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By @TrueGodImmortal
Now, for those of you who are familiar with the old WWF days, you know that Shawn Michaels got his humble beginnings in the WWF as a tag team wrestler with Marty Jannetty in the Rockers. However, the path Shawn took going from tag team wrestler to a singles competitor was never easy, but one that is almost unparalleled. After lack of success with Marty in terms of tag team gold, Shawn split from him in the infamous barbershop incident that took place.
Now, Shawn was always seen as the better of the two Rockers and Vince seemed to favor him due to perhaps his look and maybe his god awful mullet, but whatever the case, Shawn seemed to be the guy that the top brass in WWF enjoyed. He would struggle initially as a solo star, though he was given the huge opportunity to work with Sherri Martel, otherwise known at the time as Sensational Sherri, legendary manager. Once Shawn got with Sherri, his career started shaping up even better. Sherri would sing Shawn's theme music and soon Shawn began carrying more confidence in the ring and with his persona.
After some months with Sherri, Shawn would go on to become the Intercontinental Champion, which was always a big feat during this time because the IC Champ usually went on to become the WWF Champ. After a great match against Bret Hart in the main event of Survivor Series 1992 for the WWF Title, Shawn would continue his ascension to the top as he would engage in a post Wrestlemania feud with Marty Jannetty that saw them trade the IC Title. Marty wasn't necessarily the most reliable guy, so their feud was off and on for the better part of a year or so, as Shawn would hold the IC Title for quite a while until he failed a drug test and would be stripped of the title. While this was unfortunate, it gave Razor Ramon a chance to capture the IC Title and set the stage for a huge match going into Wrestlemania 10.
Shawn would end up getting some help as he hired Kevin Nash as his bodyguard Diesel and from there, history was made. The first formation of the Kliq began there and of course, Shawn and Razor, who were best friends in real life, would begin a monumental feud that led into the epic ladder match at Wrestlemania 10. It's been said that Shawn went out there and had a match with a ladder and there just happened to be another guy there in the ring. This was truly the turning point in his career, as Shawn was now seen as a big time player and his popularity began to rise. With Bret Hart paving the way, surely Shawn would be next up to win the title, right?
Wrong. Shawn would be passed over for his friend Diesel, who was still pretty green and not able to draw yet, but he had the size and look that the WWF wanted. Diesel became WWF champ rather quickly and it would be up to Shawn to earn his way into the main event at Wrestlemania. He did just that, garnering a huge Royal Rumble victory over 29 other men, going from the no. 1 spot all the way to the end, a rare feat for sure in the WWF. Shawn, after winning the Rumble had earned a main event slot, but his title match with Diesel was forced to take an unfortunate backseat to Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow on one of the worst Wrestlemania events ever. Wrestlemania 11 was absolutely dreadful and I'd dare say that Shawn had the best performance all night and stole the show against Diesel. At this point, Shawn was one of the most respected performers in the ring, his position just didn't match that yet. YET.
The year of 1995 saw Shawn slowly becoming the hottest thing in the business, as fans took to him and were amazed by his in ring ability. Shawn would go on to win the IC Title during the year, get his win back against Razor in a 2nd ladder match and finally set the tone for himself as 1995 neared the close. However, a storyline injury that left Shawn laid out from a kick by Owen Hart instantly fueled a comeback story that took him to the next level. Shawn came back from the "injury" and would return at the 1996 Royal Rumble, hoping to put his name next to Hulk Hogan as the only other wrestler at the time to win 2 in a row. Would Shawn be successful?
Of course he was. Shawn ended up winning his second Royal Rumble in a row, earning yet another title match at Mania, but this one would take no backseat to anyone else. Shawn would be facing old nemesis Bret Hart in an hour long Ironman match in the main event of the biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania 12. For Shawn, it was the culmination of everything he had worked for over the years since he left the Rockers and became a solo star. It was redemption for not being main event at Wrestlemania 11, and not winning the WWF Title. Now, a year later, here he was in the driver's seat as the challenger in the match that was billed to help sell the entire PPV. Shawn Michaels had arrived.
