WWE Smackdown Review 29/07/11 - Randy Orton Sends Violent Message To Christian

Triple H came out to start the show. He addressed the Raw World title situation by stating that both the recently resigned CM Punk and John Cena have legitimate claims to the WWE title throne and that he will attempt to figure out a solution by Monday night. He then turned his attention to the Smackdown world title and was quickly interrupted by the World Heavyweight champ Christian who ironically complained about Teddy Long sucking up to Randy Orton whilst trying to suck up to Hunter himself. Triple H was having none of it though and booked Orton's rematch for Summerslam in a match that will be No Holds Barred. Raw superstar R-Truth for some reason came out on Smackdown and again felt that he was being made fun by Hunter after another humorous exchange. Triple H organised a match for Truth to face Orton later in the show and then said that Christian will be be the first opponent for John Morrison's comeback match. This was a good segment that flowed nicely although it would have been nice for Hunter to actually acknowledge Christian's worth as a Champion as opposed to just belitting his cause. Backstage Triple H was in the middle of a conversation with Teddy Long when he was interrupted by Zack Ryder. Ryder was putting over some of his great ideas and Triple H who looked to be on his last tether made him Teddy Long's assistant in order to keep him quiet. Ryder celebrated afterwards. Christian defeated John Morrison via pinfall Fast paced exciting match-up. Morrison ran wild on occasions but each time took a few too many risks and was found out by his crafty opponent. The finish saw Christian move out of the way of Morrison's starship pain attempt and counter with the killswitch. The action was fine but not as good as it should have been owing to Morrison's obvious ring rust which gave the bout a highly charged but sloppy vibe. I also don't see the point in Morrison losing on his comeback when his place in this match could have easily been taken up by a wrestler in a similar position. ** 1/2 Wade Barrett cut a promo which led to him insulting Daniel Bryan. He said that he didn't come to the WWE to entertain the fans but to make money and it aggrovated him that Bryan would be going to Wrestlemania with a briefcase that he felt should be his own and helping himself to a payday that should really be is. He said that €œgreed was underrated€ and was going on about Bryan being overhyped before Daniel Bryan came out himself to interrupt with a wide, geeky smile. He said that Barrett lacked originality as he was basically trying to make the same point as Slater last week who of course ending up eating his words when he taped out to his Daniel Bryan's submission. Barrett was insulted that he should be compared to Slater and started raving about how he was the man responsible for Nexus where he had succesfully moulded together misfits. Bryan said that he never let Barrett mould him and that when Wade felt he was a threat, Bryan was suddenly gone from the group. Barrett got agitated and hit Bryan with a convincingly vicious right hand. As he was bending over Bryan to taunt him however Bryan grabbed hold of his arm and locked him in the labelle lock before leaving the ring and posing with the briefcase. Not a bad segment and I like the fact that Bryan keeps being underestimated and prevailing but he still needs a tougher element to his character for me to be sold on him as a main event prospect. It doesn't help that Cole berates him so incessantly. Teddy Long was backstage with an energetic Zack Ryder before Mark Henry interrupted to ask Long if he had taken care of the thing he had asked for. Long said that Henry was taking it too far and after his demolition of Big Show and Kane no-one wanted anything to do with him. Ryder ever the optimist however said that he would find an opponent for Mark Henry. Awesome video package which showed Justin Gabriel returning home to South Africa for the first time in three years. He talked about how and why he wanted to get into the business and this was incoporated with clips of him hanging out and wrestling in his homeland. It made him seem human and likeable. 6 Divas Tag Match: Tamina, Rosa Mendes and Alicia Fox defeated Natalya, AJ and KaitlynNatalya and Tamina had a smooth exchange to start things off with realistically tough blows, fluid counters and aggressive slams. Watching them in action I built up a fantasy in my head of having a cliq called Divas of Honour which would feature Natalya, Tamina, Beth Phoneix and a returning Kharma all rallying to take down the other Divas and then turning their attention to the men. You could have a whole girl power angle and promote female athleticism and brawn as opposed to looks and glamour which would actually give the talented women some personality and character motivation. I was taken out of this fantasy however when Tamina tagged in Alicia Fox and the match resorted back to the usual Divas fare. Fox wore down Natalya with the headscissors before her opponent used her strength to pick her up and throw her into the corner. Soon after she tagged in AJ and after a brief exchange with Fox they did that contrived spot where all the remaining Divas wind up brawling on the outside leaving the heel to captalise inside the squared circle. In this instance, it was Fox who hit AJ with the scissors kick for the pinfall. Fine action for what it was but the finish just looked stupid. * 1/2 Video package focusing on Mark Henry's recent rampage. Match: Mark Henry defeated Bobby Howard via pinfall As Mark Henry stood waiting in the ring, out walked his tiny opponent (by wrestling standards) Bobby Howard who convincingly sold his fear on the