AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com

This week brings Christmas Day…from PWBTS, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers. May you and yours celebrate the season that gives us the birth of the Child who came to liberate the world, and a Happy Hanukkah… the season of the Festival of Lights…in peace, in safety, and in joy.

Looks like we have at least one set of happy tidings to report in this week’s column, with news on the Toys for Tots collections at the ECW Arena. The Toys for Tots collections at the ECW Arena were a success with hundreds of toys donated at events including the Evolved Fighting Muay Thai MMA card, Combat Zone Wrestling’s year-end Cage of Death X show, Velocity Pro Wrestling show, and the CHIKARA December shows.

It just goes to show you that wrestling fans DO have a heart. Thanks to all the fans that contributed. As Christmas approaches, it a nice through that this column contributed, even in a small way, to children having some joy during the holidays.

Congratulations to the promotions whose Toys for Tots efforts this column was able to publicize during this holiday season: WWE, as well as CZW (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware), CHIKARA (Pennsylvania), Velocity Pro Wrestling (Pennsylvania), United Wrestling Coalition (New Jersey), Devastation Wrestling Federation (New Jersey) , Funkadified Wrestling Federation (Delaware), 3XWrestling (Des Moines, IA), Carolina Wrestling Showcase (North Carolina), Kentucky Championship Wrestling (Kentucky), High Profile Pro Wrestling (Florida), NWA Liberty States Wrestling (New Jersey and Masschusetts), Chaotic Wrestling (Connecticut and Masschusetts), TNA Wrestling (Florida), Wolverine Pro Wrestling (Michigan), and New England Championship Wrestling (Masschusetts).

In 2009, remember to reward these promotions and others that took the time to help children have a holiday season with your business when they run a show near you.

Unfortunately, not all news this week is happy. The following was posted online by American Kickbozer…quoting wrestler Bull Pain:

I’m going to visit my dear friend rollin hard and brother wrestler today. He is in the hospital and is not doing very well. He has been fighting terminal cancer for the past few years and as much as I hate to say or admit it, I think he is losing the battle.

Bull Pain

As we approach Christmas, hold your dear ones extra tight…and appreciate the life you do have.

Until next time…

If you have comments/questions/event announcements/results, if you’d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you’d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above. Advertising consists of banner ads, available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are also available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.

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I couldn’t wait to write about Friday’s Smackdown, not only was it a solid wrestling show, but out of all three WWE’s programs this week Smackdown definitely was the number one show. Believe me a lot of the credit for such a good show goes to Jeff Hardy the WWE champion. Man he is so over and that Albany, NY crowd was on fire, proving that it’s so much better to tape one show a week than have the crowd sitting for a double taping with so much dead time between each show, which in turn just tires out the crowd. This was a hot show and I want to get right to it. Now beware I do have negative things to say, but with all the complaints that I am going to mention, the show still worked for me.

I absolutely loved the opening segment welcoming the new WWE champ, Jeff Hardy. This is when the crowd really went nuts and along with the crowd, Hardy was welcomed with a downfall of confetti. Hardy was a total crowd pleaser and I have to say it was nice to have someone brand new holding that title and opening up the show. Edge was outstanding when he came out in his frustrated mode after losing to Hardy on Sunday. Edge wasn’t his cool, calm self on Friday night. He was all nerved up and pissed about the loss and I just loved the way his character came off. This was a strong segment and watching these two interact was really great to watch.

I have to be honest with you the first match of the night was a disappointment. I don’t believe we saw entrances from MVP, Shelton Benjamin, or Gregory Helms. That shows just what Vince thinks of these guys. The only entrance that we got came from R. Truth doing his walk through the crowd while rapping, What’s Up? There was no importance all placed on this match, which made watching it really uninteresting. They have done nothing to build up Helms since his return to TV. In fact they did more with those little pop-ups than they did building up his return. He’s right back where he was years ago, just there, and I feel bad about that. Shelton seems to be moving down and that’s a pattern that most of us are familiar with. And while I had great hopes that MVP’s long losing streak would get him right back into a main storyline, I’m starting to have my doubts, especially since this match wasn’t given any hype last night. R. Truth the guy who gave us those brilliant vignettes before showing up on the guy that got to do his entrance. All in all I’m very disappointed by the way each one of these guys are being used.

Are you all noticing that Chavo’s best days with Vickie are slowly behind him? Week after week Vickie has treated him like a piece of crap. Friday night we saw Vickie at her best when she had Chavo bring her HOT coffee, and after tasting it she wasn’t pleased because it wasn’t hot. That’s when she had Chavo taste it and then she slapped the cup hard right in his face. I guess the Queen of Smackdown has had it with her nephew. I would imagine we are in store for a Chavo turn, which could be a good thing. I think Chavo needs to be reinvented, he’s gone on too long with the same character it’s time for a change. And now on to the next match. I am so tired of Jesse and Festus. I talk about Chavo’s character going on too long, this tag team got old a long time ago. Festus proved that he’s good in the ring when he opposed Taker last year, but as long as this character continues, I don’ see him going anywhere. There was nothing to the match between Festus and John Morrison. In fact I think that Morrison was just wasted in this one. Now I have gotten a kick out of all the DX ads, but Friday’s was the funniest. I was laughing so hard about the HBK hair joke, and I have to give it to Michaels for acknowledging that he’s losing his hair. It has always killed me that so many sites make sure they get in something about how he’s balding. They can rave about his work, yet so many have to get a hair joke in there. I could care less, his loss of hair doesn’t affect his matches or anything else he does on TV, that’s why I have to give props to the man for letting that become the main DX joke week after week. This was a hell of a funny commercial and I guess the last one for the season.

The match of the night was without a doubt Edge vs. Matt Hardy. Oh my God what a fantastic match. Again like so many other matches on Smackdown you had two of the very best going against each other and they gave the fans a 5 star match. I think these are they type of matches that most of us come to expect on Smackdown. This was just a beaut. The Ezekiel vs. Carlito match was okay, but again I’m a little bothered as to why Carlito and Primo got the tag team belts when they very seldom win, and really the brothers have never made to look like top guys. Just when I thought that they would be focused weekly, like so many others they just don’t seem to be moving up. So while this wasn’t bad, I guess I expected more. I didn’t mind seeing Mr. Kennedy. I was cool with his locker room skit with MVP. Maybe Kennedy needs to work with someone to come off better than being on his own and just plugging his movie. I didn’t mind watching Kennedy give a so-called pep talk to MVP. In fact I liked this segment.

Please tell me, that we aren’t going to get the 2009 version of Mark Henry and Mae Young, with Khali playing the Henry part. That’s the last thing that I want to see. Are you telling me that Vince has given up and doesn’t know what to do with the Great Khali? Hey if it’s between Mae Young and the Kiss Kam I’m voting for Khali and the Kiss Kam. Maryse beat Maria to become the number one contender against Michelle McCool for the Women’s title. I did enjoy the match and you have no idea how much I am hoping that McCool loses to Maryse and we got a brand new women’s champ. And then I wouldn’t mind if a heel Michelle was chasing the title instead of holding on to it.

