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411’s Match of the Week 08.01.11: Year One, Week 17
Welcome to Week 17, Year ONE, of 411’s Match of the Week. A quick overview of the rules to kick things off for us …
Each writer chooses THREE matches from any promotion and each match gets a point total attached to that ranking. It looks a little like this…
1st – 5
2nd – 3
3rd – 1
Then we tally up the votes and the official 411 Match of the Week is crowned. But wait, there’s more! Each week, the TOP THREE MATCHES are eligible to make the Year-End Ranking.
The week according to this column will go from Sunday to Saturday, with the column being posted every Monday.
Upon rating matches, writers will assign them with a star rating, and the average star rating amongst writers will be what that match is listed with if it makes the Year-End Standings.
Independent shows WILL be included, but since it takes some time for the DVDs to come out, voting on them will take place retroactively, in which the writers who have seen the shows in question will have the opportunity to vote for matches from them into the Year-End Standings. For an Indy/International match to make the Year-End Standings, it must break an average rating of ****. Nothing will be added retroactively unless at least 3 staff members deem it worthy so there is a consensus.
At the end of the voting year, the match with the highest average star rating will be crowned 411 Match of the Year. In the event of a tie, 411 writers will vote in a tie-breaker.
THIS WEEK’S ELIGIBLE MATCHES
WWE Raw
Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz
Dolph Ziggler vs. Evan Bourne
Kelly Kelly & Eve vs. Maryse & Melina
Zack Ryder vs. Michael Cole
Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston
John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio
WWE NXT
Derrick Bateman vs. Titus O’Neil
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd
WWE Superstars
Heath Slater vs. Trent Barreta
Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga vs. Santino Marella & Chris Masters
Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger
Impact Wrestling
Rob Van Dam vs. Gunner
Crimson vs. Bully Ray
Winter vs. Tara
Brian Kendrick vs. Abyss
Kurt Angle vs. Ken Anderson
WWE SmackDown
Christian vs. John Morrison
Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, & Tamina vs. Natalya, Kaitlyn, & AJ
Mark Henry vs. Bobby Howard
Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso
Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Ezekiel Jackson
R-Truth vs. Randy Orton
Michael Ornelas
1) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (****)
Man, Money in the Bank surely lit a fire under Cena’s butt, because he went out there again last Monday and tore the house down with Rey Mysterio. Cena’s not the most coordinated guy, and that leads to some sloppiness, but this was still an excellent match that was by no means carried by Rey. Rey’s been really solid this year as well, and this was perfectly worthy of going down in history as a great match with a WWE Championship title change.
2) 07/26/2011, WWE NXT – Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/4): Who booked this thing, Vince Russo? An action figure leg on a pole match is what this was, but these two have had a nice feud going over it in recent weeks, so it ABSOLUTELY makes sense and fits the rivalry. They brought their A-games (something both men have been doing all year, it seems) and gave us a match that may very well see NXT’s first match on this list.
3) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz (***): The opening match of Raw was for the WWE Championship and was a fitting end to the tournament. Rey brought the best out of The Miz and we got a good combination for a match. I’d actually like to see an extended feud between the two guys, as I don’t recall it being done before. Good stuff.
Colin Rinehart
1) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (***3/4)
What an awesome match to give away on free TV. Whether that’s smart or not is up for debate, but what isn’t is how excellent of a match these two guys had on RAW this week, and it was Rey’s second quality match of the night no less. This was just high-octane super smooth counter wrestling done perfectly by two of the very best in the WWE. I was almost tempted to go four stars even.
2) 07/26/2011, WWE NXT – Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (***): These two have been having a series of very solid matches on NXT recently, and this was their best encounter yet, albeit under the gimmicky premise of an “Action figure leg on a pole match” (Kidd had mutilated a Tatsu action figure to start the feud). These guys stepped up big time and actually got the usually super-dead NXT crowd red-hot and into the action, and both guys took some very nice bumps and had a great finish. I really enjoyed this one.
3) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz (***): Another really solid TV match for the WWE this week was the one that opened RAW between Mysterio and The Miz. I was unsure of how these two would gel together in the ring, but they quickly killed any doubts I had and put on a very respectable and entertaining match.
Greg DeMarco
1) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (***3/4)
When people complain about a match being given away on free TV, it must be a good match. They delivered in a big way, making you think Rey (the champion wrestling his second match on the show and the decided underdog) would pull off the win. I was tempted to go 4 stars here, and I would have if Rey won (bonus points for a believable surprise ending). I’m not counting the Punk return as part of the rating, it would have been at least ¾ of a point higher.
2) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz (***1/4): Had this been the main event with the show ending with new champion Rey, it would have a very satisfying ending. Great storytelling with The Miz (who is still highly underrated in my opinion) selling his knee injury from the week prior. Most wrestlers can’t properly sell in the same match, let alone a week later. Rey got the feel good win, and Miz still looked strong.
3) 07/28/2011, Impact Wrestling – Rob Van Dam vs. Gunner (***): Second straight week with a great opening match from RVD, this time against Gunner. Gunner doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and even though RVD gets criticized for being under motivated, he worked hard tonight. While I wanted to see Gunner go over, I think they could actually build to a match at Hardcore Justice where Gunner gets the win. I know it’s crazy to think TNA could build an undercard PPV match, but this could easily work. Don’t let this match get lost in the shuffle of the past week.
Tony Acero
1) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (***3/4)
OOOO-WEEEE! Great match! And it had John Cena in it! In all seriousness, this was very close to four but Cena won and that really didn’t sit well with me. Either way, the match itself was great with numerous near falls and – even though I didn’t doubt Cena was going to take the title from Mysterio – there were moments when it was in doubt! It seems that Cena is hellbent on proving that he CAN wrestle and he’s doing a great job and doing it against the right opponents. Good job.
2) 07/26/2011, WWE NXT – Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/2): Can we get some NXT up in this bitch! Why yes, it appears we can! Tatsu and Kidd have been having amazing matches both with others and with each other seemingly all year but their most recent outings have been something glorious. Jeremy Thomas himself has said it and I’ll echo the sentiments, I could watch these guys week after week all year and not get bored. Although I don’t agree with ANYTHING on a pole matches, the match just worked which proves that sometimes – just sometimes – the gimmick can take a backseat while the WRESTLERS steal the show.
3) 07/29/2011, WWE SmackDown – Christian vs. John Morrison (***): Aside from the two above, there wasn’t much else good this week. Superstars had just below average and my usual top notch SmackDown matches were just subpar. I don’t typically watch TNA, so if there was some goodness there, I missed it. Morrison and Christian get the third spot mostly by default but that’s not to say they didn’t do well. Morrison showed that he didn’t have any ring rust and Christian continues to wrestle his heart out. He’s just good stuff in the ring.
Aaron “Really, Not Working For This Site, Guys” Hubbard
1) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (****)
Mike and I were talking during the beginning of RAW, and I mentioned that I would really like to see John Cena and Rey Mysterio against each other, as the two men have not had any major conflicts with each other since 2003. Less than two hours later, these two delivered one HELL of a nice TV match. While a tad sloppy at times, we got a spirited contest between two sportsmen. Mysterio proved effective in throwing Cena off his game plan, countering his signature moves and stiff leg kicks early on that affected Cena throughout the match. Cena may have gotten the move of the night though, with his awesome counter of the wheelbarrow bulldog into the Proto-Bomb. This is the Cena that’s been missing for much of the last year, and it’s good to see him on my screen again.
2) 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz (***): The first World Title Match on Raw, the first Rey Mysterio match on Raw. Not as good as the second, but very heated and worthwhile. Miz may not do a lot, but he knows how to make what he does counts, and it shows in the way the crowd reacts. Rey’s win was nice and set up a better match later in the night.
