Alberto Del Rio def. Christian
What I Liked:
For the second consecutive segment, we see another solid wrestling match. Monday Night Raw is starting off on a good note, focusing on the wrestling action and not necessarily the fluff. We saw some quick and effective ring work, mixed with great reversals. It looked like Christian was going to win, but Del Rio would quickly lock in the arm bar for the win. Once again, Ricardo helps Del Rio, which has become his niche. I especially enjoyed after the match, when Sheamus would take his car. These guys can have a good feud if given the time, and we finally get more than just the typical "I don't like you, you don't like me." Sheamus gives us a little extra digging into somewhat of Del Rio's personal life.
What I Disliked:
I am not complaining about his opponent, but Christian was not going to win this match. We all knew Christian was used as every other mid card guy from Smackdown and used to lose to Del Rio. There was not really much drama here, and Del Rio becomes a coward. Once again, he is a heel with a coward gimmick. We have all of these similar gimmicks.
Grade: B-
Randy Orton vs. Big Show ends in a Double Countout
What I Liked:
Orton and Big Show are not the best competitors together. Orton, even though he is strong, looks more athletic now when he became so slim. He does not have the believability to ground Show throughout a match, but his quick striking ability worked here. I figured there would be a countout or double DQ because you cannot have Show lose clean to Orton. On the other hand, Orton has just come back and you need to keep him on a roll to rebuild his momentum. The match was alright, and what you would expect with Big Show and Orton fighting to the outside and brawling more than mat work.
What I Disliked:
I was just not that into it. Has Orton gotten stale for me? That is something I continue to wrap my head around, because I WANT to like him, but he has not really done much over the past year to evolve. He needs to add some new moves in his stellar arsenal to stay fresh. I will never grade a Big Show match with an A because he just simply is not that great. He hits a few moves, but slows down the pace. I still wonder why he continues to get massive pushes.
Grade: C+
