WWE Over the Limit 2012: Ranking Best Matches from Marquee Event

There are many elements of a great match. Everything from entertainment value to technical wrestling ability should be considered when trying to determine which match truly stole the show. There were several strong contenders at Over the Limit.

Let's take a look at the three best matches that took place on Sunday night. All told, it was a solid show when you consider the lack of build-up time following Extreme Rules. One match stood apart from the rest, however.

1. CM Punk Defeats Daniel Bryan

There was plenty of hype leading up to this match based on the pair's long history, and it lived up to every bit of it. CM Punk ended up retaining his WWE Championship, but not without a trademark controversial ending.

Just as the referee counted Bryan down for a three count after a roll up, CM Punk started tapping out. It's things like that which make matches between these two guys so special. They are able to brainstorm ideas that other superstars can't.

Keeping the belt on CM Punk after his massive push over the past year was the right move. He should only drop it at a top-tier event, the next one being SummerSlam, but Bryan proved he's worthy of staying in the main-event picture.

2. Sheamus Defeats Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton

Usually fatal four-way matches lack rhythm as it's tough enough to pull off a normal match, let alone one with four superstars in the ring, but these guys did a tremendous job. Sheamus picked up the victory to maintain possession of the World title.

The best thing about it was the amount of one-on-one action. They were regularly throwing each other out of the ring, which led to a lot more action than if all four guys had tried to stay in the action for the entire time.

Chris Jericho continued his run as a glorified jobber as he got pinned by Sheamus, but otherwise it was tough to find many flaws in the match. If it weren't for the CM Punk and Daniel Bryan clash, this would have easily been No. 1.

3. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeat Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

The tag-team division has been struggling mightily as of late, but Kingston and R-Truth might be the superstars to get it back on track. They were able to thwart off Ziggler and Swagger, who had an impressive showing of their own.

Ziggler really shouldn't be wrestling at this level—he's a top-flight guy if they would give him a fair chance—but he really helped bring the technical aspect to the match. R-Truth has almost improved in that area lately.

Perhaps the strong showing from everybody involved in the match will finally force the creative team to start making the division matter again. It has the potential to become a vital part of the shows again if more well-known stars, like Kingston and R-Truth, are used.