Bragging Rights 2010

Bragging Rights 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on October 24, 2010 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was be the second annual Bragging Rights event and featured talent from the Raw and Smackdown brands. Seven matches were featured on the card.
==Background==
Bragging Rights featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they followed a series of events that build tension and culminated into a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main concept of the show featured an interpromotional match featuring wrestlers from Raw against those of SmackDown for Bragging Rights with Team SmackDown going for their second Bragging Rights victory since their inaugural win last year. On the October 8th episode of SmackDown, The Big Show was named the Captain of Team SmackDown. On the October 11th episode of Raw, six of the seven members of Team Raw qualified through winning matches, all of which included John Morrison, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Sheamus, the recently traded CM Punk and the team captain The Miz. Following that, SmackDown also held qualification matches adding Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, and the recently traded Edge. Hoping to prove himself, Kaval challenged the Big Show to earn a spot on Team SmackDown, Big Show stated that Kaval wouldn't last 5 minutes in the ring with him and accepted a 5-minute challenge. Kaval lasted the 5 minutes and earned a spot on Team SmackDown only to lose to Tyler Reks right after and lose his spot to him. On the October 18th episode of Raw, The Miz completed Team Raw by adding the returning Ezekiel Jackson as the 7th member of Team Raw.
The main rivalry from Raw involved the WWE Champion Randy Orton against Nexus leader Wade Barrett in a match for Orton's WWE Championship which included newly inducted Nexus member John Cena in Barrett's corner. The previous month at WWE Hell in a Cell, John Cena had lost a match against Wade Barrett, due to interference by Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, under the stipulation that Cena would join the Nexus upon losing. While attempting to destroy the Nexus from the inside, the Raw General Manager forced Cena to follow Barrett's orders because of the stipulations of the match or he would fire Cena. During a Battle Royal to determine the next number one contender to face Randy Orton. Cena, Barrett and the other members of the Nexus worked together to eliminate the other Raw Superstars, until only Cena and Barrett were left, Barrett ultimately won when he forced Cena to eliminate himself, thus making Barrett the number one contender. Upon winning, Barrett forced Cena to be in his corner during the match to ensure that Barrett wins the match.
Another rivalry from Raw was that of Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan. On the October 18th episode of Raw, Bryan challenged Ziggler to an interpromotional match at Bragging Rights. Ziggler accepted the challenge and the match was made official. It was announced that the match would be non-title, with Ziggler being the Intercontinental Champion and Bryan being the United States Champion.
A third rivalry from Raw involved Ted Dibiase and Goldust. Over the last few weeks, Dibiase and his valet Maryse had received messages from an anonymous sender. The duo suspected Raw Guest Star Johnny Knoxville (of the Jackass franchise) of sending them and when Dibiase attacked him, a message came up on the TitanTron saying "You Are Mine". Goldust then appeared in the ring behind Dibiase and attacked him with a Vertical Suplex. After laying out Dibiase, Goldust said he didn't want him or Maryse and picked up the Million Dollar Championship and said he wanted it. He then stole the belt and left with it. The following weeks, Goldust and his NXT Rookie Diva Aksana feuded with Dibiase and Maryse with Goldust taunting him with the Million Dollar belt causing him to lose a match. On the October 18th episode of Raw, Goldust defeated Zack Ryder. After the match he was attacked by Dibiase who sent Maryse to retrieve the title but Aksana ran away with it. Goldust then recovered and attacked Dibase with a Curtain Call. It was announced that Dibiase would face Goldust at Bragging Rights with Maryse and Aksana at ringside.
The main rivalry from SmackDown involved the World Heavyweight Champion Kane against his (kayfabe) half-brother The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match for the World Heavyweight Championship. At Hell in a Cell, Paul Bearer, who was with The Undertaker during the Hell in a Cell match against Kane, betrayed The Undertaker giving the victory to Kane once again. Two weeks later on SmackDown, Paul Bearer issued one more challenge to The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match. Later that night, The Undertaker accepted his match and taunted him with Kane's own pyrotechnics.
Another rivalry from SmackDown revolved around the Divas Championship. Michelle McCool and Layla were the self professed "Co-Divas Champions" heading into the event, where one of them would face challenger Natalya. It was announced on the 22nd October episode of Smackdown that Layla would be the one to face Natalya at Bragging Rights, with the Divas Championship on the line.
