So Good, Yet So Bad...

One of many resolutions I ought to make this year is to try and update this blog on a semi regular basis to the point where I actually talk about the shows within the week they happen.

Smackdown opens without a usual in-ring talking point, but rather dives right into a match. Personally, I prefer it when we start by establishing what the general story of the episode is going to be, which only reminds me that it’s been a while since Smackdown had a really, really gripping central storyline (the last time I can think of offhand is when Mark Henry was fighting Randy Orton back in October). However, things might be picking up, as Cody Rhodes is fighting Booker T again (that’s not what I mean by picking up story-wise, persay. That comes after the match). And with this feud with Booker appearing to be winding down, I could appreciate this match for its merits. The most obvious plus is that Booker T still has it. Out of all of his outings in the past few weeks, this was his most solid performance. A few other times, he noticeably slowed down near the end, whereas in this match he seemed more than able the whole way through. Also a bigger plus is that it didn’t go the route of Cody doing most of the moving with Booker just standing there. I found there was, in general, more movement and more action on both sides in this, which not only gives credit to Booker, but also to Cody, who can have a better match as a result. Also a plus out of all of this is that with Booker back on his game, the idea of making Cody look good fighting a legend finally pays off. It’s not just a matter of beating the name, it’s beating the man with the name who’s still formidable enough to be considered a challenge. It also helps that Booker is much bigger than Cody, and for Rhodes to be able to show off his impressive ring work against a larger opponent makes him more believable when fighting against guys such as, say, John Cena. Cody wins via spring board kick, and as he leaves, Booker gets a pretty classy ovation from the crowd for a job well done.

Backstage, Cody runs into his brother Dustin, and tells him not to get any ideas about putting on the gold paint one more time, because as was just seen, old stars can only be humiliated by the younger Rhodes. Cody adds a neat touch by saying not only is he the superior Rhodes brother, he might even be bigger than the American Dream himself. Dustin only stands there and watches Cody leave. Now, I know that I will render myself a complete hypocrite her, as I’ve been clamouring for Cody to fight more modern wrestlers, but dangit, I’ve been dying to see Cody vs. Goldust forever, and I’m hoping it comes through. The story and match would both be worth it.

We then go from something promising to something that is anything but: Heath Slater vs. Hornswoggle in an Over the Top Rope challenge. And if some part of you actually manages to summon up the ability to care about who wins this match, than surely you are the most optimistic person alive. While I am glad that Slater has finally sunken to the levels of jobbing he should have always been at, I wish it didn’t have to happen while I was watching. Hornswoggle wins, as we all expected, and Slater doesn’t take kindly, preparing to attack the leprechaun (I can’t take that sentence seriously). Thankfully for Lucky Charms, Justin Gabriel has also found himself without a calling as of late, and dashes to the aid of Hornswoggle, clearing the ring of his former bromantic colleague. Truly, the Nexus is no more.

Just in case that last match up didn’t crush the soul out of you, we now have Hunico vs. Ted Dibiase. Hunico, being something of a racial stereotype, is hanging around with a similar gangsta buddy named Camacho, and they ride to the ring in a low riding bicycle, claiming that they intend to crash one of Dibiase’s tailgating parties. Smackdown, what happened to you? You used to be above this sort of thing. Actually, I’m almost positive that Raw somehow snagged the former Smackdown writing staff and replaced it, given that Smackdown’s decline came almost at the same time as Raw’s tremendous rise. It doesn’t help that no matter how hard he tries to be happy go lucky and one of the guys, I just don’t find Dibiase interesting. Hunico wins, but really, I think we all lose in this situation.

Things get considerably better as Wade Barrett takes to the ring, and reshows the montage of him throwing Orton down a flight of stairs. Again, I don’t like stopping the show for a montage. Put them as a bookend to commercials, where they belong. Claiming himself invincible, Barrett makes the natural declaration that he will win the Royal Rumble. The funny thing I’ve come to realize about Barrett is that he’s managed to avoid the usual British character of being ultra snobby, but also avoids being just a tall brawler. He’s an intelligent thug, who can talk a big talk and then physically back it up, which makes him far more threatening and credible a villain. Also, in a moment I’ve been waiting for, Sheamus comes to confront Barrett, saying he reminds him of his old uncle, the sheep herder: he would always tell the family about all the great fights he’d been in, but as it turns out, he was just insane and had no idea what he was talking about. I adore everything about this match up: both men have the same kind of wit, play the hero and villain extremely well, are tough as nails with fighting attitudes and backgrounds, and have the same kind of fighting style (brawling) which they both do very well. It looks as though a fight is about to happen, when Jinder Majal decides that I’m enjoying myself far too much, and decides to intervene. I’m surprised the booking staff hasn’t given up on Jinder yet, since he’s clearly not over with the crowd at all, but he tries to leech off Wade’s limelight and attacks Sheamus, eventually putting him in a Camel Clutch. I’m going to optimistically pretend that the only thing that happened here was Barrett vs. Sheamus, and thus leave happy.

