Title This: WWE Friday Night Smackdown 8/12/11 Reaction:
Opening Segment Review:
Triple H opens the show discussing his new role in the WWE. He also talks about how he will be the man in charge of the WWE Championship match. He makes matches for tonight, and is interrupted by Christian. Christian talks about why he isn't respected by Triple H, as we as threatens to sue the WWE and the fans because Randy Orton is unstable mentally. Triple H says he will not change the match for Christian, as if he does not compete he breaches his contract. Christian begins to whine about why this is happening to him, and Triple H says to beat Orton and gain the respect from the WWE Universe he once had. Also, Christian faces Sheamus next.
Reaction:
I liked the beginning exchange between HHH and Christian, but I wanted to see Orton come out and chase off Christian. It would make more sense to see those two over HHH being the one doing the confrontations. He did this on Raw as well, but at least he is involved in that match now. Let the competitors be seen in the beginning of Smackdown, and have something instead of HHH involved the entire time. I like how he is seizing all the power, but he needs to step aside to let the program build even more. This segment gets a B, because two veterans on the mic made it work, somewhat. I wanted to see a glimpse of Orton in this segment though.
Christian vs. Sheamus Review:
Sheamus begins on the offensive pounding away at the much weaker body of Christian. They head to the outside, as Christian throws Sheamus into the ring post. He takes the offense back into the ring, grounding the Celtic Warrior. Sheamus hits some clotheslines, and fights out of an attempted Killswitch. A reversal of a powerbomb gives Christian the opportunity to execute a take down on Sheamus. Another reversal, this time Christian rolls out of a Brogue Kick, he tries to leave but is brought into the ring again. He reverses Sheamus, and snaps his neck on the ropes. Christian is counted out as he walks away.
Reaction:
This did not kill any steam for either of these men headed into Summerslam. It showed why Christian is so good, because he seems to reverse and be spot on with almost every defensive position. He can get out of bascially anything smoothly. Sheamus shows his power and shows the aggression he is well known for. A pin fall on either of these men clean would make the other one weak. I liked the count out, and it shows that both men could win this sunday. This segment gets a B.
Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs Kaitlyn & AJ Review:
Natalya slams Kaitlyn and tags in Beth quickly. The divas wanting to be known as DOD(Divas of Doom) hit a double team suplex. Kaitlyn tags in AJ, as AJ hits a quick kick. She attempts a hurricanrana off the ropes but Phoenix holds on and counters into a Glam Slam for the win. Beth beats down AJ post match. Natalya puts Kaitlyn in the Sharpshooter.
Reaction:
They really seem to give these two divas all of the spotlight. Trying to recreate a Kharma dominance with a slight twist, Phoenix and Natalya are the best divas in this business inside the ring. I wanted to at least see the Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly, since we are 48 hours away from Summerslam. She needed to come out, even if she just stood there. This segment gets a C, just needed to be a little longer, but shows the divas are really getting an actual storyline to work with.
Backstage Segments:
Long and Ryder speak with Rhodes w/ DiBiase. Cody thanks Zack for the IC Title match, even though he did not make it. Aksana comes in and begins to flirt with Long. She wants to do business with Theodore, and Long says he feels uncomfortable and leaves.
Mark Henry threatens his opponent Johnny Curtis, and says his career will begin and end on the same night.
Sin Cara vs Tyson Kidd Review:
Cara and Kidd start off fast, as Cara moves from an attempted kick from Kidd, who dives through the ropes. He leaps on Kidd outside, then goes for a springboard moonsault but Kidd kicks him the ropes to knock off Cara. Cara connects with a corner senton and settles Kidd on the top rope. Kidd hits a headbutt to send him to the mat. Kidd leaps off the rope, but Cara ducks it. He hits a moonsault for the win.
Reaction:
This match seemed slower than most Sin Cara matches. I wonder if it has anything to do with Mistico not being under the mask. The body type is not the same, and this match seemed slower than what should have been. The real Cara is quicker and more exciting. This one seemed like a watered down Mysterio, with moves that look nice, but were not that impressive. This segment gets a C.
