Smackdown
Date: May 7, 2015
Location: Canadian Tire
Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Byron
Saxton, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
We had a twist on
Monday as Dean Ambrose was added to the fatal fourway at the pay per
view for the World Title. While it's likely that Ambrose was added
to the match for the sake of taking the fall, he does add a fresh
energy to the match that we haven't seen so far. This show has a lot
to live up to after Monday's Raw. Let's get to it.
We open with a recap of
Ambrose being added to the title match on Monday. Tonight we have a
fourway contract signing.
Opening sequence.
Jerry Lawler is in the
ring to open the show with an interview with the freshly crowned King
Barrett. The new king doesn't think much of Lawler because he just
likes to call himself a king. Barrett on the other hand defeated
three men in twenty four hours to prove his royal worth. If Lawler
wants to be in the same ring with him, he must say ALL HAIL KING
BARRETT.
Lawler can't get any
responds in before Barrett says Jerry is from the trailer parks of
Memphis with that other fake king Elvis Pressley. Jerry won't say
the words so Barrett threatens a Bull Hammer. Cue Dolph Ziggler to
call Barrett a Renaissance fair reject. A match is set up right now.
Dolph
Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett
The King gets two off
an early snap suplex and knee drop but Dolph dropkicks him out to the
floor as we take an early break. Back with Dolph fighting out of a
chinlock but getting kicked in the face for two more. Off to a
double arm crank before Winds of Change gets yet another near fall.
There's the Fameasser for two but Sheamus runs in for the DQ at 6:29.
Not enough show to rate but it was just there to set up the next
match.
Neville runs out for
the save and it's time for a tag match.
Dolph
Ziggler/Neville vs. Bad News Barrett/Sheamus
This is joined in
progress with Sheamus driving Neville's back into the apron and
kicking him hard in the face. The Irish Curse gets two and it's off
to the King for another backbreaker. Neville tries to fight up but
gets kicked in the face. There's something so awesome about just
kicking a guy in the face to put him down. We hit the chinlock from
Sheamus before Neville breaks out of the ten forearms to the chest.
Sheamus is sent
shoulder first into the post and it's hot tag to Ziggler. Dolph
fights off the UK contingent and hits the running DDT for two on
Barrett. A superkick gets the same but Ziggler has to duck a Brogue
Kick. Neville's flip dive takes Sheamus down and Neville is right
back up to break Barrett's rollup with feet on the ropes (like any
evil monarch should do). The Zig Zag gives Ziggler the pin over
Barrett at 5:45 shown.
Rating:
C. We were just kidding ourselves when we thought this was leading
somewhere new for Barrett. He hasn't even been king two weeks yet
and he's already getting pinned in a tag match. This is a match that
really should have gone to a countout or DQ instead of having any of
the four getting pinned. Let them fight another day so the pin can
mean something more, or maybe have Ziggler, the most expendable of
the four, take the fall.
Ambrose
calls himself the chaos theory in the Authority's equation. He's the
last guy you want in the match because he's the last guy walking out
with the title.
Luke
Harper vs. Fandango
This should be painful.
Harper teases some Fandangoing before the match and then boots
Fandango in the face. Fandango scores with some dropkicks but Harper
shrugs off a DDT. The big man nails a superkick of his own and the
discus lariat is good for the pin on the dancer at 1:33.
Post match Erick Rowan
comes out and beats up Fandango as well. It's not like either has
done anything in a few months so why not let them be a team again?
Here's a smiling Lana
with something to say. Before she can get there though, she takes
the time to soak in a Lana chant. She asks them to stop though as
the chants anger Rusev. This brings out the man himself to send Lana
to the back while he gets the real work done. In this case that's
the same promo he's done about Cena for months now, as he promises to
make Cena quit at Payback. This somehow takes two minutes and
various Russian to accomplish.
Roman Reigns says he's
been Orton's rival forever and he hates Rollins, so the only person
he can like in the ring is Ambrose. The quicker he signs tonight,
the faster he can punch his way to the title. This is the kind of
short, to the point promo that Reigns needs to stick with. There
isn't time for him to say something stupid and it stayed on point.
