By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

SMACKDOWN HITS

Opening Segment: This was probably the best Smackdown since WrestleMania, though that isn't necessarily saying much considering how poor the show has been the last month or so. It got off to a good start with Sheamus' short promo on Daniel Bryan and the short match between them. You knew it wasn't going to go long and you knew WWE had to transition from Bryan to Alberto Del Rio quickly, so the ending made sense. It was a hot start to the show. I also liked the tension between Bryan and Del Rio. I hate it when heels get along with each other just because they are heels. This makes sense that Bryan wouldn't like what Del Rio did.

Truth & Kingston vs. Hunico & Camacho: This was a nice short match to feature the new Tag Team Champions. It was what it needed to be. It allowed Hunico and Camacho to get in some offense, but kept the focus on R-Truth and Kofi Kingston. They looked strong in the match, justifying their position as the Tag Team Champs. It was a well executed match with some really fun spots. I would have liked to see it go a little longer, but it was good while it lasted. The announcers also did a nice job of talking about how this was the first time Hunico and Camacho had actually teamed up on Smackdown, and how they wanted to prove something against the Champs.

Damian Sandow: I am enjoying what WWE is doing with the intellectual savior of the masses. Sandow is playing his part well. This was a nice tease of his in ring debut. I liked the fact that he refused to wrestle Derrick Bateman. That would seem to make Bateman a babyface, so does that make Ryback a heel? I'm really not sure what we're supposed to think of him. He was squashing fools who made fun of the local crowds, so that would seem to make him more of a babyface. I don't know.

Show & Orton vs. Rhodes & Kane: This was a good tag match. With all the talk about Big Show getting his Intercontinental Title rematch at live events over the weekend against Cody Rhodes, I'm assuming this was the tv blow off to their feud and both will move on to something else. That is an interesting way to go, to give Show the tv victory over Rhodes while keeping the IC Title on Rhodes. The match was enjoyable. All four worked well together. It was a good mix of the big men with the smaller. It went a good length and never dragged which is always a concern with matches involving Show and Kane. This was well done.

Layla vs. Natalya: This is a marginal Hit for the good work that Layla and Natalya did in the two minutes they were given. This was a good match while it lasted. I can't really be disappointed in the length, because that would suggest that a longer match was even a possibility. Unfortunately, a longer Divas match on free tv is just not in the cards in WWE right now. That is a real shame when it comes to some of the Divas like Layla and Natalya in this instance. Giving them twice the time, only 4 minutes, would have felt epic for the Divas. And if it had this quality it would have been very good. As it was, it was too short, but the Divas gave a good performance while they were out there.

Sheamus vs. Bryan: I enjoyed the main event. Sheamus and Bryan did a good job of telling the story of Bryan continuing to try to injure Sheamus' shoulder. This fit in well with the opening segment. Bryan and Sheamus do work well together and delivered once gain here. They got a good amount of time to work at over 13 minutes and I enjoyed what they did in the ring. Del Rio didn't really add much on commentary, though I did laugh when he called Sheamus an Irish peasant. You knew he would get involved again, but I was surprised by the clean finish. I would be fine with that finish if Bryan wasn't the #1 contender for the WWE Title. He doesn't look like a strong challenger for CM Punk's Title after beating a semiretired wrestler to earn the Title shot on Raw, and then losing here despite the outside interference. So, the result of the match does bring the quality of it down some, but it was still Hit-worthy.

SMACKDOWN MISSES

Clay vs. Swagger: I continue to hate this feud between Brodus Clay and Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. It looked like Swagger was actually on his way to getting a decent match out of Clay (I mean that in storyline terms, not in terms of match quality). He was getting in some offense, more than we've seen from other opponents. However, it went downhill for him quickly as Clay took out Ziggler and was about to squash Swagger when he ran away. This is making them look so bad. It is disappointing where they are right now. I also don't like the new addition to Clay's gimmick of dancing with the kids ala Too Cool and Rikishi back in the day.

Teddy Oils Up Cesaro: Is is a coincidence that the best Smackdown since John Laurinaitis took over the show was the one where Laurinaitis took the day off? I believe this was a better show for not having him on it. Part of my proof of that is that the worst part of the show was the one that continued his storyline on Smackdown humiliating Teddy Long with Eve standing in for the General Manager. If he had been on the show, would we have seen more of this type of crap? Why would Antonio Cesaro want a man to rub oil on him? The whole scene was just strange. Why are they doing a photo shoot while Smackdown is taping? Eve is in charge of the show and instead of watching it, she is over seeing a photo shoot? That made no sense. This was just bad.

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]

We suggest these recent related articles...

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt

9/7 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Paige vs. Banks, Rollins vs. Ryback, Orton vs. Sheamus, Cena & PTPs vs. Rollins & New Day

8/24 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Opening Segment, New Day, Dudleys return, Stewart, Sting