The Year in PPV- 2010, Part III

Can the WWE maintain any form of momentum to close out 2010...?


10. Hell in a Cell

I have no idea how a gimmick match like this can have such a MESS of a show. Since their rivalry began at the very first Hell in a Cell in 1997, it would make sense for Kane and the Undertaker to have their own Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship. What resulted was one of the absolute WORST Cell matches I've ever seen. Everything was off about this match, including the pacing, the work rate from both performers, and the ending is absolutely confusing to see. Another sloppy main event came in the form of a match between John Cena and Wade Barrett, where Cena would have to join The Nexus if he lost. People break into the Cell all the time, so if they wanted to book a match where The Nexus (or someone else) would interfere, why couldn't they just book another Hell in a Cell match (since it is the name of the PPV)?

There are two high spots on the card, but the rest of the show is so awful that it can barely stop the ship from sinking altogether. The first is an impressive opening contest between Daniel Bryan, The Miz, and John Morrison (for the United States Championship) in the first ever Triple Threat submissions count anywhere match. These three really have a great way of showing that there were great things to come from all three of them (long term for Bryan and short term for Morrison and partially Miz). I really wish the Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship would have been the main event, because Randy Orton and Sheamus really hit their groove together (finally) and have an awesome PG-era Cell match full of weapons and false finishes. Instead, these two matches are within the first hour of the show, and I'm left deflated watching everything else that can't live up to the first two matches.

Skip It


11. Bragging Rights

It's odd for me to say that the midcard actually helps save this show, but it does considering that BOTH World title matches are completely lackluster and disappointing. The Buried Alive match for the World Heavyweight Championship really does show that the feud between Kane and the Undertaker was tired and lacking inspiration at this point (also, they never really explained the ending). The WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett was at least intriguing thanks to the storyline of Cena being in The Nexus, but disappoints thanks to a lack of chemistry between Orton and Barrett. It doesn't help that Orton (THE WWE CHAMPION) is a mere footnote in this match in terms of storyline.

The match for the Bragging Rights trophy was a 14-man elimination tag match featuring RAW (The Miz, CM Punk, Ezekiel Jackson, Santino Marella, R-Truth, John Morrison and Sheamus) against SmackDown (Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, Tyler Reks, Jack Swagger, and Edge). The match is fine, but I think there's too many people involved and the elimination match seems to be misplaced (considering that Survivor Series was the next PPV and the elimination match that main evented SummerSlam). The show is absolutely STOLEN from the very beginning thanks to a match featuring Daniel Bryan (RAW's United States Champion) and Dolph Ziggler (SmackDown's Intercontinental Champion). These guys went out and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats the entire time, and proved that they could have a pretty solid spot in the main event picture in years to come (well, at least one of them would).

Mild Recommendation


12. Survivor Series

I remember around 2011 hearing that Survivor Series (the second longest PPV in WWE history) might not come back after poor buyers rate. I wondered why, and then I remembered it might be because of this PPV alone. It's so strange to think that the midcard is what's making a show memorable and the main events are not. Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase for the United States Championship, Dolph Ziggler vs. Kaval for the Intercontinental Championship, and John Morrison vs. Sheamus are all adequate matches, but then we get to the Survivor Series elimination match (where PPV focus USED to be on). Rey Mysterio captained his team (Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Chris Masters, and Big Show) against Alberto Del Rio and his team (Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Tyler Reks, Drew McIntyre, and "Dashing" Cody Rhodes). This match wasn't awful, but it's placement on the middle of the card and being the only traditional Survivor Series match was a huge disappointment. It was interesting to note that it featured SmackDown talent only (since RAW's biggest focus was The Nexus), but I wish we could've had something from RAW.

The main events from this PPV are AWFUL. Kane vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship is boring and the feud is just bizarre, where Edge (the good guy) kidnaps Paul Bearer, the father of Kane (the bad guy). HUH!?!?!? Moving on, we actually have a main event that made the stakes feel important. Randy Orton defended the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett with John Cena as guest referee in a match dubbed Free or Fired (Cena would be freed from The Nexus if Barrett won, but would be fired if Orton won). The bell rang, and the match was terrible. The result was bound to have people buzzing no matter what happened, but the payoff was so disappointing (I'll explain below) that it really makes the show pointless.

Skip It


13. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs

I'm VERY shocked that this year ended with a very good PPV. The gimmick for this show is used to perfection, with nearly every match (only one didn't) having a stipulation surrounding tables, ladders, and chairs. Let's just go down the line by weapon. The tables matches are never going to be groundbreaking in their wrestling quality, but there's always something satisfying about seeing someone go through a table (and the anticipation is always fantastic). The tag team tables match between Natalya and Beth Phoenix against Layla and Michelle McCool was a lot of fun to see Divas get involved an extreme match up. The WWE Championship was on the line in a tables match between The Miz (who recently cashed his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title) and Randy Orton and it was a solid tables match, but more focused on building the two as characters (particularly The Miz as a heel who cheats to win). The show opened with a solid ladder match between Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship and it's a by the books kind of ladder match but still entertaining.

The show was nearly stolen thanks to the ladder match between John Morrison and Sheamus. These two young athletes were fighting to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship, and the match really helped elevate their credibility and make instant stars out of both of them. The main event for the evening was a Chairs match between Wade Barrett and John Cena (so much for being fired), which was fine with a good payoff, but their chemistry left a little to be desired. The TLC match was for the World Heavyweight Championship and combined SmackDown's two biggest feuds by having Kane defend the title against Edge, Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio. It's a spot fest to be sure, but is still a thrill ride from beginning to end. The name of the game for this PPV is to entertain fans through the use of tables, ladders, and chairs, and I believe they did that very well, so I'd call the show a success.

Highly Recommended


Final Thoughts: The best way I can summarize the year 2010 is that it had a bunch of good ideas and matches, but there is a lot to be desired in terms of a larger picture. The Nexus story had solid mainstream attention, so did Daniel Bryan as a wrestler, and the evolution of The Miz throughout the year, but there was so much else that was lackluster (the booking of Sheamus, Kane's World Heavyweight Championship reign, Orton's babyface run, the Diva's division, the tag team division, John Cena getting fired and being brought back immediately, etc.). This year is very frustrating because it has one of my biggest wrestling memories (watching Shawn Michaels retire), but so much else that is just a chore to get through because so much of it was directionless (and that's the best word I can use to describe this year).


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