My WWE SmackDown, 8th February 2013 Recap

Big Show started things off by complaining about his treatment in the company, claiming that it was unjust that he had to put his World Title on the line last month against Del Rio unprepared. But on a happier note for Show he reminded us that he'd signed a contract and would have another shot at the strap at Elimination Chamber next Sunday.

He also went on to blame General Manager Booker T for the unfortunate series of events he's endured recently, stating that he was jealous that he was still active in the ring and he wasn't. So the GM himself confronted the giant and told him that he treated all wrestlers on the roster equally. But this didn't ease Show who demanded to know how Del Rio found his hotel room on this Monday's Raw, and called him "incompetent" for informing him about a match he had that night against Kane with such short notice. I can see all this leading to a bout between Show and Booker at 'Mania, maybe even with Booker's job on the line?

Cody Rhodes pinned Kofi Kingston in a decent enough contest. Both men gave fine displays, and although it wasn't the most exciting bout it was certainly watchable and worth a look. Rhodes winning was the right choice too, he has far more chance of moving up than Kofi, although I'm not holding my breath after his treatment form Cena last week on Raw.

Khali beat Titus O'Neil in a worthless and short match up. As usual Khali just swung his arms about and made the winning pin. Mark Henry then made his way down and swatted away O'Neil before engaging in an awkward looking scrap with Khali, eventually applying an impressive looking World's Strongest Slam on him.

Henry then announced that the "Hall of pain was now open," and went on to claim that his attacks since returning have been a result of Booker T not asking him to be in the Elimination Chamber match, and demanded that the GM come out and explain why. Boy, everyone's after Booker at the moment!

So the GM came out and warned Henry that his actions have been unacceptable, but the 'World's Strongest Man' didn't back down and threatened to take out every other man in the EC to make room for himself. To reason with Henry, Booker granted him a match against Orton which if won would earn him a spot in the Chamber match. I'm not a big fan of Henry's but this was a nice segment and promo from him, his threats were delivered very well and were believable. 

After ordering his coach driver around, an angry Big Show made his way to the ring for his bout, not realising that the suspended Alberto Del Rio was keeping a close eye on him in the parking lot.

Big Show bested Kane in a short and forgettable bout. To be fair I wasn't expecting much here anyway, and least it wasn't dragged on. Afterwards Del Rio appeared on the big screen and revealed that he'd been having a chat with Show's mistreated coach driver. After rushing outside an upset Big Show discovered that Del Rio had his wheels removed from the coach and then poured orange paint all over him. 

Jack Swagger defeated Justin Gabriel in a fair encounter. While unremarkable the match was solid enough, with decent displays from both men. Rather than just a squash match Gabriel was at least given some offense to add a little something. I'm really hoping this push for Swagger isn't dropped anytime soon, as I said last week he has the ability to make it into the main event scene, and they could definitely use more fresh faces there. 

Tensai won via DQ versus Drew McIntyre in a mediocre match up. it really was just a few minutes filler and an excuse for him and Clay's partnership to develop. The disqualification came after the rest of 3MB (Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal) ran in and began attacking Tensai as he was going for a pin. Brodus Clay then ran down and helped chase off the trio before encouraging Tensai to once again dance.

Antonio Cesaro pinned Sin Cara in an exciting outing. Sin Cara and Cesaro worked well together here, and when Sin Cara finds someone he's actually compatible with then it's worth watching. It was fairly short I'll admit but they made the most of their time.

During a backstage interview Cesaro interrupted The Miz and told him to stop whining about his attack from Lesnar on Raw, so Miz responded by brawling with the US Champion.

Mark Henry beat Randy Orton in a decent main event. Both men as usual worked well together and gave good enough efforts, each sharing periods of dominance. But it was Henry who would eventually gain the one-two-three after applying a World's Strongest Slam.

