5) World Heavyweight Championship Match
Jack Swagger (w/ Zeb Coulter) vs. Alberto del Rio (c) (w/ Ricardo)
After over a month of listening to the bigotry of Zeb Coulter, and experiences the brutality of Jack Swagger towards his friend and personal ring announcer, Alberto del Rio would finally get the chance to put his title on the line against his “real American” rival. Both guys spent the whole match working over limbs, trying to set up their respective finishing moves. Zeb Coulter provided a handy distraction for his student, but in the end the champion was able to lock in his submission for the victory.
Results: Alberto del Rio retains via submission; Cross Arm Breaker
I am a huge fan of submission specialists, as almost always they turn out to be the best overall ring workers. Both del Rio and Swagger are veterans of technical wrestling, and bring a certain amount of legitimacy to their in-ring presence. It’s worth noting that I’m actually one of the few Alberto del Rio fans, and I personally think Jack Swagger’s current heel run is working, and Zeb Coulter is the miracle worker that made it happen. They also had the longest build up to their match, so the finish was an actual payoff for almost two months of feuding.
I love that they worked a traditional submission match at a very quick pace. Del Rio is the kind of face champion that doesn’t spend fifteen minutes on his back – it’s why I enjoy his work. And Swagger has some of the best holds and suplexes in the business. From beginning to end, although it didn’t quite have the passion and vibe as say, one of the other main events, I found this World Championship contest to be completely enjoyable.
Grade: B+
