The Highlight Reel: My Top 25 Monumental Pro Wrestling Moments of 2010
Let me start off by saying I have officially returned to Bleacher Report after a month hiatus, and here to make one or articles by the end of the year. I will be making big changes to my article come 2011, so I hope you all enjoy.
2010, in my opinion, has been more historical than the last few years, in some good ways, and bad. Yes, we had the progression of the "PG era" this year but that hasn't stopped WWE from doing what they do best: entertain.
Please note that these are listed from least to greatest on historical moments this year, and in MY opinion. If you believe I have forgotten something or do not agree with the list, please comment your thoughts below.
Also keep in mind, this is NOT ranking matches, only moments. So, from retirements to returns to debuts, I bring you the highlight reel of 2010.
25. RAW Goes Old School
1 of 262010 has had it's share of numerous three-hour events. These included the annual WWE Draft, the Slammys, the King of the Ring tournament, and Viewer's Choice. However, they turned out to be horrible, boring, or both.
But, the one that really stuck out was the newest concept of Old School RAW. It brought back WWE Alumni and Legends including Jim Ross, Mae Young, Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Roddy Piper, and many many more.
We witnessed the return of an awesome Piper's Pit, a Rhodes family reunion, and let's not forget Mae Young's controversial words to Lay-Cool!
This concept of all that I have listed, is one I wish returns for an encore next year.
24. Unlikely Champions
2 of 26For this slide, I am summing up all the Superstars and Divas this year who have won a championship against all odds.
For example, how many people actually thought Alicia Fox would win the Divas Championship? What about Ezekiel Jackson winning the ECW Championship?
Other people who finally got the title they finally deserved (or not, you decide) included Natalya, Hart Dynasty, Dolph Ziggler, Bret Hart and Eve Torres.
23. Alberto Del Rio Debuts
3 of 26When I first saw this guy's boring vignettes, I began to think we were seeing the next Eric Escobar. Obviously, I was wrong.
On his first night in WWE, Alberto Del Rio defeated former World Champion Rey Mysterio with a submission, without cheating. How many people can say that?
This guy has potential, and he's just getting started.
22. Daniel Bryan Returns To WWE
4 of 26To some of you casual fans, this may not of been that big of a deal. To those hardcore fans, they had their prayers answered.
In June 2010, Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) was released from WWE due to non-PG violence on the night of the Nexus debut, angering numerous fans. Their angers came from all over the Internet, and even spilled into loud chants on television.
It came to the point where WWE had to re-sign him, with Bryan making a surprise return as the seventh member of Team RAWat SummerSlam. Now, he is the reigning United States Champion.
Thank you WWE, for actually doing something right for once.
21. Bret Hart Defeats Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania
5 of 26For this moment, I am NOT ranking the match itself. For anyone who saw it, it wins the 2010 Worst Match of the Year Award.
Nonetheless, the emotional moment that followed was monumental. After 13 years, Bret "The Hitman" Hart finally gained vengeance over the diabolical WWE Chairman Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 26, ending one of the long-awaited legit rivalries of all time.
20. Chris Jericho Gets Punted
6 of 26On the final RAW before the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Chris Jericho faced WWE Champion Randy Orton in a match, where if Jericho won, he would earn a title match whenever he wanted.
In what was one of the greatest matches on RAW this year, the match ended in disqualification due to Sheamus interfering and attacking Orton.
However, following the contest, Jericho continued to attack Orton, but was met with an RKO and a punt, something Orton hasn't hit in nearly a year and half.
This was done to get Jericho off television to tour with Fozzy. I guess Jericho can't say now that he has never had an injury...
19. CM Punk Gets His Head Shaved
7 of 26CM Punk spent the better part of 2010 feuding with Rey Mysterio on Smackdown, with his Straight Edge Society by his side. These two have excellent chemistry, and put on stellar matches at Wrestlemania, Extreme Rules, and especially Over the Limit.
However, the climax of the feud came when Punk put his hair on the line if he lost, and did end up losing the contest to Mysterio at OTL. With some help from Kane, the Straight Edge Savior had his Jesus-like mane shaved.
In the aftermath, Punk donned a mask for two months before having it removed by Big Show. In my opinion, his look now is better than his last.
18. Legacy Splits
8 of 26Note: This moment is NOT the same as Randy Orton's face turn, just the disbanding of the group as a whole.
Legacy began its early roots in late 2008, and went on to dominate RAW for the entire year of 2009. Victims included John Cena, DX, the McMahons, and Kofi Kingston.
The implosion of the group came in February 2010, after costing Randy Orton the WWE Championship twice. Randy Orton beat DiBiase and Rhodes to the punch, and began a tweener/face turn.
The feud ended officially at Wrestlemania 26, where Orton defeated DiBiase and Rhodes in a Triple Threat match.
