The Undercard
Alberto Del Rio defeated Sheamus in a really physical and solid bout. I really liked the easy way WWE utilized Sheamus' injury. The mark on his leg was the big angle throughout the match. You can see him will himself to overcome it, but it ended up being his downfall. Del Rio was clever enough to target the bruise on the leg. As both men hit their respected moves, Sheamus collapsed and Del Rio locked up the leg for a pin fall. It was very simplistic and logical, clever and realistic. It makes the match seem less planned and more spontaneous. Well done for WWE. The champion needs big wins, no matter how they come. Both of these guys are work horses who are so good in the ring in completely different ways.
Grade: B+
Christian defeated Titus O'Neil in an 8 minute filler match. I am not sure what they have planned for Christian. It looks like he will NOT be feuding with Dean Ambrose, unless they quickly make a change. O'Neil is a great talent, as JBL said numerous times, but just needs time and more believable exposure. His whistle in the middle of the match is something so little that makes him stand out in my mind. The guy has gotten better every week we see him.
Grade: C-
Dolph Ziggler defeated Darren Young. Why was this match controlled by Young? Isn't Ziggler a guy who held the world title less than two months ago? I am really baffled that Ziggler basically hit ZigZag for the finish, after getting beaten down for 5 minutes. After the match, Langston came down and Ziggler fought him off. He would trick Big E and then head to the back. It makes his character remain somewhat of a coward, but in a clever way the crowd can cheer. He lacks the size compared to Langston, so there is no need for him to slug it out.
Grade: C-
Cody Rhodes defeated Fandango as Damien Sandow was on commentary. Cody and Fandango is an interesting pairing to watch because both guys can't really afford to lose. Fandango is a gimmick who is still getting over, but when will we take him seriously in the ring? Cody is slowly turning into a face and not many people realize that yet. Nonetheless, I thought Rhodes looked great tonight. I love how he is able to be an aggressive striker but then immediately head to the top and hit a somersault. He hit the arm of Fandango, but Sandow tried to interfere. Rhodes hit a Beautiful Disaster on Sandow and Fandango and picked up the win.
Grade: C+
Rob Van Dam defeated Wade Barrett in another relatively quick match. RVD coming back to WWE has been better than I thought. I will be the first to say that RVD is not a favorite of mine, but the action inside of the ring has been wonderful. Barrett actually got some offense in, connecting with aggressive knees and punches to the stomach of Van Dam. RVD is hitting his usual moves, but he is adding more upper body attacks. He finishes him off with a 5 Star Frog Splash. RVD is in line for something important at Summerslam. I would assume that he will be in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Del Rio. They are slated to fight on Smackdown, but the ending will tell you so much about their future plans. If not, who does RVD fight?
Grade: B-
