ATH Q-Final Match - thebostonbrab vs Imnotthehulk

beakerjoe

The first match up is actually Quarter Final number 2, its between the crustacean from Massachusetts, thebostoncrab, taking on the man who is anybody but big green and mean,Imnotthehulk. You know the drill so here is the question with a place in the Semi Finals at stake : (Question from C-Man)

Q:
Wrestling fans are constantly complaining about what the WWE have got wrong, especially in recent years. So to flip that around, your question is as follows :

In your opinion, what is the best storyline/fued WWE have produced in the last 3 years ?

Why was it so good? What did it do right that others didn't? You decide!!!


Good luck folks

Imnotthehulk

What was the greatest feud of the last three years?

I think this has to go to the Daniel Bryan vs The Authority feud.

A brief history of Daniel Bryan's time in the WWE before this feud began: Debuting 23 February, Bryan found himself fired in June after a segment on Raw where his actions were deemed too violent (choking an anouncer with a neck tie).
Many fans were upset on his behalf, we already knew his potential and were disgusted he was pushed aside. Bryan returned in August 2010, as a surprise team member of John Cena in his fight against the NXT stable. Many fans were delighted to see his return.
Bryan soon won the US title, and then by the end of 2011 Bryan was the Smackdown's World Heavyweight Champion. Bryan was a very good heel champion, who's reign came to an end in a 13 second match against Seamus at wrestlemania 28. Again fans were outraged on his behalf.

Cut to 2013 and Daniel Bryan finds himself facing John Cena for the WWE title wiht Triple H as the special ref... Bryan wins! But quickly loses it to Randy Orton after Randy cashes in his Money in The Bank briefcase. This was where the Daniel Bryan vs The Authority feud began.
This feud would continued off and on until finally Bryan stood in the middle of the ring at Wrestlemania 30 after defeating both Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to win the WWE title. This was a WRESTLEMANIA MOMENT!

Fans bought into this feud. We bought into this feud completely. We loved Daniel Bryan and fully supported him. We saw this guy, and for the first time since Steve Austin feuded with Vince McMahon we had a guy we could identify with. Daniel Bryan wasn't a six foot + beefcake bodybuilder. He was a 5 foot 8 goofy nerd, with a scraggly beard and long hair. He was the antithesis of what a WWE superstar should be. We knew his history, we had watched him get screwed by WWE and it's creative team several times over the years, but he kept coming back, putting himself in the limelight. So popular was he that his YES chant bled into the mainstream, shouted at sporting events all over.

Us fans took everything that happened onscreen (and suspected offscreen) to heart. We were disgusted when Bryan was screwed. Especially when we thought it was an offscreen decision, such as leaving Bryan out of the 2014 Rumble match, causing it and eventual winner Batista (trying to make a triumphant return to the WWE after 3 years). Even Rey Mysterio was roundly booed. Batista was quickly turned heel and the road for Daniel Bryan's Wrestlemania match was truly set in motion.

We fully believed that those backstage in WWE didn't want him to feature at Wrestlemania. Fact and fiction, work and shoot, truly melded. WWE Creative had the dropped the ball, and it was the fan's reactions that forced their hands, forced them to not only put Daniel Bryan into the main event of Wrestlemania 30 (following his match against Triple H at the event).


I leave you with this video, the first Raw after Wrestlemania (which has me smiling from ear to ear!)

thebostoncrab

For me the power of a great feud is not just how much enjoyment I get out of the matches and story, but also how everyone involved comes out afterwards. A good feud will set up everyone for greater things and carry seamlessly into another story. Just look at the HBK vs Ric Flair feud which began the perfect pathway into the feud with Jericho and ultimately the feud with Undertaker.

Unfortunately WWE hasn't exactly been great at giving us these feuds lately. Sure, we have gotten great matches out of these feuds, but everything outside of the matches can often feel fake or make us tune out.

So it's no surprise that the best feud of the past 3 years in WWE has its roots outside of the WWE.








Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens.

The best feuds are the ones that are simple. "I don't like you, you don't like me; let's fight". These always get results because they allow you to put yourself in the shoes of the face or heel and grow with them. The Zayn vs Owens feud works with this, and builds upon it into something just brilliant.

