This is the thing about filming - sometimes you got to burn through a lot of tape in order to get a few usable seconds.
And that exemplified the biggest moment of the first Main Event of 20Jason, when Not Claudio got the Great Khali up for -- and then proceeded to successfully hit to win the match -- the Neutralizer.
In a show that was way oversweetened due to when they pretaped it, that finisher was far and away the sweetest moment. It got sold as such, too. From the look on the ref's face to the anguish on Natswoggle's respective faces to Cole going nuts on commentary for once to a moment that warranted it; hell, a moment so oh-yeah-btw-Cesaro-is-Swiss-for-BAMF that even Miz managed to sound somewhat magnanimous. Heaven forfend a WWE babyface not be an charter member of the A-and-F Club for more than 4 seconds, but I digress.
The hilarious thing about Antonio Cesaro's post-highlight reel pre-match promo was the fact he ran it down and then pulled something off like doing that to Khali. Because a part of that promo was right; all the nuance in this match is going to hit the cutting room floor for the five people they still have to convince about his viability. The part where he rubs the elbow joint into the knee as he holds a leglock and has to double stomp Khali on several occassions as opposed to once for his normal-sized victims? Definitely not getting in the highlight reel. Maybe just maybe the springboard DJ Gabriel if he's lucky.
In the post-match Miz got to do a horrible Hacksaw Jim Duggan impersonation, but again, Miz has gotten to be what he's wanted to be - the face of the WWE. He sure is another insufferable babyface who doesn't let a pesky thing like facts and truth keep him from being a name-calling spit valve. That said, I'd much rather watch him wrestle than talk at this point, and him getting Neutralized would be another couple seconds to add onto the Cesaro C.V. He should throw in The Move We're Definitely Not Calling Swiss Death in there too. Extra stiff. I don't ask for much besides Anna Kendrick and $57 billion, Antonio!
On the back end of the show I was surprised I could hear any part of Wade Barrett's promo over him throwing the phrase "overhyped gymnast" at Kofi Kingston and the resultant fan boner that ensued. If the Barrett Barrage gets a valet named Destiny, I'm out of here. Watching him drop the Bullhammer on the likes of Tatsu, JTG, and Justin Gabriel was almost enough to make me forgive him for having theme music that enslaved my ancestors. While the in-ring stuff was serviceable the highlights for me came out of the ring, as Cole told a story about a scar on Barrett suffered after getting jumped winning a bare-knuckle tournament in Europe. This went smoothly into a shot of the scar itself on Barrett right before he flew off the second rope and delivered his ™ elbow, highlighting what all three obstenible goody-goods were talking about at the table when it came to his toughness. Miz and Kingston still haven't mended their fences all the way even though there was a moment they got along. Miz called out Monday night's title matches sans Kingston as the jokes they were and Kofi gave back almost as good as he got. It was the dictionary definition of a WWE babyface I'd feel fine supporting... and then he became the fourth guy in the gauntlet to go after Barrett, proved his overhyped gymnast label with his own FIVE MOVES OF DOOM~! and pinned him. Le sigh.
Despite an evening full of awesome foreigners and the Americans I'm supposed to root for that hate them, the opening eight minutes in particular and the whole hour showed off why Main Event's my favorite show and were pretty much pitch-perfect.
They teased before advancing the biggest main event storyline of Punk v. Ryback in the TLC match for the WWE championship next Monday. They turned a possibly shaky premise of having a heel run a gauntlet by not only tying it into Barrett's ego but doing so in an environment where he can drop a guy and win with one move, thus showing said ego is at least warranted to quite some extent. The spotlight found four people and each and every one of them got time to shine to set up or continue feuds. They bolstered the profile of both secondary titles with matches that were given room to breathe. They even provided a natural bridge to the highest profile match announced already for Smackdown and gave the babyface challenger the spotlight moment to close the show out on.
And next week Sheamus goes up against Dolph Ziggler, and I'm sure I'll complain again about an awesome heel and a Cena-lite babyface.
Then again, if I keep getting moments like the Neutralization of the Great Khali, I'll sit through it no matter how many grimaces are induced along the way.
