It was ok, not outstanding, and that makes it even worse for a retirement match of this magnitude. And while Gunther was the absolute right choice for the one to get the torch, maybe he was the wrong choice, because there wasn't that emotional moment in this one that tugged at your heart strings, and made a retirement match truly meaningful. Like the Sean Michaels Ric Flair match. Gunther really didn't have that emotional connection with Cena.
From a technical standard, this was a decent match. From a storyline perspective I'd call it passable.
But the ending was wrong. I mean the WWE was right to have Cena lose. The booker was right to resist the temptation of having Cena struggle mightily and pass out, and good for them.
But the Cena tape out just . . . didn't . . . feel . . . . meaningful. Instead he had a almost bored look on his face as he slowly and almost casually tapped out. I agree with the above, where Cena fights it, and then gets the look at Gunter snugs it in that he just, well there was noway to break the hold, that it was the right time to end his career. And after fighting and his face turning purple, he taps out.
Instead like the entire retirement story line, this felt flat. I think that the fans felt it to, I mean the thank you Cena chants were great and energetic as was the standing O for the belt parade. But you could feel the displeasure with the match itself.
They resisted the temptation to have Cena that night take the mic and say goodbye. And by the way he laid out his equipment, he likely won't appear at smackdown to do it.
Thinking about it, everyone needs a retirement angle in their life. If I retire someday, I would hope that I could pay Brock Lesnar to F5 me out of a 20 story office building.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
It was just fine IMO. Cena smiles just before he taps out, I thought it was a nice touch by leaving on his terms. Made him very relatable and not some overly dramatic sendoff.
For all the hype and main stream media around this, the choice was still made to do this “for the business “ giving a guy like Gunther who few outside of those who watch wrestling regular nowadays, know, so there was never going to be that strong connection with the opponent, so the loss (vs a feel good ending) was always going to seem anticlimactic to the build up.
But yes, execution of this angle fell short. I think Cena needed to hold the “at peace” smile a few more seconds and maybe the tap a bit more noticeable. Have the camera zoom in on that smile and then go wide for the final tap, both for TV and the fans in attendance. Make it clear and obvious by drawn out a bit more, not wrapped up hurriedly.
And, for TV, have the announcers a bit more timed up for the right words during that sequence to build up to the moment and be a bit more dramatic/poignant.
For all the extensive story telling up to that point, it all ended probably a bit too unnecessarily rushed at the very end.
There has never been a good sleeper hold finish in any wrestling match, ever.
Wrong, there has been but you need to go back, go look at some of the Stampede Wrestling clips with Gamma Singh using it, he was exceptionally good, and they had the added story telling that if you put someone out with a sleeper, you had to wake them up or they'd suffer permanent brain damage. So you'd have the heels doing a wake up with a massage? of the shoulder muscles followed by a kick to the back and the victim would wake up and stumble out of the ring completely disoriented.
The Sleeper used to be one of the most dangerous moves in wresting as it was sold as a legitimate shoot hold that could kill you if done too long.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
On a related note, what's everyone's favourite finisher? Mine is a good ol' hoss lariat (of the Stan Hansen or Bradshaw variant). Properly delivered, those things look like they could legit break your neck or your skull!
...also it's not a finisher (I suppose it could be though), but man do I love a properly executed/sold rolling German suplex. Chad Gable's is so damn good, it's like athletic poetry:
/oddlysastisfying
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The pop-up power bomb is a pretty great finisher. Something about Bronson Reed's tsunami splash makes it look extra dangerous -- I love the artistry of a good frog splash, but the way Reed kind of propels himself off thew top when he steps off makes the tsunami look devastating. His size has a lot to do with it too.
On a related note, what's everyone's favourite finisher? Mine is a good ol' hoss lariat (of the Stan Hansen or Bradshaw variant). Properly delivered, those things look like they could legit break your neck or your skull!
...also it's not a finisher (I suppose it could be though), but man do I love a properly executed/sold rolling German suplex. Chad Gable's is so damn good, it's like athletic poetry:
/oddlysastisfying
So the funny thing from Mick Foley's book, Stan Hansen was pretty much legally blind and had zero depth perception and he didn't wear contacts in the ring. So when he threw the lariot, he couldn't tell how far away or how fast his opponent was coming so he just swing as hard as he could, and he usually ended up nearly breaking his opponents neck. It looked great though.
Foley also talked about it, he classe wrestlers as
Their work looked sh$tty and it hurt (the worst)
Their worked looked sh%tty and it was soft
Or their worked looked good, and it was stiff but didn't injure you (Bret)
Or your work looked good and it really hurt (Vader)
Or my opponent is trying to actually kill me for real (Bad News Allen and Dynamite Kid)
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
I thought the tapping out was meant to be him reflecting that he's done.
He knows the career is over, he's fought his fight, and his tapping is a sign of him accepting that.
If it was anyone other than Cena I would agree with you. but it's Cena, and the "Never Give Up" mantra is what defined his entire career. For him it wasn't just a catch phrase, it was pretty much his entire character identity in WWE.
His whole career was about "overcoming the odds" and finding a way to win no matter how stacked the odds were against him. That's what made his tapout so puzzling.
It was like saying "hey everyone, remember that thing I always told you about, never giving up when the going gets tough? Well, turns out, I was just kidding. When the going gets super duper tough, go ahead and give up."
I didn't like it at all. Maybe it was John's call to go out like that, and if so, fine, it is what it is. But if it wasn't John's call, and he was pressured into doing that... I don't really know what to say.
I didn't like it at all. Maybe it was John's call to go out like that, and if so, fine, it is what it is. But if it wasn't John's call, and he was pressured into doing that... I don't really know what to say.
I doubt he was pressured into it. Maybe he isn't the one who came up with the idea but I think HHH has more respect for him than that.
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"Life of Russian hockey veterans is very hard," said Soviet hockey star Sergei Makarov. "Most of them don't have enough to eat these days. These old players are Russian legends."
On a related note, what's everyone's favourite finisher? Mine is a good ol' hoss lariat (of the Stan Hansen or Bradshaw variant). Properly delivered, those things look like they could legit break your neck or your skull!
...also it's not a finisher (I suppose it could be though), but man do I love a properly executed/sold rolling German suplex. Chad Gable's is so damn good, it's like athletic poetry:
/oddlysastisfying
That lariat was terrifying. Jesus.
I'm a fan of:
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"Life of Russian hockey veterans is very hard," said Soviet hockey star Sergei Makarov. "Most of them don't have enough to eat these days. These old players are Russian legends."