==Event==
===Dark match===
Prior to Bragging Rights coming on the air, fans in attendance were shown a live, untelevised match. MVP and Chavo Guerrero squared off in front of the live audience, in a contest which MVP won via pinfall.
===Preliminary matches===
The first live match on the card was between Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan in an interpromotional singles match. They started off going back and forth, with Bryan then gaining the upper hand and hitting Ziggler with serious offense. The live crowd were right behind Bryan throughout the contest. Ziggler started to come back into the match and he exerted some dominance over Bryan for a considerable amount of time. Bryan began building some offense and started hitting Ziggler with all sorts of kicks, much to the delight of the fans. Bryan hit a missile dropkick from the top rope and then scored a near fall on Ziggler. Dolph rolls Bryan up and scores a near fall of his own, before following up with another 2 count. Bryan counters the ZigZag and then scores a near fall. Both men go to the top rope and Bryan gains an advantage by pushing Ziggler off balance. Ziggler counters a back suplex attempt by Bryan and scores yet another near fall. The crowd break into chants of "This Is Awesome". Bryan counters a sleeper hold attempt and then both men collide in mid air with both attempting a crossbody at the same time. Ziggler and Bryan then exchange punches, before Bryan nails him with a kick to the head. They then exchange a series of near falls before Ziggler gets the 3 count, only to realize Bryan got his foot on the bottom rope. The match continues and Ziggler locks in a sleeper hold. Bryan reaches the ropes and Ziggler has to break the hold. Bryan locks in the LeBell Lock out of nowhere and Ziggler has no choice but to submit.
The second contest of the evening was an impromptu tag team match, with the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line. David Otunga and John Cena were revealed by Wade Barrett as the opponents for Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, with the titles up for grabs. Otunga and Rhodes started things off, before McIntyre was tagged in by Rhodes and he began working on Otunga. Rhodes was tagged back in by McIntyre, before another quick tag was made. McIntyre scored a near fall on Otunga. Rhodes was tagged back in by McIntyre, before Otunga tagged in Cena for the first time. Rhodes began working on Cena in the corner, before Cena countered and hit a vertical suplex. Rhodes tagged in McIntyre, who hit a Clothesline on Cena. McIntyre was hit with the 5 Knuckle Shuffle after Cena built up some offense and then Rhodes tapped out to the STF. Cena and Otunga are announced as the new Tag Team Champions. Cena hit Otunga with the Attitude Adjustment after the match.
The third match was also impromptu and not advertised prior to the event. Ted DiBiase and Goldust faced off in a singles match, revolving around Goldust stealing the Million Dollar Championship from DiBiase, a few weeks before. DiBiase started off on top, before Goldust countered and got himself back into the contest. The match went to the outside briefly. DiBiase hits a Dropkick on Goldust and then gets a near fall. After Maryse and Aksana start scuffling outside the ring, Goldust is distracted and DiBiase hits a DDT for the victory.
The next match was for the WWE Divas Championship between Champion Layla and challenger Natalya. The stronger Natalya was in control at the start, but Layla countered and hit some offense of her own. Michelle McCool attempted to get involved and Natalya pushed her into the barricade. Layla attempts to escape and retain the title by countout, but Natalya dragged her back to the ring and McCool kicks Natalya in the head. Layla takes advantage and pins Natalya to retain the Championship.
===Main event matches===
The fifth contest of the evening was the Buried Alive match between Kane and Undertaker, with Kane's World Championship on the line. The match starts with both men battling on the entrance ramp and Undertaker gaining an advantage over his half brother. They continue to battle at ringside and Kane is sent flying into the steel steps. They then go into the stands through the crowd, with Undertaker still in control of proceedings. They fight briefly on the stairs and then go back out to the ring. Undertaker begins throwing chairs into the ring and Kane scrambles away when Taker picks one up. They go into the crowd yet again and Kane is still on the wrong end of a beating from Undertaker. As they go back out to ringside, Kane gets back into it and begins assaulting Taker with one of the steel chairs, hitting him with it several times on the back and neck. Kane hits two Chokeslams in a row on Undertaker. Kane drags Undertaker out of the ring and up to the burial site, located at the side of the entrance ramp. Undertaker regains some control and stops Kane before they get to the grave. Both men crawl up the mound of dirt until they are right next to the grave. They battle briefly at the burial site with both men at a stalemate. Kane tries to roll Undertaker into the six foot hole, but Taker locks in Hell's Gate and Kane passes out from the submission hold. Taker rolls a lifeless Kane into the grave and then turns his attention to Paul Bearer, who betrayed him three weeks before. Undertaker is ready to Chokeslam Bearer into the grave and then The Nexus come running out to make the save. Taker tries to fight them all off, but the numbers are too strong and they start beating him to the ground. Kane crawls out from the grave and smashes Undertaker over the head with the urn which causes Taker to fall into the grave and then buries him under a huge mound of dirt via the digger that is sitting next to the burial site. The bell rings and Kane has buried Undertaker alive, whilst retaining the World Championship.
