Flag Match
John Cena and Rusev battle once again, this time in a Flag Match. This is the first match for both guys in a handful of months and you can see both are still really good at what they do. The idea of the Flag Match is the thing that bothered me about this. You have to grab the flag and then put it on a stage. It just seems like a very odd match, but the physicality was pretty good. Rusev and Cena battled back and forth inside and outside of the ring. Steel steps got involved and an AA through two tables finally put down the Bulgarian Brute.
Is this a taste of Cena vs. Anti-Americans? Is Mahal going to be next? I understand that John Cena should have won this match, but what if they let Rusev win? Wouldn’t that help elevate a guy and get more heat on him, so they can rely on someone like him to feud with the likes of Nakamura, Styles, Randy and Sami? Smackdown Live’s booking decisions tonight did no favors for Rusev and it was the same old John Cena. He makes matches more important because of who he is, but there needs to be more focus on the younger core of guys.
The Power of Love Loses?
Put in a difficult spot, Mike Kanellis and Sami Zayn worked a 7 minute match between the two big main events. Sami is such a good wrestler and his speed worked well here. Maria pulled her husband out and Sami got in her face. Mike hit a big right hand to knock out Sami cold. Mike and Maria rub noses together and Mike gets back into the ring. Another few big shots and boots to Sami grounded him. The end came when a Helluva Kick knocked out Mike.
I do not like the decision of Sami Zayn winning. He rarely wins, I get that, but Mike Kanellis is very fresh to a lot of people and fans in the WWE Universe. There is no reason for him to lose right now. He needs the exposure of picking up big wins and developing what he does in the ring. He is not a Nakamura, Owens or other guys that fans are extremely familiar with. How does this help either guy? A useless win from Zayn and a tough loss for Kanellis.