The main event with Jeff Hardy vs. Kozlov was another match where Kozlov was Kozlov. It’s too bad that Hardy’s first match had to be against Kozlov and not a better opponent. But the interference from Edge and then HHH coming out to help Jeff who was being beaten by both Edge and Kozlov definitely made the ending of Smackdown a good one. Hey I noticed that Triple H was in his bad-ass mode, which is something that we haven’t seen for a while. So I guess it’s safe to say that Edge and Jeff Hardy are feuding and unfortunately for Triple H and many of us he’s stuck with Vladimir. I was really hoping that Kozlov would have been sent to ECW and kept away from this group.

Well anyway I really liked this show even with some of the flaws. The top guys really made it a very solid show and I am so ready for Monday’s Raw along with ECW. And with Royal Rumble coming up I have to say I’m getting excited about that show as well. Also I just want to add this. I thought last night’s WWE Tribute to the Troops was a great show. I wish that we would have gotten two hours instead of one, but I loved it. You know just watching the WWE superstars interact with the troops is one of the coolest things to see, because they always seem so relaxed and sincerely happy to be there. Each year Vince puts on a terrific show and if this is repeated try to see it if you missed it. Okay with the holiday’s coming up I’m going to take the week and weekend off. My husband will be off so I will let him have me all to himself for the week. Oh that poor guy, believe me he would rather see me doing the columns. Seriously I want to say HO HO HO and Happy Holiday’s to all of you and please look for my return in two weeks.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

It’s kind of weird that tonight visibly missing at the Armageddon pay per view are, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Kane, MVP and so many others. And sure this isn’t one of WWE’s biggest pay per views of the year, but I still think the card looks pretty solid and I definitely will be ordering the show tonight. I don’t see any titles changing, but there are a few matches that I really can’t wait to see. Okay here I go with my picks for tonight’s show.

World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
There is no way that John Cena will lose Sunday, no way at all. But I don’t care because we get Chris Jericho in this one. These two have had many good matches, and I don’t see tonight’s being an exception. I am guessing that this will end the show and I am also guessing that these two are going to put on a hell of match. Jericho can try all he wants but as I said this win will go to John Cena.
Winner: John Cena

WWE Championship: Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H (Triple Threat)
And just like Cena, Edge isn’t walking out without the title either. I think this triple threat match is cool and you have three of the best in here. Edge has Vickie and Chavo and I’m sure they will find a way to aid in Edge’s win, not that he needs any help. But I totally can’t wait to see these three go at it, and I would think another loss for Hardy will be a great way to rile him up even more. PLUS, I will bet Triple H will also get a little pissed, well a lot pissed when Edge wins. This match plus the WWE title match should really be something to watch.
Winner: Edge

Batista vs. Randy Orton
I really would have loved to have seen this feud get a lot more time and build up, but even though that this has all happened rather fast I’m very much looking forward to watching these former Evolution members going at it. You know the first thing that hit me was that Batista would win because his team lost last month. But now with Orton’s stable formed I have to wonder how Batista could win without making Orton, Manu and Cody Rhodes look bad their first time out. So I have to go with Orton for the win, thanks to the guys from Priceless. I think we will get a match that will not only get the fans going but also I think we are in for some really hot action.
Winner: Randy Orton

ECW Champion Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
The only bright spot about this match is that it’s a non-title match. But we all know what that means. Kozlov is going to beat the ECW champion. I guess I can live with that because if the title was involved I would be crushed if Matt Hardy lost this match. How could Kozlov lose when he was named breakout star of 2008? And if that’s not scary enough we all know how much Vince likes this guy. So Vladi winning is a given. Triple H did all he could to carry this guy, and the match was a flop at Survivor Series, but I have a feeling that Matt might be able to get the fans more involved and hopefully make this a decent match.
Winner: Vladimir Kozlov

Finlay vs. Mark Henry (Belfast Brawl)
Of course this should be Finlay’s since it’s the Belfast Brawl, but Mark Henry is due for a pay per view win, and I just don’t see him losing Sunday. I have been so pleased with Mark Henry since he was moved to ECW, and because of that I really want to see this one. Of course it never hurts when you have Finlay in there. I don’t think this will go on too long but look for it to be a good match.
Winner: Mark Henry

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk - Intercontinental Title Tournament Finals
You can’t ask for a better match up than this one. This is a first, and one that should be damn good. You know Mysterio and Punk shouldn’t be in this IC tournament, because they were both WWE champions and I would like to think the IC title is for guys that are working their way up the ladder. But what the hell, I’m still hyped for this one. Rey needs this title even less than Punk does, so I see a Mysterio loss, perhaps Mike Knox interfering, a nice solid match and CM winning and eventually facing the current IC champ, William Regal.
Winner: CM Punk

Michelle McCool, Maria, Mickie James & Kelly go up against Victoria, Natalya, Jillian & Maryse in a Santa’s Little Helper Match.
Smackdown’s Maryse has really started to shine on the show. In fact she gives so much more than the women’s champion, Michelle McCool. I would think Maryse’s team would win because that could cause more tension between McCool and Maria. This definitely won’t be the match of the night, but with this line-up it should come off pretty well.
Winners: Maryse, Victoria, Natalya and Jillian

See I told you the card is a good one, now let’s hope the show is too. I will return hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday with my thoughts on the pay per view and Raw. By the way I never posted a column about last week’s three-hour Raw, but let me just say that I loved the show. I thought it was excellent and Smackdown was another very good show, in fact I might I think I liked Smackdown just a little more than Raw, and I do mean just a little more. And along with ECW we got another very good week of WWE shows. Okay let’s hope we all enjoy Armageddon.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Brace yourself; this column is all good, it’s all positive. That’s because in my opinion Raw was a hell of a show. There is nothing that I can complain about. The two hours just flew by, and when that happens you know that the show had to be extra good. Okay I have one complaint. I’ll start with that first, and really it’s not a complaint. It’s about a comment that was said which made no sense to me. I bet you all know where I’m going with this. And after my quick comment it’s on to a really GOOD Raw.

Isn’t Kane supposed to be an evil? I just did not understand why he told Chris Jericho that he loves the fans. I was waiting for a smart-ass comment to follow, but it didn’t. He loves the fans? Wow he’s morbid, violent, but he’s fan friendly. Go figure. And that’s it and it’s now time to rave about the show. What a cool opening with Chris Jericho. He did a John Cena when he stood with some of the fans, but instead of kissing up to them, he was cold as ice toward them and then his promo started and it was awesome. He talked about how he needed to convert his little boy from being a John Cena fan. Jericho really was on last night, and as good as the opening was with Jericho, things got even better with him as the show went on.

