WWE's latest new Pay-Per-View event, Bragging Rights, saw Raw and SmackDown Superstars and Divas battling for brand supremacy in a series of matches, while two high-profile championship matches completed an eventful evening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bragging Rights Match - Intercontinental Champion John Morrison vs United States Champion The Miz
This match was a very solid encounter, as one might come to expect from two men so familiar with one another. The action went back and forth repeatedly, with both men enjoying control of the match for short periods, but neither taking charge of affairs. With both The Miz and Morrison safely secured in the midcard of their respective shows with titles around their waist, both are high on confidence, and it showed in this encounter.
The finish came after a solid 15 minutes, when The Miz countered Morrison's trademark Starship Pain maneuver, resulting in a painful-looking fall to the mat for the Intercontinental Champion. A three-count later, The Miz had secured somewhat of an upset, and Raw had taken a 1-0 lead in the first of three inter-brand encounters.
Divas' Bragging Rights Match - Team Raw vs Team SmackDown
The second of the night's three Bragging Rights matches saw two teams of three Divas face off in what would turn out to be a short and unsurprisingly dull match. Normal service was resumed by the Divas - while every Diva puts in 100% effort, and while some of the six Divas involved were among the best in the business, WWE Divas matches continue to be poorly booked and frequently overlooked.
The finish to the match came when SmackDown's newly-recruited former Women's Champion Beth Phoenix picked up a pinfall over Raw's Melina, giving SmackDown the victory and bringing the night's battle for Bragging Rights to a 1-1 tie. This meant that the 7 vs 7 tag team match later in the night would decide the destination of the new Bragging Rights trophy.
Fatal Four Way Match For The World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker (champion) vs CM Punk vs Batista vs Rey Mysterio
This match was as would be expected - fast, furious, and full of entertainment. The four Superstars in question all had personal history with one another, and all had contrasting ring styles, which made for a thrilling contest. The early edge went to CM Punk as he repeatedly disposed of Rey Mysterio, but The Undertaker soon made his presence felt in a hard-hitting battle with The Animal, Batista.
The finish to the match saw Batista suffer at the hands of The Undertaker, with the Deadman retaining his title - however, the real story was Batista's post-match betrayal of and brutal assault on his long-time friend, Rey Mysterio. Having blamed Mysterio for costing him the title towards the end of the match, Batista now appears to be on the verge of a much-needed heel turn that will keep his character fresh and interesting. Exciting times lie ahead for SmackDown.
7 vs 7 Bragging Rights Tag Team Match - Team Raw vs Team SmackDown
This match was full of predictable insanity, but was remarkably well-booked given that there were no less than fourteen Superstars involved. With the night's quest for Bragging Rights tied at 1-1, this match was the climax of the Pay-Per-View's new theme, and it did not disappoint. With D-Generation X leading Team Raw and Chris Jericho joining Kane as co-captain of Team SmackDown, the match was a fast-paced encounter full of hot tags and finishing maneuvers.
When Team Raw finally gained the advantage and the Big Show was left alone in the ring, Big Show's tag team partner Chris Jericho crawled into the ring to face off with him - only for Big Show to turn around and deliver a top-rope chokeslam to his own team-mate, Kofi Kingston, allowing a battered Jericho to pick up the pinfall and give SmackDown the Bragging Rights Trophy, in a big win for the blue brand.
No Disqualification 60-Minute Iron Man Match For The WWE Championship - Randy Orton (champion) vs John Cena
This match was billed as the end of the lengthy Cena-Orton rivalry spanning more than two years on Monday Night Raw, and it did not disappoint. The first Iron Man Match in WWE in seven years, and the first-ever No-DQ Iron Man Match, was a 60-minute classic, one of the best matches of the year. Cena and Orton have produced some fantastic encounters over the past two years and have shown great in-ring chemistry - this match was no exception to the rules they had set in place.
The match began with an exchange of falls between the two men, followed by an ingenious spot where both men connected with their finishing moves simultaneously, taking the score to two falls apiece. After Cena took the lead with a top-rope Attitude Adjustment, champion Orton began a period of dominance, wearing Cena down and even attempting to burn him with the arena pyrotechnics at one point.
With nine minutes left on the clock, however, Cena managed to tie the score at 5-5 with a spectacular Attitude Adjustment through the announcers' table from atop the re-assembled steel ring steps. Then, with just over a minute left, Cena finally locked in an STF on the Legend Killer. After kicking and screaming for what seemed like an eternity, Orton finally tapped out with only six seconds remaining on the clock, to give John Cena his seventh world title.
All in all, Bragging Rights was a fantastic Pay-Per-View - while the Divas match was a throwaway affair, the other four matches were all thoroughly entertaining, and the Cena-Orton rivalry received a fitting end in a stunning Iron Man Match. If the Bragging Rights concept is continued in years to come, it will surely be a success.
