WWE, TNA, ROH: My Top 10 Moments of the Week (May 28-June 1)

Another week of professional wrestling has come to an end, and I thought it was an overall good week.

WWE Monday Night Raw was a good show that featured a few good matches. My main gripe with it, though, was the fact that the entire two-hour show was centered around the Big Show.

TNA Impact Wrestling went live on Thursday and they delivered a solid show. All the matches but one were very good and the other segments were either good or did their job. There were a few duds, but the pros outweighed the cons.

The May 26 episode of Ring of Honor was just a recap show as it showed highlights of the Border Wars iPPV. While they did show Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen in its entirety, and it was a very good match, but it will not be included due to the match occurring three weeks ago.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown delivered a good show this week as it featured two very good matches, while the rest of the show was entertaining.

When it comes to “Show of the Week,” I’m torn between Impact Wrestling and SmackDown. WWE’s Friday night show continues to be better than Raw while TNA continues a long string of really good shows.

I honestly can’t decide this week so I’ll let the readers decide who walks away with “Show of the Week!”

No. 10: The Return of Sin Cara

When I saw that Sin Cara was set to return, I wasn’t exactly excited. I was when he first debuted, as there was a lot of hype backing him.

Then he performed botch after botch and I quickly lost interest in him. So I watched his return match with Heath Slater with zero expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t perform his trampoline entrance and when he didn’t botch a single move. Sin Cara was impressive in his return. With that performance, I’m actually happy to see him back now.

He may not get past squashing opponents like a number of other superstars do, but his international appeal may help him in the long run.

I don’t think he’ll ever be WWE or world champion, but I can see him with a mid-card title, or possibly even the Cruiserweight Championship if it were ever reinstated.

No. 9: Dolph Ziggler Teases the Breakup of American Perfection

The team of Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger had a lot of potential. They’re both great talents inside the ring and Ziggler’s charisma is more than enough to make up for Swagger’s lack of it.

Adding in a mouthpiece like Vickie Guerrero, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, WWE didn’t seem to see that and Ziggler was dragged down. When it comes to the potential to be a major star, Ziggler overshadows Swagger in a big way.

With constant loses to the tag team champions and ridiculous feuds with the likes of Brodus Clay, the Showoff was dying in the team.

This past Monday on Raw, things started to change. After another loss to the champions, Ziggler was upset and just walked out on Swagger, screaming “I’m better than this!” I couldn’t agree more.

On SmackDown, he interrupted Vickie’s usual introduction of him and he ultimately lost to Sheamus after interference from Swagger backfired.

Ziggler is way too talented to be weighed down by Swagger and Vickie. I hope to see him break away from both of them in the coming weeks, then win the Money in the Bank match next month!

No. 8: The Bully Ray/Joseph Park Segment

This was another very well done segment from Bully Ray and Joseph Park. The former Dudley boy continues to be pure gold on the mic and is truly the definition of a bully.

Bullies pick on the weak, whether it’s physically or mentally, and Joseph Park is seen as weak in Bully Ray’s eyes. Park is not a fighter, so the bully sees him as an easy target to pick on.

Much like a real bully, though, Bully Ray backed down when his target stood up to him. For most of this storyline, Bully Ray has without a doubt been the aggressor. He has verbally abused Park while also physically beating him on a few occasions.

This segment was especially good because Park became the aggressor here. When he and his family were called cowards, and Bully Ray confessed to leaving Abyss for dead, he grabbed Bully Ray by the shirt and threatened to knock him out.

The Joe Park character is becoming a favorite of mine. His facial expressions are sometimes hilarious and the character itself is just developing very well. Abyss is really making Joe Park his own.

The segment ended when a match was booked between them for Slammiversary. I actually like the idea of the match.

Not only will Bully Ray put on his usual good performance, but this gives TNA the chance to bring Abyss out in Joe Park, thus revealing that Abyss has snapped to the point where he created a brother.

