AEW
This was a bloody mess — but a beautiful mess too. CM Punk defeated MJF in a graphic dog collar match, pinning him after Wardlow passed Punk the Dynamite Diamond Ring. It featured lots of blood, creative wrestling, thumbtacks and a crowd that loved every moment.
The match felt special before it even began. Punk’s Cult of Personality began playing, only for the music to switch to MJF’s theme. Maxwell came out to huge boos. Punk then entered not to Cult of Personality, but to his old Ring of Honor song Miseria Cantare. Punk is also dressed in his old ROH fight shorts.
Punk was the first to get busted open after MJF, having the thick dog collar chain wrapped around his hand, laid out Punk with a series of punches. With Punk bloodied up, MJF grabbed the mic and told Punk to quit — just like he quit 7 years ago. Punk told MJF to “eat s***” which led to “eat s*** woop woop” chants. Incredible.
After some more heat on Punk, the former WWE Champion started getting in some of his own offence. Punk wrapped the chain around MJF’s hand and crushed the hand with a bunch of knee strikes. That played into the match later, when MJF tried a piledriver but wouldn’t grip onto Punk without hurting his hand, allowing Punk to counter out. Punk attempted a Go To Sleep, but MJF countered that into a Fujiwara Armbar, which Punk transitioned into a Anacaonda Vice. MJF managed to get out by pulling on Punk’s hair.
Punk was very creative with his chain spots. In a great move, he wrapped the dog collar chain around his knee and cracked MJF open with a Shining Wizard. As Punk was punishing MJF on the outside, the crowd chanted “You deserve it” at MJF.
Punk’s fortunes reversed on the outside. MJF was slumped against the ring steps, and Punk went for another knee strike with the chain wrapped around his leg. MJF moved, meaning Punk’s knee crunched into the steps. When Punk attempted a Go To Sleep in the ring, his knee gave out, allowing MJF to get the upper hand. He wouldn’t keep the upper hand for long though. MJF tried a tombstone on the apron, but Punk countered into a tombstone of his own. Gnarly.
It was around this time that MJF brought out some thumbtacks — as if the match wasn’t bloody enough. There was a great spot where Punk tried to suplex MJF into the tacks, but couldn’t because his knee failed. MJF then tried to suplex Punk into the tacks, but his hand failed him. Excellent story telling here. Ultimately it would be Punk who would eat the thumbtacks, afer MJF suplexed Punk into them from the top rope.
The superlex got MJF a two count. An overwhelmed MJF then called out for Wardlow, asking for Wardlow to hand him the Best Man ring MJF had used to beat Punk on Dynamite. Wardlow pretended he couldn’t find it, which allowed Punk to pull MJF into a Go To Sleep — after which he fell into the tacks. Wardlow then smiled at Punk and left the jewel encrusted ring on the apron, which allowed Punk to put it on.
Punk clobbered MJF with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and pinned him for the 3 count.
Rating: 4.75 stars. If you’re squeemish about blood, this will be way, way too much for you. If you’re not, this was an outstanding pro wrestling grudge match. It was graphic and a little grotesque, but it was all believeable and felt real. The element of Wardlow took away from the match a little, but its inclusion was understandable as it sets up a feud between MJF and Wardlow.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism