This will be a new post PPV feature that will attempt to grade out how everyone who appeared on the PPV did. Teams will be treated as a unit with standout performers highlighted. To see a quick breakdown of the match and who won, just click that wrestler’s name. Let’s get to the Report Card!
The Miz: A-
The Miz was excellent in this- a heel leader who could run a real stable- meanwhile the wrestling and work was very good. I’m impressed with Miz as a heel, not as a personality, for the first time in awhile.
The WWE seems to have lost faith in Ziggler. He lost clean to Morrison, now he was essentially squashed by Evan Bourne.
Jack Swagger: B-
He didn’t do a lot, but what he did do is create a feud to look forward to. He and Morrison showed they could be memorable together.
Sheamus: A+
Sheamus looked like a beast again. He eliminated tough guys with ease and the guy who shuts him up for talking trash about it will be wildly over. Until then, he seems legitimately dangerous, unlike…
Drew McIntyre: A-
Drew didn’t look dangerous so much as wily. He eliminated guys with great timing. That isn’t bad, he’s just more of a fighter than a dominator. He’s a guy ready to have a memorable feud with Finlay right now.
John Morrison: C-
Morrison needs to work on his fire. He’s amazing in exhibitions, but when called on to do more, such as fight against multiple heels, he becomes just another wrestler. That makes him a great mid-carder but not one for the main event.
Finlay: C
Finlay didn’t do much, but is so tough that just him staring down Sheamus got the crowd popping.
Matt Hardy: D-
Sucks.
Shelton is great, truly, but he was a charisma black hole. The moves and athleticism are right, but he really needs more meaning between them.
Evan Bourne: B
Bourne didn’t look amazing, but he looked good against Ziggler, a guy surely higher on the card than him. That’s really all you can ask- he isn’t going to get a huge push- but steady elevation is in play.
Rey Mysterio: C-
Rey seemed off tonight. Reports of his hurt knees now seem more likely as Batista isn’t a good enough worker to hide Rey’s injury like some other recent opponents might.
Batista: B
Not great, Batista was an effective icy killer tonight. Unfortunately, the WWE refuses to notice that this is the type of wrestler fans want to cheer, not boo. Still, Batista seems a step above the other heels in the company through sheer dangerousness- no mean feat.
Cody Rhodes: B
Cody looked good. He was sneaky and effective, even looking dangerous several times. I don’t know that he’ll be a star, but he’s looking more and more valuable as a role player.
Ted Dibiase: F
Ted did nothing tonight and I really believe this is by design. Cody constantly acts heelish and draws heat, but Ted stays in the background and just works. This might make for an effective face turn, or might get the fans used to seeing him as persona non grata.
William Regal: C-
I’m used to Regal standing out more in these situations. The fans just weren’t against him and he didn’t do anything to increase that.
CM Punk: A-
Punk is wildly effective at drawing heat, putting on amazing back and forth exchanging and giving just enough selling to make whatever happens to him matter. He’s a true top guy now.
Randy Orton: C-
Orton looked really strong, yet stupid. Hiding outside instead of pressing his 2-on-1 advantage on Kofi with Punk simply made no sense. That and how he eliminated guys earlier overly foreshadowed his fall at the end, making a great match merely very good.
Kofi Kingston: A+
And then there’s Kofi. He’s going to have to lose in his final one-on-one match with Orton otherwise the fans might turn on him for being over-pushed. He’s beaten Orton physically, in verbal exchanges, out-smarted him and pinned him on Pay Per View. Wow.
R-Truth: C
Eliminated quickly and inoffensively, as befitting someone in his spot against a main eventer.
Mark Henry: F
Just weak. They can’t waste a giant this way. I have no idea why anyone would care about him anymore.
MVP: D
MVP lasted a good while and did nothing. His offense looked weak and he looked lost. Turn him heel already!
Christian: B+
Christian would have been the star of his team were Kofi not on a mission right now. He and Punk, especially, have awesome chemistry and need to be moved to the same brand so they can feud.
The Undertaker: C-
He’s hurt. He’s smart enough to work, but he limps around and is hurt. Enough, get the belt off him and let the man rest up for Wrestlemania!
Chris Jericho: A-
Poor Chris, as always, gets the lion’s share of the work to no credit. He was awesome here, gluing a match with a hurt guy and a slow guy into something good.
Big Show: B-
It’s not his fault he’s slow and they put him with a hurt Undertaker. He, as usual, worked hard and looked an effective monster. He’s so much deadlier on Raw or Smackdown than Pay Per View, though.
The Divas: C
Let’s be honest- they didn’t stand out tonight. They were filler between main events and the ending was the default top two faces survive.
John Cena: A+
I said last week for TNA, participation in an instant classic match means you get an A+. More, Cena did the majority of the in-ring work here, with Shawn and Hunter bouncing him around for the majority of the match. It wasn’t his story, much like last month wasn’t Daniels story, but Cena has such presence he still felt important.
Shawn Michaels: A+
Damn, he’s amazing.
Triple H: A+
Anyone who wonders why I hate Triple H need look no further than this match. This is what Triple H is about- amazing matches, perfect psychology, great storytelling, and giant bumping, then selling like he’s been shot. He almost always has the psychology and storytelling down, but he so often ignores the bumping and selling for anyone… well anyone but Shawn, Cena and, for some reason, Jeff Hardy, the lack of him showing vulnerability ruins his matches. He could be so much more.
Oh and for the record, the Cena-Triple H-Shawn Michaels match was every bit as good as Joe-Daniels-AJ. Well-played WWE.
