WWE SmackDown! 15th Anniversary Celebration 10/10/14

WWE SmackDown! 15th Anniversary Celebration - 10/10/14

1. Adam Rose vs. Kane - 1
2. AJ Lee vs. Alicia Fox - 1
3. Seth Rollins vs. Kofi Kingston -
4. Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler - 3
5. Team Teddy (Usos, Los Matadores, Mark Henry, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, and El Torito) vs. Team Johnny (Cesaro, Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, Goldust, Stardust, Bo Dallas, Damien Mizdow, and Mini Gator) - 3

So the show starts with a video package highlighting the craziness of fifteen years of SmackDown! I have a soft spot for it (especially the 1999 season because we tackled ranking it in its entirety here) even if recent NHO returning staffer Adam hasn't watch a full episode since WWE went to HD programming.

Opener could have been fun but they only gave it about a min. Rose's posse looks like a walking PSA on identifying potential rape risks on campus. Divas match only got 90 sec. or so. Alicia busted out a swank tilt-a-whirl backbacker. Fox is easily the most underutilized woman talent they've had on the payroll in a decade maybe ever. Rollins' pants are tighter than Foley picking a motel for an overnight stop. Seth's offense a little stompy for my tastes. Kofi would have made an excellent member of the Age of the Fall, or go more subversive and do Emmanuel Newtown as the angry young man from the neighborhood's only black family who turned to hardcore punk music as an outlet for his hostility. It was about as one-sided as a squash as they go -- 3 min. of Seth dominating Kofi which isn't an objectionable use of either guy at the moment. Before his athleticism starts declining with age I believe Kofi deserves at least one bigger run given he's been one of the more active, consistent regular workers on the roster for over a decade.

Dolph and Rusev make a good pairing and this may have been their first singles bout but I'd definitely like to see more as Ziggler's penchant to bump like a madman complimented Rusev's physical style well. Wow the apron is busier on this sixteen-man tag than the corner of the locker room Axl Rotten designated pill handout at an ECW show. 2-3 of these guys tops will end up on the actual WrestleMania card next year. But don't worry Titus you can work the Saturday afternoon match at the Fan Axxess event with guest ring introductions by local radio personality Riley Ballz. Would you have still bought a ticc\ket to the this event if you knew Damien Mizdow was working the main event? Think Heath Slater must have been watching some Eric Embry on his iPhone on the flight there. Is it too soon for a Sheamus three-disc DVD set? That'd be a lot of clobbering. Since he does the White Noise named after a bad supernatural thriller maybe he should do a secondary move after its sequel White Noise: The Light. He could steal T-Hawk's Night Ride END but I doubt he's got time to be hip to current DragonGate doing so many personal appearances signing merch at Payless Shoe stores.

I wonder if it was like after they finished filming the Lord of the Rings films and the cast got matching tattoos if all the crew got #SmackDown15 ink after the show.