[Wrestling] James’ Smackdown Review 5/9/14

United States Championship: Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose

This was a pretty good match to kick off Smackdown. Sheamus and Dean Ambrose delivered an exciting match that featured a little bit of everything. It actually took some time to devolve into a brawl and I appreciated the match for that. Sheamus retained his title, but Dean Ambrose looked great as well. Ambrose ate a Brogue Kick that knocked him clear out of the ring. Barely making it in before the ten count, Ambrose then ate another brutal Brogue Kick from Sheamus that gave him the pinfall. This match was a lot of fun to watch.

Cesaro and Bad News Barrett vs Big E and Rob Van Dam

This match was short, but fun. Barrett and Cesaro were both over with the crowd big time, especially Barrett. I’m loving his Bad News gimmick and you can tell from watching him he is having a ton of fun with it. Barrett and Cesaro picked up the win with a Neutralizer to Big E after Bad News disposed of RVD on the outside. It was a decent match, but it could have been a bit longer. We didn’t even get the Cesaro Swing!

Kofi Kingston vs Rusev

Another quick match. Kofi got some fun offense in, but this was nothing more than a squash match for Rusev. I really wish they’d start setting up Rusev with more than just this. The man has a ton of talent and with the beautiful Lana by his side he can go pretty far in WWE. Speaking of Lana, damn does she have some nice legs! Yep, that’s about all I got for this match.

Santino and Emma vs Fandango and Layla

I am sick of this feud. It’s past the point that I start wondering why these people are feuding with each other anymore. The “awkward romance” angle has been done to death with Santino. And Emma is far too talented to be stuck with this. Layla got the win with a roll up, but honestly the only really noteworthy thing about this quick match was the fact that Fandango and Layla kissed at the end. Seriously, that’s it.

Roman Reigns vs. Mark Henry

This was a classic power match between two behemoths. It was short and sweet, with Henry dishing out most of the damage. Roman Reigns though showed a pretty amazing feat of strength. Reigns picked the huge Henry up onto his shoulders and dropped him with a thunderous Samoan Drop. Afterwards he hit his vicious spear to Henry and the rest was academic. This was much better than the match that preceded it.

3MB and Hornswoggle vs. Los Matadores and El Torito

This feud is purely fun. Everyone is so into it and the comedy parts really hit the right notes with me. And they’ve been putting out matches that have been a blast to watch. Hornswoggle, in particular, has been putting out his best work with the company in this feud. El Torito got the victory by pinning Wendy, erm, I mean Heath Slater with a springboard moonsault.

Seth Rollins vs. Batista

This was a good match. Anytime you get “The Ninja” in the ring, he pulls off a great match. Seriously, the moves Rollins pulls off are some of the most breathtaking I’ve ever seen. Putting him up against Batista also helps push their feud very well. Honestly, Batista pulled out one of his better matches since his return to the company right here. One particular little moment that had me grinning ear to ear is when Rollins was attempting a baseball slide and Batista took a page out of Finley’s book. He lifted up the ring skirt and trapped Rollins inside only to proceed to beat him down. Batista ended up winning by count out, which surprisingly worked for this match. Rollins came with one of his trademark dives to the outside but Batista violently slammed Rollins’ head against the announcers table. Afterwards, Batista hit a Batista Bomb to end the match with a statement. Very solid match.

The Wyatt Family vs. John Cena and The Usos

This match was as agood a main event as you could ask for. Everybody hit their moves and the entire match was as exciting as you’d expect. The feud between the Wyatt Family and Cena is one of the best I’ve seen in quite some time and this match just helped further that. Luke Harper picked up the win after hitting a clothesline to one of the brothers(don’t know which one). His clothesline I think has to make JBL proud, as hard as he hits that thing. While this match wasn’t as epic as Wyatt Family vs. The Shield, it hit all the right notes with me.