Refreshing opening to the show with World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry ambushing Daniel Bryan backstage. It was a nice change of pace to kick off the broadcast in this manner, as well as successfully maintaining Henry's hot heat going into Survivor Series. Keeping Bryan in the title picture is a very smart move if they plan to have him cash-in against the World's Strongest Man next year at WrestleMania 28.

Good match for the time it was given with United States Champion Dolph Ziggler going over Sin Cara. These two work well together, so it surly should have exceeded five minutes. Nonetheless, the post-match beat-down was logical and set up the following contest nicely.

Despite their similarities in size, Mason Ryan and Jack Swagger did not put on an entertaining match. Not that it was a bad contest, but Ryan isn't great at keeping the viewer's attention during his matches. Regardless, Ryan is certainly improving in the ring, and putting him in the ring with Swagger will only help him more. 

Intriguing promo from a sidelined Christian, who additionally announced his presence at Survivor Series despite his injury he suffered last weekend. Unlike past promos, Christian seemed to have took on a more serious, ruthless side to his character. Here's hoping they slowly evolve Christian into a legitimate heel upon his return rather than being booked terribly as a lesser-version of the "Creepy Little Bastard".

Another enhancement talent match with Ted DiBiase defeating NXT Rookie Derrick Bateman. I'm not sure if it was piped in or not, but DiBiase really looks to be connecting with the crowd a lot with these recent victories. Impressive showing from Bateman, who should continue to be featured on television if Creative has any plans for him following his recent stint on this season's NXT.

Besides Michael Cole's usual annoying antics. his opening segment with Jim Ross in the "Michael Cole Challenge" was mildly entertaining, especially Ross's dance that has absolutely hilarious. Although I had small hope of Ross regaining his rightful place on commentary, it's not surprising to see Creative once again drop the ball on the quality of the announcing booth, as well as unnecessarily embarrassing J.R. with his weight issues. CM Punk's ending involvement finally exclaimed Ross as a better commentator than Ross, and choking Cole with the Anaconda Vise submission hold was well-deserved indeed. 

Decent tag team match that saw Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes and Hunico defeat the team of WWE Tag Team Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara. Rhodes's new music and look for that matter certainly has me impressed, as his gimmick with the mask certainly ran its course. After picking up the pin-fall victory in this contest, there's no doubt in my mind that the Intercontinental Champion can finally break out in coming months into a future World Heavyweight Champion.

Throwaway match between United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and Mason Ryan. Thankfully, the bout was only a minute and successfully hid Ryan's true weaknesses inside the ring, but the continuous losses for Ziggler are building up quickly. I'm not looking forward to his upcoming contest with Morrison over the title, who also means next to nothing at the moment. On the bright side, Ziggler's promo before the contest was nothing short of excellent, and will make a perfect replacement for Christian at Survivor Series.

Shockingly garbage segment featuring the return of Mick Foley and John Cena in a parody of "This Is Your Life". Now, I understand it was supposed to come off bad in order for the Rock to come out and put an end to it, but this served no purpose rather than to squeeze in a few cameo appearances. Unless Cean turns heel on Sunday, this an absolute wasted return for Foley while kissing up to Cena in his hometown of Boston.

Forgettable match between Jack Swagger and Sheamus. This is a confrontation I would have wanted to see a year ago when both were simultaneously World Champions, but it was too short and uninspiring to mean anything.

Predictable, yet well-done opening promo to kick off the show from Randy Orton and Wade Barrett. It's usually the same formula we see every week, but it succeeded in hyping the main event of Orton vs. Barrett and setting up Christian vs. Sheamus. On a side note, Barrett's canned heat was painfully obvious, when they should have just instead let him receive the hometown cheers he deserves from England.

Another great match between Christian and Sheamus, but it was no different than anything we've seen from them before. Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining match that got great time in the opening slot, but it always ends with the same outcome of Sheamus emerging victorious. Hopefully, this will be the blow-off match before these two move on to bigger and better things on SmackDown.

Quick, painless enhancement match with Ted DiBiase going over Jinder Mahal. I'm loving how they are finally giving DiBiase these victories to help get him over with the crowd, hopefully building towards an eventual rematch with Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Despite Mahal's potential, I can't blame Creative for making him nothing more than a jobber for up-and-coming stars since he receives minimal heat from the crowd. 

