Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns (WWE - 4/30/2021)

I've decided to do a few direct nominations for a couple of matches I think folks should watch and consider. The Fastlane match from earlier in the year and the triple threat from Mania tend to get more broader hype, but if you follow me on twitter you know that I am a champion of this match. This is - in my mind - their masterpiece and a great example of a wrestler putting someone over huge on his way out the door (not sure if he knew he was REALLY out the door or not, but it doesn't matter).

I also want to pump the breaks a little on my Bryan-centric praise because Reigns brought every bit as much as Bryan did. That is saying something. I think Reigns is great and have for a long while now, but for him to be on the level with the best in the world (best ever) is something else. This is where Reigns - for my taste - is ACTUALLY doing what his biggest fans have been praising him for since his return.

The dynamic here is great. First and foremost, I love that this is a one-on-one match. This is heel Reigns doing what I want heel Reigns to do. I want him to be an ass hole, but I don’t want him to need to cheat. It is just one on one. The general tone of this match is that they are very evenly matched with Reigns bringing power and dynamic offense and Bryan bringing a little bit more technical prowess and maybe some smarts in terms of strategy. He starts with a running kick to really set the tone and they never slowed down. I thought they did a great job at not just telling the story of two evenly matched wrestlers, but of telling the story of Reigns actually being better at Bryan’s game. Bryan had worked the arm during part of the match and had worked it with the Yes Lock. This really informed the end. Near the homestretch Reigns gets Bryan in a guillotine and Bryan really fights it in the smartest way possible. He is wedging his arm in and Reigns weakened arm just can’t finish it. Later in the match he switches to his stronger arm, being smart and versitile. The reverses and the counters are just near perfect. It is nothing all that crazy flashy, but it is just solid, detailed wrestling start to finish that tells a compelling story with high drama because Bryan is fighting for his career. They played into that as well as it lets Bryan dig as deep as he can and makes Reigns look that much more dominant for beating him. 

I talk a lot about things that will hold up. It is really all speculation for almost modern matches. Not a lot of modern matches feel timeless (and there is no real way to know), but this one has those timeless bones.  It isn't the lock for my list that something like Ilja v Walter from 2020 is, but it is something I'm definitely going to keep an eye on down the road. It is also something I would suggest folks watch and give a fair look at.