Match of the Week

[Jack-Hammer]

Match Of The Week

WWE Monday Night Raw Standouts

Sheamus vs. John Morrison - This was a great match and part of why it was so great was because I didn't expect it to be nearly as good as we got. Morrison pulled off some pretty amazing athleticism at various points doing the match and Sheamus gave as good as he got. What worked out best about this match was that Sheamus & Morrison had an actual wrestling match outside the ring. Usually in these sorts of matches, you see a lot of just punches or kicks or just being tossed into a barrier or up against the wall in Falls Count Anywhere matches, but this was different. Morrison's spot of jumping off the Titantron onto Sheamus with a crossbody looked excellent. The only drawback for the match was that it was only 7 minutes. It could have and would have gone on for much longer and I was a little annoyed by Jericho's interference costing Morrison the match. TNA often does a lot of gimmick matches on iMPACT! that are on the short side and they need to take lessons from this match. That is how you pull off a 7 minute FCA match.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton - This had a big main event feel to it and was the first time we've seen Cena and Orton one on one in 2010. It was a very good match overall, a little slow in some places, but I like that all the participants in the six pack elimination challenge made their presence felt in the match and that the interference didn't stop the match. Orton came out looking extremely strong, as he has over the course of the past month especially, and got the win over Cena by countering the Attitude Adjustment into a modified RKO and put Cena through the table about the 17-18 minute mark. The match was great final hype to the match at NOC and was an exciting way to end Raw.

TNA iMPACT! Standouts

Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy - This was a great match up between these two and was really the only thing on iMPACT! this week worth watching. Both of them gave it their all and put on a high quality television main event. What dragged this match down was the way the ending was booked with the double pin. A lot of people wanted to see a definitive winner in this match and having it end this way for Bischoff to make the BFG main event a threeway with Angle, Hardy & Anderson made the match seem ultimately kind of pointless. Still, it was a great match overall and one of the better matches I've seen on iMPACT! this year.

WWE SmackDown Standouts

The Hart Dynasty vs. Dashing Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre - This was a fun tag team match to start off SmackDown tonight. Both teams worked well together and Rhodes & McIntyre have both improved a helluva lot over the past several months. It was a quality tag team match and a match for the titles will probably take place at NOC. It's a shame there's been no build up for it, but it should be good. Rhodes & McIntyre come up with the clean pinfall victory at 11.5 minutes roughly.

Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger - Really good match up between Kofi & Swagger that was just plain fun to watch. It was a tad slow in some spots, but it really picked up very nicely during the second half. Swagger looked strong throughout the match and still looked good even though Kofi got the win at the 16.5 minute mark. Kofi needed a little steam going into NOC and that's really what the match was about.

Christian vs. CM Punk - This was a pretty good main event match, though I do think it could have been better. At any rate, it was a high quality back and forth match with Alberto Del Rio's presence giving a little further hype to his blossoming feud with Christian. Del Rio's distraction of Christian allowed Punk to hit the GTS for the win a little past 12 minutes. It was a fun match, though I didn't enjoy it as much as the other two from SmackDown tonight.

Match Of The Week: Sheamus vs. John Morrison - This was MOTW for me because it was just so damn fun to watch. As I said, it was also surprising by just how good the match was and I was so glad that it didn't stick to the usual FCA formula of "punch, kick, slam into barrier then repeat". I just wish it would have lasted longer before Jericho's interference. It really looked to be anyone's match and both gave as good as they got. Morrison has looked more like a star in the past two weeks than he has ever since he came to Raw and Sheamus just came across like a tough Irish bloke that could take anything thrown at him.

 

[Ferbian]

I'm gonna have to agree with Jack here. Sheamus vs John Morrison really tore down the house last Monday, it was a rather good performance by both of the guys, and I feel that the falls count anywhere stipulation actually helped this one become so good. I think had they been in a regular singles match, it wouldn't have been half as good.

However, I can't really discredit the two other "hardcore" stipulation matches on RAW. Chris Jericho vs The Hart Dynasty was pretty well done, hardly great compared to what we know these guys could put on, however it wasn't bad and the ending in itself was sick.

And of course, Randy Orton vs John Cena. What hurts this match for me to become the match of the week is that it seemed like one big mess eventually with everybody interfering, and while it helped hyping the match, it kinda hurt everybody in it with exception of Randy Orton, who now shines as the definite superior in this match.

So yeah, there you have it. Sheamus vs John Morrison pretty much won this one by default this week.

 

[gd]

Sheamus/Morrison seems like the best choice this week. TNA, you completely disappoint me. Everything other than the Hardy/Angle match was complete bollocks, and you even screwed up the main event by having it run way late. Awful.

NXT, I like your challenges. No point in watching any of your matches though. That Kaitlyn does have some nice chest muscles though. SD? Meh.

Process of elimination gives it to the best match on Raw, which surprisingly contains John Morrison and unsurprisingly contains Sheamus.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm going with Daniel Bryan VS The Miz from Night Of Champions. This was a really good match, and Bryan's selling here was excellent. The crowd went nuts when Miz tapped out to the LaBell Lock, and it was so cool to see Bryan win the US Championship.

Miz VS Bryan was easily the best match on the Night Of Champions card. Undertaker VS Kane was solid, and the six pack challenge wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. TNA's highlight match had to be Sabu VS AJ Styles. I've never liked Sabu, but this match delivered. It wasn't bad, and Sabu didn't go nuts here.

