411's Instant Analysis 1/20/2012: Friday Night Smackdown

Posted by David McGregor on 01.20.2012

It is Sin City Smackdown this week as Daniel Bryan faces off against Mark Henry in a Lumberjack Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Also we have the return of WWE Roulette as we have a rarely seen Tornado Tag Match and a rarely bareable Blindfold Match! It isn't as bad as it sounds, honest...



Welcome to the Instant Analysis of Friday Night Smackdown, last week I was stuck in a hospital bed and was unable to review the show so that is why there was no column last week. But I'm back and there aren't any foreseeable things in the future so the column should be on time from now on. Anyway last week wasn't exactly Smackdown at its best, although Daniel Bryan is blossoming as a heel. This week is the return of Raw Roulette, although seen as it's on Smackdown I guess it's Smackdown Roulette which although it has produced some stinkers in terms of matches it's a concept I thing is great and I am looking forward to this one. So let's get started with Sin City Smackdown!

Opening Segment: Daniel Bryan seems to hate everyone!

I am really enjoying Daniel Bryan's heel turn he seems to be one of the few bright lights on an otherwise dull Smackdown recently. I think we can just say now the he is a fully fledged heel there is no if ands or maybes about in anymore the crowd just seem to hate him! I haven't seen his ROH stuff so I didn't know if he could pull off being the heel but he is doing it very well and it is basically saving the angle with Big Show and Mark Henry, it's an interesting twist on the David and Goliath story. The promo built Bryan up as a heel as well as his match with Henry and his feud with the Big Show as well as being entertaining so I can't fault it.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Backstage Segment – The Trolls Luck Ran Out!
Now I said I like the Roulette gimmick but not when future superstars like Cody Rhodes are put into matches with bloody leprechauns! At least that is semi logical, why waste your time fighting someone that could injure you such as Sheamus or Ezekiel Jackson when you could just beat up a midget. Also seen as we are 9 days away from the Royal Rumble and the 2nd biggest night of the year I guess it makes sense to keep injury free.

However the Aksana stuff with Teddy Long is boring me senseless! It seems like the WWE locker room is just filled with couples these days, of which only Bryan and AJ have been of any storyline use. General Managers should just manage their brand they dont need to be fornicating with every eastern European he can lay his hands on.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Cody Rhodes v Hornswoggle (Make that Justin Gabriel)

Now I can let this one go because it is really just to make Rhodes look like a bastard, which is funny seen as Hornswoggle used to be called the little bastard. Also the actual Hornswoggle match barely lasted 30 seconds with Gabriel coming to the aid of the little one once again. I would complain but at least it gets a talented guy like Gabriel on the show, his 450 splash is a thing of beauty only second to Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press (off topic the guy is an idiot for screwing up again, your employer says you dont do something you dont do it! How arrogant do you have to be to just casually continue to screw up a 6 figure salary job?). The match was short and sweet; Gabriel looked like he was on par with Rhodes until the end and I think he was elevated by the defeat. Rhodes once again looks like a dominant champion and I can see him very soon dropping the belt for bigger and better things I think he will be World Champion by the end of the year.

After the match Mark Henry spun the wheel for a lumberjack match, I find it amazing how much Henry has improved I just think he is captivating as the dominant heel. He's also became somewhat charismatic as his time at the announce table showed a few weeks ago.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Rating: 7 out of 10

Epico and Primo (w/ Rosa Mendes) v The Uso's – Tornado Tag Team Match
Even though Tornado Tag Team matches are a long established type of match they are rarely seen and I think thats a shame because they can be very entertaining, a problem normal tag team matches tend to suffer from. This was a short one but it was a decent encounter and added a little legitimacy to Epico and Primo's reign as Tag Team Champions. An entertaining match with a under used gimmick is exactly what the Tag Team division needs to revitalise it, good work indeed.

Winners: Epico and Primo

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Brodus Clay v Vickie Guerrero and William Regal – Dance Off

Now I know a lot of people will moan this was a waste of time and all but when you sit down and watch this it is actually entertaining and funny! Vickie and her dancing had me in stitches with laughter and she seems to get heat for everything she does its unbelievable even if it is just completely outrageous like this. Clay and his dance moves were hilarious, although he totally cheated by using his dancers! Regal and his dancing was plain funny and even though it was a brilliant technical wrestler wasting himself I found it funny and got Brodus over a little more. It was pointless but it was more entertaining than pretty much all of last week's show!

