[2014-05-22-WWE-Dublin, IRE] Cesaro vs Sheamus

Full disclosure, I must be the biggest Cesaro fan on the planet - and I'm quite close in terms of Sheamus so you'd think this pairing would excite me but it's never really produced the classics I'd have hoped. Some of that is booking and time constraints (Payback 2014) but a lot seemed to be that they didn't much click. Which is fine, as they make a great tag team. But this match...oh, boy, this match!

This was smart pro-wrestling. I don't wish to sound reaching, but if this had happened on a recorded show, it might be right up there with some of the best TV stuff of the year. In a world where dreams are answered, this would be a 12 minute bomb-throwing sprint. However, we're left with a lengthy shine, enhanced by some terrific Cesaro stalling, that leads into a great Cesaro beatdown and grand finishing stretch. Why would I complain? If there's any reason as to why these two are the cream of WWE's crop, it's in how they layered this match, ensuring a simple powerslam nearfall erupted the crowd into a frenzy. You even hear an older women scream out "oh my god" at one point and it's just fantastic. I know it's one of Sheamus' signature moves, but it's still a powerslam. A lot of guys hit impressive high spots to crickets.

What also works in their favour is that their signature spots have a logical progression into each other. The Brogue Kick/German suplex and Neutraliser/White Noise are so fluidly countered to and from. Of course that's what would play into their finish, then. Props to Sheamus on taking the first German suplex to the back of his skull. It added enough difference to how he played it off, when they did a recall in the finishing spot, that you could buy the fact he had learnt his lesson and rolled through with the power in order to make the running comeback. Like I said, smart pro-wrestling. I wish the camera was closer in, so we could see and, most importantly, hear the nasty strikes and uppercuts that littered this match, but finally seeing the uncut version of this more than makes up for it.