 

[Ferbian]

Yeah, there's really no arguing about this week. The Miz vs Daniel Bryan was pretty much hands down the best match. There really weren't much competition from all of the others. And it's not because the others were completely awful, some of them was hurt by being a bit of a mess.

However, The Miz and Daniel Bryan tore the house down at Night of Champions. Very back and forth match and it really showed that Daniel Bryan is here to stay. Good thing to see him become champion as well.

 

[PsychoBlack]

I have to pick Kane vs Undertaker. My reason is that no one expected Kane to pull off a victory and the psychology was amazing. It seemed as if every time Undertaker seemed to get it going Kane shut him down and it usually is the other way around. I'm actually starting to like this feud that i criticized so much at the beginning.

 

[gd]

Miz/Danielson it is. I thought the whole thing was handled really well, so the resulting payoff was obviously successful. I mean, Bryan Danielson is a United States Champion, that's a little crazy, no? Really good match with a pleasant result. I suppose Miz can win the World Title now, or something.

Literally nothing else worth mentioning this week, that I saw anyway. Kane/Masters was surprisingly not 20 seconds long.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Match Of The Week

WWE Night Of Champions Standouts

Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler - As with the other matches they've had, this was a quality match for the Intercontinental Championship. It started off a little slow, but the last 7 or 8 minutes of the match were quite good. They've worked well together but I think the fact that they had so many standard matches against each other so frequently on SmackDown! kind of dragged the feud down a bit. Ziggler got the win here and won cleanly, which is exactly what needed to happen.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan - I enjoyed the shit out of this match. It was just an all around fun wrestling match to watch that had some good back and forth action, a lot of near falls on both their parts and both of them worked hard. This match, without a doubt in my mind, made Daniel Bryan a certified and legitimate star in the WWE. As with the Kofi/Ziggler match, it had the right ending and it ended the right way with The Miz tapping out to the LaBelle Lock to become the new United States Champion.

Kane vs. The Undertaker - This was a pretty good brawl between the former Brothers of Destruction. It wasn't a 5 star mat classic, but it was very solid for what it was intended to be. The Undertaker was able to get in his share of offense in the match while Kane was still able to look like the overall dominant of the two, which is what needed to happen. The Undertaker did well in selling his "weakness" and fatigue during the match, especially afterward when he just looked outright exhausted. Kane won the match clean, also what needed to happen, and kept this feud going.

Six Pack Challenge - I thought the match was pretty good overall. It was an overall solid main event to what I thought had been a pretty damn good show. I liked that John Cena was eliminated during the match via Wade Barrett especially. Barrett needed the win and I don't think many people want to see John Cena as WWE Champion anytime soon. A few things did drag the match down such as Jericho's very quick elimination and all the wrestlers just kinda standing around for a few minutes and the match really needed to be about 10 minutes longer. Personally, I would have preferred Sheamus to retain the title, but Orton ultimately won it.

WWE Monday Night Raw Standouts

John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho - I enjoyed this match a lot and it's hard not to look good when wrestling Chris Jericho. The match had some fun action and both Morrison and Jericho both looked strong throughout the entire time. Morrison SEEMS to have come a long way in a short time as he would have tapped out 5 seconds after being placed in the Walls of Jericho a few months back. I just hope the WWE keeps going with him cuz he's looked great the past several weeks. Morrison won via Starship Pain and I don't think anyone really expected otherwise, but it was still a high quality match.

Edge vs. Daniel Bryan - I could see if most people overlooked this match. I just thought it was a very solid 5 minute showcase match in which Daniel Bryan looked quite strong against a certified main event wrestler like Edge. I'd like very much to see these two have some serious matches sometime because I think they'd really tear it up.

John Cena vs. The Nexus - I'm not really a big fan of gauntlet matches as they tend to mostly make most guys competing in them look kind of weak. It happened here but not nearly as bad as one might expect. I would have preferred John Cena vs. Wade Barrett in a straight up match. Still, this wasn't bad. I wouldn't call it great, but a few members of The Nexus did shine. Both Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel looked pretty strong in general against Cena, Gabriel especially. The match was generally a platform to build the Barrett vs. Cena match at Hell in a Cell.

TNA iMPACT! Standouts

Chris Sabin vs. Jeremy Buck - I liked this match because it wasn't the mindless spotfest that I figured it'd be. The two actually wrestled a good, solid 4 minute match with really only one high spot hit during the match. I think it's good that TNA is trying to show that these guys can actually do more and rely on more than just high spots. I'm not that crazy about the ending as Jeremy Buck should've gone over an injured Chris Sabin. Still, it was good for what it was.

A.J. Styles vs. Sabu - I gave this match a thumbs down when reviewing iMPACT! because I thought it was just extremely weak for a ladder match. The usage of the latter as a weapon and for spots was practically nil in this match and there didn't really seem to be much of a point to it. If the point was for Sabu to be able to get some of his more famous spots in, then it failed as the only real spot I saw involved Sabu using a chair to jump up to the top rope and dive off into a crowd of guys. It would've been better just to have booked a standard match. The action between Styles & Sabu was ok but, as I said, it was extremely weak for a ladder match. All the various interference by Fortune and EV2.0 didn't help things either.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! Standouts

Kane vs. Chris Masters - As with Bryan/Edge, I understand completely someone passing this match over. Also, as with Bryan/Edge, it was a good solid 6 minute showcase match for Kane. He looked dominant and strong. It's probably the closest Chris Masters will ever get to the World Heavyweight Championship.

