Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho
The RKO has always been a double-edged sword for Randy. As we have often joked around these parts, the move was at one time on the short list of “most over things in the company” and continues to strongly outpace almost every part of overall packaging from both a logistical and popularity perspective. This hasn’t always been good, especially when he’s trying to get over as a heel.
People pay money to see moves and poses, and if someone is trying to make the crowd hate them, giving the people exactly what they is the worst possible thing to do. Which is why it’s so wonderful when Randall relies on the element of surprise for his finish now. It allows fans to see what they came to see without having it feel like he’s catering to them in any way.
That this match was largely an elaborate journey to Jericho falling for Randy’s tricks would be more disappointing if these two weren’t who they are. But they are who they are, so we get a well constructed heist movie instead of an episode of Dragonball Z where someone spends the entire time building up to something spectacular while throwing out exposition to distract us from the last of narrative progression. There was movement and action and logic behind nearly everything they did, not just the idea that the end of it would be worth the road there.
HAVING SAID THAT, this match was a wee bit generic if also very well done. It’s definitely not the type of match you’d watch a specific PPV all over again to see. But it’s certainly something you’d be willing to sit through when you stumble across it. There were some bells, a few whistles, but mostly just a competent wresting match put on even more competent performers. And on a PPV in September, that’s all you can hope for.
Match .5 | PPV 3.45
RT @JuiceMakeSugar: Bang for Your Buck PPV Review (with @TheN1ckster): Night of Champions http://t.co/0bT83yNsoT