WWE Week in Review, Aug. 18: Damien Sandow Comes Up Short, Big Show Returns

As SummerSlam quickly approaches, the primary focus of this week's WWE programming was to confirm the card and heavily hype the upcoming event. Aside from a few meaningless matches, I would certainly say that WWE was successful in doing just that.

Before he goes one-on-one with John Cena for the WWE Championship on Sunday, Daniel Bryan collided with his SummerSlam opponent on "Miz TV." The two had a heated exchange that ultimately ended with a poised Randy Orton looking on with his Money in the Bank briefcase in tow.

Christian continued to get the better of Alberto Del Rio this week, nailing him with a Killswitch following his match with Damien Sandow on SmackDown. With Christian currently riding a wave of momentum, could he be closing in on his third World Heavyweight Championship?

In other action, Big Show made his shocking return to television on Raw, coming to the aid of Rob Van Dam and Mark Henry. The trio scored an upset victory over The Shield later in the week on SmackDown.

Here, I will break down the week in wrestling by analyzing the Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown and WWE Main Event broadcasts, including each show's highlights, low points and other noteworthy, monumental moments. Also, an award will be given to the show and Superstar that shined the brightest over the course of the week.

Match of the Week: Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett: SmackDown, Aug. 16

For weeks on end, I ranted about how disappointed I was that Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett weren't getting longer matches against one another. Remember, they stole the show at SummerSlam 2011 by putting on an absolute clinic.

At last, WWE answered my prayers on this week's edition of Friday Night SmackDown, as Bryan and Barrett met in a No Disqualification match in the night's main event. They battled back and forth, each competitor trading blows and utilizing the weapons from the extreme environment that surrounded them.

As Bryan closed in on the victory, Mr. McMahon made his presence felt at ringside. He appointed Brad Maddox as the special guest referee, who was later inadvertently taken out by a kendo stick shot at the hands of Barrett.

Triple H soon made his way down to the ring and counted three after Bryan connected with his headbutt off the top rope onto the evil Englishman.

Superstar of the Week: Rob Van Dam

Since returning to the WWE at last month's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rob Van Dam has been on an absolute roll. Granted, he hasn't won all of his matches, but he still has been able to steal the show every time he's competed inside the squared circle.

He was one of 20 participants in a Battle Royal on this week's Raw in order to determine the No. 1 contender to the United States Championship. In the end, RVD outsmarted Mark Henry to claim contendership and earn his ticket to SummerSlam.

Mere days later on SmackDown, RVD teamed with Big Show and Henry in a winning effort against The Shield, handing the rouge trio its third-ever loss in six-man tag team action. If one thing is for sure, it is that RVD has Dean Ambrose's number.

Show of the Week: Monday Night Raw, Aug. 12

With it being the go-home show for SummerSlam, this week's Raw had the tough task of heavily hyping the upcoming event as much as possible. Although I'm not a fan of WWE cramming matches onto pay-per-view cards at the last possible minute, the company did it effectively on the flagship show this month, especially with the impromptu Battle Royal.

The show also featured a stellar "Miz TV" segment, where WWE Champion John Cena and Daniel Bryan engaged in an unforgettable war of words. Not only that, but CM Punk got the better of both Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar at the conclusion of the program, nailing The Beast with a camera and connecting with the GTS onto Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel.

Although they weren't as entertaining as Raw, WWE Main Event and SmackDown were both successful in building toward the pending pay-per-view as well. I'm extremely excited for the biggest blockbuster of the summer and hope it exceeds my expectations.

This Week's Highlights

CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar: This was yet another hot angle involving three of the best workers in all of WWE today. Punk showed incredible intensity in his ambush on Lesnar and gave fans the idea that he does indeed have a chance of emerging victorious over The Beast at SummerSlam.

John Cena and Daniel Bryan: This was a strong segment that blew this viewer away with the phenomenal mic work from both Superstars. The McMahons' involvement in this storyline is unnecessary, but aside from that, this segment was the best way to leave fans on the edge of their seats going into the upcoming WWE title clash.

Battle Royal: Battle Royals are usually mediocre at best, but the one from this week's Raw actually exceeded expectations. There were some fun moments, and the final few eliminations were well done. Rob Van Dam was the logical pick to go over and I'm very much looking forward to his U.S. title match with Dean Ambrose.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Cody Rhodes: If you're not already watching WWE Main Event on a regular basis, this match should make you change your mind. Del Rio and Rhodes have excellent chemistry in the ring together and provided a very entertaining clash of styles in their matchup on Wednesday night.

Damien Sandow: Sure, he came up short in his matches against Randy Orton and Christian this week, but he looked strong in defeat. I have a hunch that Sandow will get back to his winning ways following SummerSlam, but only time will tell.

This Week's Low Points

The Great Khali and Natalya vs. AJ Lee and Big E Langston: I was hoping that this match would be used to put heat on the AJ and Langston duo going into SummerSlam, but no such luck. Not only was the in-ring action forgettable, but the convoluted finish made matters even worse. This was truly a terrible waste of time that accomplished absolutely nothing.

Fandango vs. R-Truth: Speaking of things that waste time, what was the point of this stupendously stupid dance-off? I couldn't care less about either individual right now, so the thought of them feuding with each other doesn't exactly intrigue me.

The Miz vs. Jack Swagger: There wasn't anything wrong with the matchup whatsoever, as I actually found it fun while it lasted. However, with SummerSlam two days away, I'm not exactly sure what point it was supposed to serve. Swagger hasn't meant anything in ages, while Miz is hosting SummerSlam for some random reason. This bout was nothing more than filler.

The Usos vs. 3MB: The match was fine for what it was, but I'm disappointed that The Usos are no longer involved in the WWE Tag Team Championship picture. They were over with the audience in this contest, but the match didn't have much meaning, especially considering the fact their opponents were 3MB.

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