41 Man Battle Royal/ What Happened:
We get Raw and Smackdown superstars, most notably C.M. Punk, Zack Ryder, Jack Swagger, John Morrison, Miz, Truth, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, Randy Orton, and many more. We get a typical battle royal match. Some of the finalists in the match included Swagger, Mahal, Sheamus, Orton, Miz, Truth, Orton, and CM Punk. Punk eliminates Truth, and Miz tosses Punk out. Christian tosses out Sheamus illegally, and Orton hits an RKO on Mahal to eliminate him. Randy hits an RKO on the outside of the ring. Both men fall to the outside, but Miz landed first after the RKO.
What I Liked:
The beginning of Smackdown here was different than usual. You already have a few matches booked for Vengeance, but having a World Title match later tonight between Henry and Orton is good for me. He gets his Vengeance before the PPV, and even though we know Orton will not win, it makes the audience wonder how he will lose. It also sets up Big Show coming out at the end of the night, to attack Henry. I also liked the pace of the match towards the end, where many guys just got tossed over quickly and showed the dominance of Sheamus, Orton, and other Smackdown stars.
What I Disliked:
Having guys like Ziggler and Daniel Bryan eliminated quick, but keeping Jinder Mahal in the final three. What is the point of this? I would rather have a little drama or back and forth battle between Orton and a respectable competitor at the end, not Mahal who has no chance. Also, the match was typical, but it did take up 35 minutes of Smackdown TV time. I would have cut it to 20 minutes, have only one commercial break, and begin to build towards the singles matches for tonight. This has no relevance to Vengeance, and should have been trimmed down time wise.
Grade: B
Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly/What Happened:
Kelly uses her speed over Phoenix. She gets tossed to the outside, but Phoenix hits her head in the post. She brings her back in, hits the Glam Slam for the win.
What I Liked:
Phoenix using her reversal to win, so it is not a completely clean win. She used the post to her advantage, and Phoenix continues to show why she is the best.
What I Disliked:
Three minutes of a Diva match, where this has been a Pay Per View match the past few months, dating back to SummerSlam. It makes no sense, unless they are going to move on from Kelly Kelly as being a legit competitor. They bury her quick in this match, after her have a new sense of aggression. Does this not completely halt what they were trying to do with her? I am not upset, as I think they need to move on from Phoenix/Kelly feud, so who is next? Eve?
Grade: C-