Let’s face it we know that Vince loves to push the big guys, the guys that really don’t have it, but I think one guy that deserves the push that he’s getting is Mike Knox. There is something about this guy that I really like. He has proven time and time again that he can wrestle and now with his wild look it’s like everything is just gelling so well for him. His portrayal of a true bully is coming off well and I liked how he waited for Rey Mysterio at the bottom of the ramp and then attacked him. I am looking forward to seeing how these two work with each other. Jut the little that I have seen gives me hope that this could turn out to be a good feud. And if this should turn out well, what a big plus this would be for Knox. My match of the night was the very good tag team match between Kofi Kingston and CM Punk vs. Manu and Cody Rhodes. This match was just so damn entertaining, and I’m noticing with Di Biase out of there Manu definitely fits in well with Rhodes. Punk was in this one a lot more than Kingston and he really looked strong out there. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this match, and I am also getting very excited, because finally it looks like Randy Orton will be heading a stable consisting of Rhodes and Manu.

The backstage segment with Orton talking to Manu and Rhodes was quite good. He told them how he recognized the potential they have as a collective unit, and if they were interested he would be in the locker room. Oh yeah it looks like the stable is just about ready to start up. I have to hand it to WWE they have really taken their time building all of this up, and maybe because of the long build up I am more hyped than ever to see this group work together. I thought this segment was very good, and like Jericho, Orton really did a very good job last night. He made a nice impact on the show. I have to be very honest with you; I wasn’t really paying attention to Jillian vs. Melina because I was too busy listening to Santino. I thought he was a riot on the mic when he was sitting with Lawler and Cole. But he made me laugh even harder when he started up with Melina. First he called her Melanie and then he started to imitate Melina’s split on the apron. Everything about this was a riot, except for Michael Cole’s laughing. Ah but I’m not going to bitch about Cole I will save that for another column. Santino made all of this a lot of fun to watch. And then instead of putting Marella and Goldust in another match, we got a little backstage comedy. We saw Santino icing his groin and then all of a sudden Santino was getting a neck massage. Of course he thought it was Beth Phoenix but it turned out to be Goldust, and Santino screamed like a girl. This might not have been off the charts funny, but it beats throwing this two in the ring right now.

Many of you emailed me last night right after the show and complained about the JBL/HBK segment. At first I wasn’t thrilled with it either. When Shawn walked away I was very disappointed because I was waiting for him to kick JBL’s face and we didn’t get that. But as the show went on this really stuck with me and I thought this might have really served its purpose. Either HBK will become a tweener because the rumor is that he will be feuding with Taker at Wrestlemania, OR, either next week or at Armageddon, Michaels will go after JBL and bring him down for all the rotten things that Bradshaw said about Michaels not being able to financially help his family. So what I’m trying to say is after this was all over, I really thought it played out well. It keeps you guessing about what’s going to happen, and by the way what exactly would Shawn being doing for JBL? See we don’t know, so I definitely want to see more from these two.

So Dolph Ziggler made his debut last night, and it was against Batista. At first I thought oh no why do this to big Dave, but I’m happy to say that this was a decent match. It wasn’t a squash with Batista taking this guy out in seconds, which was okay with me. Ziggler got a lot of offense in and even though he lost, he came out of this looking good. Do I think this guy is going to go a long way in the company? That I don’t know but at least last night, Ziggler didn’t bomb, at least not as far as I’m concerned. After the match, Orton came out and told Batista that it would be only a matter of time before they faced off. Batista did that little laugh that he has and told Orton that he talked to Stephanie and it will be Batista vs. Orton at Armageddon. I can’t wait to see this match; I just wish that these two could have had a major storyline going on to get to this point. Another match that I liked was Finlay vs. Morrison. This was for the I.C. title tournament and this was a good one. But then again when you have these two going at it how could it miss. Finlay lost which didn’t surprise me, but he looked damn good here, as did Morrison. Morrison is so good on his own, that it would not surprise me if very soon we get a lot more of this guy without the Miz.

I don’t know about you but I cannot wait to see next week’s three hour Raw. Stephanie named the nominees for Superstar of the year. They are John Cena, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Batista, Edge and Jeff Hardy. And then she said each one would face the other next week on the special Raw. She then starts to name the matches and says we will see Triple H but it’s a picture of Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy, so she says sorry I pulled an Admale. That was quick thinking on Steph’s part and I have to say it was also very clever of her. I even laughed when she said it. Now on to another good match. It was the “injured” Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz as part of the I.C. tournament. Mysterio was selling his hurt arm thanks to Mike Knox at the beginning of the show. But no matter how much damage was done, Rey looked really good in this one, and along with the Miz they put on a nice fast paced match, with Rey coming out as the winner.

And finally while the main event with Kane vs. John Cena was nothing to rave about, it was done so quickly that I can’t say that it was total crap. But the best thing about this main event was that after the match, Rhodes, Manu and Orton, with Jericho right there beat the hell out of Cena. This was just awesome, and it was like last week’s attack on Jericho by Cena. This was an excellent ending and a great way to top off a super show. You know won’t maybe another reason why this show rocked was because there was no mic work from Cena and he was only on this segment. And because of that Cena came off intense and that character always works for me.

I’m so hyped from last night’s show and with Raw next week being three hours; I can only hope that it’s three hours of pure entertainment. I can’t wait to watch ECW tonight with Matt Hardy vs. MVP. Sure we’ve seen these two go at a lot, but I’m sure tonight’s match will be a good one. I will not be doing a Smackdown column this weekend. Well if I can I will, but we will be out more than home so I don’t think I will have time to post my thoughts. But next week I look forward to talking about Raw and the Slammy awards. And here’s hoping that the hot streak continues next week.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

It’s not often when Raw is better the night after a pay per view, but that’s exactly what happened this week. I’m not even going to waste my time talking about Survivor Series. I thought it was one of the worst pay per views in a while, and with the exception of both team matches, HBK/JBL and Orton and Batista the show was really bad. The main event with John Cena vs. Chris Jericho was nothing more than a Raw main event, yet it was still good, just not exceptionally good. Triple vs. Kozlov and the Casket match with Taker vs. Big Show were the two worst matches of the night. I’m getting dramatic here, but how dare Vince put Kozlov into the title picture when all this guy has done for almost a year is face low mid carders and in a matter of a few seconds squash them. Kozlov showed that he didn’t belong there and I hope any plans of continuing the Kozlov push is over. Okay so now that you know my thoughts on the Survivor Series I want to go right to Raw, which I thought, was a very good show.

