Friday Night SmackDown Review - November 29, 2013

Was Seth Rollins the latest victim of the Cross Rhodes?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Renee Young Interviewed WWE Champion Randy Orton

Orton has never been a strong mic worker, and this segment was pure proof of that. As much as I love Renee, she wasn't at her best here and her questions sounded stupid. Orton didn't reveal anything we didn't already know and didn't show any signs of character progression, so it is safe to say that this segment was a waste of time. Kicking off a wrestling show with a talk segment is always annoying, but it is even worse when said talking segment accomplishes nothing.


Mark Henry def. Curtis Axel

The fact that neither competitor received an entrance (well, a full entrance anyway) goes to show how little the match meant. It was over within minutes and was nothing more than a showcase for the returning Henry. It is good to have Henry back on WWE TV, but hopefully they have something meaningful in mind for him to do. If Ryback and Axel are no longer "Paul Heyman Guys", then why are they still hanging out with each other?

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Mark Henry scores the three count on Curtis Axel.

Los Matadores and El Torito def. The Plymouth Rockers

Oh joy, another Los Matadores vs. 3MB match! What could be more exciting than another installment in this spectacular series of matches? Sarcasm aside, this match served the role of "comedic relief", even if I didn't find anything they did humorous. El Torito is fun in the ring, but he made 3MB look like goofs when he was up against them, but they already are anyway so I guess it really didn't matter. As I have said in the past, Los Matadores are so limited in what they can do since they will not be anything more than a comedy pairing in the tag team division.


Tons of Funk def. Xavier Woods and R-Truth

I enjoyed the pre-match backstage segment between the two teams, as it hinted at a potential heel turn for Brodus Clay. If that wasn't the purpose of this "feud" between Woods and Clay, then what is? Woods lost his first match since debuting two weeks ago to Tons of Funk, a tag team that has little to no credibility. What the hell? I like the new aggressive side of Clay and hope it leads to a much needed heel turn, but the fact he went straight back to dancing right after the match ended has me losing faith that it will ever happen.


Antonio Cesaro def. Titus O'Neil by Disqualification

This wasn't much of a match at all, as it only consisted of a few moves before it prematurely ended with a fluky finish. Since when does Darren Young running in the ring and not touching either competitor constitute as a disqualification? What was even worse was the horrendous post-math shtick with O'Neil pretending to puke over everything and everyone at ringside. I have grown numb to the parties on holiday themed wrestling shows, but the puking nonsense has to end.


WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns by Disqualification

As expected, these two teams worked one hell of a match as only they can. I thought their previous two bouts at Battleground and on Raw in October were better, but this was still a strong match. Both teams were great on offense and Dean Ambrose was an excellent addition to commentary, as we don't hear him talk much nowadays (which is a crime by the way). The disqualification finish protected The Shield and also help set up the next matchup.


CM Punk and WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. The Shield by Disqualification

The action was entertaining while it lasted and Punk continues to work very well with The Shield. I am glad the commentators stay focused on the match as well on relevant stories such as The Wyatt Family kidnapping Daniel Bryan and The Shield's attack on Punk on Raw. It became apparent what was coming next in the match once The Wyatt Family showed up at ringside. Never again will you see three consecutive matches end in a disqualification.


CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, The Usos and WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. The Shield and The Wyatt Family

I was somewhat letdown when this match didn't go as long as I would have hoped, as it was just getting good when they rushed to the ring. The last 12-man tag team match we saw involving these same competitors (except with Mysterio replacing Bryan this time around) was epic and went almost a half hour, so it is made sense that this match didn't live up to the high expectations. Nonetheless, it was still a great match and the flurry of finishers at the end was fun to watch unfold. The Wyatt Family should have gotten their win back after losing at Survivor Series and on Raw this week, but I guess I can't blame WWE for sending the crowd home happy on a Thanksgiving themed show.


Overall Show

The first hour of this show was absolutely dreadful, but the latter half of the show was extremely entertaining. Granted, it featured most of the same competitors, but it was better than watching another weak match involved John Cena, Big Show, Randy Orton or Alberto Del Rio as we saw on Raw. I will give WWE the benefit of the bout with this being a Thanksgiving themed show, but it was still painful to watch and only worth watching for the last three matches.

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