The Undercard
Alberto Del Rio retains his World Heavyweight Championship over Rob Van Dam. Well, Del Rio tapped into an aggressive and intense side. This is not something that we see much out of him. I really thought this would be a prime moment for Damien Sandow to cash in. We know RVD will be written off television because of his contract. Now, what we got was a physical hardcore match that featured chairs and trash cans primarily. I really think that Del Rio needs to improve his gimmick, but this was a step in the positive direction for him. Rob Van Dam comes back and puts on great matches. If he goes away for a few months, where is the payoff? As much as I have enjoyed his return, he is NOT Chris Jericho. Sandow needed to make this Pay-Per-View have some sort of meaning. They really missed out on a golden opportunity.
Grade: B-
Real Americans defeated Santino Marella and The Great Khali. Wow, who thought this would be a good idea to put as a filler match? Give me Fandango or ANYBODY ELSE. Antonio Cesaro needs to be taken seriously. The man has incredible strength and is a professional inside and outside of the ring. I want to see more Real Americans and I think it would be a smart idea to possibly put them in a main storyline in the future. They are being wasted right now and it really is a damn shame.
Grade: D
Curtis Axel defeated R-Truth to retain his Intercontinental Championship. Curtis Axel is a natural in the ring. While many think he could be boring, I feel like it is just because his character is still evolving in front of our eyes. Yes, he has Paul Heyman but there will come a time where Axel will need to get over vocally by himself. The match was quick and methodical for Axel. Truth hit a few of his unique moves until Axel snaps his head and hits a hangman facebuster for the victory. I wish it was a bit longer of a match. When you have a young guy who has yet to really get over, WWE officials should let him go about 15 minutes so the fans know what this guy is capable of doing. He and Truth could have really told a simple, yet effective story in the ring. Instead, it was very average and had no real build.
Grade: C
AJ Lee defeated Brie Bella to retain her Divas Championship. I took a few positives out of this very mediocre match. First, Tamina being paired with AJ Lee makes sense. I do not like it but her stature will try and protect Lee until she really wants to become Divas Championship. I think this is very obvious to see coming. Second, AJ Lee continues her impressive moves in the ring. Brie Bella will get some credit for being able to keep up and making a few of her defensive moves look good. I saw Lee do all the little things right. She played to the crowd, taunted her opponent, and really executed her moves fluently. Tamina attacks Nikki, which distracts Brie and AJ rolls her up. Expect to see a rematch between the two with this distraction-based ending.
Grade: C-