New
Day vs. Cesaro/Tyson Kidd/???
It's mystery partner
time. Kidd/Cesaro have recruited.....Ryback. There are worse
options out there. Ryback and Kingston get things going but Kofi has
to stop to call off the NEW DAY SUCKS chants. They actually trade
hammerlocks to start until Ryback hits an atomic drop so Kidd can
nail a dropkick for two. Off to Woods but Cesaro tags himself in to
nail a clothesline for two of his own.
In a cool spot, Ryback
and Cesaro hit delayed verticals on Big E. and Woods. At the same
time, Kidd comes in for a suplex of his own but does a snap instead.
All three guys get in on the NEW DAY SUCKS stomps on Woods but he's
still able to escape the Sharpshooter. New Day winds up on the floor
and all three get flattened by dives and clotheslines as the fans are
WAY into Ryback and Cesaro/Kidd. Big E. finally drives Kidd into the
apron and barricade a few times to take over. Back from a break with
Woods jumping in with a tornado DDT for two on Kidd.
Big E. sends Tyson
flying with a suplex but Xavier misses a charge in the corner. Kofi
tries to break up the hot tag but Kidd gets to Ryback, who
immediately cleans house. Everything breaks down and Cesaro does his
running uppercuts spot and loads up the Swing, drawing in Big E. for
the save. Instead Cesaro dropkicks Kofi down and the Andre/Snuka
splash position sets up Kidd's elbow drop on Kingston. Everything
breaks down and Ryback stalks Woods up the ramp.....as the lights go
out. No one appears but Big E. runs Ryback over. In the
distraction, Kofi rolls Kidd up and grabs trunks for the pin at
12:49.
Rating:
B. New Day does indeed rock and
they're really gelling in the ring. You couple that with a team like
Cesaro/Kidd and someone who is figuring out how to be the wrecking
ball in Ryback and you have a really solid match. The Wyatt stuff
was fine as it gives you an out to end the match without anyone
looking bad. Good stuff here as these guys just get better and
better every week.
Orton
says his strategy for the pay per view hasn't changed because he's
going to take out anyone he has to in order to become champion. One
of the members of Shield goes down tonight.
Naomi
vs. Emma
Naomi
and Tamina's inset interview talks about how they're going to remind
everyone what they can do. Emma
gets sent into the corner to start but does the same to Naomi for an
early near fall. A
neckbreaker into a nipup puts Emma back down though and
a dropkick gets two. Some
rollups get more near falls for Emma but the Rear View is enough for
the pin at 3:26.
Rating:
D+. Just a squash as Emma has
somehow fallen even further down the ladder since Santino left.
She's a perfect example of someone who got over in NXT and was
completely wasted on the main roster. I know there were outside
circumstances, but there was no future for her when she was turned
into just another smiling Diva with no distinct personality.
Tamina
superkicks Emma for good measure.
Tough
Enough videos.
Rollins
says this is his title and thinks Kane sounds desperate when he tries
to take credit for any of Rollins' success. Seth
has the mind that Kane will never have and it drives him crazy.
Los
Matadores vs. Lucha Dragons
New
gear for the Dragons. Kalisto
and Fernando start and we're in a chinlock 22 seconds after
the bell. Thankfully Kalisto gets up after half a second and
headlocks Fernando down before it's off to Cara for a slingshot hilo.
Diego comes in with a
tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two but Cara finally comes back with a
springboard double cross body. He tries a headstand in the corner
but gets kicked down to the floor, allowing Torito to get in a cheap
shot as we take a break. In this match?
Back
with Cara slamming Fernando
down and making the hot tag to Kalisto for a cross body of his own.
The twisting cross body puts
Diego down and the short hurricanrana does the same. Kalisto's
handspring into a spinning kick to the head stuns Fernando again,
allowing Cara to small
package him for the pin at 8:25. There was no need for a break in
this match.
