Last Wrestling Match Watched 2.0

[Crippler]

TNA Sacrifice 2012 - Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson

Anderson does his user awful intro with the mic, seriously shit is beyond lame and stale now. Hardy hasn't got a Blue pace pait job on today he's got face paint on and it's still stuid but better then his usual crap. Both men slap hands at the bell in a sign of respect and then lock up. Wristlock exchange and Hardy dropkicks Anderson out of the ring. He sends Anderson face first into the steel steps and Hardy pulls the steps out for the Whisper in the Wind, but Anderson moves and Hardy crashes into the steel guardrail instead. Back inside Hardy hits a Russian legsweep and a leg-drop to the abdomen. Anderson blocks the slingshot dropkick in the corner with a pair of boots and tries for a few near-falls. Anderson starts to work over Jeff's arm, trapping it behind him and slamming him to the mat. Hardy is able to break it up and nail Anderson with his own finisher, the Mic Check, but only gets two. Anderson responds by hitting Hardy with his own finisher, the Twist of Fate, but Hardy kicks out at two as well. Anderson tries a Swanton, but Hardy gets the knees up. He hits his own Swanton, but Anderson kicks out again! Jeff tries the legdrop to the abdomen again, but Anderson blocks it and counters into a roll-up that Hardy appears to kick out of at the last milli-second, but the bell rings and apparently the ref counted to three, giving Anderson the odd win. You can tell this was NOT the planned finish. Hardy and Anderson were confused and did a hug in the middle of the ring. Which makes no sense with how the match ended and how things were being built to this point. Some people would call this a major botch, but I call it a lack of communication. And when I say failure, I really mean failure. Somebody clearly screwed up. If anything, it was most likely the referee's fault. Who really knows if Anderson was supposed to win or lose this match? Then again, Hardy has been on a losing streak, so I think it made the most sense, story-wise, that Anderson would get this victory. Regardless, this was NOT planned very well. As much as i hate these two guys the had a solid match here. **1/2

 

[Crippler]

TNA Sacrifice 2012 - Bully Ray vs Austin Aries

The build for this one has been great with these two exchanging excellent promos for weeks. Both men start trash-talking in each other's face at the bell and the crowd is hot for Aries as he looks to lock up, but Ray ducks out instead. Ray spits right in his face and Aries fires back with big rights and lefts in the corner. Aries bites a chunk out of Ray's pride and joy (his calves) and the fans love it. Aries climbs to the top rope but Ray boots him right off the top and he just plummets back and head first into the steel guardrail! Holy shit, Austin Aries is DEAD. That was one of the sickest bumps I've ever seen, and Aries has several straight up neon-purple bruises and welts on his back already from that. I'm still cringing from that bump a full two minutes later as the crowd chants "Bully sucks!" Ray works a brief bear hug but Aries breaks it up with big Mongolian chops. Ray lays in some chops on Austin but he just stands right back up and demands to know if that's all he's got. Ray responds with a chop so stiff it would make Kobashi cringe but Aries won't stay down, as he gets back to his feet and asks Ray for some more, but instead of obliging Ray goes right for an eye-rake like a true heel. Aries slips out of a powerbomb attempt and hits a discus elbow, but Ray responds by launching him 10 feet into the air and giving him an Ace Crusher in mid-air! Somehow Aries still kicks out though. Ray grabs a steel chain from ringside and this brings Joseph Park down to ringside to try and alert the ref. Ray brings him onto the rampway and grabs a chair, but turns around only to meet the heat-seeking missile tope from Aries. Back inside Aries hits a missile dropkick then nails Ray with the brainbuster! He actually got him up for it! Ray kicks out at two though to everyone's shock. Ray tries for a powerbomb again but Aries slides out of the move at the last second, flips over, and applies the Last Chancery submission to Ray...and Ray taps out! Aries picks up the win. This totally exceeded all of the expectations I had going in, I was expecting a solid big/little man contest but what we got here was so much more. Aries took one of the sickest beatdowns I've ever seen in TNA since Abyss use to do it to AJ Styles (including a bump on the railing so sickening it would make an early 90s Cactus Jack blush) to build up just fantastic heat for the finish, which practically had the place coming unglued by the time Aries hit the brainbuster. ***3/4

NASTY!

