WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 7/3/12 (The Great American Bash 2012)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Super Smackdown 7/3/12. How did the Great American Bash edition of SD do? Let's find out and start the review. 

We open up the show with Alberto Del Rio, but not before Kane's pyro lights up the grill. I know people will complain about this, but I thought it was pretty funny. I bet Kane's saying, "Make mine well done!!!". Del Rio talks about himself and how he came to the United States legally. Del Rio starts to poke fun of Mexicans sitting in the audience that need proof of documentation. It got to the point where Del Rio was about to get hostile with an audience member, but Sheamus arrives for the save. We got a Mexican racial profiling his own race? I know people are going to call racism on this scene, but I thought it was hilarious. Probably one of the best things Del Rio has done in a while, and this is coming from a Mexican-American. SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS!!! Sheamus and Del Rio fight, but Ricardo Rodriguez helps Del Rio take the advantage. To take out Sheamus for the rest of the evening, Del Rio smashes the hood of his car off Sheamus' skull…..

It was good to have Del Rio get Sheamus' number tonight. It adds more stock for Del Rio and it makes him look a little stronger going into the WHC match. He probably won't win, but at least they are making him look like a #1 Contender. 

Match #1: Antonio Cesaro and Aksana vs Khali and Layla; Mixed Tag match

Could you get a more generic entrance theme for Antonio? Yeah, keep banging that drum cymbal over and over again. That won't get old. The finish comes when Layla hits the Lay Out on Aksana. This protects Antonio from taking a loss right now, but they still need to do something with him. He has been on SD since April and has probably made about 7-8 appearances during that stretch. He really needs a storyline or else this can fall flat for him. And I don't want to see that happen to Antonio because I think he has a good look and a very interesting in-ring style to stand out from the generic bunch. 

Winner via pinfall: Layla and Khali

Match #2: Cody Rhodes vs Christian; WHC MITB Qualifier 

According to the B.O.D, they have granted Cody a second chance to get in the WHC MITB match. Teddy Long decides to put him in a match against somebody who already qualified for the match. This match was given a fair amount of time and it was pretty good. The PPV matches Cody/Christian had were better, but this isn't bad for free television. The finish comes when Cody hits the Cross Rhodes for the clean victory. I'm kinda shocked they gave Cody the clean victory here, but it was a good thing. His stock hasn't been very stable lately, so a win like this can help him out, especially going into MITB. Based on who's in the match currently, Cody has a strong chance of winning this match. Then again, I may be making that claim a little soon. 

Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes

Match #3: Dolph Ziggler vs Alex Riley; WHC MITB Qualifier

There was a backstage scene where Heath Slater was singing and got food thrown at him. Brodus also came out to dance. So, Ricardo is a Bieber fan and people laugh at him, but Zack Ryder claims it and it's okay? Oh, it pays to be the good guy in this business. I noticed that Michael Cole made an error. Riley HAS been in MITB before, as he was in the Raw MITB match last year. It's a simple slip up, but I know the IWC won't let it go. All that did was give the internet more ammo to throw at Cole. Riley actually put up a fight in this match, but he falls victim to the Zig Zag. Dolph is now in the WHC MITB match. Remember when I said Cody was a strong favorite? Well, I think Dolph might be a bigger favorite. 

Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler

Cole is in the ring to conduct an interview with AJ. Either that or Cole is trying to get a 25 year-old girl in his pants…..

Something's very wrong with this scene. Yes, AJ. You can have all of that belly fat. AJ really is the most wanted diva at the moment. Anyway, Daniel Bryan interrupts and calls Cole a sexist. Bryan forgives AJ for the table stunt because he's convinced that she only wanted to attack CM Punk. Speaking of Punk, he arrives and tells Cole to leave. Everybody hates Michael Cole. Punk is actually honest and wants AJ to get some professional help. You see, Punk is actually thinking of AJ's well being, while Bryan is trying to get her to help him win the WWE title. Bryan and Punk continue to argue, but AJ breaks it up. She goes over to Bryan and begins to make out with him in the middle of the ring. Punk is kinda stunned and starts to walk away slowly. As soon as Punk is out of the ring, AJ rushes over to Punk and starts to make out with him. Meanwhile, Kane is enjoying his hamburger and is starting to question his decision. Well, that was a strange segment. I love Bryan's expression when AJ is making out with Punk. That look was priceless. It was interesting to say the least. Then again, she's crrrrrrrraaaaazy AJ. 

Match #4: Santino, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jim Duggan vs Drew McIntyre, Hunico, and Camacho

This was your holiday/comedy match for the night. It was exactly what I expected. I know people hate seeing these matches, but I thought it was harmless…..for the most part. Santino hit the Cobra on Hunico for the victory. I really don't have anything else to say. 

Winner via pinfall: Santino, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jim Duggan

Another backstage scene involving the BBQ. Damien Sandow interrupts and thinks everyone is being disrespectful since this is the celebration of American Independence. Ryder gets in his face and the two fight. Ryder gets a punch bowl and tosses it at Damien, but he ducks and it hits Eve. Looks like Eve is all wet…….GET IT? Anyway, I like how Damien completely disappears after the splash take. Random teleportation skills!!!

Match #5: Ryback vs Curt Hawkins

What? Ryback isn't fighting a bunch of no names? He's going up against actual WWE talent? What is this craziness? What's going on here? I'm not even sure how to react to this. I thought Ryback was gonna make a career out of doing the same thing for 5 years, but I guess not. Anyway, it goes about the way you would expect. Ryback wins with the Muscle Buster. It's nice to actually see something different, but it really isn't THAT different?

Winner via pinfall: Ryback

Match #6: Great American Bash Battle Royal; winner is GM of SD next week

So, if the winner is the GM of SD, who gets to run Raw next week? I'm personally hoping for William Regal. That reminds me. REGAL!!! REGAL!!! There was some pretty big names in this match. You had Punk, Bryan, Del Rio, John Cena, Big Show, Kane, and many others. It was an okay match, but I have seen better battle royal matches. I will say that this one had a surprise factor with the final two. The final two was Kane and Ryder. Yeah, I didn't see that coming. It was pretty interesting seeing these two duke it out for a while. The finish comes when Kane charges at Ryder, but ends up eliminating himself. So, that means Ryder will be the GM of SD next week. He's a comedy character on this show, but he will get his moments here and there. I kinda indifferent to Ryder being the SD GM next week. It could be interesting and fun, but I don't think it will mean anything major. I guess we will wait until next week. 

Winner: Zack Ryder

Overall Impression:

Like I said in the Raw review this week, I didn't go into tonight with high expectations because of the holiday week. It's common to get a filler show on the holiday weeks because WWE knows most people aren't gonna be watching the program because of family, travel and such. At the same time, I think I enjoyed this show more than I enjoyed Raw this week. The GAB had a surprise winner and the matches for tonight's show weren't too bad. It's a holiday themed show, so I can let a lot of stuff slide. I wasn't expecting anything in terms of new developments, but if you remember what you're dealing with, you might get an enjoyment out of this show. Still, this show is not what I would call a watcher. It was pretty average at the end of the day. Take of that what you will. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show. See you next time.