King Barrett loses to Neville
King Barrett and Neville lock up and Neville gets a pair of one counts on Barrett. Neville hits a crossbody off the second rope but the King slows the pace with some big forearm shots. He hits a big boot that knocks Neville off the ring apron. Barrett continues the assault to the outside and then poses as we head to a break. He hits a pumphandle slam and then another boot to Neville.
Neville tries to sneak a pin and gets two. Neville dives off the barricade and connects for a nice spot. He follows up with a running dropkick and a standing shooting star press. Back and forth the guys go until Neville kicks out of a Winds of Change and reverses Wasteland into a DDT. This sets up a Red Arrow for the win.
Timing. Execution. These two pieces made this match very, very good. One of the best parts was the match ended up being very unpredictable. Contrary to matches on Raw, you were never sure who was going to come out on top. Neville and Barrett put on one hell of a match and the athleticism of Neville was showcased tonight. The back and forth move set, the speed and the perfect execution made this match excellent. Do we think either guy will become champion? No, but this was what the first round of matches SHOULD be about. Unpredictable and full of dramatic turns in a match.
Surprise of the Night
Ryback and Kalisto did battle on Smackdown, which looked to be a huge mismatch on paper. From the beginning, it was all about Ryback trying to exert his power moves and ground the speed demon of Kalisto. After multiple reversals, he was able to do just that. A few Spinebusters and then tossing Kalisto to the outside made him in full control of Kalisto. Kalisto would get one shot and he capitalized. He hit his finishing move off of the top rope, getting the pinfall victory over the former Intercontinental Champion.
Well, I did not expect that whatsoever. Call it an upset, a shocker or whatever you want. Ryback SHOULD have won this match, but Kalisto winning it does more for him than it would for Ryback. Ryback will always be in this mid-range level because of his look and size. Kalisto, getting a chance to make some noise, will now face Alberto Del Rio. I expect ADR to win in one of the more entertaining second round matches. Elements of surprise are always nice when executed just right. Would it have been better on Raw? I think anything is better on Raw.
