10 Wrestling Matches Better Than They Had Any Right To Be
6. Rey Mysterio Vs. Jack Swagger - WWE Money In The Bank 2010
Jack Swagger's reign with the World Heavyweight strap was so forgettable, and treated with such ambivalence by those who elected to crown him in the first instance, that his mandatory rematch with Rey Mysterio was an entirely predictable nuisance - something to be trotted out halfheartedly before Rey's real summer series could begin in earnest. Many anticipated that he'd go over handily in a short-ish match which, like the rest of Swagger's title defences, would not stretch beyond the *** level.
They were right on two of those fronts - but the match was a thriller, far better than most had predicted.
Swagger wrestled like he had something to prove, throwing around the game Mysterio like an invertebrate. The size difference - something even Mysterio's better opponents often struggled to work around - added to the drama more than it hindered suspension of disbelief. As was often the case, Mysterio's role as underdog was the natural narrative throughline, but the predictable pattern was entertainingly expanded through a series of inventive reversals - not least of which the Frankensteiner-into-the-ankle-lock towards the finish.
Swagger's rangy physique and athleticism allowed him to both credibly dominate Mysterio and sell believably for him, in a performance which apparently went unnoticed - he disappeared from PPV radar shortly thereafter.