-True
Tagged under:
By @peagle05
Its been over a week from the news we all hated to hear, that Daniel Bryan was retiring from in-ring competition due to injury. After giving what was one of the best speeches from a wrestler, I started to think about why that speech was so amazing. The answer was simple, it was a reflection of his entire career. It was simple yet powerful, heartwrenching yet comedic. In short, that speech was exactly why we love Daniel Bryan, because his love for wrestling came through in everything he said or did.
And it was this love that made us gravitate to him, from the casual fan to people like us at EOTR, the man just showed it everytime he stepped in the ring. It was genuine from the beginning, he wrestled with the type of energy we all imagined ourselves wrestling with as kids. The crazy thing is looking back to the time leading up to his first U.S. Title run, he was fairly over then, obviously not to the degree he ended his career on, but the signs were there. Daniel Bryan was one of us, everything about his personality said ''regular dude''. Nothing about him was larger than life and in a way, when he finally reached the top, it made him exactly that. He was the guy we wanted to see succeed. A guy that was just straight up great at what he did, and deserved recognition. During the Daniel Bryan vs Authority storyline, it was clear the entire fanbase was behind him because we felt he was taking us with him, to a degree, and that resulted in one of the greatest moments in RAW history when he broke free of Bray Wyatt in the steel cage. It was incredible how much the crowd was behind him, to the point that you could FEEL every ''Yes'' chant leading to the knee to Wyatt's face.
As much as we went with him through the good, he brought us, through the bad as well. We connected with Bryan so much that when it was revealed that his father died, and he showed up on RAW that night, we felt a tinge of sadness, because the journey to the top for him had been so tough and the support given to him so great, you couldn't help but feel for a guy that went from the top of the world to the very bottom in hours. It was heartbreaking watching him come out that same night and see the look on his face. Through his injuries, we waited for him to come back, hanging on any news we could get, because we wanted Daniel Bryan back. We even watched as Daniel connected with a young boy named Connor, and it was clear in their relationship and the way Connor spoke about him, why Daniel connected with everyone. When it was finally announced he was retiring, reactions range from anger to denial, to just straight up sadness. That was the effect that Daniel Bryan had on us over just the last few years of his run, a shining example of what doing what you love, being great at what you love and being yourself can do.
With his retirement speech, Daniel Bryan took us through his career; All the ups and downs, he made us laugh, he might have even caused a tear or two, but through it all, that speech, like his wrestling style, was 100% Daniel Bryan. And for that Daniel, WE are grateful.
-Peagle
Tagged under:
By @Cool_Calm_Chris
I cannot stress enough how important Daniel Bryan and CM Punk were to WWE and to professional wrestling. With the acquisition of these two future hall of famers and their impact on the WWE, they were the last two real stars that the WWE made in the PG/Reality era. As two of the biggest names on the independent circuit, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk validated their worth in the WWE through their technical ability as well as their ability to draw a crowd to respond to them. While the two have had a number of matches in the past, their three matches for the WWE Championship in 2012 were a masterpiece which helped bring a fresh flavor to the championship scene.
In November 2011, CM Punk won the WWE Championship against Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series. This victory would begin the 434 day reign as champion for the “Best in the World” and still stands as the longest championship reign in the modern era. Around the same time in December 2011, Daniel Bryan would cash in his Money in the Bank contract at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event on the newly crowned champion the Big Show to win the World Heavyweight Championship. While CM Punk would begin a feud with Chris Jericho over the WWE Championship on RAW, Daniel Bryan would begin to develop a heel persona through his on-screen relationship with AJ Lee as the World Heavyweight Champion.
The two would wrestle each other for the first time in WWE on RAW in February as the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion respectively, but much was left to be desired. At Wrestlemania 28 the two would have very different nights, as Daniel Bryan would begin the event with an 18 second loss to Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship and a surprising YES! chant from the crowd. CM Punk however would have one of the best matches of the night, as he would defeat Chris Jericho for the WWE championship in a classic match later on in the night.
After the two finished their rivalries with Chris Jericho and Sheamus at Extreme Rules, their paths would cross. With Daniel Bryan earning the right to be the number one contender, the two would meet for the WWE championship at Over the Limit in May of 2012. The two put on a technical masterpiece as they wrestled a back and forth contest for over 25 minutes with CM Punk picking up the victory over Bryan in controversial fashion. Daniel Bryan would apply the Yes! Lock to Punk and while the hold was still applied, Punk would reverse the move turning Bryan over on his back. Punk would get the pin and immediately after tap to the Yes! Lock that Bryan still had applied on him. This controversy would play into a rematch down the line at No Way Out, however with the most unlikely of additions.
