6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (19 June - Results & Review)
2. Exactly What It Needed To Be
That was a red hot, hot, hot opener between Cody Rhodes and Gunther.
Sami Zayn added so much as special guest ref, especially early on when he was still playing fair. His fairness actually got Cody clocked with a big boot from Gunther, which told the story of Zayn trying to do the right thing but getting heat for it. There was also a nice callback to Clash In Italy with Gunther’s foot under the ropes too, and an amazing near fall on that Cross Rhodes when the new ref sprinted in post-Sami bump.
In the end, Zayn screwed over Gunther with a fast count for having the cheek to powerbomb him. Nick Patrick, eat your heart out. Oh yes, this was exactly what the match needed to be, because it led to that Triple Threat announcement later. Weirdly, some other reviews this fan has read online chose to lambast WWE for putting Sami in the ring as ref. That made the match "messy", apparently. Huh? They were telling a story, people.
Weekly television is for telling such stories. Yes, people want to see top matches too, but a straight up Cody vs. Gunther title bout with zero shenanigans or involvement from Sami would've been less-than. Some critics would bitch and complain about that anyway! Nope, not having the idea that Zayn being in stripes hurt this thing. He was wonderful as "the last real good guy" who couldn't resist having the final say.
SmackDown opened with a bang, which is surely what viewers tuning in want from their weeklies.