Spoilers follow for the June 13th episode of Smackdown.
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It's Friday the 13th, and you know what that means for the WWE, don't you? No? Me, neither, actually. Once upon a time (six years ago?) it would mean an appearance by The Boogeyman, or The Undertaker, or maybe Kane. Now? Somehow I doubt we're going to get anything special. One can hope, but I'm not holding my breath.
Smackdown opens (after the obligatory Raw flashback) with the two remaining members of The Shield coming down to the ring, essentially cutting the same promo they did earlier in the week on Raw. Ambrose starts with the mic, doesn't drop it before handing it off this time, and then Reigns gets to talk and continues to be less than good at talking. Yes, he's getting better. But he started really bad and now he's just kind of mediocre. Triple H cuts them off on the Titantron, saying how there's only one qualifying spot left for the Money in the Bank match, and after flipping a coin, it's determined that Dean Ambrose will get that match against Bray Wyatt later on. Reigns has a match now, with Ambrose banned from ringside, against Bad News Barrett. Triple H announces it with a funny English accent.
Roman Reigns vs. Bad News Barrett
It becomes increasingly clear in singles matches that Roman Reigns is not ready to leave the tag team division. His opponent always winds up carrying him and getting in most of the offense, making him look weak for the majority of the match. He then mounts a comeback with three or four moves before the finish.
That's not how this match ends, however, as 3MB (two of the 3MB members were released on Thursday, so you won't be seeing Drew McIntyre or Jinder Mahal on WWE TV any time soon) comes out to beat up Reigns. Barrett is disqualified before he can be pinned, thanks to the interference. 3MB gets destroyed by Reigns after jumping him, because 3MB isn't enough to take down Roman Reigns.
Match Rating: **
Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper) vs. Jey Uso (with Jimmy Uso)
We have to be building toward a Tag Team Championship match at Money in the Bank, right? Rowan beats Jey in a short match which had Jey do most of the offense before eating a couple of moves and taking the loss. Boring.
Match Rating: **
We get another Bo Dallas vignette before the commercial break, because ... I don't know. How many Superstars get vignettes weeks after they debut? Is this the first time?
Bo Dallas vs. R-Truth
A dumb mic exchange precedes this match. Various "Bo" jokes are delivered by the commentators. Truth and Dallas do nothing to excite anyone. The wrestle a bo-ring, dull, and slow match. Dallas hits his signatures, picks up the victory, celebrates outside the ring, and we've seen this before. How about let's give him a feud or at least something to do.
Match Rating: *1/2
Cesaro and Paul Heyman are out next to cut a promo -- both about the Streak and Cesaro himself -- and we've got Cesaro vs. Sheamus up next. Cesaro will not grapple tonight. He's here for a fight.
Cesaro (with Paul Heyman) vs. Sheamus
I guess various slams don't count as "grapples," because Cesaro certainly attempts -- and lands -- those. But, like Heyman and Cesaro said before the match, this is a fight. A brawl. A heck of an entertaining bout. This is a physical match with few pinfalls but a good number of strong moments from both men. Lots of strikes. Both men looked beaten up by the end. You could do far worse than pairing Sheamus and Cesaro. The finish comes from Cesaro winning with a small package, something he said he wouldn't do. He's a heel. This works. It means that something was done with the poor finish the last time out, and that's always a bonus.
Match Rating: ***
Fandango (with Layla) vs. Adam Rose
The present dancing gimmick vs. the future dancing gimmick. Sorry, that was a low blow. But I can see Rose eventually filling the position currently held by Fandango. If Rose doesn't get over soon, that's where he'll end up. Rose wins in a couple of minutes and maybe two moves.
Match Rating: *
After the match, Summer Rae appeared dressed as one of Rose's Rosebuds and attacked Layla. Rose was used to further the Summer Rae/Layla storyline. He's already fallen that far.
Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) vs. Big E
A short match with mostly big moves and spots. This could've been worse. But right before the end, Lana comes out to taunt Big E. Colter actually takes issue with Lana's presence, which might be teasing a feud between them. Big E wins after Swagger gets distracted by Lana and Colter's interaction.
Match Rating: **
Aksana vs. Alicia Fox
Aksana was also released on Thursday, which means that this will be her last match on WWE TV for a while (possibly forever). This reduces the chance of a Diva being hurt in the ring by 45%. Aksana dominated much of the early match, but eventually Alicia Fox regains momentum and picks up the win. The match is sloppy and not really worth seeing, unless you need to see Aksana's last WWE match.
Match Rating: *1/2
<color=Red>World Heavyweight Championship Qualifying Match: Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose
I would have loved to see Ambrose in the Money in the Bank match, but it was not to be. After a pretty solid match, which was well-suited for the main event, Wyatt picks up the victory. Both factions were banned from ringside, which should become a new rule for both The Shield and the Wyatt Family. It allows for better matches that won't end in random disqualifications followed by brawls. Wyatt shows off a couple of new moves, both men get ample opportunity to shine, and I suppose Ambrose can take the loss and be less affected than if Wyatt would lose again. The crowd cheered for both men. Wyatt might just become a babyface even without a "turn."
The finish comes with Seth Rollins -- not a member of either team -- comes out to distract Ambrose and allows Wyatt to hit Sister Abigail. It's a shame. We get a good match with a poor finish, which is far too often the norm for a non-PPV match.
Match Rating: ***
The Good: Cesaro/Sheamus. Wyatt/Ambrose
The Bad: Aksana/Fox. Fandango/Rose. Dallas/Truth
Match of the Night: Cesaro vs. Sheamus.
