AEW Dynamite 04/29: Rhodes Bros Edition

AEW DYNAMITE 04/29/20

Cody vs. Darby Allin

They do the 50/50'ish babyface vs babyface work well w/ their own little touches, and it's pretty good stuff. I liked Darby going after the knee after Cody clutched it when trying to get up from Darby's early pin attempt, but I did think it was a little confusing when Darby started going after the other knee as well -- I mean, I CAN understand it, but he also only did a few moves to the right knee, while maintaining the bigger focus on the knee Cody originally seemingly hurt aka the left one. It shouldn't be that confusing, but I just thought it was. It felt like a legit mistake rather than a pro-wrestling gameplan of weakening the man by going after both knees. Feels extremely picky to mention that, but it's what I remember the match most for, so. The finish was pretty weak, but I understand why they went for it & the actual stretch leading to it was neat w/ Cody trying to go for Darby's signature Coffin Drop, only for Darby to say "eat shit", counter it & do it himself. All in all, a solid match as always with these two, but I do think it's easily the weakest of their 1-on-1 meetings thus far. **1/2

Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer

Archer is a dominant monster of a man & Dustin is an older babyface looking to show that the veteran still has a few tricks up his sleeve to go and get that victory. On paper, that dynamic sounds SO GOOD, and I was genuinely excited to see how the match went, and while by the end it was solid, I was disappointed in it. I really wanted to LOVE it, but the reality is that it just wasn't that interesting. Was it bad? No, not even close, but it also wasn't anything to write home about, really. Archer wasn't at his most compelling form, doing slow, methodical work on top for most of the match, and I really didn't care for most of Dustin's comebacks either. It felt like they were trying to go for the narrative of Archer being a real vicious monster, but most of his work left me cold, as it felt like generic TV-heelwork rather than the Mark Henry 2011 hype he was given by the commentary. Even the blood didn't really add anything either, at least not until the last few minutes w/ Archer exposing that turnbuckle & smashing Dustin's face. Everything after that ruled -- looooved the drama increasing when QT, Cody & Arn came out, but that's only a few minutes of a 20-something minute match. **1/4

ROH CROWNING A CHAMPION

ROH CROWNING A CHAMPION 07/27/02

Boogalou & Homicide vs. DeVito & Loc

A WILD ASS FIGHT that takes good care of the stipulation they're given & the angle they had going into this. All 4 men rock in this, beating the crap out of one another, with multiple weapons included. Homicide rules so much. ***1/4

Christopher Daniels vs. Doug Williams vs. Low Ki vs. Spanky

It's a 60-minute Iron Man match, so it's a real long boy. It's compelling for the whole runtime though; some parts are interesting, and then some parts are VERY interesting. I thought that Doug Williams was the highlight of the first 20-something minutes w/ his great, submission-heavy work. He even started that attack on Low Ki's leg, which created for some nice little drama, and was indeed a joy to watch. That "Torture Device" submission looked superb. That legwork created for some other highlight moments for me as well, notably with Daniels stopping Ki's attempts at getting something going w/ those vicious looking chop blocks. If I had to name my favorite move of the match -- THE move of the match, I'd go for the 2nd one where Daniels counters Ki's Tidal Wave attempt w/ that said chop block. Shortly after that, the first fall is made, and it's been really good stuff so far. The next 15-17 minutes leading to the 2nd fall are some good stuff too, with the highlight moment of that portion being Ki breaking up Daniels' Koji Clutch on Williams w/ that diving foot stomp, and then immediately selling that worked over leg afterwards. After Ki gets his first fall, the urgency rises & the match kicks into more of a 2nd gear you could say, and that's where the story between Daniels & Ki gets to shine, but both Spanky & Williams also get plenty of time to look really good in there. When you, or at least every time when I look at this match on paper, I just think there is no way it will hold up. But it always does. The 4 men involved, Daniels, Williams, Ki & Spanky really went out there and had a fantastic 1-hour match. It's just terrific. Certainly more than worthy of being the first ever ROH Title match. ****

ROH ROAD TO THE TITLE

ROH ROAD TO THE TITLE 06/22/02

Paul London vs. Spanky

The future Londrick explodes! Totally loved this. It's an all-action sub-10 minute sprint with no downtime whatsoever. They go at a fast pace right from the get go, and it never lets up. Everything looks really good, crisp & pretty vicious + also comes with a nice sense of urgency. ***1/2

AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn

This is, for the most part, generic early 2000s workrate stuff, aka not the most compelling way it could've gone, BUT since it's Styles & Lynn, it's pretty good for sure & at least somewhat interesting. Gotta say that the match did drag by the end though -- could've easily shaved a few minutes off & it would've been a better, tighter package. Shout-out to AJ briefly attacking Lynn's arm, which was a nice twist, and I do wish it would've lasted longer & been more of a major thing in the match, as it was easily the most interesting portion of the thing. **3/4

American Dragon vs. Doug Williams

Very matwork & submission heavy, which was to be expected from this pairing. It's some very good stuff -- the dynamic of young American Dragon having to fight from underneath against the veteran Doug Williams & his many tricks was pretty charming. Good sense of competition, fun dynamic, great work by both men involved, a very good match! ***1/2

