WWE Main Event Analysis 02/27/13 By Jee-S
Cody Rhodes and Kaitlyn are talking (flirting) backstage until Sheamus comes and pokes fun at Rhodes’ mustache. Cody challenges Sheamus to a match and it’s on.
Thoughts: I think we will be treated to a very good match between these two. I find that beginning of the relationship between Cody Rhodes and Kaitlyn fairly interesting. Could that mean a face turn for Rhodes, especially seeing as he issued the challenge himself? If so, I’m all for it considering the possible good rivalries he could have coming his way.
Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes via Brogue Kick.
Thoughts: This match was great. Both these superstars had an awesome chemistry in the ring and I wasn’t bored at any point of the bout. If Cody Rhodes was booked to look that good in a losing effort every week, I wouldn’t complain. I’m disappointed to see Cody lose that often in short matches on RAW; that match just proved that he can hang with the biggest stars inside the squared circle. Hopefully this, despite a loss, is the beginning of great things for him in the WWE. I’ve always liked Sheamus in the ring and he delivered once again. Very happy with this match.
Mark Henry beat Justin Gabriel with the World’s Strongest Slam.
Thoughts: I don’t like watching a match where the winner is obvious. Everyone knew Justin Gabriel wasn’t going to pull it off against Henry and that, as entertaining as the two wrestlers are, is not fun to watch. Despite that, Justin Gabriel sold the squash very well, as usual. I know I’ve said this in the past but I would really like seeing Gabriel on the midcard scene, he brings great athleticism and entertainment everytime he gets to do his thing. I’ve always found Henry particularly good for a super heavyweight and he displayed his power fairly well. Bad booking, yes, but at least the wrestlers were good ones.
Kaitlyn tells a pissed Cody Rhodes that “The lovestache never gives up”
Thoughts: See previous thoughts at the top.
Recap of RAW: Vince McMahon/Paul Heyman/Brock Lesnar/Triple H segment and the Cena-Punk match.
Thoughts: I don’t know about you guys, but wasn’t that one, if not the best episode of RAW we had seen in ages? The segment with Triple H and Lesnar was such a strong opening for a show, it got me captivated right away. Their rematch at WrestleMania has been rumored for months now and the McMahon/Heyman storyline made it even more predictable, but who knew it would start off with that much intensity? Certainly not me! I definitely marked out when I saw Brock Lesnar bleed and I apologize for those who don’t like blood but it made it so much more violent and personal! As for the CM Punk vs. John Cena match, it was definitely a classic; the best main event RAW has seen for quite some time. These two gave their all and it was one for the ages; the moves they pulled off as much as the story they told. Great match, great RAW, hopefully it’s the first of many more to come.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad show, considering one match was good and the other one was a squash. The recap I had obviously already seen so for me it wasn’t really part of the show. I’ll be back next week; thanks for reading!
WWE Smackdown Analysis 03/01/13 By Joe Thunder
We open Smackdown being told that Randy Orton will take on the Big Show tonight.
Ricardo Rodriguez is at the top of the stage and he introduces us to the World Heavyweight Champion, Alberto Del Rio! His opponent Damien Sandow, cuts a promo before their match. Sandow taps out to the cross armbreaker just before the ten minute mark.
^When you’ve got a main event set like Show and Orton, kicking off the broadcast with your World Champion in a match with the talented Damien Sandow is an excellent choice. These guys gave us ten minutes of fantastic wrestling. With the matches that Sandow has had in the past year, hopefully WWE sees his talent and knows that he’s more than ready for the main event scene. Awesome start to the show!
Highlights from the John Cena/CM Punk match on Raw are shown. Watch this match if you haven’t seen it; it’s match of the year material.
Backstage segment with Kane and Daniel Bryan. Dbry gives Kane the blindfold and tells him he has to wear it tonight, per orders of Booker T. Dbry’s arm will be tied behind his back. Kane says fine and Dbry gets furious. Kane says he will beat the Prime Time Players to prove that he is better than Dbry, and with a blindfold he won’t have to look at Dbry’s ugly goatface. Dbry starts yelling no.
^Kane’s promo work here was some of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. These two are definitely funny together, but WWE needs to give us a little more effort overall with the tag team division if they want to keep the duo relevant.
The Miz faces Antonio Cesaro in a two out of three falls match for the United States Championship. Cesaro gives Miz the neutralizer to get the first fall. The Miz gets the second fall during the commercial break using the figure four leglock. Cesaro gets the final fall while holding the tights after multiple reversed rollup attempts.
