WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Star Ratings For All 10 Matches
3. Daniel Bryan Vs. AJ Styles - WWE Title Match
An excellently-worked, slow-burning match doused before it could truly ignite, this WWE Title match suffered as a result of factors beyond - and sadly within - the control of its performers.
"Excellently-worked" is likely author bias. It would have been excellently-worked, had it taken place in a more intimate setting, viewed by attentive fans willing and able to take in the nuance of the understated action. Aspects of Daniel Bryan's performance here bordered on but did not advance fully into genius territory; sensing the hardway blood stained on AJ's nose, he stuck two eager fingers into both nostrils to make his already stellar submission work that bit more vicious, that bit more realistic. That Bryan could improvise so perfectly brings into focus just how physical this was. The strikes were wincing in their stiffness, but were more suited to the Hammerstein Ballroom than Chase Field. Bryan and AJ, working limbs like true masters, conveyed a sense of genuine animosity - but were too focused on one another, and not the crowd - to the detriment of the heat.
This was much, much too detailed and intricate for the stadium setting, especially since it followed the popular result that was Becky Lynch winning the Women's Royal Rumble. Stadium rocks acts get to the open-air arena by playing the hits.
Bryan prides himself on "deep thinking" - but he probably over-thought a match that needed to be broader to get over.
Star Rating: ***3/4