By Graham "GSM" Matthews Natalya def. Divas Champion AJ Lee by Disqualification Being two of the best in-ring workers in the WWE today, the fact AJ and Natalya worked a very good match came as no surprise. They should have worked a quicker pace toward the end, but the reversals of the submission maneuvers made for nice suspense. The non-finish protected Natalya while keeping the title on AJ, but I hope it was done to keep the feud between the two alive. I am glad this matchup took place on Main Event, as it would received as much time anywhere else (probably not even on pay-per-view) and it also made the Wednesday night program feel important. Justin Gabriel def. Tyson Kidd I would have liked to see the commentators play up how these two teamed on a regular basis for close to a year and make a bigger deal out of them going one-on-one, but at least they mentioned their past pairing. Gabriel and Kidd worked a fun bout, although they have had more entertaining matches before. I was shocked Gabriel went over here, if only because Kidd just recently returned and could use all the momentum he could get. I am not furious over Gabriel winning, but I think the victory could have done more to benefit Kidd than Gabriel at this stage of the game. I also hope this doesn't lead to a heel turn for Kidd given his latest losses, which would be a mistake right now.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Vickie Guerrero Overruled Brad Maddox and Kane First off, it was nice to get a night off from The Authority, who have been overexposed on WWE television for months now. Randy Orton's promo was kept short and sweet while everyone else involved in the segment played their role well. I don't usually enjoy power struggles, but Maddox can be entertaining at times and Kane is refreshing in his new role. It is asinine to think Vickie has more authority than Maddox or Kane given that she is the general manager of SmackDown, but I don't care enough to rant about it. WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. WWE Champion Randy Orton in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match by Count-out Orton dominated Goldust for most of the match only to get himself counted-out a short while later. Cody scored some offense over Orton, but the match never left first gear, unfortunately. It was also illogical to have the heel go against the odds in a handicap match, but I will make the rare exception with this bout because the Rhodes brothers work well with The Viper. Big Show's post-match attack on Orton was intense, but it still doesn't have me looking forward to the WWE title match at Survivor Series any more than I was last week. By Graham "GSM" Matthews CM Punk def. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel (Non-title) Punk's pre-match promo was solid and furthered his feud with The Wyatt Family. Axel interrupting was logical given his association to Paul Heyman, but the live crowd couldn't have cared less. Although his promo showed that he has improved on the mic, he simply has no heat at the moment. That was evident during the match, as the crowd wasn't into the action at all. It was well wrestled, but it was pretty predictable that Punk would reign supreme. The loss made Axel look especially weak even with the distraction from The Wyatt Family. The Usos and R-Truth def. 3MB The commentators played up the fact that this was the rematch from Monday's Raw that saw The Usos defeat 3MB, so at least this match had some purpose. It was fine for what it was, but basically what you would expect from the competitors involved. It was mainly a showcase for the hometown hero R-Truth, who received a nice reaction from the live crowd upon entering and after picking up the win for his team. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Sting Announced the Disbanding of The Main Event Mafia It has been quite a while since we last saw all members of The Main Event Mafia in the ring together, which goes to show just how useless the stable is now that Bully Ray is no longer champion and the Aces and Eights are no longer an issue. I am glad they actually announced their disbanding instead of simply forgetting about it, but Sting's speech was awkward. He mentioned that his next task was going to teach the younger guys in the back that they need to pay their dues, but wasn't exactly clear in what is next for his character. The subsequent promos, however, from Samoa Joe, Magnus and Kurt Angle were solid and made the TNA World Heavyweight Championship tournament feel prestigious after stating their involvement in it. Angle's brawl with Bobby Roode was intense, even if it ran a little too long. The same can be said for this segment as a whole, as it went on a few more minutes than it should have. I mean, was it really necessary to have Pacman Jones and DeQuin Evans attack Bad Influence this early in the show? There was too much to digest for just one opening segment. Velvet Sky vs. Brooke vs. ODB in a Triple Threat No. 1 Contender's Match for the Knockouts Championship Ended in a No Contest There were a few sloppy spots early on, but everything else after that was exceptional. Brooke and Sky aren't the best in-ring workers, and ODB isn't too great herself, but they managed to hide their weaknesses well throughout the bout. However, it all proved to be pointless, as Gail Kim's interference illogically called for the disqualification. Aren't there no disqualifications in a Triple Threat match? If nothing else, I am intrigued by Kim's open challenge, as it may mean we'll be getting some fresh, new talent in the Knockouts division. Yeah, we might have a division with more than five women! |
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