Joe Vs. Punk II
Mar 6, 2008 10:26:12 GMT -5
Post by Hegemony on Mar 6, 2008 10:26:12 GMT -5
So after skipping between shows through my first year as a fan of ROH, over the past year I have started from the beginning and watch each show a couple times before moving on to the next. However, over the past couple weeks I cannot seem to move beyond the October, 2004 show of Joe vs. Punk II. I just cannot stop watching that main event.
What transfixes me so much is that these two men, for one hour (following their previous one hour draw in Dayton in June of that year), come out and put everything on the line. Make no mistake, this match was no wrestling "grudge match" or soap-opera storyline, It was presented as two men that wanted to prove who the better man was and take the ROH title.
Joe was the dominant champion leading into the match, having defended his title for 19 months against challengers in ROH and in other companies around the world (harkening back to a touring world champion). The schedule was presented as taking its toll on Joe, and the commentators wondered when Joe finally would be defeated. Note to all who discuss booking a "monster" as Joe was presented as a monster in ROH not because of his size, nor because he spoke in gibberish, ate raw fish, or wore a funny mask. No, Joe was a monster because he faced each challenger for his title and beat them clean in the middle of the ring. I'll take that sort of monster over a guy pretending to need a handler any day.
CM Punk was presented as a man attempting to fulfill his destiny, as he was often described as a future ROH champion. Having been turned babyface by the crowd due to his charisma earlier in the year, Punk was seen as the man who could finally beat Joe for the title. After all, he had wrestled Joe to a one hour draw a few months prior (at World Title Classic in Dayton) and had employed a strategy where he did not attempt to out-strike Joe but instead to employ a "rope-a-dope" stragegy and wear the big man down. This strategy proved very effective, but in the end he couldn't actually beat the dominant champion. But this time Punk would alter his strategy, keeping what worked in the previous match but adjusting enough to compensate for any mistakes in the previous match. And this time, as Punk explains in an intense promo to start the DVD, the match was in his hometown of Chicago.
As mentioned above, the match itself is a marvel to watch. We have our second 60 minute draw between them, but this was not some political issue as Punk would lose clean in the ring a few shows later to Joe. During those sixty minutes I saw some of the best wrestling I have ever seen. Again, I had seen this match years ago, but after watching the build to it over the preceding shows (including all of Joe's reign), the match had so much more impact during this run of ROH viewing. Despite the fact that the match was over 3 years old, I knew the outcome, and HAD SEEN THE MATCH previously, I was on the edge of my seat for every near fall. Totally swept away by the battle before me, these performers allowed me to suspend my disbelief with each successive viewing of this match. Watching the crowd react is another treasure, as they are simply taken for a journey by two excellent performers.
I won't describe the actual spots in the match as you should just see it for yourself. However, it just cannot escape my mind that this match is everything I love about pro-wrestling. No leprechauns, no "secrets" about your past, no incompetent workers with laughable gimmicks. Just two guys going out there and laying it on the line for the prestige of being the best. Their work makes this match seem important, despite the fact that both would go on to make more money and perform in front of larger audiences. This match is the most EFFORT I have seen from either man in their careers, and it was done in front of a (relatively) small crowd for little money.
Sorry for the rant/ramble, but this match has simply held me in its grasp for weeks now, and felt like sharing. And make no mistake, this match is not "sports entertainment." This is a professional wrestling match and thank god for that.
What transfixes me so much is that these two men, for one hour (following their previous one hour draw in Dayton in June of that year), come out and put everything on the line. Make no mistake, this match was no wrestling "grudge match" or soap-opera storyline, It was presented as two men that wanted to prove who the better man was and take the ROH title.
Joe was the dominant champion leading into the match, having defended his title for 19 months against challengers in ROH and in other companies around the world (harkening back to a touring world champion). The schedule was presented as taking its toll on Joe, and the commentators wondered when Joe finally would be defeated. Note to all who discuss booking a "monster" as Joe was presented as a monster in ROH not because of his size, nor because he spoke in gibberish, ate raw fish, or wore a funny mask. No, Joe was a monster because he faced each challenger for his title and beat them clean in the middle of the ring. I'll take that sort of monster over a guy pretending to need a handler any day.
CM Punk was presented as a man attempting to fulfill his destiny, as he was often described as a future ROH champion. Having been turned babyface by the crowd due to his charisma earlier in the year, Punk was seen as the man who could finally beat Joe for the title. After all, he had wrestled Joe to a one hour draw a few months prior (at World Title Classic in Dayton) and had employed a strategy where he did not attempt to out-strike Joe but instead to employ a "rope-a-dope" stragegy and wear the big man down. This strategy proved very effective, but in the end he couldn't actually beat the dominant champion. But this time Punk would alter his strategy, keeping what worked in the previous match but adjusting enough to compensate for any mistakes in the previous match. And this time, as Punk explains in an intense promo to start the DVD, the match was in his hometown of Chicago.
As mentioned above, the match itself is a marvel to watch. We have our second 60 minute draw between them, but this was not some political issue as Punk would lose clean in the ring a few shows later to Joe. During those sixty minutes I saw some of the best wrestling I have ever seen. Again, I had seen this match years ago, but after watching the build to it over the preceding shows (including all of Joe's reign), the match had so much more impact during this run of ROH viewing. Despite the fact that the match was over 3 years old, I knew the outcome, and HAD SEEN THE MATCH previously, I was on the edge of my seat for every near fall. Totally swept away by the battle before me, these performers allowed me to suspend my disbelief with each successive viewing of this match. Watching the crowd react is another treasure, as they are simply taken for a journey by two excellent performers.
I won't describe the actual spots in the match as you should just see it for yourself. However, it just cannot escape my mind that this match is everything I love about pro-wrestling. No leprechauns, no "secrets" about your past, no incompetent workers with laughable gimmicks. Just two guys going out there and laying it on the line for the prestige of being the best. Their work makes this match seem important, despite the fact that both would go on to make more money and perform in front of larger audiences. This match is the most EFFORT I have seen from either man in their careers, and it was done in front of a (relatively) small crowd for little money.
Sorry for the rant/ramble, but this match has simply held me in its grasp for weeks now, and felt like sharing. And make no mistake, this match is not "sports entertainment." This is a professional wrestling match and thank god for that.
