SHEAMUS VS DANIEL BRYAN

  For this week's theme, I'm looking at "Not-so" Extreme Rules matches at the aptly named Pay-Per-View. The Pay-Per-View theme is that anything can happen on that night and there are no rules (I believe WCW had a similar theme with their Uncensored events way back when. This week I'll be looking at 3 matches in Extreme Rules history where "Extreme" is not an appropriate description for the match.

SHEAMUS (C) VS DANIEL BRYAN

(2 out of 3 Falls – World Heavyweight Championship)

WWE Extreme Rules (29^th April 2012)

Booker T and Michael Cole are on commentary for this match, a link to YouTube is above. The video begins with both men in the ring ready to start, earlier this month Sheamus beat Bryan at Wrestlemania in 18 seconds to win the championship. So this is the match we should have had (and waited 3 years to see) Cole says this is the power of Sheamus against the technical prowess of Daniel Bryan. I actually believe this is the first time I've seen the match, I've read a lot about it over the interwebs but that is about it.

  They lock up at the bell and Sheamus grabs a headlock, Bryan pushes him off the ropes but gets knocked down with a shoulder tackle. Bryan's slow to his feet as Cole and Lawler joke that Bryan's lasted longer already than he did at Wrestlemania. Sheamus takes Bryan down in a headlock, but Bryan grabs a headscissors on the floor. Sheamus kicks out of it and Daniel avoids the Brogue kick, in pretty much the only callback to Wrestlemania they could use. Daniel uses the ropes to force the referee to intervene as Sheamus mocks him, showing him how close he came to possibly being 1-0 down. Bryan gets control of Sheamus' arm as he gets back to his feet and forces him down to one knee. Sheamus uses his strength advantage to get to his feet and switch control. He throws Daniel down and drives his knee into D-Bry's arm before covering. Bryan kicks out at 1. The crowd is firmly behind Daniel Bryan in the early going, this was the point where WWE just couldn't ignore the support he was getting, it even penetrated other sports if I remember correctly.

  Daniel Bryan gets a standing waistlock but gets nowhere with it as Sheamus lowers his centre of gravity and breaks free, keeping Daniel Bryan in a hammerlock. Sheamus transitions to a headlock, keeping up with Daniel Bryan on the mat, Daniel sends Sheamus across the ring and tries to leapfrog but gets caught with a rolling senton! Sheamus covers with his forearm in Daniel's face but only gets 2. Bryan creates some space, sliding out to the apron. Sheamus tries to keep the pressure on but he's cut off with a shoulder through the ropes. Daniel flies over the top for a sunset flip but Sheamus rolls through, Sheamus locks in a cloverleaf folding Bryan in half! Daniel Bryan struggles to the ropes and breaks the hold as quickly as he can. Sheamus drags Bryan away from the ropes looking for the cloverleaf again, but Bryan with the small package! 1, 2, no. Sheamus knocks Bryan down with a clothesline and sends his head into the top turnbuckle before beating him down in the corner. Sheamus back in his element now, beating Bryan down, but he sends Bryan across the ring, Daniel climbs the turnbuckles and flips back into the ring, Daniel ducks a clothesline and hits a jumping variation of his own! Sheamus rolls out to the apron but Daniel Bryan baseball slides him down to the floor. Daniel Bryan goes out to the apron but gets caught in midair and Sheamus sends him hard into the barricade!

  Sheamus takes a breather on the floor and Bryan looks hurt already. We get a replay of what just happened as we go back to live action with Sheamus throwing Bryan in the ring and climbing to the top rope. Bryan trips Sheamus using the top rope. Sheamus tumbles to the mat and Daniel Bryan stomps at him keeping him grounded. Daniel Bryan drops a knee on Sheamus as Booker T calls him a professor of wrestling, I'd call that an understatement. Bryan drops a few more knees and covers but Sheamus kicks out at 1. Bryan grabs the arm and gets a hammerlock on Sheamus before twisting his other arm back, pulling on his fingers to spread the pressure all the way down Sheamus' arm. He turns Sheamus over so both his shoulders are on the mat for a nearfall. Daniel still has the hammerlock in, and Sheamus tries to elbow out, that's not working too well so he gets to his feet instead. Three more hard elbows release Sheamus but he runs into a knee strike to the gut. Daniel follows up with a running dropkick. Sheamus again kicks out quick. Sheamus creates some space and fights back from his knees. Bryan headbutts Sheamus back down and sends him into the ropes with a hard European uppercut. Sheamus fires a right hand back, and a stiff slugfest begins. Daniel Bryan ducks a clothesline and rolls Sheamus up for 2.

  Daniel hits Sheamus with another loud European uppercut and chokes Sheamus on the middle rope. Daniel Bryan holds it until 4 before reminding the referee he has until 5. Sheamus tries to kick Daniel away but gets stomped. Bryan brings Sheamus away from the ropes and he snaps the arm off his own shoulder, Sheamus tried to break free by clawing at Bryan's face, but it wasn't effective. Daniel keeps a hammerlock in on the mat, and Sheamus has to slowly fight to his feet. He elbows out of the hammerlock again but Bryan fires back with a European uppercut, Sheamus reverses an irish whip but ducks too early and gets a kick to the face. Sheamus knocks Daniel down and Bryan looks for refuge in the corner, he doesn't find it as Sheamus runs into him with a shoulder block, Sheamus knocks Bryan back down and he finds the apron. Sheamus follows and hits the clubbing blows to Bryan's chest. Sheamus uses raw power to bring Bryan back over the top rope and throw him across the ring with a Fallaway Slam. Sheamus covers but still can't get ahead in the match. Sheamus lifts Daniel Bryan but Bryan slips out the back and backs himself to the corner, Bryan avoids a charge, sending Sheamus into the middle turnbuckle. Bryan with a vicious boot and he rolls Sheamus up, but still only gets a nearfall.

