Bryan Danielson v. Ricky Starks (AEW - 9/3/2023)

I'm dying to watch this back. This was absolute magic. Danielson of course deserves all of his flowers, but I think Starks deserves a ton of credit here as well. He put in his best performance ever and took just as good as he gave in a very very physical match. Slam dunk nominee, my current #3 MOTY, but I could see it jumping up to #1

The most I've liked a Bryan match in ages. Loved the first 2/3rds. Didn't really care for the final third but that's a stylistic preferences thing not really an execution or what they're going for thing. Great stuff

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Real highlight of the match and of the last 50 years of humanity is Ricky Steamboat's hair. 

Maybe a liiiitle step below Orange/Mox for me, but damn this was awesome. Brutal strikes with the strap, holy shit. Awesome finish too, Ricky is such a great storyteller. Bryan is the greatest of all time.

I like Starks. I don't know who said it (possibly Matt D?) but the idea that he would fit in the Attitude Era is something I can certainly get behind. I'm not using that as a means of championing him as a great wrestler btw, but he certainly has a unique presence and plenty of charisma. If I was going to champion him as a great wrestler, and I'm not sure he's actually that, I'd talk about how he might be the closest 2023 approximation of peak Michael Hayes. This is the kind of thing Hayes was amazing at and sure enough Starks was pretty awesome as a rabid lunatic pushed past the point where he could conceivably horseshit his way out of this particular fight. Some of the shots with the strap were nuts and both of them took at least half a dozen whippings right to the neck or ear. Danielson doing strike exchanges maybe annoys me more than any other modern wrestler doing them, I think because first and foremost they're largely terrible, but also because he does so much other stuff I like and SELFISHLY I'd rather he did all of that and none of the nonsense. But the part where they started whipping each other in the face with the strap was about as enjoyable as I'll find a strike exchange these days and not just for the absurdity of it. Like, it feels as though - based on an admittedly small sample size this year - Danielson has started channelling some Minoru Suzuki (but less stupid) and using strike exchanges to UNMAN his opponents. "Hit me as hard as you like, it won't drop me and I might even enjoy it." I mean some of it feels goofy but Starks' reaction to it here was perfect, the way he'd half-heartedly keep whipping him with the belt as the realisation grew that Danielson was going to very soon start whipping him back ten times harder. Yet Starks was not WITHERED by it and came out the other end even more defiant. I wasn't bothered by the interference and Starks opting to be choked out rather than forced to tap out was a nice finish. I haven't watched much 2023 AEW, but this would be my favourite AEW match of the year so far.

3rd,4th or 5th...
This is Danielson in his special niche, the ability to have a great match with anybody, managing to put him over and making him look like a million bucks in the process.