1. Sheamus v. Heath Slater - 4 out of 5. The Battle of the Gingers! Heath Slater did good work here, but of course ultimately fell victim to the Brogue Kick.
2. Wade Barrett v. Justin Gabriel - 3 out of 5. Barrett absolutely dominated this one, but before he hit the wasteland Gabriel managed to show him a few maneuvers of his own.
3. Divas of Doom v. A.J. & Kaitlyn - 3 out of 5. It's no secret by now that I'd still like more out of my Divas, but at least A.J. has the fever, and that is clear every time she's in the ring. More of her, please, WWE!
4. Cody Rhodes v. Randy Orton - 4 out of 5. The 4 here comes more from the aftermath than the match itself. I understand in some markets, the beatdown was cut short, and some people had to get on the internet to find out that Randy busted open Cody's head with that bell.
5. The Great Khali v. Jinder Majal - 2 out of 5. I gotta admit, I don't remember this match, which is why I give it a 2. This rivalry doesn't really interest me at the moment. Moving on.
6. Sin Cara v. Daniel Bryan - 3 out of 5. Meh.
7. Air Boom v. the Usos - 3 out of 5. I'm sure this was a great match, but every time I try to watch it, I'm just distracted by the commentary. Josh and Cole decided this would be a good time to try on ALL of Booker's catchphrases. All at once.
8. Mark Henry v. Christian - 4 out of 5. This match was made at the top of the show, and Christian spent all night making friends with the lumberjacks in an attempt to gain the upper hand on Mark Henry. It didn't work, but it was still entertaining.
I'm beginning to wonder how much longer they're going to milk this "one more match" gimmick. My deepest apologies, fans, but I am having trouble finding it entertaining anymore. The boy pointed out that Christian basically has Cena's gimmick, but with a heel twist. Maybe that's the problem, and maybe it isn't. At any rate, I feel like I might get to a point in the near future where the sound of Christian's music is just going to make me groan, instead of cheer. Not there yet, but we'll see.
On brighter notes, let's have some kudos for young talent getting some ring time. In particular, I want to talk about Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. These two guys used to flank Wade Barrett, who was clearly ready to soar on his own even then. Gabriel and Slater seemed like afterthoughts next to that guy. Now that they're getting their own ring time we can really see where each of their talent lies. Gabriel is a no-brainer: the guy is a high-flyer, and a good one, too. His match this week with Barrett was a good chance to stand toe-to-toe with a heavy hitter and prove that he can take the damage.
Slater, I feel, is the literal red-headed stepchild of the group. I don't see a lot of love for him coming from the community, and I think that people are missing the fact that he's being paired up with some big hitters too. Sure, he would have lost that match against Khali if it wasn't for the interruption, but he stood his ground, and this week, he kept up with Sheamus, till the Celtic Warrior got tired of screwing around. What we're all missing here--and what's going to sneak up on everybody on that roster--is that Heath is the Speedster. He might not have the size advantage, but you'd better not take your eyes off of him for a second. He's quick, and he can exploit those weak moments to bring you down, even if you don't stay there. Enough of those spots, and he may have a midcard title run in his future. He's also one of the only guys on the roster that still has long hair, and he knows how to work it. And to top it off, he's got a great Edge-flop.
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