10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2023 (So Far)
2. MJF Vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW Revolution
People doubted the ability of MJF and Bryan Danielson to go an hour in a divisive stipulation. The Iron Man genre, incidentally, is weirdly dismissed as a match that "doesn't count" until the finish, as if sports fans the world over don't celebrate a goal early into a game.
With 55 minutes elapsed, MJF and Danielson selling the effects of their spellbinding war, everybody in the Case Center chanted "Fight forever!"
They weren't even fighting at the time, but rather doing a tremendous job of making it feel as though the match could not end. They could not be separated. The story of the match - generational talent versus man whose ability transcends generations - had been articulated perfectly. Both men did a masterful job of making the match feel "real" without relying too heavily on the technical element, which might have lost the crowd. As Danielson had mentioned to Sports Illustrated ahead of March 5, "It is very important to have statement moments scattered regularly throughout the match."
These moments were scattered, but they were not hollow set-pieces designed to wake the crowd up. They were threaded together seamlessly. MJF smashed Danielson through a table with a flying elbow drop. Then, making it feel as though Bryan was done for, MJF drove him through the remnants with a Tombstone. This was fantastic; a set-piece that could only happen after the first spot, it was the opposite of contrived. It was arranged as if the opportunity for an advantage had presented itself. This was just one thrilling moment that maintained an incredible level of immersion.
Danielson had stated that he had drawn inspiration from novelist Cormac McCarthy, but the incredible finish was a Breaking Bad-esque twist. Like the best Walter White moments, you had no idea how MJF would escape - because the manner through which he did was only introduced after the match. MJF had sipped water throughout and suffered exercise-associated hyponatremia as a result. Put on oxygen before the match restarted, he - with wicked timing - smacked Danielson in the head with the gas tank in sudden death before the Dragon collapsed in his own LeBell lock.
Sports-oriented storytelling with a prestige drama-tier plot development, this was pro wrestling perfection.