WWE's primary goal Monday night was to set up the next pay-per-view, The Night of Champions. I thought that was accomplished in what was a decent non-live show.
Let's review:
The angles:
Sheamus promo. REACT: Strong start to the show by the WWE Champion. I liked how he got to relax and watch the competition on a throne provided by the mystery general manager. It was smart to imply he would pick his worst future opponent, which obviously didn't happen. Sheamus photo: Courtesy of WWE.
Easter Bunny comment. REACT: Shame on Jerry Lawler for this one. Not appropriate for WWE PG.
Edge promo. REACT: Smart to emphasize he is a 9-time champion. I had forgotten about that, and it really raised his stock.
John Cena promo. REACT: Strong stuff by Cena on The Miz.
The Miz embarrassed promo. REACT: Strong stuff by The Miz on Cena.
The Nexus bans lifted. REACT: I like that the "truce" is off. Sheamus' expression was perfect.
Tiger Woods' comment. REACT: The announcing was obviously done Monday one week after this pre-taped show, as Lawler and Michael Cole discussed Woods' divorce.
August 28, 1986. REACT: I had totally forgotten about "The Big Event."
The matches:
Edge beats R-Truth. REACT: High spot by R-Truth led to a good beatdown. I liked the finish with a leapfrog to avoid the spear, followed by the spear.
Chris Jericho beats The Great Khali. REACT: A little surprising to see Khali tap out, but I liked how this match went -- power game by Khali followed by working on his injured knee. Another good finish here with the vice grip, codebreaker and tapout.
Divas Champion Melina beats Jillian. REACT: Unique splitdown moves by Melina, but it does distract from the match (and not in a good way). I liked the Jillian surfboard move. The screaming by both was way too much, although Lawler's "Don't you watch tennis?" comment was funny. Yet another strong finish. I hope they unify the women's straps with this LayCool "offer."
United States Champion The Miz beats Cena by disqualification. REACT: Strong pace here. Cena took a decent fall off the ropes to lead into the commercial break. I liked how The Miz was frustrated. I also liked Daniel Bryan attacking The Miz leading to the DQ, but I am still concerned The Miz has this angle where he will probably lose a match while he is the Money in the Bank holder.
Santino Marella/Vladimir Kozlov beat The Usos. REACT: Kozlov was strong, again. These guys are really fan favorites. I liked the Tamina-Santino angle. They did well with it and made me care about an angle we've seen before with Santino.
Randy Orton beats Ted DiBiase Jr. and John Morrison. REACT: DiBiase had a good showing. I didn't like how Orton DDT'd him about a long delay, but I did like the RKO on a flying Morrison, who seems to be in major de-push mode.
WWE Champion Sheamus beats Zack Ryder. REACT: Waste of time squash, but it set up the post-match aftermath. I liked Sheamus saying he only needs to defend his strap every 13 days. I can't ever recall that specific number. I like the six-person challenge concept. The beatdown of Wade Barrett with everyone's finisher was solid.
Analysis and grade: I liked the match finishes and angles, although the matches were mostly predictable. Grade: B.
OTHER SHOW REVIEWS
A little behind from last week:
Superstars: Strange to see Jack Swagger on here, but I liked his match against Chris Masters. If Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins are going to beat The Miz and JTG, they really need to be pushed for the tag-team titles. I wish Primo would have beaten Yoshi Tatsu. Primo has looked better in recent months.
Smackdown: Four matches is a little low. I'm glad Alberto Del Rio beat Rey Mysterio, cleanly, after months of pre-match character hype. But what's next for him? He really needs to keep the push going. I liked Christian beating Drew McIntyre and then McIntyre and Cody Rhodes beating down Christian. I wonder if Matt Hardy will really take a break. Good to see Serena get her first WWE TV win. Too bad it's likely her last. I wish Dolph Ziggler had beaten Kofi Kingston, but I guess this strong feud will continue.
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS
WWE Superstar News -- Skip Sheffield out!
Skip Sheffield (broken left ankle) out "for some time." REACT: That stinks. He's one of the best in The Nexus.
Shawn Michaels tweets on Twitter he has a new non-wrestling future project. REACT: Ministry-related?
WWE plans to "go all the way" pushing The Miz. REACT: It would be stupid not to do so.
Entire roster booked for next week's 900th Raw special. REACT: Should be a good show.
Balls Mahoney gets into a fight at a restaurant to build a future match. REACT: Hope the disorderly conduct arrest was worth it.
Vince McMahon turns 65. REACT: Doesn't look like he is retiring anytime soon.
WWE Diva News -- Serena released?!?!
Serena reportedly released for not "living out" her persona in public. REACT: That would stink, not to mention that's not a good reason. I find this shocking. What really happened?
Rumors of Justin Gabriel and Kelly Kelly dating. REACT: Gabriel's stock just went way up if this is true. This would also be the youngest power couple in WWE.
Rosa Mendes may get a push due to Tiffany's suspension. REACT: Finally.
TNA Wrestling
Team 3-D's contracts expire. REACT: Interesting there were no deals to keep them in the company. At least not yet.
Ric Flair robe at Jimmy V cancer research fundraiser auctions for $11,000. REACT: Wooooo! Nice gesture.
Katie Lea has tryout. REACT: She would be a good hire. She has a good character and a decent fan following.
Cool Link
http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/08/20/wwe-has-new-collector-items-out/ REACT: Awesome link about WWE action figures.
Also
Jim Webba (General Skandor Akbar) dies at 75. REACT: I can't say I remember much about him other than he was a strong heel manager. He was also influential for his time period and also gave direction to Stone Cold Steve Austin. My condolences to his family and friends.
