25 Best Wrestling Moments Of 2024

9. Will Ospreay Eats The Busaiku

Dynasty Will Ospreay Bryan Danielson
AEW

Will Ospreay Vs. Bryan Danielson was a match so good that you almost regret using superlatives for other matches. Superb, excellent, brilliant - hell, transcendent and seminal barely approach the quality of the work. 

There’s a spot in it that might just capture how pro wrestling is meant to be done. The only word is perfect. 

Wrestling is meant to be an impossibly exhilarating and ultra-dramatic emulation of a combat sport. The strikes are meant to look impactful, even concussive, but the wrestler taking it should leave the match without a mark. 

Near the finish, Ospreay attempted the Oscutter. Danielson had the move scouted, knowing that Ospreay had already used the handspring corkscrew kick and was escalating his offensive flurry. With a moving target on which to focus - and it’s Ospreay, “moving” sells that short - the Dragon struck him in the temple with a pin-point precise Busaiku knee. 

He couldn’t have hit the move in a sweeter spot. Using incredible timing and reflexes, Danielson made it look like he’d just knocked Ospreay clean out. You could rewind it a thousand times and still wonder how Ospreay’s eye didn’t blacken. 

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!