Amazing Red vs. Low Ki

THE Matrix sequence that we see in the opening minutes is still pretty insane. Rest of the match is just great w/ Ki mostly being on top, roughing Red up, while Red busts out some hope spots & comeback bursts. It's such a natural dynamic between the two, because Ki was (& still is) such an ass-kicker, and Red looked small even compared to him. Some highlights for me were Ki just murdering Red with that rolling kick to stop his hot-streak, Red countering Ki's Tidal Wave attempt with an explosive dropkick, Ki stopping Red's dive-to-the-outside attempt with a KNEE to the head, Ki just aggressively smashing Red into the corner, making him spill to the outside, and of course then that finish w/ that sick SUPER Ki Krusher. Ki is at his best when he is eating his opponents lunch, and that's what he did here, for the most part. And the parts where he didn't do that are also great, so it's definitely a superb match all in all. Easy MOTN. ****

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

It definitely goes on for too long, which makes it three AJ Styles ROH matches in a row to do that up to this point, but there's some greatness in there, so I would call it a good match overall. Very solid & good matwork in the beginning, and the match really picks up once AJ gets busted open & Daniels goes after that cut relentlessly. The bomb-section or the finishing gear wasn't anything very memorable, but these two sure make every move look impactful & mean, so it's not bad stuff by any means. A good match & a really good Chris Daniels performance. ***

ROH NIGHT OF APPRECIATION

ROH NIGHT OF APPRECIATION 04/27/02

AJ Styles vs. Low Ki

By the end, this went on for a few minutes too long. It felt like the two didn't have enough material to do a match this long at this point, as there's quite a few moments in the match where there feels to be a good dead minute or two. All in all it's enjoyable stuff though, as the two sure beat the crap out of each other, with Low Ki especially (unsurprisingly) being a great ass-kicker. Those Kawada Kicks of his are just nasty in the best ways possible. Definitely a more-than solid ROH debut for AJ Styles, and Ki continued his streak of strong performances. And it sure did set-up the inevitable re-match between them pretty much perfectly. ***1/4

Christopher Daniels vs. Donovan Morgan

Technically sound, and while Donovan Morgan lacked any soul or charisma in all of his bits on the offense, Daniels was great. They do the dueling neck-targeting deal, and it's solid stuff. Doesn't come close to the greatness of Daniels' neck-attack matches vs. Ki & Danielson from Round Robin Challenge, but like I said, it's solid enough stuff. **1/2

American Dragon vs. John Hope vs. Michael Shane vs. Paul London vs. Spanky

This is a HEARTBREAK GAUNTLET match. It's all former TWA students, and Bryan is dressed for the occasion by busting out the long boys. The match isn't very noteworthy, and it isn't until Spanky vs. Michael Shane goes down that it actually gets somewhat going. Spanky stood out already in 2002 w/ his charisma, and everything he does looks great. Him being the aggressor vs. Shane ruled, even busting him open & then working that cut. Danielson vs. Spanky is ultimately the finals match in this, and it's solid stuff, even though it does drag. Solid wrestling all around, but also very, very forgettable. **1/2

Amazing Red & Eddie Guerrero vs. Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo

This MATCH is actually pretty damn awful, with both of the Maximos & Red looking like complete amateurs, especially compared to the 4th man in the match, who just happens to be one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of rasslin' boots. It's still a great watch though, because it's Eddie, and the post-match is genuinely very, very heartwarming & wholesome stuff. <3 that man. If you're a fan of him, you need to see this whole package at least once, even if the actual match isn't good at all. *

ROH ROUND ROBIN CHALLENGE

ROH ROUND ROBIN CHALLENGE 03/30/02

American Dragon vs. Christopher Daniels

Everyone knows about Dragon's match vs. Low Ki from this same show, but this is quite a gem as well. The early stuff w/ both guys looking to gain true control of one another is some really, really good stuff, and I especially loved how Dragon was so insistent on using that headlock to wear Daniels down. Once Daniels gets a groove going, he pays Dragon's plan of wearing-him-down-by-the-neck back, and he does it oh-so viciously. He is super focused on beating Bryan by dropping him on his neck & slapping on those submissions for good measure. It's a great, compelling-to-watch gameplan, and Dragon's selling of it is really good. Loved him not being able to hit his suplex, and then later on in the match not being able to lock in the Cattle Mutilation, 'cause of the damage done to that neck. Daniels getting the win w/ the Crossface was a great pay-off & ending to the thing, too. Excellent match. ****

Christopher Daniels vs. Low Ki

Early on Low Ki just totally kicks Daniels' ass all over the place Low Ki style, but once Daniels' gets out of his flurry, he goes back to what worked for him earlier on the night -- he starts going after Low Ki's neck. Brainbusters, submissions; much like in that match vs. Bryan, Daniels' focus on the neck absolutely rules here. He is terrific dishing out the punishment, and Ki is really good from underneath with his hope spots -- the highlight of his work here sure was that tremendous finish w/ him spinning out of Daniels' hold, and locking in the Dragon Clutch for the win. With the big focus being on the neckwork, it's easy to say this was very similar to that Daniels vs. Dragon match from earlier, and it's true, but it also came with its own, awesome Low Ki twists & touches. I'd put both of the bouts on the same level. This was great. Ki & Danielson obviously went on to have that classic main event just a bit later, but Daniels' performances were extremely impressive on this night as well. ****

