WHAT I LIKED:
Opening Segment: Come on, who didn't see that swerve coming? I figured Randy Orton would come out first. I would've expected them to save Batista for later. They should know better than to blow their big marquee in the first segment of the show. Not with the way their viewership tails off as the show progresses. Oh, well. I can't be too miffed at seeing an Evolution reunion. Just missing the vital element. In my opinion, I have Evolution as one of the top 5 stables of all-time. Right up there with The Four Horsemen, D-Generation X, NWO, The Corporation and The Shield. Batista looks to be in fighting shape, but we learned with The Rock that an action-star's body isn't exactly a wrestler's body. Albeit, Batista hasn't had quite the layoff that Rocky did and he was never as agile as The Rock used to be.
Six-Man Tag Team: I'm going to miss these matches if and when The Shield breaks up. They have been so much fun to watch over the past year or so. Without The Shield, the only trio we'll be able to watch is 3MB or Los Matadores and that stupid bull. I'm more looking forward to seeing Cody Rhodes and Goldust breakup, only because I want the Wrestlemania match between them that has been passed over for years to actually happen. This match was as much fun as I expected it to be, with an unexpected finish - Seth Rollins getting the pinfall over Big E Langston. Thought for sure it'd be Roman Reigns. They had to make sure they highlighted his 'Superman Punch' though. Even though Rollins' Curb Stomp was much cooler. Kudos to Langston for selling it so well.
Daniel Bryan: I would have LIKED this better if they made it where Daniel Bryan didn't have a 'plan' against the Wyatts, but that he had a moment of weakness and submitted. It would make him a much more sentimental character and allow us to connect with him. Who hasn't done something they regret in a moment of weakness? I do LIKE the Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt match at Royal Rumble, but does that mean neither of them will be in the Royal Rumble match? That's the way it sounded when Bryan insinuated that Harper & Rowan would be busy with the Royal Rumble and Bray Wyatt would be free to face him. I want both Bryan and Bray in the Royal Rumble match. Bryan mostly because he's one of my picks to win.
Mysterio vs Del Rio: It's time for the Batista bait match. At least they had the good sense to make this the long match of the night and a strong MOTN candidate. And, as expected, it's Batista out to make a statement at Del Rio's expense. That's what everyone has been waiting for. WWE delivered. I hope everybody is happy now.
Brock/Big Show: I actually LIKED that segment, even though they it adhered to the 'make the heel look like a coward' routine that I normally HATE. At least Brock Lesnar did do what Big Show asked and "got in his face." Whatever happened after that is irrelevant. I understand that they need to build Big Show up so that he can fall even harder at Royal Rumble.
Usos vs Wyatts: The Usos have seriously been on a role lately. Not the fake role that Kofi Kingston gets on ever so often. They should be dancing. One of them just locked down Naomi and gets all of that voluptuousness to himself. That's definitely worth some dancing. This was a pretty physical match. Those slaps they were landing sounded pretty hard. I forgot to mention The Wyatts as a possible replacement for The Shield in 6-Man Tag matches. But honestly, how often does Bray Wyatt actually wrestle? Glad to see Daniel Bryan's concussion wasn't bad enough to where he couldn't at least physically compete a little bit tonight.
WHAT I HATED:
John Cena Cam: What happened to Cena being 'the first to arrive and the last to leave, jack?' Yeah, that was just a promo. It's a little ridiculous to have a camera watching the parking garage to see when John Cena arrives. Do they know what type of rental car he has? What if there's an important promo or match going on when Cena arrives? Will they cut from that to show Cena's arrival? What if it's in the middle of a commercial break? What if he decides to enter through the front door? What are the odds that he'll make his entrance during Randy Orton's main-event rematch? I'd say it's pretty damn high.
Punk vs Gunn: It's not often that a CM Punk match winds up in the HATED category, but even the 'Best in the World' can have a bad match or two. For starters, the apology angle from Kane was horrid. WWE needs to put a stop to these apologies. There are no apologies in wrestling. While they're at it, they need to put a stop to that stupid 'you can't superstars' rule they like to toss out every now and then. It was a fun enough match to watch, but the circumstances surrounding it just threw me off. I LOVED the annoucement after the match though. CM Punk at #1 is great. It sort of adds fuel to my prediction of him winning the match. Punk is at his best when his back is against the wall.
AJ/Tamina vs Funkadactyls: Really? Cake? That was necessary? If that's all they have for AJ Lee to do, then she may as well lose the Divas Championship. I'd rather not see her as Divas Champion than for her to be so horribly wasted as she has been for the past few months. Hopefully this loss will lead to a Divas Title match at Royal Rumble between her and Naomi, who is the only diva on the current roster aside from Natalya that I think is any competition for AJ.
Kingston vs Orton: Why is WWE ignoring the fact that Kofi Kingston beat Randy Orton before and much better than he did last week? Probably the same reason they are ignoring the fact that Randy Orton attacked John Cena's dad five years ago too. Lack of originality and revisionist history. This match is of no consequence because it's just going to end with Cena rushing the ring to attack Orton. Just like I thought.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"And some people say I shouldn't be the face of this company." - Daniel Bryan
"What an ugly face." - JBL
It's a face good enough to land a Bella Twin. It's gotta be worth something.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: I thought the Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio match was going to be a throwaway match, all in an effort to bait Batista to the ring and everyone can markout over seeing the Batista-Bomb for the first time in 4 years. The latter ended up being true, but the match was no throwaway.
BEST IN SHOW: Like him or not, Batista's return was the reason most people tuned in and he didn't disappoint. His promo at the top of the program was decent, he looked to be in good shape and he executed the Batista-Bomb with relative ease. It's like he never left.
REACTION:
WWE is doing an amazing job of stacking the deck against Randy Orton. Everything from placing him in a rematch with John Cena, to bringing back Brock Lesnar and Batista - both of whom claim to want the WWE World Title, to reminding him that he never defeated Daniel Bryan cleanly, to even having the Royal Rumble glaring at him in the near future. It's understandable that Orton is having doubts and losing control of himself. What's better is that Randy Orton is playing his character to perfection. I fully believe that the walls are closing in based on how paranoid and angry he's been acting. I rarely ever give credit to Randy Orton's 'acting,' but I will do so this time. He deserves it. WWE deserves credit for having The Authority, a heel group, levy this mental aggravation on a heel champion. Usually heels seems to somehow come together, no matter how opposite they are.
It is a bit odd that The Usos just forgave Daniel Bryan so easily. He was part of the beatdown that inspired the tag team cage match last week, and Bryan admitted that he didn't tell anyone what his plan was. It stands to reason that The Usos weren't 'in' on Daniel Bryan's plan and therefore should be just as upset as him as they are at the Wyatt Family. But this is WWE. Explanations be damned. WWE picked the wrong week to debut Cena's new 'Neon' attire. He's supposed to angry and vengeful and bloodthirsty... yet he made sure to wear the newest threads from WWEShop.com. Yeah, that's believable. I'm sure his dad is appreciative that his gear is more important than his family pride.
The Royal Rumble PPV - my favorite PPV of the year - is coming up this weekend and I am jazzed for it. I only wish I could order the WWE Network now instead of having to pay one more huge PPV fee of 60 bucks. It better be worth it. If Daniel Bryan or CM Punk wins as I expect them too, then it most likely will be. I'll have my PPV Prediction post up on Saturday and then it's KJR time on Sunday for the big event. I cannot wait.
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