Bryan Danielson vs MJF (AEW - 3/5/2023)

I’ll third this recommendation. This is easily going to make my list after watching this a second time today. Both wrestlers put on a clinic and performances that kept everyone invested in the match for the entire duration which isn’t easy. I love the variety of submissions that Danielson employed in this. Although I do miss the Cattle Mutilation. He only helped make MJF into a major star in this match. While he snuck out a win through shaddy means, it was very much in character. I can only imagine how intolerable he will be in bragging about beating the best wrestler in the world. Probably even worse than when he beat CM Punk “twice in Chicago.” Amazing match and easily 5* for me.

I rewatched this over the weekend and I'm still not totally sure what to make of it. I think the layout, pin progression, and the general story beats are perfect. It is an hour and change, so there are certainly some exicution things I could nit-pick here or there, but it doesn't really feel all that worth it to me Most of the complaints I've seen about MJF's selling or gaps in the logic etc. don't really strike me in the same way or I read the match differently. MJF is a touch hammy in spots, but no moreso some of the hammy stuff I love from other eras. One small exception is him looking right in the camera when he is bloody and in the submission. Again, that feels like nit-picking to a level of not being particularly relevant. The bulk of this match was compelling, smart, and toothy. The commentary team did a pretty good job explaining how all the sections hold together. I love the vicious punches from MJF late in the match. I think the drama they capture is pretty special. I don't LOVE MJF using the oxygen tank to win, but putting over that it is what he needed to do after taking all his shortcuts was smart. I felt a bit like he and Dragon were out to prove a point (maybe different, but overlapping points) and I think they did.

Even still, this match sits comfortably as my MOTY, but I am not sure if it is going on my list. As of right now I feel like plugging it in as #99 or #100 and then just see how I feel over time. I know no one cares about stars but their own, but for context, this feels like its somewhere between ***** match that will barely make the list and top end ****3/4 (which would comfortably miss). I'll pen it in as the former for now because its stuck in my head since I first watched it and that is usually a good sign. I don't know if I have another watch in me before the ballot, especially next to Okada/Omega (2/3 falls), but that i sort of my hang up. This feels like a match I like more than Okada/Omega, but I have had that comfortably on my list for a while and don't feel as confident about this one. It's weird and means something is a bit high or a bit low. It will all work itself out over time (or it wont... who cares).

Regardless, this is very much on the radar for me. I think much of this absolutely perfect. It is probably MJF's best performance (at least best for a match not particularly tailored to what folks think of as his skills) and Dragon put in a hell of a night to add lots of depth and detail to this (that heel hook in the figure four popped me, as did him smiling as MJF was panting at the end).

www.theringer.com/wwe/2023/3/6/23627831/mjf-vs-bryan-danielson-aew-revolution-iron-man-match-best-wrestling-matches

Phil’s Ringer piece on the match was fantastic.

Haven't watched the match yet but agree that the review by Phil was stellar

Despite the plaudits and Danielson's involvement, I was on the fence about checking this one out mainly because I avoid matches longer than 35-40 min like the plague. But I'm glad I bit the bullet because this was a truly impressive achievement. I don't want to jump the gun with the praise before a rewatch but this seems like one of the few modern matches that actually lives up to the hype, in large part due to clever match construction and emphasis on story and character.

There is not much to say about Danielson, this guy just keeps on expanding his GOAT candidacy. But this really felt like a career-defining performance by MJF, who did a particularly great job incorporating his gimmick (which ordinarily I don't really like) into the narrative of the match.

The drink throwing spot was cringy and the first 15 minutes were solid but unremarkable, but otherwise they didn't seem put a foot wrong. The character dynamic, the unique falls, the limb psychology and consistent selling that persisted till the very end (almost unheard of for such a long match), MJF having to do it the hard way during sudden death, it was all top notch to me at first glance.

What would you guys say are the necessary matches to watch beforehand to fully get this match? This seems very highly regarded as a crown jewel in Bryan’s AEW, so I’d like to give it a fair shot.