American Dragon vs. Low Ki

A classic. It's mostly contested on the mat, and to put it simply, these two brought some of the best, most compelling matwork seen in the US in the last (at least) 20 years here. It might not even be their best match against each other either, which is quite SOMETHING to think about. Each hold looks tight, and the way they flow through with each transition & everything, is top notch. The selling is also tremendous throughout, with them selling each major "happening" in the match big. Of course there's also plenty of strikes, and all of them look great. Ki going after Bryan's face & that injured eye was some vicious, gnarly & lovely stuff. The last third where they start busting out bigger bombs w/ a bigger sense of urgency is superb as well -- the Ki Crusher from the top is still a legitimate holy-shit move. I also love the last few minutes w/ the Cattle Mutilation drama, and Ki ultimately passing out to it was a great finale to the thing. Overall it's an excellent match that still stands the test of time. One minor "gripe" would be that it does feel every second of its 30+ minute duration, but it's no biggie, because the wrestling is super compelling from start to finish for 99% of it. The Era of Honor Begins triple threat was a terrific statement, but this is the first real classic match in ROH history. ****3/4

ROH THE ERA OF HONOR BEGINS

I'm gonna start going through the interest/good looking stuff from each ROH show, starting from their debut show here. It's something I've wanted to do for a long ass time, and well, I think it finally is the time, so lessss go!

ROH THE ERA OF HONOR BEGINS 02/23/02

Eddie Guerrero vs. Super Crazy

This has never been touted as a super (had to do it to 'em) match or anything, but I do think it's somewhat of an essential viewing. Both guys, especially Eddie, feel like huge stars here & were really big additions to Ring of Honor's debut show. The match is certainly rock solid too; they work a very simple dynamic of Eddie being on top for most of it, going a bit heelish & not giving Super Crazy an inch. Everything Eddie does looks absolutely phenomenal -- the brainbusters, backbreakers, that powerbomb, those stomps, punches n' uppercuts -- what a damn good pro-wrestler that man was. Super Crazy is really good throughout too with his more fast-paced comeback chains, and the finish with him "stealing" the win & surviving Eddie's onslaught w/ that roll-up was classic stuff & fit the story they told perfectly. Definitely a very good match. ***1/4

American Dragon vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Low Ki

The perfect way to finish off this historic show. Three hungry wrestlers going out there & giving the fans 20-minutes of non-stop action. That said action is compelling from bell-to-bell -- each man involved got plenty of time to shine & showcase their styles; Low Ki with those deadly strikes & explosiveness of his, Dragon with also his vicious strikes + terrific submission-game, and then Daniels with his great subtle veteran-shtick. Some highlights for me were Bryan's submission where he looks to be going for the Muta Lock, but instead he chickenwings the both arms of his opponent, Ki going ham w/ those Kawada Kicks on Bryan's face, the submissions on the top rope -- abdominal stretch by Daniels, Ki with that hanging Dragon Sleeper. So much submission & striking greatness in this! Also loved the bit where Bryan & Ki try to one-up one another by repeatedly kicking Daniels. Oh and of course there's also the legendary spot of Bryan having Daniels locked in the Cattle Mutilation, only for Ki to climb up & Phoenix Splash him to break the hold. It is largely a "get-your-shit-in" spotfest, but that is to be expected from 3-ways, and it still stands out in 2020 as a truly phenomenal one. The Era of Honor has indeed begun! ****

Murphy vs Rey

WWE RAW 04/20/20: Murphy vs. Rey Mysterio

After some early back & forth, Rey starts yelling about his finger being fucked, and he starts walking towards the doc sitting ringside, but of course that won't fly well w/ Murphy, who comes in and attacks Rey there. After that the target is clear, as Murphy starts dishing out punishment to that finger & hand; plenty of nasty stomps, slamming it to the post, slamming it on the steps, standing on it -- it's wonderfully vicious stuff. The empty arena makes each mentioned slam and stomp sound all the more brutal, too. Other than that great work on Rey's finger/hand, Murphy was overall very solid on the offense. He is awesomely explosive & impactful with each big move he busts out, and while he is a bit annoyingly thigh-slappy with his strikes (which stands out, in a non-good way in these empty arena matches), he still throws good ones for sure. Rey of course also delivers with his terrific comebacks, having to fight from underneath & all. I especially really loved that sliding head-scissors deal he did to Murphy, who got slammed into the barricade HARD 'cause of it. A very good match. ***1/2

