Friday Night SmackDown Review - August 17, 2012

World Champion Sheamus pummels Alberto Del Rio.

Decent opening segment featuring SmackDown General Manager Booker T, Alberto Del Rio, and Chris Jericho. We've seen Del Rio and Booker open the show in recent weeks, so this felt repetitive and nothing more than a retread. Jericho was entertaining, and it was a nice way to promote the main event between the two as something unprecedented.

Fun tag team match with Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeating Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Cody Rhodes. Mysterio and Cara were a very exciting team while Miz and Rhodes made for a great tandem as well. The action was enjoyable and it furthered to two feuds in the process. Successful opening contest all around.

Throwaway tag team match with Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks defeating a pair of local athletes. I understand that Reks and Hawkins want to get noticed, but does it have to be with a terrible stripper gimmick? These guys are tremendously talented, yet they've been furthered set back with personas that receive zero reaction (not counting the canned boos). It might have worked for Brodus Clay, but certainly not for Reks and Hawkins.

Fine match with Eve defeating Kaitlyn to become Booker T's assistant. The action wasn't all that bad, and it was what it was for the most part. Eve winning was a bit of a surprise, but I have no complaints. She was great in her role working for John Laurinaitis a few months back, as well as whatever it takes to see her in a sexy suit again.

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World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus saves Chris Jericho.

Great match between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. They had excellent chemistry and provided a handful of suspenseful maneuvers. Bryan was able to score a load of offense, which made him come off really good. Sure, he lost (again), but he was on the verge of forcing Orton to submit and only came up short due to Kane's interference. I'm glad they actually built upon the Kane-Bryan feud, as it was basically forgotten about on Monday's Raw.

Brief match between Antonio Cesaro and Zack Ryder. It definitely could've gone longer given the talents involved, especially since Ryder was treated as a glorified jobber here. Nonetheless, it gave Cesaro the momentum he needed going his U.S. title match on Sunday.

Solid main event match with Alberto Del Rio defeating Chris Jericho. Although it was shorter than what I would've hoped, the contest will still pretty good and gave us a nice preview of what these two are capable of in the ring together. Ziggler looked absolutely dominant all night with his attacks on Jericho and allowing Del Rio to pick up the victory was smart booking. The announcement of the World title match being back on at SummerSlam was obviously predictable, as it never should've been taken off the card to begin with.

Overall, a great show that featured awesome action and successful build for Sunday's SummerSlam pay-per-view. I was throughly entertained the whole night through and never felt bored or bothered by anything on the show.

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