# 1 Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus - Money in the Bank's Diamond in the rough
I have no idea who is heading the creative team for Del Rio/Sheamus going into Money in the Bank. All I know is that it sure isn't anyone from RAW Creative .
What I do know is that WWE Smackdown Creative have done a tremendous job attempting to renew Del Rio's image while keeping the World Heavyweight Champion strong.....and they have done this in less than 3-4 weeks! AMAZING!!!
I liked how Smackdown revolved around these two. It's a logical approach as PLENTY of time has already been spent on the WWE Title picture. What we got on Friday night was what Smackdown has always done best: put their two top stars in competitive single matches that get them over as well as their opponents AS WELL AS their current storyline.
We stated off with Del Rio defeating Sin Cara in a fun opening contest. I was fearing that Cara was going to be squashed like he was two weeks ago. But to WWE's credit, they let those two go out there and tell a really good story that had me interested. Del Rio won with the Armbar, but Cara got enough good offense in so he wasn't a complete afterthought. Good stuff here.
Then we had a viciously competitive matchup between Sheamus and Jericho. I will get into why this match was one of the best singles matches of 2012 in a minute. Suffices to say, both guys looked amazing, and provided the fans with a 15-minute Smackdown classic.
The finish of the broadcast came full circle as the crafty heel Del Rio outsmarted and took advantage of a exhausted World Heavyweight Champion. Having the last image of Smackdown's Go-home show being Del Rio ripping apart Sheamus's arm off the stage was a very fitting ending to a solid Friday Night Smackdown. Why? Because I could not wait to see Del Rio and Sheamus settle this once and for all. EXACTLY how it should be on every go-home show.
# 2 Friday Night Zack-Down - highlighting young superstars
Again, I'll give WWE a ton of credit. They made Zack Ryder come across as a legit superstar on this show. Who thought I would be saying THAT!?
The intro video covering how Ryder became the Smackdown GM was very well done, as it intricated his YouTube show along with the events of last weeks show. In short, stuff like this made his YouTube show seem important as well as his win. Cant complain about that. Also, the inclusion of the ZackDown graphics all over the show was a nice touch too.
His interaction with the live crowd was another positive, as they were Into everything he did. I find this incredible considering how he is continually treated by management. I guess it's a testament to Ryder the performer... What else could it be?!
I actually liked the concept of giving a young up and comer (like Ryder) a chance to host a show and present to audiences what he or she is all about. Great exposure and, as Jim Ross says, every minute on TV is essential for aggressive expansion. Thumbs up here.
# 3 Sheamus vs Chris Jericho - wrestling mastery on free-to-air television.
World Heavyweght Champion Sheamus defeated Chris Jericho in the main event of Friday Night Smackdown..... **** 1/4 star performance. Easily. Hands-Down.
When I first read about this match, I had a hunch that it would be pretty good. But NEVER in my wildest dreams did I believe it would be THIS GOOD. Talk about two awesome performers making the most of a paint-by numbers situation.
This one started out ultra-aggressive as Sheamus channeled his storyline aggression into a brawl with the self-proclaimed "Best in the World at Everything I Do". While this was great, what made it even better was that every action in this brawl felt it had a purpose. For example Sheamus kept cutting off Jericho with vicious ax hammer smashes, which ultimately lead to Jericho retreating in cowardliness. Crowd Reaction? MASSIVE. Great Pro-Wrestling.
The rest of the match evolved from the aggression Alberto Del Rio brought on with regards to Sheamus to a competitive one-on-one contest between two of the best WWE have to offer. But I'm sure your saying: " we see this stuff in all good matches...what made this so special?" The answers can be found in the finish.
This finish went longer than most. That is, at the 8 minute mark of a 15-minute match, we had Jericho and Sheamus attempt their signature moves. Each reversal by each competitor screamed superiority over the other. Case in point; when have u ever seen a wrestler reverse Sheamus's White Noise TWICE, with one of those times into Jericho's Walls of Jericho!? NEVER! What made these afformentioned sequences even beter was Sheamus's ability to deliver a picture PRRFECT babyface in peril. I wasn't the only one that thought Jericho would finally one-up his on again- off again rival with a move that has beaten the best WWE has had to offer. At this point in the bout, the crowd became unglued.
The match-making move for me was Jericho reversing Sheamus's Battering Ram from the top into a Codebreaker (Jericho's 2nd successful attempt at this move all match). Talk about moves that have never been seen before! This move BEHEADED Sheamus!!! Thus, it looked like a LEGIT finish to an already epic encounter. Sure, some could argue Jericho took too much time setting himself up for the Brogue Kick finish, but nobody could argue that they had witnessed an ultimate classic. A match that solidified why I love Smackdown above RAW. That is, Smackdown is a wrestling show that takes pride in giving combatants time to produce near-masterpieces like this match. A match of the year candidate , you heard it here first. Jericho and Sheamus: my hats off to u both!!
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