The Summer of '13 marches on for D-Bry

WWE Payback 2013: Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

All the FIP segs are rock solid, and unsurprisingly the highlight of the entire match is Daniel Bryan's last hot tag, which is, once again, incredible. That Butterfly Suplex off the top rope to Rollins sure was the move of the match. They also overall tell the narrative of Reigns & Rollins being the more in-sync, experienced top-tier TEAM brilliantly while Bryan & Orton feel like two singles wrestlers thrown together. It fully shows in those moments where The Shield gets the advantage by capitalizing on the little miscommunications between Bryan & Orton -- it especially came into play in the finishing sequence, which was great stuff. I hadn't re-visited this match since it happened in 2013, and I gotta say it was better than I remembered. You COULD say that it's somewhat of a "forgotten" match in the Bryan vs. Shield series; it's nowhere near the best stuff they did that year, but it's a yet another absolute banger between 'em. A very good match. ***1/2

WWE RAW 06/24/13: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

This is a No DQ match, and they use that stipulation brilliantly w/ nasty kendo stick shots, a couple of nice table spots & also a few chairshots. They also start it very hot, as they start going at it right away, and from that point on the intensity & the pace never once lets up. Bryan was an incredible ball of energy all the way through with his bursts of offense, and Orton was also fantastic with his cut-offs of said attacks by Bryan. It's a fantastic match, and something I look back on very fondly, because the whole storyline leading up to it was something special for me as a fan. ****

WWE RAW 07/08/13: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

This is an awesome, quality TV-match. Both of them are babyfaces here, and it's fun how different the dynamic is compared to their World Title feud stuff from 2012. Sheamus is really solid throughout as the bruiser, delivering Bryan a beating, and Bryan of course rules as the crafty veteran underdog, using every opening he gets to gain the control to his name. It's not really a one-sided match or anything though, as both get just about the same amount of time to do their things, but you can feel the underdog dynamic there throughout. Lots to love here w/ the great looking offense of both men, some real brutal spots (the barricade one pops out to mind immediately) & terrific counters throughout. Speaking of counters, that finish with Bryan countering Sheamus' Cloverleaf into the Small Package ruled. ***1/2

Bryan & Cesaro is always great

WWE SmackDown 04/17/20: Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan

I loved the 5-or-so minute match these two had on the Road to WrestleMania™ and here they get almost 15-minutes, so of course it's great. It's all about Bryan's attack on Cesaro's left arm -- his work over it was extremely focused, extremely vicious, and extremely compelling. Some amazing moments regarding that armwork were his hip-toss into an armbar, him wringing that arm into the ropes to gain control back, that badass takedown-into-an-armbar counter, Cesaro 2nd deadlift attempt getting countered by Bryan taking the leg, immediately followed by him punting that worked over arm, those repeated YES Kicks to the arm & chest -- and then of course the LeBell Lock, which made the armwork pay off big time as he got the win with it. And that's just mentioning Bryan-on-the-offense side of things, as Cesaro was also absolutely great in this. His selling was fantastic (absolutely loooved him going on that Uppercut frenzy, hitting one of them with his worked over arm, then he sells it for a few seconds & it really seemed like he realized in that moment that he needs to deliver all of those strikes w/ his better arm), and him throwing Bryan around any & every chance he got to do so ruled. Him busting out the GTS was such a nice surprise too, and it sure looked devastating. Also a shout-out to Michael Cole who fantastically mentioned that Bryan's strategy of going after the arm was indeed a callback to Gulak's (brilliant btw) match vs. Cesaro from Mania. Really adds to that coaching angle they are doing with the two and all. ****

Orton enters the Shield vs. Hell No tag wars!

WWE RAW 06/03/13: Daniel Bryan, Kane & Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

This match is all about that last Daniel Bryan hot tag. They build to it with a lengthy Orton FIP segment, and it's solid stuff -- what makes it better is that the viewer is just dying for that hot tag, which you KNOW is coming, and once Orton makes it, it's peak hot tag stuff. Bryan is all fired up & so is the crowd, and The Shield lads bump n' sell their asses off for him. It's amazing, and while the Orton FIP segment wasn't exactly a highlight reel of heels working the heat, it was still solid enough & more-than-good build for the incredible hot tag. Make that another week, another Team Hell No vs. The Shield banger. ***1/2

WWE RAW 06/10/13: Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins' first real singles showcase on the main roster, and who better to go against than the man who made him look like a star in ROH (shout-out to Nigel as well) way back in 2008? This was really good. Bryan's connection with the crowd is pure magic as they go nuts for everything he does, and everything he does rules, of course. Loved him bringing those classic elbow strikes of his into the usual repeated YES Kicks sequence, him countering Seth's enzuigiri by catching his leg & slapping on a half crab was AWESOME, and that roll-through German Suplex was extremely neat in all of its blunt-brutality. Also a big fan of them continuing the running bit of Rollins being overly cocky by going for that Surfboard once again, only for Bryan to get out of it almost immediately & punish him for it. ***1/2

WWE SmackDown 06/14/13: Daniel Bryan, Kane & Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

