-- 2/26 WWE Smackdown Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Edge vs. Miz. Worst: Michelle vs Mickie. Save for the weaknesses of the guest hosts, Raw was pretty focused on WrestleMania. Save for the Michelle vs. Mickie match, Smackdown was also very focused on WrestleMania. In the three Money in the Bank qualifiers, Kane sticks out like a sore thumb in the group. I'm also surprised Kane got the nod as the one who beat McIntyre. Not my choice, but I'm not the one in charge. The gazillion spears Edge has hit Jericho with makes me think that we're about to see the redux of Michaels-Orton at Survivor Series 2007. Miz made good points about not having a match at WrestleMania despite being a double-title holder. Not sure which match I'd like to see him in, though the U.S. and IC Titles have had no love at the Grandest Stage in a really long time. My knee-jerk response to the Michaels-Taker video happened again; enough said. And just where was The Undertaker asking for a re-match? Yeah, the result will be predictable, but the annual Streak match shouldn't be the only thing important to he Deadman. Michelle vs. Mickie is the current "feud that will never end." Not sure if the finish was botched or a tease (or a botch that became a tease), but it was still poorly done. And where again was Teddy Long to step in where Vickie has little to no authority? (And just out of curiosity, should I assume Long has forgiven Shawn Michaels for the Sweet Chin Music from a couple of weeks ago--since the video seems to have absolved Shawn?) I may have my issues with certain storylines, but Smackdown's execution was well-done for the most part tonight.

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT professional/author (7.5): Best Match: Morrison-R-Truth-Ziggler. Worst Match: Kane-McIntyre. This episode of Smackdown had some good in-ring action, but it just lacked pizzazz. The triple threat match was excellent, and they often had all three men in the ring, unlike the usual formula. The inverted powerslam was impressive and the three guys on the turnbuckle, culminating in Ziggler taking a nasty bump was great. I honestly had no idea who would win this, but I was happy to see Ziggler get it. The Kane-McIntyre mess made no sense. These two have zero in-ring chemistry, and giving away Drew's first loss to Kane - to qualify for the MITB match - made no sense. Better to have used Kane vs. Mike Knox, Finlay, or some other established jobber and leave Drew's first loss as a way to determine a #1 contender for the IC Title. The women's match was decent, but the ending made no sense despite it being predictable. Is Mickie James about to leave WWE, perhaps? Clearly, Beth Phoenix is going for the title next, which is nothing but good. The Benjamin-Punk match was good, but I expected great from those two; not enough time for them to tell a good story in the ring. I look forwards to the Mysterio-Punk program, though! I really liked the cameos from the NXT rookies. It made perfect sense, exposed them to a bigger audience, and underscored that they are learning. I liked Daniel Bryan watching The Miz despite the beating he took. Where was Punk's rookie (who I predict will be getting a haircut after a few more losses in order to get Punk to teach him)? The main event was decent, and it was good to see The Miz get a ton of offense in. My only problem is that I can't buy the spear as a finisher. Football players get tackled dozens of times in a game, and get up. If a spear from Batista or Big Show can't get a three count, why does it work for Edge? I know that finishers don't need much logic, but the spear is such a common move that it makes no sense for it to be a finisher; that would be like Jericho having a special armbar finisher.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Smackdown Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on SD, click here.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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