Running 2009 MOTY List

1. John Cena v Shawn Michaels, WWE RAW, 1/12
2. Matt Hardy v Jack Swagger, WWE ECW, 1/13
3. Big Show v MVP, WWE Smackdown!, 1/16
4. Finlay v Jack Swagger, WWE ECW, 1/6
5. Kurt Angle v Jeff Jarrett, TNA Genesis, 1/11
6. John Cena and Shawn Michaels v Chris Jericho and Randy Orton, WWE RAW, 1/5
7. Big Show v Triple H, WWE Smackdown!, 1/9
8. Chris Sabin v Alex Shelley, TNA Genesis, 1/11
9. The Miz and John Morrison v Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston, WWE RAW, 1/5

1. John Cena v Shawn Michaels, WWE RAW, 1/12

So I'm watching RAW and notice there's thirty-five minutes left in the show and they're starting the entrances for this match, and all I can think is 'motherFUCK yes!', and this did not let me down at all. The tag match the week before was largely built around the Shawn/JBL drama and held down by Cena's strong face-in-peril work. This match is built largely around the Shawn/JBL drama (JBL is right at ringside for the entire match this week, and he once again nearly steals the entire show by just being there), Cena being the world champion, and callbacks to the Cena/Michaels RAW match from 2007 (i.e. Shawn reversing a top-rope F-U attempt into a powerbomb). This is really worked with Cena working from the top, staring down Shawn near the start of the match, getting outfoxed by Michaels for the advantage as opposed to just being outwrestled by him, really working a subtle heel that he is awesome at. Not as awesome as the selling babyface champ, but still really awesome. I said Shawn is getting better as time goes by, his execution hasn't necessarily come along with him. His chops still suck, his crossface has never looked worse, he still does those flashy-but-annoying-if-you-think-about-it-for-even-two-seconds 'athletic' bumps from corner whips. But his role here is to build the drama between him and JBL, be the catalyst to build drama between Cena and JBL, create drama in the match as he has to outthink the dominant world champ to get ahead of him at all. So even though the way he does things still makes you put your head in your hands from time to time, he is really great at bringing drama into things, and I am more than fine with Cena carrying the wrestling load at this point. Cena sells like a champ for everything Shawn does, Shawn returns the favor, everything is worked like a big, dramatic, pay-per-view main event that you just happen to be getting for free on RAW. Finishing run is really good, Cena kicks out of a DDT, Shawn kicks out of the F-U, Cena kicks out of the superkick, Shawn gets to the ropes from the STF, and then a second superkick finally puts Shawn down. I hope stuff like that doesn't become a trend in big WWE matches this year, but with the running history between these two and the way the match was booked, I'm fine with the finisher kickouts. If this had happened in 2008, it probably would have been my third favorite Shawn Michaels match. Probably my third favorite Cena match, too.

2. Matt Hardy v Jack Swagger, WWE ECW, 1/13

ECW is taped before RAW now, so technically this is the first of the great WWE television matches from this week. It's almost as if someone was sitting there watching the TNA show and thinking 'you know... two of these matches are pretty good... fuck that shit, let's put three better matches on free shows this week'. There's absolutely no chance that happened, but it's kind of fun to think about. Anyway, I came into this match expecting a complete fuck finish, thinking there was no way they were doing the title change on a free show. Shows what I know. As good as I think Finlay is, I think Matt Hardy has passed him for the spot of 'best television match wrestler' in the company. Much like last week's Swagger match was a signature Finlay television match, this week's is the signature Hardy 'injure a body part' television match. This is a title change match, though, so both guys totally bring it. I mean Matt always brings it, but he's working like he wants another title shot real soon. Swagger always brings it, but he's working like he wants to start off his title reign with a great match. Both guys bust ass and really sell the struggle between the two of them. A lot has been said about the Hardy powerbomb spot, and it really is as great as everyone says it is. My one complaint is that Swagger's Red White And Blue Thunderbomb (they really need to call it this more often) doesn't look the best it's ever looked. Whatever. This has a shockingly big match atmosphere for an ECW show, but it's the best wrestling show on television so maybe that shouldn't be a shock. Really, really awesome match, fuck that crowd for getting both this and the Cena/Michaels match. I came in hoping for Big Show/Hardy at WrestleMania for the ECW title, now I totally want Finlay/Swagger. And more importantly, I want about a thousand rematches with these two between now and April.

