Jonathan Dehn
WWE Smackdown
01/31/2014
Toledo, Ohio
-We begin the show with The Shield marching down to the ring, looking quite pissed. Dean begins by saying that the Elimination Chamber was built for The Shield. Dean and Roman get into it over who would have won the championship. Rollins steps in before the argument can turn physical. He points the finger towards The Wyatt Family. Dean challenges The Wyatt Family for Elimination Chamber. Vickie pops up and makes it happen…but HHH interrupts. He tells them there’s nothing to gain in taking on The Wyatt Family. Ambrose flails his arms in frustration as if he were Jim Harbaugh. Reigns steps up to tell HHH that they aren’t asking for his approval. HHH relents and gives them their match at the PPV. That’s going to be a fun match.
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match – Dolph Ziggler vs. Antonio Cesaro w/Zeb Colter
I really hope this gets ten minutes or so. So far, this isn’t feeling much like a “B” show, which is refreshing. Zeb prefers aliens from Mars, according to his sign. Cesaro hits a dropkick for two to quickly start the match. Dolph gets a rollup and then the two trade pinning combinations for a spell. Dolph wins the battle with the Fameasser for two. Cesaro runs outside in retreat. Dolph catches him and puts him back inside. Impressively, Cesaro hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Cesaro gets a pretty butterfly suplex for two. Dolph gets a few punches, but Cesaro cuts him off and hits him with a hard clothesline to send him outside. We go to break.
We’re back with Cesaro holding Dolph in a chinlock. Dolph escapes with a jawbreaker and follows with a dropkick for two. Cesaro for another backbreaker, but Dolph rolls to a sleeper hold. However, Cesaro reverses to the gutwrench. Cool spot. Cesaro goes for the uppercut, but Dolph is about to hit the DDT, instead. This gets two. Cesaro shrugs off the Zig-Zag. Dolph takes a quite brutal GIANT SWING. Antonio gets the Neutralizer for the win and earns a spot at the PPV.
Final Thoughts: **3/4. I’m pumped for Cesaro getting in on the main event of a PPV. Dolph had a nice showing here in the loss, even if the match didn’t get the time it deserved. With his complete lack of momentum in the last few months, he didn’t have the momentum to win, sadly. But, this was good for him.
Fandango w/Summer Rae vs. Xavier Woods w/Funkadactyls
R-Truth is on commentary for this match. Fandango gets a shoulderblock to begin. Woods answers back with a dropkick and legsweep after wards. Fandango comes back, catching the charging Woods and hitting the wheelbarrow suplex for two. A short-armed clothesline from Fandango leads to a chinlock. Fandango goes for another suplex, but Woods rolls through into a suplex. Woods hits some jabs and runs over Fandango before knocking him out of the ring with a dropkick. Woods flips out onto Fandango, leading a frustrated Summer Rae to grab crowd fixture Emma’s sign and destroy it. Emma has another sign, however.
Woods, now without the mustache, gets crotched at the top. Fandango hits a Falcon Arrow for the win. After the match, Fandango looks to do a bit more damage, but Truth interrupts with the suplex-stunner. Then, they dance, because losing matches doesn’t matter.
Final Thoughts: *. This was just fine, but short and therefore lacking. I’m waiting patiently for Emma to actually get involved, though. Still, it’s so annoying that they push Woods by just having him lose and then dance after matches.
Rybaxel vs. Prime Time Players
Curtis and Young begin the match. They battle over a hammerlock as the crowd heat machine is going nuts. Ryback enters and takes a few forearms to the face before tossing Young from the ring. Axel unsuccessfully attacks Young. Back inside, though, Ryback nails Young with the Meathook. Axel returns and hits the neckbreaker DDT for the squash.
Titus has had enough of Darren’s failures. Darren, bleeding from the mouth, gets on the microphone and tries to talk some sense into him. Titus says that Young has turned him into a loser. Titus says that he’s cutting the dead weight. Darren tries to reason with him, but Titus beats him up instead, tossing him into the barricade a few times to put the exclamation point on their breakup.
Final Thoughts: The angle after the match wasn’t too bad at all, but it really buried Young to the point where I don’t see him even getting a singles match next week to at least have him stand up for himself. They’ve certainly had terrible momentum, but I attribute that to Titus puking and Michael Strahan no selling their offense.
-We have a Rusev vignette, and it’s very much like Rocky IV. I like Rocky IV
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match – Christian vs. Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter
Before the match, JBL grabs Zeb and brings him over to commentary. That was cute. In the ring, Swagger beats away in the corner. Christian gets a boot up in the other corner, but leaps into Swagger’s arms. Jack tosses Christian out of the ring over the steel post! Ouch. Outside, Swagger charges and hits a knee lift into the barricade. Back inside, Jack gets two. Christian fights out of a reverse waistlock, but gets shoved into the corner. Christian hits a hard right hand, but runs into a knee. This leads to the Swaggerbomb for two.
Zeb implores Jack to focus on Christian. Jack batters Christian in the corner. Jack puts Christian to the top, but gets knocked off and hit with a tornado DDT. That gets two. Swagger takes a drop toe hold into the ropes, and gets slugged and hung up. Christian goes up and hits the missile dropkick. Back to the second turnbuckle, Christian hits a back elbow. Swagger counters the Killswitch and hits a gutwrench powerbomb for two. Christian gets the feet up on a second Swaggerbomb and rolls Swagger up for a close two. Swagger comes back with the Patriot Lock, and Christian rolls him up in response for two. Swagger puts his shoulder into the post and Christian hits the frog splash to win the match and get into the chamber.
Final Thoughts: ***. There were plenty of neat reversals in this one, putting it just a tick above the first qualifying match.
