Top 10 wrestling matches of the week: June 30th - July 6th

This week in wrestling was a mixed one. The matches ranged from terrible to amazing, with a lot of the best matches taking place in the most unassuming place. As usual, I will rank the top ten matches of the week.

#10. Kane vs Randy Orton (WWE Raw)

In front of a crowd that was anything but rowdy, WWE gave us a WrestleMania 28 rematch between Randy Orton and Kane. Maybe it was the dead crowd or maybe the officiating of Daniel Bryan, but this match was nowhere near the quality of their ‘Mania and Extreme Rules matches last year.

That being said, it was still a decent match, and the two looked like they did what they could. Kane would win the match due to Bryan’s quick count. Hopefully Kane and Orton can have a rematch in front of a good crowd and put on a great match like we know they can.

#9. Zack Ryder vs Wade Barrett (WWE Superstars)

First off, Wade Barrett is way too good to be wrestling Zack Ryder on freaking Superstars. Secondly, it was a pretty good match nonetheless. WWE gave Barrett and Ryder a good 15 minutes, and we got to see these two show off their abilities in an even match.

Zack Ryder actually looked like he was going to win at times, which was probably the most interesting part of this match. I’m not going to say that he’s getting a push soon (he isn’t), but it’s nice to see WWE give some of their enhancement talent time to actually wrestle, even if it isn’t on a show everybody watches.

In the end, Barrett would nail Zack Ryder with the Bullhammer for the win.

#8. The Shield vs The Usos & Christian (WWE Raw)

On Monday Night Raw, the Shield avenged their Smackdown loss at the hands of Christian and the Usos by defeating the trio. The match was pretty good, and was given a good amount of time.

The chemistry between Christian and Dean Ambrose is really developing into something special, which is good considering that they are on a collision course for SummerSlam.

The Usos were just as good as ever, but it seems like they are just going through the same set of motions a lot of the time. The Shield was, you know, the Shield. Overall, good match.

#7. Bo Dallas (c) vs Antonio Cesaro – NXT Championship Match (WWE NXT)

On NXT, everybody’s least favorite member of the Rotunda family defended his NXT Championship against everyone’s favorite Swiss Superman, and won. Yes, the god-awful Bo Dallas defeated Antonio Cesaro. Let’s all take that in for a moment.

While the loss for Cesaro at the hands of Bo stings a little, the match itself was pretty damn good. Since my extreme dislike for Bo Dallas won’t let me give any credit to Bo for the match’s quality, I’ll just go ahead and say that Cesaro carried the whole match and he’s the reason why it was so good.

#6. John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio (WWE Raw)

After huge build-up in the form of video packages and historical look-backs, Cena and Del Rio faced each other in the main event of Raw to little interest from the fans.

While I think that a lot of the IWC isn’t giving the match credit for what it was, I will say that it wasn’t as good as it should have been. Nevertheless, Cena and Del Rio had an entertaining match, and the only negative thing I can really say about it was that Cena won.

#5. Christian vs Damien Sandow (WWE Main Event)

In the main event/opening match of Main Event, the recently returned Christian put on an awesome match with Damien Sandow. In a 20 minute back and forth battle, both men gave it all they got, and it seemed like they would win at many different points in the match.

In the end, Christian would hit the Killswitch for the win, but Sandow impressed the most with how solid he is in the ring. I can confidently say that both men should be World Champion in the future.

#4. Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk (WWE Smackdown)

Say what you want about Alberto Del Rio, but he is very good in the ring. Add his ability with the Best In The World CM Punk, and you got yourself a great match.

In a great example of technical wrestling and in-ring psychology, Del Rio and Punk put on a clinic in front of the Smackdown crowd. The match would of course end in a not so clean way, with both men getting counted out after Del Rio attacked Heyman.

Hopefully we can see a match between these two in the future with a decisive ending.

#3. Generation Me vs Bad Influence (TNA One Night Only: Hardcore Justice)

“Diamond in the Rough” is the best way to describe this match at TNA’s third “One Night Only” PPV. In a night of mediocrity and underwhelming matches, arguably the two best tag teams in wrestling today faced off in an exciting ladder match full of huge spots and innovative moves.

Whether it was Daniels throwing appletinis or one of the Bucks flipping around the ring, every moment of this match had something exciting happen, each team having no wasted movement. Bad Influence would win, but the Young Bucks gave them one hell of a fight. I would greatly recommend that you watch this match.

#2. Christian vs Randy Orton (WWE Smackdown)

Orton and Christian revisited their classic 2011 rivalry on Smackdown when they went toe to toe for the first time in over a year. And yes, the match was just as great as everyone thought it was going to be.

In a great example of two opponents knowing each other extremely well, Christian and Orton would go back and forth, reversing each other’s signature moves and dodging those predictable spots. Orton would hit the RKO for the win, but it took him three tries before he could actually catch Christian off guard.

Christian may have lost, but I’m still hoping that he gets his one more match soon or later.

#1. Austin Aries (c) vs Chris Sabin vs Manic – X-Division Championship Match (TNA Impact)

Who am I kidding, it was basically just Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin. TNA reminded us why we watch it when they gave us the awesome Sabin vs. Aries match.

While the whole Aries winning the title thing was kind of pointless, the match that came from it was an instant classic. Reversal after reversal, high spot after high spot, these two men gave it their all for the TNA crowd and those watching at home. Aries would kick out of Sabin’s finisher, and Sabin would kick out of Aries’s finisher.

It was nonstop back and forth action that the X-Division was originally known for. Sabin would win back his title after hitting a huge top rope Cradle Shock, and it looks like Sabin will be facing Bully Ray for the World Championship soon. I wasn’t a big fan of Sabin before, but after this match, I’m hailing Sabin.

Agree? Disagree? Tell me why in the comments or on Twitter @SmarkInProgress.