Even though I didn’t put a column out last week, I was very happy with Raw in Manchester, England. I thought it was a really good show, but I thought this Monday’s show was even better. While there were some things that I didn’t care for all in all I thought Raw was a very strong and entertaining show. Let me quickly tell you what I didn’t like, and I might as well start with Mr. Kennedy….Kennedy. What WWE superstar reminds you of Barack Obama, yeah that was the segment. Oh my God are they kidding me? Not only was the video absolutely stupid to watch, but also even Kennedy looked totally uncomfortable and out of place during all of this. Wow it’s funny now that Kennedy has made a WWE film Vince now wants to get his face out there. And I guess in Vince’s eyes no matter how pathetic the segment is Kennedy is going to take part in it. This was just horrible. The one match that I really thought was weak was the number one contender spot for the I.C. title with Kofi Kingston vs. Kane. There was nothing to this match at all; the chemistry was definitely missing here. And to add to this Stephanie comes out and tells Kane that he gets a title match with John Cena next week if he stops attacking Kingston. I don’t know if you noticed the crow reaction, oh wait there wasn’t any, because the thought of a Cena/Kane title match means nothing to most fans.

Now you know what would be funny? Watching Goldust and Santino interact on the mic for a while and not in the ring. How many more times is Vince going to keep bringing Goldust back? I’ll bet you he won’t last long this time around, and again if you noticed the fans really showed nothing when he came out for his match against Santino. I’m telling you guys that if you have them on the mic I think the humor would flow with these two, and then after a few weeks have them take it to the ring. This was another bland segment, but at least it didn’t last long. I know I keep popping with complaints but really I did like the show a lot. Batista did one of those interviews that I hate. He put over his opponent, John Cena. I don’t care if it’s Cena, Jericho, HBK or anyone else, I hate when creative has the guy praising his opponent. Batista came off like he was the President of the John Cena fan club. I want to see some hostility; I want to see some fire in Batista, not an easygoing guy complimenting the World Champion.

And finally I hated the whole Cena promo before he attacked Chris Jericho. I had no problem with Cena being out there in the middle of so many fans, that was cool. I even thought I was cool when he walked down through the crowd shaking hands. It was the crap that Vince had him say that totally reminded me of why I can’t take Cena the panderer. I didn’t need to hear about how the fans spend their hard earned money, and how they have passion and that if it wasn’t for them they wouldn’t exist. I wish Vince would remember all of that when he pushes guys like Snitzky and Kozlov. If he believed what he had Cena say then those guys would never be on TV as much as they are, because those are the guys the fans don’t want to see week in and week out. I just hated the YOU GO GET EM lecture and Jericho hit it perfectly when he talked about Cena the panderer. I immediately said you go Chris. Well I didn’t say it that way, but that whole Cena rah rah stuff really got to me. Now his attack on Jericho I liked a lot, that I was fine with. I wish we would have gotten less talk and more action from Cena. So the Cena promo thumbs down, but the attack on Chris Jericho a big thumbs up.

Now onto more pleasant things. I kind of liked the “argument” between Stephanie and Shane. You know we have seen this all before, but this didn’t go on too long and I thought they did a nice job getting the show under way. I will say this though. Just like her father, too much of Stephanie is not a good thing. I don’t need to see her more than maybe twice during a show, more than that can be too much, so I hope that Steph will not follow in Vince’s footsteps and instead she will keep a low profile each week. HA HA like that’s going to happen. The opening match with Rey Mysterio and Shawn Michaels vs. The Miz and Morrison was really good. In fact I liked it just as much as the team HBK match the night before. This match had plenty of action and I have to say it was my favorite match of the night. And along with this very good match I thought JBL teasing us about a deal offered to Michaels was quite interesting. I have no idea what this could be about, but hopefully this could be the making of a very good angle. Okay granted Snitzky vs. CM Punk was really all Snitzky until the end. I mean Punk had to really go that extra mile to beat Snitzky for a chance at the I.C. title. But what I liked about this segment was William Regal not only adding his opinion about what was going on in the ring, but Regal had the most intense look on his face while he was watching CM. Hey I would be more than happy to have a nice feud between Regal and Punk. It was Regal and Punk’s win that really worked for me during this match.

The triple threat match with Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho for number one contender for the World title came off well, and Jericho winning was no surprise to me. I figured we would get a rematch. Not only did I like this but also I thought Cody Rhodes and Manu shooting daggers at Orton after the loss played out very well. I got a kick out of Kelly Kelly, and DX pimping the Christmas merchandise, but I will be honest and tell you a few things puzzled me during this segment. First I couldn’t understand how Triple H good be in such fine form after losing his title the night before. Also since he’s married to Steph and the fans know that, how come he didn’t go and see her and I don’t know discuss what happened earlier when she and Shane got into it. I know I’m being very picky here but those things just hit me, but other than questioning a few things I really liked seeing all three here. So even though I started out with a lot of negativity, I really thought this show came off very entertaining. It’s nice to have back-to-back decent Raw’s and I look forward to next week’s show. I will leave you with a Happy Thanksgiving to all you here in the states, and I will do my best to return over the weekend with thoughts on Smackdown.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

I am in such a rut when it comes to my predictions. I haven’t really done well in months, and tonight I’m not so sure that I can break out of this tailspin. But what the hell, you know I always have fun giving you my predictions no matter how poorly I do. I can’t thank all of you enough for sending me yours and please don’t stop. I will do my best to get to them before the show starts. I am looking forward to tonight’s Survivor Series, I really feel this is a strong card and even though I’m in a slump with my picks, WWE has been on a high with giving us consistent strong pay per views. Hopefully this one will rate right up there. Okay let me get started, and I hope I can hold my head up high for a change when the show is over.

Undertaker vs. Big Show (Casket Match)
Listen week after week this so-called feud has bored me, but they both blew me away with their last match at Cyber Sunday. I never expected to get such an awesome match from these two. So while I could care less about this gimmick I am looking forward to watching this one. I believe after tonight thankfully Big Show and Taker will move on to other feuds. I’m going with the Undertaker for the win.
Winner: Undertaker

Jeff Hardy vs. WWE Champion Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov (Triple Threat Match)
My WWE certainly turned this match into something really big by posting on their site that Jeff Hardy was found unconscious. Okay everything out there says this is simply a work and I don’t know if I should go any further. I don’t want to spoil things by telling you what the rumor is, but let’s just say they certainly made all of this interesting. I will say this, Jeff is supposed to wrestle tonight and sell the injury so it will still be a triple threat match and this is another match that I can’t wait to see. Before Hardy was found “unconscious” I was going with either Jeff or Triple H for the win, but now I will go with Hunter. Of course some see Kozlov becoming the new WWE champ with Hunter chasing him for the title. Well whatever happens this should be a very solid match.
Winner: Triple H

Team Batista with Matt Hardy, C M Punk, Kofi Kingston and R. Truth vs. Team Orton with Mark Henry, William Regal, Cody Rhodes and Shelton Benjamin - Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
I have to give the victory to the Orton team. Randy is on a tear right now and I don’t see Batista’s team pulling this one out, even though Batista has very capable guys on his side. Without sounding repetitive this is another match that definitely has my interest. You just know this is going to have a lot going for it. I really like the mixture of talent on both sides. It’s been a couple of months that the former World champion CM Punk was on a pay per view, I’m glad WWE decided to slip him in this one.
Winners: Team Orton

