televison monitor. Later, Batista joined Santino, Beth Phoenix, JBL and Randy Orton in the ring and challenged JBL to a number one contender's match. Batista also mocked Santino and Beth before attacking JBL and laying both Santino and Beth out with Spinebusters. It was announced later in the show that Batista would face JBL at No Mercy and the winner would become the number one contender for the World Championship.

JBL: After squashing ECW's Tommy Dreamer, JBL grabbed a steel chair and sat in the ring, refusing to leave until GM Mike Adamle named him the number one contender. JBL was interrupted by Randy Orton. JBL then cut a really good promo on Orton after Santino and Beth Phoenix had joined the segment but before Batista came out. After Batista's promo, he and JBL brawled briefly. Later, JBL tried to get Chris Jericho to give him a title shot but Jericho was having none of it. JBL will face Batista at No Mercy for the number one contendership.

Randy Orton: Randy Orton interrupted JBL's promo and insulted him and said that once he's recovered from his injury, he'll become the World Heavyweight Champion. Santino and Beth Phoenix interrupted him to demand an apology for comments he made a few weeks ago but Orton refused. JBL told Orton that he had become irrelevant and threatened him. Batista came out and when he attacked JBL, Orton bailed and was last seen sharing a short, intense stare down with DiBiase, Rhodes and Manu on their way to the ring.

WWE Champion - Triple H

Strangely, Triple H didn't have any mic time this week, not even a backstage segment. I would have liked to at least see him interviewed by Eve about his match with MVP or about Kozlov attacking Jeff. The Game did have a good week in the ring though, he beat MVP in the main event of Smackdown in a non-title match. Triple H countered a top rope double axe-handle from MVP and Pedigreed him for the win. Vladimir Kozlov's music then hit and he came out to the ring. Triple H was ready to fight but after being distracted by MVP, The Game was blindsided by Kozlov. Triple H attempted to fight back but was put down by Kozlov's headbutt finisher and left in pain on the mat. It was difficult to decide where to rank a number of the Champions this week, Triple H was one of them because his win over MVP was good but like two weeks ago, he once again ended the show on his back after being attacked. I didn't think that Triple H necessarily deserved to move down the rankings this week but there were two Champions who I couldn’t deny of the top two spots.

Challengers:

Jeff Hardy: Before wrestling The Brian Kendrick, Jeff Hardy cut a really good, intense promo in the ring. He said that Triple H motivated him last week to finally win the big one and take The Game's WWE Championship. Jeff then began to address Vladimir Kozlov, who attacked him last week, but The Brian Kendrick interrupted with Ezekial. Kendrick took a shot at Hardy's "extra-curricular activities" (bad timing to mention that...). Jeff went on to pin Kendrick with a backslide after countering The Kendrick and Ezekial's attempted distraction. As Jeff was leaving, Vladimir Kozlov came from behind him and kicked him in the chest on the entrance ramp. Jeff looked good in his short match with Kendrick and his promo was very good, he doesn’t look bad after Kozlov's attack, as it was from behind. Good week for Jeff.

Vladimir Kozlov: Kozlov attacked both Jeff Hardy and Triple H this week, he kicked Jeff in the chest after his match and then after the main event, Kozlov took The Game out with his headbutt finisher. The show finished with Kozlov standing over Triple H. I actually think a feud between Triple H and Kozlov would be really good, Kozlov is excellent in his role and his facial expressions are intense. Next week, Vladimir Kozlov will be facing The Great Khali on Smackdown. That's a big match for Kozlov and I hope that there'll be a clean finish.

ECW Champion - Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy continued his momentum by defeating Mike Knox in an enjoyable non-title match on ECW this week. Matt was booked very well in match, I expected Knox to control the match more than he did because of his size advantage but Matt looked very impressive in being able to take the fight to the larger man, Mike Knox. The finish came when Matt pinned Knox with a Twist of Fate. Matt is really on a roll, the fan reactions in the arena have been great and he's picking up some good wins. The announcement of Hardy's title defence against Mark Henry at No Mercy gives Matt the chance to finally beat the former Champion in a title match. Matt's win this week on ECW was good enough for him to retain his number one ranking on Depth Perception!

