Instant Reaction - WWE Smackdown 6/7
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

DVR Guide - What to Watch Later

- Miz TV (Q1)
- Jericho vs. Axel (Q2)
- Tag team main event (Q8)

Overall Score - 7.5

Smackdown was a really effective episode tonight because WWE treated it like it was a show that actually mattered. Feuds developed, segments were announced for Raw, and there were two good matches to boot, creating a cohesive and well-paced event. And, as has been the custom as of late, Daniel Bryan once again managed to steal the show.

Bryan's last month has been nothing short of incredible, and his run on offense tonight continued his string of good showings. And the crowd is eating it up. They did something that I haven't heard them do in a long time - they spontaneously started chanting Bryan's name. They weren't chanting it because they were in a "Let's Go Cena, Cena Sucks" type of chant, or because Bryan was trying to hulk up in a match and they were giving him support. The crowd was chanting his name purely based on the connection he has developed with them, something that almost every other face in the company (aside from some part-time stars like Chris Jericho) has failed to do. If that doesn't show how well Bryan is doing, then I don't know what will.

Obviously, both segments that Bryan was in were great. The main event managed to feel fresh even though these wrestlers have fought each other ad nauseam lately, and everyone played their parts well in the opening segment. It was certainly a tad sappy, perhaps too much so for a portion of the audience, but everyone in the ring made it work. Bryan got across his unstable mentality well and Kane did an admirable job as the concerned but alienated friend. Orton and Miz's jabs thrown in throughout were well done also. My one question regarding the entire situation revolves around Orton. After RKO'ing Daniel Bryan, they have to make him a heel, right? Or, not? The announcers did not clarify it, and it would seem odd to turn Orton on Smackdown, but what he did was an unquestionably heelish thing to do. And not in the normal Randy Orton "I walk alone" way either.

In speaking of acting like a heel, thank goodness Damien Sandow put the jock bull y(Sheamus) in his place. Are we in middle school? Tonight was perhaps the best of Sandow's feats of intelligence, but at the same time Sheamus looked more like a jerk than ever. He kicked a man's computer for no reason! What is that teaching your children? Sure, Sandow has been annoying, but Sheamus's responses have made him look seriously bad and have unnecessarily muddled this feud. The end of segment attack on Sheamus was really well done and made Sandow look major league, but the story being told is not making ethical sense.

The rest of the show was pretty solid in its own right. The Kane-Ryback match was quick, painless, and continued to portray Ryback as an unstoppable monster. Basic, yet effective booking. Fandango's squash win built him up while also bringing attention to the triple threat match at Payback, serving as an effective buffer segment. Axel vs. Jericho was the second best match of the night and maybe Axel's best showing to date, with the roll-up win not doing much for him, but solidly hyping C.M. Punk's return match in a week. The announcers did an especially good job of reacting to Punk's music, and Jericho sold the loss extremely well. It's the little things like being irate over getting screwed out of a match win that can really enhance characters and stories, and yet these details can be glossed over so often. It was nice seeing it get the attention that it deserves.

This was one of the more impressive Smackdowns of the year. The pace was quick, even with the Raw recaps, and the action kept my attention throughout. Both Payback and Raw on Monday were hyped well, and there's not much more to ask for. Well, except for the Del Rio segment. Come on now, that was dreck before Ziggler made it on the Titantron.

Any questions or comments? Feel free to message me on Twitter @BTuckertorch .

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