Cody Rhodes def. The Big Show in a Tables Match to win the Intercontinental Championship:
What I Liked:
A great job by creative to book a match that makes Rhodes get the title back in a comical way. We saw Show take control throughout the match, which was good because his size is not believable in comparison to Cody. Rhodes hit a picture perfect Beautiful Disaster when using the table as leverage. Both guys did just enough to make this match interesting for me, but the ending was great. The crowd loved it and so did I. There needed to be an easy way for Rhodes to win this match, and they made Show step through a table to accomplish it. Very intelligent booking here, not making Big Show look weak. Also, the spot where he threw Cody to the outside and through the table was awesome. Fantastic spot landed by Rhodes. Well done.
What I Disliked:
The only big problem I had was this match seemed a little rushed and forced. They did not tease Cody going through a table as much. The match capitalized on the athleticism that Rhodes has, but I felt like there needed to be a little more of him "escaping" from Big Show. Like a hockey game with a close goal, that would have gotten the crowd invested and created suspense of that "so close" feeling.
Grade: B
Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan in a 2/3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:
What I Liked:
What a fantastic match by Sheamus and Bryan. This is what we were expecting to see at WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan is an absolute perfectionist in the ring. His kicks land perfectly, his submission holds look intense, and his expressions on his face show you that he really cares and means every move that he is doing. Sheamus was able to get the first fall due to a DQ of Bryan. You could see the look on his face, and when he locked in the Yes Lock, it made sense. This was a very smart way to book Bryan and Sheamus. He really wore down Sheamus throughout the match. Sheamus did exactly what he needed to do to keep up with Bryan. He came back and connected with clothesline and his powerful style of offense. Bryan and Sheamus got over 20 minutes of total in ring action to tell their story. I was invested the whole time. The flow and pacing of the match was great from beginning to end, with a nice mix of submission holds from both guys. It was nice to see a new move added by Sheamus, which was the submission hold around the ten minute mark. Sheamus was able to feed off of Bryan's technicality and utilize his own power. Great in ring work between both guys, with no real lack in logic or believability.
Grade: A