Good match between World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry and Mr. Money in the Bank Daniel Bryan that was kept short only five minutes, but told a story while saving the full potential of this bout for a later date. Bryan's offense got him over the audience extremely, while Henry's logical win and post-match beat down on the American Dragon once again established him as threat going into Survivor Series. Big Show's promo didn't do anything for this viewer, but Henry saved this program with his mic work that coincidentally had me shockingly anticipate their pending match next Sunday.

Worthless match with Big Show dominating three local athletes in a handicap bout. Sure, it was a bit impressive, but we've seen it all before, as well as the fact that the World's Largest Athlete has already been made out to look dominant since his return last month.

Decent opening promo from John Cena to kick off the show, providing us with some incentive to buy look forward to his anticipated team with the Rock at Survivor Series. Awesome Truth didn't do much here, but I'm loving the rub they're giving to Zack Ryder recently. The Long Iced Z is more over with the crowd that ever before.

Great match between United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison that got excellent time and showcased both of them as stars. It's no secret these two have chemistry, so the match quality is an automatic hit. However, I question the move of giving Morrison the win here over a credible Ziggler, who desperately needs victories if he is going to mean anything as champion. Commentators really should have started to mention Morrison's subsequent losing streak before tonight, as it made his win here feel like little to nothing. Additionally, they could have made a real angle out of Morrison continuous losses by turning him heel at some point down the line, but obviously, that can no longer be done.

Nothing more than an enhancement talent match for Mason Ryan with his win over JTG. Although I'm not entirely sure if he's entrance was later edited or not, it seemed to me that Ryan received a pretty good pop from his native crowd. He has certainly improved in the last few months, and his video package that aired before the match shows that Creative has faith in him as a top star, something which I have no problem with as long as it's done right. However, would it really have hurt to give Ryan a worthier opponent than JTG, maybe someone like Drew McIntyre? I highly doubt people watching the show even knew the former Cryme Tyme member was still employed.

Quick match with WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio logically defeating WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston, a contest that could have gone on much longer given the past encounters between the two. Del Rio's promo with CM Punk was pretty good for what it was, but it called for Punk to shoot straight on Del Rio in order to make the segment intriguing. Nonetheless, I'm glad to see this rivalry get some major focus going into Survivor Series. 

Forgettable match between Jack Swagger and Santino Marella. The match was just as short as it was last week, just a bit better wrestled. Obviously, the contest was put it place to give Swagger the win back against Marella, but in the end, this entire segment served no purpose.

Extremely enjoyable opening match to kick off the show from Randy Orton and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Both former Legacy members got their respective offense in, as well as fully utilize the near-25 minute time slot they were given. Hopefully, this isn't the blow-off to this rivalry since I'd much rather see Rhodes get the upper hand to conclude the feud, but the Viper bagging Rhodes following the contest has me losing faith.

Short, yet effective match with Ted DiBiase going over Tyson Kidd in a three-minute contest. I believe there is much potential in DiBiase as a top face, and these wins will help him establish himself to the SmackDown audience. Both DiBiase and Kidd have had quality matches over on WWE Superstars before, but this bout was fine for what it was.
Mark Henry's confrontation with Mr. Money in the Bank Daniel Bryan was something out of the ordinary, which is actually what I was anticipating to see. It's a nice change to see the World Champion actually challenging the Money in the Bank holder for once instead of vice-versa, and both Superstars here played their roles perfectly.

Too quick of a match between Alicia Fox and Natalya to really mean anything. If Creative is determined to get Fox over with the crowd, then why isn't she number one contender to the Divas Championship instead of the stale Eve? This contest wasn't horrible, but it amazes me as to how Natalya continues to job to Divas not as great as she is in the ring. With that being said, it could always lead to Natalya's eventual face turn after being fed up with all of her recent losses.

Quality promo from Christian and Big Show that got a chuckle from this viewer. Show wasn't as campy as last week, and I'm glad Christian pointed out the fact as to why Show deserves another shot at the World Championship. Sure, it made Christian look weak, but Captain Charisma hasn't meant anything in ages, so no harm done.