[2012-04-01-WWE-Wrestlemania XXVIII] CM Punk vs Chris Jericho

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[bradhindsight]

This match is amazing and I felt it was better on second viewing after seeing it live. While I wasn't big on the "DQ changes the title" stip for Punk - they only worked that in the early part of the match and then just dropped it anyway. It really was just to put over what a douche Jericho's character was. That said, the back work by Jericho on Punk is great - including a suplex to the outside. I thought Lawler was great on commentary here. We got a real Lion Tamer on Punk also. Each guy worked in great little reversals and instead of kicking out of finishers, they found other ways around it (Punk rolls to the outside, Jericho grabs the rope). The ending sequence with the Vice and Jericho kicking at Punk is fantastic, especially with Punk eventually keeping the hold on but avoiding the kicks as Jericho just flails away before tapping. I went ****1/4 and wouldn't argue against higher.

[(BP)]

The best match on the show, but that's not saying much. It has some great moments, but there is a point where they look totally lost and resort to light punches and kicks while they sort it out. The Extreme Rules match the following month is better, but I think they're two guys who look like they would match up better than they actually do.

[Eduardo]

I really thought the early part of this was sooo awful. Having the camera and mic perfectly pick up Jericho's corny lines and having Punk react to them made me feel embarrassed watching this. It made Jericho and Punk look like terrible actors, reciting terrible lines. The match picked up right after the suplex to the outside and thought the work was solid from that point on. It had some good moments towards the end but the first half was really bad. I thought Orton-Christian did the "chicken shit heel tries to get DQ'ed to win the title" bit a whole lot better since those guys didn't do any hammy acting or line readings that wouldn't cut it in a high school stage production.

[bradhindsight]

I'm in the camp where they should have waited to do the Punk family stuff AFTER the Mania match - something Jericho would resort to after losing this match, and then leading to their street fight at Extreme Rules. Didn't think this first encounter needed that drama at all.

[shoe]

I thought this match was tremendous. I liked the early stuff with Jericho trying to get Punk to get DQed with the taunts. I thought it meant a lot especially since the added stip was so last minute. I thought the story telling was great. They start off with some match work to start. The big moment was Jericho doing an inside suplex to the floor where Punk lands on his back. Jericho then just goes after the back with some nifty work. We see a Butterfly back breaker, tilt a whirl slam, and other stuff. I was digging the counters off their finishers. The finish was great where The Best in the World comes up with the perfect way to apply the Anocanda Vice. Easily the best match at Wrestlemania 28.

[Jimmy Redman]

Like I said in the buffer match thread, I thought these two did a really good job of building this match slowly in order to get the crowd back up from their post-Streak lull. They threw in all the DQ bullshit early where it didn't matter, and Jericho went to work with some back work that, again, kept the match ticking along until the crowd was ready to respond. And when they were, they went into the big finishing stuff. The finish itself is also really cool.

[Superstar Sleeze]

On 3/26/2014 at 1:29 PM, bradhindsight said:

I'm in the camp where they should have waited to do the Punk family stuff AFTER the Mania match - something Jericho would resort to after losing this match, and then leading to their street fight at Extreme Rules. Didn't think this first encounter needed that drama at all.

100% this. It should have been face vs face going into Mania and when Jericho loses he becomes a sore loser and turns heel.

 

WWE Champion CM Punk vs Chris Jericho - WrestleMania XXVIII

I remember thinking this was the best match of the night but was pretty underwhelmed. I remember nobody could hear John Laurinitis so we had no idea what happened. Given where I was sitting the entire beginning of the match made no sense to me. I think last minute rule changes need to be announced better if they are done and thought this was a dumb narrative for a stadium match.

The beginning was Jericho trying to get under Punk’s skin to goad him into overreacting and getting DQ’d to lose the belt. It climaxes with Punk contemplating using a chair. Punk has become mentally compromised. Jericho hits a dropkick and really seals the deal with a wicked Suplex inside out and Punk lands hard on the floor. I thought that was the best spot of the match. Punk sold well and Jericho targretted the back. I thought what this match did best was symmetry. With both men claiming to be “best in the world” symmetry not trying to get DQ’d was a better narrative. Jericho used a double undertook backbreaker which is a move associated with both men. I liked how each man countered the bulldog. How each hit their finish but in both cases the opponent was outside or too close to the ropes. I didn’t like how inconsequential a lot of the big moves felt. There was a lot of hit a big move and follow that up with the opponent hitting the next big move. Punk hit a really nice Standing Shining Wizard causing Jericho’s head to hit the post. The next move is a Codebreaker. I thought the Codebreaker was shit on. The ending sequence with the submissions the battle of Boston Crab vs Anaconda Vice was the best part and is when the crowd finally came alive. I love how Jericho fought to survive in it. Knees to the back of the head, grabbing the hair to pull him into a pinning predicament only for punk to re-position in control and move his head out of the reach of Jericho for the win.

The symmetry of the match especially the dueling submissions at the end would have been perfect for a babyface vs babyface match to determine who “the best In the world” is. Then you have Jericho be a sore loser and turn heel to set up the more personal grudge. I don’t know why they shot that angle before Mania and the didn’t deliver the street fight. There were times when the match felt flat where it could have used character work. It was solid but definitely not “best in the world” ***3/4

[ShittyLittleBoots]

My favorite things about this was the opening section w/ Punk kicking Jericho's ass in every department, and then the finishing stretch w/ the Anaconda Vice stuff, which was legitimately pretty great. What happened in between was such a bore though, sadly. Jericho isn't interesting at all when on top + the whole DQ-stipulation created for some cringe "drama" w/ Punk contemplating DQing himself and all. They pretty much move into a "workrate-y" section in the last third of the thing too, and it's just not good -- that kind of stuff is something that Jericho was always bad at in the 2010s, and it certainly isn't something CM Punk is the best at, either. Disappointing match. **1/2

[cactus]

Raw GM John Laurinaitis added the stipulation that if Punk gets DQ'd, he loses his title, so Jericho does everything he can to get under Punk's skin and try to get him to disqualify himself. I didn't find their acting corny at all, but I didn't like how they never played up on this again after Punk stops himself from levelling Jericho with the chair. After that they start working this match as you would expect out of these two. It's high on workrate, but low on actual drama as Jericho spends his time chipping away at Punk's back. Jericho just wasn't that interesting working down Punk. After Punk gets his comeback, the match picks up again. Each wrestler tries to lock in their submission and it results in some exciting back and forth action. I'm a big fan of the finish. After Jericho keeps escaping the Anaconda Vice by kneeing Punk's damaged back, so Punk hits the move with a bridge and that's enough for Jericho to tap out. The Best In The World has to adapt to keep his title. 

★★★½