30 Best AEW Matches Ever (So Far...)
10. MJF Vs. Bryan Danielson (Revolution 2023)
MJF’s hero is Roddy Piper. Roddy Piper was fond of saying “Just when you think you have the answers, I change the questions”.
At Revolution, MJF performed his in-ring masterpiece. MJF, one of the best episodic TV characters of his era, is at his peak incredible at the plot twist. In the best example of his creative flair, he disclosed that he idolised CM Punk when he was a bullied child. His performance was so convincing and the subject matter so grimly relatable that the idea of a blood feud simply no longer worked. If Punk were to beat him, there’d be no catharsis.
He then revealed that he was a snake, old man, telling Punk that he knew him better than Punk knew himself, handing himself the psychological advantage ahead of Revolution 2022.
A year later, MJF transplanted this philosophy into the ring.
The Iron Man match was incredible as a feat of seesawing drama and technical flair. The level of craft was stunning. In a great moment designed to make the match feel improvised, feel real, MJF blasted Danielson with a Tombstone through the debris of a table. The plunder elements introduced - inspired by novelist Cormac McCarthy, of all people - did not feel in the least bit contrived.
The tension was so electrifying and the drama so hypnotic that fans chanted “Fight forever!” - 50 minutes into the match! - when MJF and Danielson were not fighting, but rather selling. An hour long match is considered the most difficult challenge in wrestling. This could’ve gone 90, and the fans would have still been locked in a trance.
At 55 or so minutes, with the scores tied 3–3, Danielson had MJF beat. MJF was vulnerable to his awesome range of holds. The use of pacing was ingenious because it felt too long for MJF to escape. The rational part of one’s brain knew that MJF wasn’t losing his first PPV title defence - but the American Dragon kicked that part of your head in. How could MJF prevail?
Only by using a secret device he had hidden in plain sight.
MJF had taken frequent water breaks throughout. Too many: by the time the match went to a draw, he was over-hydrated, and was given oxygen to assist his breathing. In overtime, he used the oxygen tank to clobber Danielson and win the match.
A stunningly original finish to an hour-long match that nobody forecasted even at 60:00.