By: Matthew Klink (twitter: @klinkmatt)

1/26/2018

Welcome to the segment where either my brother or myself will grace you with our opinion of what the greatest match of all time was…this week. We want to grace you with our hardcore wrestling opinions and you can get to know our tastes a little better.

Now, I’m a huge fan of storytelling. Give me a good story in a video game and I’ll put up with buggy controls and my avatar getting stuck in walls. I can forgo even the best wrestling match if one is able to tell the right story. After all, that’s why we’re all here. We’d be watching boxing and UFC more often if we weren’t strong enough to admit how big of suckers we are for a good verbal spat.

So what was the best match of the big anniversary? The best match of all time, this week, was the Miz defeating former IC champ Roman Reigns. Being crowned an 8-time Intercontinental Champ was an amazing achievement, however the A-lister now has the privilege of being a part of the very first match to earn this very prestigious award…that’ll be awarded…52 times per year.

Rolling Stone’s wrestler of the year has been earning his high standing for a very carefully crafted set of ring tools and that oh-so wonderful way he helps tell a story. The Miz has been doing well enough that he’s made the IC title matches watchable again. Something very few have been able to do with mid-card titles. Even going back to my younger days.

Now…let’s talk Roman. If you’re an avid listener of the podcast, you know I’m not a huge fan of the character. Never should a wrestling fan beg for predictability in spite of a good show. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to get a few guesses right every now and then. But when you can look at the Slammy’s and guess the outcome because of how strong someone’s push is…well…it’s a little much.

Now while Roman has been fighting off ‘marks’, like me, the past few years (at no fault of his own), he too has been able to build up his stamina and tell his own great stories in the ring. Expanding his in-ring repertoire and building his tough guy persona were key for a guy with ‘the look’ as well as some Samoan DNA. 

So I guess I needed to set the qualifier that I am a huge Miz fan and while I don’t root for Roman, I appreciate what he does. Forgive me.

So let’s get going. A wonderful setup here by the WWE. Let’s bring out the old Raw GM’s and let them all give a little wave to the crowd. As each one comes out to take a bow, the cheers get successively louder. Then we change gears and we introduce the current Smackdown GM and…the crowd erupts! Something that has been a normal occurrence for Daniel Bryan since 2013, leading up to his triumphant takeover at WrestleMania 30. I sat in my seat at home giggling as he ‘yes’ chanted the fans into a frenzy. Then…enter the heel of all heels. Marching out to end the frenzy and start his own movement. “I CAME TO PLAY!” rings through the arena, ending the “Yes! Man’s” celebration. Thus, turning the key and revving the engine on what is projected to be the Miz’ greatest road to WrestleMania.

The Miz pokes and prods at the Blue Brand’s GM and even gives us his signature cocky smile as he starts walking to the ring. The next entrance…not so great.

Power chords hit the amps and the fans (as a whole) change their tune. Roman enters to such a strong chorus of boos, that as I sit here re-watching the match on Hulu, the entire entrance has been cut. I’m not going to use this as evidence that Roman doesn’t belong in the spotlight (that’s for another day), but when you need to sell this guy as the top of the company, you can’t have people catching the replay to an explosion of hate.

The crowd has made their choice and eagerly anticipates an opportunity to cheer their new champion. It could be said that I knew what the result of this match would be (and it sounded like the crowd did too…as well as twitter). Therefore, the story in the match had to be great. Stack the cards against your winner and make it look impossible.

The impossibility starts with the Miz’ opponent. We all know who Roman is. As THE guy, it’s tough to imagine any scenario in which he isn’t victorious. The WWE is fiercely intent on ensuring that Roman Reigns is looked at as a god (and I don’t mean that as a negative. Someone has to be on top and I’m starting to accept it as an inevitability). So when you have Roman go one on one with the Miz, letting the Miz win this match would crush years of work on building Roman. That’s only part of the reason why this match is so great. The effort in crafting a story line that makes the Miz’ winning still work with the WWE’s needs for Roman in the future, but also giving their top heel his trophy back is a grand level of effort indeed.

Toss in the Miz-tourage and we now have a possibility of winning for the Miz. However, it wouldn’t be a great match if the Miz and his entourage just pulled off a heist of the IC title on Roman. The best efforts in the ring would be recognized with punched tables (by frustrated fans), high fives when your favorite kicks out, and big pops at the moment of victory. We got frustrated when the Miz-tourage showed their clumsy attempts at stopping Roman. After a lengthy skirmish outside of the ring, orchestrated to confuse Reigns, Roman still got the best of the Miz by landing a Superman Punch. A punch that has put down Cena, AJ Styles, and helped take down the Deadman. You’d be a fool if you didn’t think there was a chance this was the end of the match. Never forget the Ultimate Warrior taking his Intercontinental Title to WrestleMania VI to defeat Hulk Hogan. Hmmmm.

However, the Miz…kicks out!

The Miz has let us know that this match is important and won’t be ending too quickly. The Miz-tourage panics, however. They get too aggressive with Roman’s next attempt, which would be his most devastating move…the spear. The Miz-tourage grabs Roman’s leg to save the day, anchoring him in the corner and allowing the Miz to recover. While the tactics keep the Miz alive in the match, the move backfires. The Miz-tourage is dismissed from the ring and with that…the hope and difference maker for the Miz is gone. This even immediately results in the Miz arguing with the ref as his buddies are removed, giving Roman the cue to try a roll-up pin. Again, if you don’t believe that this could have been the end, you’re a fool. I could only muster a single “damn’t” as the roll-up started.

However, the Miz…kicks out! Again!!!

If the Miz was to lose this his match, it would be over already. The momentum of the match had surprisingly moved over to the Miz, even after losing his ring side assistants. A mix of moves and entanglements gives the Miz a chance to hit his finisher, the Skull Crushing Finale. Now I was the fool. A loud “Yes!” followed by an order for “Pin Him!” only led to Roman kicking out. A fool…what a fool I was. To think the WWE would let me believe again. That I could trust the writers to give the guy…THE GUY I BELIEVE HAS EARNED IT…a chance to lead a portion of this company. I wanted to feel like the little boy from the Polar Express. I wanted to believe again! I wanted to find my own wrestling ring bell under my Christmas tree. I wanted to…wait…what’s going on? Is…is it…is it happening?

A series of counters throws Miz into the corner of the Ring. Roman makes his move. He rushes to the corner (looking like an attempt at a spear). The Miz rolls out of the way while guiding Roman’s head to the…OPEN TURNBUCKLE! WHAT!?!?!?! A dazed Roman stumbles to the middle of the ring! The Miz sets up his Skull Crushing finale! And 1…2…3!!! We have a new Intercontinental Champion!

Woo! What a victory! The master class heel was revealed to have removed the turnbuckle halfway through the match. Something I admit to missing myself.

The match didn’t only give me the victory I was hoping for (and more important, my correct prediction builds up my ego) it gave us the roller coaster ride we crave:

·         Big odds for the Miz to overcome

·         Some false finishes for emotional outbursts

·         The loss of hope (more than once)

·         And the heel tactics to get the win, surprising me, and keeping Roman safe

The match was the best of all time…this week because the wrestlers in the ring got to tell a great story. If you’ve ever questioned what that means, look to this match. A wonderful tale of ups and downs that pulls away from our best predictions and lets us celebrate…well…getting what we want.