Daniel Bryan vs. Alberto Del Rio Review:
Del Rio begins on the offensive, as he takes Bryan into the corner and kicks him in the chest. Bryan tosses Del Rio intp the corner and hits a heel kick. Del Rio grabs him and throws Bryan into the ring post. Bryan begins to kick Alberto in the chest, mixing kicks and uppercuts to Del Rio. Alberto hits a heel kick. Bryan tosses him over the top rope and hits a suicide dive outside. Bryan grasps at an apparent arm injury. He misses a dropkick from the top rope, as Del Rio locks in the arm bar for the win. Barrett comes out and attacks Bryan, hitting Wasteland on him.
Reaction:
Good match between the two, but it seemed like they should have been given more time. I do not understand why you have Del Rio win like that, maybe to give him a little something to do because he is not on the card for Summerslam. Bryan looked good as always, as this match gave us grappling, high flying, and some power. Barrett coming out was perfect. Quick and effective. I wish Bryan vs. Barrett would have been announced weeks ago and given more time to develop. Former NXT and Nexus members, one who was fired, came back and beat Nexus. Bryan and Barrett have a great history, and it is basically one year ago Bryan came back to get his revenge. Utilize this. This segment gets a B.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Cody Rhodes for the IC Title Review:
Jackson starts off beating down Rhodes, punching him in the stomach. We get a commercial break return, as Rhodes has Jackson on the ground. Exchanging offensive moves, Jackson finally hits a powerful clothesline, followed by three body slams. Rhodes counters the rack, and hits a kick to the face of Jackson after he is distracted by DiBiase on the outside. Crossroads connects, and we have a new Intercontinental Champion.
Reaction:
This made the most sense to me. Cody Rhodes' rise to the main event level has just begun by winning the Intercontinental Championship. He is one guy who can bring back memorable matches in the mid card, as he builds a following and popularity as a champion. Jackson was not hurt either because he drops the title that did not make much sense on him. He is a super heavy weight and should be in the main event picture solely on his look. When he snapped at the end of the match, it showed the aggression that we have missed since he began to smile and laugh each week. The smiling giant does not work. Never has. Neither looked weak either. This segment gets a B. A few rematches are in the future as well, which I am not against for a month of time.
Johnny Curtis vs. Mark Henry Review:
Typical squash match, as Henry clotheslines him, whips him off the ropes, and basically hits his finisher for the win.
Reaction:
Henry looks dominant, I guess, on a rookie. Curtis should not have been in this match whatsoever, as a young guy needs to be exposed differently than a Mark Henry match. It shows where they view him at in the youth of the company. This segment gets a D.
Randy Orton vs. The Great Khali Review:
Randy Orton gets thrown on the mat, showing the power of Khali. Jinder chokes Orton. Khali throws Orton into the steps, and tries to connect with a submission hold. Orton finally kicks Khali in the ribs, and drops Khali with a DDT. Khali grabs Orton, and applies the Vise Grip but Orton kicks his way out of the hold and hits an RKO for the win. After the match, Christian says he found out something, some information that will change everything on Sunday. He says he has the best thing going, and will see Randy on Sunday.
Reaction:
An okay match between the two. What do you expect these days with Khali besides a quick few moves and then getting pinned? He is limited, but Orton did his best to make the match interesting, and Jinder Mahal on the outside make the match a little more surprising than what we usually see. Christian makes everyone wonder what he is talking about for Summerslam, which is exactly what we need to make this match different that the past four months. Maybe we have a surprise in store for this match, and Smackdown ends with intrigue.
Overall:
The matches were not the best, but storylines improved with the questions of Christian and Orton and Bryan and Barrett. I enjoyed the IC Title match, as I feel it is long overdue to have Rhodes hold a title. We missed a really good and complete wrestling match in the broadcast, which is what we usually get on Smackdown. Either way, it built storylines in a short time span. This show gets a C.
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