[2018-08-19-WWE-SummerSlam] Daniel Bryan vs The Miz

[SmartMark15]

Miz and Bryan have the kind of history, depth, and meaning that Cena and Orton have always pretended to have. I liked how so much of the match was centered around Daniel Bryan wanting to punch Miz in the face. His punches have been insanely good since coming back so it made for a solid offensive foundation throughout the match. I enjoyed the stuff with Miz apeing Bryan's moveset only for Bryan to really show him how it's done. Probably the highlight of this is Daniel Bryan leaning into the It Kicks. Amazing. Old school finish with the dirty heel using brass knuckles to punch Daniel Bryan in the face. A sneaky move that deserved to end the match and also stays in the thematic scope of the feud. So excited for this to continue and what else they have in store. This was great and easily match of the night.

****

[ShittyLittleBoots]

First things first; this did not come close to their NOC '10 classic, and they had a better match few months back at a house show in Newcastle, but it definitely still was one helluva bout. Great storytelling with both guys' characters inside the ring; Miz wanted to prove that he can hang with Bryan's rasslin', and Bryan had an answer & a way out of basically everything the man did, which of course then played into the finish perfectly with Miz having to cheat to get the W. The IT Kick hulk up & the slaps that followed were beautiful. MOTN. ***3/4

[KawadaSmile]

This was a joy to watch. Felt like an old-school type of match, with the emphasis of how Bryan just wanted to punch Miz in the face, and the invisible object finish.

Miz took a beating. No one can say he's soft anymore, nor that he can't wrestle, pulling those Nigel lariats and Romero Specials. Also he might be the only living person in current wrestling who applies the figure four correctly.

Shame that the crowd isn't conditioned to this type of match, as they were dead for most of it besides kickouts and signature spots, because it is very close to a timeless classic. to me.

[Richeyedwards]

The only match i watched from summerslam and i really enjoyed it, both guys worked much of the match about just wanting to punch the other repetitively instead of going for the win, I would have liked a little more intensity from both of them throughout the match as it only really picked up in that regard towards the end. there were a couple of cool callbacks such as the above mentioned Nigel lariat, Miz busting out the romero special first to show that he could wrestle technically too was great. Better still was that Bryan escaped it quite easily and put one of his own on.

I liked that Miz tried ot prove a couple of times that he could stand with Bryan at Bryan's game before being beaten back by Bryan, But to gain the advantage he went back to his natural heelish 'soft' wrestling proving that it is a perfectly fine way of wrestling. Loved the finish with the knucks and that he hid them carefully when he first got them but when hit back out by bryan he let them be shown slightly and all the front row saw them and reacted.

The two major negatives to this match to me were 1. the crowd which for a match that i thought was hotly anticipated were a very poor crowd. 2. this was the first WWE match i have seen since the greatest royal rumble and the camera work and constant bickering commentary are so shit it was really off putting.

I thought it was very good with great aspects in there but would have liked a little more intensity throughout the match for it to be an out and out great match and of course the crowd. ***3/4

[Loss]

My review here: https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/blogs/entry/670-match-review-daniel-bryan-vs-the-miz-08-19-18/

[Cap]

This was a really good match that is elevated by the fact that it represents a compelling chapter in a very very compelling story. In context this match and so many of the parts within it gain so much meaning and relevance.  Bryan brought one of his better, more understated performances in some time. He always looked good, but I particularly thought his timing and execution were really on here. Miz held up his end of things for the most part, as one would expect and brought a lot of personality to the match. In short, they did what you might expect. They play up those styles so much. Miz losing the momentum when he plays Bryan's game for too long and gaining it back by being the Miz was a really nice way to dictate the ebbs and flows of the match. I even liked the end. It made sense and (hopefully) it means we aren't seeing the closing chapter here.  I thought some of Bryan's counters were real high points here. Him grabbing Miz by the neck I believe actually served as a tone setter for a while. Him coming out of the surfboard was a very effective momentum shifter. My only real complaint here is that it felt like it went long. There was a part in maybe the thrid quarter of the match where I felt the momentum had really waned and they were sort of meandering a bit. Still, this was an excellent match. ****

[nivvad]

This was a very good match with lots of storytelling and great chemistry between Bryan and Miz. Unfortunately the crowd wasn't all there which kind of brought the match down a bit. The potential is there for a classic, just need the right atmosphere, ****.

[Makai Club #1]

Incredible match. Miz wanting to prove he can go, both giving and taking the damage was awesome. Miz grinding down using anything he can, punches, DDT's, Bryan's own offence. Very old school feel to the match from the Miz side of the match. Bryan wanting to prove he is above Miz, using submissions with ease, brutalizing Miz with punches of his own and nasty kicks - relentless to the point of Miz's chest starting to turn red. The crowd was disappointing, they didn't seem interested in the match because of the slow pace this match went. If they were into the match more, this could've been better. ****1/4