Overall it was a fair show, not one of the strongest as of late but watchable. The main event, Henry's promo and Sin Cara versus Cesaro were the highlights for me, Kofi versus Rhodes was also a fun watch. Unfortunately the rest of the show wasn't anything that special, Del Rio getting his own back at least advanced their feud.

My WWE SmackDown, 6th November 2012 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com

Michael Cole brought out Sheamus to start the show and presented footage filmed from a phone of the former World Champ and William Regal in a pub in England where Big Show would attack both men from behind, taking them out. An angered Sheamus called Show out, but instead the World Title holder appeared on the big screen and bragged that he didn't harm Sheamus as much as he could have. He also added that at Survivor Series he's going to finish the job and permanently take out 'The Great White'. 

Sheamus decided to challenge Show to come out and face him, but the champ declined. Instead Wade Barrett came out and questioned the sanity of the Irishman challenging Big Show before their match the next night on Main Event. This prompted Sheamus to once again challenge for a fight, but once more his foe declined and Barrett left. Backstage Booker T then told Barrett that he'd booked a tag match with him and Big Show versus Sheamus and William Regal. Wade thanked him for it.

Kofi Kingston (c) defeated The Miz to retain the Intercontinental Title in an enjoyable back and fourth match up. Both men gave a solid effort here and clearly wanted to give people a good showing. I've personally been a fan of their run of matches together recently. Afterwards Miz extended his hand to Kofi, only for him to instead dropkick the 'Must See Superstar'. I don't think this did Kofi any favours, it just made him look like the heel here. I could see a potential face turn for Miz approaching soon, with him filling the final space in Foley's Survivor Series team.

Prime Time Player (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) beat Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in a passable tab bout. The action was good enough, but they've had better before. Mysterio as usual managed to up the quality once he entered the fray. Afterwards O'Neil and Young began their signature dance and bragged about the win, even including Matt Stryker briefly before sending him away. The crowd were indifferent to the segment.

Big Show and Wade Barrett bested William Regal and Sheamus in a solid enough tag contest. Maybe it was more nostalgia seeing Regal back in action but the match had a bit of a different feel to it, which I enjoyed. A fun watch.

Randy Orton beat Alberto Del Rio in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere bout. It started off a little slow and drab, but once they left the ring things became interesting and the fans began to get into it. The strongest period came as both men made their way back to the ring and Orton applied an RKO onto steel steps for the one-two-three. I'm hoping Survivor Series will be the finale of their feud, while it hasn't been bad I feel both men need stronger characters to work with to make things more engaging.

Overall it wasn't a bad show. Most matches were decent enough and a fun watch. A step up from recent weeks efforts, and for the most part superior to this weeks Raw too. 

My WWE SmackDown, 12th October 2012 Recap

Booker T hosted a contest between Sheamus and Big Show to determine which was more powerful between the Brogue Kick and the WMD. Their respective finishers were counted on an arcade like machine, being measured in force per square inch. Sheamus stepped up first and got a score of 1322. Big Show was at first reluctant, thinking he'd be made a fool of, but after 'The Great White' once again made fun of his forty-five second World title reign of last year he punched the machine and scored 1809. As Sheamus was left to reflect the score, Tensai attacked him from behind, causing Booker to make a match between them.

Sheamus defeated Tensai in an passable, if a bit drab of a match up. There wasn't really anything that special about it to be honest, like most of Tensai's outings.

Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal all revealed that they'd teamed up to form a band, since their solo careers were "out of tune" (yes, they really used that line) and began performing air guitar in the ring. I was hoping these three were going to take a more serious route together and revive their status a bit, but I guess not.  

Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal beat Zack Ryder and Santino Marella in a pretty pedestrian tag bout. The only really engaging part for myself was when Ryder was on the offense, but that was about it. I've grown tired of Santino's comedy routine to be honest.

Kane won via disqualification versus Dolph Ziggler in a fair outing. The action was decent enough, and it was a worthy effort by both men but it just felt like it was lacking that little excitement. The DQ came after Ziggler struck Kane with his Money in the Bank briefcase. As Kane managed to turn things around and chase off Dolph, his tag partner Daniel Bryan ran out and claimed that he saved him.

