WWE WrestleMania 29: CM Punk vs. The Undertaker
Punk had been playing some big time mind games leading up to this, so it only made sense for Taker to start all hot n' fiery, and I love how Punk continues those mind games in the beginning w/ them slaps. The whole little cat & mouse game they play is pretty fun. Taker gets a nice lil' segment to kick Punk's ass in slowish, more methodical fashion, and it's solid stuff -- Punk gaining the control by reversing the Old School & then a minute later successfully doing the move himself was a great dick move. Punk on top is pretty good, but maybe not the most compelling he could be. I did really like his cut-offs of Taker's comeback attempts, and talking about those, Taker teasing the dive was such a great moment; I remember in 2013 thinking that there is no way he is gonna do that move, but they got me good w/ the tease. Another GREAT bit was the count out tease after Punk's Elbow Drop -- genuinely one of the better big match count out teases there has been. They kick the thing into its finishing gear after that, and it's all about them big time moves, counters & nearfalls; my favorite moments from that section of the thing are Taker rising from the ground & staring a hole through Punk while Punk had the Anaconda Vice locked in + the Tombstone kickout after Taker bounced off the ropes to do it. Now the match isn't as amazing as I wanted to remember it being -- it's still really damn good, but the wrestling isn't quite as compelling as I remembered. Def 100% worth the watch though, as it's definitely one of Taker's best WM matches, and all in all just a really nice big time WrestleMania style banger. ***3/4
WWE Payback 2013: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
This is better than I remembered. It's not great or anything, but comparing it to their 2012 PPV meetings, it's so much better. The atmosphere is fantastic & as Punk is coming back after a little hiatus, I really dig how they play that ring rust into the match throughout. Jericho is a bit meaner than usual too w/ the crowd obviously being 200% in favor of his opponent -- I can't tell if that's the sole reason, but for some reason(s) he just FELT so much more compelling w/ his work here than he did in most of his other matches during this time period. That little mean-streak sure helped. Overall the match sure is quite 'workrate-y' in its structure and all, but they executed that well without it getting too cute or into the overkill zone, I thought. And in many ways it played into the story of Punk's ring rust nicely. The Chicago definitely helped in the grand scheme of things as well. The February '13 match between the two remains their best, but this is a close 2nd. ***
WWE Money In The Bank 2013: CM Punk vs. Christian vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Sheamus
This was a lot of fun. Especially everything after that awesome Sheamus rampage run is some really good stuff. The absolute highlight for me is Bryan's fiery flurry where he takes out everyone. That ruled, and so did the rest of the match; they very much had the whole multi-man trope going w/ it mostly being two guys fighting in the ring while the rest of the competitors lay outside, but it's still good stuff. It feels like a scrappy fight throughout, and I felt like especially Bryan, Sheamus & Punk delivered great performances. The angle at the end w/ Heyman betraying Punk is executed pretty fantastically too, with Punk's excellent facial expressions really selling the deal. ***3/4
No comments:
Post a Comment