17. Sheamus Wins King Of The Ring 2010
9 of 26Although the three-hour RAW special on Nov. 29 itself got very little hype, it still cements itself at No. 17 on the list where a new King of the Ring was crowned.
The matches featured spectacular mid-carders including Daniel Bryan, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, and more. The bouts were good, but boring, as was the entire episode.
In the end, Sheamus defeated John Morrison in the finals to become the new King of the Ring winner. Although I'm not hot on the idea, it will make for a good feud with Triple H coming soon.
16. The Demise of ECW... Again
10 of 26Since 2006, the Syfy-based ECW brand has slowly decreased in value, going from Extreme Rules matches featuring Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam to matches with Paul Burchill and The Hurricane.
Don't get me wrong: the matches in the final months of ECW weren't bad, just boring since it had zero resemblance to the original organization.
However, it was successful in building new stars such as John Morrison, CM Punk, Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston.
In February 2010, Mr. McMahon announced the closure of the C-show to make room for the "new evolution of television", NXT (see next slide.) ECW, thank you for the generation of new stars, but please, the "E" should have been replaced a long time ago.
15. NXT Begins
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I had a hard time deciding wether the closure of ECW or the beginning of NXT should be higher on the list, and came to the conclusion that NXT deserved the spot.
For what reason? Everyone knew ECW was closing, that was no surprise. But NXT was the start of something new.
However, I see no difference between this and ECW. They're both boring, painful to watch, and sometimes fails in creating new stars. See: Kaval and Katilyn.
However, it did create the Nexus, one of the best things to happen to RAW in a long time.
The "next evolution of television" did not turn out what it hoped to be, did worse ratings than ECW, and subsequently was moved to WWE.com. Hopefully, we will also see the demise of NXT come the rebirth of Tough Enough.
14. Randy Orton Turns Face
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This and the split of Legacy are two different matters, because this marked a whole new beginning for Randy Orton.
For the first time in five years, "The Viper" was once again a face, but this time, more of a tweener (simiilar to Stone Cold Steve Austin in many ways). Orton's popularity was big before, but now, his cheers are even louder than John Cena's!
Since his monumental face turn, Orton has already won the WWE Championship, defeated Sheamus on three occasions, won at Wrestlemania, and nearly the face of WWE.
John Cena, your're on a run for your money.
13. Paul Bearer Returns
13 of 26Notice so far that nearly all of these moments have occurred on everything but Smackdown? I think we can all agree that Smackdown has had one of its most boring years yet, except for the Taker and Kane feud this past fall.
In conjunction with this feud was the biggest shocker on Smackdown in a long time: the return of Undertaker and Kane's father, Paul Bearer.
Okay, okay, maybe not that big of a shocker for those of you that read the spoiler that week, but still, it's monumental!
Bearer disappeared from WWE following his "death" in July 2004, and now he's back after six years with the urn, managing the Undertaker like the old days.
However, two weeks later at Hell in a Cell, Bearer would turn on Taker to align with World Heavyweight Champion Kane.
Unfortunately, Bearer's time came to an end a few weeks ago on Smackdown after being "killed off." Hopefully, he makes his return at the same time as the Undertaker.
12. Jack Swagger Cashes In
14 of 26Since moving to RAW in 2009, the WWE Universe saw no hope in Jack Swagger, especially after he lost a match to Santino Marella. On Superstars. Talk about crossing the line.
But magically he won the Money In The Bank Ladder Match at Wrestlemania 26 to earn himself a future World Championship match.. or should I say five days later?
Swagger cashed in on World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho on Smackdown five days after winning the opportunistic briefcase, and began one of the most boring, unsuccessful reigns in history.
Where is Jack Swagger now? Back in mid-card. Where will he be? TNA Wrestling facing Kurt Angle.
11. Undertaker Is Buried Alive
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Besides Triple H, who else has had a more injury-prone year than The Undertaker? The Deadman took three breaks this year, two of which he suffered injuries.
After being attacked by Kane on Memorial Day weekend, attacked at SummerSlam, losing to Kane at Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell, the Bragging Rights pay-per-view was Undertaker's chance to shine and end the feud with his brother Kane strong. Wrong again.
On short notice, Kane was changed to winning the match, and thus buried Undertaker alive (with the help of Nexus of course.) Looks like it's time for someone to retire...
10. John Cena Gets Fired
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Okay, I had much debate on where this should be placed. I agree, it was a terrible move by WWE since he was never left off RAW anyway, but it was still historical nonetheless.
After aiding Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship at Survivor Series, John Cena was fired per stipulation.
However, it backfired and Cena returned anyway. Can't wait for the day it really happens though.