Winner: The Funkasaurus Brodus Clay

Rating: 8 out of 10 (I'm sorry I found it funny!)

Sheamus v Wade Barrett – Tables Match

I don't know why but my link to this one seemed to start mid way through I don't know if anything happened at the start but if it did then I missed it. These 2 have been on a roll recently and I feel that this match is a much bigger match than the World Heavyweight Championship match that is scheduled as it is two guys who the WWE seem to have invested a lot into going toe to toe to see who the best man is. Well that was the case until it was made a table match as it has become an established fact that table's matches are used predominantly so the WWE can book a dirty finish. Shockingly that was the case here as well as Jinder Mahal reared his ugly untalented face once again to cost Sheamus the match. I was quite surprised they gave Barrett the win here as Sheamus seems to be on a little winning streak while they build him back up. Decent match but once again ruined by Mahal's appearance.

Winner Wade Barrett

Rating: 6 out of 10

Hunico v Ted Diabise – Flag Match

See there are some gimmick matches that aren't used a lot yet have the potential to be fantastic, such as the tornado tag match, then there are gimmick matches that you understand why they aren't used very much such as this heap, and funnily enough the next match also. I am getting sick of this whole thing I just feel like it is the same people in the same matches every single week with the same things happening! Hunico and Ted Dibiase had a match which sucked just the other week is there really any need for them to have another sucktacular match once again? This one sucked pure and simple and as long as Dibiase is feuding with Hunico with love for sparkly shiny bicycles he isn't getting anywhere fast! Boring and added nothing to their horrible feud.

Winner: Ted Dibiase

Rating: 3 out of 10

Santino Marella v Drew McIntyre – Blindfold Match

There are stipulation matches that shouldn't be used often, like the Flag Match which can further a feud if done right, then there are match types that just plain suck and should never be used and a blindfold match is one of them! I have never seen a decent, not even good just decent, blindfold match and this wasn't the exception. Unlike the dance off earlier this isn't entertaining and wasn't funny in the slightest, it just made me feel sorry for Drew McIntyre who has fallen so far since his days of being handpicked for greatness by Mr McMahon (which seems to be a sign your career is screwed more than anything). This is again another rehashed match from a couple weeks ago, sometimes it's like watching a rerun of a previous show watching Smackdown sometimes especially when it's this bad!

Winner: Santino Marella

Rating: 2 out of 10

Daniel Bryan v Mark Henry – World Heavyweight Title Lumberjack Match

This wasnt exactly the greatest match ive ever seen but for a TV main event it was enjoyable. And more important it furthered feuds between Henry, Bryan and Big Show which is resulting in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match at the Rumble. I think that fits perfectly into the angle they are going with for these guys and I guess the match will show if the WWE really are behind Bryan as world champion.

As for the match, it was decent with Henry still not being 100% this was as good as we were going to get but the inclusion of the lumberjacks and the eventual brawl at the end made this a lot better, the whole thing was better than the sum of its parts as it further angles and built towards the Rumble all in one match. The brawl at the end isn't creative but its always my favourite way to build to the Royal Rumble!

Winner: N/A

Rating: 9 out of 10 (The match wasnt great but the build towards everything else was great)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Moment of the Night Daniel Bryan v Mark Henry – More angle than match

Trash of the Night Santino Marella v Drew McIntyre

Show Analysis - Ive always been a fan of the themed shows in fact Retro Raw back in 2010 was one of my all time favourite Raw episodes. While this wasnt anywhere near as good as that I did enjoy this episode, although I feel that this seemed more like a go home show before the Royal Rumble as opposed to a Smackdown 9 days before the actual show. While there was some crap here such as the flag match and the blindfold match those sort of come part in parcel with the roulette idea so I can almost forgive their involvement, however, I do feel that sometimes a gimmick like this could be used so much better. But we are officially on the Road to Wrestlemania so I am guessing there is a lot better to come.

And that is it for this week I'm David McGregor and this has been the Instant Analysis of Friday Night Smackdown!