The sixth match was the seven on seven Team Raw vs Team SmackDown elimination tag team match. Santino Marella is the first eliminated from Team Raw, when Tyler Reks pins him and gives SmackDown the one man advantage. Sheamus eliminates Kofi Kingston from Team SmackDown and that evens the numbers up. CM Punk and Rey Mysterio come in and reignite an old rivalry, working over each other for a couple of minutes. Alberto Del Rio takes out his own teammate Rey Mysterio, sending him shoulder first into the barricade, which means it is now 6 on 5 in favour of Team Raw. John Morrison comes in and works over Jack Swagger briefly. Morrison hits Starship Pain on Swagger and eliminates him, making it 6 on 4 in favour of Raw. Sheamus comes in and eliminates Tyler Reks after hitting the Brogue Kick, making it 6 on 3 to Team Raw. Big Show and Sheamus battle outside the ring, which leads to both men being counted out. It is now 5 on 2 to Team Raw, with Edge and Del Rio being the survivors for Team SmackDown. Edge eliminates R-Truth after a Spear, which brings it down to 4 on 2 in favour of Raw. Morrison comes in and gets hit with a Spear by Edge also, which leads to Morrison being pinned and eliminated. It is now 3 on 2 in favour of Raw. Edge hits a DDT on Punk. Del Rio tags himself in and begins working on Punk. Del Rio is eliminated by Punk and it is 3 on 1 to Team Raw. Del Rio is retreating up the ramp, when Mysterio (who was never officially eliminated) comes out and rejoins Team SmackDown. This makes it 3 on 2 now, in favour of Raw. Mysterio gets tagged in and hits the 619 on Punk and pins him, making it a 2 on 2 match. Edge and Mysterio vs The Miz and Ezekiel Jackson. Mysterio hits the 619 on Jackson as well and then pins him, making it 2 on 1 in favour of Smackdown. The Miz is the sole survivor for Team Raw. Alex Riley sacrifices himself for The Miz, ensuring that Mysterio doesn't hit Miz with the 619. Mysterio tags in Edge who then hits The Miz with a Spear. Edge pins The Miz and Team SmackDown have overcome the odds and won the match. Edge holds the trophy aloft, alongside Rey and Hornswoggle, the mascot for SmackDown.
The seventh and final contest of the night was for the WWE Championship. Randy Orton was the Champion going into the match, defending against challenger Wade Barrett, who had John Cena in his corner. As per the stipulation, if Barrett doesn't win, Cena gets fired from WWE. They start off going back and forth, with Orton eventually establishing some control in the match. A loud chant of "Fire Cena" broke out at the start of the match. Orton scores a near fall after hitting Barrett with kneedrops to the head. Barrett comes back into and now Orton is on the receiving end of some offense. Barrett confronts Cena on the outside and Orton attacks Wade from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground. Orton smacks Barrett's head off of the steel ring steps, before rolling him back into the ring and getting another near fall. Orton locks in a chinlock and Barrett attempts to get back to a vertical base. They go to the outside again and Orton is sent shoulder first into the steel steps. Barrett gets a near fall on Orton, followed by another one. Barrett takes Orton back to the outside and smashes Orton's head off of the barricade. Barrett kicks Orton in the head, with Cena watching on. Orton is rolled into the ring and Barrett again gets a near fall. Orton builds some momentum of his own and attempts a second rope DDT on Barrett. Wade counters and shoves Orton directly into the referee, who is knocked to the outside of the ring. Barrett hits a huge Clothesline on Orton. Cena comes up to the apron, only to be knocked back off. Nexus hit the ring and because the referee is down, no one can stop them. Nexus continue to assault Orton and Cena gets up and clears the ring, minus Barrett and Orton. Cena tells Barrett he did it to stop Barrett being disqualified thanks to interference. Orton comes to and hits a Clothesline on Barrett, followed by a scoop slam. Orton hits the rope hung DDT at the second attempt. Unnoticed by Orton, Cena sneaks in behind him and then grabs Wade Barrett. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on Barrett and the match ends in disqualification, in favour of Barrett. Orton loses the match, but retains the title. Cena attempts to give Orton the Championship, only to receive an RKO from The Viper. The announcers explain that since Barrett won the match, Cena won't be fired from WWE. Orton poses with the WWE Championship as Bragging Rights goes off the air.
