WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events “Road Dogg” Brian James discussed a variety of topics on the most recent episode of “Oh…You Didn’t Know.”
During the podcast, James discussed a November 2019 match between NXT Champion Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson (then known as Daniel Bryan) that he believes gets too much credit. He stated that, while the match was excellent, he does not consider it to be one of the best in WWE history.
“The show was great. And I look I disagree with him [Meltzer] saying it was the best main event. I do agree it was awesome, and it was different and it was very New Japan. But that’s not what our audiences is preconditioned to. And so I would argue that some of the main events that year and the period right around there were really good. This was just The Observer’s brand. You know what I mean?
“This was Daniel Bryan working with the American Dragon or whatever, Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole. And so look, it was a very New Japan or Ring of Honor kind of match, and it was awesome to watch and it was different. But I disagree that it was like the best main event in the history of the business. Like I think it was great. I do and I think the both guys are great. I’ve seen both guys have great matches. This was one of them. You know what I mean?”
James explained his belief that the excitement surrounding the NXT invasion may have inflated people’s praise for the match.
“Like I think what they loved about it was oh my god, WWE is dipping their toe into the style of, of everyone else, and that’s cool. That is a very cool thing, and that’s it. It’s very understandable like that, but don’t give it that credit, you know what I mean? Like, I don’t know, I feel like I’m dogging it now. And I don’t mean to because the match was that incredible.
“It was just like, it was a different style, man. It was a different different kind of match. You know, I love the Punjabi Prison Match, so what do I know? Santino Marella is my favorite wrestler, so what do I know?”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
(h/t to Inside the Ropes)