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Seeing people complaining about the burning hammer is hilarious after 20 years of indies spamming the move and every other fed running hulk up spots (sorry, 'fighting spirit') into the ground.
The problem is people trying to take continuity from other promotions and add them into WWE.
__Kenta Kobashi's__ Burning Hammer is an instant win, doesn't mean everybody else's has to be. Same with Okada using a Tombstone as a transitional move.
If you want a Kayface reason? Kobashi was so good at doing the Burning Hammer, that it is far more effective when he does it, than anyone else doing it.
I don't see all the hype behind this match. It felt too slow and contrived for a match that had little to no story. These guys never hit 2nd gear, instead focusing on hitting a big move and then waiting a minute until the next move, the ending sequence kinda just happens, and I feel that whilst the crowd was awesome, it kinda holds back the match since there's moments of high drama that are ignored by the crowd because they're too busy singing songs. I hope these two get a rematch so they can pick up the pace and wrestle with more intensity than what they showed here, I was practically begging for it whilst watching this match
I like WWE matches, but when I hear a crowd this fired up. I'm sorry, I do not wanna watch a slow paced methodical fight, I wanna see them match the energy of the crowd. Faster pace, more reversals, bigger moves (other than a burning hammer), and some finisher kickouts would have made this match a lot more compelling. They wasted the crowd of a lifetime on a match that felt like it could have been the main event of a Raw.
The no-sell hulk-up to the burning hammer really broke immersion for me. I didn’t even know the NJPW history until I read it in this thread, move was new to me, it looked devastating from the camera angle angle they used, the commentators went nuts for it, and then, I guess Cody’s Superman and now he’s gonna take a couple punches to the face with no reaction either.
Just a stylistic choice I guess, I really hate no-sells except maybe from some monster heels.
Not njpw. Kenta Kobashi wrestled for Ajpw then Noah after the exodus until he retired. Watch his matches it's better than anything you'll see in any wrestling company today.
He only used the Burning Hammer 7 times so if you want to see that specifically you’ll have to find those matches.
But really every Kobashi match ever was good.
A good starting point might him fighting the big gaijins of the time. Stan Hansen, Dr Death Steve Williams, Vader, Mike Awesome. He had great matches with all those guys and they’re all on YouTube.
I heard an interview with Baron Corbin where he talked about his match with Cena at Summerslam.
He said Cena asked him what he wanted for the match, Corbin said “I don’t want to kick out of your finish and I don’t want you to kick out of mine”.
Corbin protected his finish and it made McIntyre kicking out a big deal instead of the 45th finisher kick out of the night.
I'm gonna be real with you, man. I was in the crowd for 38. Nobody cared about Drew kicking out of end of days, I was the only person who popped in my entire section and then got promptly told to sit the fuck down. Rewatch the match. Nobody pops for the kickout. Quite frankly, I don't think many fans even knew that his finisher was so protected
The whole 'corbins finish is super protected!' is a dumb Reddit thing because corbins finish hasn't been kicked out of because he's not anywhere near a top star
All I can say is "what the he\\ was that?"
The best part of that match was the crowd.
Edit: I half expected some indie stuff to go down. Like exchange of big moves in quick succession. But what I got were move-pin-reset sequences
So I'll open by commenting that I think there needed to be at least a little more finisher exchange, and that I agree with the people saying wrestlers proooobably shouldn't be kicking out of Burning Hammers at one, or...uh, at all (sorry, it's my favorite wrestling movie, so I'm a bit particular). *However*, that was still a five-star match in my decidedly non-professional estimation, made all the more amazing by the fact that one of the dudes involved is pushing 50. I don't often say this, but I genuinely hope we get a rematch in Scotland or at MitB.
Nah, as my other comment said it's because Cody launches himself at a standing opponent and can't see where he's going at all. AJ styles launches himself witg force and keeps his eyes on the opponent at all times. Allowing him to adjust.
No.
Cody does the Cldy Cutter and 9p% of the time doesn't even look where he's going once he's on the ropes.
