Entertaining Miz TV segment featuring John Cena, AJ, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Miz didn't come as a full-fledged face here (nor should he have given the obvious history between him and Cena), but he was extremely entertaining. Everyone else played their roles well, which made for some strong mic work between all four of them. This was far more enjoyable than anything we've seen on Raw in recent weeks involving this angle, so it was nice to see the feud furthered on SmackDown as well. Cena's "nut" joke may have seemed stupid, but it got a minor chuckle out of this viewer, so I found this to be a hot start to the show.

Fine match with Ryback defeating Darren Young. It was basically what you'd expect from a typical Ryback squash, so there was nothing out of the ordinary here. I was hoping of a mention of the Nexus history between the two, but no such luck. It was also enjoyable to hear Titus O'Neil on commentary during the course of this contest, who is really allowing his personality to shine through as of late. Insert racist joke about Ryback dominating two African-Americans on Black Friday here.

Decent match between United States Champion Antonio Cesaro and R-Truth. Much similar to their Survivor Series encounter, I didn't care all that much for this rematch, but the action was fine for what it was. The finish was nicely done and sets up a future title rematch between the two. Although I don't want to see the feud continue, it's logical in order to keep both guys something to do for the foreseeable future.

Nice between Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara. As much as the dimmed lights annoy me, the match itself was fun while it lasted and consisted of some cool spots from both guys. There weren't any blatant botches from Cara as far as I could tell and the win was necessary in rebuilding Del Rio. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how much a win over Sin Cara means at this point for Del Rio, but it was still a good match nonetheless.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Decent match with Wes Brisco defeating Garrett Bischoff in his Gut Check challenge. I'm not a major fan of either guy, but the action was fine for what it was. I still stand behind my belief that Christian York should've been the Gut Check contestant, as Brisco's victory didn't feel as meaningful as it should've been. Kurt Angle coming out to ringside made sense since he's mentored both guys, but I hope they both eventually turn on Angle to join Aces and 8s.

Brief match with World Tag Team Champion Chavo Guerrero defeating Joey Ryan by disqualification. The action was good while it lasted, but it was way too brief to be considered anything worthwhile. Matt Morgan's interference made sense, as it set up a tag team title feud between the two tandems. That being said, I think it's a mistake to have Ryan move into a tag team title program so early after challenging X-Division Champion Rob Van Dam.

Impressive outing with Ryback defeating Tensai. It wasn't a complete squash match, as Tensai was able to score some offense on Big Hungry before being ultimately defeated, which was nice to see. I'm glad they fixed this finish this time around with Ryback successfully hitting his finisher on Tensai and it came off very well. As for Ryback's promo to kick off the show, it was short and sweet, but he still has a ways to go on the mic before he can cut a truly threatening promo.

Good match between Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett. It's been awhile since we've seen these two compete in a one-on-one match, so it felt fresh. Not only that, but it was logical after Barrett's elimination of Kingston the night previous at Survivor Series. The finish was predictable, but it was still a smart move. I still strongly believe that Barrett belongs in the World Championship picture, but with that occupied at the moment, a feud with Kingston over the Intercontinental title in the meantime should be fun.

Throwaway match with Kaitlyn defeating Aksana. I realize it made sense following the altercation between the two at Survivor Series, but what good did they think would come out of putting the the two worst workers in the Divas division together? The crowd couldn't care less and it showed, but at least they popped for the finish. Also, where was Eve during all of this?

Fine match with United States Champion Antonio Cesaro defeating Brodus Clay. The match was nothing more than a glorified squash match for Cesaro, but the action was still decent nonetheless. The finish would've been more impressive had we not seen it a mere two months ago. I surely hope they aren't continuing the Cesaro vs. Truth feud and both guys can just move on, but it looks like they're heading in that direction.

