Sports
WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights and Analysis from June 12
Credit: WWEThe much-anticipated finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament saw Daniel Bryan battle AJ Styles for the right to etch their name in the history books.Bryan targeted the left arm early and often. An expert technician, he grounded The Phenomenal One and applied an inverted surfboard, working on the knee as he systematically picked the…
Credit: WWE
The much-anticipated finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament saw Daniel Bryan battle AJ Styles for the right to etch their name in the history books.
Bryan targeted the left arm early and often. An expert technician, he grounded The Phenomenal One and applied an inverted surfboard, working on the knee as he systematically picked the heel apart. A series of near-falls gave way to a mid-ring collision heading into the break.
Out of the break, Bryan continued his unflinching assault on Styles, punishing him with every twist, pull and manipulation of his limbs and joints. A blind charge into the rope, though, saw Bryan crash into the turnbuckle as Styles moved just in the knick of time.
AJ looked to take Bryan’s legs out from under him, negating his arsenal of kicks, but ate a step-up enzuigiri for his troubles. The babyface unloaded with his Yes Kicks but Styles ducked one and downed his opponent heading into another break.
The combatants exchanged a flurry of strikes before Styles dropped Bryan with a kick to the shoulder. The babyface recovered and applied an armbreaker. Styles reversed it into a Calf Crusher. Bryan escaped and delivered a sickening kick to the head as Michael Cole put over the chess match unfolding in the ring.
A big side superplex brought both men crashing to the mat heading into the commercial.
Back from another timeout, Styles delivered a picture-perfect Pele Kick, followed by a brainbuster for a near-fall. The leader of the YES Movement responded with a German suplex for two. Styles with one of his own for another two-count.
Target acquired, Bryan sprinted across the ring for his running knee but Styles caught him and downed him with the Styles Clash. He could not follow up with a pinfall attempt. The Phenomenal Forearm followed as Styles earned the hard-fought victory.
Result
Styles defeated Bryan
Grade
A
Analysis
This was a near-flawless representation of the sport of professional wrestling.
It was scientific, it was physical, it was smart and it told a story throughout. Each competitor sought to exploit a weakness of their opponent and in the end, it was an ill-fated attempt at his finisher by Bryan that Styles was able to capitalize on and score the win off of.
Styles winning the title was an interesting choice if only because he instantly elevates it above the Universal Championship held by Braun Strowman, who is busy with a comedic rivalry ahead of Sunday’s C-level PPV.
The Phenomenal One’s star is brighter, his consistency is nearly unmatched and his credibility amongst fans is greater than Strowman’s. Don’t sleep on the possibility that Styles makes the IC strap the most coveted on the blue brand.
This match not only gave fans of the in-ring aspect of the industry a match they could really invest themselves in, but it also introduced broadcast television to the athleticism and technique of wrestling. It was wholly unlike anything else the blue brand has brought the Fox audience and it should be interesting to see how it fares in the ratings.
If it excels, do not be surprised to see Friday nights implement a more in-ring based product.
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