2019 Ongoing MOTY List: Shane vs. Miz Falls Count Anywhere

Falls Count Anywhere: Shane McMahon vs. The Miz WrestleMania 35 4/7

ER: Shane starts the match with some cardio, a bold move for a man who always looks like he's about to have a heart attack at a softball game. And I really wasn't expecting this one to be match of the night so far, but here we are. Shane always has that "Dad, look at me!" kid on a diving board personality in his matches, and that works even better as a heel for me. He absolutely beats the shit out of Miz here, shies away from doing his stupid fast punches that always look risible, instead focusing on short measured shots that landed hard. He was really socking Miz in the kidneys and the cheek, threw a couple hard kicks right at Miz' jaw, even smacking him with a mule kick. The Miz Dad involvement was really well done, Shane still stiffed him too, and it opened right up into a great Miz comeback. Once Miz takes over though Shane's shots become sparse and the bumps become big, Shane taking some of his most impressive pratfalls, Miz jumping him over the barricade, tossing him into railings and on the floor, Shane gets kicked off a structure and hits the back of his head on a railing, gets tossed off a ramp onto a golf cart to the floor (a really nasty high bump that he either lost control of or was stupid enough to plan it that way). Really all the big bumps felt like something went vaguely wrong, in the best way. I loved Shane splatting on the SCF, and the mammoth vertical suplex felt like an appropriately stupid Shane spot to potentially end his life. This was an excellent overdelivery.

PAS: I really hate to nominate a Don Jr. match for any list, but this was pretty good stuff. At least we aren't supposed to actually like Shane anymore, and his detestability does work well in this context. I did really love the section with Miz's dad, Shane adjusting George's boxing stance for him was great contemptuous douchebaggery. I disagree with Eric's praising of Shane's punches, they still have that classic combination of looking like shit, but still maybe swelling up an eye. Nothing worse then having to get potatoed by your bosses' shitty kid. I thought fired up Miz was great though and his comeback beating ruled. The golf cart bump by Shane was crazier then a lot of his crash pad stunts, because there was no prepared landing. I thought the finish was fun, with a traditional "Daddy please love me" stunt bump (kind of the wrestling equivalent of the Trump Tower Russia meeting), and the ultimate cheap victory.


2019 MOTY MASTER LIST