3) 07/26/2011, WWE NXT – Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (***): Two people with almost no mic skills, smaller physiques, known more for their spots than their wrestling skills (which they both have)? Fighting over an action figure? On a POLE? And it gets ten minutes and is good? Oh phew, I thought I was watching TNA until that last one.
THIS WEEK’S TOP MATCHES
Raw opened with a WWE Championship match where both men brought it.
These two went out and proved that a ____ on a pole match can actually work when it fits the story they’re telling. Even if it’s on NXT!!
In an awesome Raw main event, John Cena brought his A game again and Mysterio continued his streak of solidity.
RETROACTIVE ADDITION
05/06/2011, RoH Revolution: Canada – Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Hero
Michael Ornelas: This was just awesome stuff here. I actually believed that Hero was going to win…and I already knew the result going in! These two have excellent chemistry and the arm work by Hero was sold amazingly well by Eddie. Eddie’s reign may have been short-lived, but he had unbelievable matches. (****1/4)
Colin Rinehart: Unlike a lot of ROH’s more recent main event offerings, this was a slow burn, and that is not at all a bad thing. It takes it’s time to get going but when it does, this is about as good of a match as you could hope for and then some. Nearly 40 minutes long but it just flies by because of the work involved, the added element of Hero working on Edwards arm, and just the general stiffness of the moves they were executing made this a highlight match for ROH this year. (****)
Aaron Hubbard: I will be frank and say this rating is more of an unbiased opinion of the match than my personal enjoyment level. There were a few things that annoyed me, but it’s nitpicky stuff that most people don’t care about. The important thing is this is nearly 40 minutes of exciting, well executed professional wrestling and hard striking. Sort of like Kobashi vs. Misawa in the late ’90’s with some late ’80’s WCW thrown in. I wouldn’t put in in a top ten list, but it definitely deserves a spot in top 50. (****)
Average star rating: 4.08/5.00
YEAR END STANDINGS
The top 50 matches will be displayed in order of average star rating until they are knocked out. Come back next week as we get one week closer to figuring out the 411 Match of the Year! In the case of a match with more votes getting a lower star rating, it will go down as Match of the Week, but will be lower in the Year-End Standings.
1. 07/17/2011, WWE Money in the Bank – CM Punk vs. John Cena (4.83/5.00)color=blue>
1. 06/26/2011, Ring of Honor Best in the World 2011 – Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards (4.83/5.00)color=red>
3. 05/06/2011, Ring of Honor Revolution: USA – The Kings of Wrestling vs. The American Wolves (4.33/5.00)color=red>
4. 05/22/2011, WWE Over the Limit – Randy Orton vs. Christian (4.29/5.00)color=blue>
5. 04/03/2011, WrestleMania XXVII – The Undertaker vs. Triple H (4.28/5.00)color=blue>
6. 04/17/2011, CHIKARA King of Trios: Night Three – El Generico vs. 1-2-3 Kid (4.25/5.00)color=maroon>
7. 04/05/2011, CMLL en Cadena Tres – Valiente vs. Pólvora (4.17/5.00)
7. 04/03/2011, NJPW New Dimension Tour 2011 – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata (4.17/5.00)
9. 07/17/2011, WWE Money in the Bank – SmackDown Money in the Bank: Daniel Bryan vs. Sin Cara vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Kane vs. Wade Barrett (4.14/5.00)color=blue>
10. 05/03/2011, NJPW Wrestling Dontaku – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (4.13/5.00)
11. 05/06/2011, RoH Revolution: Canada – Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Hero (4.08/5.00)color=red>
11. 06/18/2011, AAA Triplemania XIX – LA Park vs. Mesias (4.08/5.00)
