I didn’t actually get to watch this last Smackdown, as the channel I watch wrestling on was showing college football instead. So I really don’t have any opinions on the matches, and will just be commenting on the general storylines and whatever clips I could find on WWE.com.
The show starts with Booker T in the ring, thanking the fans for cheering him on over the last year, since his return at the Royal Rumble to present day. You’re welcome, Booker. Even if you’re announcing style is slightly insane and incoherent, I still like you enough to overlook it. Sadly, Cody Rhodes does not feel the same way, and comes out to tells us about his own year and successes in 2011. It’s true, Cody has had a career defining year, and definitely came a long way from being the low man of Legacy to being the most entertaining IC Champion we’ve had in a while. Not to mention his continuing record of really good matches. Cody begins to chop Booker down to size when suddenly, unexpectedly, Dustin Rennels, IE Goldust, IE Cody’s brother, comes down to the ring. Of course this happened on the one episode I didn’t get to watch. To those unaware, Goldust and Booker T were a tag team in the mid 2000s, and Goldust doesn’t take kindly to his younger brother ragging on his buddy. Cody goes for some heat earning by criticizing and taunting Goldust’s very real personal life problems, and though I’m always a little uneasy when the heels target actual issues in order to get a reaction, I’m going to assume that it was a mutual decision by the brothers to go this route. Booker then stands up for Goldust, and says that he’s twice the man Cody will ever be, which is kind of awesome, and challenges Cody for another match for the IC title. Now, although I still wish that Cody would fight more current wrestlers, I’m glad that the writers put more feeling and emotion into this plot line. With this run in, I feel there’s more at stake for everyone involved, and thus I care far more. Also, Cody does what all despicable heels do and attacks Goldust before running away. I actually hope for a match between the two brothers eventually.
Our first match is apparently Jinder Majal vs. Ted Dibiase. I don’t have to watch this match to know I hated it. I still don’t understand the booking staff’s fascination with Majal, who apparently wins this via Camel Clutch. Seriously, out of all the rivalries you could have concocted, you went with two of the blandest people out there?
The next match is Natalya and Tamina vs. Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn. I notice that there’s been a recent trend of having Diva matches which don’t include Kelly Kelly or Beth Phoenix. I believe Beth is injured, but I’m hoping Kelly’s absence is due to someone down the line realizing that there are far more capable women on the roster to carry a match. Case in point: Tamina gets screen time for the first time in a long time. More than that, she apparently winds up turning on Natalya and kicking her in the face, giving team Good Divas the win. Two things which might come of this: either a face turn for Tamina, or she takes the place of Beth’s right hand girl and Natalya gets the shaft to eventually turn good, ala Layla post Michelle McCool. Personally hoping for the latter option.
Speaking of matches I don’t care about: Justin Gabriel vs. Hunico. Both men are very good in the ring, neither have a personality. Hunico wins. Huzzah.
A match I do care about, however, is Big Show vs. David Otunga, who also has Mark Henry in his corner. Apparently, this was originally supposed to be a tag match with Bryan and Big Show versus the other two, but for some reason, this was changed, and I can’t find the clip to tell me why or how. I wish I could have seen this match, because I really am curious to see how and if Otunga is improving in the ring. To be put against the Big Show is equivalent to Wade Barrett fighting Randy Orton in terms of getting a push, and I’m hoping he makes the most of it. Since getting his lawyer lackey persona, he’s been much more entertaining and fun to watch, and is really good on the mic and with his acting. It’s just that his in ring skills are still kind of plodding. At any rate, Mark Henry is apparently making life difficult for Show in this match, and I’m glad that even though Mark is injured, he’s still staying relevant. He’s being kept out of matches, but it’s done in increasingly clever ways, like having Dolph win against Punk before getting to him, or just have him at ring side. Eventually, however, Daniel Bryan appears and whacks Henry on the noggin with the Championship. Again, Bryan I should be happy that Bryan is saving the day and being heroic, but at the same time, I think it would be better if he were more in the spotlight, being more proactive, rather than continually reacting to things. Bryan lures Mark Henry away, and Show punches out Otunga for the win. I should also say that I’m happy that Show is still allowed to be dominating, even if he’s obligated to be aided by Bryan. In both instances, the circumstances were stacked against him, and he doesn’t look weak as a result of interference on his behalf.
