Buffalo, New YorkÂ
Hello to all wrestling fans. Another week has passed and we have just had our first Special Event of the year. The first word that came to mind after the event was ‘average’. There was nothing wrong with the night but there was nothing that I could truly say was awesome either. The Bray and Cena match was interesting but I think they made a huge booking mistake having Cena trying to escape all the time. The whole point of the match was supposed to enable Cena the opportunity to get his hands on Bray and punish him. Instead they chose to make Cena look like he was scared by running away all the time. The match did not make sense to me. The rest of the night had small problems here and there but overall I thought it was an average first special event.Â
Sheamus vs Dean Ambrose
Good opening match although I have to admit I am not a massive fan of Sheamus. With no shenanigans Sheamus manages to deliver the Brogue Kick and pin Ambrose cleanly. I was a little surprised at the clean finish.Â
Bad News Barrett and Cesaro vs Big E and RVD w Paul Heyman on CommentaryÂ
As Paul Heyman proceeds to inform us that it was he’s client that Beat The Streak, Cesaro and Barrett make quick work of their opponents in the ring. Cesaro pins Big E after delivering the Neutraliser.Â
Kofi Kingston vs RusevÂ
After showing her respect to her President Vladimir Putin, Lana introduces the Bulgarian Brute. This match was a little more competitive than some of Rusev’s pervious matches but the ending was no different. Kofi lasted a little longer than the other but inevitably ended up tapping out to The Accolade.
Emma and Santino vs Fandango and LaylaÂ
I can not believe these guys are wrestling each other again. The worst thing about it is it is not getting any better. I have said before that I think Emma has got talent but this is not the best way to showcase it. Layla rolls Emma up for the win after Emma is distracted by Santino tumbling to the outside. After the match Fandango and Layla kiss each other at the top of the ramp.Â
Mark Henry vs Roman ReignsÂ
An injured Roman Reigns nursing his ribs struggles to contend with the power of The Worlds Strongest Man. Reigns eventually manages to find some strength of his own and delivers an impressive Samoan Drop followed by a Spear to pick up the win. Reigns didn’t have to do much in this match but he sold well and pulled off a decent finish and continued to look good.Â
Los Matadores and El Torito vs Hornswoggle and 3MB’s Drew McIntyre and Heath SlaterÂ
This match gets a lot better once Horswoggle and El Torito enter the ring. El Torito pulls off a couple of good spots but the rest of the match is rubbish. El Torito manages to pin Heath Slater with the Bullsault for the win.Â
Batista vs Seth Rollins
Batista dominates the start of the match with all of his usual spots. Batista continues to use is power and strength to wear down Rollins with a combination of front face chin locks and throws. Rollins manages to turn the tables when Batista makes a mistake by missing a running charge. Rollins keeps momentum for a few minutes before Batista stops him with a Spine Buster Slam. Batista sets Rollins up for the Batista Bomb but Rollins counters with a kick and sends Batista to the outside. Rollins then attempts a dive from the top rope to the outside but Batista side steps him and sends Rollins head into the announce table. Rollins remains motionless outside the ring and ends up getting counted out. Batista wins. After the match Batista brings Rollins back into the ring and deliver the Batista Bomb.Â
The Wyatt’s vs John Cena and the Uso’s
I thought this was a decent main event. The Wyatt’s take control early and show off some smart ring psychology. Jay spends most of the match searching for the hot tag to his brother Jimmy. Jimmy eventually gets the tag and does what he does best. Everybody starts brawling on the outside of the ring. Jimmy attempts to join the party by setting himself up to run and Suicide Dive to the outside but Harper foils his plans and destroys him with a incredible Clothesline. Harper gets the pin, Wyatt’s win. Cena was absent for most of the match.Â
They squeezed eight matches into this weeks show and to me that seemed like a lot. This might be a firm step in the once hinted future direction of the product being more action and less story. Like I have said before I have no problem with that as long as the commentators do their job and build the story correctly and call the matches seriously. In turn this would mean the stars will need to put in more effort in the ring with their actions to convey that message to the fans. Out of the eight matches I probably enjoyed about half of them. It does feel like we are in a little bit of a holding period at the moment things seem a little static. I am really not enjoying the Kane and Daniel Bryan storyline at the moment and for me it feels so detached from everything else that’s going on. Once again this week I would say SmackDown was good enough to watch but not bad enough to hate.
– By Sebastian Bowen