25 Matches that Defined 2016 #5 – Breezango vs. Golden Truth – Money In The Bank Kickoff Show 2016
Tyler Breeze/Fandango vs. Goldust/R-Truth
WWE Money In The Bank Kickoff Show 2016
19th of June 2016
T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The Match: The idea behind this is that Goldust and R-Truth had been watching too many Only Fools and Horses videos and decided to trap Breezango in a tanning bed for hours on Raw, causing them to be burnt. As a result, Breezango come out covered in red, peeling sunburnt skin. Fandango starts with truth, but cannot even lock up because Truth is touching his burns. He tries twice, but it’s too painful.
Fandango gets into an argument with the referee when the referee asks if he is OK, just completely shutting him down. Truth offers to let Fandango apply a waistlock, only to punk him out by slapping him across the burnt chest and the chopping him. More clubbing blows to Fandango leads to him tagging in Breeze on his burnt chest, causing Breeze to yelp in pain.
Breeze halts Truth before he can hit him, in fear of skin contact, but Truth just chops him in the chest anyway. An arm wringer from Truth sees him tag in Goldust, with a double Irish whip leading to two double chops to the chest. Breeze covers up and kneels down to avoid another chop, but Golden Truth just slap him in the back. Breeze kicks Goldust in the gut, but Goldust just kicks him in the leg, which is also burnt. Breeze goes into the corner where we get Flair chops to WOOs from the crowd. Goldust tries to set up for Shattered Dreams, but Breeze kicks him back and dives off the second rope, right into a shot in the gut from Goldust, who rakes the back of Breeze and tags out to Truth. Breeze knees him in the gut and manages to make it to his corner to tag in Fandango.
Truth goes for a chop, to which Fandango cowers, only for Truth to drum his back. Truth sends Fandango to the corner, where he gets the ten count punches. Breeze tries to pull the ropes down as Truth goes into them, but Truth slaps his back. The distraction gives Fandango enough time to take out the leg of Truth. Fandango drops the knee on Truth’s leg, selling the fact that the move is also causing him great discomfort in the process. Breezango works over the leg of Truth with quick tags and various holds. Truth escapes with a slap to the chest and hits a scissors kick as we get the hot tag from both teams.
Goldust runs riot, ducking a lariat and chopping the hell out of Breeze’s chest as Breeze’s skin peels off with every chop as Mauro likens it to Misawa vs. Kobashi. Fandango tries to fly off the top, landing in an atomic drop from Goldust, as Breeze gets an inverted atomic drop, sending Breeze flying into Fandango in the corner, who again scream in pain from the contact. Breeze dodges a lariat, sending Goldust into the corner and tagging in Fandango quickly. Breezango try for a double clothesline, which is ducked by Goldust. R-Truth manages to grab Breeze and pull him to the floor as Goldust grabs Fandango and hits him with the Final Cut which is enough to get a three count.
Why Does It Define 2016?: From next week, WWE will be putting out nine hours a week of wrestling, spread over six shows (3 hours of Raw, 2 hours of Smackdown, 1 hour of NXT, Superstars, Main Event and 205 Live). Add in 3/4 hour PPVs every couple of weeks as well as a 1/2 hour pre-show and the odd Takeover special and it means we are drowning in content. Keeping up with WWE is a full-time job and only the most diehard can possibly keep up.
Everyone on the roster is overexposed, but this match proves that there are still small gems floating under the radar. Many people, myself included, have been critical of “the WWE style” pumping out a roster of wrestlers who work very similar matches and work within their comfort zone but this match demonstrates these workers’ ability to still pull out something original within the confines of the WWE product.
My Thoughts: I know, I know. You’re all sitting there looking bemused. “Really? This match? Breezango vs. Golden Truth from the MITB pre-show is one of the matches that defined 2016?” I admit, this is not to everyone’s tastes. In fact, Meltzer gave this match a DUD rating in his Observer review of Money In The Bank 2016. Your enjoyment of this match comes down to your philosophy on wrestling. The actual in-ring work here isn’t note worthy. If you are looking for workrate, this is not the match for you and you will hate it.
The reason I have included the match is that it is probably the most unique match WWE have produced this year. The idea of working a match where you were physically incapable of touching the other is a fantastic one. You can clearly tell that Breezango and Golden Truth thought really hard about this whole thing. They had an original idea and took it to the nth degree, coming up with a series of original spots and I have never seen a match like it before or since.
Fandango and Tyler Breeze’s selling in this match is fantastic, wailing and gurning in agony at every single piece of conduct, just like you would do if you had sunburn. If this was in CHIKARA or PWG, we would be all praising it to the hilt and calling it hilarious, but because it’s Breezango vs. Golden Truth, it gets panned as lame WWE comedy. This is the most innovative and original match that WWE have put on this year.
Fast forward to 27:30 and see for yourselves.