Opening Segment:
Mark Henry comes out and talks about people saying his best years are behind him. He talks about Orton being in the Hall of Pain. He goes on to say broken bones and broken hope lies in the Hall. This is where his career is headed for, and he says he will be the new World Heavyweight Champion. Zack Ryder comes out, as the assistant to Smackdown GM Teddy Long. Ryder talks about how Henry is on a roll. Ryder says Henry and Orton have a no contact rule. Ryder, looking scared, tries to leave but Henry stops him. Henry toys with him, and asks Ryder who he thinks is going to win. Ryder says he cannot answer that, tries to leave again, but Henry stops him and says he needs to put his hands on somebody. Ryder punches Henry, but Henry clotheslines him and gives him the World’s Strongest Slam.
Reaction:
I like this beginning, and how Henry continues to beat up anyone and everyone. Ryder does his assistant GM job and makes the announcement. He works on camera better with superstars compared to Henry, but he still does not have the feel of power to him. He is always entertaining, and I enjoyed that Henry kept playing with Ryder. This segment gets a B, because I continue to see the growth in how serious Henry wants to be.
Mark Henry vs. Ezekiel Jackson Review:
Both men grapple and try to gain power. Jackson punches away, but cannot lift him in the Torture Rack. Henry throws Jackson to the outside and into the post. Henry slams Jackson down, and hits a body splash onto Zeke. Henry goes up and hits a World’s Strongest Slam.
Reaction:
This match needed to have more of a power struggle, instead of a squash match. I want to see how much stamina and endurance Henry has in a match against someone who is similar to him. I fear the Orton and Henry match will be about ten minutes, and not enough to build a great moment, rather than a forgettable match. Henry continues to improve and makes everyone believe he has a shot to win. Will he actually win? That is a different question. This match gets a C. Nothing special besides Henry showing his dominance and strength.
Backstage, Aksana and Teddy Long do their flirting, like usual.
Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd Review:
Cara starts on the offense and flies outside to hit a body dive. Cara chops away at Kidd in the corner. Kidd hip tosses Cara into the corner. Kidd gets a two count. He begins to stretch Cara, and Cara reverses it into a spinning heel kick to his head. Cara jumps off the top rope and hits a shoulder block. He gets a two count, as Cara kicks away at Kidd’s leg. Cara hits a unqiue samoan drop, and hits his combination of moves off the rope for the win. Josh Matthews talks to Sin Cara and asks about his aggression. Cara has he is an intense competitor, and says he feels like he has held back since coming to WWE. Now that he is here, he is unstoppable, and this is the “real” Sin Cara. Daniel Bryan comes out now, and says he never saw the kick in the head coming. Bryan says it spoke a universal language when he was kicked, and he says Cara does not respect Bryan. Bryan wants to rectify the problem, challenging him to a rematch. Cara attacks Bryan, and locks in the LaBell lock.
Reaction:
The match looked safe and cautious, and we did not see much more offensive moves from Cara. Kidd can work and has great instincts in the ring, so they could have attempted more risky moves. It was entertaining but nothing spectacular. I absolutely loved Cara talking and attacks Bryan once again. I really feel that both men need a feud, and both men need to be able to work with one another to learn more and more how to build a storyline. They are in the same spot, as in ring greatness but not much else to be desired as a character. Give these guys a month or two, and have them learn together to give us a mid card feud that can carry a show. This segment gets a B.
