WWE/TNA/ROH: My Top 10 Moments of the Week (June 4-8)

Another week of professional wrestling has come to an end, and it was a decent week.

WWE Monday Night Raw was a decent showing. It was certainly better than the past few weeks, so that’s a step in the right direction.

TNA Impact Wrestling went live again and they also had a decent show. I was honestly disappointed with this week’s episode, as only a few moments were really any good.

ROH Wrestling’s June 2 episode was a good show. From beginning to end, Ring of Honor delivered an action-packed episode.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown was an entertaining show. While it featured more squash matches than usual this week, the good outweighed the bad.

When it comes to “Show of the Week,” my top two choices are ROH Wrestling and SmackDown. I have to go with WWE’s Friday night show this week, though.

SmackDown continues to be better than Raw, Impact Wrestling was a letdown this week and ROH was good, but not quite good enough.

In the coming weeks, I hope to start including matches from WWE Superstars and possibly even NXT to the list. I just have to find the time to watch both shows. I’m aiming to start including them on a regular basis come July.

Here are my top 10 moments of the week!

No. 10: Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler went at it on last week’s SmackDown and they had a great match that the Celtic Warrior won. Ziggler wanted one more shot at the World heavyweight champion and he got it this past Monday on Raw.

While the match wasn’t as good as their one on SmackDown, Sheamus and Ziggler delivered another good match here.

These two aren’t only the present, but they’re the future of the WWE. Sheamus will be at the top of the WWE for a long time, while Ziggler is well on his way to the top of the mountain.

He has proven time and time again that he can perform at the level of a main-event talent. With matches against Sheamus, CM Punk, Randy Orton and others, Ziggler is ready for the next step in his WWE career.

Perhaps a little more time in the mid-card could help a bit, though. A decent reign with the Intercontinental Championship could help elevate him to the main event now that the title has gained back some of its prestige.

Only time will tell what happens to Dolph Ziggler, but it's matches like this that give me hope!

No. 9: CM Punk vs. Kane

Monday Night Raw featured another rematch from last week’s SmackDown and that was CM Punk vs. Kane. They had a very good match last week, and they had another good one here.

I was honestly surprised at how well the wrestler Punk and the monster Kane worked together. I would have never expected them to have a good one-on-one match.

I was skeptical of Kane joining the CM Punk/Daniel Bryan feud at first. Punk and Bryan had a great match at Over the Limit and the addition of a third person could bring the match down. With the matches Kane has been having lately, my speculation went away.

Kane works very well with both the WWE champion and Bryan, so the three of them should be able to deliver quite the solid match.

The storyline behind that match is getting intriguing as well, mainly thanks to A.J. I can’t wait for this match at No Way Out!

No. 8: Sheamus vs. Kane

Despite ending in a no-contest, the World heavyweight champion Sheamus and Kane were having quite the good match. With back-and-forth action throughout, the Celtic Warrior and the Big Red Monster were putting on a show here for the fans.

These two guys are big, and big-man matches in WWE rarely go well. It goes to show how talented Sheamus and Kane are since they were able to deliver the match that they did.

Kane has been quite impressive as of late. He’s had two good matches with WWE champion CM Punk over the past week and was having another one here with the world champion.

Kane is proving that he deserves one final shot at glory, whether it’s with the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship.

I doubt that he’ll be winning the title at No Way Out. He’ll be able to hold his own in the ring with Punk and Daniel Bryan, though, and those three wrestlers should be able to have a good match.

Since I don’t see Kane with the WWE Championship, I can definitely see him winning the World title one final time before the year is out.

No. 7: The John Cena/Michael Cole Segment

Much like many other wrestling fans, I find Michael Cole very annoying. His comments and constant yelling are sometimes distracting. The man is good at his job, though.

Raw opened with Cole interviewing a returning John Cena and the whole thing turned out to be a very good segment.