Dashing Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre vs. The Hart Dynasty - Pretty solid tag team match in general, though it wasn't anything spectacular. The WWE Tag Team Championship have already become more of a factor in the past week than they did almost the entire time The Hart Dynasty held them. I'm not saying it'll last, but here's hoping. It was a good match overall with the champs retaining.

MVP vs. Dolph Ziggler - Like the tag match, I thought it was a really well wrestled match. It wasn't anything overly spectacular, but it was a solid match just the same. It seems to me that MVP has improved some over the past month or so. Maybe it's just me, but he just seems sharper and crisper than he used to be in the ring.

Match Of The Week: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan - I enjoyed this match more than any other I saw this week. It was well wrestled, The Miz & Bryan have great chemistry with one another, good back and forth action and there was just enough uncertainty as to whether or not Bryan would get the title that night or not to keep people guessing throughout a lot of the various near falls. By the time the match was over, Daniel Bryan was a legitimate star in the WWE.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

This week’s Match of the Week has to be; The Miz (w/Alex Riley) vs. Daniel Bryan.

This match had it all. The Drama, the excitement and the mark out moment. This match was a payoff for a lot of fans as we finally got to see Daniel Bryan (or Bryan Danielson if you will) lift a championship in the WWE. For a long time, fans had been waiting to see if Danielson could make it in the company and I believe after Sunday night they can indeed say that he has made it.

This was a back & forth contest that saw many near falls and some good wrestling. Miz held his own in this match and while many will say Bryan dragged Miz to a good match, I feel that this was good work on both sides. The pay-off was indeed worth the wait as we saw Bryan hoisting the United States Championship high above his head.

 

[The Holy One]

There were a few matches that I enjoyed on the WWE side this week and TNA gave a good main event too.

WWE Night of Champions

Intercontinental Title Match: Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston - I though this was good much like their previous matches on SD. They have pretty good chemistry together and I was happy to see Dolph get the win here as Kofi needs to move up to the upper mid card and Dolph needs a good reign with the IC belt.

United States Title Match: The Miz vs Daniel Bryan - I wasn't actually into this match like most people. Although, that's my feeling for pretty much all the Miz's matches but it did have a nice story to it with the Miz trying everything to prevent the LaBelle Lock but ultimately falling to it in the end.

WWE Title Match: Sheamus vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Chris Jericho vs Edge vs John Cena, 6-Pack Challenge - I was very into this match. I felt it didn't provide much wrestling wise but the stories going into them made up for it. The shocks of Jericho's early elimination, Barrett eliminating Cena, and Orton actually winning the title is what generated so much interest in the match for me.

WWE Raw

Chris Jericho vs John Morrison - I've enjoyed Morrison's push as of late with the training videos and high profile matches. It may be the beard but Morrison has become very interesting lately. I was definitely into this match especially due to Morrison's effort. Jericho helped up his end as usual and this match delivered quite expectantly. I'm looking forward to what's next for Morrison.

John Cena vs The Nexus, Gaunlet Match - I had no problem with the gaunlet being thrown in as it did build Cena vs Barrett. The matches theirselves were quite suprising as Slater and Gabriel look very good in their respective efforts.

TNA iMPACT

AJ Styles vs Sabu, Ladder Match - I didn't think I would like this match even with AJ in it as I felt Sabu was going to resort back to his usual sloppy self given that it was a hardcore match. However, once again Sabu suprises me and actually gives a good effort along with AJ's expected one. The interferrence didn't take me out of it too as it is expected with a heel stable. I do question the hall room bathroom pass that they fought for though.

WWE Smackdown

WWE Tag Team Title Match: Dashingly Sinister (that's what I'm calling them) vs The Hart Dynasty - It was quite short for my taste but during the time that was given I liked it. It helps that both Cody and Drew are two of my current favorite wrestlers so it's biased somewhat. I have high hopes for this team as I feel they can be like the Miz and Morrison and help build two future stars.

Dolph Ziggler vs MVP - I'm not much of a fan of MVP but I do like Ziggler and I have to say both of them worked well together in this match. I was disappointed in the ending but then again this does build towards a future fued b/w the two. I'm not sure how I feel about that though.

Kaval vs Chavo Guerrero - I thought the Cruiserweight days were behind the WWE. Joking aside, this was a good fast paced match. Kaval has perform well in his first two weeks on SD. I was VERY suprised to see Chavo pick up the victory. I guess Kaval still has a way to go if he wants to reach Barrett or Bryan status but he is on SD so that helps.

