WWE/TNA/ROH: My Top 10 Moments of the Week (June 10-15)

Another week of professional wrestling has ended and it was quite the week.

TNA Wrestling presented Slammiversary last Sunday and they delivered their best pay-per-view of the year so far. When it comes time to decide the “PPV of the Year,” it’ll definitely be a candidate.

I was live in attendance for WWE Monday Night Raw! From a live standpoint, it was a great show. I don’t know how it came across on television, though.

TNA Impact Wrestling bounced back after a lackluster show last week and delivered a very solid episode.

I was very busy this week so I didn’t have the chance to watch ROH Wrestling, so they are unfortunately not included. They will return next week.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown delivered another good show. SmackDown has had quite the year so far.

When it comes to “Show of the Week,” I can’t properly form an opinion since I was live at Raw. I always base my decision on how everything came across on television, and since I was there live, the entire show was included this week.

I will leave the decision of “Show of the Week” to you, the readers.

Here are my top 10 moments of the week!

No. 10: Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson

This past Thursday, Bobby Roode had to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Mr. Anderson. The two of them delivered a good, back-and-forth match.

The best part was that Roode defeated Anderson cleanly, which rarely happens in a Bobby Roode match.

I was glad to see Anderson get the title shot over Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam, as he hadn’t gotten a title shot this year unlike the other two.

Anderson sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The man is good in the ring when he’s given the chance.

Roode continues to prove that he is one of the best in TNA. He’s great in the ring and when you add that to his work on the mic, Roode is the complete package.

He truly is the best champion TNA has ever had. Being the longest-reigning champion in company history helps his case as well.

There are very few wrestlers on his level right now as TNA has not only created a monster, but a true star as well!

No. 9: The Hulk Hogan/Austin Aries Segment

After Ultimate X, Aries grabbed the mic and declared that he was the main event. That brought out Hulk Hogan who made him an offer.

He told Aries that he could have a shot at the world title at Destination X, but only if he gave up the X-Division Championship. Aries was given a week to decide.

For the first time since becoming the general manager, I enjoyed a Hogan in-ring segment. He was solid on the mic and put over Aries big time. I’ve never heard Hogan put over someone that wasn’t Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam or Mr. Anderson this much.

I love the proposal he made Aries as well. This really is the only way for him to lose the X-Division title. There is no one in the division that could believably defeat him.

Chris Sabin may have been the only one, but an unfortunate injury this past Thursday is going to take him out of action for a while.

Aries competes at such a high level that there is nobody better than him in the X-Division. I think that he will accept Hogan’s offer and he and Bobby Roode will have a great feud.

Aries won’t win the title, but he’ll prove to any doubters that he will be TNA’s next great world champion when the time comes.

No. 8: Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam

When this match was booked, I was originally kind of disappointed. Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam are three wrestlers who are constantly in the main event, and it gets boring sometimes.

I started watching this match with zero expectations so I was pleasantly surprised when the match turned out to be quite good. All three wrestlers performed very well here as they delivered a fast-paced, back-and-forth match.

A lot of triple threat matches sees one of the three out of the ring for an extended period of time, essentially making it a singles match at times. While this did happen here, it wasn’t for too long and all three were in the ring for most of the match.

It’s been over a year since the Victory Road incident and Hardy has certainly proven that he deserves this final chance. He’s clean, he’s focused and he seems to be at the top of his game.

Van Dam never looked better. He’s usually the same old RVD in every match but he seemed to have a new spring in his step here.

This is the best match Anderson has had all year and that gave me a lot of hope for the title match on Impact Wrestling.

This match certainly helped in making Slammiversary great!

No. 7: Sting Attacked by Three Masked Men

I was a little disappointed that the TNA world title match wasn’t closing the show this week. Instead, they had Sting come out and talk about his induction into the TNA Hall of Fame.

I understand wanting to give him time to talk about it, but ending the show with a speech is the wrong way to go. Then Sting was attacked by three men wearing masks. At that moment I understood why the Stinger closed Impact Wrestling.

I don’t know what this storyline is, but I already love it. Not only does it keep Sting away from the TNA World Championship, it gives three guys the opportunity to be on television.

Whether it’s three wrestlers currently on the roster that don’t get used much, three former talents returning or three new guys from Ohio Valley Wrestling, a lot of good can come from this storyline.

Sting is going to need backup, so that gives two more guys television time.

The big mystery, though, is the identity of the masked men. I think Jeff Jarrett is definitely going to be one of them. He hasn’t been seen in TNA since December and it was then-general manager Sting that fired him.

Also, the Icon is inducted into the Hall of Fame before Jarrett, the founder of TNA? I smell some good old-fashioned revenge!

If it is Jarrett, who helped him in the attack on Sting? I can’t wait to find out.

No. 6: The Bound for Glory Series Returns

Last year, TNA created the Bound for Glory Series. While it has some kinks, TNA had something great on their hands.

With Slammiversary in the books, the BFGS made its return on Thursday with 12 wrestlers competing for a shot to main event Bound for Glory in October.

Returning from last year’s series were A.J. Styles, Rob Van Dam, Bully Ray, D’Angelo Dinero, Samoa Joe and James Storm. The rest of the series was rounded out by newcomers Jeff Hardy, Magnus, Kurt Angle, Robbie E, Christopher Daniels and Mr. Anderson.

Magnus and Robbie are certainly pleasant surprises, while it’s great to see Dinero make his return to TNA.

