WWE Smackdown (22/5/2009) Review: The Edge-Hardy Feud Is Headed For Higher Places...

...Literally. At the conclusion of yet another fantastic edition of Smackdown, we learnt that these two magnificent performers will do battle again at Extreme Rules in one of my favourite types of matches- a ladder match.

After a great opening segment (with awesome acting by Edge, and great energy and crowd interaction by Jeff), the main event was set- Edge vs. Jeff Hardy, with the winner deciding the stipulation for their match at Extreme Rules. Hardy ended up winning this right after a great match. The finish was especially good. Edge went for a top rope Edgecution, similar to the one that got him the win at Judgment Day, but Hardy shoved him to the mat and hit the Swanton. I was fully expecting a TLC match, but I think it's a good decision by WWE to go with a Ladder Match instead. We don't want the Pay-Per-View getting too gimmicky. Or perhaps they wanted to save TLC for a later date.

This feud is really starting to grip me. These two are at the peak of their abilities, and they play off each other very well, both in the ring and in promos. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

• The #1 Contender's Match for the Womens' Championship between Gail Kim and Michelle McCool solid match. McCool has really improved in the ring, and though Kim seems more deserving of the title shot, you can see WWE's logic in giving it to McCool, since she's the heel.
• The six-man tag pitting Benjamin/Haas/Ricky Ortiz (where did he come from) vs. Morrison/Cryme Tyme was nothing special. With the exception of Starship Pain at the end, of course. In my book, it's passed the Shooting Star Press as the best finisher in WWE.
  
• I liked the interview with Rey Mysterio where he explained the importance and honour of a mask to a luchador. They need to have more of these segments that bring out the glorious traditions of the business. Of course, they could not have made it more obvious that Rey will put the mask on the line sometime soon...
  
• Punk vs. Jericho was very good, even though we've seen it so many times before. These two always manage to make each match different from the previous one. The big news from this match is that Umaga (who interfered, attacking Punk) has learnt to speak English! In An American accent too. Strange how he suddenly deveoped the ability after years of communicating in incoherent, guttural yells, isn't it?
  
• Dolph Ziggler got a clean victory over R-Truth. I think Ziggler has potential. It's great to see so many young guys getting pushes after the Draft, something I've been pleasantly surprised by. Can't get too excited about Ziggler-Khali though.

Best Performers: (1) Edge (2) Jeff Hardy (3) CM Punk
Best Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
Best Promo: Rey Mysterio

WWE Raw (May 4 2009) Review: The Shane McMahon Show

When the main event for this week's edition of RAW was announced as Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon, I hoped it was the last we'd be seeing of Shane for some time. I don't have anything Shane, in fact I think he's very decent as a wrestler and entertainer. I just feel you shouldn't have the top wrestler in the company keep getting beaten up by a guy in his late thirties who isn't even a regular competitor.

So it was with mixed feelings that I watched the main event. The match was changed to a 3-on-1 handicap, after a "Win and You're In" scenario earlier that night which saw Rhodes vs. MVP (Rhodes winning by countout as William Regal tripped MVP outside the ring) and Batista vs. Dibiase (Batista losing by DQ after getting carried away with his punches in the corner). Rhodes and Dibiase thus earned the right to join either Orton or Shane in the main event. This set up a 3-on-1 handicap.

Now, Legacy shattered Shane McMahon's ankle after relentlessly beating him, causing him to be stretchered out. That's the good news. The bad news is that before that, Shane McMahon single-handedly dominated all three members of Legacy, who had to resort to underhanded tactics to win. Think about that. A middle-aged businessman beat the hell out of the WWE Champion, and two of the most talented young superstars in the company all by himself. Those McMahon genes must really be something! Oh well. Hopefully, this was the end of the McMahons in the storyline, and now Randy gets some real competition.

Here are my other thoughts on the show:

• Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase were really good in their respective matches against MVP and Batista. The more I see of these two, the more I like them. As for MVP, I'm thrilled that he's sort of touching the main event scene these days. Batista on the other hand, has noticeably slowed down after his return from injury. He reportedly is hanging up his boots in a year or so, so he's probably realized it himself. I'll be happy if he lasts longer though, as I like the guy. He works hard and is obviously really sincere about his passion for the business.
• Every time I see Mickie James, I think to myself how sad it is that she has such few good wrestlers to compete against. I think she's the best wrestler among all the women. It's always fun watching her, and her match against Maryse was no different. Maryse too seems to be improving by the week, so there may be hope for the divas division.
• Just like last week, The Miz came out and mouthed off on John Cena. This time Cena came out, The Miz fled, and Big Show turned up to pound Cena to pulp. Now I'm really enjoying The Miz's promos. I've been pleasantly surprised by how good he is on the mic. I know a lot of people find him really annoying, but I'm not one of them. I think he adds freshness to the RAW scene, and I hope we get to see this Miz-Cena thing for a while. Miz will keep getting these "victories" over Cena, which will make the inevitable beatdown by Cena more fun for the fans, while also getting the Miz over. It's basically the same thing they did in WCW with Jericho and Goldberg. Miz is no Jericho, but he's still making it work.
• Carlito vs. The Brian Kendrick saw Carlito getting an easy victory in a match that was too short to be significant. I'm losing hope about Kendrick's career. If only he'd been drafted to ECW.
• It was good to see Kofi Kingston getting a clean victory over Matt Hardy. Of course, Hardy got his heat back by attacking Kofi after the match with his cast. I'm glad Kofi is being pushed, and I'm also waiting to see what Matt does once he recovers from his injury.
• RAW also featured a singing contest between Jillian and Festus. Yes, really.

Best Performers: (1) Randy Orton (2) Shane McMahon (3) Cody Rhodes
Best Match: Legacy vs. Shane McMahon
Best Promo: The Miz