By Greg Parks, Torch columnist

This summer, I'm working as the official scorer for the Batavia Muckdogs, the short-season Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, and they had a game at 5:05 ET. That meant I didn't get to T.C. Hooligan's until 8:30, so I missed out on most of the first match. But fear not, as I was able to catch it when I got home.

As for Hooligan's, it was Kurt, Doug, Gonzo and I. I had Mozzarella Sticks for an appetizer, then topped it off with a desert special of Fried Dough (with cinnamon and powdered sugar) topped with two scoops of ice cream (with caramel and hot fudge). That did a number on my stomach, I'll tell you.

(1) Smackdown Money in the Bank Match: I can say with surprise that a cheer went up at Hooligan's when Kane grabbed the briefcase. Suffice to say, it wasn't from my table. Really cool spot when all the ladders were thrown on Big Show, and a creative way to get him out of the match. Good athleticism and unique spots. ****

(2) Eve Torres vs. Alicia Fox: Gonzo and I argued about whether or not the first match was hot enough for this to be considered the cool-down match. I didn't see much of the MITB match at first, but knowing the kind of match that usually is, and being the first match of the show, I figured the crowd would be hot for it. It was nice of Eve to get in position for the axe kick finish. These two stayed within their abilities and put on a decent enough match. *1/4

- We speculated on possible Kane matches here...against Jack Swagger or Undertaker at Summerslam? Kurt said that on Smackdown, he could tell it wasn't Swagger's real dad by the way he got through the ropes and into the ring, i.e. like he'd done it before. There was a Kurt Angle fan in attendance who wasn't pleased about Swagger ripping off some of Angle's attributes. We also had a funny idea for NXT where Swagger's dad would somehow become a pro and Jack would get jealous of all the time his daddy spent coaching the rookie and not doting on him.

(3) The Usos vs. The Hart Dynasty: Daniel Bryan was still on the tongue of some of those watching the PPV. Gonzo and I both noticed D.H. Smith letting go of the Sharpshooter before Tamina even got on the apron. Nothing special here. Do the Harts move on to the DudeBusters now? Or Archer & Hawkins? *3/4

- The guys also made mention of how much they liked Cody Rhodes' new theme, and that Wade Barrett should come out and steal it, saying he never got his new music from when he won the Talk the Talk competition on NXT. And then we imagined Barrett coming out to that theme.

(4) Jack Swagger vs. Rey Mysterio: I just noticed the green ring posts when Swagger entered the ring. The Swagger botch mid-way through the match...one of the guys thought it was supposed to be a Samoan Drop, another thought a scoop slam and a third thought a DDT, so we had no idea at first what he was going for. Gonzo noted that Swagger always seems to bleed from the mouth. Kurt won the prediction contest here by guessing that the Smackdown MITB winner would cash it in and win tonight; that was his "crazy prediction" that we're each allotted every PPV, and it automatically wins you the night if you get it right. ***1/4

(5) Kane vs. Rey Mysterio: Tombstone did not look good. NR

(6) Kelly Kelly vs. Layla: Speaking of not good....1/4*

(7) Raw Money In The Bank Match: The spot with Maryse was pretty interesting. We spent most of the time engrossed in watching the match, so there wasn't a lot discussed here. ***3/4

(8) John Cena vs. Sheamus: We mostly talked basketball during this one, as Gonzo said he has "zero interest" in Cena's matches. I also brought up a discussion of how we would book a Cena heel turn. Gonzo and Kurt threw out a couple ideas. Jack Doan got the biggest pop of his career during this one, I think. ***

Overall, a strong enough show, probably a 6.0 or 6.5 I'd say. MITB matches helped, and though they didn't put Sheamus over strong (again), there was enough memorable stuff to make it passable.

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