Match of the Week: Chris Jericho vs John Morrison - Like I said, I was definitely into this match. It had the fast paced action and quick counters. The spots when Jericho had Morrison in the Walls and Morrison leapfrogging the ring post were quite enjoyable. It delivered quite well and helps Morrison continue his recent push.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Usually I'd go with a whole list of matches that stood out from the week but it really isn't necessary as bar one match not much stood out infact the only other match I can think of this week that came close was JoMo/Jericho. Anyway the match I am talking about is Bryan/Miz from NOC, this was just a great match in which both men looked great, Bryan gave a clinic on how to sell an arm injury and Miz got in some very good offence on the arm including a shoulder breaker which I think is new for him. Near the end there were 2 or 3 roll up's/ near falls where I legit thought the match was over but in the end Bryan made Miz submit which was a really good moment. Easy match of the week and possibly a low level condender for MOTY.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Match Of The Week

WWE Monday Night Raw Standouts

The Miz & Alex Riley vs. Daniel Bryan & John Morrison - I enjoyed this tag team match on Raw and thought it was very solid overall. I can understand if it didn't particularly register with anyone but I thought it was a good outing that furthered the feud between The Miz & Bryan with good wrestling action all around. Introducing John Morrison into this was interesting and it worked to set up a match featuring The Miz, Bryan & Morrison that could possibly steal the show.

John Cena vs. Edge - This was a fun match between two old rivals. It didn't particularly mean anything, but it was a very solid 8 minute match. There was some good back and forth action here between these two and it's nice to see John Cena not be in the main event or championship scene. Cena got the win via the STF. Nothing overly special here, but a solid television match featuring two main eventers.

Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho - I thought Orton and Jericho put on a very good back and forth match last Monday. Both of them looked quite strong throughout the full length of the match and even though I knew there was no way Orton would win this match, I felt they did a good job of making it look as though it was still anyone's match prior to Sheamus' interference. Both of them hit most of they're signature moves during the match and I'd love to see Jericho feud with Orton when he returns.

WWE Superstars Standouts

Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger - I thought that Kofi and Swagger had a very strong outing on Superstars this week. It was a great back and forth match with both of them looking strong throughout the match. Swagger went for the ankle lock several times in this match and Kofi made a good show of escaping everytime. Swagger was more tenacious in this match and managed to hook the ankle lock solidly and refused to relinquish it when Kofi got to the ropes. Kofi wins about the 14 minute mark via DQ but Swagger continued to go after the ankle after the match.

TNA iMPACT! Standouts

Generation Me vs. Ink Inc. - I thought this was a pretty good tag team match featuring two young teams within TNA. There were a few spots hit during the match, but these two teams actually wrestled a very solid all around match and that's a good thing in my opinion. The Spot Monkey label can be hard to shirk so I like that TNA has been veering a lot of teams known for high spots away from it in order for them to be taken more seriously. GenMe gets the win about the 5 minute mark.

Kurt Angle vs. Abyss - This was a pretty good cage match main event for iMPACT! last night. Angle bled heavily during the match and it's hard not to have a good match with Kurt Angle. I thought Abyss ripping the door off the hinges was more than a little corny and I wish TNA would stop doing stuff like that with him. Also, this is the first cage match I can remember off the top of my head that didn't have a finish. The match in and of itself was pretty fun, but I did think that the lack of a finish in this type of setting did bring the match down some.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown!

The Undertaker vs. CM Punk - This match ultimately turned out to be little more than a showcase match for The Undertaker and was quite solid for what it was. Taker needed some momentum going into his match with Kane at the HIAC ppv and Punk is a high quality opponent. Taker looked strong and crisp in the ring and got the win at the 5 minute mark. I would have liked to have seen a longer match between these two but, as I said, this match accomplished what it was ultimately meant to accomplish.

John Cena vs. Kane - This match went about 8 minutes before The Nexus interfered and was pretty solid overall. Kane looked strong against John Cena and controlled most of the match. We also didn't see an appearance by SuperCena tonight, so that was a nice touch. The match was mostly a last ditch hype for the Cena/Nexus situation and for Taker/Kane.

Match Of The Week: Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger - Overall, I think the pickings were a little thin this week. The wrestling content of SmackDown! tonight was quite disappointing and the weakest it's been in a while. Kofi and Swagger was a damn good back and forth encounter. They worked very well together and put on a great match in which both of them looked strong. I know that Superstars is generally a throwaway show but, more often than not, you honestly will see quality wrestling matches on the show. Cena vs. Edge on Raw was a solid match but nothing like matches they've had before. Orton vs. Jericho was very good I thought, both looked strong but there was no chance in hell of Randy Orton losing the match. The GenMe vs. Ink Inc. was a good solid tag team match, though nothing overly memorable and GenMe also wasn't going to lose a match so close to BFG against a tag team that hasn't been seen on tv in several weeks. Angle vs. Abyss was a good main event cage match, but no way was Angle going to lose this close to BFG and the cage match ended in a no contest. Wrestling on SmackDown! was generally the weakest it's been all year. Kofi and Swagger simply put on a very fun match that would've been a great match on any wrestling television show.

 

[The Holy One]

Again, I liked a couple of matches in the WWE and TNA had a good main event.

WWE Monday Night Raw

John Cena vs Edge - I thought this was nice, quick match that had a good feeling of nostalgia to it considering both guys' history with each other. I normally don't like the restarts of matches but this one made some sense with the furthering of the Edge/GM storyline.

Randy Orton vs Chris Jericho - An Orton singles match that I actually liked for a chance. I thought it had some great energy to it and didn't seem boring or slow-paced. I like both guys looking strong and the DQ finish works for me as I understand both guys didn't need to win or lose. I like the way they have seemingly written off Jericho so maybe he can return sometime next year (as a face hopefully).

