WWE/TNA: My Top 10 Moments of the Week (Jan. 30-Feb. 3)

Another week of professional wrestling has ended, and what a week it was!

Monday Night Raw was a great show from top to bottom. It featured good matches and all storylines were advanced nicely.

TNA’s Impact Wrestling emanated from London, England and they also delivered a great show! The show had a number of good matches and the crowd was hot all night, which created a great atmosphere.

Friday Night SmackDown was also quite good. While the second hour dragged a bit, the show was saved by the excellent main event!

There were many moments I enjoyed but only 10 of them can make it. For the first time, though, I’m featuring an honorable mention.

If WWE and TNA can keep up the great work, this top 10 may have to have its number increased.

Here are my top 10 moments of the week!

Honorable Mention: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler

I thought this was good match that saw some back-and-forth action and had a good pace to it.

There was speculation that Orton came back from his injury too soon, but that didn’t show here. He was the same old Viper that we got to know over the past few years.

He put on a good performance against the showoff and it looked like he was never actually injured.

I do worry, though, that he did return too early and that he’s ignoring that fact and going full force.

If he’s not 100 percent, the next injury could put him on the injured list for a much longer amount of time.

Dolph Ziggler looked good in the ring against the nine-time world champion and is really proving that he deserves his current spot in the main event.

Ziggler has been having good matches with main event stars over the past couple of months and if he keeps it up, he’ll be holding a World Championship by the end of the year.

Ziggler has come a long way since being Nicky from the Spirit Squad, and his star can only go higher from here.

10. Hulk Hogan Returns

After an almost four-month absence from TNA, the Immortal Hulk Hogan returned to the company.

For weeks, Garret Bischoff has been teasing that he had a trainer that his father wouldn’t like.

His trainer turned out to be Hogan, which was pretty obvious. It was still great to see the Hulkster back, though.

While I think it’s time for Hogan to retire, as long as he doesn’t get back into the ring, I’m fine with him sticking around for the long haul.

I’ve been a life-long Hulkamaniac, but I don’t want to see him back in the ring at all.

I was at Bound for Glory to see him and Sting go at it, and the Hulkster doesn’t have it anymore in the ring.

It was an honor to see him in the ring but at the same time, I could see the constant pain on his face with every bump.

I think that Hogan would be best utilized in a managerial role. As someone’s mouth piece, he could really benefit the wrestler he’s paired with.

As seen in the backstage segment after his return, Hogan can still talk.

Hogan was never much of a wrestler anyway; he was always an entertainer.

Just give him a mic and let him talk, but please, don’t let him wrestle.

9. Mark Haskins vs. Austin Aries

This was quite the good match that even, at times, had a good pace to it and featured some nice moves.

Austin Aries continued to prove why he’s the best in the X-Division. I think that by the end of the year, A Double will be challenging for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Mark Haskins put on a good show in front of his hometown crowd here. He showed that he should be featured on Impact Wrestling more often.

He’s got a lot of skill and could be a future X-Division champion, if given the opportunity.

Aries’ popularity was quite evident here. Usually a city will cheer for their own wrestler, but Haskins got a lukewarm reaction and the London crowd was clearly behind the champion.

I really hope that TNA took notice of Haskins here, though, because I’d like to see him on Impact Wrestling more often.

8. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes

This was a damn good match between two talented wrestlers.

They both put on good performances and it made for a very enjoyable match.

Both Sheamus and Cody Rhodes have improved so much since their respective debuts.

While the Celtic Warrior started out as a heel and was quite good at it, he’s really thriving as a face. I think Sheamus is better as a face than he ever was as a heel.

Without a doubt, 2012 is going to be the year of the Great White.

Cody Rhodes has been a heel since day one, but he was never this good. Rhodes is at the top of his game right now.

Since winning the Intercontinental Championship, Rhodes has become a must-see superstar, and he’s been the best champion that title has seen in a while.

I would love to see these two feud later this year with the World Championship on the line!

7. John Cena Destroys Kane

After Eve was squashed by Beth Phoenix, she was surprised by an appearance from Kane.

Since he couldn’t beat on Zack Ryder, he was going to send a message to John Cena through her.

Almost like clockwork, John Cena ran to the ring with his sights set on the Big Red Monster.

I was expecting to see Kane once again take out Cena, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the exact opposite.

They brawled for a bit until Cena beat the hell out of Kane with the steel steps. This was more brutal than the beating he gave Jack Swagger a few weeks ago.

The Big Red Monster finally got away after he blocked an Attitude Adjustment before Cena could put him through the announce table.

John Cena seemed to truly embrace the hate here and while he beat the hell out of him, this is exactly what Kane wanted.

This really is a no-win situation for the face of the WWE.

If he doesn’t embrace the hate, then Kane will continue to destroy his friends. If he does, though, he’s going against everything he stands for.

No matter what happens, their blow off to this feud at the Elimination Chamber will be an epic encounter.

6. Tara vs. Gail Kim

I thought this was a great match. The women of TNA have all of the tools to put on great matches and the company lets them do exactly that.

I wish WWE gave their female performers the same chance!

Gail Kim was great and proved why she’s champion. My only problem with her as champion, though, is the fact that her reign has, overall, been boring.

She performs great in the ring, but she hasn’t had any good storylines since her return.

Tara showed that she’s still got it as a singles wrestler, and I hope that TNA sees that and gives her the push she deserves.

These two women know each other very well inside of the ring and it showed here. They delivered a good match that was very enjoyable to watch.

The Knockout’s division has been lacking lately with Mickie James getting title shot after title shot. I’m a big fan of Mickie, but TNA has been shoving her down our throats since her return.