Michael Cole, while extremely annoying, is at his best when he’s conducting an interview. He’s always solid on the mic and usually asks the questions that are on the minds of fans. He also makes statements that get under the skin of the interviewee.

In other words, Cole is a great heel. He was very good here as he angered Cena and the audience.

Cena was quite solid on the mic here as well. While I was entertained by Cena acting like a goof with John Laurinaitis a few weeks ago, I like this Cena much better.

When he’s serious, he can deliver a dynamite promo. While this wasn’t exactly “dynamite,” he delivered an overall strong promo here. It’s promos like this that me choose serious Cena over humorous Cena any day of the week.

The inclusion of Big Johnny didn’t really add much to the segment, but Michael Cole and John Cena were great!

No. 6: Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James vs. Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher

After being cut from the show last week, the TNA Knockouts were given a fatal four-way match this past Thursday on Impact Wrestling.

Former Knockouts champions Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Tara, along with Miss Tessmacher, met in the match to determine Gail Kim’s challenger for Slammiversary.

The Knockouts are known for delivering good matches and this was no different. These four women put on a really good match with a lot of nice action throughout it. There was a commercial break during it and I thought that it would mess with the flow, but thankfully it didn’t.

The TNA Knockouts once again proved to be better than the WWE Divas here and TNA showed that women’s wrestling matters in their company.

While I wanted Velvet to win, I’m happy with Tessmacher getting the victory. It’s time for some new blood to have the title anyway.

Mickie teased a heel turn here as well. After flying off the top rope she yelled, “That’s why I’m the Best” and added insult to injury by bragging about it. Mickie is beyond stale as a face right now.

In fact, she’s growing mold she’s so stale. She needs a fresh start and a heel turn would be perfect. The division also needs heels, too.

Gail is basically alone. If those two were to join forces, they would become a force to be reckoned with.

No. 5: Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler

Christian and Dolph Ziggler performed well here to deliver a very good match. With a good amount of back-and-forth action, these two superstars showed how well they work together and how well the WWE mid-card is progressing.

Christian’s return to the mid-card was a smart move. He adds some much needed experience and depth to it, and he can have a good match with just about anybody. 

The mid-card was being held together by Cody Rhodes for the past eight months or so. He needed some help and there was no one better than Captain Charisma.

At No Way Out, I have the feeling that Christian will be retaining the title. Rhodes will take a back seat for a little bit and move aside for Dolph Ziggler.

The Show Off consistently has good matches with multiple opponents, but he needs something to elevate him properly. He’s no doubt ready for the main event, but he needs that little something to get there.

I think that little something is the Intercontinental Championship. Back in the title’s glory days, the Intercontinental title was a stepping stone to the World heavyweight Championship. At the very least, it elevated the title holder to the history books in a way.

The belt has gained some of its past prestige back, but it still has a long way to go. Ziggler could help that process along while also helping himself.

Ditching Vickie Guerrero would be a good move as well. She wasn’t present on SmackDown, so I hope that’s the direction they’re going in. 

No. 4: Ring of Honor Wrestling, June 2

The entirety of Ring of Honor’s June 2 episode of ROH Wrestling makes the list this week. With three matches and an in-ring segment, this show as a whole was a good one to watch.

Mike Mondo and Adam Cole put on a good match with a lot of nice action. Both wrestlers are impressive in the ring.

The second match was Nick Westgate vs. Tommaso Ciampa, and while it was an overall squash, Ciampa is a great in-ring talent. The intensity this guy brings to the table is excellent.

The main event saw a tag-team match between Cedric Alexander and Caprice Colman and the All Night Express. To put it simply, both WWE and TNA should be taking notes on ROH’s tag team division.

The tag-team action I’ve seen in ROH gets more and more impressive as the weeks go by. This match was great from beginning to end.

The All Night Express are the No. 1 contenders for the tag titles and I’m quite happy with that. I doubt they’re going to win, but the match they’ll have with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas should be off the charts.