9. CM Punk Joins Nexus
17 of 26Now that we have entered the top ten, this is where your thoughts come in.
Ranking in at No. 9 is the latest chapter in the John Cena-Nexus story-line, where CM Punk was named the new leader of the black and yellow group.
In a controversial fashion, Punk slowly put on the wristband, twisting the minds of the WWE Universe with many new possibilities.
I just cannot stop watching this video. This brings great excitement going into 2011.
8. Edge Returns and Wins The Royal Rumble
18 of 26I know people won't agree with me on this one. Maybe I ranked it higher due to having it be one of my favorite moments of 2010, but you be the judge.
After spending seven months on the sidelines due to a torn Achilles' tendon, Edge finally returned in January and won the 2010 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant for the first time in his career.
It was doubtful Edge would be ready to return by Royal Rumble, so this became a bigger shock than excepted, at least for some.
Unfortunately, Edge would go on to lose his championship match at Wrestlemania 26 against Chris Jericho.
7. Batista "Quits"
19 of 26For the better part of 2010, John Cena and Batista were engaged in a feud over the WWE Championship.
After losing to John Cena at Wrestlemania 26, rumors began circulating of Batista's retirement in WWE since he didn't like where his character was going.
He must have been psychic.
Following two more losses to Cena at Extreme Rules and Over the Limit, Batista had finally had enough. On the May 24 edition of RAW, Batista "quit" WWE...in a wheelchair. WWE has no class.
6. John Cena Joins Nexus
20 of 26Going into Hell In A Cell, most people predicted John Cena to defeat Nexus leader Wade Barrett to finally put an end to the stable. Boy, yet another shocker of the year.
In one of the best matches of the night, Barrett ended up defeating Cena with help of the newest members and NXT Season 2 Alumni Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris. Per stipulation, John Cena was forced to join Nexus.
Although he didn't turn heel nor did it last long, it was still fun while it lasted.
5. Kane Wins The World Heavyweight Championship
21 of 26In one of the most shocking, controversial, and deserving moves/moments in WWE history, Kane finally won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Following his Money in the Bank win earlier in the night, Kane cashed in the briefcase to win his first world title in 12 years, not to mention the first man to hold all three WWE world championships (WWE, World, ECW.)
This would become the highlight of Kane's career, and went on to defend the World Championship numerous times against Rey Mysterio, Undertaker, and Edge.
4. The Miz Cashes In And Becomes WWE Champion
22 of 26This is another moment that was a little difficult in deciding its fate on the list: would it go higher or lower than Kane's epic win? I chose higher.
Yes, both were unlikely candidates to win the Money in the Bank, but who would of thought that THE MIZ would become WWE Champion? Even when reports were going around that he might lose?
On a historic night in WWE, the night after Survivor Series, Randy Orton barely defended his WWE Championship against Wade Barrett, and now Miz picked the perfect moment to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase he'd been holding since July.
In what was probably the longest MITB-cashing match, The Miz reversed an RKO to a Skull Crushing Finale to win (in what I think he deserves) the WWE Championship. Welcome to the Age of Awesome.
3. Bret Hart Returns to WWE
23 of 26After 12 years of waiting, the WWE Universe's wishes were granted: Bret Hart returned to WWE.
On the first RAW of 2010, Bret Hart buried the hatchet with "Montreal Screwjob" associate Shawn Michaels, in a very heartfelt moment. Hart attempted to do the same with McMahon, but that didn't work out so well.
Hart continued his feud with McMahon up to Wrestlemania 26, and even reigned as RAW General Manager.
Today, Bret Hart still remains under contract to WWE, but it is unknown on his current status.
2. Nexus Debuts
24 of 26In one of the best RAW endings in a long time, the Nexus debuted. They raised hell, choked announcers, destroyed the ring, and best of all destroyed WWE Champion John Cena.
My reasoning for ranking it this high is this: none of the other moments made a bigger impact than this. Leaving numerous questions, possibilities, and satisfaction in the IWC's minds.
Although it ended sourly this year, I see bigger things for the Nexus rolling forward in 2011 with CM Punk as leader.
1. Shawn Michaels Retires
25 of 26Was there ever any doubt?
At Wrestlemania 26, Shawn Michaels was defeated by The Undertaker, thus ending his career in the process.
The following night on RAW, the Heartbreak Kid gave the most heartfelt speech of his career, and with all the support of the WWE Universe.
2010 will always be remembered as the year that Shawn Michaels' illustrious career came to end in a beautiful retirement. Thank you, Shawn Michaels.
Conclusion
26 of 26Every fan has their own opinion, now voice yours! List your top moments and how you would change them differently.
Also, make sure to comment on if I've missed anything. Check back for more updates.
Thanks for reading, Bleachers! Wish everyone a happy and safe new year!
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