No. 7: Bobby Roode vs. Sting: Lumberjack Match

Impact Wrestling’s first live episode of the summer opened with this match and it turned out to be a very good match! It featured a lot of back-and-forth action and the lumberjacks were used perfectly.

Too many times have I seen a lumberjack match that saw the two fighters being dumped to the outside multiple times to get beaten on by the wrestlers on the outside. While Roode and Sting did end up at ringside, it didn’t happen that much.

When it did, the faces would throw Roode back in and Sting would get back into the ring quick enough to avoid a beatdown.

The world champion sold for the Icon quite well in this match and overall performed great. That’s something you come to expect from Bobby Roode, though.

This was Sting’s first match since March’s Victory Road, but he looked good in the ring. For being 53 years old, the Stinger can still perform in the ring with the best of them.

I don’t really agree with him winning this match, especially by submission, but it was a good way to set up Roode defeating Sting down the road.

After the match, Hulk Hogan made the world title match at Slammiversary Roode vs. Sting and I’m on the fence about it.

I have always been a fan of Sting, and always will be, but it’s time for him to step aside and let someone else have the spotlight. Having him wrestle at the big 10th anniversary show makes sense as he has been a big part of the company, but the world title match is pushing it a bit.

As long as Roode retains the title, though, I’ll be happy.

At the same time, I just want to see the King of the Mountain match return!

No. 6: Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin

The X-Division has taken a backseat as of late due to the champion, Austin Aries, feuding with Bully Ray. With that storyline now over, things can get back on track.

When TNA announced this match during the show, my excitement level went through the roof. Two of my favorite X-Division wrestlers were going to go one-on-one!

I was a bit disappointed that the match was a bit short, but they delivered an exciting match with the time they were given. The pace never slowed down for a second as Aries and Sabin showed what the X-Division was all about.

If they had more time, they probably could have produced a great match that would have blown everything else this week out of the water.

The X-Division champion never disappoints in his matches and this was no different. The “Greatest Man Who Ever Lived” is without a doubt ready for the main event.

With Alex Shelley gone from TNA, I feared that Sabin may be lost in the fold. Thankfully, they remembered that Sabin helped put the X-Division on the map and put him back in the division.

He performed very well in his first singles match in quite some time, and it reminded me why I loved him as a singles competitor.

An Aries/Sabin feud could certainly reignite the X-Division, and when Aries does eventually head to the main event, Sabin is the perfect person to carry the title and the division.

No. 5: Christian vs. The Miz

When the bell rang, I was expecting this match to be a good one and it certainly was. Christian and the Miz performed well with one another here and they delivered a good, enjoyable match.

Christian has been looking great in the ring since his return at Over the Limit, and he’s reminding me why I’m a fan. I feared that when he returned it would be the “one more match” gimmick all over again, but it wasn’t and I was pleasantly surprised.

As much as liked Christian as world champion, I think he’s better in the mid-card. It’s what he knows and it’s where he’s able to thrive.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Christian get a reign with the World Heavyweight Championship that’s longer than a month, but I think he’s better off as the top guy in the mid-card.

The Miz has been floundering as of late. He hasn’t done anything of importance in quite some time and it seems like he just loses week in and week out. It’s been a while since the Miz has had a good match so this was a much-needed change of pace.

The Miz showed here he can perform and that he deserves better than what he’s getting.

I have a feeling that Miz will be the Intercontinental champion by the end of the year!

No. 4: Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

Both Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler performed quite well here and it produced a very good match.

Sheamus has improved so much since his first reign as WWE champion three years ago. He has evolved into one of the absolute best in the WWE.

I wasn’t sold on his current reign as World champion due to the way he won it at WrestleMania XXVIII, but it’s matches like this that have gotten me to change my mind.

The main event scene in WWE has been thinning as of late. It’s time to see some mid-card wrestlers step up and that’s exactly what Dolph Ziggler did here.

