BRM Reviews the 2/14/2013 Smackdown

[Big Red Machine]

SHEAMUS, CHRISTIAN, & DANIEL BRYAN vs. THE SHIELD- 6.75/10
Obviously the Shield needed a good, strong win here, (which they really didn’t get because the finish was a direct result of Sheamus and Christian’s miscue, but why in hell would you have three of the guys heading into the main event of Elimination Chamber take the loss? Why not just feed them Dolph Kofi, and Rey. That’s two former world champions and a perennial upper midcarder who everyone loves. Unless this finish is going to lead to Sheamus and Christian having a match at Wrestlemania, they shouldn’t have booked this match.

ZEB & VICKIE BACKSTAGE- decent. Zeb is not above sucking up to a foreigner to get what he wants.

BYRON SAXTON INTERVIEWS (don’t call me “Antonio”) CESARO- decent promo by Cesaro.

WINNER GETS AN INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH AT ELIMINATION CHAMBER: Mark Henry vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Coulter)- 6.5/10
So we have a match was randomly throw together off the cuff ten minutes ago in which a bunch of guys who have mostly been on the losing end of tag team matches recently face each other and Mark Henry, who really should be in line for a shot at the other midcard title Very prestigious, this title must be.
Lots of great, all-over-the-place action. They did about as well as they possibly could in the eight and a half minutes they were given. Swagger stole Kurt Angle’s double German Suplex spot. There were a few scary seconds there where I actually though they were going to have Mark Henry tap out. Swagger gets the win and earns the title match, but the announcers (and Big E., who was on commentary) spent so much time hyping up the possibility of Big E. vs. Henry that I am kind of disappointed that we aren’t getting that match.

CODY RHODES, GOLDUST, & THE USOS vs. RYBACK, CURTIS AXEL, & THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS- 5.75/10
Standard tag team stuff, but good build for the Usos getting a tag title shot.

LANA & RUSEV PROMO- at least it’s a new promo this time.

DAMIEN SANDOW vs. DARREN YOUNG- 0.5/10
Titus was great on commentary. The match itself was way too short. Titus jumped Darren after the match, but Darren got him right back, so what was the point of it?

THE MIZ vs. FANDANGO (w/Summer Rae)- 1/10
Fandango has the advantage, but Santino and Emma come out to distract him. Summer Rae and Emma get physical, with Emma getting the better of it, and Santino hits Fandango with the Cobra, allowing Miz to get the win.

RANDY ORTON vs. CESARO (w/Zeb Coulter)- 7/10
Before the match they aired a clip of Hunter putting Cesaro over in his weekly interview with Cole. This was pretty much a trial run for a Cesaro babyface turn, and they did absolutely everything they could to put it over.

A great episode of Smackdown.