 

[Crippler]

TNA Sacrifice 2012 - AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle

AJ had an interview before this match. He purposely avoided talking about the Dixie Carter situation and only talked about his match with Kurt. AJ is a mad-man. We've probably seen this match twenty times in the past, but considering how awesome they usually are, I can't exactly complain. Great amateur sequence to start with Angle gaining the upper-hand predictably. Leapfrog from AJ and he blocks a belly-to-belly attempt before both men tease going for their finishers (the Styles Clash and ankle lock respectively) unsuccessfully. Side headlock by Angle, but AJ breaks it up with a dropkick and tries a headlock of his own. Angle gets sent to the floor and AJ tries for a pescado as Angle moves and he lands on his feet. Angle tries a German suplex on the floor, but AJ flips over onto his feet in a neat spot. Back in the ring he can't block the overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Kurt though. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from Kurt and he follows with a back-body drop. AJ hits a fireman's carry slam on Angle, nailing his neck over AJ's knee in the process. Angle blocks another Styles Clash attempt but gets sent out to the floor, where AJ nails him with a springboard forearm off the top rope. Back in the ring Kurt sets Styles up on the top turnbuckle and then belly-to-belly suplexes him off for two. Styles hits the pele kick out of nowhere though and then follows with the Styles Clash, but this is TNA remember so of course it only gets two. Does anyone's finisher ever actually FINISH a match anymore? Release German suplex from Angle takes Styles inside out. Both men trade forearms and Kurt avoids the backflip-into-reverse DDT spot Styles is famous for before hitting the Angle Slam (only for two of course). Angle looks to hit AJ with his own Styles Clash, but AJ blocks it and the follow up ankle lock attempt from Kurt. Kurt turns him around and tries for the Clash yet again, and this time he connects, but again Styles kicks out. Angle misses the moonsault and Styles goes for the springboard 450, but doesn't get quite enough air though and can't complete the second rotation, turning it into a flipping back senton of sorts instead. Kazarian and Daniels run down to ringside now though and trip Styles up behind the ref's back, allowing Angle to hit the Angle Slam...but AGAIN Styles kicks out so Kurt just locks him into the ankle lock and Styles taps out. After the match Daniels and Kaz jump Styles again, but Angle makes the save for his opponent. Face turn for Kurt? The match itself wasn't as good as some of the classics these two have had in the past, but when you've got Angle and Styles in the ring together, even when they're off it's still a great contest. ***1/2

 

[Crippler]

TNA Sacrifice 2012 - Ladder match for the TNA World Title: Robert Roode vs. Rob Van Dam

I wonder if RVD and Ryback get their gear from the same guy? Good thing they turned this into a ladder match because I'm not sure anyone really card about a non-gimmick match between these two. Barely a minute passes before both men are out on the floor to no one's surprise as RVD drapes Roode over the guardrail and hits his trademark spinning leg-drop off the apron on him. Back in the ring Roode nails a DDT. He slides out of the ring to grab a ladder but turns around just as RVD slingshot-flips himself out of the ring onto him. Back inside Roode jumps Rob from behind and sets up the ladder in the corner, but winds up getting sent face-first into it instead. Jeremy Borash for some reason is one of our camera-men outside the ring, as I guess JB really DOES do just about every odd job for this company at times. RVD gets catapulted face-first into the ladder in the corner and Roode slams it over his back for a bit of good measure. Bobby sets up the ladder against the second rope and tries for a suplex, but RVD counters with a suplex of his own onto the ladder before hitting a beautiful Lionsault on Roode against the ladder. RVD scissors his legs around Roode's legs and sends his back of the head into the ladder yet again as these guys just aren't wasting any time getting to the spots. Rob grabs a chair from ringside and hits the running dropkick on Roode in the corner with the ladder draped over him (double the steel and only half the price!). RVD grabs another, oddly colored ladder and tries climbing it, but Roode climbs up to meet him at the top and sends him off lazily. Rob knocks Roode off the ladder by sheer accident but eats a lariat. Huge spinebuster from Roode sends Van Dam back-first onto the new ladder in a nasty spot. Not to be out-done, Rob sends the champ into the second ladder with a big monkey flip and then follows up with the Rolling Thunder. RVD sets Roode up on another ladder in the center of the ring and then tries for the Five Star Frog Slash from the top rope, but Roode moves and Van Dam eats steel. Roode sets up the ladder and tries to climb it when Van Dam makes his way back to the ring and tries to leap from th top rope onto the ladder, but his side of the ladder collapses under his leg and Rob crashes to the mat in an ugly botch. Rob is able to recover but Roode sends him off the ladder again, this time sending Van Dam's skull into a steel chair on the mat. This allows Roode to grab the title and retain. This was a decent ladder match. I have seen better ladder matches, but this was still fun to watch. RVD was bleeding from his elbow. It was pretty brutal. Not the strongest match of the night, but it was definitely one of the watchers. would of been a higher rating but the botched finish and that they hardly ever went to get the title belt. ***1/4