While he has had some good matches with the likes of CM Punk and Randy Orton before, he was always inserted back into his floundering team with Jack Swagger.

Ziggler proved here that he doesn’t need a team, or even Vickie Guerrero, to be at his best.

This gives me hope for the main-event scene this summer as it really needs some new faces. For the past year it’s been the same guys. Fans have seen Punk, Bryan, Orton, Chris Jericho, Sheamus, John Cena and the Big Show constantly in the main event, whether they were competing for a title or not.

The main-event picture in WWE needs some new blood, and Dolph Ziggler would be the perfect person due to his charisma and overall talent in the ring!

He just needs to ditch Swagger and Guerrero first.

No. 3: CM Punk vs. Kane: WWE Championship

I wasn’t really expecting much from this match. I knew Punk would perform well as he always does, but my big worry was Kane. He hasn’t really had any matches that have been worth watching since his return.

As this match went on, though, I found my eyes glued to the screen. This WWE Championship match turned out to be quite the good match! The champion and the Big Red Monster ended up working very well with one another and they were able to create a lot of good action.

The match was also an even contest, and even though I knew he wouldn’t win, there was a thought in the back of mind telling me that Kane could end up winning the match and the title.

This is without a doubt the best match Kane has had since his return in December. My faith in the Devil’s Favorite Demon has been restored here.

I loved Daniel Bryan’s involvement here as well. The no-contest finish that he caused helped in keeping both Punk and Kane looking strong, as neither of them were actually defeated. Kane ended things standing tall, though, when he delivered a double chokeslam to both wrestlers.

I like the decision of including Kane in the match at No Way Out. He proved to me here that he can still go and the three of them could deliver a great match. His involvement also keeps the Punk/Bryan feud moving without having to see them put on another five-star classic on PPV so quickly.

The show couldn’t have ended more perfectly either. With both Punk and Bryan laid out in the ring, A.J. just kneeled there between them looking distraught.

She’s going to be a major factor at No Way Out as well as the closing moments of the Punk/Bryan feud.

No. 2: A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

This is a match that TNA keeps going back to. Unlike some matches that happen over and over again, though, A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels always deliver a good, entertaining match. This match on TNA’s live episode was no different.

Styles and Daniels delivered another very good match that featured constant back-and-forth action. For obvious reasons, Styles and Daniels know each other very well in the ring. It’s their familiarity with each other that is able to translate into a good match every time.

When a Styles/Daniels match is announced I always let out a groan because I’ve seen it so many times. As soon as the match starts, though, my eyes are glued to my TV as I know that these two will put on another great match.

Both wrestlers proved here why they should be in the main event. I don’t really need to explain why Styles should be, but Daniels is another story.

The Fallen Angel doesn’t get the credit he deserves sometimes. Daniels always puts on good matches, and over the past year he has become quite the heel. He really is one of the most underrated guys in TNA Wrestling.

When James Storm does eventually win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, I would love to see Daniels finally get a much-deserved shot in the main event!

No. 1: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan top the list for the second week in a row with their match on Monday Night Raw!

Both Punk and Bryan once again delivered a great match, and once again a match that should have been the main event.

Seriously, Big Show vs. Brodus Clay as the main event? What’s going through your head, WWE?

This match featured a lot of submission holds, which I loved. It makes me want to see them go at it in an Ultimate Submission match! Perhaps it’ll happen to end the feud.

Punk and Bryan are two of the most talented wrestlers in the WWE and they have been getting the chance to shine over the past year. Now they’re getting to do so with each other, which is blowing every other match in WWE out of the water.

The involvements of A.J. and Kane are really adding to the feud, I think. As I mentioned in a previous slide, Kane being added to the feud keeps Punk and Bryan going without them going one-on-one too many times.

A.J. will be the deciding factor in this feud. I feel she’ll be screwing one of them over, and I think it’ll be CM Punk. Time will tell, I suppose.