Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

[9.0] "A Terrific wrestling clinic this was. Both sold well throughout and it had good back and forth action especially the SCM to the outside. Absolutely loved the prolonged SCM which led into the Codebreaker, good possum play from Jericho. Also liked the opening with Shawn trying to make Jericho lose his temper and get DQ'd. The ending was smart and simple and worked to further the story as well so it hit all marks there. Really well done overall match from 2 of the best."

[8.0] "Nice, this match is a throwback to his mythical 2003 match, tecnical high level of wrestling, Michaels still in a crazy shape against Jericho. Their rivalry in 2008 is so good and this match is not the last with this level. I need to rewatch the others. ****"

[8.0] "I had forgotten how good this one is. A very entertaining back and forth match between HBK and Y2J that built nicely toward the finish. I actually rank this slightly higher than their more well-regarded bout at 'Mania 19. The crowd was mildly into things to begin with, but really got into everything during the last ten or so minutes. Both guys did a standout job at ramping up the intensity and drama as the match wore on; I think things started to get interesting after Michaels slapped Jericho, with the latter responding by hitting a wicked elbow. The two really picked up the pace from then on, with them really laying their stuff in. Some really good nearfalls toward the end, with the crowd helping to really sell the tension and drama. Overall, it was definitely a tad slow to start out with, but its builds nicely toward the finish. A great start to Michaels' and Jerichio's famed 2008 feud. ****"

[6.0] "Would have been a 7 point match of the story behind it wasn't absolute garbage. Were they trying an ill fated Michael heel turn here...? He fakes an injury in a match where he wasn't even wrestling Jericho who was ref instead. Then they do a story about Shawn continuing to fake it while making Jericho believe it before Shawn admits he was faking it and attacks Jericho...? Chris wasn't doing anything remotely heel-like here. Shawn just kind of came off like a smug liar. And for the first half of the match he continues that. Mugging at Jericho and almost taunting him for falling for it. It could have worked if they clearly had both men pick a lane. Instead, this match is almost a double tweener match, which doesn't exactly work. In ring work is excellent, though. And it gets better as it goes on with some great unique offense and clever counters. If you can get beyond the storyline this is definitely a quality bout."

[8.0] "Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has ever thrown that goddamn kick better than Shawn. So many little flourishes here and a great finish."

[7.0] "A skillful continuation of the plot lines that began with Backlash between Michaels and Batista and were properly discussed and resolved on RAW. The two don't go all out here, but work their way through holds and submissions, which is a completely different approach than one would expect. And in the context of the entire storyline, that's incredibly smart. But since that doesn't yet reflect the sparks that are still to come, I'll stick with seven points for now."

[8.0] "A great match between two legends who always had great chemistry with each other. Even for the first match in this feud, it still had heat, and Michaels sudden win would lead to many even better matches down the road."

[10.0] "This is part of a really interesting progression of feuds that followed Shawn Michaels famously retiring Ric Flair at Wrestlemania XXIV. Essentially several wrestlers resented Shawn for ending the career of one of the greatest wrestlers ever, even if it was likely the right time for it to end there is still an understandable bitterness at the man who actually delivered the final blow. Perhaps the biggest objector was none other than Chris Jericho, who had a complex history with Michaels both as an idol and a rival, not to mention having taken clear inspiration from Flair when he was first progressing their career. It was a nicely complex interaction where neither man was entirely right, nor either wrong. Shawn beat Flair fair and square, regardless of the consequences, and was respectful to the legend as much as he could be, but he still pulled the trigger and when questioned by Jericho he seemed to revert back to his 2003 attitude from their first feud, dismissing Jericho as something of an HBK wannabee. Jericho was obviously rubbed the wrong way by this and ended up coming after HBK more aggressively than you might expect, since this was nominally a face vs. face match. There was an extra layer of intrigue from Shawn since he was also challenged by Batista soon after 'Mania, and when they fought Shawn used some arguably underhanded tactics to beat the Animal, so Shawn's recent sheet didn't quite look clean. Jericho was even involved as guest referee in this match, and was fooled by Michaels playing possum to beat Batista, so there was another level of distrust formed in the mix. These parts swirled together to make an intriguing match between two guys who always showed good chemistry, both have their flaws over the years but here everything was clicking very well for my money. It was a match with a lot of personality, just what it needed to be, and showed some intelligence as well. One memorable moment was Shawn trying to set up Jericho for Sweet Chin Music, only for Jericho to frustrate him by failing to reach his feet more than once. Shawn got clearly flustered that his reliable sequence was disrupted, but when he moved in to change gears Jericho was able to surprise him with a Codebreaker and gain a near victory, turning Shawn's recent shady tactics against him. Combine a number of smart moments like this and then Shawn sneaking out a win once again and you've got both a great match and a piece of a larger feud, which was slowly leading Jericho to one of his very best upcoming runs."

