<- Trying something new with our “Headline Photos” for the Quick Hits articles. Hopefully it’s something a little different for the readers.
CM Punk Segment
<- Raw opens with another promo segment but at least it isn’t Triple H or Stephanie. It actually feels fresh that CM Punk is opening the show.
<- Nice how Punk doesn’t think “this story will end” on an episode of SmackDown…
<- Big E Langston? Huh… ok…?
Big E Langston vs CM Punk
<- THIS is what an opening promo should lead to. It was quick, to the point and created an immediate match. The fact that it features a top star and a rising star makes it all the better.
<- Big E is looking great holding his own with a main-eventer.
<- That was one of the best selling jobs to the GTS by Langston. I always loved that “glazed over” look that Randy Orton & Edge was so great at.
Fandango vs Kofi Kingston
<- “Fandango is like Usher crossed with Randy Couture”. Damn, I’m so happy JBL came back as a commentator.
<- Kofi and Fandango have really good chemistry in the ring. They could have a great IC title feud.
<- Nice quick match that made both guys look good.
Randy Orton/Bellas Segment
<- I guess they thought Orton wouldn’t look as intimidating in a pink t-shirt.
Los Matadores vs 3MB
<- I can’t be the only one pumped for Los Matadores debut.
<- ……….
<- I don’t know if I should describe this as wonderful or insane. Either way I’m damn entertained. At least for now.
<- They should have put El Torito under the Sin Cara hood.
<- Rosa Mendes must be pissed. She was replaced by a midget.
<- Simple but cool looking double team finisher. The gimmick will wear out its welcome pretty quickly but it’s pretty awesome right now.
The Rhodes Family/The Authority Segment
<- Who keeps telling Dustin Rhodes it’s a good idea to wear the Goldust paint when not in his wrestling gear.
<- Love the idea of Cody Rhodes and Goldust versus The Shield. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost to continue the story but how cool would it be if we got a short run of Dustin & Cody as a tag team? They actually the only team I can think of right now who could take the titles off of The Shield as well! (Although I hope they don’t.)
Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel vs R-Truth
<- Axel can work but has ZERO ring presence. It might be time for Paul Heyman to abort this “Guy”.
Brie Bella vs Alicia Fox
<- I feel like they are going to do their best to position Brie Bella as Daniel Bryan’s “Miss Elizabeth”. That’s all well in good except it didn’t work out too well for Savage and Elizabeth personally. From watching Total Divas though, Brie & Bryan seem MUCH more stable than Randy Savage ever was.
<- Not that bad of a Divas match. I’m a little bummed that Nattie’s push has been tossed out again but it makes perfect sense why they want Brie in the Divas title hunt.
Paul Heyman “Guys” Segment
<- Looks like all the heels got t-shirts with pink highlights compared to a pink shirt. Sometimes it pays to be bad.
<- Propose to Ryback? I love Heyman’s infatuation with Ryback so this should be interesting.
Big Show Interview
<- Even if it was Triple H, thank God SOMEONE made fun of Show’s awful fake crying.
<- The Big Show wouldn’t choose evil at all?! He’s been a heel more times in his career than a babyface? Why is this such a moral struggle for him?
<- I had a flashback to the Dungeon of Doom when Big Show flashed his crazy eyes.
Zack Ryder vs Alberto Del Rio
<- I guess the WWE thinks Del Rio comes off tough enough on TV that he could pull off a pink shirt as a bad guy. You know, because he’s so over as a heel.
<- Check out Zack Ryder getting TV time as a jobber to the stars. Over the last 10 years or so, I can’t remember many people whose popularity plummeted as fast as Ryder’s did. He can still pull off a watchable match in the ring though.
Paul Heyman/Ryback Segment
<- I think we all saw that bait and switch coming from Punk but how awesome was the “crane kick/kendo stick” strike?
The Shield vs Dolph Ziggler & The Usos
<- The Usos have started getting great reactions from the crowd. It helps that they are working with great talent like The Shield & Ziggler. It’s strange to think these brothers have been on the roster for years but have only been featured on shows like Superstars until now.
<- Great match that was high-octane almost the entire time. These 6 guys are just flawless in the ring together.
Santino vs Antonio Cesaro
<- There’s not many men who would be able to make the Giant Swing a popular move today.
<- Cesaro’s been losing a lot lately but it doesn’t seem like punishment matches. It’s more as if he’s in line for a push & they’re knocking him down a peg before launching him. At least I’m hoping that’s what it is.
Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton Segment
<- Daniel Bryan seemed to be making a ton of improvement on the microphone recently but has since hit a plateau. Every promo starts out with his sarcastic mocking of Orton, followed by an intense, babyface sell. It works for the feud right now but he’s going to need to become a little more dynamic to really succeed.
<- Brie coming down, begging Orton to stop the attack, was pure “Elizabeth”. I can’t be the only one who had flashes of when Elizabeth came to ringside to beg Jake “The Snake” to stop letting his cobra from biting the “Macho Man”. It’ll work if done the right way. IF.