WWE Superstars

Kofi Kingston vs Jack Swagger - A great fast pace match that had both guys looking strong. My interest was very into this match. I like the DQ finish in this one too as both guys can't afford a loss right now. I like how good Swagger came from out of this match.

TNA iMPACT!

Kurt Angle vs Abyss, Steel Cage Match - A fun brawl b/w both guys. I feel indifferent on the crimson mask Angle was sporting as it seemed unessecary for the match and was kind of excessive. However, both guys didn't lose any face from the match which was good for me.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown

John Cena vs Kane, Lumberjack Match - Another good quick match featuring Cena. It help make Kane look great going into HIAC while furthering the Cena/Nexus storyline. While watching it with friends, the match seemed even more impressive than it was and made me want more minutes for it.

Match of the Week: Kofi Kingston vs Jack Swagger - I liked this match a lot as it had great action and both guys worked well together. I felt the match didn't drag at all and it did it's job to make both guys look good and may have laid the groundwork to a future fued.

 

[gd]

Not like I watch Superstars or anything, but Jack Swagger is one of the few current wrestlers whose matches I'd bother watching online if I heard good things about them. Kofi Kingston isn't bad either, certainly better than Sean Kingston.

Anyway, Swagger/Kingston is certainly my pick this week, mostly because of the lack of competition and party because Swagger is awesome.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Match Of The Week

WWE Hell In A Cell Standouts

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison - I enjoyed the shit out of this match and it was a hot way to start off the HIAC ppv. All three men in the match had a very strong showing and The Miz & Morrison actually showed that they know something regarding submission wrestling. The match went out all over and, as with Morrison vs. Sheamus a few weeks back, these three had an actual wrestling match outside the ring instead of the usual punch-kick-repeat formula in this sort of setting. Morrison's high spot off the cage was cool even if it did look heavily choreographed. Bryan made The Miz tap out to retain the United States Championship via the LaBell Lock, which was surprising as I figured Morrison would be the one to tap. Very strong match and title defense for Bryan.

Randy Orton vs. Sheamus - This was the best match these two have had thus far and it was a great one. With the WWE's ban on blood, the cell is mostly just window dressing I'm afraid. Still, it didn't do anything to take away from the physicality and intensity of the match. It told a great story and both Orton & Sheamus sold everything well, especially their frustrations with not being able to put the other away. Orton does eventually get the win via the RKO but Sheamus looked very strong in defeat.

John Cena vs. Wade Barrett - I wasn't all that sure about this match to be honest but I was very pleasantly surprised to see such a strong match out of these two. It started out slow but it picked up nicely and both wrestlers looked strong and managed to convey the impression to me that they both wanted to win badly. There were several great, believable near falls in the match and I have to say that I was very surprised to see Wade Barrett kick out of the Attitude Adjustment. Cena does lose via interference from Husky Harris but nothing that took place gave the viewer the idea that Barrett actually needed help to win the match.

WWE Monday Night Raw Standouts

Battle Royal - Wrestling content on Raw this past Monday was pretty scarce but this was a fun way to end the show and determine the new #1 Contender for the WWE Championship. The centerpiece of the night was John Cena having to join Nexus and this was a match that kept people watching and waiting to see what Cena was going to do. Several other wrestlers like The Miz, John Morrison & Sheamus had themselves a strong showing, but it was generally the tension between Barrett & Cena that made this interesting. Cena eventually steps outside the ring and eliminates himself, as ordered, so Barrett becomes top contender for the strap.

WWE Superstars Standouts

The Hart Dynasty vs. The Usos - This was a great tag team main event to close out the show. It was a great physical match that was given serious time and unfortunately showed us something that we could've been getting from a feud between these two teams for quite a while now. Tyson Kidd looked really impressive in the match and Smith looked strong and solid. The Usos got the win via the Superfly Splash at the 15 minute mark. These two teams could've been having great matches like this and a great feud for months now and I think the WWE really dropped the ball on this.

TNA iMPACT! Standouts

Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley - This was a violent and bloody showing by two veterans that also showed a lot of heart. I honestly wasn't expecting all that much from this match but both Flair and Foley honestly gave it their best shot and tried really hard. As a result, they managed to pull off a good brawl. The bloodshed would have meant much more if Flair hadn't already done it so many times already since coming to TNA, but both the old war horses showed a lot of heart here.

Gauntlet Battle Royal - Personally, I just wasn't really feeling this match. I thought the vast majority of last night's show was awful and it just sapped a lot of energy out of me. TNA made Abyss look like a god last night at the expense of about half the wrestlers on the Bound For Glory card. For the past few weeks, it feels like that Jeff Hardy has taken a backseat in the three way dance for the title at the ppv and was little more than an afterthought here. Kurt Angle ultimately won the match and I just didn't really see a reason why. This could have been a good jumping point for a potential push for one of the younger guys on the roster.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! Standouts

Edge vs. Jack Swagger - Just like at HIAC, I thought this was a very solid match between a young guy in Swagger and an established main eventer like Edge. Really good back and forth effort here Edge seeming to be more energetic to me than he has been in a while. It might just be me, but that's the feeling I got. Swagger ultimately lost the match but he did look strong throughout against Edge.

