Friday Night Smackdown *SPOILERS* For 06/01/12 - Botch Free!!!!

[Tazz Dan]

From the Front Page:

Dark Match:
Dean Ambrose defeated Luke Hawkins. Ambrose came out and cut a short promo that drew good heat, but it was not a great promo. He won with the rear naked choke chicken wing.

WWE SmackDown Taping (Airing Friday):
Booker T came out to a massive pop, while Michael Cole drew the usual massive heat. Lilian Garcia received nice applause.

There was a notable statement during the opening video. They said the WWE Championship will be defended for the first time on Smackdown in four years. They claimed it was eight years on Monday’s Raw, so which is it?

Sheamus is out first to address World Hvt. Championship match with Alberto Del Rio at No Way Out. David Otunga came out to interrupt him. He set up a replay Sheamus bowling over John Laurinaitis when he ran out to help John Cena on Raw last week. He demanded an apology. Sheamus rebuffed him.
Alberto Del Rio came out to add his two cents. Otunga stated that Del Rio would be allowed to pick Sheamus’s opponent for the night. Sheamus Brogue Kicked the hell out of Otunga. Del Rio bailed and Sheamus stood tall in the ring.

1. Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater. Sin Cara came out with new red and white ring attire and a new pyro set entrance but with the same strip club lighting. Sin Cara won with a tilt-a-whirl face buster on Slater. No botches except for a small awkward spot when his foot was caught under the rope.

There was hype for the WWE Championship match for later in the show.

Ezekiel Jackson still has a job, as he came out. Damien Sandow followed and took the mic for a promo. He blew off the match, but Zeke tossed him back in the ring and the match was underway.

2. Damien Sandow defeated Ezekiel Jackson. They traded offense and Sandow finished with his neckbreaker. He did a cartwheel in the ring.

There was a backstage segment between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. Ziggler wanted to be Sheamus’s opponent and got his wish. Ryback is up next. Joy.

3. Ryback beat two jobbers. The jobbers were billed as being from Alabama, so they chanted Roll Tide Roll. Ryback got a good pop when he came out as a result. Goldberg…er…Ryback finished the kids with a double muscle buster. He got an LSU chant and jogged to the ring until the reaper came out and took the meat sacks in the ring out. Same old stuff. Time for a feud or get him off TV. It’s old now.

Vickie Guerrero came out with Dolph Ziggler and vowed to end Sheamus tonight. At this point, all we’ve really gotten is matches and one backstage segment, so it will be a wrestling heavy show for Friday’s television show or they’ll tape other segments later and add them in. Sheamus came out to another massive pop. He’s really over.

4. Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero). The action came at a decent pace with Ziggler hitting a top rope facebuster on Sheamus. Jack Swagger ran out to help Ziggler and messed him up. He ate a Brogue Kick to end the match. You’d think a cannon went off and shot Dolph with the way he sold it. Good match. The crowd was very into the match.

Darren Young and Titus O’Neil come out for a tag match. We get a backstage segment with Striker and Punk putting over the WWE Title match. Santino Marella and Zack Ryder came out. Hey, a Ryder sighting!!!

5. Santino Marella and Zack Ryder defeated Darren Young and Titus O’Neil. Santino got a roll up in less than two minutes. Big Show came out and tossed Marella into the WWE sign on the stage. Ryder got tossed around ringside as Titus and Darren exited the arena. Show took the bigger half of the ring steps up the ramp and slammed Ryder on them. Santino got the same treatment on the steps with a Camel Clutch. Show hit him with a WMD to massive heat. Show stared out at the crowd before leaving.

There was a backstage segment with Daniel Bryan telling A.J. that C.M. Punk is only using her.

6. Cody Rhodes defeated Tyson Kidd. Poor Tyson didn’t even get a ring entrance for the live crowd. He deserves better. A nice fast paced match. Cody won in less than two minutes. Cody and Christian jawed for a minute after the match. Kane was shown backstage and the WWE Championship match was up next.

7. C.M. Punk fought Kane to a DQ finish when Daniel Bryan interfered in a WWE Championship match. Slow and plodding at start. The crowd got into it toward the end. Daniel Bryan ran out. He’s way over. Bryan attacked both men, and the ref called the bell for a DQ finish. Kane ended up chokeslamming both men at the same time.

Big Johnny comes out and declared the WWE Championship match at No Way Out a Triple Threat match.

Bryan and Punk were left in the ring with AJ. Bryan tried to get her to leave with him, but she left without either one of them. Bryan slapped Punk twice. Punk gave Bryan a GTS. The fans loved it.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Kind of wish the title match wasn't a triple threat, but at the same time it could help drag Punk/Bryan out to Summerslam.

If that's the case, I'm more than OK with it.

[Tazz Dan]

I'm thinking that Bryan and Kane will probably go their separate way after this and Punk will move onto something else. With all the banter between Punk/Paul E on twitter I just think that that could be going somewhere.

