411’s Instant Analysis 03.02.12: Friday Night Smackdown

Welcome to the Instant Analysis of Friday Night Smackdown, I am David McGregor. There is 4 weeks left until Wrestlemania and the card is looking very strong for the Raw brand. So far Smackdown seem to be falling behind on marketable matches, even losing the Undertaker to Raw, sort of unofficially. Anyway let’s begin with tonight’s show.

Opening Segment – Sheamus apologies! Excuse Me?
This is one of those very rare moments in the WWE, and in wrestling period, in which a face gives the audience a reason why they have become a changed man. It is a bit of continuity that makes wrestling worth watching and unbearable when there is a complete lack of it. It didn’t last long at all but it was a nice touch for them to add a bit of depth to the Sheamus character.

Then Vickie came out as her usual screeching (and brilliant) self. It still amazes me that the widow of one of the most beloved WWE superstars of all time can generate so much heat! I know it is almost primarily because of Eddie but I think now it is just because she is a natural amazing heel, more than anyone in the WWE locker room (with the exception of Vince). I didn’t understand Dolph being fed to Sheamus but it is Wrestlemania time and in the WWE’s mind all that matters in those in the main event, Dolph Ziggler happened to be a casualty of that. On that note there is a scary amount of talent not assigned a match at Wrestlemania at the moment. Miz, Orton, Christian and Ziggler to name a few, I know they will be in a few weeks but it seems the WWE don’t care too much about anyone not named Cena, Rock, Undertaker or Triple H.

As for the segment, it was what it was, nothing groundbreaking here.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

Dolph Ziggler v Sheamus

This is how you book a match close to Wrestlemania! Ziggler looked better here than he ever did in the Punk v Johnny Ace (…….and Ziggler) feud, which shows how poor the booking can be on Raw at times. Both men looked great here, Ziggler looked like a hungry challenger who needed a victory and Sheamus just looked unstoppable. That is how you promote your Wrestlemania main event players while at the same time putting a spotlight on the upper mid card stars. Even Jack Swagger got a little screen time, which is a rarity these days for the poor guy.

Sensible booking and I genuinely enjoyed everything about it.

Winner Sheamus

Rating 9 out of 10

Backstage Segment – GM War Continues

I am really starting to like this feud between the General Managers of Raw and Smackdown, even though the brand separation is practically dead. This is clearly leading up to a Wrestlemania match, I just hope that match is between a team of WWE superstars and not the GM’s themselves. But until such time as a singles match is announced I am happy with this feud.

Also, it pains me to say this but Otunga has gotten better, not much but better. Otunga is actually almost watchable, especially when he shares a screen with Santino. Speaking of which…

Rating 7 out of 10

Heath Slater v Santino Marella

Heath Slater is probably the biggest waste of space on Smackdown not named Jinder Mahal. I just don’t see the point in him at all, maybe with a new gimmick but as is he will be a lower card wrestler for the rest of his days.

Thankfully Santino is there to enter a little entertainment into his surroundings. Everyone knows Santino is brilliant as an entertainer for the WWE, more so than any other mid card star in the entire company. Marella has found his niche, the underdog that can have comedy matches that are really entertaining. I mean he is the only reason the Smackdown elimination chamber was bearable last week. As for this match it was a sound and decent affair, but it meant nothing and was the definition of filler.

WinnerSantino

Rating 5 out of 10

Eve Torres v Natalya

There was a short backstage segment that was going well until Natalya happily farted on Eve. This whole angle needs to end and soon. Although take away the farting crap and that would have been a very good Divas segment, well compared to what they usually do.
It seems as if Divas matches are getting shorter and shorter, which can be a blessing sometimes. But when someone like Natalya is in the ring then they could have at least let them pass the 3 minute mark! I’m enjoying Eve’s progression but really what does it matter? No one cares about the Divas, which is a shame, so I don’t see evil Eve going anywhere which makes the whole angle seem pointless. But I do hope it does lead to something decent for Eve because she is pretty good as the evil slut.

Winner Eve Torres

Rating 4 out of 10

Mark Henry v Big Show

There was a promo beforehand with Cody Rhodes that was stellar; once again Rhodes is just so gripping on the microphone. Every time Rhodes is on TV he absolutely excels at his work both in and out of the ring. This lead to the announcement of Rhodes v Big Show at Wrestlemania, it doesn’t sound like a classic by any stretch of the imagination but I just hope they see sense and let Rhodes get the victory. Also on that note there is an extreme lack of marketable matches in the undercard of Wrestlemania. I know it doesn’t matter because the buyrate will be huge anyway, but at least last year there was Orton v Punk to beef up the mid card. This is a prime example of why Money in the Bank should still be at Wrestlemania.