You can tell this was the Smackdown I didn’t get to see, because FINALLY Drew McIntyre is back on Smackdown. It’s about damn time. He’s backstage with Teddy Long, who informs us that even though he’s resigned Drew, he’s not certain about Drew’s worth. It’s worth remembering that these two had a fantastic feud back in 2010, with Drew making Teddy’s life miserable. Teddy informs Drew that if he doesn’t shape up his winning record, he might have to be let go. Don’t joke about that, Teddy: it took six damn months for my favorite young wrestler to finally get screen time again. Seriously, though, watching the clip of this, you can just see why Drew is leaps and bounds above nearly every other guy on Smackdown. Watch Ted, Jinder, Slater, Gabriel, or Hunico try and cut a promo or interview. They look as interested as mud. Then look at Drew react to having his abilities questioned. His face becomes livid, and then quickly switches to a smug grin as he remembers that he’s trying to be Teddy’s friend again. That’s awesome. Drew has great body language, great facial expressions, and is fun and interesting to watch. Also, his parting shot at Teddy is great: he says that he might have been gone for a while, but he still has the ability to make people get down on their knees and beg him for forgiveness (like he did to Mr. Long himself). Classic heel stuff, right there.
The match itself comes against Ezekiel Jackson, whom I had secretly hoped had fallen down a hole or something. Again, let’s compare Drew’s facial expressions to Jackson’s. Is there even a contest here who has more charisma? Drew loses, which sucks, but what’s interesting is that Jackson wins via roll up pin (just remember, Zeke: you just used a roll up pin to win. Feel shame) and holds Drew’s tights, which is illegal. So even though Drew lost, it’s not like he got squashed. Also, I don’t believe that this is all adding up to a burial. When the WWE wants to bury you, you don’t get a promo like Drew did before hand: it would be like when he was on Raw, where he got run out with no entrance music and then killed in five minutes. Here, the focus of the story is on Drew and his problems, and some effort has gone into it. I’m almost inclined to believe that they might pull an MVP here, where they have the heel go on a massive losing streak in order to garner sympathy before turning him face, so the crowd is more behind him.
In our next match, Sheamus kicks Heath Slater in the head and wins. Another meaningless win for Sheamus. I would love for him and Drew to eventually fight. It would give both angry Euros something to do, as well as be extraordinarily awesome.
The main event of the night is Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton is a Falls Count Anywhere match. I’m happy that Barrett is main eventing the show again. He really is a fantastic villain, and I definitely would not mind him fighting Daniel Bryan. Also, this may be one of the few times Orton has successfully put another guy over, which will earn something of a nod of respect from me. I mean, beating other midcarders is one thing, but if a rising villain can take on Randy Orton and win, that really means something. Also, Orton has made him look good, rather than no selling his moves or shaking him off like he’s nothing. I’m still not Orton’s #1 fan, but I think overall his part in this rivalry has worked out. As far as the match itself goes, it seems they took it all over the arena, both in the ring and backstage, which I’m always ambivalent about. One the one hand, using the entire landscape really helps the idea of anything-goes, and makes the stipulation of Falls Count Anywhere worth having. On the other hand, if I was a fan at the arena, I would be a little miffed that I have to watch the backstage bits on the Titantron instead of in the ring, which I paid to come see. At any rate, it seems like things were going well up until the end, when Barrett threw Orton down a flight of stairs. Presumably, the move was planned, but it seems that Orton didn’t land it right. Barrett didn’t even try to go for the pin, or attack him after this: he just sort of left, indicating that there was something wrong. After the show, WWE.com reported that Orton is well and truly injured, and will be out for some time. Personal opinions aside, a spinal injury is nothing to laugh about, and I do hope that Orton gets better. Also of interest is that Sheamus was reported to be replacing Orton’s spots against Barrett in the house shows, so mayhaps something will come of that.
So that was the Smackdown I didn’t watch, and I’m torn on whether or not that was a good thing. There were things which I really, really wanted to see, like Cody and Goldust, the return of Drew, and Barrett vs. Orton, but then, there’s a lot of things I don’t want to see, like at least six personality-devoid mid carders who the booking staff seems to believe I care about. But, by and large, things look to be shaping up for the future.
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