10 Times WWE C-Shows Were AMAZING

9. Daniel Bryan Vs. Tyson Kidd - Saturday Morning Slam, September 25, 2012

Daniel Bryan William Regal Superstars 2011
WWE

Many WWE fans rolled their eyes in reaction to the announcement of Saturday Morning Slam, when really, it wasn't too dissimilar to the main roster product from which it spun off: designed with a young audience in mind, and requiring safe in-ring action accordingly, WWE compensated for that with broad comedic overtones.

The key difference is that Saturday Morning Slam, an ultra-regulated show that relied on the expertise of its performers to meet network guidelines, was genuinely amusing.

Daniel Bryan, the Yes! man, was in his No! phase when pitted against Tyson Kidd on the show. He mirrored his refusal to engage with the crowd by refusing to engage in competition with Kidd here; hilariously circumventing the flagship playbook, Bryan, annoyed by Kidd's ability to out-wrestle and humiliate him, took a powder. Kidd had just bopped him on the end. He didn't appreciate that, so, having been frightened back into the ring by Kane, he contorted himself into a position from which he couldn't take any further damage. Rolled up in a ball, Kidd could not pin Bryan - and you could not help but laugh at this preposterous yet effective spot of gamesmanship.

This followed an equally dumb but funny spot in which, having taken Kidd for a spin, the equally dizzy Bryan missed a corner dropkick by three feet or so.

Saturday Morning Slam was a treasure. A treasure.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!