Commentators: Josh Matthews & Cody Rhodes
Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: John Cena… World Champion: Alberto Del Rio… Intercontinental Champion: Curtis Axel… United States Champion: Dean Ambrose… Tag Team Champions: The Shield… NXT Champion: Bo Dallas… NXT Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Family… Diva’s Champion: AJ Lee
Christian vs. Damien Sandow: Pre-match, Sandow quotes a great man… himself. He makes fun of Christian with big words and then promises to defeat him. You’re welcome. Christian starts with a waistlock but Sandow grabs the ropes to break. They try again and Sandow gives the clean break this time as they two of them feel it out. They trade arm wringers and Christian gets a hammerlock; Sandow frees himself and hits a shoulderblock. Damien plays to the ignoramuses in the crowd as they lock up again; Sandow winds up with a chinlock but it is reversed. He charges but gets caught in another chinlock, which he cannot counter. They speed it up and Christian gets a pair of shoulderblocks causing Sandow to retreat to the ropes and eventually to the floor. They chase each other around the ring but Christian gets another arm wringer; Sandow breaks, does a cartwheel, and takes over with a kick to the knee. He slams him for two. Sandow with another chinlock; he releases and head-butts the crap out of him and mauls him in the ropes. Christian gets his boots up to block a charge and flapjacks Sandow; Damien rolls to the apron and suckers Christian into a charge. They battle on the apron and Christian wins, knocking Sandow to the floor, and dropping him with a baseball slide. He heads up top for a crossbody block but NO WATER IN THE POOL! He recovers and nails a Cactus Clothesline for a double KO on the floor for a break. We return with Christian in control and pummeling Sandow in the corner; we get a glimpse of the SmackDown MitB briefcase hanging over the ring. Christian tries to crotch Sandow’s legs around the post but it is countered and Christian’s face meets the post. Sandow aggressively stomps the yard on the apron and drops a knee to the chest, for two. Sandow with a knee to the back amplified chinlock. Christian tries to free himself but Sandow maintains his advantage with the Cubito Aequet for two more and we’re back to the chinlock. Some aggressive shoulders in the corner trigger a comeback and Christian scales the ropes; Sandow meets him up top and hits a superplex. They hit a double clothesline for the KO spot. Christian recovers quicker and mounts the comeback; he nails a missile dropkick for two. Damien misses a running clothesline and Christian nails a diving reverse DDT. He tries Terminus but Christian blocks and hits his springboard sunset, for two. Sandow then counters the tornado DDT and plants Christian with the Idolizer for yet another nearfall. They fight in the ropes again but Christian gets the diving reverse elbow off the second rope. Sandow then plays D, countering the Killswitch into an Edge-O-Matic, for two. The commentators even mention that Edge used that move often in his matches and Sandow used it against his former best friend/rival/tag partner. He manages to catch Sandow in the ropes and plants Sandow with the Killswitch for the pinfall. Post-match, Cody Rhodes looks despondent on commentary; not sure if he’s annoyed or upset. 7/10 Excellent match but the poor Rhodes Scholars continue to lose EVERY singles match they are involved in. I wonder if this will lead to something interesting or if they’re just jobbers.
Here is your winner… Christian via Killswitch pinfall
Sin Cara vs. “A Real American” Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter): Pre-match, Colter gets the usual illegal immigrant promo on Cara. He also discusses the Fourth of July and badmouths America for partying too much. Cara tries to gets some kick in but Swagger mauls him in the ropes. Cara eventually gets some offense in with a springboard reverse elbow. He tries to fly to the floor but Swagger catches him and rams him into the ring barricade. We the People. Referee counts to eight while Swagger salutes the flag. Back from break with the Swagger Bomb; he welcomes us to Jack Swagger’s America with a seated waistlock. He continues the methodical attack until Cara tries a crucifix, for two. A big boot prevents any more Luchadore O for a while as Swagger tosses him into the turnbuckles a bunch of times. We head off to a Swagger favorite: the double armlock. Cara fights free but Swagger keeps pounding. He misses a legdrop, though, allowing some space creation. Cara mounts the comeback but and tries a head scissors… a few counters later and Cara hits a top-rope crossbody, for two. Swagger counters the satellite head scissors with the Dr. Bomb and Patriot Lock for the submission. 2/10 Strong squash for Swagger as he returned from a two month layoff due to injury and Marijuana trial.
Here is your winner… Jack Swagger via Patriot Lock submission
A video package for the Wyatt Family and John Cena/Mark Henry is shown.
Curt Hawkins vs. Big E Langston (w/AJ Lee): Random babyface match for Hawkins, also haven’t seen him on WWE TV in months. Langston pushes him around and slaps him a few times. Hawkins slaps back but gets steamrolled with a shoulderblock. AJ has joined for commentary; Langston with a bearhug. Hawkins fights back but gets backdropped; he kicks Hawkins to the floor and then plants him with the Big Ending upon reentry for the pinfall. 2.5/10 Squash for Langston.
Here is your winner… Big E Langston via Big Ending
OVERALL 6/10 This is more like what this show was built on: a good main event match and a bunch of squashes. Good show this week.