Team HBK with Rey Mysterio, Khali, and Cryme Tyme vs. Team JBL with Miz, Morrison, Kane and MVP - Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
I can’t see Team HBK losing, not after Michaels was pinned by the Miz last Monday night. This should be a fun match; it has to be look who the team captains are. Hey so far each match definitely has my attention
Winners: Team HBK
Team Raw with Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Candice and Jillian vs. Team Smackdown with Michelle McCool, Natalya, Maryse, Victoria, and Maria - Divas Survivor Series Elimination Match
Okay so maybe this is the first match that really doesn’t cut it for me. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure this will be a decent match, but lately the divas in the ring haven’t really done much for me. I’m going with Team Smackdown for the win, because some of the Smackdown divas on Monday got their butts handed to them thanks to the Raw chicks.
Winners: Team Smackdown
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. John Cena
There is no doubt in my mind that John Cena will win and that we won’t hear one boo in the crowd since he’s coming back to his hometown, Boston. I don’t want to rant and rant but I want to thank Vince for absolutely putting a very bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Cena’s return. These new videos that we got week after week after week just annoyed the hell out of me. I mean hearing the B-list celebs’ raving about Cena was ridiculous. I didn’t need to see Cena’s father and family and old photos of him. And then WWE wonders why fans like me are anti-Cena. How can fans that don’t care for him feel differently when it’s one BS video after another? Hey don’t tell me there weren’t guys in the past that would give all their time for the company, because I know there were. It’s just been too much and because of the way I feel this is a match that I have no desire to watch. At least Chris Jericho will be the opponent so that’s a good thing .I can’t believe that with all the build up week after week Cena could possibly lose. No Cena will become the new World Champion tonight
Winner: John Cena

For all you John Cena fans, I know I probably pissed you off, and believe me that’s the last thing that I wanted to do. Remember Cena the man I respect and like, but Cena the guy that we see on TV is the guy that I can’t take. I keep praying that they turn him heel, but let’s face it that’s not going to happen for a very long time. I will be back with my thoughts on tonight’s show and Raw either Tuesday or Wednesday. I apologize for not getting a Raw column out this past week, but one of my dog’s had part of her tail amputated, she had a small part amputated 6 weeks ago, but more had to come off. And a lot was going on with her and the house, so it was kind of hard to sit here and get something out. But I will do my best to talk about Raw and the Survivor Series this week.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Friday’s Smackdown was really one of the best shows that I have seen in a few weeks. Jeff Hardy was the definite star of the show, but there were so many other stars and segments that I can honestly say I liked a lot. I did notice that the Manchester crowd again wasn’t as great as they usually are, but they still had their moments. Listen I am so excited to talk about Smackdown and the new Jeff Hardy.

What a cool opening we got. The show started with a casket in the ring, lights out and Taker’s voice telling Big Show that he is the punisher of darkness, and then the casket opened and the Undertaker sat up. This was a different and really nice way to get things going, but things continued to rock when all of a sudden we hear Jeff Hardy and then he appears on the screen in a very dark area with makeup on his face, which is very similar to that of the Joker’s. Now this was kind of eerie and creepy but oh so good. In a rather dark mood Hardy showed how angry and frustrated he has become and that he was tired of apologizing all of the time. And he promised Taker that their match would be extreme and that Undertaker would rest in peace. This was just a hell of a segment thanks to both Taker and Jeff Hardy, and it definitely got the show off to a very good start.

I absolutely loved the opening match with Matt Hardy taking on Shelton Benjamin. Anytime I can see these two in the ring go against each other is a thrill for me. This match was not only solid, but even with a knee injury which Hardy got during a house show in Europe he was still able to give his all. And along with one of the best in the Shelton Benjamin we got a hell of a match. This is what all three brands need to give the fans, solid matches like this one. This match is what fans tune in for; well at least most fans look for something like this. This was so entertaining, and lengthy. Plus there was no cheap finish or interference. You know I have seen ECW do this type of match I want to say more often than Raw or Smackdown as of late, but Raw and Smackdown every now and then pop with a major match that we can all sink our teeth in.

The next math was okay, but kind of short, and I’m talking about Carlito vs. The Brian Kendrick. I have always thought Carlito was a good wrestler, but I think his negative attitude with the company started to show whenever he was on TV. I really don’t know if Vince and Carlito have a better relationship now, but I think having him team up with his brother Primo is a way to get him back on track. Carlito I think could go a long way if he improves his attitude. Also while I’m on the Carlito subject I have to say I like Primo. He has personality, he can move in the ring and I think for the most part he seems very comfortable on the mic. Unfortunately even though the Colon brothers are the tag team champs, they don’t have one credible tag team to feud with. Well isn’t that typical Vince. I don’t know why he even has a tag team division. I noticed that I have kind of gone off the subject of the Kendrick/Carlito match. As I said it was a good match, and the more I see The Brian the more I just get a kick out of the cocky little bastard.

I say this all of the time, contract signings basically do nothing for me, but I didn’t mind the Kozlov/Triple H signing because of the way it ended. I did laugh when Hunter said that it was like the United Nations in the ring, with Russia and Mexico being represented and then the fat jokes started coming about Vicki. The only one that made me laugh was Hunter saying that Vickie was from Bulgegaria. Yeah that one I found funny. However I thought once Triple H did a nice job when he turned serious and mentioned how Kozlov’s nerves were boiling up inside because this guy never main evented. Hunter went on to say they he has main evented pay per views with the title on the line. Just listening to Triple H and looking at Kozlov react turned this into a decent segment, but it was when Jeff Hardy showed up on the top rope and put Kozlov through the table that this segment really shined. Hardy as I said was the star of the show and he wasn’t done yet.

MVP lost another one to Funaki thanks to Khali’s distraction. You know this thing with Kung Funaki really leaves me ice cold. All of a sudden he’s getting a push with a weak gimmick, go figure. I guess I still want to believe that MVP is going to come back from the dead and be what he was over a year ago. I expect MVP and Helms to feud once Helms returns, but yes this was one of the weak spots on Smackdown. And from there Khali and the Kiss Kam took place. There’s not much I can say about this because we have seen this week after week, but this time Khali got away without a kiss, and a laid out MVP not only got kissed by the fan, but MVP and the fan rolled around the ring as well. I guess you could say all of that had me laughing. But week after week I keep saying they need to move on with Khali. Okay the next match that I really didn’t pay attention too was Michelle McCool vs. Maria. Not only am I not in love with these two women anymore, but also the whole Festus/Jesse teddy bear thing was just crap. So add this to the list of very weak segments. But you know what? Two bad segments out of two-hours isn’t bad at all. And thankfully both segments were very short.

