Everyone feels blue now and then, some more than others, but Friday is the one day that’s supposed to mean a good thing. Last week started that way, but it soon faded into another average effort that makes me shake my head. While RAW may not always be desirable, the “exciting storylines” and “shocking” moments at least make it feel like a show worth talking about. My hope is that Smackdown will at least be worth talking about, even if it’s just because how much I may dislike storylines(which, by the way, I love most of the current Smackdown stories).
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Sheamus starts the night by pandering to the crowd(big surprise) with references to HHH’s speech on Monday. Before he can get on topic, Damien Sandow wishes to beg our indulgence and take over what was most likely to be a bland promo before-hand. Sandow goes on about how HHH is a despicable man, Sheamus is wasting our time, and it’s at this point where Sheamus starts showing his genius as a face in these segments. It’s always wonderful when it pertains to fighting. Sheamus wants Sandow to put his money where his mouth is, and of course…Sandow declines. Naturally, Booker T sees an opportunity for a great TV match, so he makes the decision for both men…and now we get to hopefully see Sandow in a longer match with a quality performer.
Rey Mysterio v Cody Rhodes(C+): Cody shows that he truly knows how to command a match when given the opportunity here. While he’s a good worker, it seems every now and then he’s not tapping into his full potential on the mat. Rey Rey may be past his prime, but he can still do a lot to make the younger guys look strong. On top of that, he is still a capable and more often than not exciting performer who knows how to get the crowd going. He might be a worthless mouthpiece, but he’s not necessarily needed to speak. Cody reacts sourly to the loss and tries to de-mask Mysterio like he’s been doing with Sin Cara, but the silent luchador comes to the rescue. He masks Cody after knocking him out with Rey, which…I suppose is supposed to be humiliating, but I am just happy to see them actually having him do something and showing any emotion.
Anger Management Replay: As much as I loved the Anger Management vignettes on RAW, there is no need to replay every whole vignette on a complete other show. It eats time that could be better spent going to character development, or matches, like this next short slice of heaven.
Natalya v Kaitlyn(C): I will take any opportunity to see natalya wrestle, but to be frank, this is one of the best match-ups they could do right now. Nattie and Kaitlyn have brief previous chemistry, and Kaitlyn has developed her ring sills considerably since then(Only evident if you watch NXT or Superstars). This match definitely exemplifies that, though, as her and Natalya give us an emotionally-charged match that was meant as nothing but a throwaway. Natalya makes moves look like torture, and Kaitlyn has a lot to offer in the Sales department(if you catch my drift). I doubt the crowd cared one bit, but I loved every second, the few that there were.
The World Turns on AJ: One of the first reasons I found for Booker making a good General Manager is his neutrality. He has a personality and an opinion, but he only cares about giving people what they deserve, booking matches, and having ever call he makes fair. In this case, he believes AJ acted out of line attacking Vickie, and beats around the bush about having her possibly replaced. Before he can get that far, Vickie interrupts and rails into her, bringing up her indiscretions and all the negative feedback she’s received about the new RAW GM. It is obvious the next major “General Manager” storyline will be between Vickie and AJ. The way AJ’s run as GM has been handled, it could not have been any better, and AJ knocks almost every single segment she’s in out of the park. I must say that Vickie, however, feels like a GM with more finality…not a temporary plot option.
Replay Mania: It’s one thing to have a replay of RAW…maybe even two…on Smackdown. It’s understandable, but when you’re playing one whole segment from the show and a replay that covers most of another sandwiched between commercials…like my fellow PINFALLer Dayton said, “When half of Smackdown is RAW, is it even necessary to have Smackdown anymore?” We will see if this episode continues the trend into the second hour.
Sheamus v Damien Sandow(B-): Sandow is clearly one of the best heel of the newest generation. Just the sight of the guy makes the crowd ignite with hate, and he plays the snake-y villain to a ‘T’. He gets a lot of licks into Sheamus. In fact, he seems to get all of the blows until the ending half of the match. It’s a standard template, but I like seeing a wrestler like Sheamus capable of a bit more control before he gets overtaken. I speak too soon on this matter, because Sheamus immediately goes all-out and puts a pounding on Sandow, going for the ultimate kill. From here, we lay witness to one of the most original count-out finishes that has been acted out in a while. Sheamus tugging on Sandow’s trunks to get him back was hilarious, and the crowd seemed to be going wild for it. All-around, this was a good television bout filled with a lot of excitement, capped off with a creatively cliche finish. Match of the night, or will my favorite Show Off steal the show?
Primetime Players(Darren Young& Titus O’Neal) v Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd(C+): The Primetime Players are a polarizing team, and with good reason as its members are two people that aren’t the most popular with wrestling fans. Yet, I feel people are ignoring their continual progress on both the mic and in the ring. Young is clearly the better wrestler, but Titus not only has become generally solid, he also makes a comical talker when he’s a heel, and compensates for Young’s embarrassing voice. Kidd and Gabriel are two people who know their way around a ring(Kidd more than Gabriel) and seem to operate smoothly as a unit. Despite only having a couple minutes, they made the best of their time and tried to display why they’re worth our time. It’s a fun match with a devastating finish. I can’t complain too much.
ADR – Kane’s Future Stress Ball: So…uhh…Alberto Del Rio…he brags quite plainly about making Orton tap, threatens Josh Matthews with a nod to Kane. This prompts Kane to enter the ring and apologize to Josh Matthews in compliance with his anger management…which furthers how swell a storyline they started on Monday. All this is mostly filler, though, for Teddy Long to come out and set-up a match between “Alberta” and the Big Red Machine.
Alberto De Rio v Kane(C-): I thought about coming up with something to type here, but it’s probably nothing other than what you would expect to see here. Kane’s improved a lot, and Del Rio can hardly produce a bad match, but this match was short and utterly predictable. Not much to waste my words, and your time, on.
Dolph Ziggler v Randy Orton(B-): Yet again, Orton and Ziggler are pitted against each other, which if you haven’t noticed in the past, is a lovely thing. When Ziggler’s between the ropes with Orton, something clicks between the two and a spectacle usually occurs. If you couple that with the fact that the crowd seems to light up when either of these two hit the mat, and you have a money match in the making. Each tired spot feels fresh with Ziggler’s animations, and Orton can sell exhaustion with the best before the bell rings. This is exhilarating from start to finish, and Ziggler sells the RKO the best he’s ever done before, which is saying a lot since he already rules that department. A fine way to finish Smackdown, ensuring that I can leave this episode without a large sigh…perhaps a small one…
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I could have done without all the replays, but they managed to squeeze in two high-profile matches and a lot of people onto a show that had me entertained through most of it. It was a much better effort than last week’s episode…
-Julius Johnson(@aPsychoSoldier)
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