Friday Night SmackDown Review - October 25, 2013

Daniel Bryan gets in the face of Triple H.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Michael Cole Interviewed Triple H

As much as I enjoy the weekly interviews between Cole and HHH on WWE.com, I couldn't find myself invested in this segment. It might have been due to it being in a different setting, but the content was nothing out of the ordinary and HHH didn't say anything that we didn't already know. Daniel Bryan interrupting the segment was well done and he cut a good promo, but it should have been longer considering he nor Orton didn't receive any more mic time for the rest of the show.


The Usos def. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan

I expected more of a match between these two teams considering it was their first ever outing against each other. They made the most out of the time they were given, but it is possible they were saving the bout for later down the line where it could develop into a real feud. The Miz attacking Bray Wyatt at ringside gave Harper and Rowan an out for losing while the win gave The Usos momentum going into their tag team title match on Sunday.

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Alberto Del Rio sends a message to John Cena.

Divas Champion AJ Lee def. Nikki Bella (Non-title)

With Nikki being as limited in the ring as she is, I didn't expect this to be a five star classic, but it was exceptional for what it was. AJ dominated most of the match only to pick up the victory in the end after Brie was attacked at ringside by Tamina Snuka. It was a logical win for AJ since she'll be defending her Divas title against Brie at Hell in a Cell. Also, it was sad to see Nikki attempt to play to the crowd multiple times during the contest in order to get them to rally behind her. How pathetic.


Los Matadores def. 3MB

If you have seen one Los Matadores vs. 3MB match, you have seen them all. Seriously, is there any other team Los Matadores could face? I would rather see them face unknown local athletes at this point than to beat this match to death. Los Matadores are impressive in the ring and all, but their act is already growing tiresome. The Real Americans have more lasting power as a team than Los Matadores, so I hope they pick up the win in their upcoming matchup.


Ryback and Paul Heyman def. CM Skunk in a Two-on-One No Disqualification Handicap Match

This was your basic squash match that was used primarily to put heat on the heels going into the pay-per-view. The CM Skunk shtick was comical, but no one in the live crowd seemed to believe it was the real Punk since Heyman made it obvious it wasn't. Similar to on Raw, Heyman was able to show his aggressive side and added an extra edge to his character. Ryback was his usual dominant self and having Heyman do all the talking for him was a smart move.


World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio Addressed John Cena

Del Rio can be stellar on the mic when given the right material, but this was stupendously stupid. He is severely limited in what he can say with Cena being off television until the pay-per-view, but airing the Cena video package would have sufficed. I appreciate the effort WWE has put into hyping the world title match at Hell in a Cell, but Del Rio struggles in his promos that try to be funny or witty.


The Great Khali vs. Fandango Ended in a No Contest

We have seen this match multiple times over the last few months, and it becomes more and more pointless every single time. Fandango has never meant less, and Khali is a comedy act for life, so why bother having this contest two days before a pay-per-view? Worse yet, since when does two Divas fighting in the ring automatically end a match? This match was so asinine on so many levels that it just boggles my mind.


Daniel Bryan, Big E Langston and WWE Tag Team Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Randy Orton and The Shield

The match started out slow and methodical, but they gradually picked up the pace as the match progressed. Everyone was able to get in their signature spots towards the end and the final few minutes were excellently executed. Inserting Langston in the main event was cool to see and it solidifies as a future top star on the blue brand. Bryan's team going over sent the crowd home happy, but seeing Bryan get the better of Orton for the second straight time this week makes me think we might see Orton capture the WWE Championship on Hell in a Cell, but only time will tell.


Overall Show

This wasn't a terrible show, but I wasn't much more excited for Hell in a Cell than I was beforehand. Most of the matches for the event were hyped on this show, so it was successful in that aspect, but nothing outside of the main event match was worth going out of your way to see. Nonetheless, I look forward to Hell in a Cell on Sunday, as it has the potential to be a great show if booked correctly.

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