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. ****