Challengers:

Mark Henry: It was announced that at No Mercy, Mark Henry will be using his rematch clause to take on Matt Hardy for the ECW Championship. Mark Henry was shown backstage with Tony Atlas watching Matt Hardy's celebration after his victory on ECW. Atlas said Matt looked good in the match which Mark Henry didn’t appreciate. Henry said Matt only looked good because he wasn’t in the ring with him and that he never beat him for the title in the Championship Scramble match. He then focused his anger on Finlay ahead of their match later in the show. In the main event, Mark Henry dominated Finlay and finished him with the World's Strongest Slam. Really impressive win for Mark Henry, he had a bad week last week but this win has got him his heat back. Both Champion and challenger were impressive this week on ECW, good stuff from both men.

Intercontinental Champion - Santino Marella

Santino, accompanied by Beth Phoenix, interrupted Randy Orton and JBL's in-ring promo to demand an apology from Orton for insulting him and The Glamazon a few weeks ago on Raw. Santino's promo was funny but he didn't get the apology he was looking for. Batista came out and mocked Santino and Beth before hitting them both with spinebusters to close the segment, Beth was even spinebustered onto Santino's head, which looked painful! It was good to see Santino in the ring with Orton, JBL and Batista and even though he was playing the fool, the rub was good. With that said, Batista did leave him unconscious on the mat.

Challengers:

Kofi Kingston: Kofi teamed with "Jim Haas" and Jerry Lawler in a losing effort against Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes and Manu. Kofi wasn’t pinned but being on the losing side is no good for him, he deserves more and I hope he can get back into his rivalry with Santino.

United States Champion - Shelton Benjamin

Shelton Benjamin's pre-entrance promo this week saw him take a shot at R-Truth's history in prison before facing him in a non-title match. Shelton was pinned after Truth countered a german-suplex attempt into a roll-through cradle. I really liked this match, there was a lot of good storytelling, from Shelton's disdain for Truth's entrance, to Shelton showing no respect to Truth in the ring. The loss is a shame for Shelton who, in the past two weeks, has lost some steam. This rivalry with R-Truth could lead to some good storytelling and matches and if Shelton can get a win next week, it will put him right back on track.

Challengers:

R-Truth: R-Truth managed to defeat the United States Champion, Shelton Benjamin on Smackdown this week, which should result in him receiving a Championship match. Great win for R-Truth, I didn’t expect him to be put into a Championship rivalry so soon but I'm glad to see it. The fans are really into his entrance and he's got a lot of charisma, as fans of TNA have seen over the past few years, and also fans who remember his run in WWE as K-Kwik.

World Tag Team Champions - Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase

Over the past few weeks, these guys have been on fire. The addition of Manu to their group has made them even stronger and they're on an impressive roll. Before their match this week, they were shown walking past Randy Orton and they stared him down. Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu then defeated the team of Jerry Lawler, Kofi Kingston and "Jim Haas" when DiBiase pinned Haas. Good win for Priceless, they get stronger each week and they've earned the position of rank two this week.

Challengers:

Charlie Haas and ?: I can't really see anyone else that could challenge Rhodes and DiBiase since Cryme Tyme lost to them twice last week and were nowhere to be seen this week. Perhaps Charlie Haas will find a partner to challenge for the titles, I think it would be fun for him to impersonate DiBiase, Rhodes and Manu's legendary fathers.

WWE Tag Team Champions - Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder interrupted Carlito's Cabana on Smackdown, where Carlito and Primo were mocking the Tag Champs. Once Hawkins and Ryder were in the ring, Carlito and Primo pretended to not know who they were. Hawkins and Ryder said that Carlito and Primo's win over them last week was just lucky and went on to accept a challenge from the brothers for a title match next week on Smackdown. Jesse and Festus then came out at Carlito's request and Hawkins and Ryder attacked Carlito and Primo. Jesse and Festus helped the two brothers to fight off Hawkins and Ryder and Festus chased them away. Well, at least Hawkins and Ryder didn’t lose a match for a change, their promo delivery wasn’t too good but it was good that they actually got to speak. They'll be defending their titles next week on Smackdown against Carlito and Primo, where a win for Hawkins and Ryder would be a much needed step to becoming credible Champions. As for their ranking this week, if they'd actually had come out on top in their brawl with Carlito and Primo and Jesse and Festus, then I'd have moved them up above Shelton but I think Hawkins and Ryder came across as kind of lame overall while at least Shelton's loss was treated as a bit of a shock upset. A win next week will move these guys up.

