2006 A Strong Year For "SmackDown!"

2006 has been a great year for "SmackDown!". It has proven to me that it just might be the 'A-show' after all - as JBL loves to call it.

JBL, in fact, is one of the reasons that "SmackDown!" has been so entertaining to watch. Man, do Mike Tenay and Don West ever need to take notes from JBL and Michael Cole. Layfield and Cole have been the perfect commentating combo.

While JBL remains the classic heel colour commentator, he also is the champion of putting anyone and anything over that he wants. Just take last night's edition of "SD!" as an example of his prowess in this artform.

JBL gets in the ring to call out Teddy Long - mainly for putting MVP in a horrific Inferno Match with Kane at Armageddon. He reminds the viewers and the audience that this match hasn't taken place in seven and half years. He explains that MVP is still in a burn unit as a result of his injuries. He rips the crowd for continually thirsting for such mayhem.

He may no longer be a wrestling God. But he sure his a storytelling God. Hand it to Cole as well. The guy reacts to big moves and high spots (generally with a signature "O") better than most in the game. He also, very intelligently, asks JBL - a ring veteran - what something "feels" like when you're hit with it in the ring.

This team, most often, will explain not just what you're seeing - like Tenay and West always do - but why you're seeing it, the ramifications of what can happen to the competitors you're watching and why said competitors are so unbelievably talented and courageous for being part of what you're seeing.

As a result, "SmackDown!" has developed a host of new stars in 2006. Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay, London & Kendrick, King Booker, Gregory Helms...and the list goes on.

Before you start clicking on 'Post a Comment', I know full well that some of the superstars on that list are not "new stars". What I'm saying is that in the past year, "SmackDown!" has helped develop these wrestlers as new stars.

Booker T is now a king. A champion of champions. And quite frankly, the cornerstone of "SmackDown!". He is among the most entertaining superstars on the show, can certainly still hold his own in the ring and has become a main event competitor at a level I don't believe he even reached as a five-time WCW Champion.

Finlay, a 48-year-old wrestler turned road agent turned back to wrestler is now a main eventer! And a good one at that. Each Finlay match is sure to have an array of moves, hard hits and good technical work. He's a veteran and consumate professional. I remember upon his return to ring action, I thought "Fit Finlay?" - remembering his days as a WCW mid-carder (and that's probably putting it nicely).

The new Finlay who "loves to fight" is a perfect example of what happens when WWE does something right. Finlay has not only been given new life as a pro wrestling star but he has helped elevate the "SmackDown!" brand.

Mr. Kennedy debuted over a year ago but his battles with main event talent in 2006 foreshadow his future: the main event picture. It is more than evident that the man is loaded with charisma. And his in-ring work is far from shabby. His sometimes-partnership with MVP also tells a story. Mr. Porter will likely join Mr. Kennedy in the main event ranks at some point over the course of the next couple of years.

As mentioned in a previous article, I believe that suffering brutal defeats at the hands of The Undertaker and/or Kane are rights of passage in WWE. Both of these guys were 'initiated', if you will, last week at Armageddon.

And what can be said about Paul London and Brian Kendrick? These guys, to quote JBL, are "exciting to watch". It's very fitting that they have been WWE Tag Team Champions since May. They are not only re-energizing the sometimes seemingly non-existent tag-team division in WWE, but they are making it a highlight of the show.

Speaking of champions, what better way to push a guy than have him become the longest reigning champion in "SmackDown!" history? Gregory Helms will long have this tag-line added to his name. And he's deserving.

While "SmackDown!", of course, has not been perfect - I mean Batista is holding the World Title, right now - the show generally seems to have the right guys in the right places. The appropriate individuals are being put over and the show has been fairly strong throughout the year.

"Raw", in my opinion, has had more downs than ups - especially in comparison to "SD!" - in 2006. Numerous lame DX skits and John Cena as WWE Champion are a couple of things that come to mind when thinking of some of the downfalls of "Raw".

Here's hoping that 2007 is a great year for professional wrestling in general. It just appears to me that "SmackDown!" might be the wrestling show of choice in the new year.

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