5/15 WWE Smackdown Report Card: Randy Orton and Christian continue to Entertain, Mark Henry and Sheamus impress me again, and WWE actually gives the rest of the card some attention!


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Barnett Editorials


5/15 WWE Smackdown Report Card: Randy Orton and Christian continue to Entertain, Mark Henry and Sheamus impress me again, and WWE actually gives the rest of the card some attention!
May 15, 2011 - 04:24 PM


By Jake Barnett

The purpose of this editorial is to rundown the latest edition of WWE Smackdown by highlighting the top angles on the show, list where I think they succeeded and where they failed, and give it a final letter grade in the traditional grade school format. I will also give the overall show a letter grade. The following Report Card pertains to the May 13th edition of Smackdown.

Angle 1: Randy Orton vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship

This Week’s Successes:


  • Christian’s promo to open the show was very good. He was able to convey his disappointment in losing the title, and also his belief that a 100% prepared Christian could beat Randy Orton. This sets up a variety of directions for the storyline to go after Over the Limit, and I’m optimistic about the potential matches these guys can put together.

  • Randy Orton continues to look like a huge star. WWE has been wise to keep the interactions between Christian and Randy Orton short and sweet. Both of these guys seem to struggle with long, drawn out promos, so keeping it short and sweet holds the crowd’s interest and gives these guys ample opportunity to build tension.
  • The Main Event tag match on this show helped everyone involved. Mark Henry and Sheamus both looked like legit Main Eventers in the ring, and they even managed to look good on the mic in the opening segment, which often isn’t the case with the main eventers on Raw.


This Week’s Failures:

  • Randy Orton’s was the weak point in the back stage segments. I just want to see a little more animation from him in his promos, considering how worked up he gets himself in the ring.


Final Grade: B+

Angle 2: Wade Barrett vs. Ezekial Jackson for the Intercontinental Title

This Week’s Successes:

  • I see a lot of promise in Ezekial Jackson. He has a natural charisma in the ring, a great look, and is getting a great reaction as a babyface.

  • Wade Barrett continues to shine on the mic. I like his work as a heel and I hope he and Zeke click in the ring, because WWE has a dearth of good big man workers.

This Week’s Failures:

  • We really don’t have much of a reason to care about the fallout of The Corre. The group never gelled or had any period of dominance, so now the face turn means very little. Hopefully this will be over quickly and all 4 guys can move on to new things.

  • Ezekial Jackson continues to be an enigma on the microphone. What we’ve heard hasn’t been awful, but at the same time we’ve never heard him carry a feud on the mic either. Instead of giving us a 10 minute snooze-a –thon between Kane and Barrett, I would have rather seen a verbal exchange between Barrett and Jackson. If WWE is telling us that they don’t think Zeke is ready for that, then why push him?


Final Grade: C-

Overall Show Grade: B

Overall Show Comments:

  • Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan gave us a great eleven minute match. Both guys gave us some showcase offense, and worked at a pace seldom seen on WWE shows. Daniel Bryan is probably the most versatile talent on the roster, and Sin Cara got one of his best matches in WWE from him. The Chavo feud was moved forward by Chavo sitting in on the mic and interfering in the match finish. It was a little heavy handed, but I’m still optimistic about the potential match.

  • Kharma teased a conflict with Michael Cole, which was a great moment I hope we see carried forward onto Raw. Kharma getting her hands on Cole could make for one of those absurd and unforgettable WWE moments.

  • Jinder Mahal made an interesting third impression this week, and he slapped around The Great Khali in the process. This is the first time in a long time we’ve seen anything develop out of the WWE Lower Card, so I’m looking forward to see if they can keep me entertained.

    Questions, comments, or concerns? Contact me at barnett.jake@gmail.com or on twitter @barnettjake.

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