Randy Orton def. Heath Slater
What I Liked:
I would not have booked Orton's return like this, but I actually liked it. Slater gets a nice rub, and actually got advantage of Orton early. He punched and kicked Orton in the corner, grounding his opponent. Orton came back and hit his usual moves, including an awesome RKO to finish off the One Man Band. Orton looks different, with the mohawk. I feel like he looks more like his character now, the Viper. This is a good look for him, and could help him evolve even more. When a superstar returns, there has to be a tweak somewhere in his look or in ring ability. Orton needed a change of look and he got it.
What I Disliked:
Is it too soon for Orton to hop back into the World Heavyweight Championship picture? Much like Batista's return after an injury, Orton can immediately jump into the title picture because of the lack of main event talent on Smackdown. I do not think this is a great idea, because Orton needs to get a meaningful feud to build steam back up. I feel like WWE should make him earn his way back up and not easily give in to what he has done in the past. This would be a good way, in backstage terms, to make an example out of someone. He can put someone over better than easily winning the WHC once again.
Grade: B
–Daniel Bryan does a great backstage segment with a shrink. He is intelligent and plays off the mental character in a unique way.
Chris Jericho and Christian def. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler
What I Liked:
This was the second lengthy match of the night. What better way to give a good push to guys like Miz and Ziggler than with a long and excellent in ring contest with two long time beterans. Chris Jericho is now a face, plain and simple. This is the right call because Ziggler is not ready to be a face in the WWE. He needs to stay in the character that brought him up through the ranks. He has been paced appropriately and this was a match that furthered his feud with Chris Jericho. Let's break down the actual match, where The Miz was more of a technical wrestler. He attacked Christian on the mat with a simple headlock, which slowed the pace down after a quick beginning. I absolutely loved when Jericho hit a dropkick onto Ziggler, sending him to the outside. It was another great bump in the career of Ziggler, one that did not look as forced. I also enjoyed the new moves from Christian, including a seated Powerbomb. He rarely, if ever, has used this. Christian and Ziggler worked great together, and I thought it was really smart not to give us too much action between Dolph/Jericho and Miz/Christian. You want to keep these feuds fresh, especially for Summerslam. I expect these two matches to take place. To make things more interesting, why not have Christian vs. Miz in a ladder match? Give that some extra flavor. Well done on all aspects of this match.
Grade: A-
–Daniel Bryan is backstage again and talks about Charlie Sheen. He says that he is winning and not Sheen.
Tyson Kidd def. Tensai By Reverse Decision
What I Liked:
Tyson Kidd's flying neckbreaker off the ropes is fantastic and extremely difficult to execute. Does anybody care about this feud?
What I Disliked:
What is the point of this match? Instead, give me something meaningful with Cody Rhodes or Zack Ryder. Hell, why not Drew McIntyre or someone with talent. Kidd has a ton of talent, but Tensai is absolutely brutal. Nobody cares about him at all, and he simply is not getting over in any means. The only saving grace is if Tensai helps put over a guy like Ryback.
Grade: C