 

[Crippler]

ROH Before Dishonor IX - Ringmaster Challenge: Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards

This is essentially a 2/3 falls match where the first fall is pinfall only, the second fall is submission only, and the third fall (if necessary) is a fifteen-minute iron man match. Edwards and Strong circle to start, but Edwards catches Strong with a quick roll-up. Strong muscles Edwards to the corner and chops away. Edwards whips Strong to the opposite corner, but Strong rebounds and levels Edwards with a super kick for a two count. Edwards and Strong trade chops in the corner, but Strong tosses Edwards to the outside. Strong follows Edwards and chops him against the guard rail. Strong beats Edwards around the ring and finally rolls him back in for a two count. Strong locks in a rear chin lock, drags Edwards to his feet, and destroys him with a backbreaker for a LONG two count. Edwards makes it up to his knees, but Strong indignantly shoves him down to the mat. Edwards heads up top and connects with a top rope drop kick for a two count of his own. Edwards drags Strong to his feet, but Strong connects with a kick to the gut. Strong muscles Edwards to the corner and drops him with a modified spinebuster for a two count. Strong traps Edwards in the corner and charges at him, but Edwards connects with a second rope flying Code Breaker. Strong catches Edwards with a quick roll-up for a three count. Roderick Strong takes the first fall. Strong gets some water in his corner, attacks Edwards, and spits the water in his face. Strong drapes Edwards over the middle rope and chokes him with his shin. Strong drags Edwards to the middle of the ring and locks in the LeBell Lock. Edwards breaks the hold, but Strong regains control with another back breaker. Edwards gets back to his feet, creates distance, and catches Strong with an STF. Strong looks to be close to tapping, but he finally makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Strong heads to the outside to catch a breather, but Edwards goes over the top rope. Edwards flies toward Strong, but Strong slides to side and kicks Edwards in the chest. Strong rolls Edwards back in the ring and locks in the Strong Hold, but Edwards escapes. Edwards catches Strong in the Achilles Lock, and Strong has no choice but to tap at 21:00ish. Eddie Edwards takes the second fall. Edwards heads up top, but Strong catches him with a kick to the back of the head. Strong heads up top and hits Edwards with a top rope backbreaker onto the top turnbuckle. That was VICIOUS. Strong sends Edwards to the outside, drags him to the entrance ramp, and hits him with a Gibson Drive on the ramp. Strong heads back into the ring as the referee begins his count on Edwards. Edwards begins to crawl back toward the ring and JUST manages to slide back in at 19. Strong goes for a quick cover but only gets a two count. Strong hooks the leg and again gets a two count. Edwards takes Strong up top and hits the Chin Checker for a two count. Edwards hits a Saito Suplex and goes for the cover, but Strong gets his foot on the rope to break the count. We've got 5 minutes left in the third fall, and the Iron Man score is still 0 – 0. Edwards takes Strong up top and they trade chops and bitch slaps. Strong creates some distance and heads up top, but Edwards flies and connects with a boot to the side of the head. Edwards meets up top and delivers a HUGE top rope superplex to Strong for another two count. Edwards goes for the Die Hard, but Strong counters into a crucifix pin, but Edwards rolls into a pin, but Strong rolls, but Edwards rolls, and finally they break. Strong catches Edwards with a backslide pin, and Martini holds Edwards' feet to allow Strong to get the three count. 1 – 0 Strong. Martini rushes the ring but inadvertently nails Strong with the Book of Truth, thus allowing Edwards to get a three count of his own. 1 – 1 with 15 seconds remaining in the match. Both men are down on the mat, and the time expires. We get a "Five More Minutes" chant from the crowd, but the referee's official decision is a draw. Jim Cornette comes down from the back and says that this was too good a match to be considered a draw. Both men agree to continue the match, and Cornette declares that we are in sudden death overtime with one fall to a finish. Edwards and Strong slug it out in the middle of the ring and then trade chops. Strong connects with a knee strike to the face, but Edwards retaliates with a super kick. Edwards gets a Tiger Suplex for a LONG (seriously, LONG) two count. Strong lands the Sick Kick, but Edwards kicks out at two. Strong hits the Gibson Driver but once again only gets a two count. Strong takes Edwards up top and lifts him onto his shoulders, but Edwards spins and counters into a super hurricanrana off the tope rope. Edwards hits a double knee gut buster, but Strong hits ANOTHER SICK KICK. Strong goes for the cover, but EDWARDS KICKS OUT AGAIN! "This is awesome!" chant from the crowd. Strong takes Edwards up top and sets up for a top rope Gibson Driver, but Edwards knocks Strong off the turnbuckle with a kick to the skull. Edwards comes off the top rope with a double stomp to Strong's arm on the ring apron. Edwards hits another double stomp to Strong's back in the ring and follows with a powerbomb and a sit-out powerbomb for a two count. Edwards connects with a lariat and HITS THE DIE HARD FOR THE THREE COUNT!.

