WWE Bragging Rights PPV Results
October 24, 2010
Minneapolis, Minn.
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor
The second WWE PPV of the month will feature WWE champion Randy Orton vs.
Wade Barrett (with John Cena in his corner) for the WWE Title, World Hvt.
champion Kane vs. The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match, and Team Raw vs.
Team Smackdown in a seven-on-seven elimination match. And it all seems to be
taking a backseat to The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar exchanging words at UFC
121 last night...
PPV open: Evil lurks in the darkness looking for you with Kane vs.
Undertaker. Interesting start to the opening PPV video package focusing on
Kane vs. Taker part III. The video ended, then briefly focused on Raw vs.
Smackdown before going live to the Target Center. Michael Cole said tonight
is about earning a year-long opportunity to gloat about victory. Jerry
Lawler plugged the main event tonight of Orton vs. Barrett for the WWE
Title.
Ringside: They focused on the Stanley Cup lite Bragging Rights trophy. Matt
Striker was shown sitting next to Cole and Lawler to discuss Kane vs.
Undertaker tonight. They focused on the burial plot positioned near the
stage that looked rather PG-safe.
On-stage: Vickie Guerrero interrupted the tombstone visual before asking the
crowd to help him welcome out Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler - the
man who chose her to date when he could have chosen anyone else in the
world. Out came Ziggler to pose on stage before making his way to the ring.
Daniel Bryan came out to face Ziggler as the announcers plugged each men's
respective submission holds.
1 -- IC champion DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. U.S. champion DANIEL
BRYAN -- non-title champion vs. champion match
After a loud "Daniel Bryan" chant from the crowd, the match started on the
mat with some nice holds exchanged. Ziggler then rolled to the outside to
recover and Bryan followed out. Ziggler tried to hide behind Vickie, so
Bryan flew over her with a running knee strike to the forehead from the ring
apron. Back in the ring, Bryan landed a corner attack and Ziggler rolled to
the apron again. Bryan got caught and Ziggler slingshot him throat-first
across the middle rope. Worth noting is a nice touch with the ring ropes
going "Texas vs. Oklahoma" splitting the colors right down the middle red
and blue.
The crowd rallied behind Bryan with a "Daniel Bryan" chant as Ziggler
continued to work the throat and neck area. Bryan countered a neckbreaker
into a backslide for a two count, then Ziggler caught Bryan with a
throat-first drop across the middle rope again. Ziggler followed with a nice
overhead body slam for a nearfall. Ziggler went back on the attack and the
crowd resumed a pro-Bryan chant. Ziggler landed a running neck snap for a
two count, then taunted Bryan and slowed down the pace. Bryan tried to come
back with a desperation corner attack, but Ziggler moved and Bryan ate the
turnbuckle neck-first.
At 8:00, Ziggler resumed an attack on Bryan's neck as the crowd resumed a
Bryan chant. Bryan fought out of a chinlock with a jawbreaker, then both men
recovered to their feet. Bryan landed a kick strike to the shoulder, then a
second, and a third. Bryan landed rapid-fire kicks before landing a knee to
the face that rocked both men. Bryan ducked a clothesline, then hit a flying
elbow smash and showed babyface fire that the crowd responded to. Bryan
landed a flying kick to the face and made a cover for a two count.
At 10:00, Bryan caught Ziggler coming off the ropes with a kick to the upper
chest. Bryan then went to the apron and flew halfway across the ring with a
springboard kick strike that just caught Ziggler on the way down for a two
count. Ziggler suddenly came back with a standing kick and Bryan fell like a
tree in the forest to sell the move, which barely grazed Bryan. Ziggler with
a nearfall, then he teased the Zig-Zag, but Bryan blocked. Bryan hit a kick
strike to the head, then rolled him over and made a cover for another
nearfall.
At 12:00, Bryan went up top, but Ziggler crotched him. Ziggler went up top
for a superplex, but Bryan slipped underneath and crotched Ziggler. Bryan
then climbed up behind Ziggler for a suplex, but Ziggler fell on top of
Bryan on the way down and scored a close two count, followed by Bryan
rolling on top of Ziggler for a close two count. Nice sequence. Ziggler came
to life and tried a sleeper, but Bryan countered. They suddenly collided
hard off the ropes with dual cross-body block attempts, sending both men
crashing to the mat.
At 14:00, they started trading bombs from their knees before making their
way to their feet. Ziggler suddenly tried a small package, but Bryan kicked
out. They started trading pin attempts with a close count for Ziggler, who
then hit the Rocker Dropper. He made a cover and scored a three, but the ref
saw Bryan's foot on the bottom rope before the three count was made
official. The ref waved off the pin, which drew applause. Ziggler went back
to work with the sleeper, but Bryan fought off the hold. Ziggler eventually
re-locked the hold and dropped Bryan to the mat, but Bryan reached the ropes
for a break.
Vickie started screaming in protest and Ziggler started taunting Bryan.