[KaosDarksol]

Gotta watch just for an almost botch free sin cara match

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm pretty excited for this week's SmackDown!. Damien Sandow is the goods, and Punk vs. Kane sounds pretty amazing. Daniel Bryan still has the best character in the entire WWE, and I don't mind his feud with Punk incorporating Kane, because it adds a tested WWE mainstay into the title picture, as well as a legitimate heavyweight, and that takes the pressure off Punk and Bryan and allows their feud to drag out a bit.

[Shisen Kopf]

Ryan Clark can fuck off. How dare he knock Ryback. How can a guy who is so shitty be used by so many rasslin sites? Why can't he get flesh eating bacteria or have a zombie eat his face off? F'n faggot!

[Tazz Dan]

Not that I want to defend Ryan Clark, but he didn't write the spoilers. Somebody sent them to him and posted their report.

[Shisen Kopf]

Not that I want to defend Ryan Clark, but he didn't write the spoilers. Somebody sent them to him and posted their report.

Well that's just laziness on his part. He should have re-written them and given credit to the person who sent them in. Shame on him. Shame!

[Ermaximus]

But that would require effort Shisen and we all know for a fact that Clark is a lazy bastard.

[Volare]

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.....lost.


FUCK.

[MisterLee]

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/320567_169073393181244_100002357531289_350811_1142795825_n.jpg

Why does everyone hate this guy? LOL

[Gertner]

Fuck, these people who send in recaps are such smarky douchebags sometimes

"Ryback is up next. Joy."

RYBACK IS GOD FUCKER!!!!

[Ermaximus]

Ryback vs Ryan Clark in a steel cage. Book it Gertner!

[MoFo]

Ryan Clark was prol one of the midgets Ryback beat up

[Tazz Dan]

Major fucking lol's at Sandow's expression when he pinned Zeke. Also Sin Cara's match was good. Heath Slater was probably a bad pick for him though, he seemed to be a step behind.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Heath Slater being chosen as Sin Cara's first opponent back is probably a sign that the WWE has tremendous faith in Slater. Hopefully that is rewarded one day.

Also, Darren Young & Titus O'Neil seem to be going by the name "Prime Time Players" now.

[Volare]

Love Young and O'Neil.....MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!

[XL]

Was thinking to myself as TO'N & DY popped up on screen that they needed a team name. Lo and behold, 20 seconds later, Prime Time Players was born. I like it.

Looks like they've given up on Antonio Cesaro for now. I don't like that.

Show hit Santino with a "Donkey Punch". Kinky.

Sandow over Zeke was a great move. Whilst RyBerg goes over "local" jobbers (albeit 2 of them at once), Sandow goes over a huge guy in Jackson...and with ease. Wanna see him enter into a fued now though.

Ziggler v Sheamus was really good. Cody/Kidd could have been if given the time. Punk/Kane was ok.

[Innovator]

Seems like there are too many new faces on SD, maybe holding off on Cesaro a bit.

[XL]

LOL, was literally just typing a message saying how WWE has too many "spinning plates" right now.

Tensai, Clay, RyBack, Sandow, Cesaro, Prime Time Players, etc.

They should also be pushing guys like Epico/Primo, Ryder, etc.

Hopefully the extra hour of Raw helps with this.

[CSL]

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/320567_169073393181244_100002357531289_350811_1142795825_n.jpg

Why does everyone hate this guy? LOL

Because he's a fuck-stick who has no idea what he is talking about that contributes massively to making professional wrestling being discussed on the internet a bit shit sometimes.

[Team Sheep]

Great show tonight. First Smackdown I've loved from start to finish in a long time.

[Ultra Mantis]

On the contrary I found it quite dull.

Sandow was great. Ziggler / Sheamus was fantastic. Otherwise, nothing special. Opening segment didn't really help since Sheamus / Otunga / Del Rio are all blandy blandersons on the mic.

I'll be interested to see how the triple threat goes because Kane is rather noticably shitty compared to Punk and Bryan (and Orton, and Cena, etc, etc).

[Vastardikai]

1. Don't chant 'Roll Tide Roll' in LSU territory.
2. Ryback is over as FUCK in Louisiana.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm still not entirely into Ryback. His squash last week was really fun, but this week was literally almost a duplicate.

Damien Sandow was the fucking goods, though. While I've heard great things about his ring work, we're yet to really see it, but that doesn't matter, because as a character the man is fantastic.

I'm not sure if they removed it in America, but the Australian version of SmackDown! that we got had an Antonio Cesaro vignette right before the main event. Like, right before it -- CM Punk and Kane had already made their entrances, the show went to commercial and when it came back there was an Antonio Cesaro hype video, putting him over as "Dangerous," "Seductive" and "the Future." It also had a "Next Week" tag.

[St. Jimmy]

Sandow sounds great. Hate that Kane is being shoved into a perfectly good match. Rest of this show sounds like a shitsub.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm actually really excited for the Triple Threat. Having a big, hulking monster in there adds that dynamic to the feud that wasn't there with two smaller guys wrestling. Kane's also been treated like a big deal this year, when you really think about it. Bryan and Punk working together to take out Kane would be perfect psychology, but would be quite dramatic, given that Punk and Bryan have such a rivalry going on, and Bryan's clearly trying to sabotage Punk's budding relationship with AJ.