Challengers:

Carlito and Primo Colon: Carlito's Cabana returned to Smackdown this week, Primo was Carlito's special guest. Primo said he was surprised at how easy it was to beat Hawkins and Ryder last week and that it won't be long before he and Carlito became the WWE Tag Team Champions. Hawkins and Ryder interrupted and were challenged to a title match, which they accepted. I really enjoyed Carlito and Primo's mic work this week, they were a lot of fun and have good chemistry. After being attacked by Hawkins and Ryder, Carlito and Primo were helped in fighting them off by Jesse and Festus. Personally, I'd like to see Carlito and Primo win the WWE Tag Team Championships next week but we'll see what happens.

Jesse and Festus: Jesse and Festus continued their strange MyMoving Company gimmick this week on Smackdown, they wrapped Festus' opponent Ryan Braddock in bubble wrap mid-match and took him to the back. Festus was looking really strong in the match but it ended in DQ when all the bubble wrap stuff went down. Later in the show, Jesse and Festus came out to the ring to help Carlito and Primo when they were attacked by Hawkins and Ryder. Festus chased the Tag Champs away with a palm tree. I never thought I'd ever write that in this column.

Women's Champion - Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix had a mixed week and it was quite hard to figure out where to rank her. Beth followed Candice Michelle to the ring to watch her match against Jillian Hall and after the match was challenged to enter the ring by Candice. Beth climbed up onto the apron but was dropkicked to the floor before leaving in a foul mood. She later accompanied Santino to the ring to demand an apology from Randy Orton. Batista interrupted and insulted Beth and Santino then attacked Santino. Beth got in Batista's face and slapped him twice before taking a spinebuster onto Santino from The Animal. I really liked Beth standing up to Batista and the crowd reaction was great. Taking the spinebuster, along with being dropkicked by Candice earlier in the night are the reasons why Beth will drop a rank this week but I think stepping up to Batista was good for her.

Challengers:

Candice Michelle: Candice defeated Jillian Hall with her finishing move, the Candy Wrapper on Raw. After the match, Candice challenged Beth Phoenix to enter the ring and then dropkicked her off the ring apron when she attempted to do so. Good week for Candice Michelle, she was booked strong in her match, she still has some ring rust but that's understandable.

Diva's Champion - Michelle McCool

Smackdown opened this week with Michelle McCool successfully defending her Diva's Championship against Maryse in a rematch from Unforgiven. Michelle pinned Maryse with her pretty cool new finishing move, "The Wings of Love". J.R. noted that this was the first time that the Diva's title had been defended on an episode of Smackdown. Really good win for Michelle, she's finally getting a bit of momentum going and she's beaten her rival Maryse twice now in Championship matches.

Challengers:

Maryse: This week, Maryse was defeated by Michelle McCool for the second time in a Championship match. This is probably the end of Maryse's hunt for the Diva's Championship, she's lost a lot of the momentum she'd gained going into Unforgiven and would need a really impressive win next week to warrant another title shot.

Brie Bella: There was a hint that perhaps Brie Bella has a twin when she asked Maria to design her two identical ring outfits in a backstage segment and Victoria and Natalya noted that Brie always comes out from under the ring looking fresh and energised. I like Brie Bella a lot, she's already got more to her than most of the Diva's on Smackdown, there could be some interesting television as more is revealed about her character.

Natalya Neidhart: Natalya and Victoria mocked Maria and Brie Bella backstage and challenged them to a tag team match next week on Smackdown.

Championship Rankings Week Six

Rank 1. ECW Champion Matt Hardy (No Change)
Rank 2. World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase (Up 1 position)
Rank 3. WWE Champion Triple H (Down 1 position)
Rank 4. World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho (No Change)
Rank 5. Diva's Champion Michelle McCool (Up 1 position)
Rank 6. Women's Champion Beth Phoenix (Down 1 position)
Rank 7. Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella (No Change)
Rank 8. United States Champion Shelton Benjamin (No Change)
Rank 9. WWE Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder (No Change)

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