The match between Henry and Big Show was surprisingly good, with Henry getting a lot of offence for a guy who has been jobbing to everyone these days. Both men went in and really put on a decent big man match, with Rhodes on commentary to continue the angle for `Mania. This was actually one of their best matches together and I applaud them for it, especially seen as Henry is supposedly on his way out of the WWE and really banged up.

Winner Big Show

Rating 8 out of 10

Drew McIntyre v Justin Gabriel

Thank goodness they have finally fired McIntyre! Now they can repackage him into something worthwhile as a losing streak is never the answer. I like the fact they let Gabriel get a win over McIntyre before he was “fired”, as Gabriel could be a really good Intercontinental Champion when Rhodes moves up the ladder to the main event scene.

The match was over pretty quickly and Drew nearly screwed up the ending. That is irrelevant though as all anyone cares about is what Drew McIntyre is going to come back as, according to some it is a bisexual character. Doesn’t rain but it pours for some guys. That isn’t a dig at gay guys just that a gay gimmick in wrestling has never been done well or with the respect it deserves.

Winner Justin Gabriel

Rating 4 out of 10

Raw takes over!

I understand the rationale behind the Raw Rewind but does it really have to last 20 minutes! That is 20 minutes that could have been used to promote the Smackdown side of Wrestlemania instead of airing a pretty terrible Rock promo, and a pretty sweet 2 minute Cena one. If the WWE want to promote Rock and Cena on Smackdown then have them on Smackdown! It isn’t above The Rock or Cena to appear on Smackdown, especially in the weeks leading to Wrestlemania, so why air a full repeat of something that happened on Raw? Highlights of the show, absolutely! The full god damn thing, hell no! Wasting a 5th of your show repeating a crappy promo isn’t how you sell your biggest event of the year. I enjoyed parts of the Rock’s promo from Monday but there is just no need to repeat the whole thing here, if you want to watch Raw tune in Monday not Friday.

Rating – 1 out of 10

Randy Orton v Daniel Bryan…. and Kane?

Before the match there was another backstage promo by Daniel Bryan, who now looks like Fagan from Oliver Twist with that paedo-beard. It generated a nice enough buzz for the match and I can’t fault him for it. Making your World Champion look better is a scarcity in the WWE so Bryan should be thankful.

Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan had a rather short but engaging match, much like their previous encounter the other week. They do seem to have certain chemistry together and I honestly wouldn’t mind Orton being added into the World Championship match at Wrestlemania, although after Kane’s interference that looks like a long shot. It was another ground based match with a few high spots and it was very good.

The Kane inference was a little left field and unexpected and I completely disagree with it. Kane isn’t in any fit state at his age to be having a Wrestlemania match with the 2nd in command of the WWE. Also he is off of one of the worst feuds in WWE history, why the hell should he get to face Orton? Why not a quick Kane v Big Show match and a great Orton v Rhodes match at Wrestlemania? I just don’t see what Kane can bring to the main event scene anymore; he is well past his prime and should be settled down in retirement by now. Kane v Randy Orton is not a Wrestlemania worthy match, I just hope it doesn’t take over the show like Cena/Kane did for all those weeks! Also this took precedence to the feud between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus which should be a much more important match at Wrestlemania.

Winner– Daniel Bryan (via Count Out)

Rating – 7 out of 10

Final Analysis

Moment of the Night – Big Show v Mark Henry / Rhodes Promo

Trash of the Night – Raw Repeat

Show Analysis – This seemed like a much more consistent show this week when compared to previous nights. It wasn’t all great or all bad but it seemed all decent at least, which is actually a lot more appealing to watch than an hour of shit and an hour of high-quality TV. Wrestlemania is really starting to shape up over on Smackdown, although not as enticing as one would expect from the biggest show of the year, at least it is taking shape. But by far and away the best part of the show was the Rhodes promo and Henry v Big Show match, I have to give them their due they really went out to have a decent match and it really showed. As for Rhodes, he has stepped it up for Wrestlemania and I hope he can keep his winning streak in singles matches at the big dance going. Good show and an improvement, on the whole, on the last few weeks.

Show Rating – 6 out of 10