way to the ring. Ryder came out down the ramp and was hillarious as he told him that this was his big opportunity and he had the potential to be the Broski of the week. The match of course was a total squash with Henry getting the World's strongest backbreaker for the pin. DUD Good angle post-match as Henry looked to trap Howard's leg in the chair for that familiar splash spot only for Long to rush down the ring and talk him out of it. Henry was trash talking about wanting some competition and out came Shaemus who bragged that if Henry wanted him to fight somebody then he should be that man. Henry continued to talk trash so Sheamus treated him to a harsh slap and then throwing down the ropes as Henry dived towards him leaving the world's strongest man reeling on the outside. Henry went irate and started throwing the steel steps at the ring but Shaemus had a chair of his own and waved it about just as aggressively. This had some intensity to it and looks likely to now be on the card for Summerslam. Tag Team Championship Match: David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty defeated Jimmy and Jey Uso via pinfall The tag team divison has been effectively buried into the ground so its hard to get excited about these sort of title matches anymore especially when the belts are being held by perhaps the blandest wrestlers in the company. The Usos to their credit have good energy with an captivating and unique Samoan war dance entrance but they had a hard time lighting up this fine but uninspiring match-up. Typical strength versus athleticism encounter with USOS getting the upper hand to start only for the tag champs to take control with a series of drawn out holds. The finish saw Otuna convincingly take out Jimmy onto the mat outside but it took him ages to get around to Jey who stood at the top rope waiting forever for Otunga to come and knock him down and lay him prone for McGillicutty's neckbreaker. * 1/2 Backstage Ryder proposes to Long a handicap match pitting Ezekiel Jackson against Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes. Long feels a little upstaged and tells him that he makes the matches but Zack said he has already talked to all parties and they all wanted the match to happen. Ryder's constant optimism is infectious and is a nice addition to a roster where the majority of wrestlers are nearly always super serious. Graphic advertising Randy Orton versus R-Truth as the main event of the show. Raw rebound highlights detailing the big events from Monday night. R-Truth had an interview backstage with Matt Striker. He cut a whacky promo about how he was going to be like a bunch of eagles swooping in on the viper that is Randy Orton. Handicap Match: Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes defeated Ezekiel Jackson via pinfallNever understood the purpose behind these matches as it accomplishes nothing for either face nor heel. That being said this was a well worked encounter which saw an aggressive start from Rhodes and Dibiase who made quick, efficient tags and wore the big man down with a series of stomps and headlocks. Jackson then made his big powerhouse comeback on Rhodes, knocking him to the mat with three big powerlams and getting him in position for the Torture Rack submission only to be interrupted by Dibiase who made the save. Jackson got rid of Dibiase and hiptossed Rhodes a mile high but the distraction took him off his game and a misjudged dive into the corner made him vulnerable for the crossroads finisher from Cody. When you look at a man the size of Ezekiel Jackson it's hard to suspend one's disbelief that he couldn't just destroy anything put in front of him but they are currently doing a good job of showing that he lacks the intellectual edge required to take his game to the next level. **Match: R-Truth defeated Randy Orton via disqualification Good match used to put Orton over as an unpredictable, hostile force for his upcoming No Holds Barred Summerslam title match with Christian. It began with a massive off the ropes exchange before Orton prevailed with a shoulder block. He proceeded to take the early advantage but Truth hit back with a series of unorthodox blocks and spinning dives. Christian came out to watch with the title around his shoulder. Truth went to the top rope but was hit in the stomach by Orton who ran wild with a series of clotheslines and a scoop slam and then nailed Truth with the middle rope hanging DDT. Truth fell to the outside and Orton followed only for his opponent to counter and hit him over the head with a water bottle. This enraged Orton and coupled with the anger at Christian's ringside presence he went into the red and got himself disqualified by hitting Truth with some vicious chair shots, a monitor and twice laying him out with an RKO onto the announce table. The crowd were going crazy at this point and the contrasting facials of an anxious Christian and a psychotic Orton were played to perfection. ** 1/2VERDICT: A hit and miss show for Smackdown this week. The wrestling was nowhere near as competent as last week but three angles were well set up for the future. Orton and Christian effectively dramatised the no holds barred nature of their summerslam match, Shaemus convincingly stood up to Mark Henry and left you wanting more and it's intriguing to see if they'll go anywhere further with Wade Barrett and Daniel Bryan. The mid-carders are still all stuck in limbo land though with the personable Justin Gabriel vignette driving home just how little character development is involved with the majority of the wrestlers on the roster. It still remains to be seen whether or not there will be a sustained effort to make these superstars stand out more under what genuinely appears to be a new regime.