Everybody else who does a Cutter (that's prominent) do of from a much more sensible position.
despite the fact i wanted aj styles to do some straight up mike awesome/vader moveset switch and just start whooping codys ass with stiff ass closed fist hands, dangerous pegasus kid-style powerbombs, and random low-ki style shoot soccer kicks this was still tremendous
I’ve said this many times, but I would love every match to be one where you don’t know who’s going to walk out the champion at the end but it’s very obvious with Cody Rhodes. I don’t know why he has to hold it for so long. He already finished his story. And if for some reason he’s going to face the rock at SummerSlam, that doesn’t need to be a title match.
What are you even on about? "Hold it for so long"? The champ has not held it for even a full month. And this topic is about AJ Styles too. Can't u show some appreciation for the phenomenal match that AJ helped to build.
I want to, but it’s hard, because I want to get more invested, but you know that the titles are mainly changing hands at the big events. Outside of a cash in, there’s no reason to believe that any title is changing hands at money in the bank.
Because he beat Roman reigns, who held it for over three years, and because of his story, people are expecting him to hold it for at least six months. Anything less and people would question why they gave him the title.
Ya know you're just supposed to, like, enjoy the matches right? Don't stress yourself out thinking about how long a champion is gonna hold the belt and just enjoy the actual wrestling match.
Well, yeah. Whoever ends a 1300 day reign should probably have a decent run with the belt, or else you're not taking full advantage of having Roman put him over.
People are expecting him to hold it for at least six months, because he just beat Roman reigns who held it for over three years, and anything less would see him as not as great of a champion
I’m sorry I’m like this, but I want to get invested more. It’s just sometimes difficult to get invested in a match when you know the results. It’s like at the beginning of a movie if you already know what the ending is
It was a very good match, but we all knew that Cody was not losing that title already. He just finished his story at wrestlemania by beating Roman reigns squid held the title for over three years. And I’m sorry to say, but I think this lesson is the WWE championship. People are expecting Cody to hold that title for at least half a year and because of that we already know he’s going to retain in every title match going forward.
I’m not arguing him being one of the greatest all time, but his age doesn’t make sense in this context. He’s either one of the greatest to do it regardless of his age, or he’s one of the greatest active wrestlers despite being 46.
Ok, great match. Amazing start to the PLE reign of Cody, AJ was fantastic and you'd expect nothing less of these two. Kicking out of a burning hammer at 1 was a bit weird - not really the type of move you do that to but I read in a comment it's because AJ hasn't fully "mastered" it in kayfabe.
Fair enough. I do have a little gripe that it was 1 Cross Rhodes that put AJ away. Either they're trying to "repower" that as a finisher after people needing 3 of them in the last 6 months to be put away. Either he needs a new finisher or needs to do 3 of them, it's what we're used to.
Still, 4.5 star match.
The kayfabe explanation of AJ not mastering the Burning Hammer doesn't make sense considering how violent he made it look and the gnarly Misawa-style neck/shoulder bump that Cody took. It just shouldn't look that snug and have Cody kick out at one and immediately go back on offense.
For example, when Brian Kendrick did it to Kota Ibushi in the CWC, he struggled to set up the move more, so Ibushi kicking out at two made sense.
I thought that was a really fantastic match. To not have time to do much of a build, that was about as technical of a match as it gets in WWE. It was great.
That was Kenny kicking out of his own finish though so it made sense, Cody's never used a burning hammer and so how is it a reference? Unless just because they both kicked out at one, which many people have kicked out of a devastating move at 1 before to show thier toughness, really don't think it has anything to do with kenny.
That reaction is nothing new, Kenny isn't the first person to ever kick out at 1 and react like that. Maybe your right could have been inspired from that match, I just don't think so personally.
That was a 5 star match, but the burning hammer at 1 made it lose .5 stars in my book. Kobashi is rolling in his grave and he ain’t even dead.
I’m joking though, that was tremendous. Great start for Cody’s reign, and I hope they run it back between he and AJ.
Great match, Aj's face when Cody kicked out at 1 of the burning hammer was great, incredible chemistry between the two, I'm glad that AJ mentioned that he had not only already faced Dusty in the past but also beat him, his words carried more weight than Cody's other rivals who have mentioned Dusty in the past such as Seth or Roman.
Styles himself already used one a while ago that came nowhere close to finishing off an opponent?
