Here are my thoughts on this week's episode:
Segment 1: Big Show has a new Goal
This man is NOT in a good mood....
So even though he seems about half as badass as he did going into No Way Out, Big Show still expects us to believe he has any chance at winning the Money In The Bank ladder match next month. In all honesty, I wouldn't mind a Big Show/CM Punk main event for Summerslam to go along with the HHH/Lesnar match. The best part of this whole segment was that Brodus Clay arrives in his stretched out Fred Flintstone leotard and expects us to take him serious. Am I a bad person for actually wanting Show to knock his ass out? If so, I'll wear my #HEEL badge with pride because I could watch a whole episode of Smackdown that only featured Show knocking out Clay, waiting for him to get up, and then knocking him back out again. Decent opening promo work and at least their throwing in a few more main event talents in the ladder matches this year. On a side note, I may be alone in this, but David Otunga doing the "Carlton Banks dance", was a complete mark out moment for me.
Segment Rating: 2.5/5
Match 1: Ryback vs. Jobbers 101 &102
Jobber 101: "Dude, what the hell're you smiling about!?" Jobber 102: "We did it man! We're on TV!!!" Jobber 101: "You're not very familiar with Ryback's matches are you?"
This was for me, one of the more entertaining squashes the Human Rape Machine has given us thus far. Not because anything particularly different happened, but because the WWE Universe is finally starting to let the whole "Goldberg" thing go and appreciate Ryback for what he is, one of the most unique and exciting superstars on the WWE roster. The fact that the audience chanted along to Ryback's "feed me more!" chant, was by far one of the more awesome moments of the night. Seriously though, FEED HIM MORE!!!
Match Rating: 2.5/5
Match 2:: Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio
These two have had better matches, but this one was still very exciting. Christian has been on quite the roll since his return, earning the IC title and having a handful of brilliant performances along the way. Here he makes Del Rio look like a million dollars, while still managing to elevate the fledgling IC belt with his "never say die" attitude. I know some will complain that someone else could have done the job for Del Rio, but having one of the top contenders for the World title beat the IC champion makes a bit of sense as it makes him look like a worthy challenger. Take Berto's victory over US champ Santino Marella on Monday for example. He made very quick work of Santino and it did little to establish him as a dangerous competitor. The opposite was done here tonight. It also helps that unlike Marella, Christian put up one hell of a fight. The only problem I had with this match is the fact that Alberto completely forgot that he spent the entire match working Christian's left arm, instead putting his Cross Armbreaker finisher on his right arm in the end. Am I the only one who noticed this??? Still, great work was done here as Berto now looks as dangerous as ever and Christian still manages to look strong in defeat. The crowd was fired up for this one as well and that only added to the level of excitement. Post match, Cody Rhodes assaults Christian for "stealing his time". If this means we're getting another stellar match from these two, I could care less who's time it's on.
Match Rating: 3.5/5
Match 3: Kane vs. Daniel Bryan w/Special Guest Timekeeper: AJ
This was another very good match. For my money, Kane should work exclusively with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk from now on. These guys just bring something new and exciting out of The Big Red Machine each time they're in the ring with him. Bryan has emerged as the heir apparent to the Chris Benoit throne with his "all business" attitude inside the ring. It's pretty amazing how given his lack of size, he never really seems outmatched against much larger opponents. I don't know if he's given enough credit for this, but I digress. AJ was her usual strange self here and even though I'm still intrigued, I'm beginning to grow a bit impatient in finding out her true motives. That could just be my selfish desire to see her manage Daniel Bryan once again, but it doesn't really matter. The only thing that matters, is the fact that we're all still interested. It's also worth noting that she seemingly tried to help Daniel Bryan pick up the win here and even though it backfired, you have to wonder what the hell is going on in that woman's head.
