Ambrose plants Kofi en route to the win. Photo credit: WWE.com
'Miz TV' kicked things off, with The Miz introducing guests Fandango and Summer Rae, and quizzed them about abandoning Fandango's tag partner Wade Barrett on Monday's Raw. But Fandango simply corrected Miz's pronunciation of his name and claimed that he bored him. Wade Barrett then came out and warned Fandango that if their paths cross again he'll be sorry, and after some heated words with Miz began brawling with his upcoming opponent. It was an average start to the show.
Wade Barrett (c) versus The Miz for the Intercontinental Title ended in a no contest after Fandango attacked Miz. Previous to that Miz had kicked Fandango due to him inappropriately dancing during their contest. Barrett also received some retribution on Fandango by applying a Bull Hammer to the dancer. The actual match itself was pretty average, with unremarkable wrestling from both men.
Daniel Bryan defeated Jack Swagger in a decent outing. Both men gave stellar showings, especially Bryan who's on great form at the moment. A crazed Bryan forced Swagger to tap via the No Lock after a few vicious kicks to the head, then applied the hold again after the bell had rung until Kane and the referee forced him off. I'm predicting the first in a series of matches between the Team Hell No members at Payback next month.
Damien Sandow berated Mark Henry and Sheamus for their test of strengths in recent weeks, stating that the test of a real man was with his intelligence. He then challenged Matt Stryker to untie a Gordian knot, which he failed to do, so Sheamus then joined them and asked if he could have a go. After the 'Celtic Warrior' also failed, Sandow untied the knot by cutting it open.
Sheamus admitted he'd outsmarted him, and went for a Brogue Kick but the 'Intellectual Saviour' saw it coming and got out of the ring. So as an example of Newton's law of gravity Sheamus threw Stryker at Sandow. It was an enjoyable segment, with Sandow on strong form on the mic as usual. Hopefully he can get into a proper feud with Sheamus and elevate himself a bit.
Chris Jericho won via count out versus Big Show after applying a Codebreaker and sending the giant over the barricade. A seething Big Show then stormed to the ring with a steel chair, but Y2J kicked it out of his hand and smacked him with it, sending Show packing. The bout itself had been a solid one, with worthy efforts and nice back and fourth action.
Paul Heyman, accompanied by his latest client Curtis Axel, came to the ring and listed off his respectful accomplishments as a manager, proving that when he calls Axel the next "A lister" in the company, he knows what he's talking about. Axel then claimed that last Monday he accomplished more than his father and grandfather combined when he defeated Triple H.
Curtis Axel pinned Sin Cara in a fair encounter. I can't complain it was a decent enough showing, but it was also quite forgettable and uninspiring. But Axel is certainly capable in the ring and I have faith in a successful run from him.
Dean Ambrose (c) versus Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship ended in a DQ after Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins ran in and attacked the challenger. But Randy Orton and Sheamus then came to Kofi's aid, so Teddy Long booked a six-man tag between them all. It'd been an entertaining contest before the DQ, I wouldn't mind seeing them face off one on one again in the near future.
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) bested Sheamus, Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston in a great six-man main event. Much like their terrific (admittedly superior) tag bout on this week's Raw, the action came fast and each man deserves credit for a stellar display. I'd say that it's like Shield can do no wrong but I'm scared I my jinx it.
Unfortunately the only issue with the match was Reigns appearing to pick up some kind of knee injury half way through when Superman punching Orton. He had to apparently be helped away before the dark match after the main event. Fortunately he was able to finish the tag match so hopefully it's not too bad, this would be a devastating time for him to be out injured.
Overall it was an enjoyable show for the most part, and above average for the blue brand. My highlights were Bryan versus Swagger, Damien Sandow's Gordian knot segment, Jericho versus Big Show, Heyman's mic work and the exciting main event. Outside of that it was okay, not terrible, so I'll take that for a 2013 SmackDown.
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