9/12/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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9/12/08 Smackdown:
Michelle McCool, Maria, & Brie Bella vs. Maryse, Natalya, & Victoria: Decent chain wrestling from the divas, but nothing really stood out other than Natalya was the poor soul to sell most of the moves. I have no idea how many more weeks the Brie Bella switcheroo thing will go on. Quite frankly, it was cool the first time, but the more I see that, the more I don't care for it. 1/4*

R-Truth vs. Chavo Guerrero: Jim Ross let R-Truth's old WWE ring name (K-Kwik) slip out during Chavo's entrance, which I found amusing. Nice mix of arm drags, counters, and flashy impact moves from R-Truth. Chavo came back with a somersault kick of his own to wow the crowd. The match was not bad until Bam interfered. That obviously kills the rating, but it makes for an interesting split between Bam and Chavo. 1/2*

Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra: This was simply meant for comedic relief. Quite frankly, this was billed as a match but clearly wasn't one. Thus, I can't give a rating for it. I must say though, it was amusing. N/A

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Funaki & Scotty Goldman: Complete squash and just filler time. Good grief. So basically, Big Show came out last week and Kozlov backed off. Now that Big Show is in a program with Undertaker, does this mean no one else will answer Kozlov? -****

Primo Colon & Carlito vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder: Good move to make Carlito and Primo a tag team because Carlito was basically in purgatory otherwise. Excellent chemistry from the Colons, as expected. Nice innovative moves, at least for WWE standards, such as the leglace takedown from Hawkins. Great stuff from Primo, and overall I liked what I saw. I hope the partnership continues for a long time. **

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. The Brian Kendrick (Fatal Four Way; #1 Contender's Match): Great strategy from Kendrick. Nice moves from all the parties involved. Ezekiel Jackson got involved in the match, which is great to generate heel heat, but suffers in the match rating. Decent action all the way throughout, but as usual, the last four minutes were exciting. I liked all the opportunistic spots, the nice timing of the pin breakups, and the impact moves utilized. **3/4

Looks like we may see a match between Hardy and Kozlov next week.
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Yesterday, I went to the UH/OSU game at Reser Stadium. Simply put, the UH Warrior football team needs to have a more stable QB situation by the time they play their WAC opener on the 27th. I really hope the team can get some confidence by then. Reser Stadium wasn't really loud. I did like that there was a ton of school spirit there with the sea of orange all over the stadium. Apparently the attendance, at over 45,000, was large enough to make it the largest non-conference game crowd in the stadium's history.

I read an article where this one person with UH and OSU ties is not only in favor of having a regular series between the two teams, but is also trying to push UH for PAC-10 membership. Huh?! While I'd like UH playing in a BCS conference, is UH really ready for that yet? Not at this stage, but hopefully in a few years - and I know even that is pushing it.
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I went to Oktoberfest with a few friends last night. It was quite a fun experience. Lots of beer, good food, and good company. Good times.
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The Ryder Cup is next week. The Europeans are the clear favorites, especially facing a United States team without Tiger Woods. Then again, given Tiger's average-at-best record in the Ryder Cup, do you think maybe the U.S. can actually pull off what would be an upset? We get to find out later this week.

Also, Michelle Wie starts her quest for an LPGA Tour card by going to the first stage of Q-school this week. I really hope she fares well because it would not only give her confidence going into next year, but it would definitely earn her a bunch of respect from the critics who have dogged her for at least the past two years.

And as for the LPGA's policy on requiring players to speak English by the end of next season, I'm glad the tour also backed off of the harsh suspension consequences. You would have to think such a policy would be illegal, but the tour did have a non-discriminatory reason. Nonetheless, the penalty received such negative feedback that it prompted the changes to the policy. I have no idea why the LPGA Tour even considered such a rule in the first place. I mean, if the PGA Tour - or any other sports organization for that matter - does not have a similar policy, then there was no real good reason for the LPGA to do this. The LPGA said it was for business relations reasons; I say the rule shows how desperate the LPGA is for more sponsors to come knocking.