3. Big Show v MVP, WWE Smackdown!, 1/16

The logic in running back-to-back last man standing matches on your free Friday show is kind of suspect. WWE has been running a pretty absurd number of these since the Cena/Umaga Rumble match two years ago, and at some point this stipulation won't mean a whole lot. Last week's was different and unique because it told a story of a guy who had the odds stacked against him actually succumbing to the odds and getting destroyed, which is not at all what you expect from WWE last man standing matches. So at first you wonder why they're doing Triple H/Big Show LMS two weeks in a row. Then they switch Triple H and MVP and hoooooly shit what a difference that makes. Big Show really is the best wrestler on Smackdown! right now, but MVP is right there at number two, and putting you two best wrestlers in a lengthy television match is generally going to be pretty ok in my books. MVP is working a five month losing streak, Big Show is working a three week 'I think being out here is pretty pointless and I may get bored and leave but if I'm going to be out here I might as well crack skulls' streak. As such, the match is worked with MVP trying to tag Big Show with punches and kicks, keep moving to avoid Show's attacks, and trap Show into falling for the ten count. Of course, things do not go according to plan, with Big Show repeatedly catching and wrecking MVP. This is where MVP gets to show some some impressive babyface tenacity, struggling to his feet each time with the crowd chanting his name. He is fighting for himself, he is fighting for Triple H, he is fighting for everyone in the crowd who believes in him and is cheering for him. You can get all sorts of meta with the inner struggle of MVP here. Or you can just appreciate this match for the two best wrestlers on the roster working a clever last man standing match with a nice story that, once again, differs from the normal last man standing match we see. The finish, Triple H interfering and hitting Show in the head with a sledgehammer, works on two levels: first, Triple H is way more protected and he got essentially squashed by Big Show in this same match so there's no way MVP is winning by himself; and second, the sledgehammer has been a protected weapons spot for as long as Triple H has been a headliner and having it take down Show for the count actually subtly puts over Show's knockout punch, which put Triple H down for the count the week before. This match ruled, and I am excited for babyface MVP.

4. Finlay v Jack Swagger, WWE ECW, 1/6

Right before they lock up, Finlay gets this giant grin on his face, as if to say 'oh man, this is gonna be fun'. Well, anything that's fun for Finlay is probably going to be fun for me. This is more than fun, this is killer. Most of the pre-break parts feel like the Finlay/Lashley matches, big amateur guy being carried to a good match by Finlay. I like Lashley, and I liked those matches. But fuck that, Jack Swagger is way better and this match is way better. Swagger keeps eating Finlay's strikes all match, and every now and then he decides to lay one right back into him, he busts Finlay's mouth open right before the break and then, of all things, gets heat on Hornswoggle. Has anyone done that since JBL? Long ECW showcase match means that Finlay is going to be selling for most of it. Finlay selling maybe isn't as joyous and giggle-inducingly great as Finlay on offense, but he's really great at selling, and Swagger's long control sections are totally boss. He's also really great at structuring matches long matches built to showcase his opponent. Swagger looks awesome here, but it's really the Finlay show. As always.

5. Jeff Jarrett v Kurt Angle, TNA Genesis, 1/11

Hot damn, this match starts off spectacularly with a slugfest which Jarrett quickly gets the upper hand in and starts laying some real nice punches straight to Angle's jaw. Angle counters with suplexes and chin locks, kind of goofy in a hate brawl, but you have to figure the logic is that Angle's suplexes = Jarrett's punches and a chin lock is a way to wear Jarrett down. Either way Angle ends up absolutely wasting Jarrett with the ring bell and going into brutal ass kicker mode. The Angle Slam off of the stage through a table is kind of goofy, but it fits with the overall theme of Angle wanting to destroy Jarrett, and it creates the really cool visual with both guys crawling back to the ring. From there we get some weapon shots (awesome) and some counter wrestling (what), which play into the whole hate brawl thing about as much as you'd expect (perfectly and not at all, respectively). The match ends with a stretch of ankle lock reversals which are as stupid as ever, Jarrett plastering Angle with a chair for a nearfall, and then Angle getting a roll up win. Needless to say the end is about as night and day from the beginning as you can probably get in a single match, but the post-match beatdown Angle lays on Jarrett is sick, everything up until (and including) the crawl back to the ring is fucking excellent, and this is the best Angle match I've seen in three years.

