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Post by microstatistics on Jan 6, 2018 5:56:22 GMT -5
Top 5 match in WWE history and a Top 50 contender. Still hate the finish but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. A heavyweight clash for the ages. Doesn't get much better than this when it comes to selling, bumping, character work and brutal offense. Finest hour for both guys.
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Post by Kadaveri on Jan 6, 2018 6:43:12 GMT -5
I also felt a bit robbed by the finish but... this match is incredible. Probably the stiffest Mania match ever and nothing like the WWE house style at all. Both guys give fantastic selling performances not just in terms of bumping but the emotional impact of everything that's taking place. Roman's eyes sticking out his head when he realises he has Brock in trouble is the kind of body language selling we need more of in wrestling.
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Post by smartmark15 on Jan 6, 2018 10:59:40 GMT -5
The best WrestleMania main event of the decade. Roman, after a horrible three months of abuse from the fans, goes out and puts on an absolute classic by taking a ridiculous beating that is sold to perfection. So much to love in this match and I'm actually a fan of the finish. Rollins cashing in was a feel good moment that a lot of fans needed and I certainly couldn't complain with it. It was the best utilization of the Money in the Bank gimmick since Edge first cashed in after the 06 Elim Chamber. Absolute WWE classic for the ages.
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Post by twfi on Jan 6, 2018 14:20:52 GMT -5
Awesome match. Brock is supporting Reigns who won't give in. Brock chucks him around with suplexes and clothesline the shit out of him from the apron to the floor. Reigns comeback is memorable with the Superman Punches and Spears to a dazed Brock. Mileage will vary on the MITB cash-in but it didn't take away what Brock and Roman performances.
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Post by Cap on Jan 6, 2018 15:34:02 GMT -5
Yeah... I really loved this match. This is kind of what I am hoping for at this year's mania, a big time main event between two dudes who are willing to beat the hell out of each other. For me, this probably wont make my list for the finish. That may or may not be fair. It the moment I thought the finish was a good bit of wrestling, but in terms of looking at a match, I think it took away from the quality. Its kind of a cool/interesting case study in how the same moment can work in two different ways depending on what you are looking at. Match quality isn't the only (or even more important) way of looking at wrestling, but since that is what we are doing here, I suspect this will miss my list.
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Post by fxnj on Jun 25, 2018 1:02:56 GMT -5
The Wrestlemania theater version of this is the best thing WWE has ever produced. The combination of the outdoor arena and the match beginning at sundown makes it feel like a modern day gladiator fight. Incredible story as well with Roman coming in as the overhyped golden boy proving that he belongs in there and gaining the respect of the fans as the match goes on. Brock is at his best here, laying down an epic beatdown while playing the cocky jock to perfection. Even the commentary is loaded full of great quotes. Best match in WWE history and a top 5 match to ever happen on US soil at worst.
Re: the finish. I think it's a very different beast from your run of the mill DQ or DCOR that rob the fans of a clear victor. Here, the story was never really "can Roman win". Brock had him beat within the first minutes and only prolonged the beat down to get revenge on Roman cutting him under the eye. The story was "can Roman survive". And he did survive. Though it took everything he had, he was able to take enough out of Lesnar that his former stablemate could cash in and steal the win. In my view, that's a complete and satisfactory conclusion to what they set out to do here.
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Post by microstatistics on Jun 26, 2018 20:36:39 GMT -5
The Wrestlemania theater version of this is the best thing WWE has ever produced. The combination of the outdoor arena and the match beginning at sundown makes it feel like a modern day gladiator fight. Incredible story as well with Roman coming in as the overhyped golden boy proving that he belongs in there and gaining the respect of the fans as the match goes on. Brock is at his best here, laying down an epic beatdown while playing the cocky jock to perfection. Even the commentary is loaded full of great quotes. Best match in WWE history and a top 5 match to ever happen on US soil at worst.
Re: the finish. I think it's a very different beast from your run of the mill DQ or DCOR that rob the fans of a clear victor. Here, the story was never really "can Roman win". Brock had him beat within the first minutes and only prolonged the beat down to get revenge on Roman cutting him under the eye. The story was "can Roman survive". And he did survive. Though it took everything he had, he was able to take enough out of Lesnar that his former stablemate could cash in and steal the win. In my view, that's a complete and satisfactory conclusion to what they set out to do here. Disagree. I think the story was initially "can Roman survive this beatdown" but developed into "wow Roman might actually pull this off". Yes, Brock beat the shit out of him for 80% of the match but this wasn't nearly as one sided as the terrific Cena squash at Summerslam where all of Cena's comebacks were completely shrugged off by Lesnar. Here Roman got in good hope spots by throwing potato shots that hurt Brock (temporarily atleast) and Brock got more and more frustrated about not being able to finish him off. Roman continued to defiantly resist until that great ringpost hardway transition spot which gave him an opening and Brock looked in real trouble. Which is why the finish is frustrating because after the 4th F5, it was a level playing field and it felt like it could go either way and the Rollins stuff felt like a disruption. |
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Post by crimsonmask on Jun 27, 2018 17:03:19 GMT -5
I agree whole heartedly. Loved this match. Gave me a slight tingle of that 90s AJPW good stuff. Love Roman's selling here. Brock looks like a monster. Brutal.
