Sheamus defeats Cody Rhodes
What I Liked:
Sheamus and Cody work excellent together for a few reasons. You can tell the sense of timing and creativity from both guys in the match. Something as small as a knee to the temple of Sheamus' head looked fierce. Rhodes focused directly on Sheamus' shoulder, when he was thrusted into the post. I loved the chemistry these guys possess in the ring, and really saw the aggressive nature of Rhodes in the match. Sheamus was grounded for a solid part of the match, and Rhodes had a real close fall after hitting a picture perfect Beautiful Disaster. Sheamus finally builds some steam and hits a big knee and body slam. The best part of the match is when Rhodes flew in the air and missed on a Moonsault. This looked absolutely incredible, and the crowd felt the miss with Rhodes. He connected with the crowd, and Sheamus finished him off with a White Noise, followed by a Brogue Kick that crushed Rhodes. This match was great from beginning to end because of the combination of both guys being able to showcase athleticism and strength. In a completely different way, both guys are at a point where they can thrive in any match with any size competitor. This was great to watch. After the match, Jericho threw Ziggler back in the ring, and Ziggler gets a Codebreaker from Jericho. This builds two feuds, two of the better feuds, at one time. Well done to intertwine all four guys at once.
What I Disliked:
Dolph Ziggler was at ringside and teased a cash in. I do not like seeing him every single week teasing it. It will get old quick and will waste the element of surprise. Other than that, this was a flawless segment.
Grade: A
Antonio Cesaro defeats Santino Marella
What I Liked:
Cesaro has a great international flavor to himself. He has a great look, and his moves are different than most. He is a brawler and not a technical guy. The gutwrench suplex looked great on Santino, and Cesaro was able to hit European Uppercuts. He does well with having logical moves tailored to his "so called character." Cesaro getting the win shocked me, but it was a good thing. He is a young guy who needs something to get some steam and be able to connect with the crowd.
What I Disliked:
This match was random and completely out of the blue. The victory tells you something about Cesaro. They have bigger plans for him in the near future. The problem I have is he has done NOTHING since debuting. Santino can beat guys easily like The Miz a few months ago, Swagger, but loses to Antonio Cesaro. I really do not get this because I feel like Cesaro has not done anything to get this opportunity. He is solid, but this is not the right time to beat a current champion holder. Do we get more Cesaro in the future, or will he be delegated to WWE Superstars? It seems like the latter is more likely to happen. Either way, at least it is something new. I guess? I just do not feel the connection or character development from him yet.
Grade: C
