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[2003-03-30-WWE-Wrestlemania XIX] Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho


Superstar Sleeze

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Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho - Wrestlemania XIX

 

I feel like I have to be missing something with this match. It is just so underwhelming given the praise heaped on it. It just does not do much for me. I get the fan trying to prove he had surpassed his idol at his craft story and there were a few nods here and there to that. I never felt like Jericho was proving himself to Michaels. Michaels' main motivation in this match seemed to be have a good time at his first Wrestlemania back and prove he have a great non-gimmick match. Besides me, I think that was everybody's conclusion and this was a significant step in his full-time return. I think it would have been better they had a more light-hearted affair like a Midnight/RnRs match where Michaels gets to have his fun early and Jericho clowns and bumps. Jericho gets vicious and violent during his heat on the back. Then they hit the finish. The match they had just lacked any sort of hook. It was seemingly totally bereft of any story or struggle.

 

The early part of the match was the most blase and lame matwork you will ever see. Lawler sucked a big one on commentary. He basically claimed mat wrestling was passe and an anachronism in 2003 to open an match. Jericho and Michaels were doing their best to prove him right. Jericho takes over with a spin kick and then misses a move so Michaels can get the figure-4, but this all abandoned once they go to the outside where Jericho catches HBK into a Boston Crab. Jericho's heat segment was definitely the best part of the match. He worked the back over well and was pretty cocky. Then they do my least favorite transition, the I stand up and hit you with three strikes. Jericho steals HBK's moves (Flying Burriot/Kip Up), who is then like fuck you with Kip Ups galore. They run through a nearfall sequence. Hilariously, a bridge out spot has been their biggest pop of the night so far. Jericho runs through his finish sequence. Literally no transitions. Just Im going to do my shitty version of a bulldog on you now. Being a heel and having a submission finish in the WWE is so silly. Michaels makes it to the ropes twice in this match, some finish. Jericho punctuates his sequence with his own Sweet Chin Music. Shawn says my turn and hits a reverse crossbody. I did like that Shawn had to earn his top rope elbow, which was a nice moment. Sweet Chin Music outta nowhere (Jericho was bitching and moaning that no one submits to the Boston Crab) and that should have been the finish. They go the cradle route to put it over as an OMG CLASSIC~!, because classics end in cradles! Jericho punting Michaels' in the balls after the match was the best part of this by far.

 

I think this is one of the most overrated matches in the 2000s. No flow. No story. Two just guys doing their moves. Their 2008 series smokes this.

 

I am open to arguments on why this is great because I am genuinely curious why this is so well-regarded. I feel like there is something I am just not getting.

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  • 2 years later...

Enjoyed this well enough. The finisher stealing of Jericho trying to one up Shawn made for a good story and there were some good spots like the Walls on the floor, the hurricanrana turned into a Walls, and the cradle to end it all. The connective tissue was a little weak but this was a generally enjoyable match. Some very memorable moments.

 

****1/4

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am open to arguments on why this is great because I am genuinely curious why this is so well-regarded.

 

Honestly? I think a lot of it comes down to the idea that it signaled Shawn's full-time comeback, which excited a lot of people. Also, this was -- in 2003 -- a dream match people didn't expect to ever see with really great buildup. It was **** before it even started.

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  • GSR changed the title to [2003-03-30-WWE-Wrestlemania XIX] Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
  • 7 months later...

Everytime I watched this in recent years, I honestly didn't like it at all. Thought it was way too boring and dragged way too long, however it clicked for me this time - unsure what’s so different but I saw the entire match in a whole new light. I didn’t like the first part and I thought it would be the same as the other times but Jericho got a big foothold and the match took off from there. His heel work was awesome. Trash talking w/ smart counters to everything HBK did. Doing the little things like emulate HBK trying to prove he was better. A few flaws though. I wasn’t totally into HBK’s offence - a few times there were a few times I popped but it was generally just there. He looked like he took a backseat and hardly did anything interesting, this was all Jericho, imo. If this had a better HBK performance with a better start, this could’ve been a bonafide MOTYC. ***3/4

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  • 1 year later...

Michaels wants to make his Wrestlemania comeback feel special and Jericho wants us to forget how lackluster his last Wrestlemania was. After Michaels gets some spots to show off and to illustrate to the crowd that he's still got it, a Walls Of Jericho on the entrance ramp is enough to aggravate old injuries and Jericho works over HBK's back. Jericho wasn't that interesting working on top, but the finishing stretch felt like a callback to Savage/Steamboat with all it's nearfalls through small packages and counters. After an intense 22 minutes, HBK wins after a roll-up. Jericho nails him in the balls after teasing a face turn during a post-match hug, Great stuff! 
★★★★¼

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  • 1 year later...

HBK looks ridiculous with the mid-length hair and necklace.  The storyline coming in was of Chris Jericho wanting to "destroy his idol" at Wrestlemania.  The 'Mr. Wrestlemania' moniker hasn't yet become a thing with Michaels, but there were a few times where Lawler would talk about Wrestlemania being a special event for HBK.  Jericho kept trying to one-up Michaels.  He wanted to outgrapple him early, but Michaels wouldn't let him.  Jericho had HBK scouted pretty well, he was able to reverse Michaels or cut him off before he was able to put too many moves together.  Jericho really took control after turning a Michaels dropkick into a Walls of Jericho on the outside.  He worked over HBK's back for a while, JR would continue to bring up how much pain Michaels was fighting through in his back for the rest of the match.  No matter what Jericho did, the resiliency of Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania was too much.  Jericho started showing frustration at not being able to keep HBK down, pleading with the ref after HBK reached the ropes while being in the Walls.  This led to a huge Superkick from HBK.  Jericho kicked out after Shawn Michaels was slow to get the cover,  but lost to a rollup shortly after.  Not an epic Wrestlemania match but still pretty good with a nice, basic story.

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  • 4 months later...

I was totally ready to crap on these guys for trying too hard, but I actually thought they produced a solid match. WWE Jericho is a much better worker than I ever remembered or gave him credit for, and I don't really have any knock on Michaels' comeback work. I thought this was similar to Michaels vs. RVD in terms of Michaels showing his ability to work a straight singles match vs a garbage-y brawl. They did some Ricky Steamboat style wrestling to start with. Not my favorite style of wrestling, but they pulled it off fairly well. The match built to a finisher contest, as so many of these WWF matches do, but for a finisher that is fairly lame (The Walls of Jericho), I thought they did a good job of getting me invested. For a regular match, and not some overblown Wrestlemania classic, I thought they drew tremendous heat from the stadium crowd. Hard not to view this as a success. Jericho had to be buzzing afterward. I thought this was better than Angle/Lesnar and possibly the best match on the card. 

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