The obnoxious Matt Stryker then asked what Bryan thought to claims that he was the weak link in Team Hell No, so Bryan responded by locking on the No Lock on the commentator. Kane soon stopped Bryan, only so he could then Choke Slam Stryker himself. It's always fun seeing the annoying Stryker taken out, and the crowd were once again loving a Team Hell No segment, same here.

Big Show bested Kofi Kingston in a brief and rather pedestrian contest. Kingston managed to have a little bit of offense going, but was no real threat to the giant who landed a WMD for the winning pin. Kofi seemed like a daft pick to loose here considering he's going into a Intercontinental title match next week, speaking of which The Miz himself (who'd provided guest commentary) rubbed in Kingston's loss in the ring and bragged that he will defend his title successfully on WWE Main Event. I'm hoping he does too, Kofi hasn't ever exactly set the World alight as US or IC champion in the past, he has the talent in the ring but is just missing that extra depth to his persona.  

Sin Cara defeated Damien Sandow in a bout that ranged from passable to average. No man really excelled to be honest, it was a run of the mill display from both.

Alberto Del Rio beat Daniel Bryan in an entertaining main event, with a good showing from both participants. As expected both men attempted various submissions, with Del Rio managing to logically weaken down Bryan's shoulder on the outside barricade, ring ropes and ringpost to eventually force him to tap to his signature arm breaker.

Afterwards Del Rio gave one of his mediocre promos where he bragged about taking out Orton two weeks ago and claimed that he didn't have the guts to turn up on the show, because if he did then he'd "give you a piece of your own medicine." Of course Randy Orton then turned up and gave a beating to Del Rio, who eventually managed to escape. But Ricardo Rodriguez was still there, so 'The Viper' decided to make do and RKO'd him through the commentator's table.    

Overall it was a pretty mediocre SmackDown for me, especially after a brilliant Raw, with mostly average matches and no major progression in any storylines that have me really interested for more. Considering Sheamus and Big Show are heading into a Hell in a Cell match together I expected more for their build up. Fortunately the main event managed to save a largely pedestrian show. 

My WWE SmackDown, 14th September 2012 Recap

Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga and Ricardo Rodriguez once again kicked off the show. Del Rio congratulated Booker T on banning the Brogue Kick while it's under investigation. Otunga, also amusingly sporting a neck brace like Ricardo, then complained that Raw GM AJ Lee's booking of him against 'The Great White' last Monday were the actions of a mentally unstable person. 

Otunga next interviewed Christian via satellite and asked him about the effects of the Brogue Kick after being a victim of it last year. Strangely Christian admitted that he hadn't been the same since and that the move should be banned. He did also mock Del Rio and act as a face, which is why I find it strange that they chose 'Captain Charisma' to do this segment and not another active heel who's also felt Sheamus' finisher. Christian was using an injured elbow as the reason for his absence, although the truth is it's actually because WWE struck a deal with TNA so they could use Ric Flair at this years Hall of Fame ceremony and TNA could use Christian at theirs to induct Sting.    

Daniel Bryan also joined the trio and thanked them for bringing the issue to light and Booker T for allocating him a WrestleMania rematch against Sheamus that night, claiming that if the Brogue Kick had been illegal back then he would've won on April 1st. The World Heavyweight Champion himself Sheamus decided to come out and said Bryan was wrong, cracked a lame joke and warned both Bryan and Del Rio that those who forget history "are doomed to repeat it" regarding their upcoming bouts with him.  Before he left he also ripped off Otunga's neck brace with a big grin.

Sin Cara defeated The Miz in a fair match up. It wasn't anything that special but the action was solid enough and both men gave good efforts. In a poor ending Sin Cara messed up his roll up finish which looked too fake for the one-two-three.  