Rating:
C. I would say this is a
passing of the torch but Los Matadores have been in the dark since
they debuted. The Lucha Dragons are far better in the role anyway
and can get the crowd going with the LUCHA LUCHA LUCHA chants. Not a
great or even good match but the fans were into the Dragons.
Los
Matadores blame Torito for the loss.
Kane is here to emcee
the contract signing. After a brief intro, he calls out all four
participants as this is already taking a long time. Seth chills on
the stage, prompting Ambrose to call him Justin Bieber. I really,
really hope that isn't foreshadowing the appearance of that horrible
person. Seth mocks Reigns' lack of speaking ability so Reigns has a
sentence for him: He's going to sign this contract and then take
Seth's head off. The fans chant for Randy and all three challengers
sign.
Seth wants Kane to sign
for him but Kane says do it yourself. Mercury is told to bring the
contract to Rollins, but Seth would rather insult everyone instead of
signing. Apparently Roman used to call Ambrose a Roddy Piper
knockoff and Reigns can sign autographs better than he can wrestle.
Orton is spoiled and only here because of his old man. Seth finally
gets inside and signs and hands them to Kane, who he refers to as Mr.
Obsolete.
We get the same
argument for the 193rd time but Ambrose moves the table
out of the way. “We all know how this is going to end anyway so I
call dibs on the table.” The brawl is on with Ambrose throwing the
chairs over the top, and hitting Noble in the head. Rollins
dropkicks Reigns into Ambrose but has to bail from an RKO. Dean and
Roman get into it but it's the RKO to Ambrose, Superman Punch to
Orton and springboard knee to Reigns to leave Rollins standing tall
to end the show.
Overall
Rating: C. The long ending
segment didn't do much for me, but even worse is that I can barely
remember what happened on this show two hours after it started.
Looking back it wasn't bad, but there's no staying power to this
episode. When your big moments are Erick Rowan turning heel again
and the Lucha Dragons splitting up with their mascot, it's clearly
just a filler show. You really shouldn't need one of those with
three weeks between pay per views.
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
I'm too lazy to dig up my post, but I totally had the over/under for Barrett's first job being tonight. Result is a push. Hail to the king. Aaaaaaaand scene.
ReplyDeleteTime to shit or get off the pot with the Kane/Rollins stuff. They've been teasing it long enough now.
ReplyDeleteTJ: Just read WWE is apparently doing an Owen Hart documentary. Never thought I'd see that.
ReplyDeleteRollins was shooting from the hip tonight apparently.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who initiated that. Was it Martha, did Triple H approach her, did Vince, was it something else entirely. It will be interesting to hear how it happened.
ReplyDeleteDidn't they start teasing it just before the last pay per view? Its only been like a month MAYBE a month and a half but aren't we always bitching things happen to fast? I'm enjoying it unless it ends up with Kane staying heel.
ReplyDeleteAs Miz/Sandow proved, you have to tease the endgame for at least nine months, and then deliver it in the most underwhelming way possible once no one cares any more.
ReplyDeleteWade Barrett:
ReplyDeletejob, job, job, job, job, job, job, win Intercontinental Title, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, job, win King of the Ring, job, job, job, job, job, job, job
I'm digging New Day as heels. It's actually nice to see heels who actually act and wrestle (cheat) like heels instead of the usual WWE heels who act and wrestle like faces but are heels only because the WWE tells us that we are supposed to boo them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they're a breath of fresh air
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I wouldn't be surprised if they do the usual midcard champions losing a match but with Xavier wrestling with one of his partners. While all three them claim to be the champions every chance they get after they get defeated they'll remind everyone that they didn't beat the champs since Kofi and Big E did not wrestle that match as a team.
ReplyDeleteI thought stardust/goldust did that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference a month makes too.
ReplyDeleteWell there goes torito.
ReplyDeleteI hope the Kidd/Cesaro vs. New Day feud lasts until SummerSlam, if not longer
ReplyDeleteWait, the Lucha Dragons split with their mascot too? I didn't even know they had one.
ReplyDelete