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http://i55.servimg.com/u/f55/16/09/70/40/smackd10.png
It's Friday the 13th, and you know what that means for the WWE, don't you? No? Me, neither, actually. Once upon a time (six years ago?) it would mean an appearance by The Boogeyman, or The Undertaker, or maybe Kane. Now? Somehow I doubt we're going to get anything special. One can hope, but I'm not holding my breath.
Smackdown opens (after the obligatory Raw flashback) with the two remaining members of The Shield coming down to the ring, essentially cutting the same promo they did earlier in the week on Raw. Ambrose starts with the mic, doesn't drop it before handing it off this time, and then Reigns gets to talk and continues to be less than good at talking. Yes, he's getting better. But he started really bad and now he's just kind of mediocre. Triple H cuts them off on the Titantron, saying how there's only one qualifying spot left for the Money in the Bank match, and after flipping a coin, it's determined that Dean Ambrose will get that match against Bray Wyatt later on. Reigns has a match now, with Ambrose banned from ringside, against Bad News Barrett. Triple H announces it with a funny English accent.
Roman Reigns vs. Bad News Barrett
It becomes increasingly clear in singles matches that Roman Reigns is not ready to leave the tag team division. His opponent always winds up carrying him and getting in most of the offense, making him look weak for the majority of the match. He then mounts a comeback with three or four moves before the finish.
That's not how this match ends, however, as 3MB (two of the 3MB members were released on Thursday, so you won't be seeing Drew McIntyre or Jinder Mahal on WWE TV any time soon) comes out to beat up Reigns. Barrett is disqualified before he can be pinned, thanks to the interference. 3MB gets destroyed by Reigns after jumping him, because 3MB isn't enough to take down Roman Reigns.
Match Rating: **
Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper) vs. Jey Uso (with Jimmy Uso)
We have to be building toward a Tag Team Championship match at Money in the Bank, right? Rowan beats Jey in a short match which had Jey do most of the offense before eating a couple of moves and taking the loss. Boring.
Match Rating: **
We get another Bo Dallas vignette before the commercial break, because ... I don't know. How many Superstars get vignettes weeks after they debut? Is this the first time?
Bo Dallas vs. R-Truth
A dumb mic exchange precedes this match. Various "Bo" jokes are delivered by the commentators. Truth and Dallas do nothing to excite anyone. The wrestle a bo-ring, dull, and slow match. Dallas hits his signatures, picks up the victory, celebrates outside the ring, and we've seen this before. How about let's give him a feud or at least something to do.
Match Rating: *1/2
Cesaro and Paul Heyman are out next to cut a promo -- both about the Streak and Cesaro himself -- and we've got Cesaro vs. Sheamus up next. Cesaro will not grapple tonight. He's here for a fight.
Cesaro (with Paul Heyman) vs. Sheamus
I guess various slams don't count as "grapples," because Cesaro certainly attempts -- and lands -- those. But, like Heyman and Cesaro said before the match, this is a fight. A brawl. A heck of an entertaining bout. This is a physical match with few pinfalls but a good number of strong moments from both men. Lots of strikes. Both men looked beaten up by the end. You could do far worse than pairing Sheamus and Cesaro. The finish comes from Cesaro winning with a small package, something he said he wouldn't do. He's a heel. This works. It means that something was done with the poor finish the last time out, and that's always a bonus.
Match Rating: ***
Fandango (with Layla) vs. Adam Rose
The present dancing gimmick vs. the future dancing gimmick. Sorry, that was a low blow. But I can see Rose eventually filling the position currently held by Fandango. If Rose doesn't get over soon, that's where he'll end up. Rose wins in a couple of minutes and maybe two moves.
Match Rating: *
After the match, Summer Rae appeared dressed as one of Rose's Rosebuds and attacked Layla. Rose was used to further the Summer Rae/Layla storyline. He's already fallen that far.
Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) vs. Big E
A short match with mostly big moves and spots. This could've been worse. But right before the end, Lana comes out to taunt Big E. Colter actually takes issue with Lana's presence, which might be teasing a feud between them. Big E wins after Swagger gets distracted by Lana and Colter's interaction.
Match Rating: **
Aksana vs. Alicia Fox
Aksana was also released on Thursday, which means that this will be her last match on WWE TV for a while (possibly forever). This reduces the chance of a Diva being hurt in the ring by 45%. Aksana dominated much of the early match, but eventually Alicia Fox regains momentum and picks up the win. The match is sloppy and not really worth seeing, unless you need to see Aksana's last WWE match.
Match Rating: *1/2
<color=Red>World Heavyweight Championship Qualifying Match: Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose
I would have loved to see Ambrose in the Money in the Bank match, but it was not to be. After a pretty solid match, which was well-suited for the main event, Wyatt picks up the victory. Both factions were banned from ringside, which should become a new rule for both The Shield and the Wyatt Family. It allows for better matches that won't end in random disqualifications followed by brawls. Wyatt shows off a couple of new moves, both men get ample opportunity to shine, and I suppose Ambrose can take the loss and be less affected than if Wyatt would lose again. The crowd cheered for both men. Wyatt might just become a babyface even without a "turn."
The finish comes with Seth Rollins -- not a member of either team -- comes out to distract Ambrose and allows Wyatt to hit Sister Abigail. It's a shame. We get a good match with a poor finish, which is far too often the norm for a non-PPV match.
Match Rating: ***
The Good: Cesaro/Sheamus. Wyatt/Ambrose
The Bad: Aksana/Fox. Fandango/Rose. Dallas/Truth
Match of the Night: Cesaro vs. Sheamus.
<color=D6D9DA>_________________________________________________________________________________
If you wish to be notified whenever I post something new, please join this <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/2-50-Reviews>user group.
For an archive of all my previous WWE reviews, please go <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.846764-Marters-WWE-Reviews-Archive>here.
Talk to me on the Twitter, <url=https://twitter.com/martertweet>@martertweet.