A great match, but even more of a great moment in time. The last few minutes with the action being super chaotic & the urgency being through the roof, the babyfaces systematically getting rid of The Shield & ultimately getting the victory, them reacting to that big W accordingly & Lilian Garcia's fantastic announcement of "...for the FIRST TIME EVER in a 6-man tag team contest, The Shield HAS been DEFEATED!" -- it's just goosebumps worthy stuff. The match layout is pretty different from the usual by The Shield lads too; it feels like they never get a full-on groove going, sure there's a couple of FIP segments, but they're all very short & not as organized n' tight as usually with them. Every time a member of the babyface team was in trouble, he tagged a fresh man in as fast as he could. It's some fantastic storytelling. As Michael Cole fantastically put it, this was not like every other night. ****

Team Hell No vs. The Shield ALWAYS bangs

WWE RAW 05/20/13: Daniel Bryan, Kane & Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

2013 was filled with great TV matches between Team Hell No (+ friends) & The Shield. I've always thought of this one as possibly THE best one of the bunch, and I am glad to report that it still holds up tremendously. Every segment of the match rules big time; the babyfaces getting that shine, Kofi getting isolated by The Shield, Bryan's hot tag, Bryan as the FIP, Kane's hot tag & the finishing stretch. Everything about this is absolute excellence and comes with a RED HOT crowd to boot. ****1/4

WWE RAW 05/27/13: Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

We miss some of the beginning to the commercials, but once the broadcast returns we see Rollins working over Bryan. It's not long until Bryan gets back into the thing though & Team Hell No gets a lil' shine. Bryan is great with his kicks & all during it. Then Kane FIPs for a bit -- it's solid stuff, but the match kicks into such a high gear when he makes the hot tag to Bryan. Bryan's hot tag is INCREDIBLE; just oozing with energy & badass offense, and Rollins once again bumps like a madman for him. That German especially deserves a shout-out. As does Bryan busting out that vintage top rope backdrop of his -- such an awesome, brutal move. Rollins mocking Bryan by doing the Surfboard was awesome as well, and so was Bryan getting out of it fairly easily. Makes all the sense in the world that he would know how to get out of it. The sequence that follows is one of my absolute favorite moments of the whole match with Bryan kicking away at Rollins & teasing the hot tag to Kane -- just something about the scrappiness of that thing was so, so charming. Bryan's FIP segment as a whole was great. Kane's eventual hot tag is very solid too & it's made all the more better by Reigns and Bryan going at it at the same time as Kane is doing his number on Rollins, upping the already-high energy of the thing. Excellent match all around. ****1/4

Team Hell No & Cena battle against The Shield

WWE RAW 04/29/13: Daniel Bryan, John Cena & Kane vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

This is a very "paint-by-the-numbers" Shield match, but that is not a negative thing at all. The Shield mastered that fun 6-man tag formula & Daniel Bryan was more-than-likely their greatest opponent, so OF COURSE this was a lot of fun from start to finish. Cena's last hot tag was pretty great, and I liked the finish with his bum ankle coming into play and allowing the opening for Reigns to Spear him for the win. ***1/2

WWE RAW 05/13/13: Daniel Bryan, John Cena & Kane vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

I like this a little better than the 04/29 meeting between these two trios. Kane was almost always the "weak link" in terms of BRINGING IT in these Shield tags, but here his hot tag run before getting DQ'd & eliminated is legitimately extremely good & fun! He was the first one eliminated, and every second he was in there was good stuff. Then there's Bryan whose hot tag here is absolutely FANTASTIC -- I loooooove the spot where he is doing his flurry on Rollins & goes for his classic clothesline off the ropes, but instead dives onto Reigns outside, then gets immediately back into the ring to continue his hot streak on Rollins. Fantastically fiery stuff! I also really like The Shield putting a stop to Bryan's run by using their tag team expertise, and then the 3-on-1 Cena run is also solid stuff; especially the beginning with Cena coming in guns blazing. ***3/4

WrestleMania 36: Night TWO

Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley

This came off like a big stadium match, but it worked excellently in this empty arena setting too. They beat the crap out of each other with everything looking (& sounding) pretty vicious -- the vocal selling & that trashtalk were on point here too. The big story of the match was Flair going after Rhea's knee, and that was some lovely stuff; thought that Charlotte delivered one of her finest performances to date w/ her focused attack on that knee, and Rhea's selling was good throughout. I do think this went a tad bit longer than it probably should've, but that's where the "this came off like a big stadium match" line comes to play. All in all, this was my favorite thing on the show for sure. ***3/4

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Kind of the "Elias vs. Corbin" of Night 2, but these two are better than those two, so it was a bit better. Definitely nothing to write home about, but the action was physical and solid bell-to-bell + the finish was nice. **

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

One of the best built-up matches on this WrestleMania as a whole. The story they built was legit pretty damn sweet, and the way it ended here was perfect. The actual match was solid action w/ Ziggler at first controlling things, using his speed to gain that advantage, but ultimately when Otis got his hands on him, it was OTIS-style runthrough, essentially. **1/2

Edge vs. Randy Orton

This felt like the longest match of all-time. Almost 40-minutes of slow, uninteresting, walk-n-brawl, huffin' n' puffin' action. Cut 20 minutes off of this thing & it wouldn't have been, but as it stands, this was so damn boring. That ending with Edge EMOTING~! by crying before he finishes Orton off... Gawd DAMN. Not good. Not good. *