Dolph Ziggler vs. MVP - I thought this was a very good IC title match between these two. The crowd was into the match and both wrestlers put in a great back and forth effort I thought. MVP has improved a lot in my opinion. He has more spring in his step and doesn't clod around the ring in his matches anymore. Ziggler looked strong tonight and ultimately won the match due to some slight interference from Kaitlyn. However, nothing happened during the match to make me think that Ziggler needed help to win.

Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio - Hot main event and a great match to close tonight's episode of SmackDown!. The match told a great story and the crowd was heavily into the match. They popped for just about any move thrown out there. Both of them looked strong and put forth a great effort. There were several great near falls and this has the makings of a great feud. Mysterio does eventually get the win but Del Rio made him work for it.

Match Of The Week: John Cena vs. Wade Barrett - One reason why I thought this was MOTW was I was surprised by how good the match was. Both wrestlers were fighting in a match for something that was very important to them and it showed. Barrett wanted Nexus to stay together, Cena wanted them gone and I thought they did a good job of making it seem that both of them wanted to win badly. Barrett kicking out of the Attitude Adjustment was a great moment and really made him look strong in my view. I know that many probably feel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison was the MOTW and I can see that point. However, I knew that was going to be a great match beforehand and the potential ramifications the Cena/Barrett match had, coupled with the effort put out, just made it stand out a bit more with me.

 

[The Holy One]

A good week of matches for the WWE but TNA decided to focus on building for BFG rather than matches (and rightfully so).

WWE Hell In a Cell

United States Title: Daniel Bryan (c) vs The Miz vs John Morrison, Submissions Count Anywhere Match - A very good fast paced match as Bryan was his usual decent self and Morrison continues to impress me along with the Miz. I thought it excelled in the high spots and the focus on the submissions. It was a perfect opener for the PPV as it did the job of making the fans excited.

Edge vs Jack Swagger - A decent match that did it's job of continuing Edge's crusade against stupidity, building a possible fued b/w him and Swagger, and giving some alright action. I thought both men gave a good effort and it was very back and forth. I kind of wish Swagger had won as he needs it more than Edge does.

John Cena vs Wade Barrett - I expected the match to be good as Cena when called for and he's worked well with the young guys of Nexus before in one on ones. I thought it was better than I expected though as Barrett continues to prove why he belongs in the main event. He held his own with Cena and a good match that told the struggle b/w both men over the need to achieve their opposing goals. I like the finish of the match as Barrett needed to win but he's not ready to beat Cena cleaned yet. The reaction from the crowd showed how good this match/storyline truly is.

WWE Monday Night Raw

Battle Royal Match for the #1 Contendership for the WWE Title - A good main event as it provided quality action and continued the great story b/w Cena and Nexus. I'm really loving this angle as Cena's role in the battle royal was played to perfection and now I wonder how Wade will do in his first one on one WWE Championship match.

WWE Superstars

The Usos vs The Hart Dynasty - I didn't expect to enjoy the match much as I did, but it provided some quality action. I thought both teams worked well together. I'm not a fan at all of the tension in the Dynasty though.

TNA iMPACT!

Ric Flair vs Mick Foley, Last Man Standing Match - I called this the "King of the Crimson Mask" match. It makes me wonder why they would still do this at their age regardless of how old they are. I'm a fan of hardcore matches but not bloodbaths. I didn't think blood was needed at all in this match. I would have liked it more if that happened.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown

Edge vs Jack Swagger - Another decent match b/w both men. I found it the same good back and forth match as the same one at HIAC. I love the addition of the Eagle mascot to Swagger as he's actually showing some swagger (pun intended) again. Once again, I kind of wanted Swagger to win as he really needs to pick up some wins more than Edge.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs MVP - A good title match for tv which SD can provide often especially involving the IC title. I thought both guys look strong and worked well together. I hope the love triangle storyline leads to Ziggler dropping Vickie for Kaitlyn for obvious reasons.

Rey Mysterio vs Alberto Del Rio - A very good fast paced match b/w the two luchadors. I found it better than their first match. I like Mysterio picking up the win as it furthers the fued b/w them. I hope to see more from this rivalry.

Match of the Week: John Cena vs Wade Barrett - The story itself and the payoff from it is one of the main reasons I thought it was MotW. As for the match itself, it was very good and had me intriqued from start to finish.

 

[Ferbian]

Lots of great wrestling this week.

Pretty much overall Hell in a Cell brought in the primary great matches of this week. And it's really not a surprise. The triple threat submission counts anywhere match kicked the pay per view off greatly. And the Hell in a Cell following was great, yet slightly lacking.

Overall there's really not much to argue against John Cena vs Wade Barrett however. They tore the house down for a singles regular match of all. I had expected it to become a Hell in a Cell match. But I must admit this certainly helped every aspect of it. Wade Barrett kicking out of the Attitude Adjustment was pretty much the high point of this match. And overall it was just a very well booked match, with an ending that actually worked to a T.

 

[gd]

I'm sure Cena/Barrett was a good one. Big match on a PPV + John Cena = at the very least, above average. Plus, with him actually losing, it gave Nexus some new life, or something. Well done. The triple threat probably was pretty good as well.

However, I haven't watched HIAC yet, so I'm going to have to go with the best match I did watch this week, which was Foley/Flair. Sure, the match may not actually have been good, but it was bloody as hell and got my full attention, which isn't something most wrestling matches can say nowadays.

