Saturday, 5 May 2012

Smackdown Review - 4 May, 2012



When an Indie wrestler finally makes his way to the 'big leagues' that is the WWE you generally see there style toned down a notch. Wrestlers are given less freedom to do what they want and have to work within the guidelines of the 'WWE style'.

Much was the same for Daniel Bryan who when he came was given less freedom to show off his stuff. He still manage to put on good matches week after week, but it was evident that there was more to him.

It was only at the end of 2011 when Daniel Bryan really broke out of his shell and became the in-ring expert that everyone knew he was.

This heel turn for Bryan has done wonders for him, and not just because of the reaction he now gets, but because of the way he can now wrestle his matches. This heel turn has given him more freedom to control the match, something Bryan can do exceptionally well. His ring psychology is amazing as he can work on any body part in so many different ways. He's still his hard-hitting self and he can also make his opponent look like a champ. And all this while staying within the WWE style guidelines. This transition has enabled Bryan to become the total package in the WWE.

This has been evident for a good while now, but most recently I guess was last night when Bryan took on Sheamus in the opening match. Of course the ending wasn't very good, but thankfully these two men would be given another chance later in the night to put on a slid match. More on that in a little while.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Hunico & Camacho
A couple of weeks ago at a Smackdown house show in Dublin, I got the chance to see Camacho in action. To my surprise, I saw that he was actually pretty decent in the ring, and not just another big guy at ringside who acts all tough.

This week I got to see another glimpse of Camacho in the ring. Again, not half bad. I actually like this tag team of Hunico and Camacho and they put on a decent match against the tag team champions.

Damien Sandow Segment
Without even seeing him wrestle yet I'm already a fan of this guy. The way he presents himself, the way he addresses the crowd, the way he talks, the way he holds the mic like a glass of wine, everything about him I like.

Now granted, if he ends up being pretty average in the ring my opinion on him will probably lower, but I'm optimistic that he can deliver the goods inside the ring as well.

Randy Orton & Big Show vs. Kane & Cody Rhodes
I'll be completely honest, I skipped the match. At this stage I'm so tired of seeing these men face each other that I just can't.

My reading the results, it sounds like your standard tag team match, with the end featuring the usual signature moves to delight the fans.

I really do wonder where everyone will go after this. Sheamus is World Champion, so what will Orton do in the time being? He's already feuded with Rhodes, Del Rio is in the World Title picture and Bryan is over on Raw challenging Punk. There's no other heel for Orton to feud with apart from Mark Henry, and that feud only ended a couple of months ago.

The same goes for Kane, Rhodes and Big Show. They all seem to be stranded after Extreme Rules because realistically these feuds will more than likely be fully over in the next week or so.

Maybe that draft is needed after all.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
As I said I the start of the review, thankfully these two men got another chance to put on a solid match, and they did exactly that.

This was another very good match from two men who are at the top of their game at the moment. Bryan worked on the shoulder of Sheamus like only he can, and Sheamus sold the injury like an absolute champ.

I wasn't very happy with the ending however. I thought with Sheamus being so injured he wouldn't look so bad in loss, it would also give Bryan some closure after beating Sheamus, and would give him momentum going into Over The Limit. All the positive signs pointed towards Bryan beating the injured Sheamus, but instead they decided to keep all the power and momentum on Sheamus' side. Surely having Del Rio even cost the match would have been OK, right?

Anyway, another fine match between these two men, despite the questionable booking.

Stray Observations
  • What's with Brodus Clay dancing with kids after his match? Seriously, what is this, some kind of house show?
  • Thank you for your irrelevant opinion.”
  • That's it, Teddy. Get in there nice and deep like.
  • Despite Rhodes winning the IC Title at Extreme Rules, he's still going to look weak if you have him lose straight afterwards. 

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