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Here are my thoughts on the show.
The opening promo by Kane was a mixed bag for me. It had more good parts to it but there was something that it was missing. I really liked the way that they incorporated the footage from Kane’s investigation of who attacked the Undertaker. The opening part of the promo reminded me of Kane’s promos when he was about to unmask where he would discuss some questionable behavior when he was a child. I really liked the way that Kane described the circumstances leading to him cashing in the briefcase by talking about the look on Rey’s face as well as the description of what it felt like when he choke slammed Rey only to want him to do more to finish him off.
I also liked Kane pointing out that anyone would have done what he did to cash in the briefcase, especially when you had Jerry Lawler on Sunday and Todd Grisham later on the show questioning what Kane did and whether it was right. It also set up Rey’s promo later in the show when he said that he wouldn’t have cashed it in. I thought that Matt Striker did a good job at the pay per view and on this show pointing out how what Kane did was the right thing.
I also liked how Kane dedicated the win to his brother, who is apparently still in a vegetative state after almost two months. And then he pointed out that Taker did not respond to seeing the belt returned ‘to the family’.
I liked that even though he has the title, Kane is not giving up on his investigation into who attacked his brother. I still think Kane did it and after he deals with Rey and Big Show, I think we will find out, whether it is a ‘recorded phone call’ or Undertaker making his miraculous return from the vegetative state.
Maybe if Kane was looking for the person who attacked the Undertaker, he should have looked into Cody Rhodes’ ‘dashing mirror’ under the TitanTron.
Here is something for fans of Strangers with Candy: If we do find out that it was Kane, and since Kane’s father was buried alive in cement a few years ago, I can see a situation where Kane is in the back seat of a Bronco with a catatonic Paul Bearer, like Jerri Blank’s father, driving him out of the jurisdiction.
I really liked the opening tag match. With the issues that Christian and Matt Hardy have had over the last few weeks (and we go to see the recap before the match started), would they be able to work together? We saw that they could work together, even though Matt accidentally punched Christian. However, instead of seeing them brawl after the match, they appear to be a cohesive team. I liked that they got a lot of time and all four men looked strong in the match. They built on what they did in the Money in the Bank match from Sunday. I liked how it looked like Hardy and Christian would have won if the referee had been in position instead of dealing with Cody.
I thought while the match was very good, the commentary by Matt Striker made it better. I liked how he mentioned that Cody was a throwback wrestler in the way that he doesn’t use knee pads. Then he brought up the fact that he was using the Alabama Slam that his former tag team partner utilized (as well as the kick while his opponent held the ropes). I had forgotten that Cody and Holly were partners before Cody joined Priceless.
In the same way that I think Miz has passed John Morrison, I think that with the ‘Dashing’ gimmick, he has passed Ted DiBiase with the way that they are both being booked.
I thought Jack Swagger gave a good promo based on where his character currently is. He did a good job as a heel of trying to accuse Rey of cheating to win when he would have done the same thing if he was in the same position. I also liked the way that Josh Mathews challenged Jack about his comments instead of standing doing nothing. Josh has improved a lot as an interviewer.
I thought they did a good job setting up the Number One Contender Match. I liked that they made it a two-out-of-three falls match because it avoids potential controversy if there would have been interference or a ref bump to cause the pinfall to take place. Since it is a type of match we don’t normally see, it makes it more special than other matches on the show.
I was a little surprised that Michelle and Layla did not have Kaval assisting with the champagne service during their segment in the back. I think with some of the synched conversation that Michelle and Layla incorporate, Michelle has gotten into a character that fits her well. I thought the interaction between Teddy and the ladies was well done. I thought it made sense that Michelle and Layla would be angry that Teddy used some of their catchphrases, and then they would mock Teddy.
After seeing Layla doing the ‘Teddy Dance’, I think she needs to do that at least once a show.
I thought it was a bit surprising to see Kofi in the back having a neck brace removed. It allowed a visual instead of hearing Todd and Matt talking about Kofi’s neck so it gave a different perspective on the extent of his injury.
I really liked the Kingston/Ziggler match. With it being a non-title match, it was not surprising that Ziggler would get the win. Both of these men have found a good groove on Smackdown and have done a lot to get close to the main event threshold. With Kofi having the neck injury, I liked that he did not try for all of his high risk moves because it wouldn’t have made sense. I also liked how Ziggler focused on the neck throughout the match. In addition to exploiting the injury, since Ziggler uses finishing moves that focus on the neck and head, it would assist him during the match.
