Read on for my thoughts on last night's Superstars and Smackdown.
Superstars:
McGillicutty vs. Kingston wasn't bad at all. Hopefully both men have futures on TV.
Poor JTG. I like Ryder and all but I'd be pretty frustrated if I lost as often and decisively as JTG.
Smackdown:
I liked the opening segment, mainly because it got over the top players on the show and reminded us that despite how badly he's been booked against Cena, Ziggler is still in-line for a World Title shot.
Cesaro vs. Kingston was pretty good. I was kind of hoping that Kingston would be moving up the card after his feud with Barrett, but maybe not. Follow-up will be important. Hopefully he won't end up right back where he was pre-IC Title.
Kind of silly with Miz, Primo, and Epico but hopefully it's setting up a big win for Miz.
Khali vs. Tensai was not what I wanted to see tonight. There are some pretty talented people who aren't getting TV time because of matches like this.
Another kind of weird segment with Hell No and Orton, but it made sense with their characters.
Not a fan of a win by Orton. They had an opportunity to build Sandow, Rhodes, and Barrett there. If a face had to get the win, I would have given the nod to Bryan since Kane and Orton are already pretty credible.
Silly post-match.
I liked Miz vs. Primo ok. If there was any match that should have been something of a squash, this was it. Miz has been WWE Champion at WrestleMania. He shouldn't have a problem with Primo.
Nice Divas segment. It showed that the title and division still have meaning despite all the disappearances this year.
Kaitlyn vs. Aksana wasn't bad. I've just seen better from Kaitlyn.
Cool Shield promo as always.
Good tension between Sheamus and Orton.
Not a fan of the ending of the main event. With the next PPV so close, I'd be getting heat on the #1 Contender to the title. They didn't exactly paint Show or Ziggler as serious threats there.
More wrestling coming up.
I agree the main event here was a bit odd to see. Big Show being a giant who is built to squash people not only gets booted out of the ring in the opening segment, but also gets drenched with water and walks away!? I don't understand it, especially right before the Rumble where he has to be one of the favorites with his size.
ReplyDeleteBig Show is fairly inconsistent with his character and I can understand your frustration with him. Part of it can be Creative's fault, but he's had decent promos, then horrible ones. He's shown aggression, yet walks away after getting humiliated by Del Rio. He shows some "fire" at times, yet tries to be humorous. I understand your frustration with him.
I also feel bad for JTG a bit. He has potential, but hasn't had a chance to show it since Cryme Tyme. I think if he wasn't still a younger guy, he may have taken his talents elsewhere by now. But...keep in mind JTG was booked to defeat Otunga about a month ago, so it says a lot about Otunga's position right now.
I won't harp too much on Otunga or PTP right now, but it is a bit upsetting that The Usos continue to own PTP at the moment. On top of a recent live event, they've actually reached a trifecta vs PTP in that they've won against them on Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, Main Event, and SMS all in the past month. You're right in that WWE has A.D.D. and "flavors of the month" with tag teams, but it's just odd to me how a team who gets little airtime all last year has been booked to DOMINATE a team who has gotten a lot of airtime all last year.
By the way, I just got done checking out Zack Ryder's music video. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I'm not sure if you've seen it, but what are your thoughts on this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUkG7R9F8HY&feature=youtu.be
I'm guessing they wanted Del Rio to get the better of Show again. It was definitely odd. Sometimes Show is unstoppable and sometimes he's whiny and retreating.
ReplyDeleteIt's not really Show's character I have an issue with. It's that it feels like he's done about the exact same thing since 1999. Chris Jericho, Kane, and The Undertaker have updated their characters over the years to do something fresh, and have mostly stayed on top of their games in the ring. Show can get by on being big and a multiple-time Champion and PPV headliner. With so many guys busting their asses to break through that glass ceiling, it's kind of disappointing to see that he can afford to get away with such a slow pace. Sometimes watching a Big Show match can be a chore.
I think JTG works hard and wants to have a better spot on the card. I just think that someone pretty much has to be in his position. Some guys are going to fall through the cracks. I loved Cryme Tyme and have no problems with JTG's work, but in 2013 I don't see a solid reason to push him.
I think they were just throwing JTG a bone in Brooklyn, like they did the Brawler that same night and later Tommy Dreamer in Philly. Kind of a pat on the back and letting him know that his work is appreciated. As for leaving WWE, I don't think he'd get the kind of money he gets now in TNA or in the indies. He's been pretty much branded a jobber for life.
I still don't see Otunga's position changing any time soon unless he catches lightning in a bottle. There are so many people who have more in the way of experience and impressive ring work on the roster and possibly coming up. Obviously being a good talker and entertainer is important, but his in-ring skills have a ways to go before they're justified in moving him up the card.
As for The Usos winning a lot, they could just be throwing the crowd a bone with a good match that the babyfaces win. If they weren't competing with The Shield and Team Rhodes Scholars, I could see PTP going for the tag team titles. I definitely don't think WWE has anything against them.
I liked the video ok. I respect that Ryder puts so much into his character and really wants to move up the card. I'm shocked that more people haven't tried to do things like he's done. It makes me wonder if Management is ticked off about that kind of idea since they like being the cause of people getting over.