I don’t know what happened here, I thought the first fall was handled well. Unlike Edwards, Strong tried his best to work with the stipulations and I thought that his behavior at the start of the second fall was spot on. Eddie NO-SOLD anything to do with his back which Strong made it a point to work over. In fact, I hated how Edwards magically won the second fall despite not having worked over Strong’s leg at all. Finally, I don’t see why Edwards couldn’t have pulled out the win at the end of the iron man period. I think that would have been much more effective than having the match last even longer with an overtime period. thought this match lacked storytelling and lasted a bit too long. I’m sure most people will disagree, but I preferred their matches at Manhattan Mayhem IV and Supercard of Honor VI by a mile. ***1/4 - ***1/2

 

[Crippler]

WWE Monday Night Raw 05/14/2012 - Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

Sheamus comes out to add some Irish flavor to the commentating team. They lock up and Orton hits a shoulderblock and hiptoss. Orton counters a telegraphed backdrop with a boot and dropkick. Commercial break thirty seconds in. When we return, Jericho has a chinlock locked in because during the break he used a referee shield to poke Randy’s eyes. Orton eventually fires back but Jericho knees him in the gut and hits a slingshot splash for two, he pounds on him in the corner. Orton fights back and charges into a boot, a second-rope missile dropkick gets Jericho two. Chris applies a bow-and-arrow lock. Jericho tries the Lionsault but meets knees. Orton goes into comeback mode and hits clotheslines, scoop powerslam and stretch backbreaker. Jericho retreats to the ropes, suckering Orton into a Viper DDT attempt and then backdrops him to the floor. Jericho smartly tosses Orton into Sheamus and smirks about it. He tosses Orton back into the ring and… Orton recovers with the Viper DDT. Sheamus angrily pulls Jericho to the floor drawing the DQ on Orton. Randy’s not gonna like that. Post-match, Jericho crawls away as Orton and Sheamus get into an argument on the floor. It devolves into a possible fracas in the ring so a pile of WWE officials run in to quell the tension. **1/2

 

[Crippler]