The WWE clearly wants Punk and Bryan to succeed as main eventers in the WWE, since they have given them the pressure of carrying the shows, but they're also trying to introduce aspects to make their epic in-ring rivalry "entertaining" to the casual fan. I'm pretty sure that we'll get Punk or Bryan walking out of No Way Out the WWE Champion with a fall over Kane, leading to Punk and Bryan facing each other at Money in the Bank in a Submission Match.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I do wish the WWE would stop over-producing Sin Cara, though. The lighting for his matches is really fucking annoying, and I strongly believe that staging Sin Cara as such a big deal places so much pressure on the guy in the fans' mind. Plus, it looks too dark and is, in my opinion, distracting. Just use normal lighting for the dude. I think he's money, too, but I think putting big billboards up saying it during his matches is going to hurt more than help.

[XCaliber]

With Orton gone and after having such a great match I wouldn't be surprised if they have Ziggler gradually turn face the whole thing with him bypassing Vicky on the mic is a very good sign.

[#1-norm-fan]

Why is there still a roster split!?!? These writers have no concept of anything.

[#1-norm-fan]

I feel like it wouldn't have been a bad idea to have 'zeke beat Sandow in surprise fashion after he stopped him from leaving. It would have been a huge shocker and they could have had a nice little month long feud with Sandow ultimately beating him.

I mean... I'm not upset that Sandow won. That would have been a nice little change up though. No one would have seen it coming. And not every new guy needs a long winning streak upon debuting to get over.

[#1-norm-fan]

Speaking of which, here's Ryback to be awesome.

[#1-norm-fan]

LOL That was by far the best pre-Ryback match jobber promo yet. They had to have been trying to be that awkward.

[#1-norm-fan]

I'm sensing a possible Ziggler face turn... I don't know how I feel about that.

[#1-norm-fan]

Awesome match between Ziggler and Sheamus. I'm just realizing this show is ridiculously front-heavy. Sheamus-Ziggler, the Sin Cara return, Ryback's squash, Sandow all in the first hour. Not really looking forward to the second half.

... You got Raw in my Smackdown. :'(

[#1-norm-fan]

Young and O'Neal have a team name now! Add the matching attire, the team moves, and the catchphrase and they're officially a real tag team!

[#1-norm-fan]

I don't like this Big Show squashing everyone thing because I know it ends with him un-monstering again after the Cena feud. I hate the whole "Put over the guy who's in a major feud this month... k, now fuck him, put over the guy who's in a major feud THIS month now even if he was squashed by the guy we did this with last month" formula. How about putting over guys over a span of years consistently so that they naturally step into feuds based on the fact that they have been built up like crazy?

[Skippord]

gonna be honest with you guys, I fucking hate Darren Young and Titus O'Neill

[Skippord]

do you guys think AJ would marry me if I asked her? because I may ask her.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Get in line, Skippord.

[Skippord]

I love you Hasney, but I would gut you like a fish if you kept me from AJ.

[#1-norm-fan]

gonna be honest with you guys, I fucking hate Darren Young and Titus O'Neill

Why?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm not too high on Young & O'Neil myself. They just don't work as well as other teams. I feel that they should still be in developmental working on a tag team gimmick.

Also, I'm still of the opinion that Damien Sandow can wrestle jobbers for literally two years and become one of the most awesome heels on the active roster. People will pay good money to see him get his ass kicked. It should be him that goes on to break Goldberg's streak; not Ryback.

Oh, and Dolph Ziggler would be a tremendous babyface. I can seriously see the dude making the WWE a lot of money.

[#1-norm-fan]

I'm not too high on Young & O'Neil myself. They just don't work as well as other teams.

... What other teams?

I just love the fact that they're a legit tag team in every way. And the "Millions of dollars" thing is awesome in it's obnoxiousness.

[#1-norm-fan]

That's why I'm torn with Ziggler turning face. I don't like the idea because he can be that long-term non-big man main event heel WWE has been lacking for a while. He's the one guy that the internet wants pushed to the main event way too soon (Cody, Barrett, etc.) that I actually agree with. The company is more in need of "that guy" in the heel department than they are in the face department. And he fits that DiBiase/Hennig-esque mold to a T.

The thing that makes me torn is that I remember how amazing Hennig (yes, I'm making that comparison, but it's fitting) was as a heel and then how much more amazing it made him as a face.

I think he just needs to be established for a while as a main event heel before he makes the turn. There's way too much more left there for him and it could potentially lead to a huge, memorable face turn.

[St. Jimmy]

is this Ryback meme done yet?

[Skippord]

Why?
because I am a racist

I don't really know why really, I think that finisher where they did the flying hairpull might have ruined it for me. And they seem a little awkward in the ring.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's why I'm torn with Ziggler turning face. I don't like the idea because he can be that long-term non-big man main event heel WWE has been lacking for a while. He's the one guy that the internet wants pushed to the main event way too soon (Cody, Barrett, etc.) that I actually agree with. The company is more in need of "that guy" in the heel department than they are in the face department. And he fits that DiBiase/Hennig-esque mold to a T.

The thing that makes me torn is that I remember how amazing Hennig (yes, I'm making that comparison, but it's fitting) was as a heel and then how much more amazing it made him as a face.

