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Post by nintendologic on Apr 11, 2020 17:11:54 GMT -5
Just about everybody breathed a sigh of relief when AJ beat Jinder Mahal for the Smackdown title so we’d get this match instead of Brock/Jinder, but there was reason for expectations to be tempered. Brock had become increasingly one-dimensional in the ring after Suplex City had become a thing, and AJ had spent much of the year embroiled in a feud with Kevin Owens that was generally regarded as underwhelming. Any fears that this match would underdeliver proved to be unfounded, as they knocked it out of the park. I’d say this blows away anything either man has done since. A lot of Brock’s opponents try to rush right at him when the bell rings, but AJ tries to stick and move. It ends up being to no avail, as Brock catches him with a kick and plows him into the corner. I was struck by how much of a bully Brock was in the early going. He steps on AJ’s throat, drags him around by the hair like a caveman, and easily dodges his haymakers after beckoning him to throw hands. I can’t remember any other match where he’s so focused on humiliating his opponent rather than inflicting pain. It’s amazing what the battle for brand supremacy will do to people. Suplex City-era Brock’s best matches have been against smaller opponents who can fly around and take huge bumps for his suplexes, and AJ fits that description to a T. There were a few unfortunate botches in the back half of the match, most notably on the tornado DDT attempt, and I thought they went to the “both guys lying around because they’re so exhausted” well too early for it to feel truly earned. Brock’s selling of the calf crusher was brilliant, and escaping by repeatedly slamming AJ’s head into the mat like a basketball was a genuine holy-shit moment. AJ removing his elbow pad before going for the second phenomenal forearm was a nice touch at the end, as was Brock’s leg nearly giving out before landing the F5.
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Post by pterois on May 14, 2020 5:25:09 GMT -5
Second. Such a compelling match. It really makes you believe the match can end at any moment and that AJ can pull off an upset. Better than the match Between Lesnar and Bryan from 2018.
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 10, 2020 20:39:07 GMT -5
Third. I'm much lower on this than others but still think it's a pretty good match.
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Post by KB8 on Apr 7, 2023 13:50:24 GMT -5
We've established that it's hard to make a Brock Lesnar stretcher job look believable. It's almost just as difficult to make a Brock Lesnar opponent look like a legitimate threat, particularly when that opponent is undersized by about a hunner pounds. And well, Lesnar wasn't carted out on a stretcher here but they sure did make AJ Styles look like a legitimate threat despite being undersized by about a hunner pounds. For roughly a third of this it went how you'd expect. Lesnar obliterated Styles for 6-7 minutes unanswered, a 6-7-minute stretch that probably felt significantly longer to AJ. Lesnar was just launching him with suplexes, dumping him out the ring, and out on the floor he chucked him all face- and shoulder-first into the announcer's desk. It looked brutal as a bastard and Styles had a mean looking welt across his arm to show for it. There was one point where AJ was dead on the mat and Brock dragged him across the ring by the hair and threw him into the corner like AJ was a deer carcass being hung up on a hook to drain. AJ will obviously fly around like a maniac on bumps so that doesn't hurt either. I guess it's easy to draw this comparison because I watched Lesnar/Eddie recently, but AJ's comeback felt very similar to Eddie's against Brock from '04. The big moment where you go "oh AJ might actually have a chance here" was practically identical, with Brock missing the high knee in the corner and selling the leg (like in the Eddie match he managed to hit one earlier and this one AJ took right in the face like a maniac). It feels like AJ's weathered the storm and chips away at Lesnar, and Brock is all-time level at selling progressive fatigue and damage. AJ hits a couple dives and starts countering things he was getting bounced around with earlier, then Lesnar goes hurtling into the steps and leaves them dented with his own kneecaps. Even the botched tornado DDT worked fine for me because it looked like Brock just chucked AJ on his face to prevent it, or if you really want to stretch the boundaries of storytelling, his leg buckled and what was otherwise his one weak point actually became a boon in that moment. The F5 reversal into the Calf Crusher was a great spot and I shit you not, Lesnar grabbing AJ by the head and repeatedly bouncing it off the mat to escape is one of the best things I've seen in ages. Brock's leg nearly buckling as he catches AJ off the springboard was an awesome touch that Lesnar has a knack for, the way it looked like he was almost going down before righting himself and hitting it. This ruled a lot.
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Post by lemming on Apr 27, 2023 14:35:22 GMT -5
This is my favourite match from the 'Brock vs former indie darlings' production line and probably the Brock match I've rewatched the most.
Structurally it's very simple and a standard formula match (Monster heel bullies smaller opponent -> turning point, monster is suddenly vulnerable~! -> monster just about scrapes over the line.) but they nailed the formula so well here. AJ's bumping, selling and fiery (attempted) comebacks keep the heat segment compelling all the way through - and it definitely helps that he isn't just eating a stock suplex city routine - and Brock has always been good at portraying 'suddenly vulnerable~!'.
And who needs an funky, ambitious match structure when the climax you're building to is Brock bashing AJ's head through the earth's crust like a Mortal Kombat finisher?
I'm not sure if this'll quite make my 100 greatest matches list but if we were listing pure favourites, this'd be in.
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Post by elliott on Oct 13, 2023 17:36:06 GMT -5
Not a fan of this one
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