By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

SMACKDOWN HITS

Christian vs. Sheamus: Christian is going to go down as the wrestler of 2011 who had consistently good matches with the same opponent over and over again. First it was Randy Orton and now it is Sheamus. I have enjoyed their matches and this one was no different. It didn't feel special since we've seen it enough, but it was still a good match. They work well together in the ring. Sheamus continues to show that he has what it takes to be a main event babyface. My only issue with this match was the fall away slam on the outside barrier. That sounds like a cool move, but the way Christian landed just made me nervous.

Mark Henry: Whether it was in his verbal encounter backstage with Daniel Bryan, his physicality during and after their match, or his promo on Big Show following Show's handicap match, Mark Henry delivered this week. It isn't surprising as he has been delivering on Smackdown for quite some time at this point. I really enjoy hearing him talk. I'm never going to be a big fan of his matches, but given the right opponent and the right storyline, he can have good ones. I think fans are tuning in to see what he is going to do next and to see if someone like Big Show can stop him.

Hunico, Epico, Primo: Ok. I'm not in love with the idea of putting these guys together just because they are all Latin decent. But, there is definitely potential in this team. I am still amazed at the spring board into the powerbomb that Hunico and Epico pulled off against Sin Cara last week. Here they got a chance to establish themselves in a win over the Usos. If Hunico is the leader, then shouldn't he be a singles wrestler with the cousins teaming up? That makes more sense to me, and we need to hear from this team sooner than later. But, it is off to a pretty good start.

Orton vs. Barrett: This was a good main event for Smackdown. Wade Barrett continues to get a push. It is nice to see him getting a main event match, especially up against Randy Orton, and getting a win. I loved the spot before the commercial where he leaped over the steps on the outside, then kicked them into Orton's legs. This was a good match. Barrett definitely has skills in the ring. The ending wasn't great, as I'm not buying the thumb to the eye as being such an egregious act that it would have gotten Barrett disqualified if the referee had seen it. But, it was a big win for him and it built some intrigue to see more of him moving forward.

SMACKDOWN MISSES

Opening Segment: This wasn't a terrible opening for Smackdown. The mic work was solid from Randy Orton, Wade Barrett and Christian, but it just felt uninspired. It did an ok job of making me interested in watching the rest of the show, but it wasn't anything special. My real issue is that it is just one in a long list of Smackdowns without a planned main event until something happens in the opening segment that sparks an idea in Teddy Long's mind to make a match. I hate this. What would the main event have been otherwise? Shouldn't Long have at least something in mind? This would have been an easy fix for him to simply say that after it got canceled last week, Christian vs. Sheamus was going to be this week's main event, but due to what happened in the opening, he was moving it up to the first match and adding a new main event. How hard would that be?

Aksana Segment: Okay. I have ignored Aksana on Smackdown since she debuted several weeks back flirting with Teddy Long. I guess I felt that it was somehow beneath me to comment on something so stupid. But, I can't ignore it any more. First of all, it was strange to hear Teddy Long talking to Charles Robinson about doing a good job lately. What was that all about? I think that might be the first time the words "Usos" and "big match" have been spoken in the same sentence. Breaking the fourth wall (is that the right expression?) by having the saxophone music play every time Aksana enters the shot is just totally stupid. The bad puns are getting worse each week. Enough already.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw and Smackdown each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

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

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