11. 05/05/2011, Dragon Gate Dead or Alive 2011 – Dragon Kid (Captain), CIMA, Gamma, & Ricochet vs. Shingo Takagi (Captain), Cyber Kong, Taku Iwasa & KAGETORA (4.08/5.00)
11. 04/16/2011, CHIKARA King of Trios: Night Two – Team Osaka Pro vs. F.I.S.T. (4.08/5.00)color=maroon>
15. 05/27/2011, CMLL Forjando un Idolo – Angel de Oro vs. Pólvora (4.06/5.00)
16. 06/26/2011, Ring of Honor Best in the World 2011 – Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. The Kings of Wrestling vs. The All Night Express vs. The Briscoes (4.05/5.00)color=red>
17. 06/12/2011, TNA Slammiversary IX – Bully Ray vs. AJ Styles (3.96/5.00)color=green>
17. 04/17/2011, TNA Lockdown – Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (3.96/5.00)color=green>
17. 04/04/2011, Ring of Honor Wrestling of HDNet – Davey Richards & The Briscoes vs. Roderick Strong & The Kings of Wrestling (3.96/5.00)color=red>
20. 04/03/2011, WWE WrestleMania XXVII – Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (3.95/5.00)color=blue>
20. 07/10/2011, TNA Destination X – Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion vs. Jack Evans vs. Low Ki (3.95/5.00)color=green>
22. 05/01/2011, WWE Extreme Rules – Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio (3.92/5.00)color=blue>
23. 05/01/2011, WWE Extreme Rules – Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (3.88/5.00)color=blue>
24. 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (3.85/5.00)color=blue>
25. 07/10/2011, TNA Destination X – AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (3.83/5.00)color=green>
25. 06/26/2011, Ring of Honor Best in the World 2011 – El Generico vs. Christopher Daniels (3.83/5.00)color=red>
27. 07/17/2011, WWE Money in the Bank – Raw Money in the Bank: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth vs. Alex Riley vs. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio (3.75/5.00)color=blue>
27. 05/06/2011, WWE SmackDown – Randy Orton vs. Christian (3.75/5.00)color=blue>
27. 04/17/2011, TNA Lockdown – Lethal Lockdown: Fortune vs. Immortal (3.75/5.00)color=green>
30 06/19/2011, WWE Capitol Punishment – CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (3.65/5.00)color=blue>
31. 07/10/2011, TNA Destination X – Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn (3.63/5.00)color=green>
32. 06/12/2011, TNA Slammiversary IX – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett (3.60/5.00)color=green>
33. 06/19/2011, WWE Capitol Punishment – Randy Orton vs. Christian (3.50/5.00)color=blue>
33. 04/28/2011, WWE Superstars – Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (3.50/5.00)color=blue>
35. 05/26/2011, WWE Superstars – Tyson Kidd vs. Trent Barreta (3.44/5.00)color=blue>
36. 05/15/2011, TNA Sacrifice – Kazarian vs. Max Buck (3.40/5.00)color=green>
37. 06/03/2011, WWE SmackDown – Randy Orton vs. Sheamus (3.38/5.00)color=blue>
38. 06/20/2011, WWE Raw – CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio (3.35/5.00)color=blue>
38. 05/12/2011, WWE Superstars – Tyson Kidd vs. Trent Barreta (3.35/5.00) color=blue>
40. 06/10/2011, WWE SmackDown – Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (3.33/5.00)color=blue>
41. 04/18/2011, WWE Raw – Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (3.30/5.00)color=blue>
42. 07/26/2011, WWE NXT – Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (3.19/5.00)color=blue>
43. 05/13/2011, WWE SmackDown – Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan (3.17/5.00)color=blue>
44. 05/30/2011, WWE Raw – CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (3.13/5.00)color=blue>
44. 05/09/2011, WWE Raw – The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio (3.13/5.00)color=blue>
46. 04/15/2011, WWE SmackDown – 20-man Battle Royal: Christian vs. Brodus Clay vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater vs. Jack Swagger vs. Chris Masters vs. Yoshi Tatsu vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Tyler Reks vs. Trent Barreta vs. JTG vs. Ezekiel Jackson vs. Kofi Kingston (3.13/5.00) color=blue>