Having Michael McGillicutty removed from ringside was a bit surprising at first because this is the first time that I can remember an NXT rookie being removed from ringside by an official during a match involving their pro. It did allow Vickie to do things at ringside without any interference by McGillicutty.
With Ziggler getting a non-title win over Kingston, I would assume that we are going to see them wrestle for the title at SummerSlam. They have had a number of good television matches where they have been given a lot of time so I hope they will get more when they wrestle on pay per view. I liked Ziggler holding the title belt over Kofi to set up the visual for the build to his eventual title match.
The Big Show/Joey Mercury match was okay, but was more to advance the storyline between Big Show and the Straight Edge Society. It is good to see that Joey has finally been revealed as the masked man accompanying the rest of the Straight Edge Society.
As we discussed on the Smackdown Post Show, the Giant Machine reference when Show put on Joey’s mask was great.
The Dashing Cody Rhodes Grooming Tips is a 1980s style segment that worked. It is very nice that Cody cares enough about the WWE Universe to give them the proper grooming tips so they can be a hit with the ladies. This is a segment that can run for a long time and with Cody’s mannerisms, it should not get boring.
There were two things missing from this segment. Cody could use his rookie from NXT, Husky Harris, as a ‘before’ comparison to Cody’s ‘after’. Since Cody was in the locker room wearing a towel, he needs Isaiah Mustafa from the Old Spice commercials. Look at me . . . I’m on a turnbuckle.
Rey’s interview with Josh was good. Rey sounded like he was disappointed that he lost the title on Sunday and it made sense unlike most of the wrestlers who lose and are laughing and smiling on the next show after they lose the title. I do think that Rey would have done the same thing if he had the Money in the Bank briefcase. The only time that someone did not take advantage of a wrestler being in a grueling match or victim of an attack during a promo was Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006 (of course he had the mystery man in a motorcycle helmet who turned out to be Edge).
I liked that the second Alberto Del Rio segment cut away from a standard television shot to being broadcast inside the arena. This way we know that the fans in the building are seeing the video packages as well. It allows for us to gauge how they react to Del Rio.
I thought the main event was very good. It had a logical progression. The first fall was about Swagger working on Rey’s injured ankle while Swagger is still angry that he lost the title to Rey at Fatal Four Way. He also wants to cripple Rey as much as he wants to beat him in the match. The first fall was given enough time to set up what was going to happen in the rest of the match. Swagger worked on Rey’s ankle throughout the first fall and then when he put Rey in the ankle lock, he was not going to release the hold, even if it meant being disqualified. Then the second fall was about Swagger continuing to work on the ankle and getting things evened up at one fall each. I liked that Rey tapped immediately instead of trying to fight it because the longer he was going to be in the hold, the more damage it would have done to his ankle and made Swagger’s quest easier in the third fall. I liked the way the match ended because Swagger was in control of the match and then Rey was able to escape Swagger’s finisher and get a quick victory with the crucifix.
I probably would have preferred to see Swagger be the number one contender, but since Kane is probably finished with Swagger in his ‘Quest to find the person who really put Taker in a vegetative state’ so he can now deal with Rey Mysterio. Over the next few weeks, they could have Kane try to ask Rey questions about the incident over Memorial Day Weekend while trying to gain a psychological advantage over Rey for the match at SummerSlam.
I liked Swagger’s reaction after the match because he did not beat Rey like he promised earlier in the night. Maybe Jack should stop making promises in promos.
I liked the closing segment with Kane and Rey. First Kane was the peacekeeper when helping Rey up after the match, which surprised Rey. Then he raised Rey’s arm to show that this could be a face versus face match. However, Kane decided to return to the ring and attack Rey to try to get into Rey’s head. However, Rey was able to gain the upper hand with the 619 and clean escape.
If you want additional viewpoints on this week’s show, check out Buck’s Looking At . . . column with thoughts on the show here and the Smackdown Post Game Show for Elite Members here
What to Watch on Your DVR: If you have the time, this is a show that you probably wouldn’t go wrong watching the entire show. If you don’t, I recommend the Christian and Hardy versus McIntyre and Rhodes, Kingston versus Ziggler, and Swagger versus Mysterio matches; the Grooming Tips segment; and Kane’s promo.