Fresh off a very lackluster rivalry with Randy Orton, the Big Red Monster Kane would find himself involved in the WWE Championship picture with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Along with the addition of Kane, AJ Lee would find herself involved in this storyline through a personal interest in CM Punk and Kane, as well as her past history with Daniel Bryan. The addition of Kane and AJ Lee helped bring more intrigue to the storyline and helped add another layer to the match. The size difference Kane has over CM Punk and Daniel Bryan helped showcase the Big Red Monster as, well, a monster. The three men gave us a classic match as AJ Lee would interfere in the match and find herself knocked off the apron by Kane accidentally. This distraction would help Punk catch Kane with the GTS and pick up the victory while Daniel Bryan was knocked out on the outside.
With Kane taking the loss, Daniel Bryan still found himself unable to take the WWE Championship from CM Punk. Going into their match at Money in the Bank, AJ Lee would become more of the focus as she would be the special referee in their match. The storyline going into the match was that AJ Lee desperately needed the attention of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, however they were focused on the WWE Championship. Her involvement in the match overshadowed the title a bit, but these two still put on what some consider to be the best of their three championship matches.
With the rules being a little bit more loose than they were in their previous matches, Bryan and Punk had more room to work with foreign objects. AJ Lee would leave the match early as she would head to the back after being knocked off the apron, and this definitely helped the focus return to the two men fighting for the championship. Most of the match was contested on the outside, as the referee just watched as both men would brawl throughout the entire ringside. Just like their match at Over the Limit, the action was back and forth through the entire match as both competitors left everything in the ring. Towards the end of the match, AJ Lee would return after a superplex from Bryan to Punk. From there, the match would get even more brutal as she would leave a chair in the middle of the ring for which Bryan would pick up and hit Punk repeatedly with. The match would finish with CM Punk putting Daniel Bryan through a table with a backdrop off the top rope and AJ Lee counting the pinfall.
While this would be the last pay per view match for the two, it definitely was not a sour ending to the rivalry. Punk would continue his historic reign as champion through the rest of the 2012 while Daniel Bryan would become tag team partners with Kane, form Team Hell No, and capture the WWE Tag Team Championship. While there was much left to be desired out of both wrestlers’ careers, fans were more than happy to have this trilogy of matches for the richest prize in all of sports entertainment. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are often seen as the trailblazers of the Independent circuit and this trilogy of matches definitely helped pave the way for the talent we see in the WWE today.
-Chris
Tagged under:
By @Headliner5
As Daniel Bryan week is underway, I thought I would comprise a list of some of Daniel Bryan's top matches within wrestling, whether it was in WWE, ROH, Pro Wrestling NOAH or somewhere else. Now, comprising a list of Bryan's top matches may be hard for some, but for me it's pretty cut and dry.
5. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena
WWE Summerslam 2013
-This match was Daniel Bryan's first taste at the big time and the result of said match would set in motion one of the most exciting times for WWE as Daniel Bryan, who got screwed out of the WWE Title by Triple H, eventually found himself in the main event of Wrestlemania 30 completely by accident and happenstance.
This match is one of Daniel Bryan's best performances and he brought the best out of John Cena here. It was definitely an instant classic and although I don't like how they set this match up the match itself was amazing.
4. Daniel Bryan vs. Kenta
Pro Wrestling NOAH
December 12, 2006
-It's a shame that we never got to see this match in WWE because it would have been an amazing match to witness whether live or on TV. Their match in NOAH is a masterpiece and one of the best matches that Pro Wrestling NOAH has ever had take place within their ring. It was definitely an instant classic once I saw it and it's a match that everyone should watch if they are looking for some nostalgia of the "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson.
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger
Ring Of Honor
November 5, 2004
-A great wrestler in Bryan Danielson took on the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger and man was this match special. Anything with Jushin Liger is instantly special, but add The American Dragon Bryan Danielson to the mix and you have the ingredients for one hell of a match and this match didn't disappoint.
2. Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk
Ring Of Honor Reborn Night 1 - April 23, 2004
-These next two entries may seem to be a bit biased because I saw this one live (as well as the next match on the list) and although I hate CM Punk with a living breathing passion, there's no doubt that he was a master of his craft. I remember sitting there just watching a masterpiece unfold before my very eyes, not realizing that both of these men would one day become great wrestlers within the biggest company in the world WWE. We got a good feud from Bryan and Punk in WWE, but I'm happy to say that I saw them before they made it to the big time.
1. Bryan Danielson vs. Lance Storm
Ring Of Honor Better Than Our Best - April 1st 2006
-This match was an instant classic. Bryan Danielson, who was the ROH World Heavyweight Champion at the time was so confident that he could beat anyone anywhere in the world, that he put out a set of open contracts to anyone in the world that was willing to accept a match with the American Dragon. One of those contracts was signed by Lance Storm, who came out of retirement for this match with the goal of finally becoming the World Champion.
Bryan at the time was a big time heel in Ring Of Honor and Lance Storm was seen as the conquering hero, but on that night, Lance Storm failed to slay the dragon and Danielson retained the ROH World Title.
This was a great match and I'm happy to say that I saw it live. If you can find it online I would recommend watching it you wont be disappointed.
There you have it ladies and gentlemen, whether or not you followed Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan throughout his career or you just caught on at the tail end of it, these are the top five matches of his that you should see before you die. If you know nothing of his work, these matches should give you an idea of exactly how good of a wrestler he truly was because he was probably the greatest wrestler of the 2000's and that's no stretch of the imagination, he really was the Best In The World
-Nathan
Tagged under: #EOTRDanielBryanWeek, A.J. Lee, AJ Lee, Charlie Sheen, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Dr. Shelby, Team Hell No, WIRTB Review
By @SpeedontheBeat
So, I tried something different for #EOTRDanielBryanWeek. I know, I know. The "WIRTB" makes it seem like I'm about to go in on DB. Nah. Never that. Take a listen and hear some of my thoughts about "The YES! Man" and more. You'll finally also get to hear my sexy (not really) voice talking about some wrasslin'. I know that I forgot to discuss the Wyatt feud. All I've got to say about it is this: it was fucking awesome. Go watch it. NOW!
Tagged under:
By @Headliner5 (Nathan Neumann)
Hello Ringers, Nathan here to review another jam-packed hour of pro wrestling with this week's edition of ROH TV. There were things on this episode that I both really liked and didn't like so much, but we will get to that as the review progresses. Nigel McGuinness joined Kevin Kelly this week on commentary as the Steve Corino storyline continues. They run down the show and send us to the ring for the first match of the night.
Match 1
Jason Kincade vs. Lio Rush
ROH 2016 Top Prospect Tournament First Round Match
Thoughts: Finally got to see Lio Rush with my own two eyes and he didn't disappoint in this match. The match begins and Rush comes out like a house of fire and nails Kincade with an early Enziguri to get an early near fall. Kincade rolls out to the apron to recover for a bit before hitting a flipping neckbreaker to the inside of the ring before locking on a Gory special. Rush is down and kips up to kick Kincade in the face, Kincade rolls to the outside of the ring and gets hit with a suicide dive from Rush. Kincade takes time to recover while Lio rolls out to the apron. Kincade goes coast to coast across the ring to nail Rush with a kick. Kincade hits a splash on the outside of the ring and rolls Lio back into the ring to pick up a near fall. The match came to an end when Lio Rush hits a back flip Spanish Fly in a very fun match to kick off the hour.
Match Result: Lio Rush defeats Jason Kincade via pinfall after a back flip Spanish Fly to advance to the second round of the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament.
Match Rating: **
A great way to wrap up the first round of the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament as we will get into the second round of the tournament next week.
From there, we go to the second match of the night.
