The Undercard
Mark Henry defeated Zack Ryder in another squash match. The build for Henry vs. Ryback seem simple, but there still needs to be more happening than each guy trying to squash opponents with ease. Nobody really gets impressed with Henry and Ryback completely dominating jobbers. Henry taunts Ryback until he comes out and he does. Ryback ends up clotheslining Henry to the outside. Ryback stands tall. This is what I like to see. Both men will not completely attacks and brawl with one another but you need to have slow pieces to build them up separately. The match was predictable but Ryback coming out and hitting a simple clothesline was not.
Grade: C+
Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston in an entertaining match that we have seen numerous times. We know what we are going to get when these two guys pair off. Ziggler was in control from the very beginning. He grounded Kingston so he could not use his speed. Kingston fought back with a few clotheslines and flying elbows, but Ziggler throws him into the corner and hits a Zig Zag for the victory. Big E Langston came into the ring and took out Kingston after the match. I have wanted to see Big E wrestle for a while, but the decision to hold him off until Wrestlemania is gold. He may not be a huge story when we get to Wrestlemania, but he is a huge wrestler that has the ability to make an impact in his first match on the grand stage. I really am excited for the tag team match. Let Ziggler square off with Bryan and Kane in the coming weeks, but also build a side story with AJ and Big E. We need more personalities from those two.
Grade: B-
Brodus Clay and Tensai vs. Rhodes Scholars ends in No Contest. Naomi, Cameron, and The Bellas begin to fight until the men separate them. It looks like an 8 person tag team match could potentially take place on the Wrestlemania Pre-Show. I really do not understand the reasoning of bringing back the twins unless you have a really good story for them. Do they try and get Cody and Damien over more? Do they try to revive the Divas Division? What is their purpose?
The Miz defeated Antonio Cesaro in a quick match that showcased the strengths of The Miz. I understand many people do not love Miz's character right now, but he is going through a transitional phase. He was not getting over as much in the latter part of his heel persona, so there needed to be a change. I do think they dropped the ball with him early on. If you want Ric Flair to get him over, keep Flair in the picture. He came and went and then popped back. It did not make sense to me. I appreciate the usage of the Figure 4 from Miz, giving himself another move to work with. He is very solid in the ring and it shows. This just sucks for Cesaro, a guy who is better than 90 percent of the locker room.
Grade: C
