Dolph Ziggler

Opening Segment

What I Liked:

Sheamus comes out to discuss Triple H and says he is a legend. He goes on to discuss Alberto Del Rio, but Damien Sandow comes out and interrupts him. He begins to trash Sheamus and calls him ignorant and stupid. I thought Sandow and Sheamus did a great job here to start off Smackdown. We know they are high on Sandow, so this is a perfect spot for him to be thrown in to see if he will sink or swim. He has an old school heel type to him, not trying to be cocky or cool. His character comes off really smooth and believable. We also get our main event booked for later tonight, and I expect Sandow and Sheamus to work well together. This will be the first real extended look at Sandow in the ring.

Grade: B+

Rey Mysterio Defeats Cody Rhodes

What I Liked:

Cody starts off the match with the offense in his pocket. I loved the physicality he possessed early, which included knees to Rey and concluded with a front release suplex. It looks great and easy for Rhodes to move from one move to the next, especially on a guy like Mysterio. Rhodes controlled most of this match, but Mysterio picks up the quick pin. After the match, we get more of Rhodes and his aggression as he tries to rip off Mysterio's mask. Sin Cara came out to make the save, which continues his feud with Cody. I liked how they gave Cody a match with another masked superstar. It makes sense and I like the simple, yet complex, logic.

What I Disliked:

We do need to get a reason why Cody wants to rip these masks off. I feel like he needs to begin to speak more and give us a reason to invest our time into his feud with Sin Cara. It would only do better things for him and for Cara, and could potentially turn a random feud into something positive for two guys. I still am not a fan of Cody jobbing each week, but he is being put in a spot where he is getting consistent television time. It is only a matter of time for Rhodes.

Grade: B

Kaitlyn Defeats Natalya

What I Liked:

I said it on Raw, Kaitlyn is fresh and new. She needs to be featured much more and really focus on her chances of beating Layla. This match was decent, with a few nice spots from each Diva. You can tell Natalya was leading most of the match for a reason. Kaitlyn is still finding her identity in the ring, and it was a great idea to pair her with such a professional for a match. Kaitlyn picks up a surprising rollup for the win, after a nice dropkick to Natalya. There was not much offense here, rather quick, but at least they gave us time and interest with the number one contender.

What I Disliked:

Why wasn't Layla involved after the match? Once again, Layla and Kaitlyn need to have a reason to dislike each other and have a sort of confrontation. We have yet to see anything really between these two, even in terms of interacting.

Grade: C

Sheamus Defeats Damien Sandow

What I Liked:

Well, I was right. This match was entertaining to me. The tricky thing with Sandow is that you still need to protect him in terms of long term success. If he loses clean early to Sheamus, then what do you expect the crowd to do? They will not buy him being the future guy in the company. The action spills to the outside early, with Sandow playing a great heel role. He tries to get away from Sheamus, and does for a bit. This easily got the crowd annoying and exactly what you wanted to do. I enjoyed the brawling technique of Sandow, as he connected with many punches and knees to the stomach of the champion. The match concludes when Sheamus gains a lot of steam with clubs to the chest and White Noise. Damien ends up escaping and throwing Sheamus into the ring apron and gets counted out.

What I Disliked:

Although I liked this match and though both men played it very well, Alberto Del Rio should have been on commentary. It would be alright for Del Rio to interfere and even help Sandow take down the big Irishman. I mean, he is facing Sheamus in two weeks at Night of Champions.

Grade: B+

Primetime Players Defeat International Assault

What I Liked:

Kidd and Gabriel get their first taste of tag team action, as they quickly show old school tag team wrestling early on. Both men made some quick tags and cornered Titus from the very beginning. Titus would hit a beautiful Pump Handle Slam and get the offense to swing back in his direction. O'Neil is a solid and athletic guy with a lot of upside. You can tell he is getting better and better each week in the ring. I felt like both teams did a good job at selling what they are putting over. These are two tag teams that could have a bright future. Some would say PTP should have taken the loss, but I think they needed the win to get back to chasing the Tag Team Championships. They are the most logical and best choice to dethrone Kofi and Truth.

What I Disliked:

Even though the match had a lot of good spots, I still felt like not many people cared about it. That is ashame, but is exactly what has been happening with Tag Team Wrestling. Both teams still need to find something that stands out from what we have seen before. With the successful tag teams in the Attitude Era and even with London and Kendrick, these guys need to do more with the time they are given and not simply go through the motions. I felt like they did a few times.

Grade: C+

-Alberto Del Rio comes out and talks about making Randy Orton tap out last week. He says the usual, that he will win the World Heavyweight Championship, and then Kane comes out. Teddy Long books Del Rio vs. Kane up next! (Why is Teddy Long making matches and not Booker T? That frustrates me.)

Alberto Del Rio Defeats Kane

What I Liked;

Alberto Del Rio gets a legit competitor, which I have been hoping for. He always gets booked in matches against Ryder or Santino, but this time was different. Del Rio was able to work pretty well with Kane, using his speed and footwork to get the upper hand over Kane. Kane would come back with some cuts to the face, as well as a big boot on Alberto. We have Ricardo get involved, which gives Del Rio the chance to hit a Backstabber. Del Rio wins the match, and I really enjoyed the fact he got a pinfall over the monster. It makes sense because he is the guy we need to try and take more seriously.

What I Disliked:

Yes, Del Rio wins, but he still cannot get a clean victory. He got one last week, so why wouldn't they build on that? His character is too weak to rely on Ricardo to help him more than not. Also, is Kane feuding with Josh Matthews? I wish his "anger management" would be used to further a feud with someone. They should keep him and Daniel Bryan going back and forth, and not focus on an announcer. It does not make sense to me.

Grade: B-

Randy Orton Defeats Dolph Ziggler

What I Liked:

The beginning of the match was both guys trying to feel out one another. It worked well, with Orton and Ziggler going back and forth. I loved when Dolph connected with a neckbreaker and then hit continuous elbows for a near fall. That is what he does best, grounding his opponent and continuing to take control while he is on the mat. Ziggler and Orton are two really good guys to pair off against. Orton would get the upper hand with a Superplex off the rope, control the match, and eventually hit an RKO for the win. This was a solid match, well planned, and executed perfectly.

What I Disliked:

Dolph Ziggler is still waiting for that string of wins. He beats Jericho and then falls back to where he was before the briefcase. I want more out of his overall progression, and I feel like we are so close, yet so far away. Who needs the win more, Orton or Ziggler? I easily can say Dolph did, but did not get that. Also, this should have ended in a different way, so the rematch at Night of Champions (if they have one) would be more interesting to us.

Grade: A-

Smackdown Grade: B

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Opening Segment

Ryback defeats Jinder Mahal

What I Liked:

Layla def. Alicia Fox

Heath Slater defeats Sin Cara

In Ring Segment

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeats Primo and Epico

Alberto Del Rio defeats Randy Orton