She needs to just go away for a little bit and freshen up her character.

This feud between Gail and Tara, though, could really reignite the division, as it produces a number of great matches.

Adding in some other Knockouts as well will really add to the feud and give some rarely-used wrestlers more exposure.

I would love to see Sarita get involved somehow!

5. The Feud for the TNA World Title

The opening segment of the show featuring Bobby Roode, Bully Ray and James Storm was great.

Roode and Bully Ray were great on the mic and make a great pairing. They are without a doubt the best heels in TNA Wrestling.

While Storm didn’t get the chance to talk, his actions did all of the talking for him. He didn’t want to wait until Against All Odds; he wanted both of them right then and there.

Later on in the night, Roode defeated Storm after some help from the bully. It was a good match that was a nice little preview of what the big Roode/Storm title match will be like.

Both were great in the ring and the match really added to the feud.

Bully Ray’s involvement was great, as it makes the fatal-four way match even more unpredictable.

In the main event, Storm would defeat Bully Ray after Sting chased Roode away with a cricket bat.

While this was mostly controlled by Bully Ray, this match was quite good.

The bully can handle himself in the ring and knows how to get under the crowd's skin with his actions inside the squared circle.

James Storm was great once again and did a good job playing hurt.

I wish that Jeff Hardy was there, though, as he is the fourth man in the title match at the PPV. At the same time, it’s understandable that he wasn’t due to his probation and inability to travel.

Either way, I’m loving this feud, and the title match at Against All Odds should be great.

I’m most interested in what Bully Ray will do.

He may have the champion’s back now, but if he has the chance to win the title, will he turn on him and take that opportunity?

4. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan/Chris Jericho Attacks Punk

This was a great match that had a lot of back-and-forth action and was very even from beginning to end.

It was good seeing two “indy kids” wrestling each other on the flagship show of the No. 1 wrestling company in the world.

Both Punk and Bryan put on great performances and showed why they are the best of the best in a business that is dominated by guys who are over six feet tall and around 200-300 pounds of muscle.

CM Punk is still must-see, even after all these months. His matches are great and his mic work is untouchable at times.

Since becoming champion, Daniel Bryan has also become a must-see. His in-ring work was always great, but his mic work in WWE was lackluster at best.

Now that he has the belt, Bryan has become a master on the mic. Seeing him and Punk interact earlier in the night was great stuff.

As for Chris Jericho, it’s about damn time he actually did something other than running around the ring like an idiot.

This was the perfect way to start the big Punk/Jericho feud.

Jericho has been teasing the WWE Universe since his return. He’s been back for a month now and has said only one sentence and competed once at the Royal Rumble.

No one knew what his intentions were but now we do.

Chris Jericho not only wants the WWE Championship, he wants his “Best in the World” title back as well!

3. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan had a hell of a week.

On Monday’s Raw, he had a great match with WWE champion CM Punk and even won the match.

He may have won by disqualification when Chris Jericho threw him aside, but it was a victory nonetheless.

This past Friday on SmackDown, Daniel Bryan got on the mic and delivered a great promo.

Talking about his reign as champion, how he views himself as a role model and his main rival the Big Show, Bryan showed that he is the American Dragon once again.

Overall, the segment was great, thanks mainly to the champion. His mic work was phenomenal and his character was greatly advanced.

While he got chokeslammed by the Big Show, Bryan still ended up on top.

After A.J. Lee came out to get the Big Show to back off, the champion escorted her out. As they were hugging, Bryan smirked at the World's Largest Athlete.

He had won once again and he knew it.

Daniel Bryan, whether he’s a face or a heel, is one of the best characters in WWE right now.

2. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton: No Disqualification Match

This was a great match from beginning to end.

I was worried that Randy Orton came back from his injury too soon, but he put away any doubts I had with his great performance.

Wade Barrett was great as well and really delivered in this one against the nine-time world champion.

This match was very physical and quite violent at times. The WWE Universe got to see them fight in the crowd, use the announce table as a weapon and beat the hell out of each other with a steel chair.

Randy Orton is at the top of his game and he looks better than he ever was. It’s good to see him out of the main event picture for the most part as well.

While he may be in the SmackDown elimination chamber match, there’s no way he’ll be winning the title. His feud with Barrett has given others the opportunity to shine.

Wade Barrett has really been impressing me lately. This feud with Orton has really elevated him to main event status and there is no doubt that a world title is in his future.

Orton and Barrett proved here that they are two of the best in the WWE right now, and both of them will be on top for a very long time.

1. The Undertaker Returns

As chief operating officer Triple H was about to wish John Laurinaitis all the best in his future endeavors, the bell tolled and the lights went out.

The Undertaker was back, and his sights were set on the Cerebral Assassin.

The Demon of Death Valley looked up at the WrestleMania sign and cut his throat. Triple H just patted him on his shoulder and left him in the ring alone.

While I did feel that this segment was basically the same thing as the 2-21-11 segment, it was awesome to see the Undertaker return after almost a year away.

I would much prefer to see the Undertaker face someone else at WrestleMania, but I like the setup they did here.

The Undertaker doesn’t choose his opponents for his event very often; most of the time, it’s his opponent that issues the challenge because they want to be the one who ends the Deadman’s legendary undefeated streak.

The fact that Triple H denied his challenge really adds to the story.

They need to do something special here, though. They can’t have a simple one-on-one match because it won’t be that good, and they can’t really do another no holds barred match as it’s already been done.

Personally, I want to see the Undertaker vs. Triple H inside hell in a cell!