4 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Aug 7)

3. Cole's Confusion

Michael Cole has a tough gig.

When he's allowed to get on with things, he's one hell of a play-by-play man, but that's increasingly rare during an era in which Vince McMahon bellows directives over the headset. Cole, like Tom Phillips over on Raw, is over-produced, and that causes most of his banter to come across about totally wooden.

It's obvious when MC isn't keen on what he's being fed too. Case in point: Mandy Rose's run in on this week's SmackDown. Cole had to pretend for a second that he didn't know who this bleach-blonde babe coming out to attack Sonya Deville was. Hmm. Could it be the same woman Sonya has been feuding with for months?

Mandy had a wee trim, but she didn't look remarkably different than she normally does, and certainly not enough for anyone to kid on she might be a newcomer. Cole's forced delivery told the full story here; even he was unsure about WWE's storytelling.