Yes i'm back, as a special treat i'm gonna reveal what i view as the 5 best wrestling matches of 2012. This is merely my personal opinion, as every wrestling fan is entitled to it, I base this list solely on how these matches enticed me and kept me excited with their high-spots, drama and the skills of those involved. I'll give my reasons for why each match is on the list, you may not agree, but i can give you an understanding. So, without further delay, here are my top 5!:
5. Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan, 2/3 falls match (Extreme Rules)
There was an outrage among fans after Sheamus beat Bryan at Wrestlemania in 18 seconds, percievably making smark-favourite Bryan look weak, and robbing the fans of what could've been an awesome match. 4 weeks later, WWE gave these two a chance to amend the miscalculation of Wrestlemania, with a full match, and they didn't disapoint. This match displayed good technical wrestling, along with Bryan being made to look strong, dominating Sheamus for a fair bit of the match, even knocking him out at one point, I actually wouldn't have been suprised if Bryan had won. The minor psycology of Sheamus' injured arm also made the match gripping. It wasn't the best it could've been, but it was still gripping.
4. Davey Richards vs Michael Elgin (Showdown in the Sun)
Davey Richards matches usually irk me due to his inconsistant selling (e.g. being piledriven on the floor/powerbombed off the top rope, then 2 minutes later doing a cartwheel-kick). Although, there are elements I enjoy, such as his athletic display and 'Holy Shit' spots, and this match had them in spades. A cavalcade of cool spots and false finnishes made this an exciting bout, the athletic/technical Richards battled the athletic/powerhouse Elgin. Despite Elgin's no-selling of big moves, he proved to be a star in the making against ROH's standard bearer; Richards, putting on a display of brutal power moves (powerbomb into barricade) mixed with finece'. On the eve of Wrestlemania, these two wanted to show that WWE wasn't the only game in town, although Wrestlemania proved to be a spectacular show with 2 10/10 matches, this showcased ROH as a worthy contender.
3. CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Wrestlemania)
After Wrestlemania, there was debate over what was the best match of the night, with people siding with either the epic HHH vs Undertaker match, or this one, and in my view it's easy to see why. Going into the bout, Punk and Jericho claimed to the best wrestlers in the world and that they were going to put on a clinic, many felt the match couldn't live up to these expectations, and i'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to my 2 favourites of the modern day going at it. But if you look beyond the fan boy hype and build, you can truely appreciate it as a skillfully put together match. There's the in-match story of Punk losing his title if he's disqualified, and Jericho using his animosity with Punk to gain the title. Then there's the high-spots (suplex to outside, mid-air codebreaker etc.) and tension of the false finnishes; with Jericho countering many big moves with the Walls of Jericho. Some i know wern't fussed on it, but I see this match as two modern greats trying not to be overshadowed by the hype of Rock/Cena and Taker/HHH, and successfully etching a place as a great Wrestlemania match.
2. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit)
The two indie kings, facing off on a WWE pay-per-view for the WWE title, something many fans thought they'd never see. Although the build to this match was flash in the pan and bland, Punk and Bryan decided to show the WWE higher-ups what they were made of by putting on a clinic. This match often had the feel of an ROH match, with emphasis on submissions and technical wrestling throughout, with a figure four, indian death lock and a surfboard turned into a dragon sleeper. This was a fun match with both men giving it their all, proving they deserved a top place on the card, as opposed to the debacle of John Cena vs John Laurinaitis.
1. HHH vs The Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, guest referee Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania)
What made this match #1 for me? Drama. This is a match that had me jumping on my sofa, that was due to the big spots, granted, but more pertinantly, it was the story that entwined these spots together, without the drama, this match would just be Undertaker kicking out of chair shots, pedigrees and sledgehammers. The story was effective in building the match: Undertaker wanted to prove he wasn't a decrepid relic by winning unnanimously, HHH realised the only way he could end the streak was by annihlating the Undertaker, and you had the referee; Shawn Michaels who didn't want it to go too far. This match told that story, with Undertaker dominating early on to negate his weakness, HHH taking control by unleashing a blitzkrieg of chair shots etc. to destroy Undertaker, Shawn Michael's compasion in trying to save Undertaker from destruction (with me wondering what that'd mean, him dying live on ppv?). The match progressed into an epic encounter, proving to be better than Taker's Wrestlemania 26 and 27 outings. This match went beyond wrestling, it told a story through the action and told it well, i was heavily invested throughout, thus making it worthy...of #1.
