Good match between WWE Tag Team Champion Kane and Cody Rhodes. I like how they used their back history with Kane injuring Rhodes last month on Main Event as the reasoning for this contest. The crowd wasn't all that into it, but the final few moments of the matchup were well done. Fine eight-Diva tag team match with Kaitlyn, Layla, Natalya and Alicia Fox defeating Divas Champion Eve, Aksana, Rosa Mendes and Tamina. The action wasn't all that horrendous and every Diva was able to hit their signature spots in the finishing sequence. Kaitlyn pinning Eve for the win made sense if they wish to continue their feud over the Divas Championship going forward. Solid Lumber-Jack Frost match between World Heavyweight Champion Big Show and Sheamus. These two have had some great matches in recent months, but this installment didn't feel as strong of an effort. The constant involvement of the lumberjacks probably played a factor in that and hindered the bout as a whole, but at least they were utilized to the point where they were necessary. Sheamus going over finally gives him the singles win over Show he's been looking for, but I hope this is the end of the road of this feud and both guys can move on to new things. Decent match with Zack Ryder defeating David Otunga. While Otunga isn't the greatest worker in the ring, Ryder brought him to an exceptional match match here. It wasn't anything out the ordinary, but it was harmless and only lasted mere minutes. Sure, a win over Otunga may not seem like an extraordinary achievement, but it's still a nice win (and pre-match promo) from Ryder after being underutilized over the course of this past year. Great match with Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and The Miz defeating Wade Barrett and United States Champion Antonio Cesaro. I felt as if it could've gone a bit longer, but it was very entertaining while it lasted. All four guys have excellent chemistry with one another and it made for a solid match. I also appreciated the fact that the commentators made reference to the history between Miz and Kingston, so at least that wasn't completely going against all logic. Barrett is in desperate need of a victory, but I'm fine with the faces going over given the fact this was a holiday show.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Solid match with Devon successfully retaining his Television Championship against Kurt Angle. I didn't expect much from these two, but the effort they put into it was pleasantly surprising. It was well-paced and Angle's knee injury was a smart excuse for his loss. Aces and 8s need wins, so this was a step in the right direction. Decent tag team match with Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan defeating X-Division Champion Rob Van Dam and Kenny King. This bout was more focused on the on-going story between King and RVD rather than the action itself, so that was understandable. I still feel as TNA rushed King's supposable "heel" turn, but having him walk out on RVD was still an effective way to further the feud and finally create a story in the X-Division. Solid match with Randy Orton and Sheamus defeating World Heavyweight Champion Big Show and Dolph Ziggler. It was well wrestled and the restart from SmackDown General Manager Booker T was nicely done. Sure, Show might've looked a bit weak in defeat, but it took two finishers to finally take him down for the three count. Also, this show wasn't about furthering feuds anyway, so the ending result of this bout came as no surprise. Brief match between Alberto Del Rio and Ryback. Del Rio's pre-match promo with Ricardo Rodriguez got a chuckle out of this viewer, but the match was over before it even got started. I don't see why they needed to protect Del Rio here by having him lose via disqualification, but Ryback was still able to hit his finisher on them both regardless. Extremely entertaining Miz TV segment guest starring the Muppets. Being the major Muppet mark that I am, I might've found this more humorous than most would, but it was still very fun. I got a kick out of Kermit's line asking Miz if he was a good guy, essentially breaking the proverbial fourth wall in the process. Damien Sandow's interruption only enhanced this promo as well as his enjoyable verbal exchange with Miz and the Muppets. This was the highlight of the show for me and I always love it when the Muppets appear on WWE programming. Good match with The Miz defeating Damien Sandow. Given the fact this was the first-ever meeting between the two, it provided viewers a nice preview of what they're capable of inside the ring. They developed solid chemistry and both were able to hit their signature spots before Miz scored the roll-up victory. I highlight anticipate seeing more from Sandow and Miz in the future. Decent six-man tag team match with WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No and R-Truth defeating 3MB. I'm not much of a fan of 3MB, so they were a majority of the reason why I didn't care about this bout, but it served its purpose in delivering a fun finish and some quality comedy from Team Hell No. Great match between John Cena and United States Champion Antonio Cesaro. Both of their roles on this show were fitting since Cena has been the face of this annual event for years while Cesaro has trashed Americans for weeks now. The match wasn't all that long, but Cesaro looked strong in defeat after scoring some offense early on. This is another feud I would love to see occur at some point down the line. Overall, an enjoyable show that featured some quality action and touching video packages celebrating the event's tenth anniversary. Obviously, the matches weren't the focal point of the show, but they did a superb job of giving the live crowd entertained and happy with all the faces going over. I personally skipped through the concerts, but it made for some fine filler for those in attendance. It never ceases to amaze me how WWE goes above and beyond for saluting our troops each year and doing so in such a respectful and classy manner. Big E Langston lays out John Cena for the second time with 24 hours. Entertaining Miz TV segment featuring Dolph Ziggler, AJ and Big E Langston. Miz seemed much more on his game here as far as delivering his humorous lines and made for a good counterpart to Ziggler. AJ portrays a much better heel and did a nice job of further teasing as to why she betrayed John Cena. Langston also played his role well in laying out Miz and garnering heat in the process. Nice match between Damien Sandow and Sin Cara. It wasn't anything special, but Cara didn't botch any manuevrs from what I saw, so that's all that matters. The Shield making an appearance was a pleasant surprise. Having them ambush Cara following his loss to Sandow was smart booking, since Cara needs to rehabilitate the minor injury he suffered during the Tables match at Sunday's WWE TLC event. Fine match with Santino Marella defeating Tensai. It was logical after what occurred between the two at the Slammy Awards, so at least it made some sense. The match was basically what you'd expect from the two and I hope the mention of Tensai's recent losing streak from the commentators is a sign of a story-line for him, which is something he desperately needs at this point. Also, it seemed strange that he would acknowledge the Albert chants from the crowd after trying for so long to drown them out. Fun six-man tag team match with Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No defeating Wade Barrett and the Prime Time Players. It was very well wrestled and the styles of all six competitors meshed nicely. Furthermore, it received great time and furthered all feuds involved. Although I would've preferred to see the heels go over to regain some lost momentum, I'm content with the faces going over instead. Strong promo from WWE Champion CM Punk and Ryback. Punk was solid on the mic as always and it was great to see his feud with Ryback furthered on this show. I'm glad they picked up where they left off with this feud from a few weeks ago and Ryback did an exceptional job on the mic as well. They also successfully managed to hype their pending match over the WWE Championship on the first Raw of 2012, which should be extremely exciting to say the least. |
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