Welcome back to the wonderful Phat Daily Column. Today, we'll take a look at the Smackdown that was or wasn't, giving my usual honest review on the show. I hold nothing back and I've always kept it that way.

By the way, I decided to do a column on August 31th afterall. Well, it's merely updating on what I consider is my best piece of work. I'd argue that the best column I ever wrote was the NWO History column, which to be truthful, I nearly spent 5 hours typing that thing. Sad, eh? It would be nice to have such freetime right now and in the upcoming month. But the point of posting it again would be to update it with the recent NWO that dwindled before our very eyes.

I can remember typing that column in the early morning and looking 5 hours later to see 2:00 pm on the clock. That was a lot of typing, especially with how descriptive I remembered everything that went on during those years.

My last official "new" column will be on August 30th, the final Smackdown review, and the final, final column will be the update of my famous NWO column, which again, I consider my best work out of the nearly 4 years I've spent whipping up Daily columns.

I can't believe the end of the PDC is almost near.

On to the PDC.

SMACKDOWN is TITO

Those referees look weird in their new blue uniforms...

We start off the show with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar running their mouths. Didn't we start off another show like this recently? They do a slow ripping of Hulk Hogan, and then say that Rock is next, blah blah blah blah. You know, I do want Lesnar to become a big success, but man, it just doesn't feel like he's ready to become the company's top man right now. He may in other people's eyes, but I just don't see it. At least he's a new talent that they are elevating to the top, though. Rock would take offense at the promo, yell right back, only to be attacked by Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, who both have some heat with Rocky. Benoit and Guerrero would also attack Edge backstage, setting up another tag match between those two teams. No arguments here.

Our first match was a good tag team bout between Jamie Noble/Tajiri and Hurricane/Shannon Moore. Aside from Tajiri, these guys were involved with the final days of WCW when the Cruiserweight Tag Team division was fun to watch. Both teams put on a good show, and I'm glad to see that Moore and Hurricane whipped out the doubleneckbreaker again, or whatever it's called. Make that a finishing move, and we've got a hot tag team on our hands. As if they haven't been good lately... They gave these guys roughly 5 minutes, and they made the most of it. Bravo! Matt Hardy would run down afterward, trying to act like some sort of heel now? Don't know?

Next match was Chavo Guerrero vs. Matt Hardy. Odd sequence of Matt Hardy wanting to come out for his homecrowd. The match went well until Kane's hype entrance played in the middle of the match. Why? It just goes to show that there's a hierarchy in the WWE and knocks both guys down a notch when this happens. Chavo would get the roll up win after the distraction, and Matt Hardy was mad at the referee afterward. Ok....

I don't know what to say about Funaki as a Smackdown interviewer. I guess after 5 years, they are actually using the guy for something. He even got the pin in his match on Smackdown. I guess TAKA got out while he could... Funaki walked into the Women's lockerroom, where Nidia was changing. Nidia said that if she beats Molly Holly, she'll take off her top. Damn, that's wishful thinking. Molly took offense to that, because pure and wholesome women are heels in the WWE.

Billy Kidman and Kurt Angle had a good little wrestling match, which I expected to happen. It's amazing how much Kurt Angle gives back to his opponents, as you'd put a Triple H or Undertaker in there, and they'll no-sell everything and beat Kidman in a very short match. Not Angle, who is the man! Rey-Rey would interfere with this match, causing Angle to wonder away from the ring twice. The second time made the match end in a countout. Eh..

Next match was Rikishi/John Cena vs. D'Von/Batista. Why do I cringe everytime I see Rikishi walking to the ring? It's funny how they have him wearing a shirt now, like as if it's scaring little kids or something? A weak tag match here, with some sloppy team work and Rikishi trademarks everywhere. Oh STINKFACE! STINKFACE! STINKFACE!!! Pathetic. For as much time as Rikishi gets on Smackdown, do you see him on the Summerslam card? Have you seen him much on the recent Pay Per Views? Looks like D'Von and Batista are officially finished now. How about sending D'Von over to RAW to reunite the Dudleys?

Nidia vs. Molly Holly was next. You have to wonder that by hanging around Nidia a lot on television, doing crazy things like making out and showing Nidia's hooters to everyone, if Jamie Noble's real life marriage is in trouble or not? Not a bad women's match, but the crowd was split on this one since both ladies are heel wrestlers. Nidia looked good in her first meaningful match against a legit women's wrestler, proving that she was a good choice from Tough Enough one.

Our main event was Chris Benoit/Eddie Guerrero vs. Rock/Edge. Another tag classic from these pairs, with some good in ring chaos to finish the match. Funny how the additions of Benoit and Eddie have made the main events really good lately on Smackdown. After the match, Brock Lesnar came down and brawled for a while, with Rocky getting the best of it. Could that mean title switch this Sunday?

LAST WORD: Good overall Smackdown, with only two bad spots in the opening interview and the Rikishi/Cena vs. D'Von/Batista match, which wasn't that bad I guess. We'll go

A-

(A minus) on this show. Keep the great Smackdowns coming! Summerslam is looking like one of the best Pay Per Views of 2002, and I hope it becomes that this Sunday. The WWE could certainly need it in the wake of some improved business recently.

FINAL PHAT DAILY COLUMN: August 30th, 2002. After that, Mr. Tito will produce a newly titled Weekly column on Tuesdays, mostly consisting of the famous RAW review.

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