WHAT I LIKED:
Big Show's Apology: The one thing lost in fray of the Big Show storyline is the fact that he's been in this position before... and caved. He had no problem becoming John Laurinaitis' enforcer, but for some reason he's dead set against being used the same way for Triple H & Stephanie McMahon. If given the choice, I'd easily follow the McMahons before I ever follow Big Johnny. The apology and Triple H's suspension was nothing important. It was the fight with The Shield that was important here. I have a theory about how Big Show will factor into the PPV this weekend and this beatdown by The Shield is a huge red herring. I'll elaborate more in the PPV Preview tomorrow.
Heyman/Axel: Can I just say that Paul Heyman is doing an excellent job of making his appearance match his words? The red eyes, the scraggly beard, the unkempt hair... I'm sure that's all his doing. But the sheer surety of Heyman's words about never seeing him again makes me think that Paul E. has something up his sleeves. Perhaps another Heyman guy waiting in the wings? Maybe an appearance from the main Heyman guy, Brock Lesnar? Who knows. As Heyman said before, our imagination isn't as great as his. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, but I couldn't care less about their match with CM Punk.
Ziggler vs Ambrose: If Ziggler wins he gets a match at Night of Champions. If? Night of Champions is this weekend. The United States Championship isn't on the card. What's the easiest way to get it on the card? A match like this. It's almost not worth reviewing because you already know who's gonna win. But because it's Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, it's a must. It irked me a bit that JBL and Michael Cole was speaking about Ziggler like he hasn't achieved anything in this company. Like he's not a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. JBL said Ziggler had to prove himself by winning championships and Michael Cole said Ziggler is taking the first step towards that goal tonight. Um, no? Was April 8th, 2013 just a figment of my imagination? Because that still stands as the best night of WWE programming since CM Punk's infamous pipebomb. That happened.
Six-Man Tag: Alright, so maybe I didn't know exactly what would happen in that match. I was right about Dolph Ziggler winning, but I wasn't expecting it to be via DQ or for this to turn into a six-man tag team match. I LIKE it though. I'm a little surprised that it was The Usos who made the save and not the Primetime Players, who I'm sure will win the Tag Team Turmoil match at Night of Champions. I guess The Usos do have some history with The Shield, but its almost forgettable - especially when you consider how many other people The Shield have beatdown since their match (including Big Show earlier) and this is the first save they've made. Only when it fits the storyline, eh? After the pinfall loss by The Usos, I'm certain that was the end of their small rivalry. The Tag Team Turmoil match will be the beginning of a new rivalry against the only other babyface tag team in the match.
The Cutting Edge: This was a weak Cutting Edge, ripe with one hard hitting question! To be fair, Randy Orton is right. He did exactly what anyone else would have done. He did what superstars in the past have done, including the man they really want him to emulate - Stone Cold Steve Austin. Even the great Steve Austin aligned himself with the McMahons to win the WWE Championship. I don't see Orton as a sellou, even in the context of this storyline. I see him as doing what was best for him because lest we forget, Randy Orton hadn't sniffed WWE Championship gold in almost two years or more. I can't even remember his last title run. I hate that the only way WWE could think to end this segment was with a tussle between Orton and Daniel Bryan while Edge stood and awkwardly watched. It was the wrong way to end this, but at least Bryan wound up on top.
WHAT I HATED:
Six-Diva Tag: Anytime there is a divas match that isn't one-on-one between AJ Lee and Natalya might as well end up here in the HATE category. I once again enjoyed hearing AJ Lee on commentary. But to be fair, considering the enormous boner I have for her, I'd enjoy just hearing her whistle throughout the entire show. Hmmmm.... whistling...
Dancing with the WWE Superstars: Anytime there is a dancing segment for any reason, it will wind up in the HATE category. That's a guarantee from me to you. I don't know how WWE even puts this crap on TV. I think the only reason they did this was so they could join in with the rest of the world in this 'twerking' crusade. As usual, they're a day late and a dollar short. And this little dance routine completely shattered the small amount of good faith Miz had regained with me in the past few weeks.
Santino vs Sandow: All hope is now lost. If Damien Sandow can't pick up a win over Santino Marella, there's no hope for him as World Champion. That MITB contract is nothing more than jewelry and he's all but set to join John Cena on the short list of superstars who has lost their MITB cash-in attempt.
Ricardo vs Del Rio: Another red herring based on what I believe will happen at MITB. This match was nothing more than a spectacle, but I was interested in seeing what Ricardo Rodriguez could do in the ring. I know he is a wrestler and sometimes wrestles in house shows as El Local. I've never been able to see him do so, but I sort of want to. I thought they'd allow him to do his Corkscrew Moonsault when he went up to the top turnbuckle, but I was let down. I still kinda enjoyed this match, even though it wasn't in anyway competitive.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT:
Because one bled over into the other, I'm going to award this to two matches. Both Dolph Ziggler vs Dean Ambrose and Ziggler & The Usos vs The Shield win this award tonight. They were the only matches listed in the LIKE category. What'd you expect?
BEST IN SHOW: Albeit, this should probably go to Dolph Ziggler or Dean Ambrose - who in effect wrestled for two matches, I'm gonna have to give it to Edge who is making his second appearance on WWE programming this week. Just seeing him makes me miss him so much. I wish he was still wrestling now.
REACTION: If this episode did nothing else, it wrapped Night of Champions up in a tidy little bow - which I suppose is what it's always meant to do. Unfortunately, it didn't make me want to watch the PPV anymore than I already do. And that ain't much. The only match I'm really invested in is the WWE Championship and I'm going into that knowing that Daniel Bryan can't win. I don't care about that though, I just want to see the match. I'll lumber my way through 2.5 hours of other lesser entertainment just to watch that one match. It'll be worth it. Now, I'm off to watch Haven since Edge asked so nicely. It's a pretty good show. Edge's character, Dwight, was recurring in the first two seasons and now he's part of the main cast. He plays the town cleaner who kept the secrets of Haven from getting out through any means necessary. Plus he has a 'trouble' of being a bullet magnet. That's right. Some people's trouble is they can't feel pain, Dwight attracts bullets towards him. That's gotta suck. Give the show a try. If you like science-fiction, you'll LOVE it.
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