"I am already dead." Lewis' WWE SmackDown, 9th August 2013 Recap

Randy Orton pinned Rob Van Dam in a great opener to the show. It's hardly a shock considering they're two of the most consistent performers in the company but both men delivered solid displays here as they went back and fourth. The match had gripping sequences and terrific action, with a nice finish too as Orton RKO'd RVD after a Frog Splash attempt for the one-two-three.

 

The Miz brought out his latest guests for 'Miz TV' AJ Lee and Big E Langston, and quizzed them on their relationship status to which AJ explained Big E was her "best friend." When then asked about her previous relationships in WWE, AJ claimed that all the men involved used and abandoned her, and that her Divas Title was the only thing left that wouldn't leave her.

 

Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn then joined the show and stated that they were over them and didn't understand AJ's obsession still. To settle things (for a moment at least) Miz then booked all four in a mixed tag match for SummerSlam, apparently being host gives you that power? Inevitably all four then began scrapping with each other, with Ziggler and Kaitlyn finally sending their rivals packing by each hitting their respective finishers. 

 

Fandango beat Kofi Kingston in a passable encounter. It was pretty unremarkable for the most part, with fair wrestling. For the finish Summer Rae feigned an ankle injury after having to dodge out of the way of an aerial attack from Kofi, so Fandango managed to throw a concerned Kingston into a ring post and apply his signature flying leg drop for the win.

 

Daniel Bryan forced Wade Barrett to submit in a fine contest. It's a shame it wasn't allocated a bit more time but it was entertaining enough while it lasted, with worthy efforts from both wrestlers.

 

Kane beat 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in a Handicap Match. This squash match didn't last too long, with Kane dominating bar one kick from McIntyre. Afterwards Bray Wyatt appeared on the big screen and gave one of his cryptic speeches regarding their Inferno Match at SummerSlam (although they've failed to refer to it as an Inferno Match for some reason) claiming that the fire couldn't stop his brothers and that he was "already dead." This guy is always worth watching.

 

We were shown a VT of an interview with Brock Lesnar, who explained that he had a dislike for CM Punk long before he dropped Paul Heyman as his manager, due to his undeserved arrogant attitude. He also added that at SummerSlam Punk will know what it's like to "truly be victimised by Brock Lesnar."

 

Christian defeated Alberto Del Rio in an engaging main event. As usual these two terrific in-ring talents provided stellar showings in this enjoyable bout. It's a rare occasion that either of these men don't deliver to be honest. Christian once again caught the World Champion in a quick roll up pin for the victory. A sour Del Rio attempted to take out his frustration on Christian but 'Captain Charisma' managed to strike with a Killswitch first.

 

This prompted Damien Sandow to race down and almost cash in his Money in the Bank contract (in a fancy new briefcase) until Cody Rhodes intervened and attacked Sandow, finally hitting the Cross Rhodes to end the show.

 

Overall it was a decent show, with most matches above the average standard (two of which were very good) and some significant advancements for SummerSlam. Unfortunately most of the interviews and promos weren't must see and quite forgettable, bar Wyatt's and Lesnar's which I enjoyed. My highlights were Orton versus RVD, Lesnar's interview VT, Bryan versus Barrett and the main event.