David Otunga def. Santino Marella:
What I Liked:
They really are giving this feud time and interest to build up. I like the fact that two younger guys are the captains, and they did not rely on Christian or a veteran to be a captain. This is really benefitting Otunga and Santino in the long run. Otunga is a guy that will be a featured mid card star in the summer, possibly holding a championship. The match was okay, with your typical moves from Santino. Before the match, I laughed pretty hard during the flex off. It is a serious match in Miami, but it is nice that they get to show some humor. We get all seriousness from every other feud besides Cena/Rock, so this is a nice way to make it unique.
What I Disliked:
I feel like I will say this a ton of times, but not enough time. Just because WrestleMania is two weeks away does not mean that they have to forget about actual in ring wrestling. Let Santino and Otunga fight for a little bit, have some sort of conflict in the ring, and then make a conclusion. It's not hard to do this. Also, I wonder if all we will get is exchanging wins for the next three shows. I hope not. I would rather see one team look useless and the other take control. Do not make it even, make it demanding.
Grade: C
The Rock is near the statue of Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia. He begins to talk about being back in Philly. Talking about past WrestleMania matches, Rock begins to pull famous lines from Hogan, Flair, and Macho Man. He cuts a few jokes, but focuses more on making a statement tonight on John Cena.
Did enough this week to quickly and effectively get me interested in what he will do later on. It was funny, not over the top, and just did enough to talk about how important he is in this company compared to other greats.
Daniel Bryan def. Zack Ryder:
What I Liked:
Ryder and Bryan is an interesting pairing. I really expected some good ring action here, but did not get it. Ryder still gets a huge pop from the crowd, even after all the time out of the ring.
What I Disliked:
Not a real match here. One boot and basically the LaBell Lock from Bryan. What was the point of this match? It is not like it makes Bryan look dominant or stronger, but devalues the return of Ryder in the ring. It also shows the lack of creativity from the creative writers this week. Bryan and Ryder should have ended with Ryder winning thanks to Sheamus. This gives Ryder an argument for being on Team Teddy, as well as Bryan furious with the loss thanks to Sheamus. Why wasn't Sheamus out to exact revenge? Why are we not seeing these guys chase one another, fight one another, and try to one up the other? Makes no sense to me.
Grade: D
