Friday Night SmackDown Review - September 21, 2012

WWE Tag Team Champion Kane and Edge embrace in a hug.

Excellent opening segment featuring the returning Edge, WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan, and Damien Sandow. Edge is fantastic in almost every role he portrays, so he was of course awesome as always to kick off the show. It's been awhile since we've seen him on SmackDown, so it was certainly a nice surprise for the live audience and viewers watching at home. His altercations with Kane and Bryan were equally hilarious and made for entertaining television, while Sandow played his role to perfection here as well. Seeing how many SmackDown editions in recent months have opened up with either Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio, this was a refreshing change of pace that set the tone for the rest of the show nicely.

Fine match between Kane and Damien Sandow. It was nothing special, but it was something we haven't seen before, so it felt fresh. The action didn't last long, but it was still a strong victory for Sandow. It also put over the tension and animosity between Kane and Bryan, which would be a recurring theme throughout the show.

Decent match between Layla and Natalya. We've seen in plenty of times, so it was nothing out of the ordinary, but both Divas are still good workers that managed to provide a fine contest. Layla going over was expected, but the focus of the bout was obviously more so on Divas Champion Eve on commentary regarding her title victory at Night of Champions.

Great tag team match with World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Randy Orton defeating Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. I'm glad this was featured mid-show and not at the start or end, as it felt fitting right where it was placed. The Del Rio-Sheamus feud has run its course, so I can't see any logical reason to continue it. After losing lately, the heels definitely should've gone over here, but I wasn't as frustrated with the outcome since the final moments of the bout were suspenseful and exciting. I hope they move onto new feuds sooner rather than later to avoid any further bad booking or staleness.

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Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, and Drew McIntyre attack Brodus Clay.

Brief match with Cody Rhodes quickly defeating Daniel Bryan. These two have had great matches in the past, but I understand why they kept it short given that the ending outcome was pretty predictable after transpired earlier in the night. Plus, both guys were booed by the live crowd (supposedly) throughout the bout, so there was no need to drag it out. If nothing else, this was a good win for Rhodes, who needs victories to stay credible.

Throwaway match between Brodus Clay and Heath Slater. It was basically the same match from Monday's Raw, but the surprisingly finish of Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre attacking Clay was very intriguing. If they're aligning with Slater, this group of underrated wrestlers has the potential to be great if booked correctly and not as a joke.

Meaningless match between United States Champion Antonio Cesaro and Santino Marella. I surely hope Santino's victory over Cesaro doesn't mean he's back in the U.S. title picture, as rekindling that feud would do nothing to put over the championship. Cesaro randomly breaking up with Aksana this early into their run seemed strange and completely illogical since the dissension was given no time to build. I've enjoyed their act in recent months, so I see no need to disband it at this point in time.

Fun match with WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan taking on Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. It obviously didn't get much time, but I was glad to see it end in a disqualification finish since I didn't want Rhodes nor Sandow to look weak. While I don't completely with Team Friendship's "burial" of the tag division following the bout by attacking them all with chairs, it was still a fun sight and logical since they're the tag team champs. However, it was great to see an actual tag team  match involving the title holders in the main event, as it truly emphasizes the division and how it's really starting to pick up.

Overall, an excellent edition that was undoubtedly all about Kane and Daniel Bryan, but I'm not complaining. As I've said before, they're the single most entertaining act in WWE today, and that was certainly visible throughout all of their segments on the show. The other top stars were featured, but thankfully, their roles were lessened for once, so it was nice breath of fresh air. The action was mostly brief, but with multiple weeks until the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, there's no need to start building actual feuds now.

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