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Post by marksman on Feb 28, 2021 17:59:17 GMT -5
I just saw this for the first time and thought it was awesome, especially since I paid so little attention to wrestling at this time period that I'd forgotten that was the ending. Roman sells really well, and the comeback genuinely had me believing he could do it until the run-in. LOVE the facial expressions from all three, particularly Brock's shock after Roman kicked out of the third F5. I can see why people's opinion vary on the finish but for me it did a great job of protecting both competitors, and making Rollins look like a brilliant opportunist.
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Post by cactus on Nov 16, 2021 2:03:24 GMT -5
Reigns is one of the few guys who looks like a total boss TAKING a beating. He smirks at Lesnar while getting the shit suplexed out of him. Lesnar gets an F5 early but is in no rush to pin as he wants to hurt Roman. He doesn't spam the Germans, instead he opts to attack Lesnar with an array of violent knees and clotheslines during the early portion of the match. Brock eats a ring post and bleeds like a pig. He sells his injury well, staggering around the place with a glazed facial expression. Reigns gets in a few hope spots before Lesnar catches him in an F5. Seth Rollins' music hits and he cashes in his MITB briefcase and turns this into a 3 way. I knew Rollins was going to get involved somehow, but I didn't expect him to do it while the match was still going on. The ending made Lesnar look strong while losing the belt and opens the door to a future Lesnar vs Reigns match. ★★★★★
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Post by [Darren] on Nov 16, 2021 7:31:56 GMT -5
This is such an amazing match but the ending kills it for me. I’ve always thought the much more interesting way to go is to have seth cash in but he takes the pin either by Roman or Brock.
Regardless, this match is a work of art. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth
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Post by tetsujin on Dec 12, 2021 20:25:31 GMT -5
I atually love the finish, and always had. Almost nobody wanted to see Reigns win (and even if the WM crowd started to cheer for his comeback, something I don't see as clearly as other people say but hey, maybe, that doesn't change the fact that the RAW post-WM crowd would have still booed the shit out of him. Fans are stupid), but obviously a Lesnar victory would have been as anticlimactic and if he was out of the company after WM 31 like it seemed, he had to lose the title. The Rollins cash in was the perfect solution for this difficult scenario, and it was a mind-blowing moment: first cash in at WrestleMania, first time cashing in during an actual fucking match, and overall one of the greatest heel moves ever booked. I remember marking the fuck out while watching this live like few other times.
Now, the actual match. I don't exactly know why I don't feel this match as perfect, because it has everything I could want in a pro wrestling match: super intense, great selling, amazing facial expressions telling a complex story behind simple action, memorable spots and false finishes, and an all-time great finish. I've never been a fan of either guy, but have to recognize how good they are (specially Brock, he's a fucking prodigy when he cares) and I'm usually able to enjoy their best stuff, and this is right there with both guys' very best, obviously... It just that I see it more like a truly excepcional match, but not necessarily one of the absolute best ever. Maybe it was too one-sided for my personal taste (Cena/Lesnar is also super one-sided and I have it on my top 25, but that match has a very unique aura impossible to recreate again); maybe it's the fact Lesnar finishes on top of Roman right before Rollin's appareance, instead of letting you wonder if Reigns could have been able to win; maybe it's the fact I don't like Roman kicking out of the same number of F5 that broke Undertaker's Streak; maybe it's that I'm simply not invested in *this* Reigns and the feeling of disinterest I had for this match back in the day, when it was being promoted, still haunts me, but something is missing for me to consider it part of the absolute elite tier stuff. But fuck, it's an excellent match and it saved Reigns' career, which ironically is what at the end WWE wanted to do.
I'm still gonna rank it on my next list, and I'm kinda sad I didn't rewatch it earlier. I'm in peace with this match and I can comfortably say that I really, really like it, but also that I don't see it as an absolute masterpiece worthy of five stars or anything like that. It's a top 50 match, not a top 10 one, if you know what I'm saying.
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Post by elliott on Oct 8, 2023 23:08:33 GMT -5
Back to back big show mens MOTDC for Reigns. Both guys look incredible. Watching it back to back with the Fastlane match...it is amazing how great Reigns is because of how different his performances are. Anyway. Yeah. Fucking rules.
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Post by lemming on Oct 24, 2023 15:31:35 GMT -5
Rewatched this one again recently and it blew me away all over again. Just electric. May be the best match in Company history.
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Post by [Darren] on Oct 24, 2023 17:06:40 GMT -5
Money in the Bank is a horrible concept and the decision to book Rollins to win this match is among the worst booking decisions in company history but… I can’t deny that in the moment it works. I also can’t deny that this is one of the greatest matches in company history. The company went downhill after this in a big way and the booking decision for the finish is one of the biggest reasons.
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