cm punk vs cena or Davey Richards vs Eddie Edwards, which is match of the year?

id thought id post this article, it's a good read with a fair comparison from the writer.

Let me start off with this. I am not a fan of Ring of Honor (ROH), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), or Total Nonstop Action (TNA). I am a fan of good, solid wrestling. I am not a blind mark that thinks anything one company does is perfect, nor am I a hater. I try to buy every pay-per-view I can from all three and catch as many shows as possible.

A few days ago I created a list called "The Best Wrestling Matches of 2011…so far". I ranked in my opinion the best matches from ROH, TNA, and WWE. You could say I was one week early.

"Money in the Bank" was by far the WWE’s best pay-per-view so far this year, maybe even better than ROH’s "Best in the World" or TNA’s "Destination X". The SmackDown Money in the Bank match will definitely find its way somewhere on the list, probably around the seven to eight range that’s for sure.

Then we have the major question between two 5-star matches. Which do I award the ranking of current Match of the Year?

In one corner you have Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards for the ROH Title at "Best in the World".

In the other you have CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship at "Money in the Bank".

Both were great matches, but which deserves to be on top of the list right now.

Richards/Edwards was probably the best face to face match I have seen in years. It had high flying moves from both guys, great blows, excellent storytelling, and an absolute roller coaster of a match that left me exhausted after watching it.

Cena/Punk was easily the WWE’s best match of the year and deserves to be in this discussion. It was Punk doing what he does best with Cena playing every bit the heel he was back in his match vs. Rob Van Dam at "One Night Stand".

It also proved the seemingly impossible by showing to the average WWE fan that Cena can actually wrestle. This match kept you on your toes as classic finishers and signature moves were countered and kicked out of for a solid 40 minutes. The ending in particular was one of the smartest, most unpredictable things I have seen the WWE do in years.

That being said, only one of these two can top the list, and here is where I reach an impasse.

Which should I choose?

To decide, I have chosen to break it down into categories and go in-depth to try an award a winner this way.

Build

Edwards/Richards was a feud that had building for months. They were former tag team champs but once one of them won the belt, you knew the other one was coming. Add to that one of the best hype videos ROH has ever done and you have some good build.

But sadly it pales in comparison to the build of Cena/Punk. Easily my most anticipated match in a long time and the sole reason I threw money down on this pay-per-view. Between Punk’s outstanding microphone work and Cena’s solid performance, this wins the category no doubt.

Winner: Cena/Punk

In-Ring Storytelling

Edwards/Richards told a great story of two guys that knew each others moves, and what the other guy was going to do next. It also told the story of one man trying to desperately climb the mountain and obtain the prize that had always eluded him, claiming that this would be his last run at the title ever. There was a part in the match where Edwards got caught in the ropes by Richards, but Richards hesitated to pull a move. Edwards then looked at him, slapped him, and yelled “Do it!!!”. I was probably one of the coolest things I have seen done in years.

Cena/Punk also told an outstanding story of two wrestlers that love what they do and love putting on a show. It was about one man being the voice of independent wrestlers around the world that have dreamed about one day getting on the big stage. There was also the tale of another man who was going out there and doing what he loved for the fans. Lastly, a tale of role reversal as Cena put on his heel face and Punk gave his town a show.

Overall however, I have to give the edge to Edwards/Richards based on how they took a match with little build up and made a classic out of it.

Winner: Edwards/Richards

Spots

While both matches had some great spots, from Punk’s "Anaconda Vice" counter to Richards looking at a dazed Edwards before landing the KO kick, I have to lean towards Edwards/Richards on this one. They just seemed to go out of their way to one-up every move, from a table Y2K bomb to a chain submission clinic.

Winner: Edwards/Richards

Ending

While the ending of the Edwards/Richards match was touching and truly an amazing, emotional moment, this one to me is easy.

