WWE SmackDown Smacks and Downs: Jeff Hardy gives Sheamus a golden shower

Smack: the best WWE match in 2020 (at the very least)

Down: FOUR commercial breaks?!

Just wow, what a splendid match we were treated to last night. Credit to WWE for their nice video highlighting the history of the Intercontinental Championship (including the various Hall of Famers who held the title) and the build to the Bryan-Styles match.

These men were given 40 minutes and I wouldn’t have been mad had they gone the rest of the show in an 80 minute or so match. It would really add to the feeling that anything can happen, including matches being punted because the match/segment before went into overtime, so to speak (like the John Cena-Shawn Michales RAW match from over a decade ago).

I’m an admitted sucker for mat and submission/grappling-based matches, and well, what wasn’t there to like about the actual match last night? (Do yourself a favor and watch Pete Dunne vs. Arturo Ruas from the Sep. 18 episode of NXT.) Styles began by working Bryan’s left arm, and that wicked arm wringer he pulled off on Bryan was only accentuated by referee Charles Robinson’s (aka “Lil’ Naitch”) reaction.

Bryan returned the favor by working the left arm of Styles, presumably to weaken it for the LaBell Lock. Styles began to work the left leg of Bryan (remember, “working the left”) to weaken it for his Calf Crusher. It was one of those matches where most of it was spent within an arm’s reach of each other, if not locked into some hold.

My favorite part of the match had to be when Bryan and Styles traded dueling German suplexes…without breaking hold of a rear waist lock! Bryan hit one, then Styles countered into a rear waist lock to hit his own, and Bryan returned the favor shortly thereafter into a bridging pin for a near fall.

I also think they pulled off one of the smoothest sequences I can remember. Styles attempted a springboard (presumably for the Phenomenal Forearm) only for Bryan to literally catch him into the butterfly suplex position, which he then turned into an armbar. Styles countered into a Calf Crusher, and I was gobsmacked at the sheer fluidity.

Oftentimes, smooth sequences in professional wrestling tend to look too choreographed and not like a fight, but that was one sequence where the skills and abilities of each performer were on full display.

The finish came when Styles (again, smoothly) countered Bryan’s attempt at the Busaiku Knee into a simply beautiful Styles Clash. Partly because of the damage he sustained and the gritty nature of the match, he was unable to immediately attempt a pin. Knowing he would need more to put Bryan away, he landed a flush Phenomenal Forearm for the pin the middle of the ring.

That was a throwback match that channeled the history of the Intercontinental Championship as the workhorse title with workhorse matches. It was physical, gritty, emotionally-investing, and with a great story and psychology. Now when we see highlights of great IC title matches, this one will undoubtedly be shown.

You also have to hand it to both men for selling their endeavor post-match. Styles, even having just won his first Intercontinental Championship, merely laid in the ring on his back, recovering, next to his downed foe. Bryan, when he finally made it to the outside of the ring, kept checking on his leg that sustained a lot of damage.

Also, can we have more post-match interviews, please? Styles, out of breath, reiterated his belief that he is the greatest WWE Champion/champion ever, simply saying to Renee Young, “I am phenomenal.”

(Side note: is Styles signaling a face turn with this tweet last night? If so, his best run in WWE was when he was WWE Champion and “The Face That Runs The Place” on “The Show That AJ Styles Built” in SmackDown, so I’m for the turn if it indeed happens.)

What I didn’t like? We had FOUR commercial breaks that took about 15 minutes. That means we only saw around 25 minutes of that instant classic. Now, considering this was taped, it’s possible that once they cut to break, they had Bryan and Styles rest until a few moments before coming back from break.

However, if that’s not the case and they worked all 40 minutes, we NEED to see the other 15 minutes! Release the footage!

(There’s another segment I think needs to be released, but I’ll get to that shortly.)

Also, while I will give Michael Cole and Corey Graves some credit for actually mentioning how and why each competitor was targeting the other’s limbs, Cole said Styles working Bryan’s left leg would prevent him from hitting the running (Busiaku) knee, but Bryan hits it with his right leg, not his left!

Still, commentary did a wonderful job of putting each competitor and the match over to a high degree. It helps when you have two of the best wrestlers of the last 20 years putting on an absolute seminar.

If you haven’t yet, please go and watch the match. You will NOT be disappointed.