The Greatest Match of All Time…This week (2-3-2018)

By: Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

February 10, 2018

Braun Strowman loving his job.

Let the eye-rolling and ‘mark’ calling commence! This week’s ‘Greatest Match of All Time’ is…the Triple Threat match between John Cena, Braun Strowman, and Elias on Monday Night Raw. This match, of course, would award the Elimination Chamber’s coveted entrance spot of number 6. That spot would give the entrant the highest possible chance of winning, akin to the number 30 spot in the Royal Rumble.

Before I go on, a lot has to be said for 205 Live the last two weeks (as you heard on this week's episode of the Brothers of Discussion). The Cruiserweight Championship tournament was a welcome return to meaningful, emotional matches (similar to what made the Cruiserweight Classic so great). My mention of this is more or less an acknowledgement of the ability displayed in these matches, but also a reminder to check out the matches next week. I don’t work for the WWE, so you can consider this a real recommendation. Do yourself a favor and consume some good ol’ wrasslin’ fun!

What these matches on 205 Live lacked were strong enough characters doing battle to make you question and doubt yourself during ‘false finishes’ and possible outcomes.

 I like to think that I’ve also set the precedent that the three things I admire most are storytelling, heel tactics, and the narratives created when punches sub-in for words. The story and heel tactics started early with Elias making his way out of the ring at the sound of the bell. Thus allowing Strowman and Cena to beat each other up, while he watched safely from beyond the destruction.

I love how smart this move is. Why doesn’t everyone think to do this in every ‘multiple wrestler match’? The thought of leaving the ring legitimizes the sport of wrestling. Think about it, strategy and cunning goes into every aspect of every sport. (Even if you’re talking about the New England Patriots "cheating" every year.) It’s a display of smarts mixed with a will to win. While we’d all like to think that strategy is only x’s and o’s, it isn't. To be a master of strategy, you have to be the one who always thinks beyond the norm. For Elias, this was his opportunity to skip the regular exchange of fisticuffs and instead, keep himself healthy and energized for when it would be necessary.

Eventually Elias did have to make his way back into the ring to interrupt a pin by Strowman. The ensuing action proved a weakness in Elias’ strategic early escape from the ring as Strowman didn’t seem to be weakened, even a little, upon Elias' return. Elias' lack of presence in the ring provided Strowman with a clear avenue to put down Cena. Strowman appeared to take out months of frustration on Cena.

The next act in this match might be why I loved it so much. As we’ve seen on numerous occasions (even outside of wrestling), when you can’t overcome the odds on your own, you have to call on your sworn enemy for help: Goku and Vegeta, The X-Men and Magneto, Banks and the Mighty Ducks!... and of course, Kevin Durant taking his talents to the Golden State Warriors. We can now add (at least for the 90 seconds that we witnessed the team up) John Cena and Elias to this list.

As you can imagine(and hopefully saw), Elias and Cena took the monster to task and toppled the towering behemoth. The new pair worked better than some current tag teams. Combos, corner throws, and weapons are just a selection of their work.  As you might have expected, the alliance only lasted till the moment our heel could capitalize. Cena took out the brute with a jaw dropping ‘AA’ onto the stairs. However, that left Cena struggling to return to his feet(due to Braun’s incredible mass). Elias was able to get the upper hand on the struggling superstar and bring an end to the short lived alliance.

Elias takes advantage of Cena being down and earns the 6th spot in the Elimination #Chamber

I’m going to fast forward to the end because the finale did more than just award someone the number 6 spot in the elimination chamber. As we neared the finish, Braun got back in the ring and gave Cena a running power slam. Elias continued his high level of heel trickery and knocked Braun out of the ring. His source of stamina could be attributed to his choice of slipping out of the ring early and his teaming up with his rival Cena. But in the end, he was able to defeat Cena and because of that he now holds that coveted 6th entrance spot in the Elimination Chamber.

What happened after the presumed finale of the match really surprised me and gave us, what I think, is a true face turn (and it's part of the reason why I referred to Elias as the only "heel" in the match earlier). Immediately after Cena was pinned, Braun got back into the ring and pummeled Elias. The crowd loved it and cheered “one more time”. Braun smirked at this request and pretended to leave the ring. He laughed off the fake gesture of heading up the entrance and jumped back in the ring again. Strowman grabbed and lifted up the crowd’s usual target of ire, John Cena(the man who ‘sucks’). The crowd erupted. Then Strowman threw Cena down with another powerslam. Again...a huge pop from the crowd.

Braun looked to his other victim and the crowd once again begged for “one more time”. Braun’s baby like cheeks puffed up as he giggled at the crowd’s request. This time he lifted Elias and delivered yet another powerslam. Elias and Cena, lay vanquished…Braun stood tall over his slain opponents. He posed and roared to further egg on the crowd. He high fived and fist bumped the smallest of on-lookers. This is the same Braun who a week ago practically attempted murder on fellow big man Kane. His honoring the crowd’s requests and leaving his tough brute persona on the sideline suggests a true face turn.

All in all, this was a tough week to pick a top match. 205 Live was great, but just like this triple threat match, they probably won’t be up for match of the year. What I won’t forget is Braun Strowman giggling in the ring and high fiving fans as the credits rolled. This could be further evidence that heels and faces mean much less than they did in past generations (as discussed on Brothers of Discussion podcast). The results of this haven’t necessarily given us an indication of whether or not this is good for pro-wrestling. We shall see. In the meantime, enjoy the ‘Greatest Match of All Time…This Week”!

Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

@BODPodcast for Twitter and Facebook