Cena saying no to the screw job only to get caught by a "Go-To-Sleep", Vince sending Del Rio down to the ring to try and get the belt back only for Punk to take him out while exiting the arena before it could happen. All this made the match truly exceptional.

Winner: Cena/Punk

Enjoyment

To me this may be the hardest category so far. I honestly cannot pick a winner here as they were both just that good. Cena/Punk was so good that I gave it a 5-star rating even with the botches and the hiccups, but Edwards/Richards was easily the match that reminded me most of why I became a wrestling fan in the first place.

I can’t pick a winner here.

Winner: Push

Moves Used

While Punk/Cena showed an array of moves from both wrestlers, Edwards/Richards had the advantage of being an independent match, where they do not have to use a limited move-set.

Despite being closer than it looks on paper (thank Cena for that), I have to go Edwards/Richards on this one, simply for the sheer fact that they used more moves and went slightly longer then Cena/Punk.

Winner: Edwards/Richards

Pace

I am a guy that likes high-paced matches. I have enjoyed them ever since I was a little kid watching Extreme Championship Wrestling (on that note, what in the world was a 6-year-old kid doing watching ECW back in the mid-90’s, there’s something to be said about that).

The fast paced style is actually the reason I started watching ROH in the first place.

That being said, the roller coaster of momentum in the Punk/Cena match gives it the nod here.The match would build back-and-forth and you never knew which move was going to end it until the last count.

Winner: Cena/Punk

And so we come to the last category I can think of dead even.

Technical Wrestling

There is one thing that separated these two matches in my mind. One big difference between 1A and 1B, and that is the technical aspect of the match.

Punk/Cena was by no means flawless, but the flaws did not overshadow the match.

Edwards/Richards however, was flawless. There were no botches, no missed spots, no standing around doing nothing. For 45 minutes these two men did perfect wrestling.

Winner: Edwards/Richards

That to me is the only difference in these two matches and sadly why in the end, I have to give the ever so slight nod to Edwards/Richards.

That being said, Punk/Cena was a hell of a match on a card that was outstanding to me. In the end I have to choose one and in the match-up of two titans, one proved to be ever so slightly better.

Current Match of the Year: Eddie Edwards vs Davey Richards (ROH Best in the World)

#2: John Cena vs CM Punk (WWE Money in the Bank)

Now look, I know many of you will disagree with me and that’s fine, my opinion is by no means the Word of God. However, if you truly are a fan of both companies as I am, and not a blind mark (or hater) for either, you will see that at the end of the day I am right.

Both matches were 5-star and deserving of the Current Match of the Year Title, but at the end of the day I feel that Edwards/Richards was just a little better.

New Rankings

#1 Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards (ROH Best in the World)

#2 John Cena vs CM Punk (WWE Money In The Bank)
#3 Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin vs. Kings of Wrestling (ROH Honor Takes Center Stage)
#4 Christian vs Alberto Del Rio (WWE Extreme Rules)
#5 Austin Aries, Zema Ion, Low Ki and Jack Evans (TNA Destination X)
#6 Eddie Edwards vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH 9th Anniversary)

#7 Smackdown Money in the Bank Match (WWE Money in the Bank)
#8 HHH vs. The Undertaker (WWE Wrestlemania 27)
#9 El Generico vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH Best in the World)
#10 Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (TNA Lockdown)

source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/770781-punkcena-vs-richardsedwards-updating-the-top-ten-matches-of-the-year-rankings

Punk/Cena by a mile for me, Richards/Edwards was excellent to but had nowhere near the emotion Punk/Cena had, they had 17,000 eating out their hands and for me that makes it a no-brainer

It's not comparable.

Punk vs Cena has made wrestling "cool" again. It has made wrestling relevant again. It has people talking about wrestling again.

Though I'm sure Richards v Edwards was a spectacular match (I haven't seen it), no-one outside of wrestling discussion circles would have even heard of it.

Punk vs Cena deserves it's 5* for it's impact alone. Punk vs Cena was a pivotal event. Richards v Edwards was a match.

Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

davey richards

Kevin Kelly said what he said because he was trying to promote ROH in an interview, if he didn't say that I'd bet that guy from the bleacher wouldn't have wrote that article

the-gaffer wrote:Kevin Kelly said what he said because he was trying to promote ROH in an interview, if he didn't say that I'd bet that guy from the bleacher wouldn't have wrote that article

it was written on july 20th before kevin kelly said what he thought

fernando wrote:

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

davey richards

I don't think shot was after an answer mate, I think he was jus making a great point

Agree with Gaffer - whether intentional or not, Shot's post says it all really.

the-gaffer wrote:

fernando wrote:

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

davey richards

I don't think shot was after an answer mate, I think he was jus making a great point

well he got one anyway. it's not a great point gaffer not even close, it just shows how stubborn wwe fans are nowadays writing off companies they haven't even seen.

It's not stubborn Nando.

ROH doesn't have the worldwide platform that WWE has - only wrestling enthusiasts know about the company - therefore any match, no matter how great, can't have the same impact as what Punk vs Cena had. In terms of technical ability it may have been 5 stars, but in terms of impact it can be nowhere near the WWE match.

fernando wrote:

the-gaffer wrote:

fernando wrote:

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

davey richards

I don't think shot was after an answer mate, I think he was jus making a great point

well he got one anyway. it's not a great point gaffer not even close, it just shows how stubborn wwe fans are nowadays writing off companies they haven't even seen.

No, in the end the match had no where near the impact as the Punk/Cena match did. The Punk-Cena feud got people interested in wrestling again, in WWE, the Edwards/Richards match, while technically good just didn't have anywhere near the same impact otherwise more of us would have heard about it.

Punk vs Cena hands down for me, because of the company and setting and much greater audience. It had a lot more riding on it than the Richards vs Edwards match aswell.

If it's about Match of the Year it's about the Quality of the Wrestling not the fact that more people know WWE then ROH or what impact it had.

A story doesn't make it a great match.

fernando wrote:If it's about Match of the Year it's about the Quality of the Wrestling not the fact that more people know WWE then ROH or what impact it had.

A story doesn't make it a great match.

I think thats where you are absolutely wrong Nando.

Wrestling isn't just about the quality of wrestling. A hell of a lot more goes into it than that.

If it was just about the quality of wrestling, all the WUM's who say "why do you watch it, it's so fake, blah blah blah" would be utterly vindicated in their criticism. If it was just two people pretending to fight... I'd question why I watch it myself!

It's all about storyline.

fernando wrote:
A story doesn't make it a great match.

Thats where I disagree with you, Richards vs Edwards was fabulous, in terms of technical quality it was near perfect and was full of emotion BUT no match possibly ever had me making as hard as Punk/Cena, I totally lost myself in what I was watching which surely is what wrestling is all about

Electric Demon wrote:

fernando wrote:If it's about Match of the Year it's about the Quality of the Wrestling not the fact that more people know WWE then ROH or what impact it had.

A story doesn't make it a great match.

I think thats where you are absolutely wrong Nando.

Wrestling isn't just about the quality of wrestling. A hell of a lot more goes into it than that.
It's all about storyline.

so your telling me 1 promo makes a storyline 2-3 weeks before mitb ppv over a match that had been building for months ?

fernando wrote:If it's about Match of the Year it's about the Quality of the Wrestling not the fact that more people know WWE then ROH or what impact it had.

A story doesn't make it a great match.

I disagree.

I don't see the point of two amazing wrestlers in a match going back and forth with tremendous spots if there is no story/history/bad blood? A decent story turns a 4* match into a 5* match. It's what prevents me getting into Japanese wrestling. I just can't get into a match if there's no background to it. The quality of a match is a massive factor in match of the year, but it isn't the only reason.