Let's go back to the foundation of what has happen. Sami Zayn signs to the WWE before his indie tag-partner and best friend Kevin Owens signs. This urks Owens because deep down he feels he was always the better wrestler and carried Sami to greatness. This festered up within Kevin so much that when he eventually signed, he couldn't hold back. What made it worse for him was now Zayn was holding the NXT Title and was being called the face of NXT. So what happened the moment Zayn won the belt?

Owens took him out. And he took him out bad. In one night Owens was elevated to the top of the card in NXT and became the number one heel on the roster. This set up the title fight between the two which was one of the best matches NXT has ever seen; and it's essentially a one man beat down for the entire match. Owens destroys Sami Zayn, and beats him so badly he is written off as too badly injured to continue the match and needs to take time off. Owens straight away has become the guy to beat on the roster, and fans hate his guts for what he has done to their underdog hero, the man they have wanted to see win the belt for years at this stage.

Cue the main roster. Now with Zayn injured, Owens makes his way to the main roster and begins to dominate everyone in his path, including being in another excellent feud with John Cena over the US title (Which I also considered as my choice). Fast forward to the Royal Rumble and Sami makes his surprise return and goes straight for Kevin Owens. The feud lives on! Fans have been waiting for months to see Sami get his revenge on Kevin Owens, and he just went and cost him the WWE Title!

The feud continues on and includes two outstanding 1 on 1 matches, including the excellent match from this weekend which arguably stole the show from the Shield triple threat (And who thought we would be saying that?).

This feud worked so well because it was so personal and both men were not afraid to give it their all. They have a natural chemistry so that everything they did together just clicked. Owens became one of the biggest heels in the company in less than a year, while Sami became the under-dog that fans wanted to see succeed. We got outstanding matches out of the feud and it has left both men in great positions on the roster and able to grow more and more towards the main event.

Now, is this better than the Daniel Bryan vs the Authority feud?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The authority feud was a fluke. There, I said it. It was clear from day one that the WWE had no interest in making Daniel Bryan the guy. Batista vs Orton and CM Punk vs HHH were out big matches. The fans may have wanted to see Bryan but he only got the HHH match because of Punk walking out of the company, and he only got the 'Mania main event because they knew fans were going to **** all over Orton vs Batista and they did not want another repeat of Lesnar vs Goldberg all over again.

And what happened afterwards? The feud didn't end at Wrestlemania, let's not forget that. He went on to feud with Kane. Woo hoo! And even then, this made it even clearer than Bryan was not the focus of the company. Your main guy was been made look like a chump thanks to this feud, and a year later he was in the IC title picture instead of at the top of the card where he belonged.

Yes, the feud gave us that feel good moment of Wrestlemania, but you cannot judge a feud on one moment. There was a lot wrong with the feud, and the good moments were done reluctantly by Vince and co. And it did nothing to carry Bryan on his wave of momentum.

Rollins vs Reigns was a better feud.

Rollins vs Ambrose was a better feud.

Owens vs Cena was a better feud.

Sasha Banks vs. Bailey was a better feud.

Owens vs Zayn was the number one feud.

Imnotthehulk

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The authority feud was a fluke. There, I said it.

It was clear from day one that the WWE had no interest in making Daniel Bryan the guy. Batista vs Orton and CM Punk vs HHH were out big matches. The fans may have wanted to see Bryan but he only got the HHH match because of Punk walking out of the company, and he only got the 'Mania main event because they knew fans were going to **** all over Orton vs Batista and they did not want another repeat of Lesnar vs Goldberg all over again.

The feud was a fluke ... you said it ... but what does it matter?! WWE stumbled into this Daniel Bryan / Authority feud. Reluctantly stumbled into it. WWE accidentily caught lightening in a bottle and when they tried to spill it out, they accidentily caught some more. We still ended up with the greatest feud in recent years. It was partly because of these back stage shenigans that made the feud so memorable and cathartic for the fans. We, the fans, had ownership of this feud, when Bryan won, we won!

And what happened afterwards? The feud didn't end at Wrestlemania, let's not forget that. He went on to feud with Kane. Woo hoo! And even then, this made it even clearer than Bryan was not the focus of the company. Your main guy was been made look like a chump thanks to this feud, and a year later he was in the IC title picture instead of at the top of the card where he belonged.

