Friday Night SmackDown Review - February 3, 2012

Randy Orton glares at World Champion Daniel Bryan.

Decent segment to kick off the show, but it felt like too much was going on to really enjoy it. I'm glad they announced the participants of the Elimination Chamber, but removing Mark Henry from the match moments later felt pointless. To make matters worse, they made him look weak on the way out due to his "suspension" by having him take a beating from Sheamus. Not the best way to start the night by any means.

Great match between Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes and Sheamus, but it was quite predictable the Celtic Warrior was going over. Rhodes can take the loss, so it wasn't a shocker since Sheamus just won the Royal Rumble match. Nonetheless, it didn't take away from the action and it was enjoyable for the time it lasted. On a side note, why are the commentators saying that the Celtic Cross that Sheamus used as his finisher is a maneuver they've never seen before? How typical.

Originally, I thought Cody Rhodes attacking Justin Gabriel meant the continuation of the feud between the two, but instead it looked to set up the return of the Great Khali to SmackDown, signaling a feud between him and Rhodes in the near future. I've never been a supporter of Khali, and he received little to no reaction when he came out. Pairing him with Rhodes in a rivalry won't do anyone any favors.

Brief tag team match between WWE Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico and the team of Santino Marella and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Sure, Hacksaw was fun in his return to the ring, but he didn't make this bout all that entertaining. Primo and Epico need serious contenders for the straps if they want to be known as credible champions.

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AJ prevents Big Show from beating up Daniel Bryan.

Good promo from World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan, but not as impressive as usual due to him basically mimicking CM Punk's old gimmick with him preaching the vegan lifestyle. That is beyond stupid, and will garner him no heat if he continues to pursue it. Big Show was fine here as well, but it didn't really get interesting until AJ came in the interrupt the beat-down. She seems to be the key factor in this feud as to whether she's be turning or not down the line.

Typical minute Divas tag team match that saw Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Natalya squash Aksana and Tamina. It further established Phoenix as a dominant champion, while also foreshadowing dissension between herself and Natalya. However, Natalya's flatulence problem is not even close to humorous, so that takes any edge she already had with her character.

Excellent No Disqualification blow-off match between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton that saved this show from near disaster. Sure, it was obvious from the beginning that Barrett was going over, but at least he still looked strong in defeat. They fully utilized the environment at hand to fully take advantage of the stipulation and make the bout entertaining. Daniel Bryan's post-match run-in was a nice teaser for next week, and certainly an interesting direction they're taking with both men.

Overall, a lackluster show that served no major purpose besides providing good hype towards the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in a few weeks. The matches were decent as a whole, but nothing truly inspiring. The promos that were provided left a lot to be desired as well, so hopefully they can revert back to the enjoyable shows they put on a number of weeks ago as we progress towards WrestleMania.

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