WWE Wrestlemania 28 - WWE Heavyweight Championship CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Before the match John Laurinaitis told C.M. Punk that if he got disqualified he would lose the WWE Title. The debut of Jericho's christmas jacket. Punk gets an impressive firework laden entrance with cool blimp aerial view. We see Andy Garcia in the crowd. They lock up and fight over a wastelock and Punk takes him down with it. Jericho has some bedazzled trunks on with “Best in the World” on the back. Punk gets some strikes in and backs off to sell the DQ stipulations, he further drives the point home backing off out of the corner at referee Scott Armstrong’s four count. Jericho SLAPS him in the face trying to enrage him to get disqualified. Punk stomps away in the corner and breaks on four. Jericho does it again and Punk dropkicks him and pounds in the corner again. Chris alters his strategy and shouts “how’s your father?” at him. Punk charges with a knee and punishes him with rapid-fire elbows. Punk slams him and heads to the top but Jericho retreats to the floor so Punk wipes him with a diving lariat. Jericho asks him how his sister is further enraging Punk to grab a chair and… almost nail him. Jericho yells “hit me! Your father’s a drunk and your sister is a drug addict!” Punk comes to his senses and drops the chair on the floor but blind charges into the corner and meets a dropkick. Jericho pounds on him with knee strikes. I like the psychology and story they’re telling in there. Punk rolls to the apron so Jericho looks for the springboard dropkick. Punk counters and tries a GTS on the apron but Jericho saves himself with elbows to the head. Jericho clotheslines him back into the ring and then VERTICAL SUPLEXES him TO THE FLOOR. Devastating. No bracing there, just back to the floor. Jericho gets a soccer kick on the floor and chucks him back into the ring for a nearfall. The replay shows the suplex to the floor again and it still looked nasty. Jericho applies a chinlock as the crowd seems edgy. Punk frees himself but rushes into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, for two. Punk tries to come back again with a springboard move but Jericho yanks him off the top, right onto his back, for a two count. Jericho, using sound strategy here, working the back in prep for the Walls of Jericho, as evident by the bow-and-arrow lock he is using here. Punk frees himself with a reverse mule kick. Jericho counters the knee in the corner with a boot but then Punk tit-for-tats back, countering Jericho’s bulldog shoving him face-first into the buckles. Double KO spot. Punk recovers first and kicks away on Jericho; he hits the leg lariat and a swinging neckbreaker, for two. Chris retreats to the corner and Punk hits the running knee but Jericho counters the bulldog into the Lionsault… Punk gets the knees up, HOWEVER Jericho was waiting, lands on his feet and grasps the legs, trying for the Walls of Jericho. Punk twists himself free and kicks Chris’ head off… for two! Fans meekly chant for Punk so he slams Jericho and heads up top for the Macho Man Elbow Drop but Jericho gets the knees up and Punk is hurting. CODEBREAKER! Punk wisely ricochets to the floor. Jericho deadlifts Punk back into the ring and… walks into the Go2Sleep! Punk is slow to cover and Jericho luckily falls towards the ropes and gets the foot up to break the pinfall. Punk opens up with kicks but misses the roundhouse. Jericho hits the ropes but Punk catches him in a scoop-powerslam, for two. They trade a series of switches and Jericho suplexes Punk onto the ropes and finally lands the Lionsault for a nearfall. Michael Cole makes an astute observation that Jericho can’t lose his cool either or he’ll get disqualified since all of the DQ psychology was on Punk for the entire match. Chris sits on the top rope but takes too long and Punk catches him with some double chops and a head-butt. Punk looks for a Super Frankensteiner but Jericho BLOCKS mid-move and grabs the Walls of Jericho. WOW THAT WAS AWESOME. Jericho has the hold on center of the ring but Punk… just makes the ropes. Jericho thinks he’s won but gets frustrated when he realizes it’s not over, he haphazardly charges and gets backdropped to the floor. Punk lunges at him with a topé. Jericho recovers and leans against the ringpost so Punk charges with a double knee squashing Jericho’s skull against the post. Back in the ring, Punk tries a springboard move and lands right into the Codebreaker… for two! Jericho disguises spot calling for trash talk; Punk tries another GTS but Jericho elbows free again. Jericho to the top but Punk catches him with a kick to the thigh. Punk gathers him in the GTS, shouts “best in the world”, but Jericho catches the knee and this time applies the Liontamer. Punk crawls for the ropes and Jericho drags him to the center again, to the surprising roar of the crowd, but Punk grabs the ankles and they trade cradle nearfalls and Punk turns into the Anaconda Vise. Jericho turns it into a nearfall and then counters the move outright into another Walls of Jericho attempt. Punk counters again into the Vise and FINALLY Jericho taps out! ****1/4

 

[Crippler]

