Ryback def. Aaron Relic and Jay Hatton:
What I Liked:
Interesting to see Ryback on here. He did the same stuff as every week, but I did like how they put him between the two title matches and made him feel a little more important tonight. Good to have him to the overall audience who may not always watch Smackdown.
Grade: D
C.M. Punk def. Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight to Retain the WWE Championship:
What I Liked:
We all know what Jericho and Punk can do technically. This was a chance for them to shine in an all out fight that has gotten personal over the past month. Both guys wore jeans, which was a nice touch. They wasted no time in getting the weapons, including a Kendo stick for punk to tee off on Jericho. There was a great moment in terms of mentality when Punk's sister was at ringside and Jericho would beat down Punk in front of her. That is a great way to get into the head of an opponent and get the crowd to really draw heat to you. Nothing is more personal than a guy's mom or sister. I enjoyed seeing Jericho continue to get the upper hand on Punk through a good part of this match. Punk had a smooth and great transition into the neckbreaker, which was followed by a knee to the face and a bulldog. He does a great job being able to go from one extreme to the other without flaw or a stutter. I really thought Jericho had it won when he hit the Codebreaker onto Punk with a chair drilled in his face. That would have been the perfect timing for an end, but they continued the fight. Near pinfalls were the name of the game here, with back and forth offensive counters and great sense of direction for each guy. They always knew where the other was to execute their moves. Jericho should have won this match for so many reasons, but Punk ending it with a GTS was a good finish for his home crowd in Chicago.
What I Disliked:
I may have wanted Jericho to win for a handful of reasons, including the fact that his return needed a bold victory, but I will not complain about a great fight we saw between these two guys. It did everything they needed to do to get over with the crowd and the home audience.
Grade: A-
Layla def. Nikki Bella to win the WWE Divas Championship:
What I Liked:
We heard reports that creative was high on Layla's return, and this shows it. Her finisher is absolutely fantastic to view. It is very solid and aggressive for a Diva to use. Well done. The match itself was just alright. Everyone wanted Kharma, but they did not get her.
Grade: C (Nice surprise here)
