2022 Ongoing MOTY List: Dustin vs. Punk

5. Dustin Rhodes vs. CM Punk AEW Dynamite 4/20

MD: Hey, it's two of our guys wrestling each other. Phil, unsurprisingly, covered this over at the Ringer, but here's my take: I love how organic this felt. Some of that is Punk adapting - in the obvious ways, like when the bow and arrow didn't work - but also in how he responded to the crowd. The match had spots but it wasn't about the spots. Punk knew that the crowd was going to get behind Dustin when he was in holds, but he couldn't know what the split would be or how best to capitalize on it before the fact. It gave a pretty good preview overall to what Punk vs. Page might look like and how Punk might adapt to that crowd. 

The other half of it was how both Dustin and Punk responded to the moment. They sold everything, both physical and emotional. At one point a CM Punk chant broke out, even when he was on top, and he gave Dustin a sly grin. Likewise, when he taunted Dustin later with the Goldust bit, the crowd turned on him and he again reacted accordingly. The turning point of the match was after Dustin went flying through the ropes and hurt his knee. There was a chance Punk wasn't going to capitalize on it, but Dustin kicked up at him and it visibly pissed Punk (the character) off and he started on it. Later on Dustin had control and hit the ten punches in the corner only to sell the leg huge as he landed back on it again. Everything had weight and consequence, not just the spots but every incidental movement, every interaction between the two wrestlers, every reaction from the crowd. The wrestlers cared about everything and then the wrestlers care the fans care and when the fans care you can get real emotion and something like the hug and the handshake at the end resonates and stays with you. That's what the masters do, they take something fabricated and artificial and they give it substance and make it real. It may not be spectacular or conventionally breathtaking in a 2022 sense, but it still can manage to take your breath away in how it engages your heart and mind and gut.

ER: I really like how Matt got into the differences between Dustin/Punk the workers and Dustin/Punk the characters. He's one of the best guys to write about Punk and Dustin because he's good at picking up on learned career history of guys like that, good at picking up on how the crowd is treating the ring work itself, and the guys responsible for the ring work. This was a great match regardless of the two guys involved, and would have gotten a good reaction regardless of who was in the ring. But the crowd has a specific connection to Dustin and Punk, and both are great at making the most of that connection, and having the confidence to know what specifically will connect. I thought this was a tremendous physical Dustin performance, while Punk's best asset was how well he can manipulate a crowd reaction. They worked a match this crowd wanted to see, and one that was perfectly suited to their strengths. Dustin is so good at selling a body part and Punk is good at walking an opportunistic line between face and heel. Dustin's missed crossbody was a cool way to set up the focal point of the match, Dustin's knee. I love the Dustin missed crossbody bump, and this was one of his best, flying out the ropes and landing hard on the floor. 

Dustin winds up working a lot of this match on his back because of it, which is awesome, as one of Dustin's superpowers is getting any crowd to immediately get involved in any match by slamming both of his arms into the mat. I've seen it happen live several times, Dustin just knows how to involve a crowd in his underdog struggle, no matter how much larger he is than his opponent. That upkick to Punk's shoulder (which he had previously - and perhaps unnecessarily - dug the point of his elbow into) and Punk's ensuing smirk were excellent, Punk facially showing that leg was now sentenced to several minutes of punishment. Dustin fighting from his back is so compelling, as I'm not sure there are any wrestlers better at throwing strikes from their back. It felt like every Dustin comeback started with him punching from his back or capitalizing any way he could from that position, like his inside cradle. I loved him punching Punk from his back to knock Punk back into the ropes, then scrambling to his feet in time to catch the rebounding Punk with a powerslam. I loved Dustin's leg selling after hopping down from the middle buckle 10 count punches, that jubilant reaction from the crowd sending a fired up Dustin hopping off the buckles and landing right back on that bad knee, a fantastic Thrill of Victory/Agony of Defeat moment. I also loved how the Go 2 Sleep wasn't the finish, but all of Punk's attempts at it lead to more important ways of advancing the match, Punk's inability to lift the deadweight of the larger man allowing Dustin an inroad, but the knee slowing down Dustin so much that Punk's mistakes weren't so costly. 

2022 MOTY MASTER LIST