After some exchanged words between Miz, Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and, well, okay Sin Cara didn't talk but he pointed (which Rhodes amusingly pointed out didn't get people anything) backstage afterwards Teddy Long on behalf of Booker T booked a Fatal Four Way between them all at Night of Champions for the Intercontinental title. I said a couple of weeks back that I hoped they'd put on that match, should be good I reckon. 

In another brilliant anger management segment between Kane, Daniel Bryan and Doctor Shelby the newest tag team in WWE discovered how soothing squeezing stress-relief balls was. After reflecting on what they were doing, they stopped and Kane remarked "Mine's bigger than yours." Their segments have been some of the if not the best currently in WWE. I'm really hoping they win the tag titles on Sunday, they're far more interesting than the current title holders.

Kane beat Kofi Kingston in an enjoyable contest that exceeded my expectations. I was predicting a bit of a dull, if passable match but it was livelier than expected and had decent displays from both men. A disappointed Doctor Shelby appeared on the ramp after the bell rung which forced Kane to hug his fallen opponent, Kofi's scared face was hilarious.   

Randy Orton defeated Tensai in a passable bout. Though the start was quite drab the rest of the match was decent enough, Orton was on his usual solid form in the ring. He really is one of the most consistent performers in the company today. Afterwards Vickie Guerrero attempted to distract 'The Viper' but he caught on and scared off Dolph Ziggler who was attempting to attack Orton from behind.  

Antonio Cesaro complained that the number one contender for his United States Championship would be determined in a Battle Royal on Sunday and that it wasn't worthy enough for his prestigious title. Tyson Kidd then joined him and warned the champ that he's going to loose the title come NOC. Cesaro took exception to this and threw Kidd out of the ring. Brodus Clay then joined Cesaro and with the help of Tyson took him out. Cesaro's mic work was okay here, good to see him getting more air time of the blue and red brands lately. 

Wade Barrett warned that after announcing that his services were open for business last week, next week someone will "get to sample the product." Rather ominous, eh? It's good to have him back on SmackDown, it certainly needs all the main event level talent it can get.

Kaitlyn defeated Beth Phoenix in a largely average match up. Although Kaitlyn was given a clean win over Phoenix, which is a step forward for her and also means someone in the back must be keen.

Sheamus beat Daniel Bryan in a highly entertaining back and fourth main event. As usual these two put on a very good match together and in turn received a healthy response from the fans. The action was sound and the pace kept you engaged from start to finish. Sheamus grabbed the win after forcing Bryan to tap to the Texas Cloverleaf. 

Overall I felt in-ring content wise this weeks SmackDown was an improvement on last weeks. Although I'm still not that hyped for Sheamus versus Del Rio on Sunday, I'm hoping their feud is coming to an end soon. There's only so long you can keep pitting the same two men against each other on PPV. 

My WWE SmackDown, 17th August 2012 Recap

An upset Alberto Del Rio demanded that his World title match with Sheamus be reinstated since General Manager Booker T cancelled it after Del Rio and his hired muscle attacked the World Heavyweight Champion on last week's show. Booker T joined Del Rio and explained that he'd crossed a boundary and had to be punished. Surprisingly Chris Jericho then came out and mocked Del Rio in both English and Spanish amusingly.

Y2J also proposed that after he is victorious against Ziggler at SummerSlam he should take his spot in the World title match. Instead Booker announced that since Sheamus won't be able to compete this Sunday then Jericho and Del Rio will face each other for the first time on the show that night.      

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated Cody Rhodes and The Miz in an enjoyable enough tag contest. Sin Cara suited the role of the limited tag team partner well, just pulling off a few exciting moves in short bursts now and then. 

Curt Hawkings and Tyler Reks beat a couple of rookies in a squash tag team match. Before the bell rung Hawkings and Reks performed a strip routine down to their new attire which looks like underpants. It was a strange routine but it should get them some attention I guess. 

Before Eve's match she was wished luck from William Regal, who in a funny segment reminisced about the time he was GM of Raw and the power that came with it before he was then ordered to take out the rubbish. He really deserves a more prominent role in WWE.