I'm glad you agree he belonged at the top of the card. But you're Kane dig is a red herring. Putting Bryan into a feud with Kane made/makes sense, the two were partners in a much loved tag team. It certainly didn't make Bryan look like a chump. That's a ridiculous statement. Kane is/was considered a steady main event hand. Which is why Seth Rollins also spent a good amount of his championship reign feuding with Kane.

Why was Daniel Bryan not in the main title picture when he returned from injury? Because his health was still being monitored, and the fear that the injury that had kept Bryan on the sideline may be recurring.

According to PWInsider.com, Daniel Bryan participating in the IC Title Ladder Match at WrestleMania instead of the main event is not so much because WWE does not view Bryan as a top player in the company, but rather top WWE officials are still concerned with Bryan’s health.
(http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/565723-daniel-bryan-wrestlemania-update)

Less than a month later Daniel Bryan had wrestled his last match.

For me the power of a great feud is not just how much enjoyment I get out of the matches and story, but also how everyone involved comes out afterwards. A good feud will set up everyone for greater things and carry seamlessly into another story. Just look at the HBK vs Ric Flair feud which began the perfect pathway into the feud with Jericho and ultimately the feud with Undertaker.

Another red herring of a statement.
Where are Zayn and Owens now that their feud has finished for the moment? The only answer we can have is that they're both in limbo. Their last match against each other was Sunday night. Monday night, but men wrestled and lost in fatal four ways to determine the two men who would fight to decide who would face Seth Rollins to decide Raw's new champion. So what we know is that Zayn and Owens aren't in the World Title picture. Maybe one of them will face Rusev for the US title. Who knows?

Bryan, before his injury, main evented a ppv, defending his title at Extreme Rules in an entertaining main event (Given an A rating on Bleacher Report http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2050643-wwe-extreme-rules-2014-results-winners-grades-reaction-and-highlights/page/9 ). Getting huge pops whenever he made any sort of appearance.

The best feuds are the ones that are simple. "I don't like you, you don't like me; let's fight". These always get results because they allow you to put yourself in the shoes of the face or heel and grow with them.

Wrong. Every other feud in wrestling boils down to "I don't like you, you don't like me; let's fight". That doesn't make them interesting or worthy. It's just the natural basis for a feud.

The Zayn vs Owens feud works with this, and builds upon it into something just brilliant.
........
This feud worked so well because it was so personal and both men were not afraid to give it their all. They have a natural chemistry so that everything they did together just clicked. Owens became one of the biggest heels in the company in less than a year, while Sami became the under-dog that fans wanted to see succeed. We got outstanding matches out of the feud and it has left both men in great positions on the roster and able to grow more and more towards the main event.

Just to note that it was Kevin Owen's feud with John Cena that elevated him to a top heel. And as i said, both men are now in a state of limbo, we don't know how they're gonna be used by WWE.


However, I'm not going to argue that Zayns/Owens isn't a good feud. It's a good one. A great one even, with some great matches.

But is it on a par with Bryan v The Authority? No.

Why? Because of the one thing you don't cover. The only true measuring stick. How much fans invest emotionally in the feud. It is this x-factor that really sets the best feuds apart from the merely great ones. It's why Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant is the defining moment of the Hulkamania era of WWF, why we freaked for Austin giving Vince the Stunner in 97, and it's why we screamed Yes for Daniel Bryan winning the World Title at Wrestlemania 30.

There is no argument to be made that fans were more emotionally involved in Owens vs Zayn then Bryan vs The Authority, to make such an argument would be wrong and untrue.

It's this reason that Daniel Bryan vs The Authority is the best feud of the last three years, possibly the greatest feud since Austin/McMahon.

thebostoncrab

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

The feud was a fluke ... you said it ... but what does it matter?! WWE stumbled into this Daniel Bryan / Authority feud. Reluctantly stumbled into it. WWE accidentily caught lightening in a bottle and when they tried to spill it out, they accidentily caught some more. We still ended up with the greatest feud in recent years. It was partly because of these back stage shenigans that made the feud so memorable and cathartic for the fans. We, the fans, had ownership of this feud, when Bryan won, we won!

Don't get me wrong, Wrestlemania was a great moment for the fans. I've been following Bryans career since the early 00s and I am unashamed to admit that I had a tear in my eye.