==Reception==
The Sun newspaper in the UK gave mixed reviews scroing Bragging Rights 2010 a 5 out of 10. 
The interpromotional match between WWE US champion Daniel Bryan and Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler was highly praised, described as a "cracker" and "It was always likely that this would be the best bout of the night, but it still surpassed expectations".
The main event between Undertaker and Kane was described as stale and uninspiring.
The seven-on-seven Raw vs Smackdown match was adequate. There were some really nice exchanges - mostly involved combinations of Kofi, Sheamus, Punk and Edge - but some ropey ones too and a near-silent crowd didn't help raise the excitement levels.
The second main event between WWE Champion Randy Orton and Nexus leader Wade Barrett was described as a headscratcher and a disappointing way to close the show.
==Results==
;
;
*Dark Match: Montel Vontavious Porter defeated Chavo Guerrero
*United States Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) in a non-title match (16:14)
*The Nexus (David Otunga & John Cena) defeated The Dashing Ones (Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre) (c) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship (6:26)
*Ted DiBiase (w/ Maryse) defeated Goldust (w/ Aksana) (7:37)
*Layla (c) (w/ Michelle McCool) defeated Natalya to retain the WWE Divas Championship(4:51)
*Kane (c) (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (16:48)
*Team SmackDown (Captain Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Edge, Tyler Reks, Kofi Kingston) defeated Team RAW (Captain The Miz, R-Truth, John Morrison, Santino Marella, Sheamus, CM Punk, Ezekiel Jackson) in an 14-man Interpromotional Elimination tag team match (27:54)
*Wade Barrett (w/ John Cena) defeated Randy Orton (c) by disqualification in a WWE Championship match (14:32)
==Team Raw vs Team Smackdown eliminations==
:
Elimination # 	Team colour 	Wrestler 	Team 	Eliminated by 	Elimination move 	Time
1 	 	Santino Marella 	Team RAW 	Tyler Reks 	Backbreaker rack dropped into a DDT 	2:36
2 	 	Kofi Kingston 	Team Smackdown 	Sheamus 	High Cross 	6:49
3 	 	Jack Swagger 	Team Smackdown 	John Morrison 	Starship Pain 	13:04
4 	 	Tyler Reks 	Team Smackdown 	Sheamus 	Brogue Kick 	14:22
5 	 	The Big Show 	Team Smackdown 	No one 	Countout 	15:17
6 	 	Sheamus 	Team RAW 	No one 	Countout 	15:17
7 	 	R-Truth 	Team RAW 	Edge 	Spear 	16:31
8 	 	John Morrison 	Team RAW 	Edge 	Spear 	16:57
9 	 	Alberto Del Rio 	Team Smackdown 	CM Punk 	Back Slide 	17:51
10 	 	CM Punk 	Team RAW 	Rey Mysterio 	619 	23:54
11 	 	Ezekiel Jackson 	Team RAW 	Rey Mysterio 	619 	26:01
12 	 	The Miz 	Team RAW 	Edge 	Spear 	27:13
Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio	Winner: Team Smackdown - Edge & Rey Mysterio
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Jerry Lawler
*Michael Cole
*Matt Striker
;Interviewers
*Josh Mathews	
;Ring announcer
*Justin Roberts
*Tony Chimel
;Referees
*Justin King
*Mike Chioda
*John Cone
*Chad Patton
*Charles Robinson
*John Cone
==See also==
*List of WWE pay-per-view events
*WWE Event History
*Bragging Rights
==DVD release==
* Bragging Rights 2010
==External links==
* Official Bragging Rights website
* Bragging Rights 2010 at CAGEMATCH.net
* Bragging Rights 2010 at Online World of Wrestling
* on WWE Network
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Category:Bragging Rights
Category:2010 pay-per-view events
Category:Events with Buried Alive matches