Eve defeated Kaitlyn to become Booker T's assistant in an average and forgettable bout. They looked capable enough, it was just a pretty skippable match up.

Randy Orton defeated Daniel Bryan in a solid encounter. Although maybe not the most exciting match ever it was a good display from both men and worth a watch. Orton managed to RKO Bryan for the win after Kane had his signature flames light up the ring posts to distract his foe on Sunday.

Antonio Cesaro beat Zack Ryder in a rather brief contest. Ryder managed to get in a bit of offense but not enough to see off the number one contender to the US title. Speaking of which, the US Champion himself Santino Marella provided guest commentary and unfortunately for him also got flung across the announce table by Cesaro after his victory. 

As Jericho was making his way out for the main event he was blindsided by Dolph Ziggler and taken out, then warned him that he is far too good to be overlooked. A very pleased Del Rio had his announcer Ricardo Rodriguez announce him the winner, but it was premature as Jericho's music hit and a battered Y2J came to the ring for his match.  

Alberto Del Rio defeated Chris Jericho in a fair main event bout. The efforts from both participants was up to standard and the action was solid enough too. Ziggler managed to assist Del Rio from ringside as he pulled down the ropes causing Jericho to tumble to the outside, helping Alberto to then grab the one-two-three with a swift kick to the head.

As Del Rio then applied the arm breaker after the match Sheamus made his way out and scared him and Dolph off. A concerned Booker T then asked 'The Great White' why he was already back from injury so soon. Sheamus just demanded that his match with Del Rio be booked once again so he could exact vengeance, and Booker complied and reinstated the World title match for Sunday. 

My WWE SmackDown, 13th July 2012 Recap

Zack Ryder, the guest General Manager of SmackDown for the week, came out and boldly claimed that it would be the greatest broadcast of the show ever. He was soon interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, who called Ryder running the show a joke. So in retaliation Ryder announced that Del Rio would be facing the man he attacked on Raw a couple of weeks ago, Sin Cara, right there and then.  

Alberto Del Rio defeated Sin Cara via submission in a decent enough opener. Both men put on a fair performance, although there were a few hiccups here and there as expected with a match involving Sin Cara. When Sin Cara is pitted against wrestlers of a certain style (Del Rio, Tyson Kidd, etc) he can put on a good bout, he's just not very compatible with most of the roster and that's a big issue.

Primo defeated Darren Young in a passable match up. Primo looked solid as usual, Young to me still looks like he could be on NXT still, although putting him in a team with Titus O'Neil was certainly a smart move for them both. Their manager Abraham Washington was also barking orders to Young on a headset during the bout, which added a nice Jimmy Hart-esque touch I thought.

Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes defeated Santino Marella and Christian in an enjoyable tag team contest. All four men (yes, even Santino) were entertaining in the ring and put in decent efforts. The World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match could be the most exciting match on the card on Sunday, although considering CM Punk and Daniel Bryan's bouts in the past it's hard to look past them for match of the night. 

Big Show beat The Great Khali in a drab and missable match that was fortunately kept short.

Ryback defeated Tyler Reks in an average but brief bout. At least Ryback's competing in more competitive match ups, he really needed to.

Damien Sandow beat Justin Gabriel in a good showing from the 'Intellectual Saviour'. Sandow has fast become one the highlights of the week for me as far as wrestling is concerned, with his charisma and ability in the ring. It's hopefully a good sign for his future that he's appearing on pay-per-view at Money in the Bank this week.

Sheamus defeated Chris Jericho in a solid main event. Both men were on great form as they went back and fourth, with Jericho edging the offense towards the end only to be caught out with a Brogue Kick by 'The Great White' for the one-two-three. Afterwards Del Rio kicked Sheamus in the head and locked on his signature arm breaker on the stage as a warning for their MITB contest. 

