CM Punk vs. MJF
Okay now. This is what we're doing now. You know, sometimes when I see a match that I find to be so-damn-great, I struggle to put how I feel about it into words. Most recently, my 2021 MOTY in Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns was like that.
This was better than that match.
This match is a masterclass. CM Punk's performance was legendary; from the badass old-school babyface opening to obviously the selling & his overall babyface magic, he was simply undeniable. This was a damn near 40-minute match with most of it having him in peril & it could've EASILY become uninteresting at many points given the length, but Punk's perfect selling & portrayal of his character made it damn sure that I was glued to my screen the entire time. He never, and I mean never forgets that he is hurt, and it's beautiful how he showcases it throughout. Obviously you have the big moments where MJF is on it like a shark, but I think what I adored the most about all of that is the little moments where Punk did small adjustments to continue the narrative of his arm being fucked. Or later on the knee. 7 years out of leaving the business, grey-bearded Punk getting systematically picked apart by this 20-something year old punk. But he damn sure tries his hardest, and he gets MJF a few times in the middle of this vicious attack, he gets him good, but the work by Maxwell shows beautifully in those moments, as you can clearly see that the juice has been sucked out of him, and in particular a couple of specific parts of his engine. Goodness gracious what a beautiful story to watch unfold. CM fucking Punk, man. There's so much to it that I loved. Even when MJF botches the ring post Figure-4 Bret Hart spot, Punk immediately saves it by kicking his way out of the hold with the leg MJF couldn’t lock in. So good.
As I said, this is a beast of a thing with its length, but it never feels like it's _actually long_, because of how compelling the wrestling is. I think this even outdid both of the Hangman vs. Danielson matches when it comes to that, to be honest. A single match performance by CM Punk that I could never do proper justice, and MJF definitely delivered in the biggest match of his career up to this point, to say the least. My immediate reaction is that it's my favorite match to happen since Kofi vs. Bryan, Mania 2019. ****3/4
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