I think he just needs to be established for a while as a main event heel before he makes the turn. There's way too much more left there for him and it could potentially lead to a huge, memorable face turn.

The thing about Ziggler as a babyface is that he's got the look that both males and females could get behind, he's smaller in stature and bumps like a machine -- thus leading to easy sympathy against bigger opponents. Plus, his character is an interesting one, because although he takes such pride in being a dick, that's essentially the extent of his character. If he turned face, it's not like he will need to shed aspects of it, because it's not strong enough to really get watered down any more than it is now.

Ziggles will probably play a more determined and focused role in proving himself; but he probably needs to do that as a heel, anyway. Therefore, I think he's one guy that would actually benefit from turning face, as opposed to staying a heel and exclusively being made to bump for the good guys they want to get over. They've got Heath Slater for that.

If Ziggler dumped Vickie Guerrero, then he would instantly be over. Ziggler could come out and declare himself single to all the ladies in the WWE Universe, and could really get himself over as an "out-there ladies man," perhaps channelling aspects of Shawn Michaels' heel character, whilst applying Shawn Michaels' babyface storytelling in the ring.

As a heel, down the track, we can revisit Ziggler's potential, but right now I feel that the well is a bit dry. We're so used to seeing him as a heel because he's played one his entire WWE career, but how can you push him as a bad guy? You can have him gather hard-earned victories trying to prove himself against guys like Sheamus and CM Punk, but isn't that a face thing to do?

I don't know if the guy can be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or anything, but he's got all the tools to be a major babyface player. He might be a little awkward in the role at first, since he's never really played a face character before, but that's always going to be the case whenever they turn him.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

is this Ryback meme done yet?

Memes have a lifespan that is entirely too long these days.

Look at ROH still plodding along. Plodding like a lot of their more recent fans, the longer term fans being in mobility scooters.

[#1-norm-fan]

The meme of Ryback being awesome? I assume it will last as long as he continues being awesome...

[Mr. Nerfect]

If ROH wants to keep building momentum, then they need to sign some guys with some fucking personality. Yes, they have a particular in-ring style that they are trying to keep in-line with, but they can still sign guys that can talk or at least have style outside of the ring.

ROH should be begging Todd Sinclair to lend them enough money to sign Alex Shelley, Homicide and Low Ki. Also, Jay Lethal needs to be pushed by them yesterday.

[#1-norm-fan]

I thought Low Ki had personality on NXT. Then I saw him cut an abysmal promo in TNA where he seemed like he was about to fall asleep. I chalked it up to him having to be at a TNA event... but I don't know.

[Mr. Nerfect]

When he was in the WWE, Kaval showed so much charisma. It's a shame that the dude didn't want to stick around for the period where the WWE jobbed him out for shits and giggles. He would have come out of it and been given some decent opportunities by now, I reckon.

Anyway, either TNA or ROH should really be trying to tie this guy down. He'd be perfect for the X-Division or for the ROH World Title picture.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh, and John Laurinaitis fucking sucked at talking tonight. I don't really watch RAW too much anymore, but does he always suck so badly?

[el bobbo]

If ROH wants to keep building momentum, then they need to sign some guys with some fucking personality. Yes, they have a particular in-ring style that they are trying to keep in-line with, but they can still sign guys that can talk or at least have style outside of the ring.

ROH should be begging Todd Sinclair to lend them enough money to sign Alex Shelley, Homicide and Low Ki. Also, Jay Lethal needs to be pushed by them yesterday.

I think they need to just hire some acting coaches. Most wrestlers know that they need to have some kind of public speaking role when they enter the game. Hiring on a guy or two full time (especially in New York) wouldn't be too far of a stretch for a company that has a national TV deal already.

Keep the promos to a minimum, make them count, and let the talent do their thing in the squared circle.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Like, Michael Cole and even Vickie Guerrero can speak. Vickie may not be the queen of the promo or anything, but she delivers all the points she needs to. Johnny Ace was like "The No Way Out WWE Championship will be...Triple Threat." That doesn't even make any fucking sense.

The WWE should have someone who can fucking talk as the General Manager of the shows.

[el bobbo]

Oh, and John Laurinaitis fucking sucked at talking tonight. I don't really watch RAW too much anymore, but does he always suck so badly?

He does.

I like it in an ironic sense, but I can see how the casual fan would get pissed off by his lack of presence.

[el bobbo]

Like, Michael Cole and even Vickie Guerrero can speak. Vickie may not be the queen of the promo or anything, but she delivers all the points she needs to. Johnny Ace was like "The No Way Out WWE Championship will be...Triple Threat." That doesn't even make any fucking sense.

The WWE should have someone who can fucking talk as the General Manager of the shows.

I dig the motorized cart and the cheesy theme music. It makes him seem like he just walked into the job and doesnt deserve it.

Kind of what CM Punk alluded to in his original "pipe-bomb" speech about Johnny being a douche bag yes man.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I was actually going to use the phrase "he's not even ironically bad." He's just bad. Fair enough that you enjoy it, and I kind of get that John Laurinaitis' character is that he's a corporate paper-pusher that's always texting someone sucking up (and I don't think the point was to ever have who as a big issue), and I think that works fine for a heel GM -- especially if they have muscle to back them up and act like they're untouchable and find a way to ensure that they are.

