411’s Match of the Week 08.29.11: Year One, Week 21

Michael Ornelas
1) 08/23/2011, WWE NXT – Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/2)
Barreta finally won…and they were in the one town where the crowd would dislike that. Oh WWE, you and your booking. Anyways, we got a great match here that is seemingly the blow-off to this series. It’s been four or five matches long, so it was about time. Glad Barreta got to win one of them, and even though it’s just a victory against Tyson Kidd, who’s not too high on the card, Trent sold this like a huge victory for him. Glad to see that they’re trying to make it seem as though there still is such a thing as climbing up through the ranks. Check this match out if you haven’t seen it.

2) 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***1/2): I’m putting this below the Barreta/Kidd bout because that match delivered on the same level at which their other matches had been delivering. This one was a step below. Not that it’s a bad thing, considering they were the main events of Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, but yeah, this was a notch below. The distracted ending made sense, but it still wasn’t as satisfying. But I’d probably be complaining if Cena just went over clean after Punk won a couple matches via distraction or ref error. Oh well, this was a great main event for a TV wrestling show, so yeah, it gets my number 2 this week.
3) 08/25/2011, WWE Superstars –Daniel Bryan vs. Drew McIntyre (***1/4): Wow, GREAT week in wrestling. I had like, five matches at ***1/4 or ***. I chose this one just to give it a mention and because I honestly had a hard time justifying putting any of the eight or so great matches this week over another one. But this had a great story. Every time Bryan would build momentum, McIntyre would cut him off. They played off the fact that due to Bryan’s size, he’ll continuously be an underdog. BUT, he can find his way out of any situation with his submission skills. Check this bout out if you haven’t seen it, because Superstars and NXT are consistently underrepresented in this column.

Steve Cook
1) 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***1/2)
I have to penalize it a bit for not really having a finish, but I hope that what they went with will actually lead to something. These two are fantastic together.

2) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Christian vs. Daniel Bryan (***): Bryan might not be winning many of these matches with WWE’s top performers, but he’s having a good showing each & every time. He & Christian were both on point here.
3) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (***): This was just Sheamus & Mizark beating the crap out of each other, and that’s all it needed to be. No fancy stuff needed here.

Greg DeMarco
1) 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***3/4)
Was it as good as their PPV outings? Nope. But it didn’t have to be. It was a great TV match and a great taste of a PPV main event for those not ordering them. This match advanced things for a total of six characters (Punk, Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Nash, Triple H and Johnny Ace). So it accomplished its mission, AND it was a great match.

2) 08/25/2011, Impact Wrestling – Bully Ray, Gunner, & Scott Steiner vs. James Storm, Bobby Roode, & AJ Styles (***1/2): Another example of how to properly use the Immortal stable. The Anderson involvement is not part of the rating, as it would have dragged it down.
3) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase (***1/4): If Ted Dibiase delivered like this each week, he’d be a consistent uppercard wrestler. He was great in all aspects of the match, and I don’t we can attribute all of that to Orton. But he does share in it—equal credit.

Colin Rinehart
1) 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***1/4)
Obviously this wasn’t on par with their last two PPV matches, but they managed to fit a lot of really good stuff into the short time they did have and as a result the brisk pace made for another excellent encounter between these two. The finish hurts it slightly since it was rather predictable, but otherwise this was another damn fine match from these two men.

2) 08/23/2011, WWE NXT – Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/4): Another outstanding match from two guys that have been putting on great matches together all year long. Seriously, if there’s some sort of undercard feud of the year award, give it to this feud right here man. Plus, Barreta FINALLY won this time! I hope this means we’ll be seeing more of him and Kidd on the two main shows in the future.
3) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase (***): This started off casually enough before rocketing right into an impressive exchange of one counter after another after the commercial break. Ted actually looked outstanding here for once with his workrate and Orton is always game for a good TV match, so this wound up being another excellent television match that exceeded my expectations.

Tony Acero
1) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Christian vs. Daniel Bryan (***1/2): The opening match of Smackdown had so much going for it that it’s almost impossible not to call it the Match of the Week, at least in my opinion. These two wrestled each other as if they knew each other and have had over 20 matches. While I don’t think this is their first match, I’m sure it’s close to it. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why these two are considered two of the best. They had a lot of exchanges that just made sense.

