WWE Bragging Rights (October 2010)

Original Airdate: October 24, 2010

From Minneapolis, Minnesota; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, Matt Striker, and Jerry Lawler

Opening Match: Daniel Bryan v Dolph Ziggler: Bryan is the WWE United States champion, and Ziggler is the WWE Intercontinental champ, but this is non-title. Both guys try hooking holds at the start, with Bryan nearly getting a kneebar on, but Ziggler has the ropes, and he bails on the break. Back in, Ziggler tries trapping him in a hold of his own, but Daniel keeps off the mat, and nearly gets a hold on before Ziggler bails again. Daniel chases this time, diving from the apron with a kneesmash, and a running dropkick finds the mark on the way back inside. Ziggler fights him off with a neckbreaker for two, and a ropechoke wears Daniel down. Speaking of ropes, they’ve got the cool half red/half blue rope motif out again for Bragging Rights, and I dig it. Neckbreaker, but Bryan counters with a backslide for two this time, and a schoolboy gets two. Ziggler fights him off with an inverted powerslam for two, and he grounds Bryan in a chinlock. Ziggler with a snapmare to set up an elbowdrop for two, and he goes to a chinlock/bodyscissors combo, but Bryan escapes. He tries another running dropkick, but wipes out in the corner this time, and Ziggler hooks the leg for two. Fireman's carry is worth two, so Dolph goes to a bodyscissors, but a corner splash misses. That allows Bryan a series of kicks, and he makes a comeback. Dropkick gets him two, and a springboard flying version is worth two, as Cole and Striker get into a funny argument over Cole’s dumb use of the word ‘literally.’ Matt would not have had a fun time working with Gorilla Monsoon, that’s for sure. Dolph tries the Zig Zag, but Bryan blocks, and roundhouse kicks him for two. Daniel goes back to the top, but Ziggler crotches him this time. He tries a superplex, but Bryan crotches him on the top now, and he tries a side superplex, but Ziggler topples him on the way down for two. Bryan reverses the cradle for two, so Ziggler tries a sleeper, but Bryan shakes him off, and both guys collide coming out of the ropes. Both guys beat the count for a slugfest, won by Bryan, so Ziggler schoolboys for two. Pinfall reversal sequence ends in Ziggler landing the rocker dropper for two, so he goes back to the sleeper, and manages to get it locked in this time. Daniel makes the ropes, so Ziggler milks the count all the way to five before offering a break, but some trash talk backfires when Bryan grabs him in a LeBell lock at 16:15. This was a good opener, and the crowd was into it. ***

WWE Tag Team Title Match: Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre v John Cena and David Otunga: Cody and David start, and Cody hooks a takedown right away, then passes to Drew to pound Otunga into the corner. The champs work Otunga with quick tags, and I never realized how much young Drew looks like Big Cass. Otunga slips away from the double teaming long enough to make a tag, and Cena suplexes Rhodes for two. Hanging vertical suplex gets two, but Otunga is unhappy that John is hogging the match, and their argument allows Cody to sneak attack. That allows the champs to work Cena over, until John makes a comeback on Drew, delivering the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Attitude Adjustment, but Cody distracts him, allowing Drew to escape. Cody tags in, but Cena counters the Cross Rhodes with an STF at 6:28. Well, that was rather abrupt. ¾*

Goldust v Ted DiBiase: Kind of incredible that Goldust was feuding with Ted’s dad twenty years before this. And Goldust is still an active worker twelve years after this. Ted tries coming at him bro at the bell, but Goldust fights him off, and Ted goes over the top off of a clothesline. Goldust follows to chuck him into the barricade out there, but he gets knocked off the top on the way back in, and DiBiase hammers him with mounted punches. Backelbow finds the mark, and a dropkick gets Ted two. Clothesline is worth two, and Ted delivers a pair of fistdrops, followed by a kneedrop. Goldust tries coming back with right hands, but Ted cuts that off with a backbreaker for two, and a kneesmash is worth two. Ted grounds him in a chinlock from there, but Goldust uses a side suplex to escape, and he makes a comeback. Bulldog gets him two, but a bodypress misses, and Goldust takes a bump to the outside. Goldust tries another dive, but Ted blocks with a dropkick, and covers for two. Goldust keeps coming with a powerslam for two, so DiBiase tries the Million Dollar Dream, but Goldust blocks. Ted responds with a sitout spinebuster for two, but a cross corner whip backfires when Goldust rebounds into his for a double knockout. That triggers a catfight between Aksana and Maryse, and the distraction allows DiBiase a DDT at 7:26. This was a very watchable (albeit basic) match, marred by a terrible, weak finish. * ¾ 

