2014 Ongoing Match of Year List

7. Daniel Bryan v. HHH WWE Wrestlemania 4/6

PAS: I dislike Helmsley about as much as I dislike anyone in wrestling, but I have to give him a bunch of credit here. He was really nasty tearing at Bryan's arm, he was really deliberate, showing each part of the application of the hold, it is a really effective performative tactic in a big stage like a Dome. I also thought his cutoffs were really awesome, Bryan is great at working at pace and every time Helmsley would stop him it would be like a car speeding into a wall. I think a lot of that is how great Bryan bumps, he totally wipes himself out on the clothesline and goes really high on the spinebuster, but a big part was knowing the right time to bring the match back down. HHH isn't very flexible and that made the submission attempts by both guys guys a little awkward, but that is really my only quibble. Totally shocked Bryan didn't get eaten up here, I knew he was going to win, but I didn't think he would come out looking good.

ER: I'm sure most internet wrestling fans assumed going in that this would be a total HHH show, doing all those subtle obnoxious things like sandbagging Bryan on suplexes, taking forever to make planned pinfalls, and basically making this look like Bryan lucked his way into the main event. And if somebody told me  in 2013 that there would be a 25+ minute Helmsley singles match in the upcoming year that I would really really like then I'm sure I would have been doubtful, regardless of opponent. But man I really liked HHH in this. This was not some sort of Bryan miracle carry job. HHH wasn't trying to work his usual awful Flair cosplay epic, and he didn't do his regular silly stuff like setting up all his offense by starting with Irish whips. He used his usual range of offense, but it was actually functional within the confines of a great wrestling match. No goofy Flair tribute rolling knee drop out of the corner, instead he dropped a bunch of knees right into Bryan's temple. He bumped big on dropkicks, took a tornado DDT with Bryan leaping off the apron, tossed Bryan with a freaking Tiger suplex right onto Bryan's bum shoulder. There was no misplaced touring NWA champ stuff, usually copied with no regard for context, no banana peels, no screwiness, just an excellent long, well-worked match that holds up nicely upon rewatch. Great match.


2014 MASTER LIST