Friday Night SmackDown Review - June 22, 2012

Zack Ryder fist pumps with fellow Long Island native Mick Foley.

Solid segment to kick off the show featuring Big Show, Brodus Clay, and David Otunga. It seemed confusing why Teddy Long cut a promo when Show interrupted moments later anyways. Regardless, Show cut a pretty good promo that we should have heard on Raw that announced his intentions to compete in this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. I loved seeing Clay looking intense, as that extra layer will only help his growing character. I'm excited to see where this feud between the two beast goes, but Otunga interfering was what it was. It seems that Clay's feud with Otunga is not yet over, which isn't entirely bad since it keeps Clay relevant. However, Otunga wasn't good here on the mic.

Typical Ryback squash match as usual. He used some new maneuvers, but that's about it. If nothing else, the fact the fans are warming up to his character by chanting along with him certainly helps.

Great match between Intercontinental Champion Christian and Alberto Del Rio. It's been nearly a year since we've seen these two last lock up, so it felt fresh and had a ton of suspenseful counters and false finishers. Honestly, I'd love to see a title feud between the two down in the mid-card since it fits Del Rio's character nicely. While a win is beneficial for Del Rio, the commentators should have made it feel like a bigger deal coming off of his recent concussion. Cody Rhodes attacking Christian was predictable, but not logical. Captain Charisma has already defeated Rhodes clean twice, so what other purpose does Rhodes have for chasing him and the belt?

Good match between Daniel Bryan and Kane. It didn't make much sense having two heels face off, but since Kane is a bit of a tweener, I let it slide. These two were able to provide some pretty decent action despite the awkward finish, but I believe that was the point. Nonetheless, it was a good way to further the rivalry although they need to find new ways to make it feel fresh. Where was CM Punk here?

Throwaway match with Zack Ryder defeating Heath Slater. I'm glad Ryder was finally able to score a victory, and he should move to SmackDown permanently so he can get more airtime. Mick Foley's promo prior to the bout was well done and his exchange with fellow Long Island native Ryder after the match was fun.

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Christian takes control of Alberto Del Rio on the top rope.

Fine match with the Prime Time Players defeating the Usos. We've seen it a few times before, so there was nothing new here. Cool finish as well. It helped establish Titus O'Neil and Darren Young as threats to the WWE Tag Team titles, so it was successful in that aspect. I even more so enjoyed the brawl backstage afterwards that saw Primo and Epico attack A.W. and the Prime Time Players. It helps get over Primo and Epico as faces and actually builds a tag rivalry that isn't over the titles.

Meaningless segment featuring United States Champion Santino Marella. What purpose does this serve? The fan was obviously a plant, and it was nothing more than campy comedy. I'd appreciate it if Santino didn't wear around the U.S. title during garbage like this, it makes the strap look bad.

Solid match between World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler to close the show. These two never cease to have exciting matches and this was no exception. Although it was obvious the Celtic Warrior would emerge victorious, Ziggler once again looked great in defeat. However, I do question by ending the show on a "happy" note. It would've made more sense to have Del Rio attack Sheamus following the contest to resume their feud going into Money in the Bank.

Overall, an entertaining show that featured great action throughout. However, it felt more like a filler edition than anything else, as it more focused on pleasing the audience rather than furthering feuds or creating new ones. More focus should be put on the Money in the Bank event in coming weeks, but as a whole, this episode was one of the better ones in recent memory.

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