2) 08/23/2011, WWE NXT – Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/4): My immediate response to this match was WOW. I watched it a second time and I admit it wasn’t as awesome as I originally rated it (I rated it 4 stars). Still, it was a great match. Tyson Kidd continues to be amazing and versatile in the ring and Trent Barreta isn’t far behind. Good stuff from two guys who could probably use a mouthpiece to get any further but have been using wrestling to tell a story. This being the fifth match that they have wrestled, it still felt relatively fresh and Trent finally got his win.
3 )08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***): Another two men whose chemistry is just amazing. They continue to put together matches that feed off of something different each time and it’s noticeable. John Boy and CM Punk continue to show us that yes, Cena can wrestle…

Aaron Hubbard
1) 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (***1/2)
CM Punk and John Cena had the clear front runner for Match of the Year at Money in the Bank and a worthy follow up at Summer Slam. These two just have great chemistry as opponents; Cena’s Invincable Superman character compliments Punk’s more cerebral approach in much the same way Samoa Joe did in ROH. These two could have a great match in their sleep, and that is almost what they did here. The match played like a “Greatest Hits” version of their previous two matches and it worked well. Obviously not a MOTY contender or anything but one of the best TV matches of the year and well worth tuning into RAW for.

2) 08/23/2011, WWE NXT– Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd (***1/2): Speaking of wrestlers with tremendous chemistry, you’ve got these two delivering their fifth excellent match this year on WWE’s web shows. These guys dominated the early weeks of the MOTW Year with their impressive showings on Superstars, and this was up there with the best of them, with the added bonus of a hot hometown crowd and Baretta finally getting a win over Kidd. It’s the best rivalry you haven’t been watching.
3) 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Christian vs. Daniel Bryan (***1/4): . I was very pleased with this match. At times they looked a little off with each other, but it was still a good match from two of the most consistent performers in WWE. SOME will complain about Christian beating Daniel Bryan clean as a whistle, but I think the rule of “Underdog Who Always Impresses But Can’t Win the Big One” will add a lot of extra drama to Bryan’s eventual title match, whether or not it actually happens at Wrestlemania. Who knows? Perhaps it will be these two competing for the World Title when the WWE comes back to Miami.

THIS WEEK’S WINNERS

The former World Heavyweight Champion got a nice victory over Mr. Money in the Bank in a great opening contest on last week’s SmackDown.

Barreta finally got a win over Tyson Kidd, and it was good enough to grab second place for the week.

In the ending match of their feud (for now), John Cena picks up the victory over CM Punk to win your Match of the Week.

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>

50. 08/26/2011, WWE SmackDown – Christian vs. Daniel Bryan (3.25/5.00)color=blue>

MATCHES OF THE WEEK
Week 1: 04/03/2011, WrestleMania XXVII – No Holds Barred: 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 – “Ultra Male Rules” (2 out of 3 Falls): Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (3.96/5.00)color=green>
Week 4: 04/28/2011, WWE Superstars – Tyson Kidd vs. Trent Barreta (3.50/5.00)color=blue>
Week 5: 05/01/2011, WWE Extreme Rules – Ladder Match: 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 – No Disqualification: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton (3.33/5.00)color=blue>
Week 11: 06/12/2011, TNA Slammiversary IX – Last Man Standing: 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>
Week 18: 08/05/2011, WWE SmackDown – Daniel Bryan vs. Tyson Kidd (3.36/5.00)color=blue>
Week 19: 08/09/2011, WWE NXT – Justin Gabriel vs. Tyson Kidd (3.44/5.00)color=blue>
Week 20: 08/14/2011, WWE SummerSlam – No Holds Barred: Randy Orton vs. Christian (4.25/5.00)color=blue>
Week 21: 08/22/2011, WWE Raw – John Cena vs. CM Punk (3.42/5.00)color=blue>

OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS – RETOOLED!

1. Randy Ortoncolor=blue> – 9 (3.74)
2. CM Punkcolor=blue> – 8 (3.81)
3. Christiancolor=blue> – 6 (3.83)
4. Tyson Kiddcolor=blue> – 6 (3.41)
5. Chris Herocolor=red> – 4 (4.11)
6. John Cenacolor=blue> – 4 (4.04)
7. Christopher Danielscolor=green> – 4 (3.70)
8. Rey Mysteriocolor=blue> – 4 (3.65)
9. Alberto Del Riocolor=blue> – 4 (3.65)
10. Daniel Bryancolor=blue> – 4 (3.58)

MAJOR shake-up this week as Mysterio has 3 matches fall out of the top 50, and a Battle Royal affects 20 Superstars’ rankings on the list. John Cena jumps from 13th to 6th place and Tyson Kidd is now in 4th.

Matches/Performers from WWE programming are represented in BLUE.color=blue>

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.