^Anybody that says Miz and Cesaro don’t have good chemistry can suck it. This match here showed once again how good they are in the ring together. Both men are main event level talent, and both deserve applause for their performance in this match. I loved everything about it. My only question now is whether or not WWE finds a way for the feud to continue, or will we see someone else try to snap the title from Cesaro’s grasp? Also, props to WWE for putting the US Title on someone with the talent of Cesaro and making it feel important again.
Sheamus approaches Randy Orton backstage about the Shield attacking him tonight during his match with Big Show. Sheamus offers to watch Orton’s back, but says Orton wouldn’t be interested. Orton states that he never said he wasn’t interested and thanks Sheamus.
^I like these two getting along right now, but I still want to see Orton and Sheamus one on one at WrestleMania. Their chemistry together has always been above average, and putting them on the grand stage one on one could show what both men are really capable of together.
Another Fandango vignette is shown. Shoot me.
Jim Ross interviews Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Swagger tells JR he believes he’s a real American and that’s why they gave him this interview. JR asks Jack Swagger what happened to him during his five months off. Zeb Colter answers and says that he told Jack Swagger the problem with this country and what’s happening here today. Colter and Ross go back and forth. Colter says the injustice of Swagger going on such a losing streak is what allowed someone like Alberto Del Rio to sneak in and steal a spot that belongs to a real American. JR asks Swagger about facing Del Rio at WrestleMania, but Colter answers and says Swagger will leave WM as the World Heavyweight Champion. Colter compares Del Rio to a rotting bowl of fruit. Jim Ross gets angry and says that Swagger has been brainwashed by Colter. Colter says any brainwashing that was going on was done by JR. They banter some more. JR tells Colter he needs to express his right to remain silent. Colter suggests that JR keeps a civil tongue in his head if he doesn’t want to regret something later on. Swagger bullys JR and begins pushing him. Swagger backs JR into a corner and calls him nothing more than a sympathizer. Del Rio’s music hits and he comes to make the save. Del Rio and Swagger stare at each other and the crowd chants Del Rio. Del Rio says the duo is the problem and that he is the solution. He says Swagger is a real jackass, not a real American. They stare at each other until Swagger leaves.
^One word: incredible. I love the promo work from everyone involved, and I can see why WWE decided to keep Jack Swagger in the World Title picture through Mania. This rivalry practically booked itself with Swagger’s new gimmick. What better way to get more heat on Swagger than to have him bully everybody’s favorite announcer? This entire segment was great. I liked that Del Rio and Swagger didn’t brawl here; I want them to save as much action as possible for WrestleMania.
The Prime Time Players defeat Kane and Dbry after Kane distracts Dbry and allowed him to be rolled up by Titus O’Neil. Kane realizes after the match that the bag of his head had a goat face drawn on it. Dbry wants to hug it out, but Kane puts the bag over Dbry’s head and gives him a shot to the face before leaving.
^Short match, but pretty entertaining segment. Kane and Dbry need to go one on one at WrestleMania, and the Prime Time Players need to get the belts and kickstart another rebuild of the tag team division.
Big Show is interviewed by Matt Striker. Show says this is the time to make an impact, and what better way to do that than to take out Randy Orton?
^I don’t know how Big Show will be used for WrestleMania, but WWE is clearly keeping him important for some reason. Perhaps a one on one feud yet to be finalized?
Matt Striker interviews Fandango. Striker can’t say his name properly according to Fandango, and thus he refuses to compete until Striker gets it right.
^And this is why myself and several others have been bitching about this gimmick. It’s not entertaining, and it’s not going to be interesting.
Big Show and Randy Orton go one on one. The Shield’s music hits during the match. They are about to jump in the ring when Sheamus’ music hits and he joins Orton and Show in the ring. They jump in the ring and attack Sheamus and Orton, but Big Show knocks out Roman Reigns with the KO punch. Rollins and Ambrose look at Show and then retreat. Show chokeslams Orton and Sheamus brogue kicks Show out of the ring. Sheamus and Orton shake hands to end the show.
^Just when you thought we might see another turn for Big Show, he shows his true colors. Big Show and the Shield against four others in an elimination match? Just one idea. We didn’t really get much of a main event, but we get clued in on the fact that the Shield will definitely be heavily involved in the upper midcard/main event scene until they either dissolve or wrestle more singles matches. Good for them. Not the best match to end the show, but definitely an entertaining segment that leaves you wondering what’s next.
Overall, Smackdown was filled with a fair amount of wrestling and a reasonable amount of promo time to progress storylines. Not a bad night, eh? I’ll be back with the Raw Analysis on Monday. Don’t forget to add me on facebook if you’d like to join in on the first of three WrestleMania trivia challenges in the month of March. It’s pretty competitive, but more than that it’s just good fun. Also, a big thanks to Jee-S for covering Main Event for me. I watch the show, but it’s usually not until the weekend with how busy my schedule gets. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!
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