When Michael Cole ran through the histories of A.J. Styles and Finn Balor, not just in WWE but in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where the duo were both members and eventually leaders of Bullet Club, it proved one thing and one thing only: this isn't your Daddy's WWE.
Now sure, it's borderline impossible to accurately tell the story of the feud between Balor and Styles without talking about their NJPW run, as Corey Graves learned all too well in his attempts to call their work in the past, but when Cole was given carte blanche to dig into the history, read a few Wikipedia pages, and deliver fans a more knowledgable accounting of the feud, it delivered a fitting setup that could only help to elevate the in-ring efforts of the two men if they brought the goods as well.
Fortunately, A.J. Styles and Finn Balor are A.J. Styles and Finn Balor, so they obviously delivered a fantastic bout that would be a standout on any card, let alone one without the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship or the RAW Women's Championship on the line.
Working a tough, dare I say NJPW-esque style match, the two exchanged blow after blow as Styles attempted to work over Balor's leg – a savvy strategy to neutralize the Coup De Grâce- and other than some outside interference that thankfully didn't impact the in-ring work too much, the match really was a master class in a style on wrestling that has become increasingly popular over the past decade or so internationally and is rarely leaned into in America. Though Balor put in a good showing, attempting to beat Styles with his own moves on multiple occasions, in the end, “The Phenomenal One” got his foe in the calf crusher for a near-tap and ultimately iced him out with his signature move: The Phenomenal Forearm. Seak this one out, folks; it was very good.
#TheJudgmentDay & #TheOC brawl throughout the arena as @AJStylesOrg clashes with @FinnBalor at #SurvivorSeries! pic.twitter.com/O0KJNU97ht
— WWE (@WWE) November 27, 2022
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