The thing is, it's not even purposefully bad. You can play a corporate suck-up and still hit home runs with your promos. What was wrong with Laurinaitis being wheeled out and saying "Gentlemen, since this WWE Championship match did not reach a proper conclusion, and because Mr. Bryan also holds a victory over you, Mr. Punk, I have decided that the WWE Championship will be defended at the upcoming No Way Out PPV in a Triple Threat Match. It will be Mr. Punk versus Mr. Bryan versus Mr. Kane. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Typing that I was trying to find ways to make John Laurinaitis annoying as a character without him sucking completely on the mic, and I have come to the conclusion that Laurinaitis should call everyone "Mr." or "Miss."

[el bobbo]

The meme of Ryback being awesome? I assume it will last as long as he continues being awesome...

Give Ryback, Sandow, and Sin Cara actual feuds.

I'm sick of guys like this who have absolutely nothing to do. All three can bring a lot to the table, especially in the absence of Randy and Y2J.

I would like to see a Jericho v Sin Cara match IMO. I would also love to see a Ryback v Daniel Bryan match.

Sandow has such an over the top gimmick that actually works in the WWE these days (see Lord Tensai as a complete failure). I wouldn't mind him feuding with anyone.

[Mr. Nerfect]

JBL would be doing this John Laurinaitis character that John Laurinaitis is currently doing so much better than John Laurinaitis is doing it. Try to follow my sentence, despite it being a John Laurinaitis sentence.

[el bobbo]

I was actually going to use the phrase "he's not even ironically bad." He's just bad. Fair enough that you enjoy it, and I kind of get that John Laurinaitis' character is that he's a corporate paper-pusher that's always texting someone sucking up (and I don't think the point was to ever have who as a big issue), and I think that works fine for a heel GM -- especially if they have muscle to back them up and act like they're untouchable and find a way to ensure that they are.

The thing is, it's not even purposefully bad. You can play a corporate suck-up and still hit home runs with your promos. What was wrong with Laurinaitis being wheeled out and saying "Gentlemen, since this WWE Championship match did not reach a proper conclusion, and because Mr. Bryan also holds a victory over you, Mr. Punk, I have decided that the WWE Championship will be defended at the upcoming No Way Out PPV in a Triple Threat Match. It will be Mr. Punk versus Mr. Bryan versus Mr. Kane. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Typing that I was trying to find ways to make John Laurinaitis annoying as a character without him sucking completely on the mic, and I have come to the conclusion that Laurinaitis should call everyone "Mr." or "Miss."

I think the main thing missing from Johnny Ace is that he has no credible heels to back him up. They tried to make Tensai his "ace" in the hole, but the fans just wouldn't have it. Now they are pushing Big Show down our throats and the ratings fucking tank. They are even relegating MIZ, who was at one point THE HEEL, to a jobber status.

I see this as a good time for WWE to establish a new paradigm in their good guy/ bad guy structure. If they want to go through a ratings lull, why not shake things up instead of giving us crap?

[el bobbo]

JBL would be doing this John Laurinaitis character that John Laurinaitis is currently doing so much better than John Laurinaitis is doing it. Try to follow my sentence, despite it being a John Laurinaitis sentence.

The accent and the cowboy hat alone would make him such a more effective villain.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Give Ryback, Sandow, and Sin Cara actual feuds.

I'm sick of guys like this who have absolutely nothing to do. All three can bring a lot to the table, especially in the absence of Randy and Y2J.

I would like to see a Jericho v Sin Cara match IMO. I would also love to see a Ryback v Daniel Bryan match.

Sandow has such an over the top gimmick that actually works in the WWE these days (see Lord Tensai as a complete failure). I wouldn't mind him feuding with anyone.

Sin Cara should resume his feud with long-term rival, Hunico. Now that Hunico is free to talk, he should do a sit-down interview where he describes how Sin Cara and Mexican promoters took the identity he created and literally made millions of dollars off it while Hunico struggled to find an identity. Bitterness and jealousy would dominate the Hunico character. Sin Cara wins one week, and then the second week they have another match; Camacho attacks Sin Cara as it looks like he's about to win again, causing the DQ. Tyson Kidd then runs out for the save, because Kidd is a good guy who respects where Sin Cara comes from and what he does.

Hunico calls bullshit on Kidd respecting Sin Cara, and he claims that Kidd just wants to get everyone to like him and ride Sin Cara's success. Hunico calls the WWE Universe stupid for believing that Kidd respects anyone but himself. The two sides then face off in a tag team match with Kidd & Sin Cara winning. They embrace in the ring and then the next week Kidd says that he does respect Sin Cara, but he does want to face him to see how good he is. The two have a face vs. face match which ends when the bitter losers, Hunico & Camacho attack Kidd & Sin Cara, leading to another match between the teams.