Finally the main event was just off the charts with Taker vs. Jeff Hardy. You know I see a pattern here. Are you ready? The Triple H/Jeff Hardy feud was very good, the Undertaker/Big show feud, was not so hot. But the Undertaker/Hardy mini feud in just one night was excellent, and the Kozlov/Triple H feud is rather lifeless. What a difference it makes when you put Hardy in there and remove the big guy. Anyway this was an awesome main event probably because Taker and Hardy work so well together. I was so envious of the live crowd that they got to see this in person. We got chairs, and ladders, plus interference from Big Show which all worked so well. After Hardy’s victory he ran backstage and Vickie said if he beats Triple H next week he will be added to the Kozlov/Triple H match at Survivor Series. Well you have to give it to Hardy, Taker, and many others for making this Smackdown so worth watching.

Tomorrow Raw is back here in the states and remember it’s the last Raw before next week’s pay per view. I would imagine that we will see the McMahon siblings, as well as more from HBK/JBL and Batista and Orton. Hey do you think we are going to get another new video about John Cena? I mean in the last several weeks we have gotten a new one. Maybe they can make a video with President elect Obama and Joe Biden singing Cena’s praises. Okay you can tell I am being very sarcastic. But the string of new videos each week about Cena has been too much for me. I might get into that more next week with my predictions. I will now leave you with a reader’s request. He would like to know of anyone who has the midnight express theme, not the movie but for the tag team from WCW? You can email him at ksong8923@msn.com.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

Right off the bat with the exception of three segments that really put the crowd to sleep Monday’s Raw in Manchester, England was quite good. While I didn’t feel that the crowd was as good as they normally are, all in all the show had a nice feeling to it, yet I wonder why certain segments were even on TV. Let me get to those segments first and then I will just rave about the rest of the show. Well I won’t rave about it but I do have some very positive things to say about certain matches and promos.

I have to add Stephanie to my list of segments that I didn’t like. Listen she’s a beautiful woman, but I hate it when she does the “CLASSY” McMahon act. I always thought she was at her best when she played Hunter’s sidekick back in the McMahon/Helmsley era. Her character wasn’t over the top. In fact with Triple H at the forefront, Steph played her part perfectly. She added just enough, but as I said it was over done. But when you put her out their on her own, it’s like watching the female version of Vince. I like her, I have nothing against her, but I do not want to see this side of her, because trust me it’s going to get old real fast. I am not saying she ruined the opening segment, because she didn’t, and that’s thanks to Batista and Orton the real stars of that segment. Stephanie needs to have someone to play off of. Last week when she interacted with Shane she was fine, she does so much better when she’s not out there on her own. Okay enough of Stephanie.

While I didn’t mind seeing Santino lose his title to William Regal, I could not believe that the match was under a minute long. The loss I could see because let’s face it Santino hasn’t had a credible opponent in a very long time. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Regal defend that title week after week. But having Santino lose it in about 35 seconds tells me that Santino was born to talk and not wrestle. The best thing they could do for Marella is to let him manage and do the mic work for a guy or even a woman that just can’t cut it on the mic. For the first time in a few weeks I thought Santino’s mic work was funny, because he’s been in kind of a rut lately. So the Regal win was fine with me, but the match was an absolute dud. Also I noticed the crowd was Santino crazy, and as one of my friends pointed out to me, that lasted until Santino called Italy the best country in Europe. Regal got a good reaction, but not the reaction that I thought he would get. I guess you could say this whole segment was odd.

I would love to know why D’Lo was brought back. Other than a few good matches against Santino, they have done nothing with him. And things just got worse when they threw Mike Knox against him and he played the jobber. I certainly would have waited a while before I threw Knox out there. He received no reaction at all. I like this guy, but I don’t think most of the fans are ready for the push Knox seems to be getting. And finally they build up this match with Randy Orton vs. Batista, a match that you could see was a crowd pleaser and out of the blue Cody Rhodes takes over and claims that he can beat Big Dave. What the hell? You talk about a crowd killer. Plus this crowd that went more for Santino then Regal, also booed the hell out of Batista when he opened the show. So now you have the fans looking forward to the Orton/Batista match with the live crowd probably cheering the hell out of Orton, and they get stuck with Rhodes taking on Batista. Just when you think things are going well, Vince pulls the plug and throws crap out there and that’s what he did with the three segments that I just mentioned. That’s it, enough of my complaining; I am going to save the best parts for last. Sure the rest of the show might not have been outstanding, but for some reason I was okay with the rest of Raw. Granted I could have done without another Kane vs. Rey Mysterio match, but Monday’s No DQ match was okay, but I’m glad that this was the last one on one match that these two are going to have against each other. I didn’t mind the backstage segment with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. I found it to be better than the Rhodes/Batista match. However, Manu still doesn’t fit with Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. He’s not making any impact at all when he’s on TV. Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix was a decent match, but like everything else on the show it wasn’t outstanding. But at least it was nice to see Mickie for a change because it seems like Vince has put her on the back burner again.

I guess for the most part the show was mediocre but the following really did it for me. I said this already, but I thought Batista and Randy Orton did an awesome job opening the show. Batista came off so much better this week than last week. He seemed much more focused, and Orton did an excellent job trying to run things. You know maybe it was because it was two former Evolution members that appealed to me, or maybe it was just the fact that this is something we really haven’t seen. So thumbs up to Randy and Dave for really setting up the show. I absolutely loved Chris Jericho’s promo. It wasn’t whiney and it was too long, but man it was to the point. He got his digs in about what he had done to Shawn Michaels, about how he beat Batista last week and what’s in store for the returning John Cena. This was Jericho at his best. And the highlight without a doubt was the Last Man Standing match with Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels. What a way to end one of the hottest feuds of the year on Raw. I thought this was an excellent match to give us on free TV and I even like JBL’s run in. Everything worked in this match. And after the show, WWE.com posted a new match for the Survivor Series. JBL’s team vs. HBK’s team. JBL has the Miz, Morrison, Kane and MVP vs. Michael’s team consisting of Khali, Cryme Tyme and Rey Mysterio. The reason that I am mentioning this is because I would much rather have this type of match than HBK vs. JBL. So I am cool with the team vs. team match.

I don’t know what it was but this show definitely worked for me even with all its flaws. It’s funny because I didn’t realize that there were so many, but maybe it was just having it in Manchester that won me over. I’m looking forward to Smackdown and yes I did read the spoilers and the show sounds pretty good, but of course reading it is never the same as watching it. By the way I’m sure most of you know that WWE released Elijah Burke, Kenny Dykstra, Lena Yada this week. Last week they released Chuck Palumbo and Paul London, and supposedly more releases are going to take place. Plus there is a major rumor that Christian is returning to the WWE. I wouldn’t mind seeing him return, but supposedly TNA and Christian are still trying to get something going. Okay I plan on returning over the weekend with my Smackdown thoughts and again if I’m not there it’s just because of all the work going on here. For instance today my Internet was out again, but thankfully after a few hours we got it back. So I hopefully I will be back over the weekend.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com

AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com

We’re getting around the holidays…so anyone working for a wrestling or MMA promotion that is holding a Toys for Tots event, please send them to the e-mail address above, so I can plug them in this column and on PWBTS.com.