Things kicked off with a Gauntlet Match that saw the winner gaining an early advantage with 20 points. It came down to Storm and Samoa Joe, with the Cowboy ultimately eliminating the Samoan Submission Machine for the victory.

With the 12 wrestlers involved, I think the TNA fans are in for a great series this year. A lot of really good matches should result from these 12 men.

I just hope things are kept a little more even, unlike last year.

No. 5: CM Punk and Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler

This was quite the good tag-team match here. All four wrestlers performed great and showed the fans why they are currently at the top of the WWE.

The in-ring work from all four was solid, and adding in Kane’s recent work inside the ring, the wrestling from these men have me excited for their respective matches at No Way Out.

It’s the two world title matches that have me looking forward to the PPV more than any other match.

Ziggler has been at the top of his game as of late. He’s been consistently having good matches over the past few weeks and he’s showing the WWE Universe that he’s not only ready for the main event, but that he is the main event.

Sheamus continues to impress in the ring and prove that he deserves this run with the title.

Punk and Bryan are two of the best in the world. Whether they’re fighting one-on-one, in a tag-team match or going at it on the mic, these two wrestlers continue to show that they are second to none.

The two world titles match will certainly steal the show at No Way Out!

No. 4: Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe

TNA Slammiversary opened with this match and it was certainly a hard act to follow. Austin Aries and Samoa Joe put on a clinic in the ring as they delivered constant action.

With the first match of the show, fans had already seen a candidate for Match of the Night.

Putting the X-Division Championship on the line was a nice surprise, especially since the X-Division has a weight limit now.

Back in the division’s glory days, though, the motto was “It’s not about weight limits, it’s about no limits.” Aries and Samoa Joe were true to that as they put on a classic X-Division match with great wrestling and high-flying moves.

Aries has proven once again to be one of the absolute best in TNA. Thanks to his segment with Hulk Hogan on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, TNA fans know that he’s heading to the main event. It’s about time, I say!

Samoa Joe showed everyone here that he’s still one of the best TNA has to offer. I hope to see the company take him more seriously now.

The future is bright for TNA Wrestling, and this match was proof of that!

No. 3: A.J.

For the second week in a row, A.J. has made the list!

This past Monday on Raw, she was forced into a tag-team match with CM Punk against Daniel Bryan and Kane. How did she deal with it? By skipping around Kane like a school girl before jumping onto him and kissing the Big Red Monster.

On SmackDown, she got into a little fight with Vickie Guerrero that resulted in her getting kicked into the ring apron. Kane then came out and just picked her up and started to walk away with her.

After Punk saved her, and Kane took out both him and Daniel Bryan, she dropped to her knees on the stage. She looked like she was about to pass out but she ended up with a strange, mesmerized look on her face.

A.J. has once again shown that she is the best Diva on the roster. With a few simple actions, she single-handedly put the rest of the women in WWE to shame. I love everything she’s doing.

I want to see her in the ring, though. A.J. was actually a wrestler before coming to WWE. She’s a rare breed, since the majority of the Divas roster had zero experience before signing.

If given the chance, A.J. could have a very good match with someone like Beth Phoenix or Natalya.

With the push that she is getting, I can see her as the Divas champion by the end of the year.

No. 2: Being Live at Raw

This past Monday I attended my first WWE show in four years. This would be the fourth event I’ve had floor seats for, but I hadn’t sat in the particular section I was, though.

I was situated directly behind the ring bell; I could have touched it if I wanted to. The guy that held the titles during the matches even held the belts close for us so we could get a good luck at them.

I’ve been a part of wrestling crowds in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and Detroit but nothing has compared to a Connecticut crowd, whether it be Hartford or the casino where they usually run Raw.

It may have something to do with Connecticut being WWE’s home base, but my home state is always a hot crowd for professional wrestling. This night was no different as we erupted the second Vince McMahon’s music hit.

Whether it was McMahon, CM Punk, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan or John Cena, the crowd was popping the entire night.

Being at a three-hour show is tiring, though, and it was quite evident by the lackluster responses in the third hour.

Only two things really woke us up and that was Cena at the end of the show, and the return of Vader.

Vader was a great surprise and the crowd loved it! He definitely got one of the loudest pops of the night and I think Vader was surprised that he got such a great reaction. Seeing him return was certainly a highlight.

The crowd was hot for Dolph Ziggler as well, and his match with Christian and Jack Swagger was the best of the night.

It’s always a fun experience going to see WWE, TNA or any wrestling promotion.

Raw was great from a live standpoint, so I decided to include the whole show this week.

For my full reactions from the entire night, check out this article.

No. 1: The TNA Tag Team Championship Match from Slammiversary

I could use words like “awesome,” “great” or “phenomenal” to describe this match but none of those words could possibly do it justice.

A.J. Styles, Kurt Angle, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian put on one of the best tag-team matches I have ever seen. I’ve been watching wrestling for a long time and it’s a rare moment when a match renders me almost speechless.

Words truly can’t describe this match; you would have had to see it.

Whether you order a replay or Slammiversary or find the match online somewhere, I highly recommend seeing this match-up if you haven’t done so already.

Angle showed here that he is still one of the absolute best in the world while Styles, Daniels and Kazarian also proved to any doubters that they too were some of the best in the business today.

Even though going to Raw was a great experience and extremely fun, I had to put this match at No. 1. It was just that epic.

I hope that WWE was taking notes during this match, because this was tag-team wrestling!