The match that I incorrectly predicted would take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view a week from Sunday instead was shown on free TV Friday night on Smackdown. That works for me.
In a triple threat match for the world heavyweight title, Jack Swagger retained the championship against Edge and Chris Jericho. Although the finish was very predictable – Swagger stole the pin on Jericho after Edge was about to get the win – it was the right call and the match was good.
Swagger gained some more credibility by coming out on top in a match against two top stars and also laying out Edge after the match. While Edge was down, Jericho then savagely attacked his surgically-repaired ankle, which likely sets up a match between the two at Extreme Rules.
Other thoughts on Friday's show:
Jericho seemed to be making perfect sense when he was complaining about Randy Orton getting a title shot against Swagger at the pay-per-view even though Orton is on the Raw roster. But further analysis of the world titles situation reveals that there is nothing logical about any of it. Swagger was a member of Raw when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Jericho. Theoretically, Swagger should have brought the world title to Raw, but he jumped to Smackdown instead. Then there is Batista. He is a Smackdown guy, but he defeated Raw's John Cena for the WWE title and then started appearing on Raw exclusively. Even after losing the title back to Cena, Batista has remained on Raw. And people wonder why no one takes the WWE Draft seriously. …
There was a time that I would consider reaching for the remote whenever The Miz appeared on television. Now, I can't get enough of the guy. He was tremendously entertaining doing commentary on the six-man tag team match between The Straight Edge Society and The Hart Dynasty and Rey Mysterio. Miz was so great that I didn't want the match to end just so I could continue listening to him putting himself over and cracking on Todd Grisham. …
One of Miz's best lines occurred when he took credit for retiring Shawn Michaels, whom he pinned in a tag team match prior to WrestleMania XXVI: "I was the heart attack that put him in the hospital. The Undertaker just pulled the plug." …
The six-man tag match, which was won by THD and Mysterio, was good and the finish was well-booked. David Hart Smith scored the winning pinfall on Punk after Mysterio set it up by hitting the 619. Smith and Tyson Kidd came out looking strong and Mysterio one-upped Punk with a week to go before their pay-per-view match. …
The Michelle McCool-Mickie James match – which McCool won with the aid of Layla's distraction – was solid, which was not surprising considering that they are two of the better workers in the women's division. It also helped that they were given more than two minutes for their match (it went nearly five minutes). …
I hope McCool appreciates just how much Layla has helped her get over. I thought McCool was mostly a bore on her own, but she and Layla as a team have good chemistry. Layla's facial expressions and heel mannerisms are pretty entertaining. …
It looks as if Beth Phoenix is officially a full-fledged babyface. She saved James from a post-match attack and this time she actually helped her up and raised her hand rather than turning on her. …
Dolph Ziggler got an impressive victory over R-Truth. I hope WWE continues to push Ziggler. He has the in-ring talent and the look to be a star. The big thing holding him back is that he hasn't shown that he can cut a main-event-level promo. His comical ring name probably isn't doing him any favors either. Perhaps WWE will consider changing it ala Johnny Nitro becoming John Morrison. Ziggler's real name is Nick Nemeth, which isn't a bad wrestling name. …
I liked the backstage interaction between Jericho and Wade Barrett. As Jericho was bragging about how he was going to win the world title for the seventh time, Barrett said, "I am awed to be in your presence." Now there's a rookie who knows how to play the game. ...
What in the world was up with JTG's hair?