Austin Theory & Angel Garza vs. Street Profits

Now here's a random match on paper. And it certainly came off as a total RAW match. The post-match w/ Bianca coming out & beating Zelina up was pretty cool though. *

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks vs. Tamina

Solid, yet very forgettable wrestling throughout. The highlight, for me, was hearing Bayley's new heel theme for the first time. Absolute banger. *3/4

Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena

This sure was WILD. The Vince puppet/doll, that Cena debut, Bray singing the Bella Twins theme, them going to the 80s & cutting a helluva 80s promo while pumping iron -- JOHNNY LARGEMEAT, Thuganomics Cena, Bray as Bischoff, Cena in the NWO shirt, that recreation of their 2014 match... I was definitely entertained by all of it. Extremely silly & ridiculous, yes, but I was entertained by the craziness that I witnessed. FUN

Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre

They do the big movez & go home. Definitely cool seeing Drew win the big one after all the trials & tribulations, and Brock put him over pretty big w/ all them F5 kickouts. For sure a pretty good, fun match for what it was, but it's maybe the one that suffered the most from these shows not taking place like they originally would've. **3/4

WrestleMania 36: Night ONE

Cesaro vs. Drew Gulak

They go under 5 minutes, but every single second they wrestle in the time they get, is great. "All killer, no filler", as the saying goes. Everything matters, and more importantly, everything is extremely compelling to watch. Gulak's focus on Cesaro's arm was all kinds of fantastic, which Cesaro paid right back w/ his terrific selling -- so many good moments like Gulak countering Cesaro's Neutralizer by going to the arm, countering Cesaro's pinfall attempt into one of his own & transitioning it into an Armbar, that armdrag spot outside the ring, etc, etc. This match was filled with greatness. All capped off with Cesaro introducing the WWE World to the UFO. Helllll yeaaahhhh! ****

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The Kabuki Warriors

Good match. Kairi & especially Asuka are so good -- everything they do looks great, and comes w/ great swagger & charisma, which translates very well into an empty arena setting like this. Good action from bell-to-bell, great energy. Fun match! ***

Elias vs. King Corbin

This doesn't go all that long, but it sure feels like 20 minutes or something. Drags badly as nothing is interesting or good. *

Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

This had some good smacks, nice counters & great urgency throughout. Very good match, and I do like the finish too; you get the feeling that Becky just barely escaped, because Shayna gave her a fight like no one else has done so far in her title reign. Looking forward to the re-match. ***1/4

Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn

This was just about the perfect use of the empty arena setting. It's all about them brutal looking & sounding strikes + the chatter between the competitors. That chatter part could've been big time cringe, but they pulled it off perfectly. Zayn is such a FANTASTIC chickenshit heel -- him talking that trash with his cocky smiley facial expressions while evading Bryan in the beginning half, was such great, great stuff. The build-up to Bryan finally getting his hands on him was superb, and when he finally does catch him, oh boy does it feel fulfilling. From then on it's a complete American Dragon murder-mode festival, and I can't think of many things better. Some DDT4 '09 Danielson & Strong vs. Young Bucks vibes, and that just happens to be one of my favorite tag matches. Bryan is incredible dishing out the punishment at Zayn; I could happily watch Bryan beat the shit out of anyone in that ring, but the fact that it was Zayn in this empty arena setting made it all the more better. Zayn's selling of the beatdown is perfect, especially when it comes down to his verbal selling. He actually reminded me of Terry Funk when it came to that, and I mean that in all the best ways. Not that there could be a bad way to compare someone to ol' Funker anyways. Maybe my favorite singular moment of this whole thing was when Sami got that brief comeback in, he only managed to piss Bryan off more with it -- all leading to Bryan kicking his head off, and then as he wraps his hands around Sami's wrists, getting ready for them stomps, Zayn with his last powers left tries to beg for mercy. Such a fantastic moment that kind of tells the whole story of the match. This was so, so good. Exactly my kind of shit. The beginning with Zayn doing his best to piss Bryan off with his antics, Bryan finally getting his hands on him & delivering an incredible beatdown w/ stiff slaps, punches, knees to the face & mid-section, crossface shots, and more! -- all absolutely amazing stuff. As for the finish, at first I wasn't the biggest fan, but the more I think about it, the more it suits the match. Such simple, yet such an unique match. I knew Bryan & Zayn would deliver something worthwhile, but I'm not sure was I expecting anything like this. I watched it twice in a row and actually had to pause the show after for a good 30-minutes or something close to that, 'cause I had to just really think about what I had just watched. Absolute brilliance from two of the best. To put it in complete cheese, this was two maestros painting a picture the way only they can. ****1/2

Jimmy Uso vs. John Morrison vs. Kofi Kingston

Gotta respect the effort & physicality that is showcased here. Loved Jimmy's banter throughout, and the finish was pretty neat n' unique. Gentleman's ***