Intriguing segments throughout the night featuring John Cena, AJ, Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler. Sure, the angle itself is absolutely asinine, but at least we saw some development over the course of the show. Hopefully, Vickie presenting "evidence" of Cena and AJ will cease going forward since the two locked lips, which made for a cool moment. I'm not sure what part of Cena's injury was real and what wasn't, but Ziggler looked strong in attacking Cena backstage later in the night. However, it still bothers me that the commentators made very little mention of Ziggler's huge victory over Orton at Survivor Series, but I guess they treated it like just any other win. What a shame.

Great Two-of-Three Falls Match between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio. Personally, I've enjoyed their feud since the start and this match was no exception. Smart strategy by having Del Rio getting disqualified in the first fall only to force Orton to submit in the second. The final finishing sequence was susepenseful and well done. I've got no complaints about Orton going over here, as Del Rio technically beat him at Survivor Series apart of the tag team match, so it made sense. I'd have no problem with a potential rematch at WWE TLC next month, but I don't see how they'd be able to stretch the feud out that long.

Fine pre-show tag team match with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater defeating Zack Ryder and Santino Marella. The match had absolutely no hype going into it and the competitors were changed once again at the last minute, so the low view count was understandable. The crowd popped for Team Co-Bro's spots, but that was about it. 3MB does nothing for me personally, but it seems WWE is determined on pushing to the limit. On a side note, it's nice to see Drew McIntyre back after a brief hiatus due to a death in the family.

Fun five-on-five elimination tag team match with Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd and Brodus Clay defeating Tensai, Prime Time Players, Primo and Epico. Having Tensai and Clay get eliminated early on was a smart move in allowing the more fast-paced Superstars do the rest of the in-ring work. My only complaint was that the entire heel team got demolished consecutively, but it also helped make various members of the face team look strong. Kidd and Gabriel get a nice rub for being two of the four remaining participants alongside Mysterio and Cara. This was the perfect opener and a great way to kick off the show on a high note (literally).

Decent match with Eve defeating Kaitlyn to successfully retain her Divas Championship. The match mostly consisted of Kaitlyn chasing Eve around the ring, but it was a smart way to get out of showcasing Kailyn's weaknesses inside the squared circle. The crowd was dead for the start as expected, but they came alive somewhat towards the finish to rally behind Kaitlyn. Eve retaining was good booking, as she's made for a great Divas Champion since capturing the title two months ago.

Good match with Antonio Cesaro defeating R-Truth to maintain possession of his United States Championship. Aside from the pre-show, this was the least cared about match of the night, but at least the in-ring work was exceptional. Cesaro's promo prior to the bout was well done and succeeded in garnering him some major heat from the live crowd. Truth has been irrelevant for the longest time now, so he doesn't lose anything from this loss, but I hope they give Cesaro a legitimate challenger in the weeks ahead. Christian, anyone?

Entertaining Miz TV segment with all the members of both Team Foley and Team Ziggler appearing. It did an effective job of establishing tension between the teammates of both teams and almost everyone played their roles well on the mic. Furthermore, it set up the many matches for throughout the night, so this was a successful start to the show.

Good match between Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Damien Sandow. The action could've easily been better, but it seemed as if they were holding back a bit, which is a good thing if they'll be eventually feuding at some point. This was a nice win for Sandow with it being over the Intercontinental Champion, but it wasn't what I expected it to be.

Fine six-Divas tag team match with Kaitlyn, Layla and Natalya defeating Divas Champion Eve, Aksana and Alicia Fox. Regardless of Natalya's and Fox's random face/heel turns that I never knew occurred, the match itself was alright, but the main focus was furthering the feud between Kaitlyn and Eve. The action was at least given some time, even if it wasn't a five star classic. It helped give Kaitlyn more momentum going into her Divas Championship match on Sunday, so that's all that mattered.

Solid tag team match with Randy Orton and The Miz defeating Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler. I have throughly enjoying Miz's organic face turn up to this point, and his mannerisms and entertaining antics throughout this bout were fun to see. Since they were in Miz's hometown of Cleveland, it was nice to see him pick up the victory for this team. The post-match RKO was expected, but at least it further foreshadowed dissension between Team Foley.