From what I gather, this falls into the “if you know, you know” category.

Truthfully though, I don’t.

As someone who initially got into wrestling in what felt like the midsts of the PG era, looking back on on anything from this set of years is, well, odd. I was seven years old in 2010. I couldn’t even tell you something specific from this year of my life, but that isn’t to say that this doesn’t feel familiar. One could twist that into commentary for how long the PG product of WWE dragged on, or about how it still has never really ended, and make no mistake, that’s mostly the point I’m making. But if 2008 was when the company concretely decided to be PG, then you best believe it was in it’s most insufferable form in 2010. One year before the summer of punk v2, but two years to weed out whatever bits of quality PG-13 stuff that was left from the Ruthless Aggression era. So for as much as I want to take away to the sensibility and intricacies of this thing, I’m hung up on one thing.

This era of WWE programing is somehow even more insufferable.

It’s not anything specific either, not just one thing to overlook. So much of this feels like it’s purposefully designed to scare you away, from the hideously contrasted lighting, commentary that feels insulting to anyone beyond a 5th grade education, and woefully dull and unappreciative crowd. With that mess, the barrier of entry for anyone who wants to use their critical thinking skills feels insurmountable. I get that makes me sound a little shortsighted and more than a bit of a stick in the mud, I do. Chances are if you’re reading this you were probably specifically looking for a review on this match anyway, and chances are you’ve acknowledged the pitfalls that come with this not-so-distant period. Fight me all you want on that, tell me how easy it is to work around these things. I don’t care. You may hurt me, but never insult me.

Image via World Wrestling Entertainment

And I tell you, I too knew what I’m getting into. It’s why I clicked the play button. But man, to see something like this get undermined is what hurts the soul most. This is happening at the same time that Yoshihito Sasaki was crashing his skull into everything, and when Ikeda and Ono were putting on unparalleled displays of violence. Don’t get it wrong, Sheamus and Johnny aren’t trying to do anything similar, but it is something as honest, and there is some nastiness to be found while they’re at it. It’s just a shame that all the camera cuts give you a headache, and that the only commentary Michael Cole is clever enough to come up with that attempts to buy you in is insinuating that the very fake looking ladders are made of steel, which he repeats four times in a row, at the climax of the match, for some reason.

But whatever, right?

No push back from me if you told me this is the best ladder match ever. Seriously. Through all my complaining and the bitter taste, seriously. It’s certainly the best WWE one (though that’s not a high bar). The match feels competitive, logical, and mean at the right moments. Look no further than the undeniably cool ladder-assisted knee breaker Sheamus hits. It’s missing blood, sure, but it makes up for it with some creativity brutal knee work and great babyface selling. Nothing feels too forced either, maybe outside a little conveniently slow ladder climbing, but even that’s toned down from what you’d normally see from this gimmick. There’s a real point A to point B flow to this thing in the best way possible. Even the result feels correct, evolving past just WWE wanting to put on a Miz/Morrison title match, which, a gross though within itself, but hey, that aside, this boils down to something that for 20 minutes, the bigger, more correct idea shines though. This is a ladder match, and despite how hard the WWE tries to push me away, this actually looks like what’d you’d logically dream the gimmick can look like.

So for as much as it might’ve seemed like I was telling you otherwise, I think anyone who’s had their time wasted by these awful TLC style matches owes themselves this one. Because for as much as everything and everyone outside Sheamus and Morrison try to morph this into the phoniest version of itself possible, they do fail. This rocks. Even in a year as great as 2010, I’d dare say this is a gem.

As for a rating? I don’t know man. Maybe find the highest quality fancam you can and mute it. In that world, a genuine stunner this one is, decade list contender type stuff, if that footage exists. Otherwise, comfortably great, but nothing more for reasons that aren’t entirely fair.

Rating: ****