For openers….for the 13th straight straight year, South Jersey independent wrestling promotion United Wrestling Coalition will hold its annual Toys For Tots show at Burlington County College in Pemberton, NJ on this year December 6 with a 6:30 pm belltime. Admission is free with a new unwrapped toy. All UWC wrestlers donate their time for the evening as well, with seven matches scheduled.

As with other Toys for Tots events, no admission is charged. Fans are asked to bring an unwrapped toy with a value of at least $10 as “admission”. UWC fans, along with local donations, and scout drives, usually lead to 1,000 toys being collected yearly, with over 11,000 toys collected since the event’s inception. Toys for Tots has indicated that UWC’s efforts make them the single largest collector in Burlington County.

UWC, as always, needs assistance with wrestling (or other) door prizes to have available as a raffle which traditionally takes place throughout the show we have during the show. UWC typically has about 50 door prizes during the show, with each fan receiving 3 raffle tickets upon entering the gym, with additional tickets available for purchase as well. Each event collects as many as 1000 toys for children around southern New Jersey.

What I’d like to see happen is for wrestling promotions and individuals with items that can be donated toward UWC’s work. If there are any wrestling promotions or interested others on the East Coast who’d like to help UWC put together their items for raffle; please e-mail me at the above e-mail address, or e-mail Lois at loisuwc@comcast.net. The event will have door prizes (with free chances given at door), autographs, prizes for Scout troops (call 609-723-3049 to register your Pack and win prizes while helping Toys for Tots.

Funkadified Wrestling Federation holds its Toys for Tots event in Christiana, DE at the Christiana Fire Company Hall on Sunday, November 23rd with a 3:00 pm when the FwF presents Toys For Tots with special guests the Paul Green Original School of Rock (from the movie of the same name).

Former WWE star and current FwF heavyweight champion The Patriot is being kept in the dark on who his opponent will be, but will be there with flags in hand to see his many fans.

FwF cruiserweight champion JD Smooth takes on the Funky White Boy with the title on the line. Former FWF
cruiserweight champion Nicky Oceansr will face his arch rival Rhett Titus. Tickets are $15 ringside; $12 open seating and are available in advance by calling the FwF Box Office, 302-420-7287. Tickets at the door are $15. Because this is a Toys For Tots event, anybody bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the event will receive their ringside seats for $10.00 and will benefit the Marines Toys For Tots Program.

Then, from the world of MMA, World Championship Fighting (WCF) today announced the launch of its “Fight For Children In Need” campaign in association with WBCN, the Rock of Boston, to support Greater Boston’s Toys For Tots program. The Toys For Tots program, an annual toy drive created by the U.S. Marine Corps, has been collecting toys for needy children since 1948.

The toy drive will take place on November 14th at the World Championship Fighting 5 event in Wilmington, MA. The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, non-violent, unwrapped, toys each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the Greater Boston community. New unwrapped toys can be donated on the night of fight in the lobby. Monetary donations will also be accepted in the form of check with checks payable to Toys For Tots of Masschusetts.

Head promoter Joe Cavallaro said of the drive, “World Championship Fighting is proud to work with WBCN and the U.S. Marine Corps to make this Holiday Season special for children in need. The smiles on the faces of those kids is what it’s all about. We hope to continue this tradition and partner with as many people as possible to help support this great program.” WCF Vice President Sal Carrillo also added, “It’s great to be able to give back to the community in some way and what better way than to brighten the lives of Children. I remember what it was like receiving gifts on Christmas, image how these children will feel. It’s just a great way to help the community and we’re proud to be a part of the Toys For Tots program.”

World Championship Fighting and WBCN, who formed a partnership in May of 2008, continue to build upon their relationship to bring the Boston area a mix of the Ultimate in Mixed Martial Arts Fighting and the best Rock music as well as reach out to the community through programs like Toys For Tots. WBCN, The Rock of Boston, will be airing Public Service Announcements and have the WBCN street team out in force at the World Championship Fighting event on November 14th to help drum up support from WCF fans to contribute to the drive. Come out and support the Toys For Tots drive on November 14th while catching the hottest Mixed Martial Arts action on the East Coast! For more information visit http://www.WCFighting.com.

Finally for this week, 3XWrestling of Des Moines, IA presents a Toys for Tots show on “Black Friday”, November 28th,
with a 7:30 pm belltime at InPlay, 615 3rd Street. Des Moines, IA.

Matches scheduled:

3XW Heavyweight championship Lumberjack Match
Casanova defends against “Delicious” Devin Carter

3XW Cruiserweight Championship
Tony Sly defends against “Rockstar” Jimmy Rockwell
Tag Champion Mark Sterling vs. “Unbreakable” Zach Thompson

“The Rebel” Jeremy Wyatt vs. Mike Sydal

The Allstar & Maddog McDowell vs. The Newer Era (”Canadian Sex Icon” Ryan Slade & Aaron Masterson-Slade)

“Asian Sensation” Ricky Kwong vs. Brady A. Dezire

Kraig Keesaman vs. Donnie Peppercricket

Special Holiday Ticket prices: $10 Adults (or $8 with a Toys for Tots donation), Kids Ticket $5
Tickets will be on sale soon at the following locations: inPlay, 615 3rd Street, Des Moines, IA and Jay’s CD & Hobby, 5921 SE 14th St, Des Moines, IA.

Until next time…

If you have comments or questions, or if you’d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, or if you’d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), e-mail me at the address above.

Advertising consists of banner ads, available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are also available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.

I don’t know where to begin. I kind of feel like this column is going to be close to what I said about Smackdown last week. The show wasn’t outstanding, but it wasn’t bad either. Smackdown Friday night was a decent show but I feel like Smackdown could and should be a lot better. There is one feud that is doing nothing for the show, and another feud that isn’t exactly helping Smackdown either. But even with those two angles Smackdown focused on one star and that focus was just what the show needed. Without me going through the whole show let me tell you what is kind of putting me too sleep and what kept me wide awake. Also I want to mention some other parts of Smackdown that I liked and certain segments that made me wonder who is coming up with this stuff? You’ll see what I mean.

I still cannot get into the Big Show/Taker feud. Yes they had a fantastic match at Cyber Sunday, but when they are Smackdown the feud goes nowhere. This main feud has been basically putting me to sleep week after week. I find it all boring. In my opinion Big Show and Taker do not click and because of that I just can’t get excited about watching these two. Plus I am baffled that they had Big Show come out before the Taker vs. Kozlov number one contender match and challenge Taker to another Casket Match at Survivor Series. First, how did Big Show know that Taker would lose and be free to face him at the pay per view? And second, we just had a below average casket match last week with the Undertaker vs. Chavo. So why in the hell would I want to see another one, especially on a pay per view. Yeah, the sooner Big Show and Taker end this feud the happier I will be.