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

The first match is solid action. There's a few indy no sell sequences, but they toned them down in a way where they didn't take me out of the match. The No DQ restart is very good stuff with Seth delivering a pretty good beatdown to start it off, using weapons & all. The bellshots by both men sounded pretty vicious -- I do think that having no crowd helped with that, and same goes with the constant trashtalk between the two. I especially liked Rollins' jaw-jacking throughout. Owens' big jump off of the Mania logo was also a helluva spot. I actually really ended up enjoying this a lot! ***1/2

Braun Strowman vs. Goldberg

4 Spears, 4 Powerslams. They kept it simple & short. Can't hate on it. NR

AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker

Hahaaa, holy fuck was this awesome. They went absolutely nuts with the presentation, and that was for the best. Some of the highlights for me were:
- The Graveyard Symphony playing when that car drove in the beginning, only for the casket to open w/ AJ popping up, laughing his ass off while his theme starts playing
- Taker driving with his motorbike to the scene w/ Metallica blasting
- "Wow there he is! I didn't think you'd show up!" -- "yeah?" -- "does Michelle know you're out this late?"
- AJ ducking Taker's murder attempt, making Taker's arm bleed in the process
- "HEY DEADMAN!" w/ Karl & Luke arriving with some banging guitar-tune in the background
- The sad music when AJ is talking trash to Taker who is selling like he is dying
- Taker teleporting behind AJ when AJ was about to bury him
- "HOW ARE YOU STILL STANDING? I HAD YOU DEAD BURIED?"
- "Stay with me boy, we're not done yet, we're just getting started!"
- Taker w/ that HUG when AJ was begging for mercy
- then that last scene w/ Taker's motorcycle fucking with him, only for it to fully ignite when Taker did his classic fist-up pose w/ Metallica once again starting to play
SO MUCH FUN

Bryan vs. Nakamura for the first time ever

WWE SmackDown 04/03/20: Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Probably not the ideal setting for this first ever singles dream match, but I am more than happy with how it turned out. I honestly loved just about every second of it; the early work on the mat was fun, Bryan's control section was pretty great - I like that even though the arm work wasn't that big of a focus in the match, he still set it up right at the beginning & it did come into play later on multiple times -- including in the finish. They also bust out all kinds of awesome counters to each others big shots throughout, and it's great stuff. I have a feeling that if these two meet once again, but this time in a PPV setting, it would be the best Nakamura singles match in ages. ***3/4

Bryan in the '13 Chamber, w/ Taker vs. The Shield

WWE Elimination Chamber 2013: Daniel Bryan vs. Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton

Far from the most memorable Chamber match, as there aren't many super memorable spots or sequences, but all in all, the thing flows so nicely w/ really good heat + action throughout, that it can't be anything less than very good in my eyes. The beginning with Jericho & Bryan going at it was extremely fun, Henry coming in & running through everyone ruled, and the battle between Orton & Jericho that lead to Jericho's elimination was great. ***3/4

WWE RAW 04/22/13: Daniel Bryan, Kane & The Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

Absolute banger. The only moments of the match that weren't flat-out awesome were w/ Kane, but thankfully when it came to the babyface team, this was mostly about Bryan & Taker. Both of them delivered superb hot tags, and Bryan's FIP seg was also really good. The Shield were great as usual as well -- always love their tag team work, and a big shout-out must be given to Seth Rollins whose bumping & selling for everything (especially Bryan's hot tag) was pretty damn amazing. There's all of that, and then a red hot UK crowd to boot, making this such a lovely all around package. ****

Late 2012 Bryan stuff; Ziggler, SurSer, Shield

WWE RAW 10/22/12: Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler

These two are always a hit together. Yet another TV-banger between 'em w/ awesome action from start to finish; some of the highlights include Bryan's brief leg targeting with him ramming Ziggler's knees from the Surfboard position, Dragon Screw + that Figure 4, and those big spots of the match are exactly that -- big spots, which hit the high note beautifully. That X-Factor from the top was great. ***1/2

WWE Survivor Series 2012: Daniel Bryan, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton & The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler & Wade Barrett

Feels like there is no heat in this thing whatsoever for the good majority of it, and the action is very lackluster. Some brief bright spots were Bryan's times in the ring, and the 2-on-2 section of it w/ Randy & Miz going against Del Rio & Ziggler was pretty fun stuff, at least compared to most of the rest of the match. *3/4

WWE TLC 2012: Daniel Bryan, Kane & Ryback vs. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins

I've always loved the organic chaotic feel this thing has -- it starts from The Shield's entrance on as they arrive through the crowd. There is no downtime whatsoever as they start brawling right as The Shield hops over the barricades - it's absolute mayhem all the way through, and it's lovely stuff. That said feeling of chaos also drifts into organized chaos at points too w/ The Shield beautifully using their numbers game & predator mentality to stop the hot-streaks of the babyfaces. There are many highlights in the thing, and some of them are Ryback launching himself into Reigns when The Shield were beating him down on the ramp, Rollins' absolutely sick ladder spot towards the end, but in all honesty, the whole thing is just pure fireworks. It's booked & laid out to perfection. The Shield has arrived! ****3/4

Bryan in the WHC picture; Chamber '12, 2/3 falls vs. Sheamus

WWE Elimination Chamber 2012: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella vs. The Great Khali vs. Wade Barrett