WWE Extreme Rules 2012 - Two out of Three Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Sheamus gets a quick side head lock, whips Bryan to the ropes, and drops him with a shoulder block. Sheamus gets a side head lock takedown and goes for the Brogue Kick, but Bryan manages to roll out of the way to avoid the fate he suffered at WrestleMania XXVIII. Bryan catches Sheamus with an arm wringer and leverages him down to the mat, but Sheamus reverses the hold and drives an knee into Bryan's arm on the mat. Sheamus and Bryan circle each other, but Sheamus goes right back to the side head lock. Bryan escapes the hold and goes for a Thesz Press, but Sheamus catches him and counters into a rolling senton for a two count. Sheamus locks in GORGEOUS Texas Cloverleaf (or would that be an Irish Cloverleaf?), but Bryan gets a hand on the ropes to break the hold. Sheamus traps Bryan in the corner and whips him to the opposite corner, but Bryan leaps off the top and flips over Sheamus to avoid contact. Bryan kicks Sheamus to the outside and goes for a knee off the ring apron, but Sheamus catches him in mid-air and drives him back-first into the barricade. Bryan rolls back into the ring and Sheamus heads up top, but Bryan kicks the ropes causing Sheamus to tumble down to the mat. We get dueling "Daniel Bryan! 18 seconds! Daniel Bryan! 18 seconds!" chants from the crowd. Bryan repeatedly kick Sheamus' knee and then locks in some sort of hammer lock / arm bar combination on the mat. Bryan releases one arm and goes to a more standard hammer locks, but Sheamus fights back to his feet and breaks the hold with elbows to the head. Bryan immediately sends Sheamus back to the mat with a drop kick, but Sheamus fights back with punches to the gut. Bryan gets the O'Connor Roll off the ropes for a two count. Bryan goes back to the hammer lock on the mat, but again Sheamus breaks the hold with elbows to the head. Sheamus lands a shoulder to the gut and drops Bryan with a shoulder block. Sheamus stretches Bryan over the ropes and clubs his chest. Sheamus hits a fall-away slam for a two count. Bryan hits a stiff kick to the back and rolls up Sheamus for another two count. Bryan stomps a mud hole in Sheamus in the corner and take him up top. Bryan goes for a top rope hurricanrana, but Sheamus knocks him away and connects with a top rope battering ram for a two count. Bryan gets back to his feet on the apron and Sheamus tries to suplex him back into the ring, but Bryan floats over and lands on his feet. Sheamus charges Bryan, but Bryan low bridges the top rope to send Sheamus tumbling to the outside. Bryan goes for a suicide dive, but Sheamus lands an elbow shot to the skull as Bryan comes through the ropes. Sheamus heads back into the ring and goes for the Celtic Cross, but Bryan sneaks out the back. Sheamus charges Bryan in the corner, but Bryan evades causing Sheamus to post himself in the corner and tumble to the outside. Bryan heads to the outside and whips Sheamus shoulder-first into the ring post. Bryan rolls Sheamus back into the ring and repeatedly whips his shoulder into the ring post. Bryan slides back into the ring and kicks Sheamus' shoulder over… and over… and over… and over… and over… until the referee has no choice but to disqualify Bryan and award the first fall to Sheamus. SHEAMUS WINS THE FIRST FALL VIA DISQUALIFICATION. The second fall begins, and Bryan immediately locks in the Yes Lock. Sheamus tries to make it to the ropes, but ultimately he passes out from the pain. DANIEL BRYAN WINS THE SECOND FALL VIA SUBMISSION. Two doctors check on Sheamus to determine if he can continue while Bryan leads the crowd in a thunderous "YES! YES! YES!" chant the evolves into a "YES! NO! YES! NO!" chant. The third fall eventually begins, and Bryan charges Sheamus, but Sheamus catches Bryan with a Brogue Kick for a looooooooooong two count. Sheamus is selling the shoulder injury like a champ (which, I suppose, he is). Bryan gets back to his feet and goes back to work with kicks to the shoulder. Sheamus makes a point of turning his back to the kicks to protect his shoulder. Nice psychology by Sheamus. Bryan lands a kick to the skull and gets a long two count of his own. That one looked vicious. Bryan heads up top, but Sheamus catches him with a shot to the head. Sheamus pounds on Bryan and heads up top, but Bryan knocks him back down to the mat. Bryan goes for the Benoit Flying Head Butt, but Sheamus rolls out of the way to avoid contact. Sheamus connects with a pair of double ax handles to Bryan. Sheamus connects with a Brogue Kick that turns Bryan inside out and gets the three count.

This was honestly the best pure technical wrestling match I've seen in WWE in a VERY long time. We all know Daniel Bryan is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, and it was great to see him get a chance to prove that again tonight. I'm so happy they Finally these two get to work a long match and they deliver an absolute war. Great heat, smart psychology, FUCKING AWESOME SELLING BY SHEAMUS and they managed to put over the heel cunning of Bryan while still making Sheamus look like a total badass. I so happy they had this match here but part of me wanted this at WM. ****1/4

 

[Crippler]

