6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (1 May - Results & Review)

3. Saints Holds His Own Against The Champ

Then, come crunch time between the ropes, Saints surprisingly got a majority share of the offensive flurries during his match vs. Cody. Of course, this was an ease-in match for the WWE Champion after WrestleMania, but it was a worthwhile exercise for both men. Ricky was never winning here, realistically, but that’s OK provided WWE has something cool for him to spin off into after this debut show.

It's clear that this pair are capable of so much more too, but they’d need more time for that. So, future rematch on a bigger platform/PLE? Don't rule it out. For what it was, the bout was an entirely watchable near-10 minute scrap that introduced Ricky to a bigger core audience than NXT's and let Rhodes feel his way back into things again.

Something happened post-match that deserves some special attention, but we'll get to that.

Some watching might've been slightly taken aback that the smaller man (Ricky) dominated Cody for as long as he did, but anyone who knows how close the pair are as pals away from the ring couldn't have been shocked. Rhodes would've gone to bat for Saints behind the scenes, and it wouldn't be outrageous to suggest that the champ stuck his hand up and offered to help Ricky bed in on the main roster by having his first match.

That sounds more like a Cody idea than a Triple H one.

Good work from these buds. They had a competitive match without exhausting absolutely everything they can do, and it teased fans eager to see more from Saints by showing off a few things he's capable of. Tidy.