11/7/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
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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11/7/08 Smackdown:
Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth (U.S. Title): Shelton did a good job to focus on R-Truth's midsection early. R-Truth did a bunch of aerial maneuvers in this one, including a somersault plancha and a missile dropkick, stuff he hadn't done in his previous matches. Shelton managed to get the win after hanging R-Truth on the top rope and hitting Paydirt. Good stuff, and seems like they would have some great matches together. **1/4

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jimmy Wang Yang: Squash match. Better off as a dark match. -**

John Morrison & The Miz vs. Triple H & Jeff Hardy: Good action to start. Hardy tagged in and did his aerial stuff. Nice somersault plancha from Hardy. Great tag team wrestling from Miz and Morrison. Great storytelling from Hardy, wanting to prove to Vickie Guerrero that he was resilient and did not need anyone's help to beat people up. DQ finish was somewhat of a letdown but Hardy showed a much-needed aggressive side that should let him have one more crack at the WWE Title in the future. **1/2

The Great Khali vs. MVP: To me, it was a boring match. It was basically a squash, although MVP got in a little offense. The bigger story is that Khali did not do his one-foot-on-opponent cover; he actually got down and hooked the leg. Amazing. DUD

Brie Bella vs. Victoria: Decent moves by Victoria in the match; I wish they would make her at least a Divas champ once. I don't like seeing the roll-up finishes like this where it just looks so much like a fluke. We finally see Brie's twin sister, Nicole, after the match. I'm glad they don't have reason to do that under-the-ring crap again. 1/2*

The Undertaker vs. Vladimir Kozlov: Nice back-and-forth action. Kozlov finally gets a true test, which is nice to see. Undertaker never ceases to impress me by making yet another person look good. Great counters and back-and-forth action. Hardy coming in for the DQ stopped whatever momentum the match had. **1/4
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The Khali Kiss Cam is one of the best things WWE has come up with in a while. Great entertainment.

Frankly, I really like what WWE is doing with Jeff Hardy. Next week's match (Hardy vs. Undertaker) could be good with Extreme Rules, but it also makes me think that Kozlov will be involved in the match in some way.
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UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 13, 2008: I read an article courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the match between Brie Bella and Victoria was heavily edited and was real bad live. In that case, WWE did quite a job editing it, because it actually got better than a DUD on my scale.