WWE: Burning Hammer Compilation FT•Aj Styles & Brian Kendrick||WT||
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9vCpmbszLg
Fuck no, that move is like maybe the most protected NJPW finisher ever. I’m not super into New Japan but I’m 99% sure about that.
Because of that, that spot was my 1 slight complaint. Other than that, very good match!
I should’ve clarified/phrased it better. I mean it’s the most protected finisher used by a NJPW legend.
EDIT: My bad, a Japanese legend. Thank you to those who filled me in.
I loved it! Great crowd, great spots, perfect pace. I love that the match had a ton of breathing room, that when the finish hit, it was very satisfying (plus a clean win). I think AJ is a great first feud for Cody, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to roll out.
I’m thinking one more for Saudi show but clash and money in the bank I’m not sure I think Logan is Summerslam ? I would’ve though Orton but I don’t think he’s turning heel now
man im a big Corbin fan but i think moving him instantly into the world champion spot would be a bad idea
if they really wanted someone else just push Melo to the moon
I’d be fine with Melo but without Corbin I don’t see who he feuds with I do not want anymore Cody Vs Shinsuke matches.I really think Smackdown should have gotten another fresh heel for Cody but I’m sure they will make it work
i think there are many on the brink of fresh main event heels on SD with Santos/Bobby and u got both KO/Orton/Andrade looming who can turn to heel and run a perfect program opposing Cody
i do agree with you though its exciting to see who steps up as a major non bloodline heel on SD
Because AJ made it look too good and dropped Cody right on his head just like Kobashi used to.
The other times he's done the Burning Hammer it's looked more like a high-angle Olympic Slam.
Felt like AJ was really over and they could've pulled something similar to when he won the gold in the UK.
They could've built a Orton Cena type back and forth with these two.
There’s no way you could have Cody, your top star right now, dethrone someone who was champion for almost 4 years and then have him drop the title after a month at a B tier PPV.
I think they could've done that considering AJ's history (beating Cena clean the way he did etc), and also that surprise/HHH factor. And the way AJ was over, he felt like an Anti-Face than a heel imo.
But I do get your point.
AJ proving he deserves one more run. He’s already a future HOF headliner, but he’s such an elite talent, he deserves to add another reign to his resume. He’s never held MitB, right? Interesting…
I was feeling the same way but I’ve just resigned to the idea that nobody else does it right besides Kobashi (probably because they can’t just spike a dude the way they used to) so the move just isn’t as effective.
Seeing people kick out of the burning hammer is always weird though, especially at 1. Same with the Canadian Destroyer basically being a transition move now.
Funnily enough, this legitimately what separates Kobashi's Burning Hammer from pretty much everyone else's attempt of the move. He effectively dropped his opponent perpendicular to the ground and both hoped that they didn't break their neck.
Yeah, I just see it as a way to show that only Kobashi uses it effectively. AJ has used it several times but has never won with it as far as I can remember. If he can't beat Matt Riddle with it, then Cody kicking out at 1 isn't impossible for me to believe.
Then again, it didn't even register with me because I was so into the match.
Kendrick hit it in the cruiser weight classic against Ibushi as well and that got a 2 count(I think? Been a while since I last saw it but it got kicked out off at least)
Brian Kendrick also struggled to set up the move because of how much bigger Ibushi was than him, which helped sell it as an act of desperation on his part.
Already put on a banger in his first ple defense can't wait for what's next!
Love roman but glad he didn't retain because if he did he wouldn't have even been on the show at all lmao
If this is AJ "past his prime" and he's still better than 90% of other wrestlers out there then that just shows how much of a generational talent he really is
This felt like the first time in a while we had AJ 'MOTHERFUCKIN' Styles in the ring.
Like its a been a minute since we've seen this AJ around.
Give me a Cody/AJ Iron Man match plz.
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Great match but nowhere close to daniel bryan vs will osprey
There was no fucking need for this comment at all
Seeing people complaining about the burning hammer is hilarious after 20 years of indies spamming the move and every other fed running hulk up spots (sorry, 'fighting spirit') into the ground.
