As this match was announced during Dynamite, I threw my arms up high in celebration. At that point, I was very tired. We’d landed in Chicago just three or four hours earlier, heading to the NOW Arena and handing over our luggage as though we were working the main event. Anyway, this quickly became my most anticipated match of the weekend, which All Out would dunk on quite violently with its almost unfathomable quality.
Nonetheless, this very much delivered, even if it wasn’t exactly assisted by the slightly cranky live crowd. Since returning home, I’ve been able to rewatch the PPV portion of my weekend, but have yet to revisit this bout. That’s a travesty too, as it means that I haven’t heard Jim Ross’ call yet. I’m going to remedy that now and thought I may as well type some as I go. After all, I’ve only reviewed 1720 matches from 2023, why not add another for completions sake?!
God forbid someone discover this very serious page in twenty years and they’re left pondering my thoughts on a TV main event that definitely won’t be forgotten by then. In fact, it may have already been forgotten as I write this, and it’s only been ten days. Oh well, that’s graps.
As Kevin and Nigel recap the history between these men, JR gets frustrated, declaring that he “ain’t keeping score.” Fair, this is wrestling after all. In addition, Jim makes it clear that he doesn’t know where the Young Bucks tails were, but it’s their prerogative. At the bell, some “CM Punk” chants emerge. Those chants are booed, which Jay White uses to bail, embracing that heat as his own. Upon returning, he fires the match’s first big chop, retreating before a retort arrives.
White then takes things to the mat, eating two chops for his troubles as Harwood earns some momentum. White bails again which admittedly, tests Chicago’s patience slightly, though I’m now seeing that this latest example is hidden in an ad break. Harwood continues to roll as he returns, walking through a knee to the stomach and clubbing White to the mat. As the break concludes, Harwood launches another chop, having his eyes gouged as White turns the tide.
Wheeler prevents any interference at least, running off BULLET Club Gold with a steel chair. Back inside the ropes, White goes to work on the mid-section, battling though some heavy chops to land his own, timing a DDT to boot. White eventually settles into a hold, with Harwood fighting upright to make his comeback. It’s not a booming rally by any means, though that’s hard to dwell on as a glorious superplex follows. As Harwood’s headbutt misses however, they return to picture-in-picture.
White snatches a single leg crab, then filling the break with some chops in centre ring. We return to two staggered German suplexes from Harwood, with a brainbuster to boot. They then head to ringside, upsetting Jim Ross who calls them both “idiots.” Howling. Either way, Harwood wins that exchange, generally outslugging White while Ross remains uncomfortable. As they return to the ring, White finds an answer, then uncorking some signature offence for a near fall.
The piledriver comes in response, because this is professional wrestling. They’ve earnt some applause with their efforts, following up with more of the same, including the slingshot powerbomb for 2. Eventually, White catches Harwood with the Bladerunner at ringside, then avoiding Harwood’s last ditch inside cradle and closing the show in centre ring. Yes, this is as I remembered and by that I mean: this is the professional wrestling, in my opinion.
It’s limited by the lack of heat, which is a result of circumstance as well as the reality of Harwood’s singles exploits. That’s not a reflection of his performance, it’s just a play call that folks are aware of at this point. His only win came against Cash. Nonetheless, the work here is terrific, packed with the physicality that you’d want from this pairing. It’s a really gritty, scrappy match, with momentum swings throughout, even finding a few neat sequences late.
Admittedly, I do think that it was stretched slightly thin at twenty minutes, probably working even better at fifteen or so. That more compact cut would feature an increased pace, likely tightening up the transitions throughout. Even still, it’s a really good match, maximising this rather imperfect scenario. Ultimately, it is wrestled directly to my taste. You know the deal: knife edge chops, superplex, brainbuster, piledriver. That’s pro wrestling.
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