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SmackDown this week was taped in Houston, Texas and featured Alberto Del Rio‘s decision as to who he will face at SummerSlam. Apart from that, the other storylines didn’t receive much build up.
Sandow attacked Rhodes and Layla turned on Kaitlyn to join AJ. The rest of the show was pure filler which makes it obvious why SmackDown isn’t a really preferred show.
In this review, I will look at each segment, match and other events in the show, analyze and rate them.
Alberto Del Rio chooses his opponent for SummerSlam
Alberto Del Rio walked into the ring, and it seemed like I was missing Ricardo Rodriguez right then. Del Rio’s entrance has lost its flair due to Ricardo’s absence, and it is high time he returned. Anyway, Del Rio made his entrance and was teasing us as to who he will choose as an opponent for SummerSlam.
He joked around telling it will be Brock Lesnar or Booker T and finally chose Ricardo Rodriguez. Vickie Guerrero comes out and tells Del Rio he has lost his chance to choose an opponent because he didn’t make a good decision. She instead books a Triple Threat match between Randy Orton, Christian and RVD for the No. 1 Contender later on in the show.
The segment was pretty weak as Del Rio looked insignificant as ever. The segment however, managed to give us the main event of the night. A title change at SummerSlam does look a most likely option now for WWE.
Ratings: 2/5
Jack Swagger vs Cody Rhodes (Winner: Cody Rhodes)
With two great in-ring performers, WWE thought it wise to end the match in a jiffy. But Rhodes and Swagger looked great even in the short time that they got.
The spot where a Gut wrench Powerbomb was converted into a sunset flip was great, and it showed just how much Rhodes has evolved as a wrestler.
Not only that, Cody looked too good as a face and by the look of things he does have what it takes to be the next big face of the company. The way Cody knocked off the microphone from Colter was a typical face move which adds a lot of credibility to his character.
Sandow attacked Rhodes after the match which was quite obvious after what Cody did to him last week.
Rating: 2.5/5 - Could have been better had they been given a little more time.
Sin Cara vs Big E Langston (Winner: Big E Langston)
This was a typical squash match that made Big E look dominant. Sin Cara looked to get some offence in but Big E was just too much for him. The good thing about this match however was that there was a result.
Langston looks strong and impressive at the moment, but it will be interesting to see how he performs with a better worker and for a longer time.
In my opinion, Langston should have gotten Ryback‘s push looking at the way this guy can work inside the ring. Also AJ was absent at ringside which is a good sign as Big E has finally stepped out without her.
The letdown of this match was the absence of Ziggler. Ziggler was seen nowhere which made this match pointless to an extent.
Rating: 2/5
CM Punk vs Fandango (Winner: CM Punk)
The surprising part of this match was that Fandango managed to stay inside the ring and didn’t bail out. Quite often than not we find Fandango being counted out and thankfully this wasn’t one of them. Punk extracted the best out of Fandango in this match, who though not as good as Punk, did manage to give us a really good match.
Punk tweeted about this match regarding Fandango’s wrestling skills and it was exactly what we got to see. A lot of credit must go to Punk as he waited just about enough to help Fandango nail his moves.
The match had several good offences from both wrestlers and also a lot of glamour from Summer Rae outside the ring. I have to tell you, Summer is a huge distraction to anyone in the arena wanting to concentrate on wrestling.
Anyway, the superplex to Anaconda Vice counter at the end was extremely well done. Fandango tapped out to the submission move almost immediately, making Punk look stronger.
Rating: 4/5
AJ Lee vs Kaitlyn (WWE Divas Championship; Winner: AJ Lee)
How often have we seen this match? Both these wrestlers have faced each other almost every week since Kaitlyn lost her title.
Still, this match was a good one nevertheless as it was quite physical. AJ looked strong with her submission moves as she kept Kaitlyn on the ground most of the time. This is completely logical given Kaitlyn’s size advantage over the Champion.
The talk of the match however, was Layla’s heel turn which was given away in a backstage segment before the match. Layla turned on Kaitlyn and AJ utilized the moment of distraction to apply the Black Widow to make Kaitlyn tap out.
AJ looks extremely convincing as a wrestler with her submission moves and it is a surprise as to how much she has evolved over the months of spotlight that she has received.
Big E Langston was barred from being ringside with AJ as Big E is a lot intimidating to the opponent. This brings in a question if Big E and AJ will go their separate ways just because they have been asked to stay away from each other’s matches. It would be a shame if the two had to separate like this. After the match Layla and AJ Lee skip away together.
Rating: 3/5
No. 1 Contender Triple Threat Match: RVD vs Randy Orton vs Christian (Winner: Christian)
This match lived up to the expectations of being the main event of the show. All three wrestlers being veterans understood the importance of maintaining the pace of the match.
The three had excellent understanding and allowed each other to lay their signature moves with perfection. RVD looked the best of the three as he gave us unbelievable spots. Christian looked in prime form and it never tires me to see him wrestling. Let’s hope he gets hold of a mic next week as that would be pure gold.
The best moment of the match was the Rolling Thunder countered to PowerSlam. The spot looked almost perfect, though one might feel it wasn’t the fastest of Rolling Thunders from RVD. RVD then sold an RKO like no one ever did, which brings back memories where Orton almost killed RVD with one of his RKOs.
Christian in the end managed to counter an RKO to a backslide to pin Orton and become the No.1 Contender for the match. Randy Orton and RVD then shook hands with Christian. Del Rio then attacked Christian from the back and stood tall as the show went off air.
You can watch the final moments of the match here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lPCWChgcks
Rating: 4.5/5
That brings us to the end of the review. I would rate the show an average 2.5/5 as it lacked action that SmackDown is well known for.
But frankly, SmackDown looked a much refreshing show after a 3-hour RAW earlier this week that wasn’t anywhere close to being likeable.
