Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's Superstars and Smackdown.
Superstars:
Nothing wrong with that tag match to start off the show.
Langston vs. Ryder was fine as another showcase of Big E's abilities. The match didn't really do anything to advance either man's character, but it was a good match for the sake of a good match.
Smackdown:
BAH GAWD KANG. THEY JUST POWERBOMBED THE BIG SHOW STRAIGHT TO HELL. JRisms aside, that was a really good opening segment. This is the most I've cared about Big Show's character since he got the ironclad contract, and the most I've cared about him as a face in a really long time. He did look pretty strong fighting off three men for a while, but I'm willing to let that slide for now because the angle's so good. If he were to beat them in a match that was 3-on-1, I'd probably take a big issue with it. For now, it was just something of a hope spot.
Not a bad Divas' match to keep the angle going along. I'm not really a fan of "Total Divas", but I see why they push it.
Interesting post-match. Is this their way of having the Total Divas crew get one over on AJ without taking the Title from her?
WHAT THE %&#$ DID I JUST WATCH? There had to have been a million better uses for that time slot than that dance segment. There's a PPV to sell for Sunday for crying out loud! Miz obviously had a lot of fun in his role, but the whole thing felt silly (and not in a good way).
I'm glad that Los Matadores are getting this much hype. One thing that WWE's doing a lot better on lately is showcasing talents before they debut.
If anyone needs something to "do" in WWE, it's Ryback. This man at one point was being positioned to be a really big deal in WWE. Now he's your standard bully. Props to Evans for his performance at any rate. He was definitely comfortable in front of the camera. I wouldn't mind them doing more with his character since he's got a solid background.
That's one way to get heat on Vickie, though shouldn't the goal be to get heat on Del Rio? They could have replaced that awful dance segment with Del Rio meeting with Vickie to set this up.
Sandow should be a motivational speaker.
Santino just beat Damien Sandow!? That's a definite lolWWE moment. I like Santino and think that he's underrated as an in-ring performer, but they're seriously devaluing Sandow here. I don't know if this is some kind of crazy test to see if Sandow can get over despite losing or what, but it seems like they're cutting off their nose to spite their face by not getting behind him.
That was a really cool segment with Heyman et al.. Heyman's perfectly slimy.
At least Del Rio can beat an infrequent wrestler cleanly.
And RVD stands tall once again. I really hope this is leading to a big win for Del Rio. I'm under the impression that RVD doesn't have any intention of being a full-time guy. As such, I think it makes sense to build the wrestlers who are still young and will be on the road for most of the year.
Ziggler vs. Ambrose wasn't bad at all. I think they could have a barn burner at Night of Champions.
Fine post-match to keep things going. It looks like maybe the Usos will challenge for the Tag Titles on the PPV?
Pretty good little six-man. I feel like it could have used a veteran presence to make it flow better, but there was a lot of energy involved.
That opening to the Cutting Edge made me look forward to the upcoming HHH/Edge match. What's that? Edge isn't cleared to wrestle and may never compete again? Then why are they feuding? The rest of the segment was pretty good to set things for Sunday. It can definitely be argued that they telegraphed that Orton's winning with Bryan standing tall tonight. They do that to make things less one-sided.
More wrestling coming up.
NoC predictions:
ReplyDeleteUsos win battle royal due to them facing The Shield on Smackdown.
Ambrose vs. Ziggler I'm a little split on. I can see them doing something like Ziggler winning the match but not the Title or something.
The Shield will almost certainly retain the Tag Titles.
Possibly Brock saves Heyman from a beatdown to set up Punk/Brock II at Hell in a Cell.
Maybe AJ squeaks by with the Title? I can see one of the other Total Divas preventing Natalya from winning. Or Kaitlyn getting involved somehow since we haven't seen her in a while.
Del Rio retains somehow.
Orton almost certainly goes over Bryan. Show heel turn?
Regarding your Sandow critique against Santino, I agree 100 percent. I've stated this a few times already, so I won't go into heavy "rant" mode, but I do agree fully that he's being devalued and deserves much more. It's not like WWE will ever have Santino as World Champion, so they really should be thinking about the future and in a logical fashion here.
ReplyDeleteI logically see most of those predictions being possibilities at the pay-per-view. The way things have been booked lately, I see either PTP or The Usos winning the battle royal. You're right in that since The Usos faced The Shield in Smackdown, they may win, but then again, PTP have been on a role. I'm going to say PTP wins.
I agree with your stance on Ziggler/Ambrose. It's a tough one to call. I personally like Ambrose more and see more potential in him, but he has had that title for a good amount of time. I'll say no title change and Ziggler wins by DQ. It wouldn't surprise me if Ambrose won, though.
I'll say The Shield retain. I think whoever wins the battle royal will give them a run for their money, but I think eventually Show/Henry will be the logical choices to take the titles.
I agree with your Punk/Axel and Heyman prediction. That is my opinion on what will happen, but I somehow see Heyman getting pummeled in some fashion (due to this being entertainment and the fans want to see it).
I also see AJ winning. The other divas haven't really gotten enough individual hype for one of them to be booked strongly enough to take the title.
Del Rio will win. I know RVD has been booked to lose a couple of U.S. Title matches lately, so using that logic, I don't see him winning the W.H. Title. Del Rio seems to always lose non-title matches, but win the title matches, which I'm not a fan of.
I am certain Bryan will not win the title, but it's a possibility that Orton could get DQ'ed. I either see Bryan winning by DQ or Orton winning by pinfall in some "heel-like" fashion with HHH or maybe Show or Sandow interfering.
I wouldn't 100% rule out Santino becoming World Champion down the line (if only a brief reign). It would likely be in a more serious character or something, but they obviously like having him around. This should no means be seen as me saying it will happen or is likely to, but I rarely 100% rule out anything in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteI think they'll save Heyman getting beaten up for a little while longer. That seems like it would be the end of the angle (and surely we're getting Punk/Brock II?). They have another PPV in 3 weeks, so they need
With tonight being the mid-season finale of "Total Divas", a cast member winning the Title (maybe on Raw if not tonight) seems like a perfect promotional tool. Especially to tie in with Natalya's wedding.
I think RVD might be taking some time off soon. He didn't sign on for a full-time schedule.
Sandow interfering would be a bit of a surprise since HHH kind of shut him down not too long ago. But WWE is nothing if not inconsistent with who they push.