 

[Low_Ki]

Cena Vs Barrett was good but for an unconventional reason. The match itself for me wasn't brilliant, but it was the first time in a long time that I felt a real sense of consequence if Cena lost. When he did, I loved the idea of where this storyline could go. Barrett beating Cena was great for him and for Nexus, and I loved the build up to the finish of this match.

Daniel Bryan Vs The Miz Vs John Morrison was by far the best wrestling match of the week. Superb stuff again from Bryan, and it sounds like a weird thing to say but I feel like one day in the not too distant future he could replace and create a more positive legacy than Chris Benoit. They both have quite a few pro wrestling similarities. Modified same finishers, both didn't exactly have a gimmick as such, both great technical wrestlers. I don't want to shout the similarities from the rooftops for obvious reasons but I think that there is a niche for Bryan and after this match, I definately see a great future.

 

[Window Licker 101]

Cenavs Barrett simply for the fact of the unpredictable finish to the match. Finally creative listened to what the IWC wanted. Everyone has John Cena winning this so it was nice to see WWE continue with the Nexus angle.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm going to pick the Triple Threat World Title match from Bound For Glory this week. Hardy VS Anderson VS Angle was an outstanding match. This match had tons of energy, it featured lots of action, and the double Ankle Lock on Hardy and Anderson was sick. A lot of people didn't like Hardy's heel turn here, and some think the "arrival" of "They" was a let down, but I still enjoyed the match. Besides the very stupid and ridiculous Orlando Jordan & Eric Young VS Ink Inc. tag team match ,I thought the rest of Bound For Glory card featured a nice set of quality matches.

Raw and Smackdown had some fine wrestling matches this week. I enjoyed almost every Bragging Rights qualifying match. I wish Kaval would've made the Smackdown Team, because I just don't know what WWE sees in Tyler Reks.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Match Of The Week

I'm sure that the majority will probably vote for the triple threat TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at Bound For Glory. I didn't see the ppv, I haven't bought a TNA ppv in a long time so I can only go by what I've seen.

WWE Monday Night Raw Standouts

John Morrison vs. Tyson Kidd - While too short to be MOTW, this was a very fun 3.5 minute match between these two that had a lot of action packed into a short span of time. Kidd is easily the more impressive member of The Hart Dynasty and gave Morrison a really good match. Morrison looked great and his streak of good luck held up this week, getting the win with a great finisher.

Randy Orton vs. Justin Gabriel - There was no doubt that Orton would win this match, but that didn't stop it from being quite good. Gabriel gave a very good and strong showing for himself against the reigning WWE Champion. Orton botched his part of the 450 splash by not moving out of the way in time. Still, Gabriel was impressive and lasted 11 minutes with The Viper.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - I was nervous that Bryan was going to get squashed here but he gave Sheamus a great match. Bryan looked strong and competititve against the guy that was WWE Champion this time a month ago. I think like a lot of people, I was hoping that Bryan would win here but Sheamus ultimately did get the win. I like Bryan but he's firmly in the mid-card right now so it makes sense for a 2 time WWE Champion to go over him at this point. Still, a fun match that made both guys look good.

John Cena vs. The Miz - Another strong showing from these two. Cena has been in a bit of a slump lately when it comes to wins as he's lost several times over the course of the past month. True, they weren't clean wins but SuperCena didn't make an apperance either. I like how the WWE set the ending of this match up as it didn't take anything away from The Miz. True Cena was in control but nothing was happening that was a guarantee that Cena was going to walk away with the win anyhow. They did the same thing for the finish with Wade Barrett at HIAC and it worked there as well. The Miz gets the win after Husky Harris & Michael McGuillicutty interfere.

WWE Superstars Standouts

Layla vs. Kelly Kelly - I know that Kelly Kelly having a good match is probably the unlisted 8th sign of the Apocalypse but this was honestly a pretty good match, great match by Diva standards. Layla, while annoying in her role as part of LayCool, has shown over the past several months that she can actually wrestle and she showed off some skill here. It wasn't an all time classic, we are talking about Divas here, but any WWE Diva match that lasts longer than 60 seconds and has women that aren't botching everything all over the place, then it deserves some notices.

Melina vs. Alicia Fox - I know, two Diva matches on one show that were actually pretty good is almost unheard of. They worked well here together and the crowd was really into it, mostly due to Melina's presence. Melina ultimately gets the win with an innovative pin that allowed her to show off just how flexible she is. A fun little match here.

Curt Hawkins vs. Trent Baretta - This was a very fun, competitive back and forth match between two young guys that I don't think get nearly enough television time. Both of them looked sharp, crisp and smooth during the match and Hawkins ultimately gets the win about the 11 minute mark with the Heat Seeking Elbow.

TNA iMPACT! Standouts

Mr. Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam - This match gets the nod from iMPACT! by default as there was very little offered in terms of wrestling content this week. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ragging on TNA for the fact that last night's show was talk heavy. Occassionally, a show with last night's format is appropriate and necessary. I wasn't all that much into this match. It was all but written in stone that the match was going to have a no finish due to outside interference and that's what happened. I expect the wrestling content for next week's show will be stronger because I don't really see how it could get any weaker.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! Standouts

Rey Mysterio vs. Dashing Cody Rhodes - This was a great match and a strong start to tonight's episode of SmackDown!. It was competitive and I was surprised at how strong Rhodes looked here. Lots of near falls and fun offense during the match that kept fans interested in what was going on. Mysterio gets the win at 10.5 minutes to earn a spot on Team SmackDown!. Very strong effort from both men, especially Rhodes.

Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler - I thought this was a helluva match with these two. As with Rhodes & Mysterio, I was a little surprised at how strong Ziggler looked against a multi time World Champion. It was a very competitive match that went back and forth. Ziggler hitting the Zig Zag on Edge against the ring steps looked great and I thought that Edge might be counted out for a few seconds. Edge gets the win at 13 minutes after catching Ziggler jumping off the ropes with a spear. Very strong match up here.

Match Of The Week: Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler - Just an all around great and very entertaining match. I was legitimately surprised at how good it was. The move to SmackDown! seems to be a good thing for Edge right now as he just seems more energetic to me. Ziggler's got nothing to be ashamed about here and looked great throughout. There were several great matches on Raw this week, but I think the length of the SmackDown! matches coupled with the exceedingly strong showing from the young guys against the veterans gave SD! the edge, no pun intended.

 

[Ferbian]

I didn't really watch iMPACT or Bound For Glory with the exception of the mainevent, which I found to be rather messed up. Way, way too many finishers in way too short time. Also, horrible ending, so it automatically gets thrown out of my possible Match of the Week candidates.

Smackdown really was the better show this week in terms of wrestling. I were really impressed with both Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes and Edge vs Dolph Ziggler.

However, I'll have to give it to Edge and Dolph. Throughout the match I were in complete doubt about whomever was gonna be joining team Smackdown. That's something I couldn't say about Rey vs Cody because it just screamed obviousness in that match.

Very good back and forth match that had both looking great. Dolph looked like a strong champion even if he lost, but it was warranted because it didn't hurt him at all.

 

[The Holy One]

Wow, this is late but anyway, TNA provided some good matches on their biggest PPV of the year and WWE provided as well with their qualification matches for Bragging Rights.

TNA Bound For Glory 2010

The Motor City Machine Guns vs Generation Me, TNA World Tag Team Championships Match - Hard to believe that this would be the match for those titles a year ago, but like their other matches this one didn't disappoint. Decent fast paced action and high flying as both teams didn't slouch. A great way to open a PPV.

RVD vs Abyss, Monster's Ball Match - I like the hardcore matches that don't need blood to fuel it which this was until about the end of it. RVD looked like his ECW self in this match and Abyss was in his natural element. Both guys put on a good brawl. I was suprised to see Janice actually used too. They must be paying Abyss good money.

Fourtune vs EV 2.0, Lethal Lockdown - The ending aside, this was a good brawl like RVD/Abyss but not as good. I thought all members of Fourtune looked good on their end and the EV guys didn't look as sloppy as usual. I'm still disappointed over the ending though but that's a different story.

Jeff Hardy vs Mr. Anderson vs Kurt Angle, Triple Threat Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Just like Lethal Lockdown with the ending aside, I was into this match as I thought Anderson worked pretty well with the already great combination of Hardy/Angle. All three guys were decent and no one looked lazy at any point of the match. I don't agree with this ending too but that's a different story as well.

WWE Monday Night Raw

John Morrison vs Tyson Kidd - A very quick, fast paced match that showed both men great athletic abilities. I thought it was better to go with a one on one match insted of the triple threat. Morrison continues to put on a good show each week.

Randy Orton vs Justin Gabriel - Gabriel looked great against Orton just like he did with Cena. Orton held on his end and seemed to be in this match. Gabriel is warming to me when I see him wrestle lately.

Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan - This match was to stop the bitching of two weeks ago and did it perfectfully. Both guys looked great and worked well with each other. I wondered how Bryan would do against guys with a considerable size advantage against him and he didn't dissapoint. Sheamus continues to show why he's gonna be in the main event for a while.

John Cena vs The Miz - Cena delivers a good match weekly and this was no different. The Miz improves as he works with the top guys. I'm still not that big on the Miz but he at least shows that he can hang with the main eventers.

WWE Superstars

Curt Hawkins vs Trent Barretta - A good back and forth match which makes me believe that Trent can become a good mid carder one day. I don't agree with splitting up another tag team with Hawkins/Archer but I do agree with pushing Hawkins as the better of the two and glad to see him using the old Hawkins/Ryder theme again.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown

Rey Mysterio vs "Dashing" Cody Rhodes - A decent, fast paced, competitive match b/w possible the one of the future guys of the E against the present. Cody looked very great against Mysterio.

Edge vs Dolph Ziggler - A great match b/w the Smackdown MVP and the another future guy of the E. Edge has really improved since being drafted back to the blue brand. Ziggler continues to impress me with his in ring work much like Morrison on Raw. I thought it was a very competitve match and actually makes me wonder of an Edge/Ziggler fued in the future.

Match of the Week: Jeff Hardy vs Mr. Anderson vs Kurt Angle, Triple Threat Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship - A great match with all three guys looking very good. The ending isn't the best by far but the match itself was pretty good imo and deserves match of the week.

 

[gd]

MCMG/GenMe for me fellas. Mostly because the Guns continue to be the best thing in wrestling and they came through with a quality match yet again, of course, who would expect otherwise.

The main event was decent enough, I suppose, but any match that's ending includes Hulk Hogan and crutches can't get too high of a grade from me.