WWE Extreme Rules 2012 - Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Punk's family is in attendance tonight in the front row apparently, and he's rocking an awesome new Misfits-inspired t-shirt. Punk and Jericho are both dressed for a street fight. Nice touch. Punk and Jericho slug it out in the middle of the ring to start. Punk beats Jericho into the corner and stomps a mud hole in him. Jericho rolls to the outside, but Punk knocks him over the barrier and into the timekeeper's area. Punk hurls two steel chairs into the ring and rolls Jericho in after them. Punk retrieves a kendo stick from under the ring and climbs into the ring. Punk connects with a brutal kendo stick shot to the back, and that's enough to draw a "ECW! ECW! ECW!" chant from the crowd. Jericho again rolls to the outside and tries to run away, but Punk chases him back into the ring and levels him with a clothesline. Punk goes back to work with the kendo stick before wedging one of the chairs in the corner. Jericho hides behind the referee and sneaks in a thumb to the eye. Punk gets back to his feet on the ring apron, but Jericho connects with a kendo stick shot to the gut. Jericho hits a springboard dropkick to the skull that knocks Punk off the apron. Jericho heads to the outside and beats Punk right in front of his sister. Jericho whips Punk into the barrier, and Punk tumbles into the timekeeper's area. Jericho rolls Punk back into the ring and then climbs back in himself. Jericho removes a turnbuckle cover and uses one of the cables to choke Punk. Punk regains control and goes for a high running knee in the corner, but Jericho evades and Punk again tumbles to the outside. Jericho removes the padding on the barricade in front of Punk's sister and slams Punk's head into the exposed steel. Jericho gets in Punk's sister's face, and she slaps the taste out of his mouth. Jericho lunges at Punk's sister, but Punk knocks him away. Punk has now completely lost it. Punk removes the cover from the announce table, props it up against the table, and scoop slams Jericho through it. Jericho gets back to his feet, grabs a monitor, and drives it into Punk's back. Jericho grabs a piece of the broken table cover and smashes it over Punk's back. Jericho rolls Punk back into the ring and gets a two count. Jericho locks in a chin lock with his knee in Jericho's back, but Punk breaks the hold with a side suplex. Punk gets back to his feet on the apron, and wrenches Jericho's neck across the top rope. Punk goes for a springboard clothesline, but Jericho catches him with a kendo stick shot in mid-air. Jericho heads out of the ring and retrieves a can of beer from under the ring. He toasts Punk and pours the beer all over him in the middle of the ring. Jericho grabs another beer from under the ring, but this time Punk catches him with a kendo stick shot when he climbs back into the ring. Punk connects with a swinging neckbreaker and hits the running high knee in the corner. Punk follows up with the bulldog out of the corner and once again grabs the kendo stick. Punk crotches Jericho with the kendo stick. Punk goes for the Go To Sleep, but Jericho counters into an attempted Walls of Jericho, but Punk kicks Jericho away. Punk gets a quick roll up for a two count. Punk heads up top, but Jericho knocks the ropes to crotch Punk on the top turnbuckle. Jericho heads up top and beats on Punk, but Punk fights back and knocks Jericho back down to the mat. Punk hits the Mach Man Diving Elbow Drop for a loooooooooong two count. That gets a "Thanks you Savage! Thank you Savage! Thank you Savage!" chant from the crowd. Punk goes for the Go To Sleep, but Jericho sneaks out the back and connects with a running bulldog. Jericho goes for the Lionsault, but Punk catches him in mid-air and goes for the Go To Sleep, but Jericho counters to evade contact. Jericho whips Punk head-first into the chair that is still wedged in the corner for a looooooooong two count of his own. Punk struggles back to his feet, but Jericho catches him with a Code Breaker. Jericho locks in the Walls of Jericho right in the middle of the ring. Punk makes it to the ropes, but ropes don't cause a break in a Chicago Street Fight. Punk grabs a fire extinguisher from under the ring while still in the Walls of Jericho. Jericho pulls Punk back to the middle of the ring, but Punk sprays the fire extinguisher right in Jericho's face to break the hold. Punk drives the extinguisher into Jericho's gut to knock him out of the ring. Punk again drives the extinguisher into Jericho's gut and rolls him onto the Spanish announce table. PUNK HEADS UP TO THE TOP TURNBUCKLE AND HITS THE MACHO MAN DIVING ELBOW DROP FROM THE TOP TURNBUCKLE TO THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE! HOLY SHIT! Punk eventually rolls Jericho back into the ring and gets another long two count. Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice, but Jericho grabs the kendo stick and repeatedly connects with Punk's head to break the hold. Jericho seriously just splintered the kendo stick over Punk's head. Punk grabs the steel chair, but Jericho catches him with another Code Breaker with Punk's face being driven right into the chair. Jericho drags Punk to his feet and goes for Punk's own Go To Sleep, but Punk counters into a catapult into the corner. Punk catches Jericho on the rebound and hits the Go To Sleep for the three count.

Punk and Jericho had the unenviable task of having to put on a championship match after Sheamus and Bryan delivered a classic, but This one lived up the billing as this was just an absolutely brutal, red hot match with some creative and killer bumps spread through-out perfectly, This was truly a street fight in the arena. ****1/4

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: Rhyno v.s Eddie Edwards.

Rhyno is back in ROH again. None of his previous runs went anywhere so I'm sure this will amount to the same. The idea of him being someone who watches the back's of Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin for the House of Truth is good on paper at least. Too bad Rhyno isn't that great in the ring. Decent brawler but this match wasn't a brawl at all. It was just a simple match and I guess it worked for what it was supposed to be but I just wasn't feeling it. The normal Rhyno offense started the match and some alright midsection work which makes sense for his moveset. Eddie Edwards fights back and hits some signature moves of his own. Then the match just gets to the ending when Rhyno gets another move in and it was just Rhyno's set up for the Gore, his Belly-to-Belly Suplex. This just leads to a miss and then some interference from Truth Martini for a quick roll up for Edwards. At least the right guy won in Eddie.