This holds up even better than I imagined. The final battle between Bryan & Santino is still pure mastery n' pro-wrestling magic, and honestly, everything before that also rules. Barrett put in some awesome work in the first half of the match; really liked his plan of weakening Show by going after his knee -- the way he kept that target during his multiple attacks on the man was some awesome stuff. Show was on a roll too, just pummeling people around - especially Daniel Bryan of course. The spot where he breaks into his pod so he can get his hands on him early was pretty neat, and the beatdown that followed was great. I would have to re-watch all the Chamber matches to see where this really ranks, but I'm pretty confident in saying that it is one of my favorite matches of the type that there has been. MILES better than the WWE Championship Chamber match that happened on the same night. ****

WWE Extreme Rules 2012: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

The early stuff with Sheamus pretty much owning Bryan in almost every department is some very good stuff, but it's once his left shoulder hits the post that the match kicks into a REAL high gear. Bryan of course notices that the shoulder ate some shit there, so he immediately goes to wreck it against the post multiple times. Then he does his repeated kicks to it, DQing himself in the process. It's all a part of a plan though, you can see it on his arrogant smile after that. That's the 1st fall for Sheamus, and we even things out when Bryan's plan completes itself as Bryan makes quick work of the weakened Sheamus by making him pass out to the LeBell Lock - all the pressure on the bad arm of course. I love the rest-period after that w/ Bryan hosting a little concert of YES & NO chants. It's some amazing stuff, and he came off as such a cocky prick doing that, being so proud of his work. The final fall is excellent as well; love the beginning with Sheamus delivering that Brogue Kick, and his selling throughout the whole fall is absolutely tremendous. I also love how the missed moves are indeed the key to the finish here -- Bryan misses two of his signature bigger moves in the Diving Headbutt & the Corner Dropkick, which gives Sheamus enough for that one last big flurry to finish him off. Excellent, excellent match. I adore Bryan seeing a real plan in destroying Sheamus' shoulder after it hit the post, and him making that plan come to life creates for some extremely compelling stuff. Sheamus' babyface performance is terrific as well -- he sold that arm like it was absolutely dead, and his overall selling of fatigue in the final fall is great as well. Perfect redemption from getting 18 seconds at Mania for these two. ****1/2

AEW w/ Trent vs. Kenny

AEW Dynamite 04/01/20: Kenny Omega vs. Trent

They pretty much wrestle this like it's a big Kenny Omega match. And it owns. Both guys have tremendous, explosive offense & that is showcased throughout -- also some nice bodypart targeting in Kenny giving Trent's back a beating & Trent answering to that by doing some work over Kenny's hands. I think they for sure could've sold the big moves more; it's what could've made this go from 'very good' to straight-up GREAT, but hell yeah I'll take very good for sure. ***1/2

Fall of 2011 Bryan; vs. Regal, 4-way, Steel Cage vs. Henry

WWE Superstars 11/10/11: Daniel Bryan vs. William Regal

Them playing Regal's Real Man's Man theme in the middle of his regular one during his entrance is an all-time great rib. The match itself is great as well; teacher vs. student is a tale as old as time, and when those roles happen to be played by two of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, of course its gonna rule. The early exchanges are a joy to watch & they set-up whats to come really well; I especially loved Regal just stepping back from Bryan's dropkick. Made all the sense in the world that HE would know it's coming, because it was a sequence Bryan had been using for years. Bryan eventually gets a bit more intense by not giving Regal a clean break & delivering an Uppercut to him -- loved Regal's baffled look when he got blasted with that Uppercut and him answering to that w/ repeated Uppercuts of his own. It felt like dad schooling his son after behaving badly. Bryan of course continues upping the intensity of the thing w/ some vicious kicks & one HELLUVA looking German Suplex -- I always forget how huge Regal actually was at this point, and the German looked all the more vicious due to his size. That knee from the apron was a great exclamation mark for Bryan not giving any mercy to his good ol' teacher. Regal is pretty much straight-up fighting from underneath that point on, and of course he is excellent at that role. Bryan is also unsurprisingly tremendous as the aggressor; he goes after Regal's taped up knee too, which further shows that he had that killer instinct here. Regal's selling is fantastic, and his little comeback bursts are pretty amazing; that Half Nelson Suplex where he dumps Bryan on his head was so sick, and Regal's selling during & after it was sublime. Brilliant, brilliant match. A true gem. It's awesome they got to have it in the WWE. ****

WWE SmackDown 11/25/11: Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett

Solid TV-match, even if it's nothing very memorably at all. Good flow from start to finish with the thing peaking just when it ended. One thing that annoyed me was how they cut to the commercials when we were about to have that Bryan vs. Orton showdown in the ring, but that's just how it is with these TV-matches sometimes. **3/4

WWE SmackDown 11/29/11: Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry

This is always such a joy to watch. Henry is at his best; talking trash & throwing + pummeling a smaller opponent around. He also has a banged up ankle going into the thing, so naturally Bryan sees a target in it & it creates for an AMAZING peak for this banger of a match. The whole finishing gear from that LeBell Lock on is some truly superb stuff. ****