That would take you through more than a month of booking, and it not only benefits Sin Cara, but Tyson Kidd, Hunico and Camacho, as well. At the end of it, Sin Cara & Tyson Kidd could get a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship, which would be pretty cool for them. If they're super-over as a team, you could even put the titles on them for a little while.

As for Damien Sandow -- the money feud for him is with Zack Ryder, I think. Put it on RAW, since Ryder is over enough to warrant a spot on that show. By beating Ryder, Sandow would get very over as a heel, I think. The feud would be easy enough to set-up. Sandow would just come out while Ryder is getting the crowd pumped up while filming them, and criticise Ryder and the audience for how they choose to enlighten themselves. Ryder says that Sandow is going to be featured on his show, and points the camera at him, and Sandow would hilariously freak-out at being featured on Z! True Long Island Story, and claim that if Ryder uses the footage he would sue him. He tells Ryder to delete the footage immediately. Sandow then attacks Ryder and destroys his phone. "You're welcome."

Sandow is squashing someone on SmackDown! that week, and then films Sandow on his new phone (product placement). On RAW, Sandow talks about how embarrassed he was to be featured on YouTube, with a related video being some drunken people from (local town) filming a cat stuck on a high shelf. Sandow says we should all be disgusted with ourselves, and that he will take it out on Zack Ryder's good friend, Santino Marella, tonight. Sandow then squashes Marella, and makes him submit to the Crossface Chickenwing. Ryder then again attacks Sandow, and gets the upper-hand leading into a PPV match between the two, which Sandow wins with the Crossface Chickenwing (which I think should be his permanent submission finisher).

[Mr. Nerfect]

The accent and the cowboy hat alone would make him such a more effective villain.

Plus, JBL vs. CM Punk would actually be a pay-off I would not mind seeing. So much more would go into it -- from their time on the active roster together; to JBL's love of beer and cigars; to Punk being a "vanilla midget" in Bradshaw's eyes; to JBL's long climb to the top versus Punk's relatively short one; and Punk potentially exceeding the time JBL spent as WWE Champion.

Fuck, I'm actually annoyed that JBL is not the RAW GM right now, actually.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think the main thing missing from Johnny Ace is that he has no credible heels to back him up. They tried to make Tensai his "ace" in the hole, but the fans just wouldn't have it. Now they are pushing Big Show down our throats and the ratings fucking tank. They are even relegating MIZ, who was at one point THE HEEL, to a jobber status.

I see this as a good time for WWE to establish a new paradigm in their good guy/ bad guy structure. If they want to go through a ratings lull, why not shake things up instead of giving us crap?

That was a big problem I foresaw when it came to the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match at WrestleMania, which I don't think should have been for control for the shows -- but merely bragging rights. You had too many guys that attached their hat to Team Johnny and Team Teddy respectively, in my opinion, and then no real consequences for it. In fact, Kofi & R-Truth got a Tag Team Title shot. Also, The Miz and Drew McIntyre never really got rewarded for their work, whereas Mark Henry, and to extents, Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger did.

But then you had Laurinaitis tie himself to Tensai and now Big Show (which makes no sense), and you basically have all the heels pro Johnny, and yet none of them are really that credible yet.

It would have been far more effective to have one heel been a representative of John Laurinaitis -- or "The Ace in the Hole," as you alluded to. Instead, it's everyone and no one at the same time, if you catch my drift?

[el bobbo]

That was a big problem I foresaw when it came to the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match at WrestleMania, which I don't think should have been for control for the shows -- but merely bragging rights. You had too many guys that attached their hat to Team Johnny and Team Teddy respectively, in my opinion, and then no real consequences for it. In fact, Kofi & R-Truth got a Tag Team Title shot. Also, The Miz and Drew McIntyre never really got rewarded for their work, whereas Mark Henry, and to extents, Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger did.

But then you had Laurinaitis tie himself to Tensai and now Big Show (which makes no sense), and you basically have all the heels pro Johnny, and yet none of them are really that credible yet.

It would have been far more effective to have one heel been a representative of John Laurinaitis -- or "The Ace in the Hole," as you alluded to. Instead, it's everyone and no one at the same time, if you catch my drift?

I'm chalking Tensai up to very very poor booking. The guy could have gotten over if they acknowledged his WWE past and ran with it instead of concealing it behind a completely shitte gimmick. Big Show is just an emergency filler who doesnt work because we have seen him v CEna 1245324 times.

Can you see Dolph Ziggler breaking off from Vickie, going on his own for a couple of weeks, then joining Team Johnny in an attempt to get the WWE title or feud with Cena? Can they turn Ziggler into a megastar (face or heel) like Punk, Cena, or Orton?

As a fan of the product (in up times and down times) I see Ziggler as a huge fucking star and no one on the roster (sans Cody and the renewed interest in the IC title) deserves a push more than he does.

[el bobbo]

Plus, JBL vs. CM Punk would actually be a pay-off I would not mind seeing. So much more would go into it -- from their time on the active roster together; to JBL's love of beer and cigars; to Punk being a "vanilla midget" in Bradshaw's eyes; to JBL's long climb to the top versus Punk's relatively short one; and Punk potentially exceeding the time JBL spent as WWE Champion.

