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Smackdown Spoilers for 2/14/14


victor

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Another great show this week.

 

6-man was the usual good Shield affair. All 6 guys are looking tremendous these days. I disagree with whoever said Christian is going through the motions. He's definitely booked the weakest, but he's still in there taking big bumps, eating strikes, hitting his old-man-flying offense as well he was pre-injury, and has been inspired in his limited promo time. I don't think anyone's disputing the other 5. It's amazing how Bryan can generate so much heat in such a small amount of time. He was barely in the match but got some insane heat (real heat, not the obviously edited-in SD kind). Only disappointing part was no post-match promo from either the Shield or Wyatts.

 

The fatal 4-way was a lot better than I expected. Rey really needs to hang 'em up after Mania, it's sad to see how little he does in this type of match these days. Kofi stepped it up here, though, and carried the fast-paced flying and bumping pretty well. Henry's spot at the end was short, but effective. Swagger looked alright too. The Swagger/Rey/Kofi rendition of the triple German spot was one of the better looking ones.

 

The former PTPs continue to impress in their segments. Titus was great on commentary, it's crazy how far he's come from "make it a win" to one of the best mic guys in the company. Darren looked pretty fired up for a 3-minute match and showed a lot of tight offense and bumping for that time frame. Wonder what Damien Sandow did to get in the doghouse, he's been getting some 2012 Jack Swagger level treatment lately.

 

Main event was very good. Orton started off a little iffy, but clearly got more into it as the match went on. Cesaro was just great from the get-go, and if this was a dry-run for him as a face, pull the damn trigger. He adapted all of his offense beautifully, especially timing the swing to a big pop, and showed some great new stuff as well. Cesaro also has those little instincts that just scream future star. A couple things I noticed: First was after he took a spill to the floor, a fan patted him on the back and said "we the people," and Cesaro nodded and muttered "we the people" back as if it were firing him up. I think that's where you can see a huge difference between guys with indy backgrounds and guys without. The ones that have it are a lot better at reacting to little audience cues and adapting on the fly. Second, after the match, he let the crowd finish the "we the people" chant. Of course all his excellent offense got legit pops and that finishing run shows he's ready for the big time (if you didn't know that already). Also, Zeb was pretty good here changing it up to more of a face style manager, including encouraging a legit "We the people" chant while Cesaro was in a chinlock.

 

Also, I should give Orton a little more credit. He still has a great sense of timing and can lay out a damn good action sequence when he wants to. Maybe the backstage reaction he got for his last 3 ppvs was as scathing as it was online, or maybe someone told him he won't be doomed to singles program with Batista at Mania... Whatever it is, he is looking a lot more motivated the last couple of weeks, so good on him for that. His reaction after the loss was perfect too, definite disappointment but with a sense that it was only a non-title on SD so as not to be too wound up.

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I feel bad for Rey about being in those kind of matches period considering how he acted right after the apron dive, which was just him landing on his ass on somebody else. You could tell he was hurting. Then he goes in the ring and eats the World's Strongest Boot along with another couple bumps. It sucks that Mistico didn't work out as their resident spot-monkey because they really need someone over enough with the crowd, and with enough ring savvy to fill Rey's boots... until then, he'll work himself down to the nub and it sucks to watch. Also, they really need to let Big E just talk. This micromanagement gives off the vibe of an undercard MMA fighter talking about his next match. You all say he can talk, they should let him. Or maybe his personality only comes out on Twitter, I dunno. 

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I feel bad for Rey about being in those kind of matches period considering how he acted right after the apron dive, which was just him landing on his ass on somebody else. You could tell he was hurting. Then he goes in the ring and eats the World's Strongest Boot along with another couple bumps. It sucks that Mistico didn't work out as their resident spot-monkey because they really need someone over enough with the crowd, and with enough ring savvy to fill Rey's boots... until then, he'll work himself down to the nub and it sucks to watch. Also, they really need to let Big E just talk. This micromanagement gives off the vibe of an undercard MMA fighter talking about his next match. You all say he can talk, they should let him. Or maybe his personality only comes out on Twitter, I dunno.

Bourne could fill that role if they stop caring about weed.

