Better in ring : Daniel Bryan or CM Punk?
Bryan relies too much on kicks, strikes, and the LaBell lock. Is that a knock on him? Absolutely not. I've seen his work in ROH and know he has a far more varied moveset then he uses in WWE. But looking at his work in WWE alone, which has been fantastic, he simply doesn't have the variety that Punk has developed. Further, he doesn't truly have a pinfall finisher, which is something you would expect from someone so explosive. When he does win by pinfall, more often then not it's from an inside cradle or a roll-up. Again, no knock on Bryan, as he's the hottest thing in the company right now, and deservedly so. But he's not a better wrestler then CM Punk. Overall entertainer? For me, yes. But wrestler, based on what each shows in WWE? It's CM Punk.
Punk is a guy who can hit you out of nowhere with both of his finishers, the Anaconda Vice and the GTS. The same can be said for the LaBell lock, but Punk's ability to transition to either the GTS or the Anaconda vice at any time makes him more of a threat to win a match. Punk can be slow and methodical with headlocks and swinging neckbreakers, or he can be explosive with the running bulldog and high knee in the corner, not to mention the already mentioned Anaconda Vice.
It's easy to compare the two, as they come from the same prototype of wrestling and use a similar variety of moves in terms of strikes and kicks. They both have an efficient top rope move-Bryan the diving headbutt, Punk the Savage elbow- that look flawless.
The difference for me is two things. One, Punk's finishing maneuvers. He has the GTS and the Anaconda Vice(although he doesn't use it terribly much), while Bryan, an explosive guy, relies too much on the LaBell lock and roll-ups to get victories. There's nothing wrong with how Bryan finishes matches, I just prefer Punks out-of-nowhere offense.
Second, Daniel Bryan, for all his abilities, wrestles 80% of the time at a frantic pace. It's a darn good one and he's not sloppy, but his gear is high octane most of the time. Punk is a wrestler's wrestler, working a slower pace when needed, and speeding up accordingly.
One really can't go wrong picking either man. Daniel Bryan is my pick and hope to win the MITB ladder match, because he's been entertaining me the most of anyone in the company for some time and delivering solid match after match. But if you're looking for all-around skillset, and the execution of it, the edge, however slight, goes to CM Punk for me.
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