And in case seeing a wrestler I mark out for being pitted against someone I dislike strenuously: Drew McIntyre vs. Santino Marella. Drew is still on probation from Teddy Long, who is threatening to fire him if he loses a few more times, while Santino is trying to get himself appointed assistant GM to Teddy. Jocularity ensues. Seriously, I did not need more Santino, Smackdown did not need more baggage, and Drew does not need a worthless matchup. The match itself is Drew showing off his moves, and Santino looking useless. Seriously, Drew can’t truly look good in a match unless he fights someone who highlights his abilities (see my comments on Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T). Drew loses again, but it’s still not a clear cut deal: he smacks his head on the ringpost before getting pinned, and after the match, he gets to vent his frustrations to an unforgiving Teddy. I’m hoping the fact that he’s still got a story and mic time means that he’s not really in hot water. Because I swear, if the WWE is doing all of this just to destroy me, its rioting time.

The next match is another good one from Air Boom vs. Epico and Primo. I’m still happy about the tag team revitalization we seem to be getting, and matches like this are why. Whereas most non-regular tag teams rely on one guy being in peril and then getting the hot tag, these two teams keep the tags fast, letting all the men present getting in work and utilizing the full potential, not to mention setting up for a lot of double teams and nifty moves. Rosa also seems to be the right fit for a valet/manager for Epico and Primo, as she’s got the knack down for yelling at ring side and providing distractions. Hey, if wrestling doesn’t work out, why /not/ go for a managing position? In fact, she manages to distract Evan Bourne long enough that he waits too long before missing with the Shooting Star Press, and gets pinned as a result. I don’t think I’m going to get tired of watching these two teams fight any time soon. Each match is a pleasure to watch, even if Primo and Epico don’t have a ton of personality.

We have a one minute Divas match next, but it actually forebodes relatively good things. It’s Natalya vs. Tamina, and when you start having matches with two of the most physically fit and dominating women, it means that someone somewhere is paying attention. The match is a short one, of course, and is mostly designed to showcase Tamina, who hasn’t had a ton of screen time for a good while. She gets in a few power moves, and then wraps things up with a Frog Splash to get the win. Again, it’s short, but I’m optimistic enough to believe it forebodes something good.

And now, on to the main event: Daniel Bryan vs. the Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship. I mentioned earlier that the writers seem to be a bit confused as to what they want to do, and that sort of shows in the set up to this match. Earlier in the show, Bryan overhears his significant other, AJ, talking to Alicia Fox, who seems to doubt the Champion’s chances against Show, and Bryan asks AJ how she can be friends with someone who talks about him like that. Later, while Show is being interviewed about how he feels, Bryan interrupts and says how he had to scrape and claw to the top because he wasn’t gifted with freak-like genes. All this indicates a heel turn for Daniel Bryan, which I’m okay with. As we all know, I’m pulling for the Big Show anyways, and would prefer he stay the good guy in all of this, not to mention that in these two segments, Bryan seemed more interesting and compelling than he was as the hero. I said before how Bryan really didn’t have much to do with his underdog character now that he was at the top, so to give him anything else to work with is a good idea. Given that he is indeed skilled, I can see him as a sort of Bret Hart heel, where he’s not particularly diabolical, but he likes to rub it in peoples’ faces how good he is.

Mark Henry is at ringside for commentary, and even if you know that this probably forebodes interference at one point, it makes for some of the best guest commentary I’ve heard in a while. Just to hear Mark Henry shut down Michael Cole’s attempts to razz Daniel Bryan is hilarious.

“Hey, Mark, who would win in a fight between Daniel Bryan and Hornswoggle?”

“Why would you ask me a stupid question like that? Shut up!”

“Yes, sir.”

Though it does occur to me: if Bryan does turn heel, will Cole start cheering for him? I don’t think I could take that kind of retcon.

The match itself is a surprisingly good one. It can be hard for smaller guys like Bryan to put on a good match with Show, just do to the size and weight difference, but this one keeps up pretty good. Bryan attacks with speedier hit and runs, while show hits heavy power moves, but they manage to avoid the usual trend of the smaller guy just attacking Show’s legs, who in turn remains motionless for a good while before making a comeback. Instead, they maintain a good back and forth pace, with no one really dropping the ball at any point. I especially loved when Show speared Bryan. Come on, that would totally kill the guy. The ending isn’t as smooth as I’d like, though: Bryan rolls out of the ring to get a breather, and Mark Henry decides that he’s too close for comfort, and shoves him, getting Big Show DQ’d. Now, I don’t mind the DQ ending, because I think the name of the game is to stack up a bunch of frustrating losses for the Big Show, but Henry’s decision to intervene kind of came out of no where. I know the guy is perpetually angry, but even still, some provocation would have been better, like if Bryan had been thrown into Henry’s lap, or something. At any rate, Bryan celebrates the win like he just won the whole thing himself, which, as we saw with Ziggler, is a fantastic heelish sort of thing to do, while Show once again looks devastated in the ring.

So that was Smackdown (albeit nearly a week after the show aired. I need to pick up my game…), and although it wasn’t spectacular, there were a lot of promising moments. The potential for Wade Barrett and Sheamus makes me happy, as does Cody Rhodes and Goldust, and I keep hoping that Drew will turn things around soon. The tag match was good, as was the main event, but it does still feel like Smackdown is feeling around in the dark to try and find the right line of momentum to get back on track.