So the go-home SmackDown kicks off with a Divas tag team match? Really? Gail Kim & Maria beat Michelle McCool and Maryse when Gail pins Maryse with her neckbreaker after only working a minute or so after making the hot tag. Yes, in the tag team of Gail Kim and Maria, Maria did the large majority of the in-ring work, AND it was the right thing to do, Gail is new (well, returning but nobody would remember her all that well unless they watched TNA) and needed to look dominant and win.

MVP cuts a promo saying he’s retaining the US title then winning Money In The Bank. Shelton gets in his face to disagree.

Then we cut to Jerry Lawler and Todd Grisham at WrestleMania Fan Axxess, which includes Hornswoggle’s house and a graveyard full of tombstones for Undertaker’s WrestleMania opponents. Lawler and Grisham then talk about the Matt Hardy v. Jeff Hardy WrestleMania match and a video package is shown for that match, really pushing Matt’s jealousy over Jeff outshining him, and all the bad things that have happened to Jeff. They still seem to be hinting that it was Matt who burned Jeff’s house down, but without actually saying it. The montage of old clips of them both as a WWE tag team and growing up really give this match a personal touch, and WWE have always been excellent at their video packages.

Grisham and Lawler also talk about the Kids Zone at Fan Axxess including kids getting temporary Cena tattoos, which leads to them talking about the Edge, Cena, Big Show triple threat. Lawler actually brings up that Cena lost a triple threat World Title match at last year’s WrestleMania, so needs to win this time.

Then we get another GREAT video package, that actually makes the match out to be a big deal, followed by a trailer for The Marine, followed by the studio based video package for this match they’ve been showing on TV the last few weeks that actually in 30 seconds made me far more interested in the match than six weeks of bad soap opera angles have done, before going back to Grisham and Lawler who talk about the beating Cena took on RAW on Monday.

Then Edge does an in-studio promo in a darkened room, talking about how the World Title makes his life complete and is the one thing that makes the problems of the rest of his life worthwhile. Really strong promo from Edge, and to be honest one that should’ve been done on RAW where they have more viewers. But after the comedy soap opera angles it was nice to be reminded that when doing a serious promo to get over a match and the title he can deliver bigtime, pointing out that Show is bigger, Cena is stronger, but he is better. And even though it’s a heel telling the truth, he’s doing it in a way that puts his opponents over.

Then Kid Rock’s Mania appearance is plugged, and Lawler and Grisham discuss the Diva Battle Royal.

Up next we went back to the TV tapings and the MVP v. Shelton Benjamin US Title rematch. For as much as I’m not a fan of these guys in their current roles, they have worked with each other enough and are athletic and competent enough to have a good match together, so there was nothing wrong with this. Unless you’re looking at things from the traditional wrestling booking perspective of Shelton getting his rematch should have been a bigger deal than being placed here on the most throwaway of throwaway shows. MVP picked up the win with the playmaker, which I really hoped he’d have dropped in favour of the drive by kick by now.

We then got an AWESOME HBK/Taker video package, before Lawler and Grisham talk about Variety magazine and their article on the WWE, before we get an Orton/HHH video package with Orton’s shortened version of history from his RAW promo on Monday, that actually makes this match look like it’s 5 years in the making. It’s not, of course, but for those that aren’t watching closely, and if newer fans can believe that, and it gets over, then who cares? The McMahons standing tall together at the end, including HHH, was a great image and the McMahons/Legacy brawl was the right way to end the go-home RAW.

The go-home SmackDown ends with a main event of Jeff Hardy v. Ezekiel Jackson. I love Hardy, but I don’t get why they’re having this match. Especially since the talents of both guys (or lack of in Zeke’s case) necessitated the match being built around Jeff selling for the big guy, and a long bear hug spot, which in a five minute match involving JEFF HARDY is a real momentum killer. Jeff eventually breaks free and makes the comeback with the usual spots ending in the swanton bomb for the win.

Mark Bright
mark@ifight365.com