-Renee is backstage with Christian after his match. Christian admits that he is desperate to win at Elimination Chamber, his window shrinking with age and injuries, and will use that to his advantage in the match.
Damien Sandow vs. Kofi Kingston
I don’t think I’ve seen this one, before. Sandow is playing the role of “guy with losing streak”. Sandow goes for a series of covers to begin the match, but misses a charge in the corner. Kofi takes a knee to the gut for just one. Damien gets an abdominal stretch, but is hip tossed out. Damien gets a sunset flip, but Kofi gets out and gives him a running kick. Kofi misses a crossbody from the top and Sandow gets two. Kofi misses Trouble in Paradise. Sandow isn’t able to hit Terminus and Kofi gets the SOS for the win. Sandow wades in his failure. Even JBL feels sorry for him.
Final Thoughts: There’s nothing here except for what could be the beginning of “Sad Damien Sandow”. This is just not the direction that he should be taken in. Maybe he’ll be “elevated” by being fired by HHH.
Cody Rhodes w/Goldust vs. Road Dogg w/Billy Gunn
Cody has a wrapped elbow in this one. Road Dogg starts with jabs, but Cody rushes him and gives him a clothesline. Dogg gets the boot up on a back body drop attempt and works at Cody’s bandaged elbow. Cody goes into the corner, elbow first. Cody answers and gets the corner roll up for two. Both men go down in the middle after bumping heads. They get back to their feet, where Cody is able get the high knee. Cody hangs Dogg up and gives him the boot.
On the outside, Goldust and Gunn get into it, with Billy clotheslining Goldy. He steps up onto the apron and eats a Disaster Kick. This allows Dogg to roll and get the trunks for two. Cody is then able to get another Disaster Kick for the win. After the match, the two teams brawl around the ringside area.
Final Thoughts: * for this fine little match. The angle afterwards did well to build to their steel cage match for the titles on Monday. You feel like, in a short time, they’ve grown to hate each other. This is a nice little feud. If I can be allowed to do some fantasy booking, I’d like Cody and Goldust to be in this team for another year, racking up a few more title reigns as they battle with this great division. Then, you can have the break up and Rhodes family feud this time next year and have it given plenty of build.
-The Shield is in the ring before their match, when Bray shows up on the big screen. Bray says his usual in an effective manner. Different this time is Harper getting in on the fun, as well as Rowan. The Shield are somewhat shaken by these words. Oh man, I love this feud. If they were looking to dissolve The Shield and give Ambrose and Rollins something to do…maybe they could turn on Reigns at EC and join The Family, themselves. It would be interesting to see Dean and Seth wearing their outfits, but letting them grow dirtier over the weeks and months.
The Shield vs. Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan
Yep, Bryan is certainly top dog, here. You can catch Sheamus taking in the sight, and having an awestruck look on his face. Sheamus begins with Rollins. He starts off with a big headlock takedown on Seth. Rollins takes a big shoulderblock and in comes Reigns. Reigns hits a shoulderblock and clubs at Sheamus. Sheamus catches him on the hiptoss attempt, sneers, and slaughters him with a clothesline. Sheamus follows with a neckbreaker for two. Ambrose comes in and mauls Sheamus in the corner. Dean gets him on the ropes, but gets clubbed, picked up, and caught in the ropes. The shirt comes up over his face and he gets clubbed. Sheamus then knocks the rest of The Shield off of the apron and poses like a badass. It’s great to have him back. We go to break.
We’re back with Bryan putting Rollins in the surfboard. Rollins is able to battle out of the dragon sleeper. In comes Rey with a kick to Rollins’ head for two. Rey gets a boot up in the corner and hits a ‘rana. Dean gets a blind tag and slams Rey, countering a ‘rana. Reigns enters and slugs Rey to the mat for two. Rey is sent sliding out of the ring and out towards the announce table. Reigns follows him out and tosses Rey into the barricade. Back inside, Seth gets the tag and starts with the trash talking. Rollins drops the knee for two. Seth puts Rey up on the top. Rey fights back and knocks Seth off. Seth grabs him, but gets pushed off and goes into the buckle.
Hot tag Bryan and he starts kicking everyone’s asses. He flips out of the corner and clothesline Reigns. He misses the buzzsaw on Reigns, but Roman misses the charge and spills outside. Bryan dives out onto him, and then jumps back in the ring, and charges out to dive onto Ambrose on the other side. Inside the ring, Sheamus catches Rollins with the Irish Curse. Reigns loads up and nails Sheamus with the Superman Punch, but eats the missile dropkick from Bryan for two. Bryan gets the Yes! Lock, but Ambrose saves. Dean is dragged out by Sheamus. Ambrose puts Sheamus’ bad shoulder into the post, but this just pisses Sheamus off. The Brogue Kick puts down Dean. Bryan tags in Rey, who presses down on Reigns and gets him in position for the 619 while Bryan hits the knee from the apron on Rollins. Inside, Reigns is up. Rey squirts free on the powerbomb attempt and trips Reigns into the ropes. Roman interrupts the 619 with the big god damned spear and finishes it up. What a randomly awesome match!
Final Thoughts: ***3/4. This was fantastic and so much fun. There was just so much energy and brilliant layout here. I do worry a bit about Sheamus favoring his shoulder in the early going before he had kayfabe reasons to.
–I thought this was a terrific show this week. They moved forward and completed some matches for a PPV that is still three weeks away, while bringing the in-ring content. Both qualifying matches were solid affairs, and the main event was not much unlike the heated Shield battles that Bryan had with them during the spring and summer. This show felt like a much bigger deal and delivered nicely.
