2016 Ongoing MOTY List: Big E vs. Rusev

Big E v. Rusev WWE Raw 3/21

ER: Well this wasn't what I was expecting. WWE TV has been a wasteland of bad matches and bad angles, painful to even fast forward through. In 2014 we had *18* WWE TV matches on our MOTY list. 18!! Watching WWE TV two years ago felt like a really good match could break out any minute. And here we are practically a quarter way through the new year and I haven't even considered recommending a TV match to Phil until now. TV matches have felt medicated and dry. I got tired of New Day as quickly as I started to enjoy New Day. League of Nations has been dead in the water since their inception. But this match was the first time in months something felt a little different, something felt a little off, the guys looked like they were fighting for something. The match had it's flaws, some holes, but the energy was there and Big E in particular worked as if his job depended on it. The whole spectacle was really fun with LoN tossing around Kofi and Xavier on the floor, and Big E going nuts inside, spearing Rusev in the corner and crushing him with a nasty apron splash. E takes a big bump into the steps but back in the ring starts chucking Rusev around with huge suplexes. Big E has probably the best standing splash in history, and I loved Rusev getting the knees up on it (with the hang time allowing more time for a reversal) and later him hitting it. Guys kept fighting on the floor and seamlessly interfering in the match, and it led to E hitting his lunatic spear to the floor and Kofi kicking Rusev in the head. E was seriously on fire during this, like he had to work like a maniac or else some madman would blow up a commuter bus. The strength spots like him standing up out of the Accolade into an electric chair looked awesome, but then the way he was throwing his body around in this was just nuts. You usually don't see guys taking risks a couple weeks before Mania, and Raw needed this kind of momentary energy.

PAS: I liked the poor mans WAR v. NJ feel of this match, with both squads brawling on the floor while the big guys kill each other. I really liked street fight Xavier using a drop toe hold and go behind to take guys out. That spear to the floor was fucking bonkers looking and Big E was working his ass off for a random RAW match. I remember these two having good matches last year, and this feels like an under the radar awesome match up.


2016 MOTY MASTER LIST