Match 2
Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser vs. Will Ferrara and Caprice Coleman
Thoughts: I still don't understand why Ferrara and Coleman are a team all of a sudden but I guess it's going to be a continual thing. This match honestly did nothing for me, the match began with Caprice and Silas slugging it out in the center of the ring, Caprice tags in Ferrara who gets a near fall thanks to a quick roll up and follows it up with a German Suplex. Bruiser comes into the ring illegally and hits a backdrop driver on Coleman and Young follows it up with a moonsault to get a near fall. The match breaks down a bit and Young and Bruiser hit Coleman with a flurry of double team offense in the corner. Coleman recovers long enough to hit a hurricanranna and goes for the pinfall on Silas but Bruiser breaks it up. Silas Young hits Misery and Ferrara dives to the outside of the ring and hits bruiser with Tornado DDT. Back in the ring, Caprice Coleman makes his way up to the top rope and nails Silas Young with the Sky Splitter to pick up the pinfall victory after interference from Dalton Castle and The Boys.
Match Result: Caprice Coleman and Will Ferrara defeat Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser via pinfall after Coleman hits the sky splitter on Young.
Match Rating: **1/2
Okay match, my only complaint is Silas Young taking the fall, but maybe ROH wants to protect Beer City Bruiser though I can't for the life of me figure out why.
From there, BJ Whitmer comes out to the ring to say a few things about Steve Corino. BJ wants to know who Corino's mystery guy is that apparently will be facing him soon (perhaps at ROH 14th?). Corino makes his way out to the ring and promises BJ that a match between BJ and himself will happen down the line. Then Adam Page who is in the ring attacks BJ Whitmer from behind as he is revealed to be Corino's secret weapon. Page and Whitmer begin fighting it out as we go to commercial.
From there we go to a recap of a match from last week as The All Night Express took on War Machine.
From there we go to the next match of the night.
Match 3
Mark Briscoe vs. Tim Hughes
Thoughts: The match begins and Mark immediately hits a clothesline on Hughes to get an early near fall. Briscoe gets another near fall after hitting Hughes with a brainbuster that probably should have finished off the match in all honesty. Mark hits a Russian Leg sweep to get another near fall as Hughes kicks out again. Hughes hits a sidewalk slam to get a near fall of his own in his only bit of offense of the match before Mark hits Hughes with a Fisherman buster and follows it up with the Froggy Bow to win the match via pinfall.
Match Result: Mark Briscoe defeats Tim Hughes via pinfall after the Froggy Bow
Match Rating: DUD
No offense to Mark Briscoe, but that match didn't do anything for me due to the fact that his opponent was an absolute nobody.
From there, we go straight into the main event of the night.
Main Event - Match 4
ACH and Matt Sydal vs. The Young Bucks
Thoughts: Before I write anything for this match, let me start by saying that anything that I write about this wont do it justice because it was completely crazy. The match begins and Nick kicks ACH square in the jaw, Sydal dives over the rope and takes both of the Young Bucks down with a twisting body splash on the outside of the ring. Back in the ring, ACH hits a leg lariat followed by a dropkick, but gets kicked in the face by Matt. ACH kicks Nick and knocks Matt off of the apron before hitting Nick with get over here. Sydal tags in and hits a standing moonsault for a near fall. Both the Bucks superkick Matt while he's on the outside of the ring, ACH dives to the outside of the ring only for the Bucks to catch him with a superkick to the face. Back in the ring, Nick hits a senton bomb on Sydal to allow Matt to get the near fall. Sydal manages to telegraph More Bang For Your Buck to allow ACH to hit the Dum Dum stomp off of the top rope.
The match comes to a conclusion when Sydal hits a shooting star press on Nick to score the victory via pinfall.
Match Result: ACH and Matt Sydal defeat The Young Bucks via pinfall after Matt Sydal hits Nick Jackson with a shooting star press.
Match Rating: ***
Good match to bring an end to an exciting hour of wrestling, the only thing on this show that I didn't like was the Briscoe/Hughes match as I thought it wasn't really needed so if you are pressed for time you can skip that match and you wont miss a thing.
That however will do it for me and another ROH review and once again I thank you for reading.
Feel free to drop me a mention on twitter and lets talk some wrestling, also make sure to follow the Eyes On The Ring main account @EyesOnTheRing and tweet us your thoughts on anything wrestling related.
In closing, make sure to check out the radio show tonight and every Sunday night as we come to you live via http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/ElitePodcastNetwork at 11:30pm EST. Last but certainly not least be sure to visit and like us on facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/EyesOnTheRing until next time ringers keep your Eyes On The Ring, see you next week.
-Nathan
