WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

Friday Night SmackDown Review - October 11, 2013

10/11/2013

4 Comments

 
PictureCody Rhodes rolls up Luke Harper for the win.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio Interrupted Vickie Guerrero

This was one bizarre segment. Where to begin? First, everyone involved was a heel, so the live crowd didn't really have any incentive to cheer any of them. Second, Del Rio kissing up to Vickie dragged on too long and was a complete waste of time. Third, was this the start of a face turn for Sandow? Despite the fact that I am skeptical of it, this wasn't the best way of going about turning him. The Raw recaps that opened the show didn't help matters, either. If nothing else, this segment established the main event for later in the show, but it felt too formulaic for my liking.


Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel def. R-Truth

I still couldn't care less about either individual, but this was still a much better match than their encounter at Battleground. From what it sounded like, the crowd seemed to be more engaged in the action as well. The near-falls grew to be more suspenseful down the stretch, but it was still a decent match as a whole. It was also nice to see Axel pick up the clean victory, thus giving him more credibility as a champion.

PictureAlberto Del Rio locks in the armbar on Damien Sandow.
Los Matadores def. Los Locales

For those unaware, the men under the masks were Tyson Kidd and Ricardo Rodriguez. I would love to see Rodriguez under the mask as El Local going forward, but I surely hope this was a one-off for Kidd. He deserves much better. Anyway, the match was basically a showcase for Los Matadores and it wasn't much more than that. I still stand my ground that Los Matadores will fizzle out after awhile, but they are still a fun tandem for now.


Brie Bella and The Funkadactlys def. Kaitlyn, Natalya and Eva Marie

I expected this match to be much more of a train wreck than it actually was, but it wasn't any longer than originally anticipated. The Divas matches on television continue to be a disappointment, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised since it has been this way for years. The match wasn't necessarily poor, but it simply had no meaning. Honestly, the lack of AJ Lee is what made this bout uninteresting for me. It is sad to see Kaitlyn reduced to this after being spotlighted so much only a few short months ago, and did anyone else find it odd to see The Bella Twins and The Funkadactlys acting so friendly towards each other given their rivalry from earlier this year?


World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio def. Damien Sandow (Non-title)

With this being his apparent first match as a babyface, I would certainly say that he fared pretty well. His mannerisms were no different for the most part and it will take time to get used to him as a face, but he more than held his own against Del Rio here. In doing so, the crowd gradually got behind him as the match progressed. It was a solid match early on with a great finishing sequence where Sandow loses nothing in defeat. Del Rio is being booked brilliantly as world champion, but it is a shame that not many people care about his character.


The Prime Time Players and The Great Khali def. 3MB

As much as I enjoy The Prime Time Players, it was pretty apparent that this match was going to be a disaster when Khali botched doing the "Millions of Dollars" dance during the entrance. Thankfully, Khali's role was heavily limited and the other competitors did most of the in-ring work. It was odd to see 3MB get the upper hand for a majority of the bout, but at least The Prime Time Players went over. I would like to see them back in the tag title picture, but this meaningless match showed that they don't have any real direction at the moment.


Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan

Without a doubt, this was the best match The Wyatt Family has competed in to date. The crowd wasn't into the action early on, but the competitors told a solid story throughout. Cody and Goldust work so well as a team and I am glad they are receiving the push that they deserve. I was surprised to see this match positioned in the main event of the show and it ended the episode on a high note. The Wyatt Family's first loss in tag team action was made out to feel like a big deal in addition to the fact that it gave the Rhodes brothers a boost as a tandem.


Overall Show

As a whole, this show felt average with a few good matches here and there. The Intercontinental Championship match was good, but not worth going out of your way to see. The Del Rio vs. Sandow match as well as the main event, though, were worth watching and helped make this episode more enjoyable. Everything else was merely filler, but hopefully the blue brand can feature more build for Hell in a Cell starting next week.

4 Comments
JJF
10/11/2013 03:52:46 pm

I don't think it's a face turn. It's more of a lesser of two evils thing, and possibly a test for a full face run. If the crowd really got behind him as you said, maybe the turn will happen at HIAC

Reply
GSM link
10/11/2013 03:57:12 pm

Yeah, I would hope that it's a lesser of two evils as opposed to a full-fledged face turn. As you said, only time will tell and we'll see if the turn will be compete by HIAC.

Reply
Audrey Eaton link
10/11/2013 04:03:29 pm

Heller the best WWE player is CM Punk and John Cena

Reply
Audrey Eaton link
10/11/2013 04:08:21 pm

I'm kinda glad that BIG SHOW knock out Triple H.Because WWE changed when I missed out all the fun in the shows:( :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact