NXT might have had the distinction of being the first official WWE show of 2015, but SmackDown was the first to feature the main roster.
Edge and Christian closed out their week of guest appearances with another set of comedy segments throughout the night. It was great seeing them back in a WWE ring looking happy and healthy.
As for the action, WWE managed to give us a decent show. Some matches were better than others, but none of them dropped the ball, which is rare these days.
Let's take a look at what happened on SmackDown this week.
Edge and Christian Return to SmackDown
What a difference a week makes. Having Edge and Christian back for three shows in a row has really shined a light on how much better they are than so many current stars in WWE.
Sure, they were pandering a little bit, but everything they said and did was fun. They opened the show with a quick segment that saw Edge apologize for the Authority returning to power.
Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury showed up in a limo and came out to Seth Rollins' music. They were there to tell Edge and Christian that they were overseeing SmackDown while E&C were in charge.
They also read a prepared statement from the Authority apologizing to Edge and Christian for Rollins' actions on Raw.
After making a few matches, Edge got in their faces and said this was their show. Immediately after they spoke, Bray Wyatt's music hit and he came out to the ring for a match.
This wasn't much different to some of the other stuff they have done this week, but it's always a blast whenever Edge and Christian get together inside a ring.
Grade: B+
Notes and Highlights:
- Has Jamie Noble always sounded like a southern cartoon character?
- What was the point of showing the limo driver stepping in dog poop?
- Edge continued his trend of wearing shirts for his favorite Superstars with a Cesaro shirt.
Bray Wyatt vs. Erick Rowan
For the first time, two former Wyatt Family members squared off in a singles match. This should have been part of a major storyline, but it was just a way to make Wyatt look strong heading into his Ambulance match with Dean Ambrose.
Wyatt told Rowan to lay down at the beginning of the match, but Rowan wasn't going to be pushed around. He put Wyatt through some hard-hitting punishment before Wyatt finally won the match with Sister Abigail.
For two guys their size, Rowan and Wyatt managed to keep a pretty quick pace from start to finish. Rowan got in the most offense, but Wyatt got the last laugh.
He grabbed a mic and talked about what he was willing to do to Ambrose if he was willing to take out his own family. There should have been more of a storyline to Wyatt fighting his own student, but it was a solid segment anyway.
Grade: B
Notes and Highlights:
- Having Rowan control most of the match was a smart move. He still looks strong, but there is only so much time before his losses begin to affect his potential.
Adam Rose and Gold and Stardust vs. R-Truth and the Usos
It might be hard to believe, but R-Truth actually got to wrestle another match on television this week. Things are looking up for Mr. Killings.
Truth teamed with the Usos to battle Adam Rose and Gold and Stardust. This must mean Truth is in a real feud with Rose, which is actually good for both of them in a way.
It was a pretty typical six-man match. The babyfaces got in some offense in the beginning, the heels controlled most of the match, but the babyfaces came back to win in the end. It was all very formulaic.
The one thing accomplished in this match was making Rose look normal in comparison to Gold and Stardust. No amount of people in bunny and hamburger costumes can out-weird the Rhodes brothers.
Some of the Rosebuds actually tried to attack the Usos after everything was over, but the tag champs sent them packing. It was a fun but somewhat average match.
Grade: B-
Notes and Highlights:
- Teaming with two heels cements Rose's heel turn.
- Did the Usos drop the traditional dance from the beginning of their entrance? It seems like they haven't done it the past few times we've seen them.
- Truth got the crowd to say "Whoomp, there it is." Is it a coincidence that a group called Tag Team made that song and it happened in a tag team match?
Ryback vs. Big Show
When you put a powerhouse in the ring with a giant, you don't expect a clinic. Going into this match, everyone knew it would be a relatively slow pace with more power moves and rest holds than Irish whips and dropkicks.
Big Show made Ryback look really good in the first segment by selling his offense as believable. After the break, Big Show slowed things down an focused on the leg Ryback had injured during his Nexus run.
Ryback continued to show signs of improvement by convincingly selling all of Show's offense. He really looked like he was in pain when his leg was being destroyed.
Rusev came out and distracted Ryback, allowing Big Show to hit a KO Punch that led to Ryback being counted out. Ryback managed to recover in time to thwart Rusev's attack, and the crowd really got behind the Big Guy as he sent the Bulgarian back up the ramp.
Grade: C+
Notes and Highlights:
- Big Show is such a boring heel, but he's also a boring babyface. What can he do to stay relevant?
- Ryback might win the award for most improved Superstar. Just about every aspect of his game has gotten better since he returned. He's still not great, but he's getting better.
- Edge was shown playing a little trick on Noble after the match, sending the bodyguard into the wrong bathroom looking for Christian. It was kind of dumb, but it worked as a short comedy segment.
Los Matadores vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro
This ended up being quite a fun little tag match. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro picked up another win with what has to be one of the most dangerous finishing moves in the business.
Hitting a Blockbuster Doomsday Device is very high-risk. If anyone times their movement wrong, it could lead to someone getting their neck broken.
The team of Kidd and Cesaro has a lot of potential. Both men have a lot of tag team experience, so they know how to structure a good match.
Don't let the picture on the video fool you. The correct video is there—WWE just put the wrong image on it.
Grade: B-
Notes and Highlights:
- The tag team division has gotten so sparse that any victory for any team puts them in the hunt for the titles.
- Cesaro nearly decapitated one of the Matadores with an uppercut during a suicide dive.
- The whole thing with Natalya and Kidd having friction to push their Total Divas storyline is getting really old.
Curtis Axel vs. Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose didn't even let this match happen. He came to the ring, attacked Curtis Axel and dropped him with Dirty Deeds.
He grabbed a mic and addressed the upcoming Ambulance match with Wyatt on Raw. It was a relatively basic promo, but Ambrose's delivery made it entertaining.
Ambrose definitely looked strong in this segment, while Wyatt looked somewhat vulnerable during his match with Rowan. It might not mean anything, but WWE making us believe Ambrose has the momentum probably means he won't win the match on Monday.
Regardless of what happens next week, Ambrose had a good start to 2015 by destroying Axel and making it look easy.
Grade: B-
The Ascension vs. Some Guys
Konnor and Viktor made their SmackDown debut against two random jobbers in what was obviously a winning effort.
The video package before the match was way more interesting than the match itself. The Ascension actually addressed the similarities in their gimmick to the Road Warriors and Demolition.
Not only does addressing these comparisons make them feel like less of a rip off, it puts Konnor and Viktor alongside two exciting tag teams from the past.
The Ascension picked up the win with their finisher, the Fall of Man. Beating jobbers is never impressive, but their energy made it an enjoyable match.
Grade: C+
Notes and Highlights:
- The grade might seem low, but it's based on the fact the match was really short and predictable.
- The Fall of Man is a really cool name for a finishing move.
- Edge and Christian were shown defacing Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's new Muscle and Fitness cover.
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev
Two of WWE's most promising powerhouses squared off when Rusev faced Roman Reigns in one of the matches booked by Edge and Christian earlier in the night.
While both of these Superstars have their strong suits, this could easily have been a disaster. Somehow, they managed to put on a decent show.
Both men hit all the big moves we see from them every week, but they also threw in a few things we wouldn't normally see from them.
Unfortunately, Reigns would not go on to be the first person to pin Rusev because Big Show came out and caused a disqualification.
It makes sense to keep Rusev's winning streak alive without Reigns having to suffer a loss, but it's getting really old seeing Rusev get DQ'd every week.
Grade: B-
Notes and Highlights:
- Just once, I want Rusev to enter the ring to "Back in the U.S.S.R." by the Beatles.
- The German suplex is being used by a lot of Superstars these days.
Final Thoughts and Predictions
The first SmackDown of 2015 might not have been anything to write home about, but it definitely wasn't a disappointment.
There were a few good matches, some entertaining non-wrestling segments and another appearance from the highly entertaining Edge and Christian.
No single match sticks out as being memorable, but there also wasn't anything too bad. You should never shoot for average, but sometimes that's all you can hope for.
The Royal Rumble is coming up in three weeks, so WWE is beginning to make an effort to build up the big storylines heading into the pay-per-view. All of this week's predictions will revolve around what might happen at the Rumble.
Predictions:
- Someone else besides Daniel Bryan will return during the Rumble match.
- At least one woman will be in the Rumble.
- Someone will cost John Cena the WWE World Heavyweight title, setting up a feud for WrestleMania.
- At least two other titles will be defended at the Royal Rumble.
- Bryan and Reigns will enter the Rumble at No. 1 and No. 30 respectively.
What did you think of the first SmackDown of 2015?
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