Ziggler lost his cool and Bryan suddenly slapped on the LeBell Lock center
ring. The crowd popped as Ziggler had nowhere to go. Ziggler eventually
tapped out, giving Bryan the submission win. Post-match: Vickie screamed at
the ref and argued with him in protest. Ziggler argued too and the ref sent
them packing to the back. The crowd added insult with a "You tapped out"
chant aimed at Ziggler on the way out.
WINNER: Bryan at 16:14 via submission. Awesome opening match. They set a
great pace early on, then featured some good back-and-forth pin attempts and
counters to counters with a good story to the finishing sequence. A very
nice showcase of what we know Bryan is capable of and what Ziggler is
capable of with the right opponent. (****)
Backstage: Miz and Alex Riley celebrated the victory for Team Raw. That's a
sight. Miz credited himself for being Bryan's Rookie. Sheamus then walked in
and reminded Miz he's the former WWE champ on Team Raw, so he's not going to
listen to Miz. Miz was interrupted by C.M. Punk, who said he's captain
straight edge. He reminded Miz that last time they saw him in the ring, he
was pinned by Rey Mysterio. Suddenly, Rey Mysterio interrupted seeking
snacks and beverages. Riley whispered he said there might be snacks and
beverages. Punk said he knows strategy, especially about Smackdown. He said
he will be giving orders. Since they're taking orders, Santino said he would
like some Sun Chips.
Sheamus got things back on track saying if anyone gets in his face, he'll
kick his head off. Punk laughed and Miz turned around to talk about them not
trusting each other. He said they need to be "one" for once. He said they
are Team Raw...and they are awesome. Punk just laughed and laughed. He said
some of them are awesome. Punk walked off and they were back to Miz and
Riley, who screamed at Miz to take control of things tonight. Miz said
they're taking Smackdown down tonight.
In-ring: Unannounced, WWE tag champ Cody Rhodes came out on stage to admire
himself. Drew McIntyre then joined him on stage to make their way to the
ring. No word on their opponents here. Cole and Striker discussed grooming
tips, then Rhodes took the mic. He said no one has more to brag about than
the WWE tag champs. McIntyre started talking, which drew mockery from the
announcers. He said all the boys in the back are scared of them and they
don't have any opponents left.
Suddenly, the Raw GM buzzed. Again, the inconsistency with the GM having
authority over a PPV. Cole stepped to the podium and read an email from the
GM. Cole said there is a team on Raw worthy of facing Cody and Drew for the
tag titles. Cue up Nexus's theme music. Cole closed the laptop and walked
back to the announce table as Wade Barrett walked out on stage. Barrett said
he will soon be crowned new WWE champion, but right now, welcome out
one-half of the next WWE tag champs, David Otunga. Out came Otunga as the
first challenger. As his partner...John Cena. Cue up Cena's theme music as
the tag champs wiped their foreheads in shock. Suddenly, Cena went sprinting
right to the ring past Otunga and Nexus. Cena did his routine as Otunga
slowly made his way to the ring to start things off.
2 -- WWE tag champions CODY RHODES & DREW MCINTYRE vs. DAVID OTUNGA & JOHN
CENA -- WWE tag title match
Otunga told Cena he's starting things off. Cena wanted to get the first
piece of the action, but Otunga held him off. The bell sounded and the tag
champs quickly took down Otunga and started working him over in their
corner. Otunga finally broke free and slap-tagged Cena into the match. Cena
slowly entered the ring to milk his first entrance into the match. Cena and
Cody locked up, with Cena pushing Cody to the corner before leaving himself
exposed for a knee to the gut. Otunga asked for a tag once Cena gained
control, but Cena waved him off. Cena then executed a delayed vertical
suplex for a two count. Otunga interrupted and shouted at Cena to tag him
in. Cody took advantage of the discussion by smashing Cena from behind to
isolate Cena in the heel corner.
The crowd got into the match with a dueling chant of "Let's Go Cena" and
"Cena Sucks" as the heels continued to work over Cena. At 5:30, Cena broke
free of Cody's attack and attempted signature offense before Drew tagged in
and took the sit-out slam to set up the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena told
Otunga he can't see him, then dropped the Shuffle on Drew. Cena chased off
Cody, then dumped Drew over the top rope. Cody blind-tagged in for Drew,
though. Cody wanted the Cross Rhodes, but Cena countered into the STF center
ring. Cena locked it in and Rhodes tapped out after a few seconds, giving
Cena and Otunga the win and the belts.
Post-match: Otunga excitedly grabbed the tag title belts and acted like he
had a huge accomplishment. Cole noted Otunga didn't contribute much of
anything during the match. Otunga eventually handed over one of the belts as
Otunga continued to gaze into the belt. Cole noted it's the first time Nexus
has won championship gold in WWE. Otunga posed in the ring as Cena just
watched him. Cena waited for Otunga to stop celebrating, then dropped him
center ring with the Attitude Adjustment. Cena then grabbed both title belts
and posed in the ring before leaving the ring. Otunga eventually recovered
and looked around bewildered at what just happened.
