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Was this a truely momentous occasion? Was it a genre defining, sports-entertainment spectacular? If you were to believe the numerous hype promos then yes it was.

This past week, Smackdown took place in the world’s most famous arena; Madison Square Garden, in the heart of New York City. I’ll never quite grasp why the WWE make such a huge deal about performing at MSG. They’ve done it hundreds of times on both television and on Pay-Per-View. Is the fact that it’s happening at MSG noticeable? No. The crowd noise is still quite obviously canned and added in post-production, the arena still maintains the washed out depressing blues that have become the Smackdown trademark, and we still have the displeasure of listening to Todd Grisham fumble about with unconvincing commentary and old-hat jokes. However, I can’t criticise the over-hype of the MSG shows too much, as WWE really does appear to pull out all the stops when performing infront of the East Coast crowd.

Some of the matches on this weeks SD! card wouldn’t have looked out of place on a PPV. Following the events of both last week’s show and Backlash, not to mention the fallout from the WWE Draft there was certainly plent of reasons to tune into this week’s episode.

The show opened with Chris Jericho, easily SD!’s best acquisition in the draft, assuring the fans that despite performing on a different day, in a ring with different couloured ropes, he still had nothing but disdain for all those who claim to be part of the WWE Universe. While this segment felt like a somewhat rushed attempt at insuring Jericho was still getting heat from fans, it was to be certainly to be expected and was enjoyable as always. Jericho is quickly interrupted by new World Heavyweight Champion Edge, who proclaims Smackdown is his show and that wont change just because Jericho has been drafted. Edge’s delivery is typically unfunny and cringeworthy. He too is interrupted however, by CM Punk. An infuriated Jericho leaves the ring, as Punk announces that he will take on Edge in a non-title match tonight and afterward, he intends to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. A good segment that showcased the talent, old and new, that Smackdown has to offer.

Which leads me nicely into the first match of the evening between Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison. A perfect illustration of what the WWE has to offer in terms of young athletic midcarders and stars in the making. A very fast moving, athletic match with lots of flare that we’ve come to expect from both competitors. Very good match that is just a touch too short. Morrison wins with the Moonlight Drive.

Next, we see Jericho searching for Theodore Long backstage. Instead, he finds the Great Khali and we are forced to sit through yet another tedious “joke” segment from the Punjabi Playboy. A gimmick that is likely to get the “worst gimmick of the year” award for two years consecutively.

Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Kane face off in an elimination fatal four way match, to decide the #1 Contender for Edge’s World Title at Judgment Day. The match starts off in predictable form with Kane dominating. Eventually he is tamed and we see some very nice aerial work from Jeff Hardy. Hardy also engages in some very impressive chain wrestling with Mysterio. Kane re-emerges but is tamed by Jeff Hardy who hits the Swanton Bomb. Jericho pulls Hardy out of the ring and pins Kane. In a rage, Kane throws a chair into the ring which Jericho uses on Mysterio, getting himself disqualified. More chain wrestling from Hardy and Mysterio concludes with Hardy reversing the West Coast Pop and pinning Mysterio for the win. Fast paced, entertaining match.

Cryme Tyme then take to the ring to cut a promo, having been drafted to SD! in the supplemental draft. J.R. and Grisham make constant remarks in relation to Cryme Tyme’s alleged thievery which just confirms my theory that not only is this gimmick not really appropriate for a TV PG show, but also its just not very original or amusing. They talk some nonsense for a few minutes before introducing Layla and Eve who have a Brooklyn Dance-Off whatever that is. The dance off results in a catfight that Cryme Tyme are forced to break up. Interminable waste of airtime. Almost as poor as some of the segments we see on Raw every Monday.

We get a recap of Sheri (daytime TV host on American chat show The View) and her relationship with MVP. They are shown preparing for MVP’s U.S. Title defense against Dolph Ziggler.

MVP defeats the golden-haired newbie in a shockingly poor match. As a fan of both men, I could not have been more disappointed with this contest. On a side note though, WWE claim that the draft comes into effect after Backlash.  It’s the first week after said event, and already we’ve got one Raw Superstar performing on Smackdown. Apparently the MSG show was the only time that was appropriate for Sheri. As if she isn’t enough of a bother as it is, she then proceeds to suck whatever little entertainment value is left, out of this match. Her bellowing and stamping outside the ring is a constant distraction, as is her Flair-esque feather boa. The action in the ring is boring as sin, and when it goes  to the outside, there is too much focus on the chat show host and not the wrestlers. Sheri slaps Ziggler who is then hit with the Playmaker for the win. Terrible showing. Hopefully MVP will be used a little more wisely on Raw.

Backstage, an irate Chris Jericho berates Theodore Long. An unimpressed John Morrison disses Y2J and the pair then fight in the backstage area. A very interesting scene. A Morrison face turn is inevitable and if this is how WWE intend on carrying it out, I look forward to watching Smackdown in the coming weeks. These two could put on some good matches and this feud could be very beneficial to both men.

CM Punk faces off against Edge, with the intent of cashing in his Money in the Bank contract after the match, regardless of the outcome. A typical match for Punk, with no real stand out moments. Punk dominates throughout with his trademark flurries of punches, knees and kicks. The GTS gets the win. Punk is on the verge of cashing in Money in the Bank when Umaga comes out of the crowd and takes out Punk. There’s no explanation as to why Umaga targeted Punk but the commentators do confirm that because there wasn’t a bell, the match never started and the Money in the Bank contract is still in tact. Before the show closes Jeff Hardy attacks Edge, delivering a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb. A pretty boring match that was kept interesting with the prospect of Punk cashing in. The constant over-emphasis of the fact that the Money in the Bank winner has always won the title upon cashing in makes me almost certain that when Punk does cash in, he will not win the title. Just because WWE do love to “swerve” like that. Until then however, it looks like we’ll have a Punk/Umaga feud to entertain us. It’s not the ideal way to use Punk but I suppose it could be worse. We’ll more than likely get an explanation next week and a match at Judgment Day.

Overall, a very entertaining show that confirms that once again Smackdown is the dominant brand in the company. While it wasn’t perfect, it was a very enjoyable TV show that might perk up a few people’s interest in the next pay-per-view despite the card seeming utterly uninteresting. While Smackdown was enjoyable, its worth remembering that MVP returns to Raw on Monday, and we may see the midcard division of both shows take shape and the center stage in 2009. Only time will tell.