WWE Divas Title Match: Layla v Natalya: Feeling out process to start, dominated by the challenger. She delivers a hanging vertical suplex for two, but Layla blocks a German, and dropkicks her challenger to the outside. Natalya pulls her right out after her, however, so Michelle McCool sneak attacks her. That allows Layla to take control as they head back inside, and a dropkick gets the champion two. She traps Natalya in a rings of Saturn, but Natalya throws elbows, so Layla shifts to a bodyscissors instead. Natalya muscles to a vertical base with a bodyslam to break, and she delivers a short-clothesline for two. Butterfly suplex and a clothesline connect, and a dropkick gets her two. Discus clothesline leads to the Sharpshooter, but Layla pulls herself to the outside, and decides to walk on the match. Natalya drags her back in, but eats a cheap shot from McCool along the way, and Layla hooks the leg at 4:48. This was fine. * ¼ 

World Heavyweight Title Buried Alive Match: Kane v Undertaker: Undertaker attacks him in the aisle to kick start the match, and pounds him around ringside. Inside, Undertaker with a pair of avalanches, so Kane bails, and Undertaker chases him into the crowd for more abuse. Undertaker with a guillotine legdrop as they head back into the ring, and he grabs a chair, but Kane bails again before he can use it. Kane retreats into the crowd again, but Undertaker follows for another dull brawl. Kane manages to get hold of and use a chair on the way into the ring, and he delivers a chokeslam. Both guys look finished here. And I don’t even mean because they’re selling, I mean they look utterly exhausted. Kane drags him towards the gravesite, but Undertaker fights him off along the way, and they brawl onto the mound. Undertaker tries a chokeslam, but Kane blocks, and big boots him down. He tries pushing the challenger into the grave, but Undertaker blocks with a triangle choke, and Kane passes out. Undertaker shoves him into the grave, so Nexus run out to attack before he can shovel the dirt, and it’s Royal Rumble ‘94 all over again! They hold him for Kane to blast with the urn, and Undertaker is buried at 17:04. This was really terrible, with boring brawling, and both guys looking out of shape, and listless. Thankfully, this would be their last match against one another to date, after thirteen years of on-and-off feuding. -¼*