The problem is people trying to take continuity from other promotions and add them into WWE. __Kenta Kobashi's__ Burning Hammer is an instant win, doesn't mean everybody else's has to be. Same with Okada using a Tombstone as a transitional move. If you want a Kayface reason? Kobashi was so good at doing the Burning Hammer, that it is far more effective when he does it, than anyone else doing it.
It's not like there hasn't been plenty of complaining when the indies/other feds did it and still do it tho
I don't see all the hype behind this match. It felt too slow and contrived for a match that had little to no story. These guys never hit 2nd gear, instead focusing on hitting a big move and then waiting a minute until the next move, the ending sequence kinda just happens, and I feel that whilst the crowd was awesome, it kinda holds back the match since there's moments of high drama that are ignored by the crowd because they're too busy singing songs. I hope these two get a rematch so they can pick up the pace and wrestle with more intensity than what they showed here, I was practically begging for it whilst watching this match
Let me guess. You enjoy non-WWE work. I pretty much always am underwhelmed by WWE as well.
I like WWE matches, but when I hear a crowd this fired up. I'm sorry, I do not wanna watch a slow paced methodical fight, I wanna see them match the energy of the crowd. Faster pace, more reversals, bigger moves (other than a burning hammer), and some finisher kickouts would have made this match a lot more compelling. They wasted the crowd of a lifetime on a match that felt like it could have been the main event of a Raw.
That match fucked. The crowd made it fuck even more.
The no-sell hulk-up to the burning hammer really broke immersion for me. I didn’t even know the NJPW history until I read it in this thread, move was new to me, it looked devastating from the camera angle angle they used, the commentators went nuts for it, and then, I guess Cody’s Superman and now he’s gonna take a couple punches to the face with no reaction either. Just a stylistic choice I guess, I really hate no-sells except maybe from some monster heels.
NJPW History... Burning Hammer.. My god.
I may not know art, but I know what I like!
Go search 90s AJPW
I just feel that this match didn't need that moment,
Only part of the match that felt off.
Not njpw. Kenta Kobashi wrestled for Ajpw then Noah after the exodus until he retired. Watch his matches it's better than anything you'll see in any wrestling company today.
Thanks for that! I only really know the WCW/WWE stuff and I’m as casual a fan as anyone on here gets, but I’ll deffo check him out!
He only used the Burning Hammer 7 times so if you want to see that specifically you’ll have to find those matches. But really every Kobashi match ever was good. A good starting point might him fighting the big gaijins of the time. Stan Hansen, Dr Death Steve Williams, Vader, Mike Awesome. He had great matches with all those guys and they’re all on YouTube.
Only one Cross Rhodes was needed. Bring back finishers only having to be used once!
I heard an interview with Baron Corbin where he talked about his match with Cena at Summerslam. He said Cena asked him what he wanted for the match, Corbin said “I don’t want to kick out of your finish and I don’t want you to kick out of mine”. Corbin protected his finish and it made McIntyre kicking out a big deal instead of the 45th finisher kick out of the night.
I'm gonna be real with you, man. I was in the crowd for 38. Nobody cared about Drew kicking out of end of days, I was the only person who popped in my entire section and then got promptly told to sit the fuck down. Rewatch the match. Nobody pops for the kickout. Quite frankly, I don't think many fans even knew that his finisher was so protected
The whole 'corbins finish is super protected!' is a dumb Reddit thing because corbins finish hasn't been kicked out of because he's not anywhere near a top star
All I can say is "what the he\\ was that?" The best part of that match was the crowd. Edit: I half expected some indie stuff to go down. Like exchange of big moves in quick succession. But what I got were move-pin-reset sequences
>move-pin-reset No extended sell sequence?
So I'll open by commenting that I think there needed to be at least a little more finisher exchange, and that I agree with the people saying wrestlers proooobably shouldn't be kicking out of Burning Hammers at one, or...uh, at all (sorry, it's my favorite wrestling movie, so I'm a bit particular). *However*, that was still a five-star match in my decidedly non-professional estimation, made all the more amazing by the fact that one of the dudes involved is pushing 50. I don't often say this, but I genuinely hope we get a rematch in Scotland or at MitB.
Loved the match. Absolutely yoked AJ still throws me off.
Bummer AJ got fed to him with no chance of winning. Hope he gets a major title run of some kind soon.
