A dozen years since MitB 2011

[Ganon83]

Really just an incredible night. Even before the Cena-Punk match which was one of the best matches in company history up to that point, you also had Bryan win MitB and Christian walk away as world champion.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Still the most infuriating night of my wrestling life. All that Cena hate for me was torture being one of his few adult male fans at the time.

It doesn’t make me as mad today because I can take a little bit of satisfaction in how beloved John is by the crowds now with his legend status. Now instead of the “kid-friendly cheesy superhero” getting the split reactions and heat, it’s Punk the “counter culture renegade who’s for the *real adult wrestling fans” getting 50-50’d and sometimes straight up booed. 😛

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

We were just having the chat about Mark Henry's big run in 2011 and to me, this is where it got rolling, him just giving Big Show the business and putting him on a... Well, they had to use a flatbed cart as a makeshift stretcher, so he was put on some kind of stretcher technically.

[4real]

One of the best PPV’s I’ve seen and the build up for CM Punk v Cena was the most excited I’d been for wrestling since the attitude era. It felt like that for one night and one match. The two ladder matches, Christian v Orton & the Mark Henry build were also fantastic.

I still have my Punk shirt from that period. It’s a bit worse for wear now mind!

[chronocross]

I know Punk was upset that he never got main event Wrestlemania but this felt like a Wrestlemania event to me.

I remember having to work late and didnt get home till midnight so I managed to watch the whole PPV and it was 10/10 for me.

[salz4life]

I still remember having a chance to go to this show live and I just decided against it at the last minute. Yeah... not my finest decision.

[Andee9001]

12 years later and John Cena's reaction at this years MITB was god like.

Meanwhile Punk has been getting some mixed reactions.

[Fake Jesus]

Still the best WWE PPV of the modern era. 2012 might have been mostly f***ing abysmal, but a lot of 2011 and 2013 was ambitious TV for WWE with big angles, new stars, and a willingness to present the show as more than just a series of segments. The booking was still atrocious, but it was frenetic and it still felt like the fans could force a wrestler up the card. Then the Reigns push started and the show stopped even being shit in an engaging way

[PTBartman]

Jul 18, 2023 12:52:32 GMT -5 4real said:

One of the best PPV’s I’ve seen and the build up for CM Punk v Cena was the most excited I’d been for wrestling since the attitude era. It felt like that for one night and one match. The two ladder matches, Christian v Orton & the Mark Henry build were also fantastic.

I still have my Punk shirt from that period. It’s a bit worse for wear now mind!

So's he.

[Mozenrath]

Wild to think that Dave Meltzer gave only one match 5 or more stars between 2007 and 2012, and it's this match. Not undeserved, though, and I say that as someone who simply does not like Punk.

(If anyone's curious, this is Cena's only 5 star match and one of only 2 for Punk, the other being in ROH vs Samoa Joe.)

[King Devitt]

This was an interesting time as a fan who didn't like either guy.

But it didn't change the fact that it was a crazy electric crowd, and a damn good match.

[tirtefaa]

Jul 18, 2023 13:23:16 GMT -5 chronocross said:

I know Punk was upset that he never got main event Wrestlemania but this felt like a Wrestlemania event to me.

It absolutely is. I think needing to pay off big moments exclusively at WrestleMania only undermine every other PPV moment. I'll take unpredictable layouts as opposed to trying to wait for Mania. Few people can really say they are the poster child for an event, but CM Punk is the poster child for the MITB PPV.

Jul 18, 2023 17:10:20 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Wild to think that Dave Meltzer gave only one match 5 or more stars between 2007 and 2012, and it's this match.

Meltzer's ratings are all sorts of stupid. 5 stars should have always been the standard, but for some reason he's gone above that multiple times, even though if you ask 95% of any wrestling audience, they wouldn't be able to tell you a single one of those matches. Also seems rather silly that he spends years railing on certain guys for certain styles, but still puts them in his HOF. If work rate is his thing, then let that be the catalyst for your HOF.

[Mozenrath]

Jul 18, 2023 20:54:41 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Jul 18, 2023 13:23:16 GMT -5 chronocross said:

I know Punk was upset that he never got main event Wrestlemania but this felt like a Wrestlemania event to me.

It absolutely is. I think needing to pay off big moments exclusively at WrestleMania only undermine every other PPV moment. I'll take unpredictable layouts as opposed to trying to wait for Mania. Few people can really say they are the poster child for an event, but CM Punk is the poster child for the MITB PPV.

Jul 18, 2023 17:10:20 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Wild to think that Dave Meltzer gave only one match 5 or more stars between 2007 and 2012, and it's this match.

