– John Laurinaitis comes out after Mick Foley says he is here to run the show. Laurinaitis comes out and tries to say farewell, but the fans do not let him. He gets upset and says he booked Cena vs. Big Show, Otunga, and himself for tonight.
C.M. Punk and Sheamus def. Kane and Daniel Bryan
What I Liked:
After the opening of Foley and Laurinaitis, this tag team match carried us past the first half hour. I felt the match was really good from beginning to end. Punk and Bryan were able to pick up the pace after a slow beginning. There was great reversals and counters from both men, which led to Punk able to hit a neckbreaker. I loved seeing Punk with a scoop slam, something that we have rarely seen from him. Punk continues to add small pieces each week to his offense, which keeps him fresh and one of the best. AJ comes out dressed as Kane, which I thought was brilliant. You need to keep her inserted with all three guys, and she is doing exactly to Kane what she did to Bryan. Kane is distracted and continues to lose. Where is the end game here? Does she ultimately align herself with Kane, or does she get in danger where Bryan or Punk save her? Either way, she plays her role perfectly right now.
What I Disliked:
Dolph Ziggler is out of the World Heavyweight Championship picture? I wonder why and it seems true because he should have been in this match. I was waiting for him since Sheamus was in the match, but take Sheamus out and add someone else. I would love to see Ziggler and Sheamus continue, but I doubt it will happen for Money in the Bank. Expect Del Rio to get back into the mix.
Grade: B+
Dolph Ziggler def. Jack Swagger
What I Liked:
Before the match, both men argued about who Vickie should be with. This sets up a match between the two, to win over Vickie. About time, as Swagger and Ziggler's team have run dry. The match itself was good, but not great. The match was slow and more of a slugfest, when it should have focused on fast paced and athleticism. Both guys are great in the ring, but they did not get enough time. Swagger controlled most of the match. until Ziggler was able to counter Swagger and out of nowhere hit the Zig Zag for the win. I want to talk more about where they are both going to go. Ziggler is getting heavily cheered, and turning him face is not the right answer. People are cheering him now, so keep him how he is. He will continue to get better, even if he has Vickie or not. Look for him to get rid of Vickie in a few weeks, as the end of the match showed a lot in his facial and body expressions. Swagger is in danger of becoming a Superstars guy. He lacks the connection with the fans, the charisma, and needs to find something more with his character.
What I Disliked:
This has been brewing for weeks, months, and this is the payoff? I wonder why they were not given a few weeks to build it consistently and really spotlight the level of importance. Either way, this is the official split of the two which comes at the perfect time. We head into the summer months, and Ziggler will pick up the pace into the main event spot. I like Swagger, but you know that he is going to fall very fast. He is a great in ring competitor and deserves more, but you cannot justify that he is complete all around because he is not.
Grade: B