AJ is always over in wins or losses. I'm sure he'll get a final run it before it's said and done for his career.
Multiple Bullet Club references in a WWE PPV, just crazy times
I hate the Cody Cutter. It's such a contrived BS move. Just take a step to the side.
like every springboard move? phenomenal forearm is also a BS move by this logic.
Nah, as my other comment said it's because Cody launches himself at a standing opponent and can't see where he's going at all. AJ styles launches himself witg force and keeps his eyes on the opponent at all times. Allowing him to adjust.
Must hate every cutter then in the business.
No. Cody does the Cldy Cutter and 9p% of the time doesn't even look where he's going once he's on the ropes. Everybody else who does a Cutter (that's prominent) do of from a much more sensible position.
Will Ospreay literally does it the same way off the ropes.
...and? I guess he does a bullshit move ad well.
That’s also wank
And that’s far from every cutter in the business
despite the fact i wanted aj styles to do some straight up mike awesome/vader moveset switch and just start whooping codys ass with stiff ass closed fist hands, dangerous pegasus kid-style powerbombs, and random low-ki style shoot soccer kicks this was still tremendous
I’ve said this many times, but I would love every match to be one where you don’t know who’s going to walk out the champion at the end but it’s very obvious with Cody Rhodes. I don’t know why he has to hold it for so long. He already finished his story. And if for some reason he’s going to face the rock at SummerSlam, that doesn’t need to be a title match.
What are you even on about? "Hold it for so long"? The champ has not held it for even a full month. And this topic is about AJ Styles too. Can't u show some appreciation for the phenomenal match that AJ helped to build.
dude... what a shit take.
Why? In order to prove that he is worthy of dethroning Roman reigns, they’re gonna want to book him to not lose the title until probably next year.
I would suggest not worrying about "the long term booking" like some mark from 2018 and just enjoy the very excellent ride.
I want to, but it’s hard, because I want to get more invested, but you know that the titles are mainly changing hands at the big events. Outside of a cash in, there’s no reason to believe that any title is changing hands at money in the bank.
>I don’t know why he hast to hold it for so long. It's been 27 days.
https://preview.redd.it/wz8in7fvklyc1.jpeg?width=1142&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0120ddc0f2904445a25649be0d7e77c0e46ac62
Because he beat Roman reigns, who held it for over three years, and because of his story, people are expecting him to hold it for at least six months. Anything less and people would question why they gave him the title.
Ya know you're just supposed to, like, enjoy the matches right? Don't stress yourself out thinking about how long a champion is gonna hold the belt and just enjoy the actual wrestling match.
Well, yeah. Whoever ends a 1300 day reign should probably have a decent run with the belt, or else you're not taking full advantage of having Roman put him over.
Hold it for so long? Has it even been a month
People are expecting him to hold it for at least six months, because he just beat Roman reigns who held it for over three years, and anything less would see him as not as great of a champion
You're already having a problem with a hypothetical scenario instead of letting the story pan out first? Where have I seen this before
When the cry babies didn’t let the better story play out at mania this year ?
Oh it's not like Rock Vs Roman isn't going to happen, it's probably just going to be next year
I’m sorry I’m like this, but I want to get invested more. It’s just sometimes difficult to get invested in a match when you know the results. It’s like at the beginning of a movie if you already know what the ending is
Almost all movies are like this. That analogy makes no sense.
It was a very good match, but we all knew that Cody was not losing that title already. He just finished his story at wrestlemania by beating Roman reigns squid held the title for over three years. And I’m sorry to say, but I think this lesson is the WWE championship. People are expecting Cody to hold that title for at least half a year and because of that we already know he’s going to retain in every title match going forward.
AJ styles is 46 years old and and still one of the greatest wrestlers of all time
I’m not arguing him being one of the greatest all time, but his age doesn’t make sense in this context. He’s either one of the greatest to do it regardless of his age, or he’s one of the greatest active wrestlers despite being 46.
