WWE Smackdown live event
Rochester, Minnesota at the Mayo Civic Center
Report by Dot Net reader Dan Strauss

Matt Stryker opened the show and did a good job in the emcee role and with ring introductions all night. The National Anthem was played. I know they do this on Raw/Smackdown prior to the show going on the air but I wish they’d find a way to get it on TV.

1. Brodus Clay beat Damien Sandow.

2. The Usos beat Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty. McGillicutty got a few "Perfect" chants from the fans in his (and his father’s) home state. He replied by yelling to the crowd, "I’m MORE than perfect." Funny moment.

3. Ryback beat Jinder Mahal. Thus far I haven’t been impressed with Ryback’s matches or the way he’s been booked. I must be in the minority because Ryback received a pretty large pop. The fans absolutely love the whole "feed me more" bit.

4. Kaitlyn beat Natalya.

5. Kane beat Daniel Bryan in a tables match (fans had a choice between that and a 2 out of 3 falls match). Great match. Bryan’s "YES/NO" bit is one of the most over, crowd-engaging bits in a long time. In my opinion, it’s one of the few catchphrases/shticks from today’s WWE that would have still been over in the Attitude Era.

Intermission.

6. Sin Cara beat Cody Rhodes. A few of us in our section started a not very successful "USA! USA!" chants. Apparently patriotic chants only work for babyfaces, not heels. Cody was fun to watch. His in-ring work and facial expressions were that of a true professional. He’s got a lot of the overall skills needed for the top of the card.

7. Randy Orton beat Dolph Ziggler. Both men worked real hard in a great wrestling match. Orton really does have a long list of quality, believable wrestling moves in his arsenal.

8. Sheamus beat Alberto Del Rio in a last-man-standing match to retain the World Heavyweight Title. Ricardo Rodriguez introduced the challenger. Ricardo is fun to watch live because he’s never off-camera like he is on TV. He works damn near as hard as the wrestlers. Both wrestlers did some good house-show mic work before the match. Chairs, kendo sticks, and T-shirts used as weapons during the match. In the end, Del Rio missed Sheamus with a chair shot and hit Ricardo instead. It was a pretty legit chair shot that Ricardo sold great. Sheamus won with an awesome Brouge kick.

As a nice surprise after the match, Ziggler appeared out of nowhere ready to cash in his MITB contract. He actually handed it to a referee and immediately received a kick to the head, ending the confrontation and sending everyone home happy. My question is, since the referee actually received the briefcase and it left Ziggler’s hands, did that constitute cashing it in? I know, I know, it’s just a house show.

Notes: Overall a great house show with no complaints. Many of the bigger matches were plenty long and featured a lot of great wrestling.

Biggest crowd reactions (good or bad)

1.  America (USA! USA!)
2. Sheamus
3. Randy Orton
4. Daniel Bryan
5. Ryback
6. Kane

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