30 Best AEW Matches Ever (So Far...)

2. Will Ospreay Vs. Bryan Danielson (Dynasty 2024)

The Busaiku knee ramming into the Oscutter attempt may well be the most perfectly-timed counter ever. Ospreay looked like he had been concussed and fired into orbit at the same time.

Danielson, with his horrifying and real history of neck and head issues, took a Tiger Driver.

The duel moment - in which Ospreay missed the Hidden Blade and took the Busaiku as soon as he turned to face his opponent - was an unbelievable false finish because the duel usually is the last scene in the movie.

These moments do not soar, to unscaled heights, if the Dragon and Ospreay don’t set the tone for a classic within minutes at the inaugural AEW Dynasty.

The moves stalemate exchange was the best in the history of the sequence, and at that point, Danielson was simply showing off. It wasn’t really how he approached the opening phase traditionally. He just knew who he was wrestling, and casually perfected that style - after first trying to ground Ospreay and smear his forehead open with palm strikes.

A sense of struggle and intent underpinned the sequence.

Danielson didn’t duck theatrically until he was forced to, after his desperate impulse blocks weren’t enough to ward off his explosive phenomenon of an opponent. And when he did duck, as a chessmaster, he went for the Yes! Lock and didn’t just dance about a bit. This logic-driven take comprised none of the intricate exhilaration of the stalemate; rather, the Dragon’s approach elevated it.

It was at this moment that the crowd, and everybody live-tweeting, shared something verging on a religious experience. You knew at that moment that you were going to see an all-timer cast-iron classic, a match miles better than the most optimistic projections for something guaranteed to be transcendent.

If every match is *****, none of them are.

This match restored the true full-five feeling.