Richards v Edwards was a better spectacle in terms of chain wrestling, but Punk v Cena was better with hype, story and lasting impact. Using my theory, the story and impact around Punk v Cena turned a 4* match into a 5* match.

fernando wrote:so your telling me 1 promo makes a storyline 2-3 weeks before mitb ppv over a match that had been building for months ?

No fernando, despite Richards v Edwards being built for months, Cena v Punk was a better story.

A story doesn't make it a great match? You couldn't be more wrong, unbelievably wrong infact, you could have the greatest match the world ever known but without a great story it will never appeal to the masses

In terms of build up Richards/Edwards was a fantastic classic build up but Punk and Cena had the benefit of being something that no one had ever seen before, tbh I could argue either match in either direction, both were exceptional but totally different, though I would say Punk/Cena was like nothing I had ever seen before and stirred emotions that made me feel like I was 10 again

Only 1 of those matches made the Wrestling Observer 5* list
http://starratingslist.blogspot.com/2009/09/wrestling-observer-5-star-ratings-list.html

I must say I havent seen the ROH match so can only give my opinion on Punk Cana. I got my sky back after a 3 year absence the Friday before the Money in the Bank Match. I only saw the Raw repeat on friday and Smackdown before the MITB. However, I must say that in all my years of watching Wrestling I have only once jumped up and screamed at the TV for a guy to win as much as I did that night (during the 99 Rumble street fight watching Cactus Jack taking so much punishmant but keeping on coming, willing the guy to win) and for a 30 year old guy to wake the missuis an child up at 5am totally marking out must have taken something special. I havent seen a match of that quality in a very long time and I hope its not so long before I do again!

fernando wrote:

the-gaffer wrote:

fernando wrote:

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Who won the Richards v Edwards match?

davey richards

I don't think shot was after an answer mate, I think he was jus making a great point

well he got one anyway. it's not a great point gaffer not even close, it just shows how stubborn wwe fans are nowadays writing off companies they haven't even seen.

And by the way it was a great point, he didn't know the outcome of a match people are claiming is MotY, to win that accolade it has to appeal to enough people to actually see it or at least know about it, its should never be up to a fan to have to look for a needle in a haystack, it should be up to a promotion to try and appeal to as many people as possible

fernando wrote:

Electric Demon wrote:

fernando wrote:If it's about Match of the Year it's about the Quality of the Wrestling not the fact that more people know WWE then ROH or what impact it had.

A story doesn't make it a great match.

I think thats where you are absolutely wrong Nando.

Wrestling isn't just about the quality of wrestling. A hell of a lot more goes into it than that.
It's all about storyline.

so your telling me 1 promo makes a storyline 2-3 weeks before mitb ppv over a match that had been building for months ?

Yes. Because that one promo, and the resulting 3 week build up and match gained worldwide notoriety and sent the internet crazy with searches for CM Punk, and speculation over what was real and what wasn't. I've seen posts on facebook from people I had no idea liked wrestling - about CM Punk.

The months of build up for the ROH match didn't - hence I'd never heard of it, and I frequent this board every day, and still hadn't heard of the feud, never mind a casual wrestling viewer.

Like I said, I haven't seen it, and i'm sure t was a fantastic match - but it truly is incomparable. Like apples and shuttlecocks.

I think fernando is clutching at straws a bit to be honest. He's a bit of a ROH mark so naturally will fight its corner. But to say a story doesnt make a great match is the most ridiculous thing i've read on here for a long time.

Mr H wrote:I think fernando is clutching at straws a bit to be honest. He's a bit of a ROH mark so naturally will fight its corner. But to say a story doesnt make a great match is the most ridiculous thing i've read on here for a long time.

im not a ROH mark , i enjoy all wrestling companies but to me the day storylines become more important then the wrestling you might aswell start comparing it to eastenders.

a storyline doesn't make a match though, if you have a excellent storyline and a rubbish match no-one is going to care. you need both and neither had them in my opinion.

i accept cena and punk had a great storyline and a excellent match but to me even thought the build up wasn't as good for the richards vs edwards the match was better.