My WWE SmackDown, 8th June 2012 Recap

Alberto Del Rio bragged about his attack on Sheamus on this weeks Raw and had Ricardo Rodriguez come out dressed as the World Heavyweight Champion, mocking his trademark beating chest and roaring taunt. Soon the real Sheamus came out and began attacking both men, eventually leading to the stage where Ricardo helped Del Rio gain the upper hand on his opponent at No Way Out. Teddy Long then made an appearance where he announced on behalf of the absent Laurinatis, Kane versus Sheamus and Del Rio versus The Great Khali for that night.

Alberto Del Rio defeated The Great Khali in a dull and unmemorable match up. Del Rio logically targeted Khali's arm and legs during the bout, which is about the only thing I can credit the match with doing well. Del Rio tried, but Khali is just far too limited in the ring.

Backstage Teddy Long informed Brodus Clay that he'd been drafted to SmackDown for his own safety from Big Show, according to Laurinaitis. Don't expect Clay's career to sky rocket anytime soon. 

Brodus Clay defeated Derrick Bateman in a squash match. Clay looked much more aggressive than normal here, which was a smart move considering his frustration from the attack from Big Show. This was something that suited Clay more too in my opinion, someone that big should be taken more seriously. Unfortunately afterwards that was all washed away after he started his regular routine of dancing with young members of the audience in the ring, which just ruined what he'd achieved in the match for me.

Sin Cara defeated Drew McIntyre in a fair contest. It wasn't anything outstanding but watchable. I've never been a big supporter of McIntyre, but even I have to say that he should be being better utilised than he has been. 

This might seem odd but for me when they have the two rookies that are about to face Ryback talk trash on the mic, I really enjoy it. They're just so awful (which I'm sure has to be intentional) that I find it hilarious. It's one of favourite parts of the show. Nonetheless Ryback sure enough defeated both of them in a squash match. 

As Christian's 'Peep Show' was being set up, Cody Rhodes came to the ring and started trashing the set. He claimed that Christian is the one who should be answering to him. not the other way round. The Intercontinental Champion soon enough joined Rhodes, and explained to him that his change in attitude since his return occurred after he inducted Edge into the Hall of Fame. He realised that his career could end in an instant and he didn't want to be remembered as a whiny guy always asking for "One more match." Cody called him a liar and bragged that he's going to win the title back at No Way Out, the Intercontinental Champion then understandably just told him to "shut up!"   

Christian defeated Dolph Ziggler in a highly enjoyable bout from start to finish. I never had any doubt that these two would provide in the ring and they certainly did. I'm just a little confused as to where they're going with Ziggler at the moment. After his split from Swagger and Vickie Guerrero I really thought a deserved push was in order for him, I guess not.

Hornswaggle came out dressed as JR and mocked Michael Cole after his comedy (I use the term lightly here) match with Cena on Raw. Fortunately the entertaining Damien Sandow came out and saved the woeful segment. He rightfully called the whole thing stupid and stated that he was once again saving us the masses, which was true. Tyson Kidd then ran out to Hornswaggle's aid and chased off Sandow, until he turned his back and Sandow took Kidd out.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Jimmy Uso in a brief match up. Once again Cesaro looked solid in between the ropes. I'd be surprised if this guy doesn't do very well for himself in WWE, he has the look and the skills in the ring.   

Sheamus won via disqualification versus Kane in a contest that ranged from decent to fairly drab. It was watchable, just not the most exciting thing in the World. The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez ran in and attempted to attack Sheamus, which the World Champion thwarted, only to then be struck by Kane. 'The Big Red Monster' was then distracted by the strange AJ, who once again shared a flirtatious look with him. This caused Kane to be distracted long enough to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus. But 'The Great White' wasn't done, he also Brogue Kicked Ricardo as Del Rio watched.

Overall SmackDown had it's ups and downs. The positives for me mainly being the Christian versus Ziggler bout and the up and coming prospects Cesaro, Ryback and Sandow. They all look like they're on their way to bigger and better things over the next year, hopefully. The lack of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk was disappointing but at least this meant we had more attention focused on the Del Rio Sheamus feud, which certainly helps them out.  