Fuck, I'm actually annoyed that JBL is not the RAW GM right now, actually.

If they did this shit with a babyface CM Punk and had Stone Cold ref the payoff match, we might get to see a Beer/Pepsi toast.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's exactly it -- by drawing into their different lifestyle choices for a clearly heel vs. face feud between JBL and Punk, you can lay down the groundwork for a future Punk/Austin confrontation.

[Mr. Nerfect]

My thoughts on Tensai are that he is a perfectly good talent, but there were just miscalculations in how to present him. His finishing move to his entrance, to the one-dimensional presentation of his character -- Tensai was just one big ball of miscalculations. The WWE seems to be scaling back some of the more cartoony aspects of why he failed, and they seem to be getting him right on Superstars before they push him to the moon again.

I personally feel that the WWE should have given Ziggler a pin over Cena in that Handicap Match a few weeks back where he actually teamed with Tensai and Swagger against Cena and Sheamus. It'd give Ziggler something to brag about and something to go forward with. As it stands right now, I see him breaking up with Vickie and going solo. I think a face turn could work surprisingly well for Ziggler.

[Ultra Mantis]

gonna be honest with you guys, I fucking hate Darren Young and Titus O'Neill

[Gertner]

is this Ryback meme done yet?

Can you see your feet yet?

Ryback is fucking amazing!!!!!!

[Shisen Kopf]

Everyone who complains about Ryback needs to stop. Big deal he doesn't have a feud. He's beating 2 jobbers at once. What the need to do now is have him fight 3 jobbers at once. Eventually this will lead up to a Ryback battle royal with Ryback vs 19 jobbers and he will suplex all of them at same time and will become intergalactic champion of the universe.

[Gertner]

He should go to ROH and kill all the vanilla midgets with one clothesline.

[Shisen Kopf]

What would you give Ryback on a scale of 6 to 43.8 for his workrate? I would say he's at least a 41.3826462817

[Gertner]

I'd give it a 98.374287818

He's so good he could even carry Daniel Bryan to a good match.

[Shisen Kopf]

I think Daniel Bryan is ok. Just wait until he gets his growth spurt then he'll really be good.

[Gertner]

I'm not too high on Young & O'Neil myself. They just don't work as well as other teams. I feel that they should still be in developmental working on a tag team gimmick.

Also, I'm still of the opinion that Damien Sandow can wrestle jobbers for literally two years and become one of the most awesome heels on the active roster. People will pay good money to see him get his ass kicked. It should be him that goes on to break Goldberg's streak; not Ryback.

Oh, and Dolph Ziggler would be a tremendous babyface. I can seriously see the dude making the WWE a lot of money.

I actually think O'Neill and Young could get over huge if they turned face.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I do think that Darren Young should be a face. It's hard to find a good babyface, and yet Young has done a pretty decent job of it in the past. Titus O'Neil? Honestly -- while he seems like a cool guy -- I'm just not a fan of his in-ring performances. Turning heel sort of made him slightly more interesting, but just not enough to really care.

I'd be far more interested in seeing D-Young and Percy Watson as The South Beach Boys in the WWE, to be honest. As a babyface team, they could have a fair bit of energy.

[#1-norm-fan]

The only reason I can see Young as a face is because of the black Cena factor.

They're fine as a heel team. Like I said, that obnoxious "Millions of dollars" catchphrase they sing is golden. It instantly gives them a team personality. They're great.

[Skippord]

I still think they should find a guy who looks like Cena of every race and form the League of Cena's

[Mr. Nerfect]

Like I said, that obnoxious "Millions of dollars" catchphrase they sing is golden. It instantly gives them a team personality. They're great.

I wish I was so easy to please.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I still think they should find a guy who looks like Cena of every race and form the League of Cena's

This would probably be the best thing the WWE could ever do. It would even help guys that aren't in The League of Cena's, in a Superman/Batman dynamic kind of way. CM Punk would look so much cooler leaning against a wall in the Fortress of Respectitude busting out lines like "Never send a Cena to do a Punk's job" than he would just hanging out with one Cena.

[parkmania]

Watching SD! for the first time in a LOOONG time. Did Sin Cara change his ring entrance just now or did they do away with the springboard before his injury?

[#1-norm-fan]

Nope, it's new. He's probably not too keen on jumping over the top rope from a low point anymore.

[#1-norm-fan]

I wish I was so easy to please.

... like being entertained by Heath Slater and Alex Riley easy?

[#1-norm-fan]

Heath Slater... ONE OF THE BEST HEELS IN THE COMPANY.

[XCaliber]

I'm actually starting to enjoy Young and O'Neil they seem to work very well together so far they've gone further then either one of them would have solo.

[VSG]

Titus O'Neal and Darren Young have succeeded in making me hate them as heels, I will grant them that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

... like being entertained by Heath Slater and Alex Riley easy?

Absolutely. Heath Slater is tremendous -- just ask Gertner. The man is a redneck hick with silky shampoo commercial quality hair. What is not to hate about the guy? Your slanted view against Alex Riley is ridiculous, as well. I'm not even the guy's biggest supporter on here -- I just find your hatred of the man to be in absolutely poor taste, especially given that he managed to do what Darren Young has not been able to do yet -- get the fuck over.

