This was fine, I guess. I've never loved it and I still don't, but it probably landed better now than it did when I last watched it over a decade ago. It's really slow. Methodical, if you will. But just like, slow as a motherfucker. But slow is fine! Some of my favourite people are slow! The opening with them both removing a turnbuckle pad was a fun WWF-ish version of Ishikawa and Carl Malenko each voluntarily giving up their last rope break. It was an obvious Chekov's gun, one that you knew would play into the match at some point, because both of them made a point of letting you know they WANTED it to. It wasn't some dopey attempt at foreshadowing for the ARTISTRY of it all, it was two guys showing they had bad intentions. Whenever they were close to those corners there was an expectation that it could spell danger, and it had been long enough since I'd last seen the match that I didn't remember how exactly they went about using them. Bret was really good, I'm sure you'll be shocked to hear. He sold all of Diesel's stuff like it was career-ending, then was dogged in going after him in return. The early part is all Diesel and it's mostly of the punch-kick variety, which isn't a problem in and of itself but Diesel isn't the most compelling. Bret will try and go for the leg, but this is their third go-around now and Diesel isn't having any of it. Bret biting Diesel's fingers and raking his eyes and trying to rip his nose off to finally get back into the fight was awesome. Of course he quickly goes to the leg, and it's decent, makes sense because this is Bret against a big guy and it worked in January so why would he not do that again, and Diesel sells it all pretty well. There's a cool role reversal from the Rumble match, where this time it's Diesel who's working more like the heel and brings the chair into things first, while in January it was Bret who did it. Bret's revenge spot by smashing the chair into Diesel's leg over and over was great, made better by the fact he tied him to the fucking ring post with a cable. It's actually sort of amazing how compelling they kept that section of the match considering they were literally confined to one corner of the wrestling ring. Both got to use the exposed turnbuckle in satisfying ways and of course Bret takes his world class sternum bump into it. They kind of lost me a tiny bit prior to the big table bump, but the bump itself is outstanding and I love how it felt like a pure fuck it moment from Nash. Wasn't telegraphed, had no setup, was just a case of one guy capitalising on the moment. Thought there was enough time between the bump and finish that it didn't feel like Bret had to blow it off, and then we get one of the best Bret playing possum moments ever. I wouldn't call this great but I do get the love for it. I'm understanding like that. Hector Guerrero v Jose Lothario is still better though.
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