And Triple H now facing Kozlov kind of leaves me flat as well. I don’t know maybe they should have had Kozlov face some credible opponents instead of Funaki, Shannon Moore and other guys in that category. I’m having somewhat of a problem seeing Kozlov in such a high profiled match. And in all honesty it’s not a match that I feel deserves my money in two weeks. I might not be giving Vladimir enough credit, and I’m not intentionally trying to make nothing out of Kozlov, but I am not feeling any kind of star power with him and because of that this matchup for the WWE title is leaving me kind of cold. It’s sad because Smackdown is focusing on these two angles, and believe me it’s not making Smackdown a must see show. And maybe I’m in the minority but the Kozlov vs. Taker match did nothing for me. I read some reviews where they said the match was solid, or it was excellent. I sure didn’t feel that way and the Orlando, Florida crowd didn’t exactly seem into it either. This is just another case where BIG rules as far as Vince McMahon goes, and that’s the reason for the Kozlov push. There have been plenty of rumors that it would not be a big surprise should Kozlov beat Hunter and become the new WWE champion at the Survivor Series. Now in the past I would have said no way is he going to win, but if they could give Khali the title believe me a Kozlov reign is not out of the question.

I promise I have some nice things to say about the show, but let me just get out the other parts that I don’t get. For instance they build up R. Truth for weeks and weeks with very solid vignettes. Then they bring him in and the crowd is eating out of his hands, not only because of what they have seen to get us ready for him, but because he comes out in the crowd, rapping and getting them to react. And while all this is coming off really well they have this very good feud going on between R Truth and Shelton Benjamin. And for a few more weeks we get mic work from Benjamin and all is looking good. And then it all starts to go the opposite way. These two are stuck on WWE.com in a U.S. title match before Cyber Sunday starts. And they weren’t on Smackdown last week, but this past Friday night there’s no mic work from the U.S. champ and even though R. Truth does his thing in the crowd it all seemed rather lackluster during the match and after. It just felt no importance was put on what was going on in the ring. Again it’s so typical of McMahon. He pushes the new guys that the crowds are into and then with a snap of the finger all the hype starts dying down fast. I have a bad feeling that it’s going to happen to Evan Bourne and even The Brian Kendrick. So while the Benjamin vs. Truth match was decent I guess I just wanted more.

While this is probably very petty on my part I was so turned off with the backstage segment with Michelle McCool and Eve. Since when did McCool become such a wrestling Goddess? Creative had MICHELLE telling Eve what she needs to have to make it in this business. I didn’t know that this woman was such a veteran and expert when it comes to wrestling. I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Now the part where McCool was knocking Maria I didn’t mind because that was her way of attacking her friend and hopefully turning heel soon. So part of McCool’s segment was okay the other part was just ridiculous. And here I go repeating myself again, but I still get a kick out of Khali and his actions during the Kiss Kam, but what I don’t get a kick out of are the women that they keep bringing into the ring. Could Vince be more demeaning week after week by leaving the hot young girls out and bringing in women that are the total opposite? I wish Vince could move on and do something with class. Oh wait that’s not going to happen I’m talking about Vince McMahon.

Okay so as you can see I have plenty to say about what bothered me on Smackdown, but here’s what I liked. Okay while the losing streak that MVP has been on seems so wrong, in many ways this could be a good thing, because finally I see MVP back in a storyline dealing with his streak. It was nice to have the VIP Lounge on again, and hear him talk, and even though we all knew the streak would continue when he had to face Khali, it’s that losing streak that is now being talked about by GM Vickie Guerrero and I liked it that MVP also kept acknowledging what’s been happening to him. Maybe a couple of weeks ago I would have made this streak one of my major negatives of the show, but right now I think things are going to turn around and MVP will be back to being one of the main guys on the show. Finally we got Bri Bella’s twin out in the open. I thought it was kind of cute how Victoria pulled Bri’s hands from under the ring, and on the other side Natalya pulled her legs. Bri looked like a Stretch Armstrong doll. And finally the other twin came out and now the heel Diva’s stupidity can disappear. I thought Vickie was again on her game Friday night, and that is because just like last week she had very little to do with Big Show. And Friday night the little that she had with him was Vickie insulting Show, and she did that so well. I didn’t mind Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Ezekiel, but I would have much preferred another match with The Brian vs. Yang. Of course Yang didn’t stand a chance, but with Kendrick right there watching and then adding to Yang’s loss by hitting The Kendrick on him this segment really worked for me. Of course I’m saving the best for last. Let me start with Jeff Hardy and Triple H vs. The Miz and Morrison. This match was a good match with Hardy the doing most of the work against Miz and Morrison. Friday’s show was not centered on the WWE champion Triple H which was absolutely fine; it was centered on JEFF HARDY. And that was a really good thing. Instead of Hardy just kind of taking a step or two back from the title picture thank God creative now has Jeff Hardy so desperate to go after that title that he will do anything extreme to impress Vickie. I absolutely loved watching Vickie and Jeff Hardy talking and Hardy pleading for another title shot, and Vickie throwing insult after insult by telling Hardy he’s better in tag team matches. That’s when Hardy promised she would see the EXTREME side of him.

And that started by going after Miz and Morrison with chair shots while the match was going on. Okay granted chair shots aren’t extreme, but in Hardy’s case this was a side of Jeff we haven’t seen. I liked the stare down Hunter gave Hardy at the end, it was like what in the hell did you do that for, you cost us a win. This was the start of more to come with Jeff Extreme Hardy. Hardy again talked to Vickie about that title shot, but she told him she already had a deal with Kozlov. But that answer wasn’t going to stop Jeff Hardy. While the main event was going on, Hardy made his final appearance. Taker had Kozlov in the Devil’s Triangle; Hardy ran out and started beating Kozlov with a chair, which gave Kozlov the win due to a DQ. Hardy didn’t leave Taker out; he also got a nice chair shot as well. And once Taker sat up Hardy ran out of the ring right into Vickie’s office and told her he did something that Kozlov couldn’t do, he took Taker out. And because of that Vickie made Taker vs. Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules match for next week’s show. Smackdown was Hardy. I really believe that Vince hasn’t given up on Hardy; he is just taking it slow with him because of things from the past. I’m stoked over this and because of the Hardy angle I would say Smackdown even with all my complaining was a good show.

Okay tomorrow Raw will be taped in Manchester, England, and with just two weeks to go before Survivor Series I’m sure we might get another match or two made for that show. Look for Shawn Michaels to get stuck with JBL and have a match at that pay per view. And who knows with HBK in there this could be one of JBL’s best feuds of all time. We know that John Cena will be facing World Champion Chris Jericho, but I’m wondering if Batista vs. Randy Orton will take place in two weeks. Maybe we will find that out tomorrow night. I will be back on Tuesday or Wednesday with my Raw thoughts and I when they are in England the crowd is usually off the charts so that could really put Raw over the top.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com