WWE Smackdown Review (November 18, 2011)

WWE Smackdown was in Hershey, Pennsylvania this week. Hershey is only 100 miles from Penn State...is it too soon to make a Penn State joke? I'm going say yes and I will not be making any jokes involving Hornswoggle.

CORRECTION: Smackdown was actually in Bridgeport, Connecticut this week. RAW is in Hershey, PA on Monday. I'm apologize for the error.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sin Cara

This was a four minute match and these two Superstars did a good job in that short amount of time. It was slow in the beginning but overall, it was an enjoyable match with good action. Dolph Ziggler had a great match with Rey Mysterio at SummerSlam 2009 so I'm not surprised he performed well with Sin Cara who has a very similar style and size compared to Rey Mysterio. I would love to see a 10 minute rematch at a future WWE Pay-Per-View event. Ziggler won this match after reversing Sin Cara's pin. It looked like Ziggler was illegally grabbing Sin Cara's tights while Ziggler was pinning Sin Cara but the referee didn't see it and I didn't hear the announcers acknowledging it. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Rating: **3/4

Mason Ryan vs. Jack Swagger

This match was joined in progress after a commercial break. This was a boring match. Jack Swagger did okay but I just don't like Mason Ryan. Mason looked strong like usual but I didn't really like this match. Mason Ryan got the win and he has an impressive winning streak. It won't be long until he gets a shot at the Intercontinental or United States Championship.

Winner: Mason Ryan

Rating: *3/4

Ted DiBiase vs. Derrick Bateman

I can't remember if I have ever seen Derrick Bateman in a match. I definitely don't remember reviewing one of his matches so I was looking forward to watching him. Unfortunately, Bateman didn't look very impressive but he didn't really get in much offense. DiBiase looked impressive and I like him more every week. I want to see a Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase PPV feud in the near future. I know they already had a PPV match this year but they should have another one and this time acknowledge the fact that they were members of Legacy and former tag team champions. I also want to mention that Maxine was at ringside and she was looking sexy. Her outfit did not look very PG. As for the match, DiBiase won and I will not be rating this match because it was too short.

Winner: Ted DiBiase

Rating: No Rating

Kofi Kingston vs. Hunico

I had high expectations for this match but it was a little bit disappointing. The match was slow in the beginning. It got faster towards the end but the match ended just when it was getting exciting. Hunico looked good in this match and he has impressed me a lot since he debuted in the WWE. Kofi won after using the SOS which is rare because the SOS is not his finisher. It's important for him to win some matches using the SOS because if he doesn't, fans are going to expect Superstars to kick out every time he uses that move.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

Rating: **1/4

Natalya and Beth Phoenix vs. Kaitlyn and AJ Lee

I'm surprised that Kaitlyn and AJ had so much offense in this match. I thought Beth and Natalya would squash them but Kaitlyn and AJ were able to fight back a few times in this match. This was a mediocre match but I will say that Natalya's Sharpshooter submission hold on AJ looked VERY PAINFUL! Look at the photo I used for this match. The human body shouldn't bend that much. You can't see it in the photo but AJ was on her stomach and her feet were nearly touching the top of her head. That was one of the best submission holds I have seen on Smackdown this year by a male or female.

Winners: Natalya and Beth Phoenix

Rating: *1/2

Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett

This was a decent match. It had some good action but it was cut short after Christian interfered in the match.

Winner: Randy Orton and Sheamus via Disqualification

Rating: **1/4

Best Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Sin Cara

Ziggler and Sin Cara are two Superstars I enjoy watching in matches so I'm not surprised they had a good match. If they do face each other again and I think they should, the match needs to be much longer than four minutes.

Worst Match: Natalya and Beth Phoenix vs. Kaitlyn and AJ Lee

This wasn't a horrible match but it's the match I liked the least. If I was still mentioning the Best Spot of the match like I did for one previous Smackdown review, I would give Best Spot to Natalya's submission hold on AJ. It looked like it really hurt.