However, a great moment does not equal a great feud. As you admit, the feud was a fluke, and during the entire feud Bryan was being pushed away from the whole thing until the WWE's hands were tied. And even then, while fans were happy to see Bryan get his chance, there was a constant air of "Yeah but it's clear they don't want Bryan to be the guy, so how will they mess this up?" which made it hard to relax and enjoy the whole feud. Plus, Bryan was the only person who got anything from the feud. The whole booking cost us Batista who was on a great run as a heel, it made Orton appear bland and a company man, and the company still had its reputatiuon for bias against certain guys like Bryan. That is not a successful feud.

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

I'm glad you agree he belonged at the top of the card. But you're Kane dig is a red herring. Putting Bryan into a feud with Kane made/makes sense, the two were partners in a much loved tag team. It certainly didn't make Bryan look like a chump. That's a ridiculous statement. Kane is/was considered a steady main event hand. Which is why Seth Rollins also spent a good amount of his championship reign feuding with Kane.

Come on now. I think Kane gets a bad rep at times, but you can't tell me that Kane is the best person to keep that wave of momentum going for Bryans win? Kane is not seen as a big time player, and having Bryan go against Batista or Orton in singles matches would have been a much better place for the feud to go to. We all joke about how the feuds with Kane meant that the company didn't know what to do with someone, or that they weren't the main event player. It may be a joke, but it's not without reason.

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

Why was Daniel Bryan not in the main title picture when he returned from injury? Because his health was still being monitored, and the fear that the injury that had kept Bryan on the sideline may be recurring.

According to PWInsider.com, Daniel Bryan participating in the IC Title Ladder Match at WrestleMania instead of the main event is not so much because WWE does not view Bryan as a top player in the company, but rather top WWE officials are still concerned with Bryan’s health.
(http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/565723-daniel-bryan-wrestlemania-update)

Less than a month later Daniel Bryan had wrestled his last match.

There were also reports that Bryan wasn't in the main event because they wanted the IC Title to feel important, but this is all hear say. We will never know why Bryan was not placed in the main event, but let's not forget he was fed to Reigns and was never seen as actually going into the main event. The feud with the authority went nowhere for him. Sure, the injury happened soon after, but from how the feud was written after Wrestlemania (And thanks to how it was built up) it was easy to see how they would have built Bryan up. They wouldn't have. B+ Player was a catchphrase and Vince's real view of the man.

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

Another red herring of a statement.
Where are Zayn and Owens now that their feud has finished for the moment? The only answer we can have is that they're both in limbo. Their last match against each other was Sunday night. Monday night, but men wrestled and lost in fatal four ways to determine the two men who would fight to decide who would face Seth Rollins to decide Raw's new champion. So what we know is that Zayn and Owens aren't in the World Title picture. Maybe one of them will face Rusev for the US title. Who knows?

Your right, the feud is over so we don't know where exactly they will end up. But the feud was built so strongly and for so long, with both men looking great afterwards, they won't be dropping down the card any time soon. Plus they both gave great showings on Raw and it's safe to say the company is behind both men.

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

Bryan, before his injury, main evented a ppv, defending his title at Extreme Rules in an entertaining main event (Given an A rating on Bleacher Report http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2050643-wwe-extreme-rules-2014-results-winners-grades-reaction-and-highlights/page/9 ). Getting huge pops whenever he made any sort of appearance.

Bleacher Report reviews can be submitted by anyone, so I wouldn't use a review from them to source the quality of a show or match.

Imnotthehulk wrote: »

Just to note that it was Kevin Owen's feud with John Cena that elevated him to a top heel. And as i said, both men are now in a state of limbo, we don't know how they're gonna be used by WWE.


However, I'm not going to argue that Zayns/Owens isn't a good feud. It's a good one. A great one even, with some great matches.

But is it on a par with Bryan v The Authority? No.

Why? Because of the one thing you don't cover. The only true measuring stick. How much fans invest emotionally in the feud. It is this x-factor that really sets the best feuds apart from the merely great ones. It's why Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant is the defining moment of the Hulkamania era of WWF, why we freaked for Austin giving Vince the Stunner in 97, and it's why we screamed Yes for Daniel Bryan winning the World Title at Wrestlemania 30.

Again, no one will take away how great that moment was. If this was a debate on the best moment of the past 3 years, I would have thrown in the towel straight away because you called it.