Let me just clear things up here. My question was out of general curiosity and wasnt meant as a wind up nor was it to make a point (although apparently I have raised a good point - go me!!!). I openly admit to being a WWE loyalist. I dont watch other shows and cant stand TNA. But after reading the report on how they were former tag partners etc I was just intrigued to know who won the match.

You may not have meant to make a point but you inadvertadly made a good one all the same

For me, the actual wrestling will always come second after the storyline. I don't think that means it can be compared to Eastenders as it's the storylines that are almost exclusive to wrestling that I enjoy, if I'm honest I would probably rather see a gripping and exciting feud which then has a dissapointing match than an amazing match after a rubbish or no feud at all.

Obviously people watch wrestling for different reasons, but I certainly feel that to be match of the year, the match MUST have something more to it than great wrestling. Any other year, from what I've heard, the RoH match would have won but WWE struck gold with the Punk-Cena match.

Pro Wrestling isn't real so of course it needs a good storyline to get that emotional investment from the viewer, unlike a real combat sport where you can get hooked with the reality that every blow creates, i'd rather a 3 star match in a 5 star story anxday of the week above a 5 star match with a weak story

The things is, so many of you are talking about that there was no story behind Richard v Edwards when there was. These guys are the best of friends, they've been tag team partners for years and this was the moment that one could prove he was the better. The build up, and the anticipation between the two of them was brilliant and the match was full of emotion. All you have to do is watch what happens afterwards to see what it meant to the pair of them. The crowd were fantastic throughout too.

Yes, I agree that Punk v Cena has got the whole of the wrestling world back into the eyeline of those who weren't fans but the quality of the match itself wasn't exactly great. The build up prior was the best seen in years and it didn't matter what quality of standard the match was anyway.

I think both arguements on here so far are very fair but I think it just depends on your knowledge of ROH to understand what the Richards v Edwards match meant to the company.

Well it all boils down to whether you view wrestling as a sport or as an entertainment product, a drama if you will. Personally, the storytelling is the most important thing for me as, being scripted, I struggle to truly get into wrestling's technical side.

AberdeenSteve wrote:The things is, so many of you are talking about that there was no story behind Richard v Edwards when there was.

I don't think anyone is saying there was no story behind it. They are saying that the story had no wider impact, which the WWE match did.

Like I said, I haven't seen the actual match - but the fact I have no desire to seek it out and watch it tells me all I need to know about which match was better. The buzz surrounding Punk v Cena made me seek out and watch the PPV online (something I never do) - the non-existent buzz around Richards and Edwards had no effect on me (I've only heard about it AFTER it happened).

Like I said previously, ROH doesn't have the platform the WWE has, so it's extremely difficult to compare matches and their impact, as ROH would never be able to put on a match comparable to Punk vs Cena unless they had similar TV rights and viewerships. TNA could probably put on a massive match that would get people talking... if they knew what they were doing.

But on this basis, I could film a match against you in my back garden Steve, and if it became an internet sensation filled with great technical ability, it could be considered as MOTY candidate.

Just to concur with another point someone made from above - I'm not overly concerned with amazing technical ability either. I'm not interested in the real names for moves or flowing reversals. Story is far more important. Hence one of my favourites of the moment being Mark Henry.

Just to clarify, is this Kevin 'stick it in, hermie' Kelly?

Electric Demon wrote:
Like I said, I haven't seen the actual match - but the fact I have no desire to seek it out and watch it tells me all I need to know about which match was better.

While I see the point your making ED, I strongly urge you to seek it out, its the 2nd best match of the year by a wide margin

But does it not speak volumes about ROH as a company that their matches are being considered equal to a company that has a hundred times the history, a hundred times the funds, and hundred times the exposure.

Thats ROH's nichè though, thats what they try and do, thats the type of fan they attempt to appeal too