The pre-show was absolute death with the Cena segment. It was THE most corporate-seeming deal WWE's done in a while. I did get a chuckle out of the fan JUST HAPPENING TO WEAR A TOUT NECKBAND. Yes, those exist. Weird to see Orton working an opener, but I guess it was a good choice for one. Loved the corner headbutts from Orton. The enziguri into the RKO was an AWESOME finish. I'm glad they were able to do something memorable in this feud. Heyman and Vickie's deal was amusing. I liked Sandow getting gear that matched Cody's black and purple stuff. Sandow's subtle bird flip to Kane before hitting the elbow on Bryan was tremendous. I liked his little stomp on the face to hold it down before a knee drop. They had a really fun long match here, and the DQ finish sucked some wind out of things. I guess the Scholars demand a rematch on the basis that they won the bout and it's not their fault Kane a nutjob. I liked Kofi getting new gear that sorta matches the IC title. I liked the SOS being countered into the reverse DDT backbreaker leading to the SOS - easy way to mix up the usual spots that helped this feel different than their other matches. All the legwork and unique things, like the leg DDT on the ropes helped too. Surprised to see Miz take the kick of death again, but I like Kofi as champ. Striker doing the post-match interview made Kofi seem like a lesser star though.
Glad to see Cesaro and Gabriel get a PPV payday, although the match was hurt by a lack of heat. Gabriel's cradle counter out of pin cover ruled. His flip off the left-armed lariat from Cesaro was great. His attempt at AJ's moonsault DDT using the turnbuckles instead didn't quite work out so well, and whoever told him to get the left side of his head buzzed for a combover mullet should be shot. The springboard into the uppercut on the floor should be a highlight reel spot that they cut away from before it lands to both make it seem more impactful and prevent you from seeing how poor it turned out. Loved Cesaro's gutwrench lift of Gabriel into the ring before the Neutralizer. These guys can't seem to help but have great matches and this was their best one yet even with the issues. Sin Cara/Rey vs. PTPs sure seemed like Raw filler. Loved JR putting Sin Cara as a huge deal whose WWE signing was covered by every major media outlet. Sin Cara's masking having Rey's design on the back looked strange, but neat. Sin Cara's really adapted to WWE's style well. Shame he took a header doing the Asai DDT. It did lead to a great tag to Rey who's still got tons of fire and is perfect as a tag guy at this stage in his career.
Show and Sheamus started off with some fine clubbering and then became a really slow-paced deal for a while before picking up a lot at the end. Sheamus' chest looked disgusting due to Show's chops, which helped make this seem special. COULDN'T
ING BELIEVE SHEAMUS HIT THE CELTIC CROSS ON SHOW. He had him up there perfectly and hit it perfectly too. Goddamn Sheamus is a strong mother
er. Loved the KO punch out of the Brogue Kick being caught. It played off of what Show did a few weeks back. Sheamus hitting the kick as a counter with Show kneeling due to trying the punch worked well. Sheamus' WTF face ruled. JBL treating this like a huge deal helped it. The second punch hitting during the kick attempt was great. This was a great match overall. Show getting a tear in his eye was great and I'm so glad to not only see Sheamus' reign end, but see Show get it. Teddy and Ryder's bit with Eve was great. Santino coming in as Honey Boo Boo Gaga was...something, until Ron Simmons gave it a damn and made it great.
The womens match wasn't good, but had some amusing spots where they just kept tripping over themselves. Loved JBL screwing up and then going on a rant about Notre Dame. Eve's somersault senton to break up Kaitlyn's 69 pin on Layla was a highlight. Punk and Heyman exchanging a hug and a handshake before the Cell was great. Ryback's red, black, and silver gear looked great - even if it was more RVD-ish than usual. I'm amazed there hasn't been an RVD chant during his matches. I liked him wearing elbow pads and the new gloves looked good. The match itself was a lot of stalling early and some good power spots from Ryback while Punk created motion with jumps into him and the suicide dive into the cell. Them showing the fans chanting Feed Me More before the lariat helped make Ryback seem like a big deal. I liked the idea of Mr. Mad-ox being in Heyman's pocket, but the idea of Ryback having this little goof in front of him and NOT KICKING HIM or dropping Punk to attack him looked weird. Then again, I guess he really couldn't kick him and hold Punk up at the same time, so I guess it was the best option if Maddox had to be facing him. Not sure why he couldn't just kick him low from behind though. Ryback murdering Maddox with an in ring press slam INTO THE CELL and then giving us the first top of the cell spot in many years with the Shell Shocked on the Cell erased any harm done to Ryback. He didn't win the title, but he got the highlight reel finish for the show. They booked themselves into a tough spot, but found a great way out of it overall. They found a way to add an asterix to Ryback's first loss to basically negate it, and can always have Vickie or Vince declare it a no-contest due to the ref later if they really need that streak to be something. Ryback standing tall with a Feed Me More chant going while he had his foot on Punk doing the old Warrior pin did more to help him than winning the WWE Title before he's ready would've. Punk going into the Rumble to face Rock and have Rock end the longest WWE Title reign in 18 years is better than kiling that idea to still have the match, but tarnish the title in the process - especially with Ryback not being ready to hold it in any real way.
