Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK Certification 15 | UK RRP £17.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 167 minutes
World Wrestling Entertainment invaded the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota back on the night of October 24, 2010 with the second incarnation of Bragging Rights, the one show of the year where the red and blue ropes are donned and RAW and SmackDown collide in a colossal tag team match. The E's second pay-per-view of the month, the company didn't do a great job of rocking the WWE Universe and produced only a couple of minor thrills throughout the near three-hour event. Despite a strong start, things only turned sour as the evening progressed, culminating in one of the most humdrum events of the year and cementing the fall pay-per-view line-up as the opposite of enthralling – even dull and lifeless – regardless of a number of somewhat strong episodes of RAW and SmackDown in the weeks leading up to the showdowns. 
If I worked with half and quarter stars, etc, this match would be just ¼ away from being a four-star match-up. This was an excellent way to begin the pay-per-view, and what a shame it was that it had to go so far downhill from the end of this non-title contest, as the Intercontinental Champion Ziggler faced off against United States Champion Bryan. These two have great chemistry in the ring and pretty much blew everyone away. Until this bout, I hadn't heard a “This is awesome” chant in the WWE for quite a while, and even though it was short-lived, the match well and truly deserved it. Displaying their technical prowess and general ability to embody the second W in WWE – something that is not quite as common as it once was – the crowd was electric for this opener, which turned out to be not only the best exhibition of singles action on the card, but ultimately the best match of the night as well.
Tag Team Titles: Rhodes & McIntyre (c) vs. David Otunga & John Cena ??
Here came another pay-per-view bonus match and it was a throwaway encounter for the Tag Team Championship. Wade Barrett accepted the open challenge of Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, who would soon after dub themselves “The Chosen Ones” for about a week before they split up, and presented the champs with the dysfunctional team of David “A-List” Otunga and the Nexus' newest acquisition as of Hell in a Cell, John Cena. Cena did all the work in this match and practically won the titles by himself, playing well to his refusal to work with his faction partner. This was an interesting way to further the internal feud in the Nexus and continue to tease a possible Otunga breakaway from the group, especially the following night on RAW where he and Cena dropped the belts to Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater at the request of Barrett, but the match itself wasn't in the least bit spectacular. It was also pretty lackluster to see Rhodes and McIntyre have such a short and unmemorable run with the gold, not to mention as partners, as they could have been made into quite the formidable team.
Goldust vs. Ted DiBiase ??
I can't remember the last time I saw Goldust have a match on pay-per-view – it's been years – but this last-minute addition to Bragging Rights was a solid little match, worth close to three stars, and showed exactly just how much he can still go in the ring. Although it felt like it belonged on RAW rather than at such an event, it would have made quite the talking point on an episode of the Monday night show. I'm always open to seeing more of Goldust, and after his performance with DiBiase with the Million Dollar Championship looming over the physical proceedings, I'd definitely like to see the golden one take on another new school talent in singles competition.
Divas Championship: Layla (c) vs. Natalya ?
World Heavyweight Championship Buried Alive Match: Kane (c) vs. The Undertaker ??
Well well well, Kane defeated the legendary Deadman once again and retained his World Heavyweight Title, but with thanks to the assistance of the Nexus who rather randomly attacked The Undertaker and helped the Devil's Favourite Demon dump him into the grave. Why Nexus attacked, we still don't know, and we're months removed from the event, but the plan is reportedly to build to a 'Taker/Wade Barrett match at WrestleMania 27 once the Phenom makes his return after vanishing as a result of being 'buried alive'.
This match was like watching a not-as-good repeat of their No Holds Barred bout at Night of Champions. They brawled around the arena yet again, and once they finally reached the six-foot deep grave site, it was over in a matter of a few minutes without as much as a few teases as to who was perhaps about to be smothered in dirt. They didn't redeem themselves after their less than stellar Hell in a Cell match earlier in the month, and who knows if there is going to be any more conflict between the Brothers of Destruction once The Undertaker comes back.
7-on-7 Bragging Rights Elimination Match: Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown ???
Last year's inaugural Bragging Rights tag team match got a little confusing being that it was one fall to a finish with all 14 Superstars. It was only in 2010 that the elimination stipulation was added, which was a good thing, but this close to Survivor Series? Bragging Rights as a whole would work better if it was a lot earlier in the year instead of being an autumn tradition. But as for this year's titular match itself, which featured The Miz, Sheamus, Santino Marella, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Ezekiel Jackson (Team RAW) against The Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Tyler Reks, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Edge (Team SmackDown), it was good. Nothing more, nothing less. What I will say though is that The Miz as team captain, and being the last to be pinned, elevated him to the next level. Between the build-up for Bragging Rights and the show itself, there was a pretty major transition for his character, and as we know, it was just a few short weeks until he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion.
WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Wade Barrett w/ John Cena ??
The WWE tested the water with Barrett in the main event of the evening with the Brit's first one-on-one shot at the WWE Title. And while he did a decent job in the spotlight, the match wasn't anything to write home about and plain-sailed for almost 15 minutes with both men working at a slow pace. I particularly enjoyed the finish where Cena nailed the Attitude Adjustment on Barrett to ensure that he won the match via disqualification after Cena was ordered to help him win it, rather than the WWE Championship specifically. That was a smart direction to go and just about the only logical way to extend the longevity of the feud going into the next pay-per-view, Survivor Series, where the two next met with Cena in the mix once again, but as the special guest referee. The angle was good, but the match wasn't up to scratch, and so it came off as an unbalanced and reasonably weak end to the show.
EXTRAS ? The two special features included on the disc are Josh Mathews' interview with Team SmackDown after their victory over the RAW Superstars (a home video exclusive); and a video package entitled Undertaker's Last Ride?, which is from the first episode of SmackDown following the Bragging Rights event that shows the Deadman walking through a dark corridor filled with his signature purple light, and then opening a door that engulfs the room and screen with white light.