Randy Orton plants Dolph Ziggler through a table. Refreshing change of pace to open SmackDown with the visual of Booker T left lying at the hands of Cody Rhodes. It goes to show that anything can happen prior to the broadcast going live, as well as the fact that the Intercontinental Champion gets some nice heat here. If nothing else, it was pleasant not to hear Booker on commentary for the second week in a row. Better than expected match between Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson in the Beat the Clock Challenge. Given the fact that these two rivals have provided boring bouts in the past, their styles meshed nicely during this contest that ended an extremely impressive slam from Barrett. The Englishman's promo that followed was just as great as always, furthering the rivalry between himself and Randy Orton. Although I've just about had enough of Michael Cole by this point, Daniel Bryan showed some good intensity here in his promo in addition to the emotion he exhibited about his loss last week to Mark Henry. Cody Rhodes also came off as demonic after attacking Bryan, setting up their scheduled match nicely. Quick, painless squash with Zack Ryder defeating the useless Heath Slater. Ryder continues to build more and more energy from the crowd as weeks progress, and it's about time he finally wins the United States Championship. Decent match from Ted DiBiase and Jinder Mahal, but it wasn't given enough time to anything truly memorable. No one will care for this rivalry if DiBiase continues to get the upper hand over Mahal each and every week. While I am indeed enjoying the push DiBiase is receiving, he needs significant wins over credible Superstars if ever wants to move up the card.
0 Comments
Zack Ryder leaves Dolph Ziggler lying motionless. Entertaining opening with John Cena being interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and finally John Laurinaitis. Cena didn't deliver enough aftermath from last week's Piper's Pit, but both Ziggler and Miz made valid points here with improving mic work. Del Rio continues to retread the same material he's had since he debuted last year. This segment was certainly successful in setting up the rest of the show. Okay match for what it was between The Miz and Randy Orton. I would have liked to hear the commentators acknowledge the fact that it was Orton who Miz faced last year at TLC, but no such luck. Orton came off as a complete dope for purposely losing the match by count-out to attack an interfering Wade Barrett, who of which wasn't even touched by Orton whatsoever. Meanwhile, any edge that Miz gained in the past few weeks is now gone with this weak finish to a contest. Quick match between Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan, but I'd prefer a much longer bout given the clash between their two similar submission styles. Bryan deserved to look a bit stronger in defeat after last week's World Heavyweight Championship match, but given the fact that his sustained injury was played up during the contest, he didn't lose much. Forgettable Divas tag team match with the team of Kelly Kelly and Eve yet again defeating the Divas of Doom. They've beaten the rivalry between these four Divas to death by this point, and I'd much rather see Alicia Fox get a shot at the belt than Kelly for the hundredth time. It's not really considered an "upset" as Cole said for Kelly given how she's beaten Phoenix numerous times in the past using the same exact move, but we're apparently supposed to be oblivious to that. On a side note, it was a smart move in airing the newest "It Begins" video on television rather than just YouTube in order to further hype and build up even more anticipation for the fans not familiar with the vignettes. Good match between Zack Ryder and John Cena, but with both competitors being faces, the already dead crowd wasn't sure on who to cheer for. Although Ryder looked great in defeat, Cena's victory was extremely predictable as he lays down for absolutely no one. If nothing else, a cool finish with Cena reversing Ryder's finisher into an Attitude Adjustment for the victory. |
Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|