After a
night of Anger Management classes and a cold-hearted statement from
CM Punk, it was back to basics over on Smackdown, and in many ways,
this is when the blue brand is at its best.
It was
another one of those weeks where the main focus was on the wrestling,
and all of the wrestling made for a pretty good episode of Smackdown.
Sheamus
and Damien Sandow
I
honestly think that this segment between Sandow and Sheamus was
better than anything Del Rio and the World champ have done together
all year. This was simply a mix of two different characters, and
ended up coming off pretty well because of it.
There's
no wonder as to why the likes of Triple H seem to be high on Damien
Sandow. He's an excellent talker on the mic, carries himself well and
is a decent wrestler as well. He has all the makings of being a
pretty big deal in the WWE, and this segment to open up Smackdown
showed that he can run with the ball, even if it is only for a few
yards every so often.
Cody
Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio
A solid
bout between two people who work very well together. Cody's work on
Mysterio's back was well played out, and the action was also at a
nice pace. The match could have done with a Rhodes' victory if I'm
honest, as I feel the win would have done a lot more for him. But, if
this thing with Sin Cara ends with Cody looking the stronger out of
the two then I don't really mind for little results like that one
last night.
Sheamus
vs. Damien Sandow
Since
his debut, we've seen Damien Sandow work a very aggressive style, as
we've seen him beat his opponents with viscous knees and high
velocity. But, in the this match we saw a different game plan from
the intellect.
I was
ready to contradict Michael Cole when he said that Sandow's style was
nothing like Sheamus', but when the bell rang he proved to be right
on this occasion. Sandow, in true heel fashion, stayed clear of
Sheamus and only attacked when Sheamus' guard was down, and then ran
away when the World champion showed signs of building momentum.
It was
the perfect way for Damien Sandow to accept defeat, without even
being pinned. With Sandow being so good on the mic, he'll (or his
writers more so) will find a good way of defending his decision to
run away from the match without coming across that weak.
The new
approach was certainly different, but is came off well in what was a
pretty decent match.
Tyson
Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. The Prime Time Players
While
I'm not a big fan of Justin 'look at my new hair' Gabriel, I think
that him pairing up with Tyson Kidd will make for a good partnership.
This tag team, as well as The Prime Time Players, make the tag team
division worth getting a little bit optimistic for.
This was
a pretty decent match which showcased The Prime Time Players'
dominance in the tag team division very well. I think it was
important for them to get the victory over this new tag team as I
feel they need all the wins they can get to become a credible heel
tag team in the WWE.
In my
opinion, they're the only tag team in the WWE that have real
chemistry together, alongside The Usos. At Night of Champions, I'm
hoping the The Prime Time Players get the straps (if a tag team title
match will even be booked for the PPV that is) and be the first Tag
Team champions in a long time to look like... well, a real tag team.
Alberto
Del Rio vs. Kane
A week
after a much needed victory over Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio
continued with his momentum by toppling the Big Red Monster, Kane. It
was an OK match, albeit a bit flat. It never really seemed to kick
off, and I think it's fair to say that the chemistry between the two
isn't the best.
Still
though, the match served it's purpose. Alberto Del Rio is on his way
to Night of Champions with an impressive winning streak on Smackdown.
Alberto
Del Rio and Sheamus
While
not a segment on the show, it is still a matter I feel I need to talk
about. While the focus on Sandow and Sheamus was fresh, it still
doesn't warrant why the The Great White didn't cross paths with
Alberto Del Rio this week.
Not once
did we see an encounter between the two. Sheamus was busy with Damien
Sandow and Del Rio was busy with Kane. That's all well and good
except at the end of it all we didn't see anything between the two of
them.
And this
is the main problem with this feud – it's on and off like a light
switch. One week we have Del Rio beat the hell out of Sheamus, with
Sheamus looking for revenge, and the next we don't even have them see
each other.
It's
these types of inconsistencies that is bringing this feud down. Every
second week the rivalry is relit, only for it to be left to die out
the week after.
Randy
Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler
How many
times must we see Dolph Ziggler get beaten by the RKO? One week you
have Ziggler beating Chris Jericho, and the next he's losing to Randy
Orton in a standard match on Smackdown.
Did this
match even need to take place? Did it make Orton look that much
stronger? Was it worth yet another Dolph Ziggler loss? I really don't
think so. And what's even worse is that we've seen this match so many
times before, so it didn't even need to take place.
It's
things like this where you really have to wonder what creative are
thinking in terms of building up superstars.
Overall,
this was still an enjoyable Smackdown. The second half of the show
dipped due to some frustrating booking, but the positives just about
out-weigh the negatives here this week.
Stray
Observations:
- Is it wrong that two of my favourite theme songs are “She Looks Good” and “Move”.
- I loved the crowds reaction after Sin Cara put that mask on Cody Rhodes. It was just silence and then a sudden realization of “Oh, that's it.”
- Were the anger management segments really worth replaying?
- I don't blame Kane for wanting to attack Josh Matthews all the time. I like him and all, but he still has a very punchable face.
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