Over the Limit 2010: One Great Rivalry Payoff Inside an Injury-Riddled Show

Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre open the pay-per-view with a title match that has useful story baggage but never receives enough time to become a major attraction. Kingston wrestles with urgency after having his tournament championship recognition overturned, while McIntyre leans into the arrogance of Vince McMahon's chosen favorite. The early suicide dive gives the challenger momentum, and McIntyre's control work keeps the match from becoming a sprint. Kingston counters the Future Shock DDT and wins with the S.O.S., creating a clean championship change that the audience can understand immediately. Matt Hardy attacking McIntyre afterward adds another storyline beat. The result is satisfying, but six minutes keeps the match closer to strong television than a substantial pay-per-view opener.

R-Truth and Ted DiBiase are working from a straightforward character feud, and the match never finds much beyond that foundation. DiBiase's new millionaire persona and Virgil's presence give him a recognizable role, while Truth's refusal to become his servant provides the babyface motivation. The action is competent but plain, with Virgil creating an early distraction before Truth rallies. A counter from the top rope and the Lie Detector finish give Truth a clean victory without unnecessary interference at the end. Nothing is badly executed, yet the match feels like a Raw segment placed on pay-per-view. It advances the story and gets out before becoming tedious, but there is little here that rewards a later revisit.

Rey Mysterio and CM Punk deliver the card's clearest success by combining months of personal hostility with a stipulation that finally promises closure. Punk's forehead cut forces an awkward blood stoppage, but the wrestlers recover quickly and keep the match from losing its intensity. Mysterio survives Punk's control and catches him with a crucifix cradle for the pin, triggering the hair stipulation after earlier chapters had delayed it. The Straight Edge Society attacks after the bell, only for Kane to intervene and create the opening for Mysterio to handcuff Punk to the ropes. The shaving scene gives the rivalry the humiliating payoff it has been building toward. The wrestling is sharp, the crowd is invested, and the finish matters.

The Hart Dynasty, Chris Jericho and The Miz provide one of the night's few matches that feels complete from opening exchange to finish. Jericho and Miz isolate both champions at different points, giving the challengers enough control to make the title defense feel uncertain. Tyson Kidd's speed and David Hart Smith's power create useful contrast once the champions rally, while Natalya's ringside involvement adds a small layer of chaos. The Hart Attack on Miz produces a clean enough finish and confirms the champions as more than transitional belt-holders. Contemporary criticism singled this out alongside Punk-Mysterio as one of the show's better matches, and that judgment holds up. It is not spectacular, but it is structured, energetic and satisfying.

Edge and Randy Orton begin with enough history and star power to suggest a major grudge match, then circumstances take control of the result. The former Rated-RKO partners work a deliberate opening built around familiarity, with Edge using the barricade and Orton answering with the rope-hung DDT. As Orton prepares for the RKO, he legitimately injures his shoulder, forcing the match into an improvised closing stretch. Edge later misses a spear at ringside, and neither man returns before the ten count. The double countout protects both wrestlers but gives the audience no competitive payoff. Because the injury is real, the anticlimax is understandable rather than careless. As a match, however, it remains incomplete and difficult to recommend.

Jack Swagger's world-title defense against Big Show is the event's most damaging booking decision because it makes the champion look overwhelmed almost immediately. Big Show dominates the brief match while Swagger struggles to establish any control or credible counteroffense. Rather than survive through strategy, Swagger simply uses the championship belt and gets disqualified. The post-match chair attack also fails to restore him because Show recovers, chokeslams the champion and lands the knockout punch. The sequence may preserve the title mechanically, but it strips Swagger of authority at the exact moment his new reign needs it most. The match lasts barely five minutes and ends without a satisfying competitive story. Contemporary criticism of the finish is completely understandable.

Eve Torres and Maryse are given only five minutes, which makes the championship match feel like another piece of connective tissue rather than a featured defense. Maryse controls the early portion until a missed kick into the ring post creates the opening for Eve's comeback. Eve mixes dropkicks, a standing moonsault and a sunset flip into a compact burst of offense, while Maryse counters enough to keep the match from becoming one-sided. The champion ultimately reverses the French Kiss attempt into the winning pin. The execution is adequate and the title remains on the correct wrestler for the story, but the bout receives no time to build atmosphere or drama. It is competent, brief and largely forgettable.

John Cena and Batista finally give their spring rivalry the decisive finish that Extreme Rules avoided. The I Quit stipulation lets both men survive submission attempts and heavy damage without relying on pinfall near-finishes, which gives the match a different rhythm from their earlier encounters. The fight moves through ringside, the crowd and the entrance stage, with an announce-table crash and a car on the stage escalating the spectacle. Batista eventually quits when Cena threatens an Attitude Adjustment from the car onto the stage. Cena performs the move anyway, sending Batista through the set and closing the rivalry with a memorable visual. Blood stoppages interrupt the flow, but the match still delivers a clear winner and an appropriate final chapter.