But this is not about the moment. This is about the feud. The feud was a fluke, it was something that the company was never fully behind and it was shown in the booking. We got our night, but everything before hand and everything afterwards fell very short of what could have been. Austin vs Vince this was not.

Imnotthehulk

thebostoncrab wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, Wrestlemania was a great moment for the fans. I've been following Bryans career since the early 00s and I am unashamed to admit that I had a tear in my eye.

However, a great moment does not equal a great feud.

A tear to your eye. Why did it bring a tear to your eye? I would suggest that even without you fully realising it, you had bought into the Daniel Bryan v The Authority feud. I dare say you didn't shed too many tears when Sami beat Kev last Sunday.

But I also realise that I was I a bit remiss in my previous reply. Yes Wrestlemania was a great moment, one of the most memorable moments of the last several years. But it wasn't the only moment of the feud. There were plenty of memorable moments from his feud. From Cena choosing Daniel Bryan to defend his title against, Orton cashing in his MITB contract, Bryan winning the title at Night of Champions, getting stripped of it by Triple H, getting screwed by Shawn Michaels, The Yes Movement ring invasion, there are plenty of moments, too many to include here. That's not even including the fan's reaction to the Royal Rumble, which may not have been planned, but was certainly instrumental in the feuds continuation.

As you admit, the feud was a fluke, and during the entire feud Bryan was being pushed away from the whole thing until the WWE's hands were tied. And even then, while fans were happy to see Bryan get his chance, there was a constant air of "Yeah but it's clear they don't want Bryan to be the guy, so how will they mess this up?" which made it hard to relax and enjoy the whole feud. Plus, Bryan was the only person who got anything from the feud. The whole booking cost us Batista who was on a great run as a heel, it made Orton appear bland and a company man, and the company still had its reputatiuon for bias against certain guys like Bryan. That is not a successful feud.

You are wrong.
Batista was on a great run as a heel? When he returned he was playing a babyface, and the plan for him of course was to win the rumble and face Orton at Mania. According to his inteview on Talk Is Jericho, even Batista thought this was a bad idea and would've preferred to return as a heel. Ultimately when Batista did leave months after wrestlemania, it was reportedly because of creative differences. Batista's great heel run (your words) came into being because of the Daniel Bryan feud, and continued with the Evolution v Shield feud. That's right, Triple H, Orton, and Batista entered into a feud with the hottest stable WWE has seen in the last decade.

Again, I really must emphasis that you're wrong in saying that the Daniel Bryan v The Authority feud negatively affected Randy Orton or Batista. It is wholely untrue.

Come on now. I think Kane gets a bad rep at times, but you can't tell me that Kane is the best person to keep that wave of momentum going for Bryans win? Kane is not seen as a big time player, and having Bryan go against Batista or Orton in singles matches would have been a much better place for the feud to go to. We all joke about how the feuds with Kane meant that the company didn't know what to do with someone, or that they weren't the main event player. It may be a joke, but it's not without reason.

First, cheers again for acknowledging the huge wave of momentum going for Daniel Bryan after his feud ended at Wrestlemania. A wave of momentum that is not being surfed by either Owens or Zayn after their feud has ended.

Kane v Bryan in a short program together makes sense given their histories together, and was a good way of keeping other feuds fresh for bigger, more important, ppvs down the line. And yes, this is a good way to keep his momentum going.

There were also reports that Bryan wasn't in the main event because they wanted the IC Title to feel important, but this is all hear say. We will never know why Bryan was not placed in the main event, but let's not forget he was fed to Reigns and was never seen as actually going into the main event. The feud with the authority went nowhere for him. Sure, the injury happened soon after, but from how the feud was written after Wrestlemania (And thanks to how it was built up) it was easy to see how they would have built Bryan up. They wouldn't have. B+ Player was a catchphrase and Vince's real view of the man.

While I understand that Vince wasn't a fan of Daniel Bryan, it doesn't matter. Margaret Thatcher was a woman not for turning, but the same could not be said of Vince. This is a man who once issued the order that Steve Austin should never be let near a microphone. Had he not being convinced otherwise it is arguable whether or not the WWE would even be in existence now. While ultimately Vince is in charge of everything, he won't say no to anything that makes him wads of cash. Also it's Triple H and Steph who are running creative, and they are/were both fans of Bryan. The B+ Player was coined by them, and it is one of the catchphrases that pushed Bryan further into our collective hearts!

