Parts Unknown #80: Smackdown

I couldn't help myself. I had to review Smackdown this week because it featured eight (!) matches, most of which were superlatively random. Without any further ado...

PROS

~ The Sheamus/Heath Slater match. Man, creative insists on shoving The One Man Southern Rock Band down our throats, don't they? I could think of more deserving bottom feeders to underscore (Yoshi Tatsu has been tearing it up on NXT), but I'll concede that The Wendy's Chick has talent. I dug the way he sold his alabaster opponent's power offense. This is merely a cosmetic comparison, but he flies around the ring like a young Shawn Micheals.

~ Justin Gabriel's balls. Wade Barrett doesn't do much for me, but that South African fucker can go. He should have been the fake Sin Cara (no disrespect to Hunico).

~ Have I told A.J. Lee lately that I love her? It's too bad that the Diva's Championship is meaningless. A.J.'s first title reign should be a momentous occasion. She may be inexperienced in the major leagues, but she could school the majority of her peers.

~ A well-placed DQ finish means that Cody Rhodes has beaten Randy Orton twice in a row. Extraordinary booking.

~ An actual tag team match! Holy cock! It wasn't a particularly lengthy match, but then again, none of the matches were particularly lengthy. It's always good to see The Uso's gain some exposure, even if they are jobbing to the champs. I'm still confident that they will have an opportunity to stand on top of the tag division at some point.

CONS

~ I wasn't fond of the opening segment. Johnny Ace is an awkward talker, and the heel-on-heel main event didn't make any sense to me. I was saddened by the fact that half of the so-called Smackdown roster never appears on Smackdown.

~ Jinder Mahal should have beaten The Great Khali. Where does he go from here?

As for why I didn't mention the Sin Cara/Daniel Bryan match, I'm waiting for this angle to unravel before I judge it. As it stands, I'm on the fence. It could bomb or it could lead to a series of awe-inspiring matches. I'm playing it by ear.