Sin Cara Out 6-9 Months Due To Injury

WWE.com is reporting that Sin Cara, who was injured during tonight's Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match, suffered a ruptured patellar tendon at tonight's Survivor Series pay-per-view event and is expected to be out 6-9 months following surgery.

It was actually a genuine injury then? Never nice to hear about people getting injured but it could have been someone worse to be fair. The big issue is now SmackDown have just lost two of their regular performers in Sin Cara and Christian, do WWE bring someone over from Raw or push someone else up to that next level? With Rhode and Barrett's current push they could fill the void left by Christian for now (although they're not quite at the same level.) I'm not sure about Sin Cara though.

My SmackDown, November 4th Recap

Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes in an awesome and heated Street Fight to open the show. This was one of the best WWE televised bouts of the year for me. Both men put in a great effort in this match and even though Rhodes lost, he came out looking like a future main eventer for the company here. Orton picked up the win with an RKO and then placed a paper bag over Cody's head like he had to Orton a few weeks ago. 

Ted DiBiase defeated Tyson Kidd in a solid match up. With Kidd's talent he should really have a more prominent role on the blue brand in my opinion. 

During an interview with Matt Stryker Mark Henry got distracted by Daniel Bryan who was nearby and challenged him to a match that night, Bryan accepted. At least they didn't have Bryan act like a coward like I thought they might and have him back off. I think they should really emphasize his submission 'snap or tap' aggression in his character.

Alicia Fox defeated Natalya in a short and mediocre bout. I found it a little strange that they'd have Fox cleanly beat the far superior Natalya to be honest, I mean I can't really see them pushing her in a major way in the future.

Big Show announced that for ever SmackDown that Henry refused him a rematch for the World title he would knock him out. I'd find that an offer hard to refuse. Christian then interrupted him and claimed that he deserved "one more match" more than the big man. In response Show chokeslammed him right before he was scheduled to face Sheamus. Christian decided to opt out of the match while clutching his throat at ringside. Wade Barrett offered to take Christian's place in the match instead.

Wade Barrett defeated Sheamus after a distraction from Christian at ringside where Barrett managed to apply a schoolboy pin for the win. The bout was decent enough, nothing spectacular. Barrett was actually getting his own chants going in the crowd at one point oddly enough. Afterwards Sheamus began to beat on Christian backstage and then Barrett got involved and the two brawled until they were separated by security. I think they should have a Survivor Series five on five tag team match involving these three and others before they have Sheamus versus Barrett one on one again which I'm sure they will.

Sin Cara won via disqualification against Epico in a solid debut. The match itself was entertaining and botch-free for a refreshing change. The bout was ended when Hunico ran in and he and Epico began to take out Sin Cara. I like the look of these two as a team together, possible new faces to face Air Boom for the titles in the future too perhaps? Again it's great to see the company putting more effort into the tag team division lately.

The Mark Henry versus Daniel Bryan match ended in DQ after Big Show clocked Henry with a punch during the bout. The match was entertaining and the crowd were electric during parts where Bryan got his patented kicks going on the World champion. I was relieved that they didn't have Henry squash Bryan and instead made him look like a real competitor as he locked on quite a few submission holds and didn't look out of his league against the top man on the show. Let's just hope that the booking team keep this up and continue the momentum from this match to build Bryan up as a future World champion like I've been saying they should be doing for weeks now.

Afterwards Big Show encouraged Bryan to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase but before the bell rang Henry world strongest slammed Bryan and then slammed the briefcase into Big Show's face as he entered the ring to face Henry. The annoying Teddy Long then announced that there will be a rematch between Big Show and Mark Henry for the title once again at Survivor Series. I just see the rematch being a huge flop, the only really decent part of their match up at Vengeance was the ending, and that wasn't even original. I just hope Henry retains and then quickly looses the title to someone more worthy, which shouldn't be hard to find.