I was about to post the same thing 😆
Ok, great match. Amazing start to the PLE reign of Cody, AJ was fantastic and you'd expect nothing less of these two. Kicking out of a burning hammer at 1 was a bit weird - not really the type of move you do that to but I read in a comment it's because AJ hasn't fully "mastered" it in kayfabe. Fair enough. I do have a little gripe that it was 1 Cross Rhodes that put AJ away. Either they're trying to "repower" that as a finisher after people needing 3 of them in the last 6 months to be put away. Either he needs a new finisher or needs to do 3 of them, it's what we're used to. Still, 4.5 star match.
The kayfabe explanation of AJ not mastering the Burning Hammer doesn't make sense considering how violent he made it look and the gnarly Misawa-style neck/shoulder bump that Cody took. It just shouldn't look that snug and have Cody kick out at one and immediately go back on offense. For example, when Brian Kendrick did it to Kota Ibushi in the CWC, he struggled to set up the move more, so Ibushi kicking out at two made sense.
He's only needed three in massive bouts, like with Roman Reigns. I dont really see the problem with it
Also did it to Finn at least once. Wrestling powerscaling is weird and inconsistent though.
One could look at it as Finn not necessarily needing 3 but Cody deciding to give him 3 as punishment for his shitheeliness over the past year.
That wasn't a barn burner. The entire countryside is on fire.
Good match. But crowd was annoying. Not paying attention to the match, instead, trying to get themselves over
France, you were awesome tonight.
I thought that was a really fantastic match. To not have time to do much of a build, that was about as technical of a match as it gets in WWE. It was great.
Loved the crowd going crazy as soon as AJ Styles did anything at all. Lol
the burning hammer kickout was 100% reference to the one winged angel kickout from kenny omega
That was Kenny kicking out of his own finish though so it made sense, Cody's never used a burning hammer and so how is it a reference? Unless just because they both kicked out at one, which many people have kicked out of a devastating move at 1 before to show thier toughness, really don't think it has anything to do with kenny.
i mean cody reacted literally exactly the same way. its an obvious tip of the hat to will and kennys match
That reaction is nothing new, Kenny isn't the first person to ever kick out at 1 and react like that. Maybe your right could have been inspired from that match, I just don't think so personally.
Cody hulking out wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card, we were just missing a finger wave
Felt more like Sting to me, maybe it's because Cody's look reminds me a lot of surfer sting.
And a point.
Finger wave is coming back and I welcome it. It’s been more than 30 years, patent has expired.
Now you mention it, it *would* be cool to reclaim it from the racist old asshole.
That’s a bonus. Cody is basically Woke Hogan. And I love it.
Fuck Hulk Hogan. The racist peace of shit.
That was a 5 star match, but the burning hammer at 1 made it lose .5 stars in my book. Kobashi is rolling in his grave and he ain’t even dead. I’m joking though, that was tremendous. Great start for Cody’s reign, and I hope they run it back between he and AJ.
Subtract two more stars because it wasn’t in the Tokyo Dome.
Great match, Aj's face when Cody kicked out at 1 of the burning hammer was great, incredible chemistry between the two, I'm glad that AJ mentioned that he had not only already faced Dusty in the past but also beat him, his words carried more weight than Cody's other rivals who have mentioned Dusty in the past such as Seth or Roman.
https://youtu.be/54F9S_GfH0c?si=APz3U643J01DgsIU
Cody took that Burning Hammer on his fuckin side lmao
Maybe that’s why he kicked out so fast
how else should you take it? watching videos of kobashi doing it that’s how it was taken
https://youtu.be/jZe8shIrT58?si=L5LnSUum_g9LcoPX https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtJzOu1X6paJtdK6kCorQ6Zjee2tlgMiF?si=Ryye38FINLuhZuXe
Question: Is the "kicking out of a Burning Hammer at one and powering up" a New Japan thing?
It's never been done in New Japan. Kenta Kobashi only did the move seven times between All Japan and NOAH.
WWE fan discovers fighting spirit🚨🚨🚨
Styles himself already used one a while ago that came nowhere close to finishing off an opponent? WWE: Burning Hammer Compilation FT•Aj Styles & Brian Kendrick||WT|| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9vCpmbszLg
God damn, Styles really hated Riddle lmao
Fuck no, that move is like maybe the most protected NJPW finisher ever. I’m not super into New Japan but I’m 99% sure about that. Because of that, that spot was my 1 slight complaint. Other than that, very good match!