And that exemplified the biggest moment of the first Main Event of 20Jason, when Not Claudio got the Great Khali up for -- and then proceeded to successfully hit to win the match -- the Neutralizer.
In a show that was way oversweetened due to when they pretaped it, that finisher was far and away the sweetest moment. It got sold as such, too. From the look on the ref's face to the anguish on Natswoggle's respective faces to Cole going nuts on commentary for once to a moment that warranted it; hell, a moment so oh-yeah-btw-Cesaro-is-Swiss-for-BAMF that even Miz managed to sound somewhat magnanimous. Heaven forfend a WWE babyface not be an charter member of the A-and-F Club for more than 4 seconds, but I digress.
The hilarious thing about Antonio Cesaro's post-highlight reel pre-match promo was the fact he ran it down and then pulled something off like doing that to Khali. Because a part of that promo was right; all the nuance in this match is going to hit the cutting room floor for the five people they still have to convince about his viability. The part where he rubs the elbow joint into the knee as he holds a leglock and has to double stomp Khali on several occassions as opposed to once for his normal-sized victims? Definitely not getting in the highlight reel. Maybe just maybe the springboard DJ Gabriel if he's lucky.
In the post-match Miz got to do a horrible Hacksaw Jim Duggan impersonation, but again, Miz has gotten to be what he's wanted to be - the face of the WWE. He sure is another insufferable babyface who doesn't let a pesky thing like facts and truth keep him from being a name-calling spit valve. That said, I'd much rather watch him wrestle than talk at this point, and him getting Neutralized would be another couple seconds to add onto the Cesaro C.V. He should throw in The Move We're Definitely Not Calling Swiss Death in there too. Extra stiff. I don't ask for much besides Anna Kendrick and $57 billion, Antonio!
On the back end of the show I was surprised I could hear any part of Wade Barrett's promo over him throwing the phrase "overhyped gymnast" at Kofi Kingston and the resultant fan boner that ensued. If the Barrett Barrage gets a valet named Destiny, I'm out of here. Watching him drop the Bullhammer on the likes of Tatsu, JTG, and Justin Gabriel was almost enough to make me forgive him for having theme music that enslaved my ancestors. While the in-ring stuff was serviceable the highlights for me came out of the ring, as Cole told a story about a scar on Barrett suffered after getting jumped winning a bare-knuckle tournament in Europe. This went smoothly into a shot of the scar itself on Barrett right before he flew off the second rope and delivered his ™ elbow, highlighting what all three obstenible goody-goods were talking about at the table when it came to his toughness. Miz and Kingston still haven't mended their fences all the way even though there was a moment they got along. Miz called out Monday night's title matches sans Kingston as the jokes they were and Kofi gave back almost as good as he got. It was the dictionary definition of a WWE babyface I'd feel fine supporting... and then he became the fourth guy in the gauntlet to go after Barrett, proved his overhyped gymnast label with his own FIVE MOVES OF DOOM~! and pinned him. Le sigh.
Despite an evening full of awesome foreigners and the Americans I'm supposed to root for that hate them, the opening eight minutes in particular and the whole hour showed off why Main Event's my favorite show and were pretty much pitch-perfect.
They teased before advancing the biggest main event storyline of Punk v. Ryback in the TLC match for the WWE championship next Monday. They turned a possibly shaky premise of having a heel run a gauntlet by not only tying it into Barrett's ego but doing so in an environment where he can drop a guy and win with one move, thus showing said ego is at least warranted to quite some extent. The spotlight found four people and each and every one of them got time to shine to set up or continue feuds. They bolstered the profile of both secondary titles with matches that were given room to breathe. They even provided a natural bridge to the highest profile match announced already for Smackdown and gave the babyface challenger the spotlight moment to close the show out on.
And next week Sheamus goes up against Dolph Ziggler, and I'm sure I'll complain again about an awesome heel and a Cena-lite babyface.
Then again, if I keep getting moments like the Neutralization of the Great Khali, I'll sit through it no matter how many grimaces are induced along the way.