Great, now you're going to make me hate Darren Young, who I think is a perfectly serviceable, if nothing spectacular, talent.

[Mr. Nerfect]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SUuWZfM1NwI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

LOL, Young is hitting Otunga's leg. He's clearly horrible.

:roll:

[VSG]

Aye Noid, I agree with your points on Slater. He does everything right with whatever he has been offered and is really easy to "hate". He is a really underrated character and his in-ring skills are better than most WWE performers.

[Ermaximus]

WWE needs jobbers too. WWE circle of life.

[VSG]

Well the poor guy has paid his dues over and over now. Just like McIntyre. With the next generation of wrestlers ready to come in (Percy Watson, Bateman, Curtis), either promote these guys or release them.

[Mr. Nerfect]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/326uDlfbcr4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A better match than any Darren Young or Titus O'Neil has had in their entire career.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7IIrS4pJIN4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is just gravy.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The highlight of Titus O'Neil's career thus far has been putting his arm around Darren Young and saying "Millions of Dollars!" over and over again.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Aye Noid, I agree with your points on Slater. He does everything right with whatever he has been offered and is really easy to "hate". He is a really underrated character and his in-ring skills are better than most WWE performers.

One of the great things about Heath Slater that really goes unnoticed is that he goes out there for every match, smiling like a goof and swishing his hair about -- often against guys who have beaten him multiple times already. Imagine that:

You have a career rival, and you manage to defeat him not once, not twice, but three times in a row. You feel pretty good about yourself, and then you find out you are facing him again this week. You're feeling pretty happy, because even though he pushes you to the limit each time, you've got a sure-fire recipe for beating him again. You go out there ready for your match, and then his music hits...and he comes out dancing around like a goof with a massive smile on his face. That shit psyches you out. Even against a guy like Sheamus, there's still a bit of swag in Slater's step as he goes out there to face them. Sometimes he will even get on a mic and talk trash.

The things that make Slater such a good heel are actually things that would, ironically, make him such a good babyface -- if he weren't so fucking deliberately annoying.

[Ermaximus]

The highlight of Titus O'Neil's career thus far has been putting his arm around Darren Young and saying "Millions of Dollars!" over and over again.

At least he can say he came up with a great catchphrase during his WWE tenure?

[Skippord]

make that two great catchphrases

have you not heard "If you want it to be a win...Make it a win"?

[#1-norm-fan]

I just find your hatred of the man to be in absolutely poor taste, especially given that he managed to do what Darren Young has not been able to do yet -- get the fuck over.

So much more over than Darren Young that the company is afraid to put him on Smackdown out of fear that he might out pop Darren Young who is on there weekly.

[#1-norm-fan]

At least he can say he came up with a great catchphrase during his WWE tenure?

Hey! Let's not downplay Heath Slater's incredible mic skills now. BEST HEEL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

[Gertner]

I do think that Darren Young should be a face. It's hard to find a good babyface, and yet Young has done a pretty decent job of it in the past. Titus O'Neil? Honestly -- while he seems like a cool guy -- I'm just not a fan of his in-ring performances. Turning heel sort of made him slightly more interesting, but just not enough to really care.

I'd be far more interested in seeing D-Young and Percy Watson as The South Beach Boys in the WWE, to be honest. As a babyface team, they could have a fair bit of energy.

I had that same thought about Watson/O'Neill, although O'Neill and Young could get over as a half Cryme Tyme/ half MVP type gimmick.

[Cool King]

So I watched SmackDown, but it really wasn't that great. :-\

Also, I'm absolutely sick of Sheamus. I honestly think that he can't get through a promo without mentioning the word "Arse" or referencing his "family" and Ireland in some way. During his promo, It came to me that what he's basically becoming is a mixture of Cena and Austin, which to my surprise, seems to be felt by other people, such as the guy from the Wrestling With Text site.

http://i.imgur.com/LFlz2.jpg

Along with being sick of Sheamus, I'm also sick of seeing AJ on my screen now. I've tried for weeks now to tolerate her but I just can't. Every time she appears, it's just the same old shit from her, which consists of her showing one of two emotions that she can only do. It's either look "cute" or look sad/worried. That's all she does. She annoys me.

On a positive side, I still think Sandow is fantastic and those jobbers Ryback faced were unintentionally hilarious. Big Show's punch to Santino's head was pretty "holy shit" and I'm curious as to where Ziggler is heading. I'm also happy Kane has been added to the WWE Championship match at No Way Out.

Finally, speaking of that general area, did anyone notice that during Punk's promo, his name plate didn't have his name on it? It not the first time I've noticed a title having a blank name plate, but it just leaves me wondering why it happens in the first place.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1363/blankri.png

[Mr. Pierre]

Sheamus consistently puts on good matches, but holy shit, his character is brutal.

[Ermaximus]

Hey! Let's not downplay Heath Slater's incredible mic skills now. BEST HEEL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

I'm in no way down-playing Heath Slater's skills. I was referring to Titus and his multitude of sayings.

"If you're gonna win, then make it a win!"