Did Punk and Jericho Steal The Show?

*Excerpts from DieHard Pro Wrestling Blog*

CM Punk retained his WWE World Title by defeating Chris Jericho.

"I felt this was the match to steal the show. And in my opinion, it did...but barely."

"I don't think the WWE Universe understood what they were watching... Jericho and Punk took us to an early time in their career... What we saw was a Japanese exhibition and a technical clinic where these opponents stretched each other in ways the human body isn't meant to bend."

"...let me go on the record in saying that I think the build up was piss poor. Social media killed this match in late 2011..."

"I started to wonder if Jericho's time away had hurt his value. Was his return strong enough to make an impact? Strong enough to change the game? Strong enough to shake the world? The only thing that shook the world was the weight of the ball WWE creative dropped."

"While watching the match, I was trying to understand the input both men had in the match. I sensed a strong Japanese influence..."

"They were looking for acceptance of a unique style, but those 78,000 fans were only looking for entertainment. 78,000 brainwashed fans who don't understand the science of the business, the magic of a match, and who all have accepted that wrestling is nothing more than a fake show."

"Amazingly, Punk and Jericho never let crowd reaction take over. Sure, they were disappointed but they were smart enough and good enough to switch the match around and have the fans eating out of the palm of their hands."

"I applaud Punk and Jericho for taking that chance, but rather than building up the match based on Punk's father being an alcoholic and his sister a crack head, perhaps they should have talked about their years prior to the WWE....THAT would lend credence to the term "Best In The World"."

"This is an example of WWE creative not being in tune with what the business is about, so they rather stuff some senseless sitcom type of formula down your throat. After all, what other option do you have? TNA?"

"On a side note, one thing I did notice about this match was that Punk is better suited to play a heel....Remember, you first started loving CM Punk when he was a heel and cutting down Cena, Triple H, Vince, and the company. Not now, when his only grip is with John Laurinaitis."

"Overall, neither man was the best in the world that night.... It was still a great match, but it won't be one that is remember as one of the greatest of all time."

This post is sponsored in part by Bay Club & Forest Hills Apartments