[2016-05-22-WWE-Extreme Rules] Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose

[GOTNW]

If you've read enough of my reviews you know my takes on matches can be quite unique. I didn't think this was a worst WWE match ever candidate. I didn't think it sucked. Didn't hate it. Now I didn't think it was great either-but I'd like to explain my position first. As a serious worker in 2016 Jericho is pretty terrible. Ambrose isn't much better, but at least I think he has some skills that can be used in certain match types against the right opponent even if I think 80% of his output is pure trash. They wrestled a serious wrestling match on Payback and it sucked. It was boring, dull and completely uninteresting. This match was a trainwreck. I'm open to liking trainwrecks. Most of the offence and acting here would've been complete dogshit in a regular pro wrestling match but it worked here for me, maybe precisely because it was so bad. I maintain that this could've been a legitimately amazing match if Jericho wrestler wearing the scarf. The visual of him doing so would just be so hilarious and he could choke Ambrose with it and that'd set up Ambrose's revenge spot etc. So many stuff in this match-from the shitty punches, them using shoves as moves like twenty times, Jericho just wandering around yelling at people....I think it worked in the context of recreating a late WCW/TNA gimmick match. I did think the two minutes they built to the thumbtacks spot was legitimately good wrestling and the bump itself was absolutely disgusting. The visual of Jericho bleeding from his arms was great. But it also went too long. It amused me throughout because of how bizarre and ridiculous it was but I would have preffered something more compact (i.e. ten minutes shorter). I'm not sure it's worth giving three stars to even if did entertain me like a much of that rating usually would. I do wonder if the lack of self consciousness here actually hurts it for me here, because it would totally be a three star match if Sabu did something like this. Like if Jericho was consciously trying to create pro wrestling absurdism that would be different to me than him just being a shit wrestler that's so bad I think he's awesome because he botched so much stuff due to being a shit wrestler but I find it funny that he does that while yelling in this condescending dad tone. But then there's also the question of whether intent is relevant in art and my instinctive reaction to that is no. So. This match is *** to me I guess? There you have it.

[fakeplastictrees]

There are very few matches that feel like parodies of itself and its genre, but this was one of them. HIAC has become way too self-conscious with too many guys looking to un-organically get out of the cell, climb the thing, and cosplay KOTR 1998. This is what this match felt like. Both guys KNEW they had to deliver within the gimmick and I am not sure where it occurred, but this match turned into the HHH/HBK Badd Blood match with both guys working hard, but not working hard within the context of the story, but rather the context both believed to be the story. The crowd wasn't into it and people can blame the time all they want, but the truth of the matter is that this match had no heat and Jericho screaming constantly (with a long record of phoning it in to proceed this match) didn't help anyone involved. From Jericho wearing blue jeans to Dean playing his "Crazy 101" character with no interesting quirks and zero sincerity- this match shit the bed. With zero urgency from either wrestler and without reasonable escalation within the structure-- this was everything I feared it would be.

 

Everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves for putting that on-air and expecting people no to shit on it. However, big Kudos to Jericho fo taking the tack up at his age and at this point in his career. Chris Jericho,at this point, doesn't need to take a back full of tacks. But he did it. No one can say with a straight face that he isn't, despite himself sometimes, trying to do everything he can to get guys like Owens, Ambrose, Styles etc. over.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Worst match I have ever seen live. Dreadfully boring. The drunk guys screaming "CHRIS!!! THATS NOT HOW YOU WIN!" repeatedly was hilarious and the only saving grace of the first 25 minutes. I will say the first 25 minutes was awful. The final 5 minutes does save the match from being the worst match ever. I thought they did a great job building to the thumb tacks (Jericho's initial reaction was money) and the crowd did get re-invested in that stretch. The payoff was great. DDT onto tacks was nasty and freaked me out. So the final five minutes felt dangerous and violent, but first 25 minutes wow, so bad.

[WingedEagle]

This was a really horrific match. I'm willing to overlook quite a lot. Poor execution, layout, effort, no-selling, the list goes on. You can overcome a lot of this by picking up the slack elsewhere. What I can't ever get past is a match that overstays its welcome to this extent. This could've been 12-14 minutes and been passable with the spot off the cage and tacks gimmick, but they had to kill a show and fill nearly a half hour with screaming and bad acting. Most good matches don't need to go anywhere near this long. Its legitimately insulting to suck up that much time when a bad match does.

[goc]

So I think GOTNW and I would enjoy watching wrestling together because I'm actually on his side with this match AND the Four Way match. Everyone universally shat on this Cage match and praised the 4 way to high heaven on twitter as the event was going on but I'm just now watching both for the 1st time and thought the Cage match was actually pretty good, while being overly long, and the 4 way was just your completely standard WWE 4 way and not at all anything to rave about.

 

Definitely agree that the bump into the tacks was built to very well and I have shit on Jericho a lot about his current run but big props to him for agreeing to take a thumbtacks spot that he totally could have wussed out of. I know he has to have enough pull to say "I'm not taking a bump onto tacks" and get away with it.

 

I thought they actually did a tremendous job of getting the most out of what was a very odd set of weapons in this match. This was MUCH better than the Payback match which really did come off as a parody of wrestling and the only way to get any enjoyment out of that match is to watch it with the "so bad it's good" mindset, which I did and laughed a lot throughout. This was better than Payback because Ambrose greatly benefits from being in garbage matches because he can do a bunch of shit with weapons and not have to just spam rebound clotheslines to infinity. I was thinking to myself "man every Ambrose match should be in a Cage because it means he can't do that stupid rebound" but then he found a way to force it in anyway. But one forced rebound clothesline in a cage is at least better than doing it like 5 times in a regular match. I'm not what I'd rate this match but it's no where near one of the worst matches ever or even of the year. If you want to point to a Jericho/Ambrose match as worst of the year type stuff the Payback match is right there.

[GOTNW]

I'm not sure I'd go 4 stars on this

If this is in response to my rating that's 3 I gave it

[Kadaveri]

Well this match was incredibly stupid and boring. Didn't know whether it was supposed to a brutal hardcore match or some bad slapstick comedy. The totally dead crowd who only got awakened to chant "We Want Rollins!" sums this debacle up.

 

Minus a star or two.