The show ended with an in-ring segment featuring ROH world champion Kevin Steen, former ECW and NWA world champion Steve Corino, Jim Cornette and Davey Richards.

With the exception of Cornette’s annoying voice and typical promo, this was a great segment.

This is the first time I’ve seen Steen cut a promo and he’s a solid mic worker. He can be serious, he can be funny and he can be good.

Corino found it necessary to yell at the top of his lungs for some reason, but his promo was a strong one as well. Richards also delivered a solid promo, which capped off this well-done segment.

For only having an hour of television, ROH always jam-packs it with action!

No. 3: The Christian/Cody Rhodes Segment

Christian and Cody Rhodes pulled off one of the best in-ring segments not done by a main event star in a long time. Both Christian and Rhodes delivered solid promos here and proved that the mid-card could have great segments, too.

Christian has always been a solid mic performer. It’s actually his ability to cut a promo that has kept me a fan after all these years. Let’s not discount his in-ring ability, though. Christian can put on a great match when given the opportunity.

His return to the mic-card is a true blessing as he adds experience and overall talent to it.

Rhodes has evolved into a great mic worker himself. He was the best thing to hit the mid-card in years with his work in the ring and on the stick.

With Christian back, these two could revive the WWE mid-card. A little help is never a bad thing, though, as someone like Dolph Ziggler could have solid matches with many of the mid-card wrestlers and have entertaining feuds with the likes of Christian and Rhodes.

The WWE mid-card is alive again, and it’s thanks to Christian and Cody Rhodes!

No. 2: A.J.

It’s rare when the WWE Divas make the list, and it’s even rarer that a single Diva makes it. The rarest of all, though, is that someone from the division is ranked so high! A.J. definitely deserves it, though!

I was glad when she got a spot on the main roster, even if it was just as Daniel Bryan’s valet. Over time she was given the chance to talk and she delivered solid promos. The lovesick storyline was getting a bit old, though, so she needed a change.

Soon after breaking up with Bryan, she began to stalk CM Punk and was dubbed “crazy.” This crazy gimmick is possibly the best thing to happen to her.

This week alone she proved that the gimmick fits her perfectly.

Smiling at someone like Kane? It screams insane! She accomplished something that no one has really been able to do since his return, though. With one smile, she got the Big Red Monster to back off.

On SmackDown, she was hiding behind some crates during Kane’s interview and later on, she once again got Kane to stop what he was doing with one simple smile.

With just a few facial expressions, A.J. has shown the entire WWE Universe that she is the best Diva on the roster. Just looking at the past two weeks, how have the Divas been represented on Raw and SmackDown? The answer is A.J.

The Divas champion hasn’t even gotten any television time.

The entire division should take notes on everything she does. Then perhaps they’ll get some television time as well.

No. 1: The Bully/Joseph Park Contract Signing

This is the third week in a row that a Bully Ray/Joseph Park segment has made the list, but I believe this is the first time they’ve been No. 1.

These two just work so well together that they produce pure gold when they’re in the ring. Bully Ray continues to be one of the best heels in the business today. His quick insults, yelling and overall actions in the ring are great.

Joe Park plays the victim standing up for himself very well. His facial expressions and defiance towards his bully really adds to the segments.

The big thing this time around, though, was the Monster Abyss. He appeared on the screen and told both of them that they would find out how alive he was at Slammiversary.

This storyline took a huge turn there. Abyss is Joe Park and Joe Park is Abyss. Just the conversation they had here was great. It was timed really well and was beautifully done.

Doing something like that on live television can be tricky as they can’t redo any of it or go back and edit something afterwards. TNA pulled it off and the result was huge.

That begs the question, how will they pull off Abyss’ return with Joe Park in the ring? It’s an intriguing situation for sure.

I have faith in TNA, though. This whole storyline has been one of the best TNA has done in a while; I’m sure they have something big planned for the ending.