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Okay, full review of Cesaro/Orton:

 

JBL talks about odds considering the Chamber, what are the odds Orton has an absolute corker of a match twice in the same month? It is not just Cesaro, as he is amazing, but like I said earlier if Orton has a new dance partner Cesaro is it, and hopefully other new guys can bring it out of him as a heel in the same way. It works because he is working from beneath, Cesaro is such a beast that he has to powder and act sneaky and snotty like a proper heel instead of just being THE VIPER. Cesaro's Fighting Spirit comeback is fresh, and both men milk the Swing for all it's worth. 

 

Christ. Listen to it. The announcers actually call our talking points (ugh) of "Orton is stepping it up, but look at the opponents he's been matched with". If this isn't WWE listening to their crowd, at least on the B-show, I don't know what is.

 

Finish is just tremendous. Cesaro points at the sign like every other asshole, which he is not. Incredible match with everything coming together. I really hope they keep Cesaro as a tweener because otherwise he will go Del Rio and we will be throwing things at the television two nights a week.

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"I know something about that Elimination Chamber and the strategy it takes to win one..." - HHH

 

Get injured and book yourself to win? (honestly I never saw said match in question, I just think it's funny it got brought up here right around the time he says this)

 

Jeez, he can't even work within kayfabe to strongly put Cesaro over as a legitimate contender without someone complaining.

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I'm sorry for throwing that chocolate cake at you. Anyway, if Bourne can't come back, they have Adrian Neville(Pac) still waiting to be promoted from NXT. He's far more than ready to fill that role. It's not like Bourne is a better flyer or a great mic-worker or something. He's probably better at other subtle things of course, but that can be learned.

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Thoughts from this show

 

-You know, I think I kinda missed Sheamus. I didn't really miss him as a character, but he is a walking good match now a days. Sure, his character is balls, but that's more or less all of the E. The opening 6 man was good: Any match were Christian or Ambrose were the weak guys is usually going to be good. Reigns is a star in the making.

 

-Okay, gotta ask: Am I the only one who REALLY is digging midcard heel Ryback? Sure he's in a borderline job team, but he's fun as all hell right now. I also do not dislike the NAO nearly as much as most of you: The point to the NAO, is that they are the exact opposite of what they used to represent imo. They are complete hypocrites, hanging onto the fame they had via any means needed, in spite of the fact they are just not as good as the other teams. When the Usos take the belts of them (I'd say at Mania) it will get a really strong pop

 

-Man, that 4 way was a lot of fun wasn't it? Kofi really should be in these style of matches more, as it protects him from his weaknesses and lets him show his strengths. But Swagger was the star here, and it's a nice reminder of the time when we thought he was gonna be really good. The finishing stretch from Henry's run of dominance on was damn good stuff, and Swagger got made to look great with the Brutal looking Ankle Lock on Kofi.

 

And the main. Cesaro is really really really good, and Orton brought a fair amount to this, but it did kinda feel like a bit of a "The Old Dogs tricks of Orton trying to keep down the incredibly talented but unproven Cesaro, but Cesaro just has too much, is too clever himself, and is too creative for Orton to deal with. The finishing stretch was great, as was the RKO counter to Swiss Death. Really strong match, and Cesaro is great.

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Thoughts from this show

 

-You know, I think I kinda missed Sheamus. I didn't really miss him as a character, but he is a walking good match now a days. Sure, his character is balls, but that's more or less all of the E. 

 

I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't like Sheamus. He's been really good in the ring for like 4 years straight now, and I think the complaints about his character are overblown. I think that all stems from being on the wrong end of "18 seconds" then about 6 months of the writers feeding him rejected Jericho material for some reason. When they've let him be a "man of few words" ass-kicker, he's been pretty fun.

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I don't dislike Sheamus, but he does nothing for me. I still honestly think his best matches are those ECW ones with Goldust. He's technically fine in the ring and is pretty good at clubbering, but nothing else about him stands out. 

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Thoughts from this show

 

-You know, I think I kinda missed Sheamus. I didn't really miss him as a character, but he is a walking good match now a days. Sure, his character is balls, but that's more or less all of the E.

 

I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't like Sheamus. He's been really good in the ring for like 4 years straight now, and I think the complaints about his character are overblown. I think that all stems from being on the wrong end of "18 seconds" then about 6 months of the writers feeding him rejected Jericho material for some reason. When they've let him be a "man of few words" ass-kicker, he's been pretty fun.

I like Sheamus too, but damn to all hell if he ain't the worst promo this side of the Atlantic for a few years now. I meam Punk's pity me bullshit promos were terrible and went on forever, but no one is lying out of their ass for Sheamus like they do for Punk.

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