WINNERS: Cena & Otunga at 6:29 to capture the WWE Tag Titles. Hopefully
Nexus goes Freebirds Rules so Gabriel can slide in for Otunga, who isn't
exactly the most proficient wrestler. Decent story to the match continuing
to give the Cena Fanbase something to cheer about while Cena is "forced" to
be part of Nexus. (*1/2)
Backstage: Josh Mathews caught up with Ted DiBiase and Maryse. Mathews
wanted to know how DiBiase plans to win back the Million Dollar Title.
Maryse started speaking French, which drew agitation from DiBiase, who
interrupted. He said Goldust is weird and he doesn't like him. He credited
Goldust for being clever and tricky stealing his property, but he's going to
do him a favor by beating Goldust, then taking back his title, and then
having his fake NXT girlfriend deported. "Yeah!" Maryse said from behind.
In-ring: DiBiase and Maryse came to the ring first as Lawler said the match
isn't necessarily for a WWE title, but it's a prized possession. Out next
was Goldust, accompanied by the future Mrs. Goldust. Striker started talking
rapid-fire about Aksana "competing on WWE.com every Tuesday night," which
just sounds weird. Goldust sat down in the corner before the opening bell
sounded.
3 -- TED DIBIASE (w/Maryse) vs. GOLDUST (w/Aksana) -- Possession of
DiBiase's Million Dollar Title belt
Goldust dumped DiBiase over the top rope early on. Goldust followed to the
outside and rammed DiBiase back-first into the guardrail. Back in the ring,
Goldust went up top and DiBiase kicked him in the head to send Goldust
crashing to the mat. DiBiase worked over Goldust for a few minutes before
Goldust made a comeback with his classic offense. Goldust made a cover and
Maryse screamed as DiBiase just kicked out in time. Goldust then missed with
a flying cross-body and crashed to the floor. Back in the ring, Goldust
recovered and tried to fire up the crowd, but DiBiase dropped Goldust with a
spinebuster for a two count.
After a pause, both men came back to their feet as the crowd had a light
chant for Goldust. Goldust and DiBiase then collided mid-ring. Silence.
Suddenly, Maryse jumped Aksana from behind, which drew the biggest pop of
the match. Maryse then flung Aksana into the ring and Aksana began crying.
Goldust checked on his "fiancee," allowing DiBiase to nail Dream Street from
behind for the win.
Post-match: Maryse entered the ring with the Million Dollar belt to give
back to DiBiase, but Aksana tackled her in the ring. Aksana slowly
approached DiBiase with the belt and started rubbing his chest. She teased a
kiss, then Goldust caught DiBiase from behind with the Final Cut to get the
final word on DiBiase. Cole complained about Aksana being deceptive and
Lawler made his anti-women remarks, trying to get sympathy on...the heel,
DiBiase. They replayed the finish and post-match before showing Goldust and
Aksana leaving with the Million Dollar Title belt again.
WINNER: DiBiase at 7:29. Decent match. DiBiase needed a credible victory
here, but the post-match wiped that away. Meanwhile, the booking and
inconsistent announcer talk continues to be befuddling. (*1/2)
In-ring: LayCool came out and cut accent jokes on Minnesota. They said the
men like their women big since it's really cold here. McCool said Natalya
being in Minneapolis can't help her, just like they can't help receiving all
those text messages from Bret Favre. That actually drew a complementary
applause and laughter from some of the crowd. Striker said that was
Shockmaster bad. Out came Natalya to challenge for the Unified Divas Title.
4 -- Unified Divas champion MICHELLE MCCOOL (w/Layla) vs. NATALYA -- Unified
Divas Title match
Natalya got an early crowd reaction executing a delayed vertical suplex,
then McCool took control of the match working over Natalya with submission
offense. Natalya made a comeback and teased the Sharpshooter, but McCool
reached the bottom rope for a break. Eventually, the numbers game caught up
to Natalya and Layla ran a distraction to give McCool the victory for the
second straight PPV.
WINNER: McCool at 4:45 to retain the Divas Title. It felt like a TV match
leading to the expected TV-like finish. (*)
Survivor Series plug: A different video presentation showed Wade Barrett in
a dark room with a single overhead light talking about a "new chapter" in
Nexus's history at the next WWE PPV. They had a multiple-camera shoot here
that added a unique production value to the commercial.
Exterior shot: Mall of America. Cole said Lawler was there today. Lawler
shot back that he wasn't since he was stuck on a plane after a fire broke
out and avoided disaster. Cole just moved right along in an uncaring away.
Stage: Josh Mathews was shown standing inside the six-foot grave to set up
the Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Kane. Mathews hyped the match
before they went to a video package explaining the story of "betrayal"
leading to this match.
credit: pwtorch.com
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