Title This: WWE Smackdown Reaction May 17th, 2013

Chris JerichoThe Main Events

Chris Jericho defeated Antonio Cesaro in an excellent match. If Vince McMahon thinks Antonio Cesaro is boring, then why is he consistently put up against main event guys? His personality may be a work in progress, but his technicality and wrestling ability is second to none. I loved how he was able to control Jericho at his own game. The ring psychology was really solid. Cesaro hit his flurry of offense, including a brutal Uppercut that looked great. Jericho ended up firing back. Cesaro tried for a Gutwrench Powerbomb, but Jericho was able to have enough energy and lock in Walls of Jericho.

-After the match, Jericho was distracted by Summer Rae on the stage. Fandango tries to attack him from behind, but Jericho catches him and sends him running out of the ring. He hits a Codebreaker onto Cesaro for emphasis. The feud, even though Jericho has been off televison here and there, has still kept my interest. There is something about this Fandango character that continues to stay fresh. He will need to put on a really good match against Jericho on Sunday to keep his momentum. Do not be surprised if he loses and sets up a rubber match next month. Jericho is doing a great job showing him the ways of slow progression, but keeping the interest to the people that matter the most.

Grade: B

Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio defeated The Big Show, Mark Henry, and Jack Swagger in the night's main event. I will say this first: WWE does a really good job at combining multiple feuds at once. Whether it is 6 man tag matches or tag team matches, they consistently know how to end a show. I would prefer more intrigue in who will actually win, but this was a really good match. What did this match accomplish?

-Mark Henry and Sheamus are two big guys who are going to have a collision course on Sunday. They are all about power. Both guys were used sparingly, but just enough to showcase how strong each guy is. They did not need too much physical altercation tonight. They needed a little bit of fight to tease the show. That was accomplished.

-Randy Orton and The Big Show is a match I could care less about on Sunday. Orton is fluttering, has been for a few years now. The Big Show is a good talent, but he is limited to what he can do. Orton is a good pair for Show to fight because Orton has no weaknesses in his ring ability. He is fast enough and believable enough to pull off a win against Big Show. Orton picked up the win by hitting an RKO onto Swagger. Swagger was about to make Del Rio tap out, but Orton stood tall for his team. Big Show only needed to dominate briefly. That is what happened.

-Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger are two guys that are in dire need of a really good match. Many people have lost interest in Swagger, while some STILL cannot buy Del Rio as a legit main event face. Del Rio carried much of the offense in the match for his team. He looked weak at the end when Swagger took over. I like seeing Swagger dominate. He has won ONE match since his return that had any real impact. This was at Elimination Chamber in February. He should have won for his team. He NEEDS it more than any of the other 5 guys. Instead, he is the loser.

Grade: B

Smackdown Grade: C

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