BRM Reviews the 5/10/2013 Smackdown

[Big Red Machine]

THE HIGHLIGHT REEL, WITH SPECIAL GUEST RYBACK- I hate wrestlers having their own interview shows. It worked in the 80's, but not anymore. Having Teddy Long come out before they can start fighting and make a main event at the end of this really made this feel like not different than any other segment on any other Smackdown. Why not let them have a pull-apart. Or even better, why not do the segment setting up the match this week and then do the match itself next week, which both gives the match more hype and gives these guys something to do next week so you don't have to book so much new stuff.

KOFI KINGSTON vs. CODY RHODES- 4.5/10
AWESOME for such a short match. GREAT finish.
I also have to point out something that Michael Cole said during this match that I absolutely loved: (paraphrasing) "Kofi has realized that the more money he makes as champion, the better life he can give his kid." It is rare that we a see a positive moral emphasis placed on making money (Homicide's early character and Necro Butcher's 2008 face turn in ROH are the only two I can remember)

ZEB COULTER PROMO- awesome!

BIG E. LANGSTON (w/AJ Lee & Dolph Ziggler) vs. JACK SWAGGER (w/Zeb Coulter)- no rating, okay segment.
It really didn't feel like anything was accomplished here. Something else that bothered me was that Del Rio's body language when he got in the ring, kicked Ziggler in the head than hit him with the ladder felt very, very heelish. He wasn't waving his arms and trying to get the crowd into it. He was cold and calculating.

DANIEL BRYAN (w/Kane) vs. DEAN AMBROSE (w/the Shield)- 6.25/10
The match was going great until Kofi showed up. He just didn't feel right in this spot. Yeah, he lost to the Shield, but that doesn't justify a run-in, IMO. I mean... he lost cleanly! What does he really have to be upset about.

MARK HENRY PROMO- apparently Sheamus vs. Henry will be a strap match. Interesting match choice, and pulling heavy objects to prove how strong he is is an awesome way to build Henry up.

MARK HENRY PULLS TRACTOR TRAILERS- SH*T! When said "tractors" before, I thought he meant farming equipment, not full on tractor trailers! Henry is a F*CKING BEAST... but we already knew that. Props to whoever cmae up with the idea of putting PTP there to encourage Mark. They did an awesome job in that role.

RANDY ORTON PROMO- okay

THE BIG SHOW vs. TENSAI (w/the Funkadactyls & Brodus Clay)- DUD!
Big Show can punch people out. We get it! We've got it years ago! Why do a pointless squash on a big man? If you want to have Randy RKO Big Show then have him interfere in the match so at least Tensai only loses by DQ, rather than destroyed and pinned.

KAITLYN -FOCUSED SEGMENT BACKSTAGE- AJ attempts to insult Kaitlyn by saying that a woman should never be stronger than her boyfriend. Then Nattie and Khali show up and Khali acts like a F*CKING IDIOT! he was supposed to be "under cover" in the locker room trying to find out who Kaitlyn's secret admirer is... so be put on a Rey Mysterio mask. Kaitlyn even points out how f*cking idiotic this is. Then Khali comes back with a mustache and Nattie makes a joke about Khali looking like Cody Rhodes. PLEASE get Khali off of my TV. Forever.

CHRIS JERICHO vs. RYBACK- 6.75/10
I really didn't like the finish. Why not just have Ryback win clean? He is freakin' Ryback!

Overall, a pretty good show. I was very surprised at the lack of Sheamus and Fandango, both of whom have been showing up on every episode of Smackdown recently.

[cero2k]

BIG E. LANGSTON (w/AJ Lee & Dolph Ziggler) vs. JACK SWAGGER (w/Zeb Coulter)- no rating, okay segment.
It really didn't feel like anything was accomplished here. Something else that bothered me was that Del Rio's body language when he got in the ring, kicked Ziggler in the head than hit him with the ladder felt very, very heelish. He wasn't waving his arms and trying to get the crowd into it. He was cold and calculating.

I wasn't imagining things then, I thought he looked heelish too

DANIEL BRYAN (w/Kane) vs. DEAN AMBROSE (w/the Shield)- 6.25/10
The match was going great until Kofi showed up. He just didn't feel right in this spot. Yeah, he lost to the Shield, but that doesn't justify a run-in, IMO. I mean... he lost cleanly! What does he really have to be upset about.

Kofi got beat up after the match with the Usos, that should be a good reason. I think they're setting up Ambrose for the US title and Rollins and Reigns for the tag titles

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