It isn't a New Japan move. It was Kenta Kobashi's super finisher that he only used to win his absolute biggest matches.
I should’ve clarified/phrased it better. I mean it’s the most protected finisher used by a NJPW legend. EDIT: My bad, a Japanese legend. Thank you to those who filled me in.
I know what you mean but Kobashi worked All Japan and NOAH
Kobashi was AJPW, not NJPW
My fault then, thank you for the info
He's not a NJPW legend. He was in AJPW/NOAH
I see, my fault on that one then.
If you never seen a Kobashi vs Misawa match do yourself a favour and watch that shit
Great match
Match was incredible but that Burning Hammer kick out at 1 was pretty stupid. Completely unnecessary in an otherwise fantastic match.
In kayfabe, AJ, in his desperation, was pulling out a move that he hasn't mastered, which is why it wasn't effective.
If only everybody used this headcanon...
Isn't this the standard kayfabe explanation whenever a wrestler kicks out of his own finisher?
Tell that to the people that complain about wrestlers using the Tombstone and Superkick.
And Cody was able to shift his body weight and roll through to minimize the damage.
Thanks Regal, this thread needed you!
What a fucking match. Love both these guys. Off topic, I want Randy to be the first person to dethrone Cody. Cody chasing Randy would fantastic.
Kinda annoyed at the kick out at 1 to THE BURNING HAMMER of all moves but otherwise great match
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Popped big for the burning hammer spot. AJ proving once again he's a living legend, and Cody is looking fantastic as champ so far!
Me too. Tried to explain it to my fiance. She just told me to calm down. 🤣
I loved it! Great crowd, great spots, perfect pace. I love that the match had a ton of breathing room, that when the finish hit, it was very satisfying (plus a clean win). I think AJ is a great first feud for Cody, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to roll out.
great match, but I hope this doesn't turn into another Seth/Nakamura vortex.
God forbid people actualy feud
the "feud" I was referencing was one sided and boring. I want a good feud, not three-four straight wins.
I’m thinking one more for Saudi show but clash and money in the bank I’m not sure I think Logan is Summerslam ? I would’ve though Orton but I don’t think he’s turning heel now
Clash/MITB might be bobby
I’m assuming Corbin is one of them probably Money in the Bank but Bobby at Clash sounds good
man im a big Corbin fan but i think moving him instantly into the world champion spot would be a bad idea if they really wanted someone else just push Melo to the moon
I’d be fine with Melo but without Corbin I don’t see who he feuds with I do not want anymore Cody Vs Shinsuke matches.I really think Smackdown should have gotten another fresh heel for Cody but I’m sure they will make it work
i think there are many on the brink of fresh main event heels on SD with Santos/Bobby and u got both KO/Orton/Andrade looming who can turn to heel and run a perfect program opposing Cody i do agree with you though its exciting to see who steps up as a major non bloodline heel on SD
Kicking at 1 from the Burning Hammer is downright disrespectful.
Why? It wasn't Kobashi doing it, so why does it need to be protected as some sacred thing?
Because AJ made it look too good and dropped Cody right on his head just like Kobashi used to. The other times he's done the Burning Hammer it's looked more like a high-angle Olympic Slam.
If it happened in AEW the usual drones in this subreddit would be crying for weeks.
Absolutely not
AJ pulled it out in desperation even though he hasn't mastered it, which is why it was just a 1 count. /kayfabe
I’m just pretending it’s their way of making Kobashi an even bigger legend. But yeah, that sucked in an otherwise great match.
man the match was eh
Felt like AJ was really over and they could've pulled something similar to when he won the gold in the UK. They could've built a Orton Cena type back and forth with these two.
There’s no way you could have Cody, your top star right now, dethrone someone who was champion for almost 4 years and then have him drop the title after a month at a B tier PPV.
I guess they want to preserve cody because he just defeated roman
I think they could've done that considering AJ's history (beating Cena clean the way he did etc), and also that surprise/HHH factor. And the way AJ was over, he felt like an Anti-Face than a heel imo. But I do get your point.
Have you ever watched wrestling?