Meltzer's ratings are all sorts of stupid. 5 stars should have always been the standard, but for some reason he's gone above that multiple times, even though if you ask 95% of any wrestling audience, they wouldn't be able to tell you a single one of those matches. Also seems rather silly that he spends years railing on certain guys for certain styles, but still puts them in his HOF. If work rate is his thing, then let that be the catalyst for your HOF.

The hall of fame is subscribers' votes, I believe, and at least with the over five star matches, he's said before to basically just consider them the same as a five, it's just for emphasis. I wanna say he gave Flair vs Steamboat the first over 5, so it's not meant to be taken that seriously.

I do definitely disagree with some of his picks, but it's his rating system, his call. He does at least admit that it's limited to what he's seen, so that at house shows, guys like Flair, etc, probably have what would otherwise be dozens of 5 star matches.

[ayumidah]

wow, the first PPV I ordered by myself after my dad passed. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Fantastic PPV. I should probably rewatch it soon.

[tirtefaa]

Jul 18, 2023 21:57:32 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

The hall of fame is subscribers' votes, I believe, and at least with the over five star matches, he's said before to basically just consider them the same as a five, it's just for emphasis. I wanna say he gave Flair vs Steamboat the first over 5, so it's not meant to be taken that seriously.

I do definitely disagree with some of his picks, but it's his rating system, his call. He does at least admit that it's limited to what he's seen, so that at house shows, guys like Flair, etc, probably have what would otherwise be dozens of 5 star matches.

I know the subscribers vote, but it seems silly that the base that he plays to are the same that vote in people who he decried for years. And his reason for not putting Sting in was absolutely absurd. Did that ever happen?

And honestly...it still seems rather silly to rate things higher than a 5. If you want to add recognition to a match, there's better ways to do so. To the layman, they're going to see a 6 star match and think it's better than a 5 star match. And now he's doing half and quarter stars for 5+ star matches. That's absurd. It's the reason I can't take his ratings seriously.

[GOTHIC CHARISMA TYSON FURY]

Brought me back into wanting to watch the show actually. Felt like it was going to lead to an entirely new era and even though it didn’t do that, it is absolutely a 10/10 ppv.

[tirtefaa]

Jul 19, 2023 3:23:40 GMT -5 GOTHIC CHARISMA TYSON FURY said:

Brought me back into wanting to watch the show actually. Felt like it was going to lead to an entirely new era and even though it didn’t do that, it is absolutely a 10/10 ppv.

Absolutely. It's a perfect example of good storytelling leading to great matches, which is what they should always strive for.

[Instant Classic]

One of my favorite ppvs that and Summerslam 2013.

[kevin]

Jul 17, 2023 6:18:07 GMT -5 Ganon83 said:

Really just an incredible night. Even before the Cena-Punk match which was one of the best matches in company history up to that point, you also had Bryan win MitB and Christian walk away as world champion.

Plus the big deal fairly quick Alberto Del Rio won the other MITB. What really gets me in that match was how big the pop for a returning Miz almost getting the briefcase was. Maybe it was to obvious that ADR was going to win that match.

[Ganon83]

Jul 18, 2023 21:57:32 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Jul 18, 2023 20:54:41 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

It absolutely is. I think needing to pay off big moments exclusively at WrestleMania only undermine every other PPV moment. I'll take unpredictable layouts as opposed to trying to wait for Mania. Few people can really say they are the poster child for an event, but CM Punk is the poster child for the MITB PPV.

Meltzer's ratings are all sorts of stupid. 5 stars should have always been the standard, but for some reason he's gone above that multiple times, even though if you ask 95% of any wrestling audience, they wouldn't be able to tell you a single one of those matches. Also seems rather silly that he spends years railing on certain guys for certain styles, but still puts them in his HOF. If work rate is his thing, then let that be the catalyst for your HOF.

The hall of fame is subscribers' votes, I believe, and at least with the over five star matches, he's said before to basically just consider them the same as a five, it's just for emphasis. I wanna say he gave Flair vs Steamboat the first over 5, so it's not meant to be taken that seriously.

I do definitely disagree with some of his picks, but it's his rating system, his call. He does at least admit that it's limited to what he's seen, so that at house shows, guys like Flair, etc, probably have what would otherwise be dozens of 5 star matches.

Dave has also said that he generally agrees your opinion if you’re within a star of him on a match. Sometimes he can be weird with the whole what’s the difference between 5 stars versus 4 and 3 quarters, but if you think back to those DX vs Undertaker matches at Wrestlemania right around this time, I remember he got a lot of crap for not rating any of them 5 stars and I think his ratings on those have aged well. Is there really that many people today arguing that first Taker-Michaels WM match was 5 stars? Back then it was the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time, but now people point to others in the years since or lean back into Bret vs Owen or Bret vs Austin.

Subscribers decide the yearly awards. Dave decides HOF nominees and mails ballots out to historians, reporters, industry people, active wrestlers, retired wrestlers, etc.