47. 06/03/2011, WWE SmackDown – Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase (3.10/5.00)color=blue>
47. 07/07/2011, Impact Wrestling – Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Christopher Daniels (3.10/5.00)color=green>
49. 07/07/2011, Impact Wrestling – Jack Evans vs. Jesse Sorenson vs. Anthony Nese (3.08/5.00)color=green>
50. 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz (3.06/5.00)color=blue>
50. 05/27/2011, WWE SmackDown – Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes (3.06/5.00)color=blue>
MATCHES OF THE WEEK
Week 1: 04/03/2011, WrestleMania XXVII – The Undertaker vs. Triple H (4.28/5.00)color=blue>
Week 2: 04/15/2011, WWE SmackDown – Rey Mysterio vs. Drew McIntyre (2.96/5.00)color=blue>
Week 3: 04/17/2011, TNA Lockdown – Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (3.96/5.00)color=green>
Week 4: 04/28/2011, WWE Superstars – Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (3.50/5.00)color=blue>
Week 5: 05/01/2011, WWE Extreme Rules – Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio (3.92/5.00)color=blue>
Week 6: 05/12/2011, WWE Superstars – Tyson Kidd vs. Trent Barreta (3.35/5.00) color=blue>
Week 7: 05/15/2011, TNA Sacrifice – Kazarian vs. Max Buck (3.40/5.00)color=green>
Week 8: 05/22/2011, WWE Over the Limit – Randy Orton vs. Christian (4.29/5.00)color=blue>
Week 9: 06/03/2011, WWE SmackDown – Randy Orton vs. Sheamus (3.38/5.00)color=blue>
Week 10: 06/10/2011, WWE SmackDown – Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (3.33/5.00)color=blue>
Week 11: 06/12/2011, TNA Slammiversary IX – Bully Ray vs. AJ Styles (3.96/5.00)color=green>
Week 12: 06/19/2011, WWE Capitol Punishment – CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (3.65/5.00)color=blue>
Week 13: 06/26/2011, Ring of Honor Best in the World 2011 – Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards (4.83/5.00)color=red>
Week 14: 07/07/2011, Impact Wrestling – Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Christopher Daniels (3.10/5.00)color=green>
Week 15: 07/10/2011, TNA Destination X – Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion vs. Jack Evans vs. Low Ki (3.95/5.00)color=green>
Week 16: 07/17/2011, WWE Money in the Bank – CM Punk vs. John Cena (4.83/5.00)color=blue>
Week 17: 07/25/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio (3.85/5.00)color=blue>
OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS – RETOOLED!
1. Randy Ortoncolor=blue> – 8 (3.67)
2. Rey Mysteriocolor=blue> – 8 (3.38)
3. CM Punkcolor=blue> – 7 (3.73)
4. Christiancolor=blue> – 5 (3.72)
5. Chris Herocolor=red> – 4 (4.10)
6. Christopher Danielscolor=green> – 4 (3.63)
7. Alberto Del Riocolor=blue> – 4 (3.54)
8. Tyson Kiddcolor=blue> – 4 (3.38)
9. Daniel Bryancolor=blue> – 4 (3.37)
10. Trent Barretacolor=blue> – 4 (3.36)
Chris Hero elbows his way back into the top 10 while Christian starts to slip as his bottom matches fall off the list. Orton, Punk, and Mysterio are your clear cut leaders at this point, but if John Cena has a couple more stellar match, he’ll likely find himself on the list.
Matches/Performers from WWE programming are represented in BLUE.color=blue>
Matches/Performers from TNA are represented in GREEN.color=green>
Matches/Performers from Ring of Honor are represented in RED.color=red>
Matches/Performers from any other US Independent promotion are represented in MAROONcolor=maroon>
Matches/Performers from any international promotion are represented in BLACK.
Do you watch all WWE and TNA shows every week? If so, contact Michael Ornelas at [email protected], and there’s a chance you might be included in the column next week! Please stick to the format used above. Overwhelming negativity probably won’t make the cut, so keep things positive! Submissions due every Saturday by 11PM.
