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Post by gradykm on Dec 16, 2021 13:21:57 GMT -5
Bryan Danielson vs. Adam Page (AEW - 12/15/2021)
Fantastic legitimate 60 minute draw. They worked an unbelievable pace that kept you interested. I didn't even realize they were going long until I looked at my phone and seen that they had already gone 40 minutes. This was the best Adam Page match I've ever seen and solidifies him as a worthy champion and Danielson is Danielson -- in the top 5 candidates for G.O.A.T. The way Bryan incorporated spots into the match that were finishes of almost all of his previous AEW matches was brilliant. The growth shown in being able to do a version of Nigel v. Bryan 2006 with the extra added veteran instincts was amazing. The only negative were the PIP segments and sometimes full commercials, but it would be hard to get around that going 60 and all. I know home media is dead, but hopefully AEW finds a way to rebroadcast this in full without breaks. Still, a match without any negatives from the performers going 60 minutes is a skill not too many could pull off so effortlessly. Having my twelve year old son, who hates wrestling, be interested in the match just from watching some of the setup last week and then having him be fully invested the whole hour this week is perhaps the most impressive feat of all.
Great. Great. Great.
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Post by [Darren] on Dec 16, 2021 22:45:02 GMT -5
This match killed any enjoyment I’ve ever gotten out of Twitter.
It was fairly obvious they were planning on going long early on. But it was never clear it was going to a draw at any point. I was skeptical of Page as a champ but Danielson gave him the perfect platform to prove himself and he more than held up his end.
The first 3 months of Bryan’s AEW run have been bookended perfectly and in- between Bryan had one of the best runs of television wrestling I’ve ever seen.
Would I have preferred a clear winner? Nope.
Would I have preferred a DQ, ref stoppage? Yes. But, I can’t complain. time limit draws are quite rare and this one was memorable.
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Post by Cap on Dec 18, 2021 10:00:11 GMT -5
I'm going to try to carve out a bit of time to watch this again today. I want to see it again before I try to articulate much about it.
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Post by [Darren] on Dec 18, 2021 10:19:33 GMT -5
I’m always gonna feel fondly of the match because while watching it my toddler looked at me and said “daddy, I’m gonna be a wrestler when I’m big”.
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Post by Cap on Dec 19, 2021 17:04:05 GMT -5
I’m always gonna feel fondly of the match because while watching it my toddler looked at me and said “daddy, I’m gonna be a wrestler when I’m big”. First of all... this is awesome. When Darrenn's kid becomes AEW world champ one this post is going to do the rounds.
I just watched the version without commercial breaks and this is truly stunning. I am still not entirely sure what to do with this in terms of a rating or MOTY lists etc. There were a few small stretches where I felt like things were dragging a touch or maybe the pacing could have been better, but we are ultimately talking about 3-5 minutes out of an hour that FLEW by. It gave me Bock/Hennig vibes through much of it. Just everything is done well here.
I think for right now, there are a few matches this year I prefer from this year, but if I were a betting man I'd put money on this match being the one that emerges as THE MATCH from 2021 as. The difference is that those other matches had me buzzing and wanting to watch them over and over and over. And I get that isn't fair. This is a 60 minute match. The fact that I put it on again in short order tells you how much I loved it, but the excitement levels where different.
Regardless, this is a match that 100% deserves a nomination and could very well end up on my list next time around.
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Post by el_wreino on Dec 20, 2021 6:25:22 GMT -5
This is a really good match. My biggest problem with it is the booking. At some point it started to feel pretty clear that they were going for a draw, so it was a bit hard to get invested in the finishing stretch.
That said there is a lot to love here. Veteran heel vs young, talented babyface. Bryan trying to grind and outwork Page for the win, while Page went for the big moves. It was awesome how Bryan was able to counter the moves that Page had had success with earlier in the match. Page's tombstone was an awesome spot.
I do wish Bryan would stop using the flying headbutt. It does not look that awesome and it has a horrible reputation.
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Post by [Darren] on Dec 20, 2021 8:55:08 GMT -5
Because it started the show, because the limited number of matches on the card and how Bryan was working in the opening minutes I knew they were going long. There’s a lot of things that telegraphed that it was going long. When Page got color that’s when I thought they might go the hour. But maybe it’s just the gullible wrestling fan overpowering the cynical wrestling fan that made me still believe that there would be a winner.
I really appreciate how AEW handled it though. They didn’t milk it with the count down to beat the clock. These two were so involved in beating each other that the time remaining didn’t matter. They were focused on winning.
I love shorter matches but this didn’t drag at any point for me. It’s not like this is a thing that happens a lot in AEW. Even some of the questionable booking decisions by TK he’s been able to remedy or pay off. I think with some time away, especially if Page gets a decisive victory over Danielson then this match will be looked upon more fondly.
As it sits, I still don’t think this is the best match of the year but I think this will sit comfortably on my next GME list.
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Post by [Darren] on Dec 20, 2021 10:02:39 GMT -5
I’m also going to add that I love how this match escalated perfectly. It’s a counter heavy match but Bryan is running the show working on top the whole time. Slowly giving up rope as it goes on. To where it seems like for the first half of the match Bryan is clearly the one you think is going to win and by the end the balance has shifted and almost without notice Page feels like he is the one that’s gonna have it in the bag. Bryan toying with Page and Page having an answer of being able to stay in it. As the match went on Page was able to answer Bryan’s offense quicker. You can actively see Page becoming a smarter wrestler as the match goes on. It’s a perfect story
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Post by elliott on Oct 21, 2023 23:29:09 GMT -5
I tried.
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