Opening Segment
What I Liked:
San Diego knew Rey Mysterio would start the show. Let's face it, he still is very over with the crowd. I will put my personal feelings about Rey aside and talk about what I liked. Even though we have seen Del Rio vs. Mysterio before, I felt like this is still somewhat fresh. Neither guy has much to do, and Del Rio's best feud was with Rey. Both men are a perfect fit for one another in terms of wrestling ability. Their interaction to kick off Smackdown was very solid, bickering back and forth. I loved the fact that Ziggler came out, yelled at Del Rio, and then focused on Rey. You tease the face turn for Ziggler but keep him how he should be. I enjoyed, lastly, when Sheamus came out to save Mysterio, and we get a little scuffle in the ring. I figured a tag team match would be the main event to get Rey back into the main event picture, but not have him carry an entire match. You are going to ease him back into the mix. Well planned and gave us a solid main event to look forward to.
What I Disliked:
Not much here because it did exactly what was needed to be done. With nothing advertised, Smackdown needed to give the fans a reason to continue to watch. For the majority, Mysterio's return was anticipated and people still want to see him compete.
Grade: B+
Hunico, Camacho, and PTP def. Kofi, R-Truth, Primo and Epico
What I Liked:
Call this an eight man tag with four tag teams mixed together. The action was extremely entertaining from all pieces. Kofi and Truth were the focal point throughout the match, as they should be. The match lasted through a commercial break, and really was fast paced with great in ring action. I have never doubted any of these guys' abilities in the ring before, but questioned the way they were handled creatively. This was the first time I can recall getting an extended look at Camacho in the ring, and I was impressed. He is a little bigger and can move with the athletic wrestlers. Hunico has great instincts, and a versatile move set. When all hell broke loose, I was really impressed with Primo's corkscrew dive that knocked out Young. The ending was perfect, as PTP needed to get a victory to rebound from a loss on Raw. They are the second best tag team you can build around right now, and they let them get a much needed win in front of a solid crowd. Lastly, WWE isn't sure what to do with Big Show, so he cleans house on 8 guys. I was actually alright with it, because it is better than some other garbage they have let him do.
What I Disliked:
I do not get how Primo and Epico can quickly switch to faces without any real transitional phase. That is a glaring issue in the Tag Team division. When they were champions, they were build a little like Los Guerreros were, finding ways to win and look sleazy doing that. Now, they lose the titles but tag with the champions without any real conflict between them?
Grade: B-