chris jericho

Opening Segment

What I Liked:

Smackdown starts off with Vince announcing Booker T as the General Manager of Smackdown. I think this is a brilliant idea for a few reasons. Booker is more comfortable on the microphone in the ring, with pre planned ideas. On commentary, he was brutal. I like the fact that a former wrestler is the GM, and he can be utilized in either the face or heel because he has done both effectively. Furthermore, Del Rio comes in and immediately gets in the face of Booker. Out of all the heels, Del Rio needs to be the guy that feuds in some senses with the authority figure. I liked this and felt that Booker T is able to get the best out of Alberto. Well done first segment.

What I Disliked:

Booker is going to be fair from both ends. I think this is inevitably going to change. I do not want too much Booker each week, but there has to be a balance of him throughout the show.

Grade: B+

Sheamus def. Tensai

What I Liked:

To start off Smackdown, Sheamus and Tensai put on a solid match with plenty of physicality. Tensai throws Sheamus into the steps, using more of a tough and brawling aspect to his offense. He shied away from his technicality, which never worked for me. Tensai needs to use his size more than his skill of grappling. Sheamus works well with anyone, and this is another example. I love when Sheamus chopped down Tensai, with strong forearms over his chest. The fans were able to get behind him quickly. The finish came when Sheamus knocked Tensai out with a Brogue Kick. Out of nowhere, Sheamus picks up the win after a solid outing.

What I Disliked:

Is Tensai really going to be put into this situation? There are other men that should have faced Sheamus, not a guy who has no meaning or feud. Tensai continues to be used to get guys over, but he is not over. This does not calculate for me, especially since Tensai flips from losing to Tyson Kidd. Do we ever believe he would beat Sheamus?

Grade: B-

Antonio Cesaro def Santino Marella

What I Liked:

After an upset last week, Cesaro gains more steam by beating the United States Championship once again. Cesaro is very different in terms of wrestling, with a nicxe European style. His look is unique, his moves are not duplicated, and he seems like a guy that can build on what he is starting with. Cesaro and Santino put on a decent match, but you knew what you were going to get. You always expect the Santino match to be the same, with him overcoming the offense to hit a few moves. Luckily, Cesaro still got the victory.

What I Disliked:

I still do not understand how Santino gets beaten quicker by Cesaro over the number one contender in Alberto Del Rio. That makes NO sense to me. Also, is Cesaro going to win the title? What is the point of them fighting if there is not title change. Santino is bland as champion, has little effect on the championship, and would greatly help the progression of Cesaro. He immediately becomes interesting. I fear they will bury him like they have done before. I need to see more, not the usual from Santino. It just does not grab the attention of the fans.

Grade: C

Daniel Bryan, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler def Chris Jericho, Kane and Christian

What I Liked:

Talk about a 6 man tag with absolutely everything you could ask for. With three really good feuds in between, the ring action was consistent and paced perfectly throughout. It was given plenty of time, and all guys got a good portion of the match to work. I felt like Miz needed to work the most out of this since he is returning and needs to keep the IC title from being irrelavant. The heels used quick tags, focused their attacks on Christian so Jericho and Kane did not look weak. I continue to watch Kane and love what I see from him. He is powerful and extremely quick on his feet. It speaks volumes he can keep up with 5 other fast and athletic superstars. I felt that Bryan's victory was well needed. Let him continue to win on Smackdown, and maybe struggle on Raw because of AJ. This adds to his development and continued focus of the angle they are trying to play up with his mental instability.

What I Disliked:

I wanted to see much more focus on Ziggler because he is holding the illustrious briefcase. We all want to see more Ziggler, and his feud with Jericho could be great. Too bad there is a time constraint on it with Jericho leaving. It hurts Ziggler in the long run because he STILL needs to have a feud that lasts longer than 1-2 months.

Grade: A-

Ryback def. Jinder Mahal

What I Liked:

Ryback continues his feud with Mahal. The match ends in a DQ with Mahal leaving. Ryback does a little speaking before the match, very old school with the interview before the match. This is basically the first time we have heard him speak. I thought that was the best part of the segment.

What I Disliked:

Ryback has certainly lost my interest and it is not his fault. There is no success with this ridiculous feud with Mahal. When you bury a superstar for so long, people are going to lose any sort of interest in him. That is where Mahal is at. If he won any sort of big match or was relevant for any part of his career, then it would work. Too bad for both guys because this is something that does not have length in and cannot add layers to their feud.

Grade: D

Darren Young def. R-Truth

What I Liked:

Young and O'Neil have the classic heel tag team moves, including O'Neil beating down Truth on the outside as Young distracts the referee. I really like PTP and think that they have strong personalities and characters that can carry themselves far. There is a difference in cockiness between them and other heels. It works for them because they are viewed as the "high school or college jocks." You love to hate guys like this.

What I Disliked:

The match was too quick, had no string of moves attached to it, and really did not do much. I am lucky that I got to see emphasis on the tag teams, but I would rather get a ten minute match here, even longer, instead of wasted time like Ryback's match. I want to see some consistency each week, and that remains to be seen with these guys.

Grade: C+

Randy Orton def. Alberto Del Rio

What I Liked:

Welcome back, Randy. Whether you love or hate his character, his star power should never be questioned. He is the face of Smackdown, the John Cena of Friday Nights. Orton does a good job getting back to basics, with nothing really new in his arsenal this week. He hits a back breaker which gives him the early advantage, and focuses his strikes on Del Rio's chest. We get the smooth flow from clotheslines to the hanging DDT, and Del Rio tries to escape. Sheamus comes out and throws him back into the ring and Orton connects with an RKO. Good match to bring back Orton, but I did have a few issues with it.

What I Disliked:

It looks like Orton will get no punishment after the suspension. Also, when will Alberto Del Rio actually look like a strong heel and not a coward? His character is getting so frustrating when they book him to lose to Orton, and basically be a whipping boy throughout the match. Does this frustrate you as it does with me?

Grade: B

Smackdown Grade: C

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