WWE SmackDown Review - April 16, 2015

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd double team John Cena.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd Interrupted United States Champion John Cena

As much as I like the U.S. Open, it'd grow tiresome quicker if Cena held it on every SmackDown along with every week on Raw, so I was fine with him holding off on it here. Cesaro and Kidd interrupting him was a pleasant surprise, though it's hard to take them seriously after they lost in a two-on-one scenario against Randy Orton on Raw. Still, everyone including Daniel Bryan played their roles well in this segment and it felt special to see the four champions share the ring together. Does this mark the first time in history that the Intercontinental and United States Champions teamed up against the tag champs?


Bray Wyatt def. R-Truth

It bugged me when Jerry Lawler said on commentary that this would be a "rare" in-ring appearance from Wyatt, despite the fact he wrestled a match on SmackDown just last week. Regardless, it was a fine squash match, but what purpose was it supposed to serve? It beat hearing Wyatt cut the same repetitive promo again, but Truth has zero credibility, so Wyatt beating him seemed pointless. I'm anxious to see who Wyatt has been targeting in his promos as of late, but they he shouldn't be in action unless his matches mean something.

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Sheamus talks down to Neville.

Bad News Barrett def. The Miz

I love how Barrett is given the babyface reception every time he's in England. I know that's to be expected, but I'm glad WWE didn't try to fight it by piping in boos for him. he's long overdue for a babyface turn, but only time will tell as to whether this was the first step toward that. It was nice to see him score a rare win for once, but at the same time, the quick loss diminishes whatever win Damien Mizdow will eventually get over Miz.


Neville def. Sheamus by Disqualification

I was hoping they'd hold off on this match for later down the line, but it seems to be the theme for WWE to be giving away potential money matches on TV lately. On the bright side, it was a great match and dare I say Neville's best bout to date. Neville had a strong showing against Sheamus while The Celtic Warrior looked dominant in his offense. The non-finish was smart as it would have been stupid for Neville to take yet another loss and this protects both men. The only negative thing I have to say about this segment is the post-match promo from Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler. A Kiss Me Arse match at Extreme Rules? Seriously? Why not just let them have the great match they're capable of?


The New Day def. Los Matadores

Ah, a match involving two teams that people couldn't care less about. What did WWE expect the reaction would be? I realize Los Matadores are the resident jobbers of the tag team division, but they were bordering on a heel turn about a month or so ago as well, so the crowd didn't have any incentive to cheer for either tandem. At the very least, The New Day continue to further their heel turn, but they won't be over no matter what side of the fence they're on until they drop the stupid over-the-top gimmick. As I've said time and time again, these three are so much better than that.


Big Show Addressed Roman Reigns

Normally, I can't tolerate Big Show, but I have to admit that he's not a bad on the mic. In fact, he's pretty good when he's motivated and given the right material to work with. As I said in my Raw review this week, I'm not exactly enthralled over the idea of another match being Show and Reigns at Extreme Rules, but they've done a decent job of putting heat on the feud. The Last Man Standing stipulation for their upcoming match made sense, but hopefully it's not as boring as it has the potential to be.


Cameron def. Natalya and Alicia Fox in a Triple Threat Match

With nothing up for grabs and very little history between these three (aside from what happened last week), it was difficult for this viewer as well as the live crowd to get invested in anything they did, but they deserve credit for putting together a half decent match. The superplex off the top was impressive and everyone involved held their own. Again, with nothing on the line, it didn't matter who won, but it was a nice win for Cameron. Now, all these women need more character development.


Fandango def. Adam Rose

I complained constantly months ago about the matches between these two being completely pointless, but it meant a lot more this time around because it told a story. The match itself was quick and painless while Rose looks to pursue Rosa Mendes now that Fandango is done with her. Plus, Fandango proved with his win that it was her that was holding him back all along. I don't know if "Fandangoing" will be as over in the United States as it is in England, but for one week anyway, it was a lot of fun.


Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan and United States Champion John Cena def. WWE Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Tyson Kidd (Non-title)

While they weren't given much time, they made the most of it and had a good tag match. As noted earlier, it felt special as I believe this is the first time all four champions have been in the same match together. As far as Bryan's involvement went, he didn't look like he was limited at all, so either he's not as hurt as recent reports are making him out to be or he's doing a great job of hiding it. It was a cool rub for Cesaro and Kidd to be in the SmackDown main event with Cena and Bryan, but I would've liked to see them win after their loss on Raw (even though I know it's not realistic in this scenario). Still, it sent the crowd home happy and ended the show on a high note.


Overall Show

As someone who is bias toward the English audience (who made for a entertaining atmosphere per usual), I enjoyed this show on the whole. It was by no means a great episode or even as good as Raw from Monday, but the fun main event and the great Sheamus vs. Neville match were among the highlights. Everything else was mostly forgettable, but at least none of it was terrible, so there was that. Two new matches were made for Extreme Rules, so it was newsworthy in that respect as well.

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