Smackdown Reax - 6/14/13

Read on for my thoughts on last night's Smackdown.
Very nice opening segment. We didn't need any kind of authority figure to set things in motion. Everyone involved there is doing good things right now. Payback should be pretty good.

Ahh, Sandow. His voice is music to my ears. If guys like Riley, DiBiase, Hawkins, etc. had his gift for gab and such a good character, I don't think they'd be as stuck as they are right now. Ultimately, WWE Creative needs reasons for wrestlers to wrestle each other. Characters need to have something interesting about them to play off of.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro was AWESOME. I hope those in power backstage were taking notice. All Cesaro needs is a good story and he's set. It's a shame that the Tag Team, IC, and US Titles are all being held by heels right now. I still like the idea of Cesaro turning the US Title into the European Title, and they could always bring up his old ROH partner Kassius Ohno to either team with or face off of.

Fine post-match to set up Sunday's match.

I'm really not crazy about all the product integration into shows these days (the reality show genre thrives on it). Other than that, it's always good to see Dolph and his entourage. They need a team name...

I was all set to complain about this match being a total waste of space and just there to please the Indian fans, but then Slater got the upset. Slater's not one of my favorites, but I'll take just about anyone being pushed ahead of Khali. Anyway, the standard excuse applies: this was just something to slow things down a bit after a solid wrestling match.

Not a bad tag match at all with Jericho, Del Rio, Ziggler, and Big E. Jericho never lost "it", Del Rio and Ziggler are still at the top of their games, and Big E's coming along pretty well. I don't think he's the "complete package" to be a big star yet, but he's only 27 and he's been on the main roster for less than a year. So I'd consider him still potentially pretty early in his career.

Jericho + Heyman = magic. Two  future WWE Hall of Famers if there's any justice in the world.

Here's a perfect example of my philosophy that stories are more important than "good matches", especially on TV. I would NOT want to be on Kaitlyn's bad side. Shades of AJ with her attack. That was pretty cool, and honestly that segment meant more than a 5-minute "good match" would have.

Interesting stuff between the three men in the IC Title picture.

That was a pretty good main event from a wrestling standpoint. I like that the babyfaces won to set up Sunday. WWE really has a chance to make Bryan into a superstar if they keep his momentum going.

More wrestling coming up.