10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2024

2. Swerve Strickland Vs. Bryan Danielson - AEW All In: London

Stinger Stinger is da Stinger Sting Guy
AEW

A career-threatening match, and yes this is incredibly obvious, should incorporate a spot in which the fans believe that the wrestler’s career is over. 

Bryan Danielson - because he is a genius - added an ingenious layer that elevated and made unbearable the feeling that he was actually done. 

In a life-affirming sequence, Swerve Strickland was kicking the piss out of the Dragon. Bryan spotted his young daughter Birdie at ringside. Bryan ate those kicks full-force in the chest as he screamed “I love you so much!” at her. This was exquisite stadium wrestling, the perfect occasion on which to do full-bore melodrama. Dragon fired up. He kicked Swerve even harder. This was amazing, in and of itself, but then Birdie was shown jumping up and down in glee. This was a masterclass of tender sweetness and pro wrestling violence, a tonal mismatch reconciled only through the Dragon’s unparalleled genius. 

Then, Bryan hit the Busaiku knee. Other, lesser wrestlers would have gone straight to the near-fall. Swerve and Bryan operated on a different level. Swerve brushed Dragon’s finisher off. This wasn’t just the Busaiku. It was a Busauku powered by his daughter’s love. 

This was an incredible twist in an all-time emotive match. “Real graps” fused with the height of broad, universal feeling: it was everything at which Danielson has excelled. It was a Bryan Danielson x Daniel Bryan match, almost. 

His career triumph. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!