[2017-04-30-WWE-Payback] Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns

[ShittyLittleBoots]

Their Fastlane match disappointed me greatly, but holy shit that is all forgotten now after this instant classic. The look on Braun's face while Reigns was staring him down from the ringside was priceless. LOVED the beginning with Reigns going straight to punch Braun - now that is how you sell a personal feud, Owens & Jericho! That stunned Braun & Reigns got a great shine in. That shine ended quickly as Braun grabbed Reigns while he was going for that drive by apron dropkick. My goodness that was awesome. Braun was now on full control, he destroys Reigns & Reigns displayed that world class selling of his - oh man he is such a phenomenal seller & this might have been his finest selling performance yet. Reigns' big eventual comeback was fantastic - now that is how you do a high energy, hard hitting, badass comeback while still selling your injuries perfectly; hope Rollins took some notes. Braun got the control quickly again & dominated, Reigns got just enough hope spots in, only for him to fall down to the ultimate monster that is BRAUN. What a goddamn match. Gave me some Umaga vs. Cena vibes. Roman Reigns is the fucking man & Braun Strowman is the best monster WWE has had in a looooong time. ****3/4

[KawadaSmile]

Glad to know I wasn't the only one who got reminded of Umaga/Cena.

 

Roman with a career high performance there. From his entrance to the post match, he was selling like a champ for Braun, and in the process made him look like a killer. His offense also seemed desperate in a good way, as it conveyed the urgence of the match and how fucking broken Reigns was.

 

Really great stuff. Both guys are awesome. **** 3/4

[SmartMark15]

From the MOTY thread:

 

 

Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns - WWE 4/30

Braun makes his offense look great and his intensity and facial expressions are always wonderful but this is the Roman Reigns show. The guy OWNS this match. Sold his ass off and put in a performance for a B pay-per-view that could be all time greats from other workers. The match is just smart. Roman fights from underneath, Braun SMASH. ***3/4

 

Odds are that rating goes up with time.

[GOTNW]

It was really cool to see this type of match done on the biggest platform it could get as a nice counter to all the workrate matches that dominate even WWE shows these days. Strowma just runs over Reigns-slamming him into the barricade, Chokeslamming him on the announce table, wrecking him in various ways. Reigns really did carry the match though-his offence is designed in a way that he can realistically pull something like he did in this match-there's enough spots where he can look strong without being required to lift people a million times-punching and lariating people leaves a strong impression, but it's still done in a way that he only lifted Braun once, and when he did it was a big spot that exhausted him. Reigns losing control on his own Lariat because he was reckless enough to throw his body into it was picture perfect. Reigns took maybe the greatest bump into the turnbuckle ever-the thud it gave out made it sound more brutal than when chairs are used in the same spot. Reigns barely getting his shoulder up was such a perfect spot, it almost had a Misawa-in-peril vibe to it. If there was an issue in this match, it's that Strowman really lacks the high-end nearfalls offence you expect from a main event wrestler. The Powerslam kick-out really felt like this big, significant moment-hitting another one and ending the match there left a little sour taste in my mount. Of course then came the great post-match beatdown that salvaged that, the use of the blood capsules was an incredible idea, and Reigns' acting accomodated it well. ****

[Cap]

Wow... some monster ratings getting thrown around here. Makes me want to rewatch it soon. I thought it was great. Roman's best individual performance so far. Braun held up his end of the bargin as well. Great monster work, a true fight. I had it at ****1/4.