**-**1/4

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: The Youngbucks & Mike Mondo v.s The All-Night Express & T.J. Perkins.

Not a big fan of a lot of people in this match to be fair but had some great action at points. However a lot of that great action had transitions with botching at points from Mondo and just plain miscommunication from the tag teams being thrown together with random partners. Now if it looked like they were trying to add it to the match this would help everything but it was just them not knowing each other. Mondo was awful at pretty much every point he was in the ring. I can't hate too much though because as many times as I was scratching my head at the decisions in the ring the pace kept with the talent in the ring. It had an out of control feel though which helped the atmosphere. Both teams near the end had some things planned where they hit consective moves together. I was surprised that Mondo didn't fuck up a top rope move for this point. It looked like he was nervous because I have seen better outings by him. Oh well, he still just couldn't keep up with the All-Nights or his Youngbuck partners. The other team's coordination move together actually led to victory with All-Nights and Perkins pulling it out. Out of control is the best way to explain this.

Of course, I didn't expect much here.

**3/4

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: Thomasso Ciampa v.s Jay Lethal.

These two didn't wait for a bell as Lethal and Ciampa fought each other outside the ring. It was heated from the minute this started. Hell, I thought they were gonna swerve us at one point and we weren't going to get the match. The stuff outside was just a precursor to the great action in the ring. The emotion was just off the charts. These two have been at each other's throats for months. Ciampa was trying everything in his power to keep his undefeated streak alive while Lethal just kept fighting back. The desperation Ciampa had led to some of the sickest moves, I've seen in a while. From a Lariat to his patented knees he was destroying Lethal. Lethal's comeback's were short lived by the bigger opponent until late and Lethal almost put away with a huge HAIL TO THE KING Elbow Drop. Everything seemed to work here with these two knowing each other so well. Ciampa even hit the Lethal Combination on on Lethal. However this was kind of a prelude to the ending with Ciampa getting so frustrated that he just couldn't put Lethal away he flips him off. Ciampa being too out of control right here led to him being caught into a Lethal Combination that had 10 knees to the face prior to doing the takedown part. Unbelievable and Ciampa's undefeated streak ends. After this match I want to see Lethal get some main event slots. He is truly earning it for what he is doing in this midcard position.

***3/4

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: Mike Bennett v.s Lance Storm.

Good match here. Bennett and Storm both worked this match rather well. Bennett's back work to Storm through out is what stands out to me. I think I grew to like Bennett more here too. I didn't mind their first encounter and this ended up being a good follow up. It's just Storm didn't do much besides his main arsenal and he only used them on comebacks inbetween Bennett's back work. Now, I'm not really upset it's just the way the match flowed and worked well with Storm being the veteran. I enjoyed that this was pretty heated from the start. The finish was pretty generic but also worked well. Not much to say just a good match from a veteran and a young guy working to their strengths for their current positions in their careers. No real flaws, a good solid match to add to the ROH history.

***

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: Adam Cole v.s Michael Elgin.

This was a great match for this show. A midcard match between two emerging stars. I may even say I like Cole more than O'Reilly if I was to compare them. These two are going to be huge for ROH in the future. However, it's Elgin's time... The momentum this guy is gaining is what Mike Bennett and Thomasso Ciampa wish they could have accomplished. This match was very brutal just because Elgin brought it like that. Cole had to keep up with it and did his best. He traded some forarms with Elgin but when I look back at Elgin's forearms here it was kind of laughable. Cole didn't do nearly as enough damage to the bigger man and it hurt in the end when Elgin was just too damn much. I really enjoyed this back and forth display of violence. ELGIN IS THE FUCKIN' MAN, though.

***1/4

 

[Kiffy Lube]

ROH Border Wars: TV Title Match- Finlay v.s Roderick Strong(c).

A pretty good fight for the most part. Finlay was his usual self and so was Strong but I never felt the violence jumped to a level necessary of the two. I was expecting just brutal action and it wasn't mostly that. It was slow paced with some good mat wrestling and tough blows. It just didn't escalate to something you know the two are capable of. I think they both had gameplans but I wanted both to get pissed off and just tear each other apart. Then out of nowhere they started hitting a combo of their big moves on one another. It jilted the paced suddenly and just felt like they were getting their stuff in before the end. Still a decent match but you will probably expect something a bit different.

**1/2