9/28/12 Smackdown

Ratings:
Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella (U.S. Title): *3/4

Beth Phoenix vs. Natalya: **1/2

Wade Barrett vs. Zack Ryder: *1/2

Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: 3/4*

Ryback vs. Tensai: 1/2*

Big Show vs. Randy Orton: **1/4
_________________

Reviews/Thoughts:
Smackdown's in Buffalo this week! Big Show starts things off with wanting to be world champ again. No more of the 45-second reigns and missing out on main eventing WM. Orton says not so fast, gotta go through him. Del Rio's turn to talk trash -- and then he eats an RKO.

Antonio Cesaro has reportedly "dumped" Aksana and now flying solo. Santino doesn't have to worry about that Aksana distraction now in the U.S. Title match. Santino with some Marella Martial Arts to expand the moveset. Cesaro capitalizes on a mistake and hits the Neutralizer for the win. Not bad on the match, good crowd reaction. So um, how many legit challengers does Antonio really have now?

The Kane/DB skits are awesome. I still wish it was Team Friendship, though.

Divas action. Beth Phoenix in her hometown, but they omit all ring entrances. How considerate of Vince. So Kaitlyn said her assailant had blonde hair. Two blondes in the ring. Nice move, Eve. Awesome chain wrestling to start. Edge said on Twitter that this would be a great match, and damn, it was. A couple of false finishes thrown in. Rarely do I say this, but I wish this Divas match got more time. Best divas match of the year, easily.

If they had a few more minutes, it woulda been a VERY rare ***+ women's match. Why the hell can't they do THIS even a little more often?!

Eve crashes the party and says Beth is indefinitely suspended, ignoring Natalya's also a blonde. Hey, it gets heel heat. Mission accomplished. Of course, Beth goes to Booker and it's all reversed. Eve then pins the blame on Teddy Long. Yup. Eve's better as a heel.

Booker with an 8-team single elimination tournament idea, with the winners facing Kane and DB at Hell in a Cell. Love the idea.

Wade Barrett gets a win over Zack Ryder this week. Decent match for its brevity; somewhere around 3 minutes for this aggression-packed match. Slow push back to where Wade was before the injury, I suppose. Souvenir is a nice effective finisher.

Time for Miz TV. Guest is Sheamus, who takes the mic and makes it a comedic scene. Vickie and Ziggler come out uninvited. Dolph reminds Sheamus of the MITB briefcase wild card. Sheamus takes out both Dolph and Miz. Keeping the champ booked strong.

They replay Lawler's interview segment on RAW. Still just a great sight that Lawler's still with us. Could have been fatal anywhere else.

First tag tournament match next. Usos without the war dance this time. I love the "Rhodes Scholars" name a lot. Just wish they used more of the lower midcard talent to fill the gaps. Very short here, Rhodes Scholars with the win.

Other first-round matches we'll see: Santino/Ryder vs. Gabriel/Kidd; Kofi/Truth vs. Primetime Players; and Epico/Primo vs. Mysterio/Sin Cara. Thinking it'll be Mysterio/Cara and Rhodes Scholars in the finals.

Time to feed Ryback more. No Sakamoto? Tensai with some offense, but Ryback gets the win. Ryback's strength is insane.

Del Rio assaults Orton backstage. Targets the ribs and left shoulder. ADR says he's taking Orton's place, but Orton gets some payback and will compete anyway. Show goes right to the injured body parts. Show takes over most of the match, with Orton only getting brief comeback spots. Slow pace as a result. RKO hit on Show but only two. Show with one chokeslam but a kickout! Show with a second one and it's over. Pretty good, but the end was really the only thing I could stomach.

Show with WMD to Orton after the match. Statement made to Sheamus. Still can't see Show winning this feud. Huge feather in Sheamus' cap if he can knock Show off.

Oh, and WWE released Kelly Kelly yesterday (Friday). Not surprised; it was all but imminent. WWE couldn't get the real-life Barbara Blank to re-sign with the company, and so now she's off to greener pastures. Acting is probably next in some way. Wishing her the best.