Your right, the feud is over so we don't know where exactly they will end up. But the feud was built so strongly and for so long, with both men looking great afterwards, they won't be dropping down the card any time soon.

They won't be dropping down the card any time soon? You mean they won't be dropping out of Raw's mid card any time soon? They certainly won't be appearing in the Brand's main event. We can only hope that they won't find themselves in the same holding pattern that Cesaro's career has been in for the last several months.

Plus they both gave great showings on Raw and it's safe to say the company is behind both men.

Good showings in losing efforts mean nothing. To use your momentum argument against you, both Owens and Zayn went from their midcard match on a ppv to both losing on Raw. Hell, someone might even suggest that Owen has already fallen down the card from when he debuted on Raw feuding against Cena.

Also, an argument can be made that Bryan's success is one of the reasons why WWE Creative (Triple H and Steph) have been putting more and more faith in this indie darlings that have been making their way to WWE. Especially those that don't have the traditional WWE look (which applies to both Owens and Zayn).

Again, no one will take away how great that moment was. If this was a debate on the best moment of the past 3 years, I would have thrown in the towel straight away because you called it.

But this is not about the moment. This is about the feud. The feud was a fluke, it was something that the company was never fully behind and it was shown in the booking. We got our night, but everything before hand and everything afterwards fell very short of what could have been. Austin vs Vince this was not.

Ultimately it doesn't matter that WWE stumbled its way into this feud, it doesn't matter that plans changed along the way (and any long term fan of WWE knows the company stumbled into many of the best moments of the Attitude era).

What makes a feud a great feud isn't the momentum of its participants which seems to be at the crux of your argument against my choice. It's the emotional attachment that fans have for the participants of the feud, the highs and lows we experience with them. The frustration and celebration. The tears and smiles. Momentum is irrelevant. Andre slumped in defeat as his carried away from the ring at Wrestlemania 3, forever diminished in the eyes of the fans didn't stop Hogan v Andre being one of wrestling's definitive feuds.

The Zayn v Owens feud was fine. Great matches. Sure.

But...

In years to come, when people reminisce about WWE, it'll be the Daniel Bryan v The Authority feud that will first come to mind. It'll be the Yes Chant, the Movement's invasion of Raw, The Royal Rumble, Batista's heel turn, and of course, the Wrestlemania win for Daniel Bryan. The win, that even brought a tear to even your eye.

beakerjoe

poll added

thebostoncrab

Didn't realize I had one more rebuttal left; I miscounted!

Folks, I want you to think before you vote for this round. Yes, we all loved that Wrestlemania moment. When you see that feud appear in that poll, there is no doubt your thoughts so straight away to the image of Daniel Bryan lifting both belts over his head as thousands chant "Yes! Yes! Yes!". But please, do not confuse a moment with a feud.

Think back to the Raws and shows leading up to Wrestlemania. Think of the Raws and shows after Wrestlemania. Can you honestly say, hand on hearth, you were fully happy with these shows? Raw threads were full of people complaining that Daniel was made to look like a second thought, and we complained that Bryan was borderline being buried by HHH and Steph every week. We all groaned "Oh not this" when he followed up Wrestlemania fighting Kane. The feud brought up more sour points with us than it did positives, and one great night does not take any of that away.

Now think about Owens vs Zayn. Every single match they had we loved and fawned over. Every moment they shared battling on the mic and building up their feud was getting praise left right and centre on Boards and everywhere else on the internet. We were invested. The heel talked down about the face without burying or dismissing the talent like the Authority feud did. Every twist and turn made us happy. Hell, the match in NXT between the two with Kevin going over was a huge 1 sided beat down, and we loved it! Some called it one of the best matches in NXT history and we couldn't wait for Zayn to return and get revenge. This is because we were invested and everyone involved was protected.

In a time when feuds are normally cut short, rushed or full of holes, this feud was perfect. I cannot point to a single moment in the feud that made me go "Ugh, I'm not a fan of that", while Bryan vs The Authority was swimining in these moments and feelings.

Folks, again I ask you to take a step back and look at both feuds from start to finish. Which one gave you more pay offs and less disappointments? The answer is a clear vote for Owens vs Zayn.