Teddy Long started things off by announcing that he would receive a job evaluation that very night, potentially earning the spot of SmackDown General Manager. But current GM Booker T then made his return, shortly followed by Vince McMahon who asked each man to book a match for the show to test them and see who deserves the position. Brad Maddox also joined them and tried to convince McMahon that he should have the job.
After contemplating it for a few seconds, Mr. McMahon announced Vickie Guerrero as the new GM for the blue brand, who first thanked him for appointing her and then screamed at the fans that she hated them. Did the fact that she lost her job on Raw due to the fans dislike of her not sink in? I'm still struggling to see the advantage of her back in a management position so soon, although it makes sense regarding how upset Vince was when she was terminated to bring her back so fast. Well it could've been worse, we could have had Laurinaitis back.
Dolph Ziggler pinned Jack Swagger in a short but fair contest. Given a bit more time they could've had a far more remarkable encounter, as it was they both delivered passable performances. Ziggler grabbed the one-two-three after hitting Swagger with a Zig Zag after an ankle lock attempt. Afterwards Dolph said he was "sorry" to his ex AJ Lee, sorry for not dumping her sooner that is. Backstage a furious AJ began throwing a tantrum until Big E Langston consoled her, almost leaning in for a kiss but instead just pecking her on the forehead.
Before their match could get underway The Usos and The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) began to brawl in the ring, with the Usos eventually being sent out. But then an angry Mark Henry marched down and helped Jimmy and Jey even the odds and send the trio on their way.
Daniel Bryan forced Wade Barrett to submit in an enjoyable enough outing. Again, like the Swagger versus Ziggler bout this was a bit brief for my liking, but Bryan as standard for him lately was on great form and made the most of the time allocated.
The Miz deemed his guest on the latest 'Miz TV' too contemptible to even question, so instead he simply allowed him to say whatever he wanted. Heyman warned CM Punk to "stay down," claiming that he still had love in his heart for him and knew it would be best for his well being, otherwise he will feel the wrath of his client Brock Lesnar once again. Miz was so disgusted with Heyman's double cross, and even more so with the fact that he swore on his children's lives while lying to Punk, that he had to leave. It was a decent segment, you can't really go wrong when Heyman has a mic in hand.
Curtis Axel (c) defeated Chris Jericho to retain the intercontinental Title in an engaging affair. Once again these two put on a stellar bout, each giving displays to be proud of as they went back and fourth. Afterwards Ryback decided to come on down and after Y2J clobbered him with a few strikes, managed to Shell Shock his Money in the Bank opponent and kick him in the gut for good measure.
'Mr. Money in the Bank' Damien Sandow claimed that he did no wrong at Money in the Bank when he tossed former tag partner Rhodes from the ladder and grabbed the briefcase for himself, reminding everyone that it was every man for himself in that environment. He went on to ask Cody to join him so they could settle things in an orderly fashion.
Once Cody came out, Sandow forgave him for attacking him on Raw an offered him a consolation in the form of becoming the 'honorary' Money in the Bank briefcase protector. After feigning appreciation for this opportunity, Cody thrust the briefcase into Sandow's face and then began beating on him, eventually chasing him out of the ring. Hopefully this face turn will be just what Cody needs to get back on track, he's been a punching bag for too long now.
Rob Van Dam beat Darren Young in an entertaining match up, largely thanks to the efforts of RVD. It wasn't an exceptional contest by any means, but you couldn't help but have fun watching Van Dam do what he does best.
Randy Orton bested Alberto Del Rio in a solid main event. I'll admit neither has the most exciting persona nowadays, but in-between the ropes they're two of the most consistent in the company next to the likes of Bryan, Ziggler and Christian. A clean pinfall over the World Champion must surely earn 'The Viper' a title shot in the near future? If he was to obtain the strap that could make a potential cash in on the WWE Title extremely interesting...
Overall it was a pretty satisfying show for the most part, with no bad match ups and some entertaining promos. My highlights were Axel versus Jericho, the 'Miz TV' segment and the main event. My only issue with the show was Vickie Guerrero brought back as the GM, I just see this as a step back, there's nothing more we can get from her in that position. Why not just have her return as Ryback's manager or something along those lines?
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