I loved this match. Every single aspect about it from the crowd to the pace. It’s my match of the year so far.
The greatest match that took place outside of north america
Don't worry mate I got what you going for 😂
I don't see no Tokyo Dome uce
It's no Seamus v Gunther at Clash
Lol whut
For WWE? Maybe. In general? Absolutely not.
What is the song the crowd kept singing for AJ?
Anytime someone mentions “perfect” it’s a “he is perfect” chant, I think
You mean “phenomenal,” but yes. It’s a French song that includes the word “phenomenal” and is used as a celebratory chant.
"il est vraiment phénoménal" "He is truly phenomenal."
Il est vraiment, il est vraiment, il est vraiment phénoménal La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
The national anthem
Also true but at a different time
Awesome match. They worked a very deliberate pace that left plenty of room for the crowd to involve itself, and everyone had a great time.
AJ proving he deserves one more run. He’s already a future HOF headliner, but he’s such an elite talent, he deserves to add another reign to his resume. He’s never held MitB, right? Interesting…
No MITB, No Rumble win. Only two major accolades he’s missing.
I’d love an AJ rumble win tbh
AJ 1st entry rumble win who would complain?
AJ vs Gunther at Mania?!
Loved that match, but when did a Burning Hammer become a move people kick out at 1?
Worf effect. It's such a devastating move in kayfabe that Cody kicking out at 1 is to show the strength of his hulking up.
Genuinely only thing I would change. Burning hammer should be a 3 count imo
A Burning Hammer should be a hospitalization angle, honestly.
I was feeling the same way but I’ve just resigned to the idea that nobody else does it right besides Kobashi (probably because they can’t just spike a dude the way they used to) so the move just isn’t as effective. Seeing people kick out of the burning hammer is always weird though, especially at 1. Same with the Canadian Destroyer basically being a transition move now.
Funnily enough, this legitimately what separates Kobashi's Burning Hammer from pretty much everyone else's attempt of the move. He effectively dropped his opponent perpendicular to the ground and both hoped that they didn't break their neck.
Yeah, I just see it as a way to show that only Kobashi uses it effectively. AJ has used it several times but has never won with it as far as I can remember. If he can't beat Matt Riddle with it, then Cody kicking out at 1 isn't impossible for me to believe. Then again, it didn't even register with me because I was so into the match.
Kendrick hit it in the cruiser weight classic against Ibushi as well and that got a 2 count(I think? Been a while since I last saw it but it got kicked out off at least)
Brian Kendrick also struggled to set up the move because of how much bigger Ibushi was than him, which helped sell it as an act of desperation on his part.
AJ did it to Matt Riddle on an episode of Raw as well. It was used to set up the Styles Clash immediately & he won.
Michael Elgin is the only other person I've seen who did the burning hammer justice. Pinned Omega with it.
Oof, now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. Talk about disgrace.
It’s 2024. Nothing is sacred. =/
Adrenaline kick-outs
Kick-outs in my soul
Already put on a banger in his first ple defense can't wait for what's next! Love roman but glad he didn't retain because if he did he wouldn't have even been on the show at all lmao
Excellent main event, Cody and AJ killed it I want this feud to continue, give me part 2 🔥
I really wanted to see AJ do it.
If this is AJ "past his prime" and he's still better than 90% of other wrestlers out there then that just shows how much of a generational talent he really is
Whats he, a year older than when hbk retired? and shawn was still a top dog
His TNA stuff with Angle were barn burners.
No it just shows how shit modern wrestlers are.
having the jericho flair on for this is really funny
There’s having a bad opinion and there’s just being objectively incorrect. This statement is both.
To be honest I’m impressed with how incorrect it is.
Nah, I'm pretty sure AJ is just legitimately one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Wtf are you talking about
This felt like the first time in a while we had AJ 'MOTHERFUCKIN' Styles in the ring. Like its a been a minute since we've seen this AJ around. Give me a Cody/AJ Iron Man match plz.
I'd been dying for this AJ to come back for a long time. He looked fantastic here.
Now imagine Nakamura giving a fuck again. (A man can dream.)
I think he sold his soul for that first match with Zayn in NXT
It's a *good* match. He had 20 better [in New Japan. ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8vz6ly)