6. John Cena and Shawn Michaels v Chris Jericho and Randy Orton, WWE RAW, 1/5

So at this point I'm pretty convinced that Shawn Michaels hasn't stopped getting better since Triple H's second quad injury. You had the Terry Funk-esque crazy old man brawler in the first part of 2007 before he went out with injury, coming back as grumpy old man, which led into the Flair/Batista/Jericho stuff which was pretty fantastic all around. Now we're into the heart of the Shawn-as-JBL's-employee program and as much as it seems like they'll run JBL-HBK at WrestleMania, I'd be perfectly fine if they ran the angle all year. I'm not sure when Jericho and Orton would have been tagging on house shows recently because they seem to be alternating house show title matches opposite Cena, but at some point they've developed pretty good tag chemistry. They're not Miz and Morrison or Rhodes and Dibiase, but they're really good together. Cena works the majority of the match selling his ass off for the heels, which is great because that's what Cena is absolute best at. Still, those three aren't the focus at all here, it's the JBL/Shawn angle, and while you'd think the world champ and top heels being de-emphasized in a tag would be a bad thing, everyone here makes it work. JBL comes out for all of a minute, standing on the ramp and reminding everyone of what Shawn is supposed to do (take out Cena), and he may well steal the show. Shawn's will-he-or-won't-he stuff is played up really well. Eventually the answer is no, he won't, and Cena's look of pride is wonderful. Cena, Orton, and Jericho bring the quality wrestling, Shawn and Bradshaw bring the drama, and we have ourselves a damn good tag match.

7. Big Show v Triple H, WWE Smackdown!, 1/9

I hated the booking of the previous two matches, but they served their point as a set-up to this match. Sucks that Morrison, Miz, and Chavo had to be sacrificed, but fuck them because Big Show is way better. Triple H comes into this match with a fucked up arm, so the match is logically an extended beat down. Big Show is so awesome here, beating the shit out of Triple H's left arm, smirking and shaking his head every time Triple H gets up, wasting him with a clothesline and a crazy spear, just generally conveying the attitude of 'well, I'd rather be eating pie or something, but since I'm here, I might as well crush you'. Some of the things in the match are pretty silly, there's really no reason for Hunter to be taking the big over-the-rope bump from a whip to the corner (though is it really a surprise that he'd take from the pages of Flair and Michaels to bump in a way that it's all about him and not the guy actually delivering the move?), there's really no reason for Show to be down for an eight count off of a DDT when he hadn't taken any offense yet, the energetic hulk-up thing HHH does is pretty weird. But Show's dominance all match long makes the whole thing dramatic because you're always expecting Triple H to get back up, except he doesn't, and Show destroys him with a disgusting knockout punch. Probably not the match to be running at the end of a four hour taping where they've seen both guys between two and four times already, but a good match nonetheless.

8. Chris Sabin v Alex Shelley, TNA Genesis, 1/11

This is basically the flipped version of Jarrett/Angle, if you replace a hate-filled slugfest with competitive 2.9 wrestling. The opening five or so minutes is absolutely fucking embarassing, and the chop and strike exchanges are almost as bad. It's kind of sad seeing Sabin at the end of the match with his chest beat red and his eye somewhat swollen. They're shoot beating the shit out of each other but it looks like crap anyway, completely neutering the point of stiffness anyway. You also wonder where the hell the agents are on this show, because this is the second match on a card where the first match featured a handful of dives and powerbombs, and Sabin hits a dive to almost no reaction and Shelley hits a powerbomb to almost no reaction. Think, kids. Still, after Sabin's dive this match picks up and gets pretty good. Shelley dropping Sabin face first into the second turnbuckle is probably the coolest thing here, but everything looks nice and crisp after the opening suckfest. You kind of wish that they don't kick out of everything each other has, but the match is worked as members of a tag team who are equally matched and competing for a belt, so the kick outs work in context. Finish is pretty nifty, unlike in Angle/Jarrett, having this end on a roll up makes a lot of sense. Sabin sells the genuine concern for his buddy well. This isn't the kind of match you want to see them run every time out, but it's the best thing coming from the X Division in a long, long time.

9. The Miz and John Morrison v Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston, WWE RAW, 1/5

This isn't as spectacular or dramatic as the other tag match on this show (see above), but it is damn fun. Miz and Morrison have developed into a really great tag team (and damn fine singles wrestlers, at that), and Rey is Rey, still one of the best in the world. Kofi is more or less along for the ride here because he's not really in the same league as the other three, but he holds up his end, working a good enough face-in-peril, having a neat fake-out dive, and taking a pretty crazy bump off the top rope. Morrison out-crazies that bump with his own face-first smash into the apron, Morrison is really too pretty to be taking face-first bumps. Miz and Morrison work over Kofi really well, build to the hot tag really well, just really do everything really well. I need to see them take on Rhodes and Dibiase like, yesterday. Rey comes in all house of fire and ends up eating a mid-air kick to the midsection, courtesy of Morrison via Miz distraction, for his trouble. Really fun match, not a chance it will make the year end list, but worth watching for sure.