Match Rating: 3.25/5
AJ watches her master plan unfold
Match 4: Heath Slater vs. Zack Ryder
This match was set up by guest General Manager Mick Foley as an attempt to embarrass Slater. I guess Foley isn't a fan of one man shows. Cool to see Ryder on TV again and judging by the massive pop he got, it seems the WWE Universe missed him as well. The match itself was a nice quick little match that saw Ryder pick up the win with the Rough Ryder. I have to say that the whole thing felt pointless though. It's not like this match is going to lead to anything else for either superstar. It's a shame given all the hard work Ryder has done to get over, to see him now in creative limbo. Still, I wouldn't cry for him Ryder fans, superstars are always rising and falling in the WWE.
Match Rating: 2/5
Match 5: The Primetime Players w/AW vs. The Usos
Great to see the continued growth and exposure of the Tag Team division. It's been a slow build, but credit should be given to WWE management for sticking through it and actually giving some of the teams time to get over before pulling the plug. That being said, The Primetime Players are pretty much the best tandem going right now and I'm going to throw it out there and say they will be Tag Team Champions come Summerslam if not sooner. This match is pretty much a testament to that. The Usos have provided a much greater challenge for former champs Primo and Epico, but Darren Young and Titus O'neil make easy work of the Samoan duo. Post match, Primo and Epico confront AW and eventually knock him out, leading Young and O'neil to brawl with the former champs backstage. All in all some very good work is being put into the tag division and the match and post match brawl were a very welcome addition to the show for me.
Match Rating: 2.5/5
As the Primetime Players celebrate, AW takes a moment re-evaluate his career choices
Segment 2: Santino Marella meets his match
Santino is in the ring asking the live audience to hold up their signs and he'll show the best ones on TV. One woman is holding and "I love Santino" sign, so he calls her down to the ring. She is wearing a Cobra sleeve. Santino and her share an intimate Cobra kiss. She then plants a wet one on Marella. He passes out. She's very giddy and celebrates awkwardly. No I did not make this up. No I'm not joking. No I didn't DVR the wrong show. I know. I punched myself in the dick during this segment. Why? I found that to be less torture than what I was witnessing.
Segment Rating: WTF!!??
Dolph Ziggler has arrived. A giant parade of greatness follows, signaling that it is now time for our
MAIN EVENT
Match 6: Dolph Ziggler w/Vickie Guerrero vs. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus
This was a fantastic main event. I'd even say it was better than their match at No Way Out. The storytelling was top notch, with Dolph playing the role of "hungry mid-card standout looking to make a name for himself" to perfection (no pun intended). This was a bit more of what I wanted their match last Sunday to be. The innovative offense from Ziggler was just amazing. Particularly that sweet dropkick to Sheamus on the outside. As usual, Ziggler again makes the champ look like the greatest athlete that ever lived, bumping around as if Sheamus' whole repertoire consisted of blasts from a double barreled shotgun. I mean, did you see that right hand from Sheamus, deflecting Ziggler off the turnbuckle?!? It looked like his ass came out of his face. Seriously, the guy is the best bump man in the world today, but you all know that. The problem is when you bump that good, you usually get stuck jobbing for guys who are half as good as you are. Let's not fret though, it seems that management is finally sold on Ziggler as a main event player. Maybe not number one or even two, but at least in the number three heel spot on either show. He's just too damn good for anything less. It doesn't hurt that the people are practically rioting for the guy. Don't get me wrong, we all love The Great White, but it's Ziggler who's stealing the show. It's Ziggler people now want to see. And judging by performances like this, they picked the right guy. If you don't watch anything else on Raw or Smackdown this week, watch this match. Ziggler's performance here is truly something special. There is just a magic in the air with him now. He's primed and ready. So am I.
Match Rating: 3.75/5
Final Thoughts: Not a very good show in terms of storyline progression, but Smackdown rarely is. However as far as ring work goes, it was one of the better shows of the year. For the first time in months, I even felt compelled to write a Smackdown review. I think that says it all.
Overall episode rating: 7.5/10
What to watch if you DVR'd the episode: Ziggler/Sheamus, Christian/Del Rio and Bryan/Kane were all fantastic matches. Everything else is not worth your time, but fuck, those matches were awesome!
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