14-Man Elimination Match: Team RAW (Miz, Sheamus, CM Punk, John Morrison, R-Truth, Ezekiel Jackson, and Santino Marella) v Team Smackdown (Big Show, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Alberto Del Rio, and Tyler Reks): They were really into doing these big elimination matches in 2010, huh? Morrison and Reks start, and they trade off for a bit. Reks tries a snake-eyes, but John shoves him into the buckles to block, and lands a dropkick. Chincrusher follows, and he passes to Santino to deliver a forearm drop for two. He looks to follow up, but Reks cuts him off, and delivers an inverted death valley driver at 2:35. Jackson comes in with a bodyslam, so Reks passes to Big Show to show Jackson what ‘big’ and ‘strong’ are all about. With that out of the way, the Smackdown guys take turns taking shots at Jackson, but he fights Kofi off, and manages to pass to Sheamus. Sheamus with a bodyslam for two, and he grounds Kofi in a crossface chickenwing. Kingston fights free, and he lands a flying bodypress for two. Jumping clothesline finds the mark, and the Boom Drop follows. SOS gets two, but Kingston gets crotched on the top while trying a ten-punch, and Sheamus capitalizes with a crucifix powerbomb at 6:50. Rey comes in with quick strikes on Sheamus, but runs himself into a clothesline, and Punk tags in to pound Mysterio with mounted punches for two. Suplex, but Rey slips away, so Punk powerslams him instead for two. Back to Sheamus for a clothesline for two, as Team RAW work Mysterio over. Rey manages to block a backdrop from Punk, allowing Alberto to tag himself in, and he knocks Punk to the outside with an enzuigiri. Bridging German suplex gets him two on the way inside, and Jack hits Punk with a vertical suplex after tagging in. Belly-to-belly suplex gets him two, but a corner charge on Morrison misses, and they trade off. John with a sunset cradle for two, but Swagger comes back with a front-powerslam for two. Pump-splash, but Morrison blocks, so Jack goes for the anklelock instead - only for John to counter with Starship Pain at 13:06. John is still battered, however, allowing Smackdown to work him over. He manages to slip away from Reks long enough for the tag, and Sheamus takes Tyler out with a Brogue kick at 14:29. Show rushes in to attack Sheamus, and Sheamus takes a spill over the top. Show follows to continue the fight on the outside, and it’s a double countout at 15:27. Dust settles on Truth and Edge, and Edge uses speed to dominate. Corner charge misses, however, allowing Truth some fast paced strikes - only to run into a spear at 16:40. Truth was in for, what, a minute total? Was he working hurt, or something? Morrison comes in with Starship, but Edge dodges, and the spear connects at 17:08. Punk rushes in to try the GTS, but Edge counters with a DDT, but a spear misses, and Del Rio tags in. I’m getting major 80s Randy Savage vibes from Alberto’s gear tonight. He dominates, but Punk sneaks in a backslide at 18:04. RAW go to work on Edge, until he fights Punk off with an electric chair, and makes a tag to Rey. Mysterio dominates Punk, and the 619 sets up a slingshot splash at 24:06. Jackson rushes in to blast Rey with a forearm, and a bodyslam follows. He puts a hurting on Mysterio, but Rey fights him off with a DDT, and the 619 sets up a slingshot splash at 26:10. Jackson kicked out at two there, but we’re pretending he didn’t, just go with it. Miz rushes in to put the boots to Rey right away, but Rey fights him off. 619, but Alex Riley takes the bullet for him, and Miz covers for two. Skull Crushing Finale, but Rey blocks, allowing the tag - Edge nailing Miz with a spear for the win at 27:43. This was generally engaging, but way too long, and the heat segment on Edge dragged on forever for something happening so late into the contest. * ½ 

Main Event: WWE Title Match: Randy Orton v Wade Barrett: If Barrett loses, John Cena is out of a job. Orton dodges an attack in the corner and pounds his challenger down, before delivering a nice cross corner whip. The way Randy snapped his body while delivering the move is a great touch, and the kind of thing a master level worker like Bret Hart would have thought about. Barrett manages to dump him to the outside, where Cena is lurking (reluctantly in Barrett’s corner), but John doesn’t interfere, annoying the challenger. Inside, Orton tries another cross corner whip, but Barrett reverses on him this time, so Randy rebounds with a clothesline to set up a pair of kneedrops for two. Corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and Wade puts the boots to him. Barrett gets distracted jawing with Cena again, however, allowing Orton to attack, and they brawl on the outside. Randy tries a whip into the steps, but Barrett reverses, and hooks the leg for two on the way back inside. Wade stomps him for two, and a 2nd rope elbowdrop gets him another two. Barrett bootchokes the champion in the corner, and a headbutt puts Randy down for two. Barrett works a chinlock, but Randy fights to a vertical base, so Barrett puts him back down with a pumphandle-slam for two. Barrett takes him back to the outside to ping pong him between the apron and the barricade, and inside, that gets the challenger another two count. Back to the chinlock, but Orton fights free, so Wade goes back to the pumphandle-slam - only for Orton to block this time. Orton plants a dropkick, so Barrett bails to the apron, but Randy pulls him back in with the rope-hung DDT - only for Barrett to block that. The referee gets bumped as Barrett throws a clothesline, and Wade orders Cena into the ring. John obliges, but ends up colliding with Barrett, which allows Orton a neckbreaker. Cue the rest of the Nexus to pound Randy down themselves, and too bad Undertaker is dead and buried, he’d probably have some tips for poor Randy. Cena makes the save, but the damage is done, and the referee is recovering. Barrett goes for the Wasteland, but Randy manages to block, and he makes a comeback. RKO time, so Cena attacks Barrett himself - thus giving Wade the DQ win at 14:32. This wasn’t unwatchable, just terribly dull, and not at the level that a pay per view main event should be at. * ½ 

BUExperience: The opener is worth checking out, the rest is nothing to brag about.

DUD