  We see a replay of the kick, and Bryan kicked the rope into Sheamus, the camera angle was just uncharacteristically bad. In live action, Daniel is laying the boots in on Sheamus in the corner and he places him on the top turnbuckle, Sheamus holds on to the top rope to avoid a super huricanrana! Battering ram connects and Sheamus covers, 1, 2, no! Daniel Bryan again shows his smarts by going out to the apron, Sheamus takes a breather in the ring before hitting Bryan with a right hand, Sheamus tries to suplex Bryan back in but Bryan lands on his feet, Bryan creates distance and low-bridges a charging Sheamus sending him crashing to the arena floor. Bryan looks to dive through the ropes but Sheamus meets him with a forearm. Sheamus limping on his ankle, may have landed badly, and he lifts Bryan for a High Cross, Bryan drops to the mat and he rolls Sheamus up, 1, 2, 2.5, no! Bryan attempts a No Lock but Sheamus shrugs him off, straight back to it but Sheamus throws Bryan to the mat, almost like an arm drag to the former Am-Drag. Third straight struggle for the Yes lock, but Sheamus still avoids it, Daniel Bryan is sent into the corner, but he moves, sending Sheamus' shoulder into the post. Sheamus' sweatband got caught on the ring post, and Daniel Bryan sees a clear target now. He follows Sheamus out of the ring and sends him shoulder first into the post. Sheamus slides into the ring, but Bryan wraps the injured shoulder around the ringpost. Bryan gets back in the ring and he kicks at the shoulder. The referee has to count Bryan and the kicks continue, the referee is forced to disqualify Daniel Bryan.

WINNER: SHEAMUS 1-0 DANIEL BRYAN

This fall was going so well until the end. They told the story of Daniel Bryan needing sudden roll ups to try and get a fall on Sheamus, as well as taking it to him with strikes and outwrestling him also. Just as he gets a target the referee decides to disqualify him quickly (seriously, every other 5 count in the ropes lasts twice as long with struggles and warnings etc.) meaning this fall ended in bullshit. It would have been hard having Bryan win the first fall, and they couldn't risk a riot with him losing it, but there must have been a better way of getting there, it just left a sour taste in my mouth at the end. Until then though very good fall 7.5/10

We begin the second fall after the referee's backed Bryan away. Sheamus is slow to his feet in the corner, and Bryan hits him with a running dropkick. Bryan locks in the No Lock and Sheamus struggles closer to the ropes, Sheamus refuses to tap but appears to be unconsious..... No! He gets a second wind, Sheamus keeps reaching but it's too much and he passes out again, the referee checks on him and calls the fall for Bryan.

WINNER: DANIEL BRYAN 1 - 1 SHEAMUS

I can't give that fall a rating really, it just gave Bryan closure on the shoulder work and puts him over as a maniacal bastard, helped by his facial expressions. No rating so it doesn't drop the average of the match.

  Daniel Bryan gets to his feet looking smug and gets a mixed reaction, he starts Yes chants and duelling No chants grow also. This lasts a while whilst trainers attend to Sheamus and he gets to his feet in the corner. Sheamus explodes out of the corner with a Brogue Kick! Sheamus slowly crawls over Bryan and cover, but Bryan is able to kick out at 2.  Bryan uses the ropes to stand as Sheamus is on his knees getting some blood going in his injured arm. Daniel fires off a kick and Sheamus protects his shoulder, taking a kick to the back. Sheamus swings a clubbing blow back and takes a second one before Bryan kicks him in the side of the head! Bryan covers, 1, 2, 2.5, No! Daniel Bryan climbs to the top rope, but Sheamus cuts him off with right hands. Sheamus climbs to the middle rope, but can't get a suplex and Bryan holds on. Bryan headbutts Sheamus, sending him to the mat. Bryan comes off the top rope but misses a diving headbutt! The referee starts counting both men down. Sheamus gets to his feet in the corner at 3, Bryan's up about the same time across the ring. Bryan charges but Sheamus avoids a running dropkick! Sheamus hits a pair of ax handles and beats his chest, setting up for a Brogue Kick. Bryan hit clean with the Brogue Kick! 1, 2, 3.

WINNER: SHEAMUS (2-1) (STILL WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION)

Daniel Bryan is one an amazingly underrated heel. The things he did in this match, desperation roll ups to try and get the first fall, then when he couldn't put Sheamus away, sacrificing a fall just to cause as much damage as possible to that injured body part. Then it came to bite him in the ass at the end, Sheamus also put him away with a Brogue Kick in two straight PPVs. Making the move like his kryptonite. This third fall was pretty much whoever got a string of moves together won, really showing the intensity of the match so far. – Fall Rating: 5.9/10 OVERALL: 6.7