I never know what to expect when I do one of these reviews/recaps.
Personally, I never thought any recaps I've ever written about anything were all that great. Then again, the last time I sat down and penned one of these bad boys, it was in the form of a report card for WrestleMania XXV and it caused such an uproar that the B/R wrestling community saw an uprising that resulted in two new CL's, lots of drama, and a whole lot of comments for moi. Well...when you're this good...
Anyway, last night was Night of Champions and if you paid full price by yourself (I did not) you're out $50 whether the show was good or bad.
To be honest, after I watched it very early this morning, I had a pretty wide array of emotions ranging from good to "why?"
Last time I wrote a review, I had a pretty negative view all around; this time, not so much. I think if you pitched in with some friends, you definitely got your money's worth; the same going for anyone who paid for a ticket at the venue.
But what happened at NoC, and where does WWE go from here? There's a marquee PPV event coming up, the build is going to have to be good. Onward!
Unified Tag Team Match
What Went Down: Big Show turned out to be Y2J's partner and they didn't have all that difficult of a time knocking off Legacy to retain the belts.
On a personal level, I'm very happy that Big Show turned out to be the partner. After a few months of watching one of my preferred wrestlers job to Cena, it's good to see him with a belt—a belt under reconstruction no less.
He's also a great partner for Jericho; Big Show is big enough both literally and marketability wise, that Jericho won't totally overshadow him, however, thanks to the aforementioned jobbing, Show did need a boost to jump out of mid-card Hell.
Match Grade: B+. Show could have been introduced better and Legacy didn't need to look as bad as they did.
Looking Ahead: Show and Jericho should look to head over to SD, where the Tag Team pastures are much greener. Hopefully the Hart Dynasty ends their feud with Cryme Time or finds a way to make it a three way feud for the titles.
Women's Championship
What Went Down: Melina lost her rematch against McCool, giving one of the Women's Division's most polarizing figures a more secure lock on the belt. I'll give McCool and her supposed fans the point that she is getting better—not that I think she's belt material yet. The match was okay, I'm in the minority who thinks the Diva's Belt match was better.
Match Grade: C+ Pending Review. I'm still not sold on McCool as a champion and she looks like she's got another situation on her hands where she has a belt and no challengers.
Looking Ahead: The loss, combined with persistent rumblings of backstage heat for Melina, point towards McCool having to tread water for a bit; something I'm not sure she's capable of doing.
On the plus side, Natalya is wrestling again and Eve Torres has turned into everything WWE had hoped Maria would. Hopefully they both get in on the title chase...sooner rather than later.
Diva's Championship
What Went Down: Mickie James got justice, finally receiving the Diva's Belt. The match was good because frankly, it was more compelling. Maryse is looking like a great heel and Mickie...well, she's Mickie. The two traded DDTs and then one counter later, Mickie became the second woman to hold both belts, but the first one anybody is going to remember.
Match Grade: A-. There was a real chance that Mickie would drop the match here, and with both women being compelling both in and out of ring, the match just had a throwback feel. I like throwback feel.
Looking Ahead: The key here is to keep this feud going until Gail Kim, Rosa Mendez, and Beth Phoenix are more established within the roster. Don't let it die, WWE. This belt needs prestige and should have a match at SummerSlam as well, preferably somehow involving ECW's Katie Lea.
United States Championship
What Went Down: Kofi Kingston retained in the six-pack match. Primo Colon was inserted for Big Show and the match was hectic, as is to be expected in matches that have no place on PPV cards.
Match Grade: B-. I'm not a fan of these matches, they don't really have the oomph that they should considering the U.S. Title needs a major recovery from the bottom of the WWE Belt Tier. That being said, it wasn't awful.
Looking Ahead: Kingston is putting a nice run together with the U.S. Title, but now he needs to find a real feud partner. Swagger and MVP would appear to be out of the running since they supposedly have a feud with each other that doesn't need the added allure of a belt, and the Colon's seem stuck in limbo.
Enter Miz. He's consistently looked good and it would force Kofi to develop mic skills and a more flushed personality.
Intercontinental Championship
What Went Down: Rey Mysterio retained in one of the night's odder matches. Ziggler continues to look good and this rivalry is going places. The IC title isn't where it needs to be in prestige yet, but it's getting there and getting there fast.
Maria's heel turn is already starting to look bust, which doesn't bode well for her chances at scoring the bigger contract she's supposedly aiming for. Hopefully, she becomes more heelish in the coming weeks, with an emphasis hopefully placed on the outside chances she turns into a witch and makes Ziggler her man bitch.
Match Grade: B. I realize full well this isn't how it works, but after the hit Mysterio took on Friday, he should have dropped here. As long as this feud keeps going we'll probably look back at this match with better feelings than the "B" I gave it.
ECW Championship
What Went Down: Tommy Dreamer dropped the title, at least in his adopted home of Philly. So much for the Christian heel turn too, although we'll get a better reading on that Tuesday. ECW will be interesting this week; hopefully Tommy retires (it's time) and he leaves with quiet dignity, something his beloved ECW wasn't allowed to do under WWE's watch.
Match Grade: B+. A Dreamer match that doesn't involve wood and or metal just isn't "A" material for me, but I can't deny that it was a solid match worked by two guys at vastly different points in their careers.
Looking Ahead: If Tommy retires, that opens up a spot for the ECW title. Who comes up will depend on how Christian gets received. If he gets accepted as a face, look for either Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, or Goldust to get in on the mix; heel should result in the wildly over Yoshi Tatsu getting in, even though he might need some more development first.
WWE Championship
What Went Down: Randy Orton retained, giving him possession of the belt for another 40 plus day reign. The result wasn't too desirable, as the end was convoluted and didn't make Orton the dominate force he needs to be portrayed as. John Cena apparently has super spidey sense and Triple-H seemed a bit like the odd man out.
Match Grade: B-. That ending really killed it for me.
Looking Ahead: Hopefully, I get my wish and the feud between Orton and Trips either ends or moves away from the title before or at SummerSlam. John Cena should get in on the title mix, although who would be in with him is still slightly up in the air. Hey, DiBiase has that movie coming out and did almost pin Orton in their match...
World Heavyweight Championship
What Went Down: Against all odds and business sense, Jeff Hardy won back the WHC over your friend and mine, CM Punk. This feud doesn't look to be going anywhere immediately, which leave John Morrison in Limbo.
Match Grade: F. Seriously, this move made zero sense.
Looking Ahead: With Hardy's contract supposedly ending soon with no renewal agreement in sight, the belt is going to have to change hands again fast. We might as well just let Hardy keep it until he's ready to go, then have Punk beat the hell out of him.
Synopsis
What went down: A fairly solid PPV took place, with only one really out of line move. WWE looks to have a strong foundation for SummerSlam. In reality, you could have put HBK vs. Undertaker, a celebrity, a few legends, and a bigger venue in this match, called it WrestleMania XXV, and everyone would have been happy with it.
PPV Grade: A-.
Looking Ahead: The two Women's divisions and the Tag scene will be most interesting. The two other gripping storylines will be who comes out of ECW for the title and where John Morrison goes while Jeff Hardy continues to smell up the WHC scene.
W2YMS! (Go ahead and skip to the 49 second mark)
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