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Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.5): Best: Finlay vs. Shelton Worst: batle royal. So Smackdown has its Championship Scramble now, and the rules were compounded by what sounded like Rumble rules. Don't think this match concept has been thoroughly defined. That said, the match was made important with the qualifiers, something Raw should have done instead, which would further explained some of their interactions. The battle royal was loaded with problems. Kozlov is given his first technical loss, though it will probably be forgotten. Unless, of course, he exacts revenge on those who tossed him out, most of whom he's squashed already. Big Show is in that state of having nothing creatively to do (oversight indeed), so he invades the battle royal and illegally eliminates everyone but Kendrick. Interesting finish leaving Kendrick to win, despite the rest of the booking of the match. MVP-Festus and Finlay-Shelton were both very good matches with Finlay-Shelton edging for post-match done right. The punishment of Kenny continues via Triple H. Could lead to something curious afterwards, though, as Kenny made a good point in his promo of wanting to be taken seriously. Not holding my breath, though. While it was well done, I'm also holding judgment on the end segment. It was difficult to tell if Vickie was really trapping Taker, or if La Familia was simply trying to protect her when Taker didn't seem to accepting of any apologies from Vickie. Of the three, Smackdown made the most of the PPV exit.

Alex Roberts in the UK (0.5): Best Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay. Worst Match: Squashamania a/k/a The Battle Royal. If this is an example of the best of WWE booking, then clearly I'm massively out of step with the rest of the wrestling world. Without doubt and without question this is the worst wrestling show I have seen in a long time with booking that defies all logic and common sense. For example, a week after having Koslov go over Festus they protected Festus with a screwy finish to his match with MVP but had no qualms with Koslov being squashed by The Big Show. Speaking of The Big Show, what has happened to him? Can anyone explain how the "fantastic creative team" behind Smackdown have managed to turn the hottest act in professional wrestling into this? Why has he been reduced to a creative afterthought squashing nobodies? And why in a match that should have been about getting Kendrick over was The Big Show the centre of attention? In fact, why were all four Championship Scramble challengers given such poor booking as they qualified for a title shot? Not one of them got a convincing or clean victory; is this how the WWE builds momentum now? And was Triple H's awful promo (seriously, get rid of the forced and unfunny comedy already) him putting the match and his challengers over? And is this Kenny Dykstra angle going to lead to anything other than Kenny being squashed every week? On top of all of this the "best creative team around" have decided to continue the unbelievably stale Vickie Guerrero-Undertaker angle, as if that's got anywhere to go now and as if what everyone was crying out for was another evil authority vs. wrestler angle. The laws of diminishing returns have rendered that angle pointless now. I find myself on the verge of giving up on Smackdown again; they've got me for one more week because potentially they can push Kendrick, MVP, Hardy, and Benjamin during this Championship Scramble. but if they screw that up I'm gone. I do however feel some credit must be given to Shelton Benjamin who is just about the only reason this Smackdown rose above a zero for me. Over the past year Benjamin has developed beyond all recognition; he now looks and sounds comfortable on the mic and continues to evolve and improve in the ring. If WWE screws up his push after all the obvious work he's put in and the improvements he's made, then I'm going to end up throwing something at my TV. He's done everything WWE has asked of him lately and the time has come for them to reward that. All in all, though, Smackdown continues to be the pointless, creative afterthought that its been for far too long. There are no feuds and no driving force or direction to the show. Everything is just there without momentum and point. Once again I find myself saying that if this is the best the WWE has to offer, then I'd prefer they produce their worst.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "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 Smackdown, click here.

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