[7.0] "An expectedly good match between these two though it wasn't quite on the level of some of their other classics. Both these men were aging like fine wine by this point and put on another impressive match here."

[8.0] "I liked how it was kinda connected to their WrestleMania match back in the day, as Michaels was still treating Jericho like a little, annoying fan, laughing into his face and just making fun of him. This was interesting enough, but they also used the build here when Jericho was faking being knocked out just to deliver the Codebreaker out of nowhere like Shawn did against Batista. Really a lot of great stuff here, fantastic work and even though it was two babyfaces going at each other you could feel a little heelish side of Y2J, especially in the aftermath when HBK was hesitant to shake his hand."

[8.0] "This was a pretty good match with a very hot crowd. Jericho attacks Michaels ribs and the storytelling throughout the match was pretty good. The finish was a little lame but everything leading up to that was really good."

[8.0] "Loud reactions to Walls of Jericho and a Codebreaker out of nowhere were the highlights for me. Of course, there were many more stuff I liked in this match which I had fully expected before watching this. Loved the Batista, HBK, Jericho program"

[7.0] "Unsurprisingly this is a good match cant compare to some of their best matches but a good match nonetheless. This is stil in the beginning stages of their 2008 epic feud but this match does a great job of advancing the story. Shawn while being a baby face is honestly more of the heel going into the match. This match does set the stage for whats to come 3.75/5"

[7.0] "Good match as you'd expect from these two. They told the story well which was Jericho respecting Michaels but not really trusting him and being desperate to prove he was better. I thought it was odd after Jericho got his knees up from Shawn's diving elbow that Michaels immediately started selling his ribs in an agonising manner when his ribs didn't make contact with jerichos knees or the mat. I also thought the SCM spot went on abit long and it became obvious Jericho was going to counter, and the ending felt predictable, but still a nice match with cute counters."

[8.0] "Excellent back and forth between these 2 with excellent counters. I loved the spot when Shawn kept tuning uo the band then Jericho hit a codebreaker counter. 8.0"

[7.0] "Really good storytelling here, but a little lacking in pace and intensity. I'm assuming that changes as this feud moves along. It's very interesting how they set it up with HBK actually acting more heelish. It makes you understand why Jericho would be so upset with him."

[7.0] "This was good but I left this wanting a bit more but it's a solid match to kick off since they would have a bunch down the line anyways.***1/2"

[6.0] "I like the basis of the feud - Shawn faking injury in order to win a match that Jericho was guest reffing. Jericho, rightfully being upset, wants to teach Shawn a lesson. It sounds like something out of Memphis. All this match needs is a Cadillac to be the prize. They started out with some neat technical moves - kip-ups, arm wringers, the double bridge up spots that always look cool. Shawn tried to be creative with a neat transition into a hold but the move was, essentially. a knee bar against his own leg. 1+ for effort though. The meat of the match was Jericho attacking Shawn? s kicks after he got the knees up, blocking an elbow attempt. Jericho threw some really pitiful kicks but he had a cool looking gutbuster. Michaels had some alright selling, up to a certain point. I thought that tended to get a bit OTT with all the flapping about. There were some great story elements like Jericho faking being really dazed for Sweet Chin Music, similar to what kicked off the feud. And the finish with Jericho landing on his feet on the lionsault when Michaesl put his knees up to block it, only for Michaels to counter the Walls Of Jericho right after great. The match was a fine starting point, did exactly what it needed to do, so I won? t criticise it too much. ***"

[8.0] "Very underrated match between the two with a pretty lame ending. Greatly paced match with plenty of awesome counters and sequences, MOTN by far."

[8.0] "Chris Jericho is great, every times he faces Shawn Micheals there is an entertaining match. It's the period with questionable attitude by Michaels, but it's Jericho the one who turns heel. Michaels wins this round. ****"

[7.0] "The first match of this legendary rivalry surely didn't disappoint, quite good match with some great bits and pieces and a proper out-of-nowhere finish but there was definitely a thing or two missing, which I'm sure will come in later matches. (***3/4)"

[8.0] "Really fun match. Jericho did some great work to Michaels' ribs, and I loved the fake out he did while Michaels was setting up for the sweet chin music that led to the codebreaker. Good start to a legendary feud ***3/4"

[6.0] "This was pretty good. I liked Jericho targeting HBK's ribs, even if it felt like it was forgotten at one point. Jericho's character progression was pretty neat, too. A solid way to kick off their 2008 series of matches, but ultimately nothing special, BUT still a pretty good match. **3/4"