Bryan Danielson FINALLY Has A Five-Star Match
No longer can AEW's Bryan Danielson be called the greatest wrestler to never get five stars.
Bryan Danielson can no longer be called the greatest wrestler to never earn a ***** match rating by Dave Meltzer.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter scribe didn't break the scale for Danielson's 22 September clash with Kenny Omega, but threw five full stars at it nonetheless. This is the first time the 40-year-old has been awarded such a rating in his career.
For comparison's sake, Omega currently has 18 (!) matches rated at five stars or higher. Danielson has scored the next-highest rating, ****3/4, six times for matches in ROH, WWE, and Dragon Gate USA.
Danielson and Omega wrestled to a 30-minute time-limit draw on this week's special Grand Slam episode of AEW Dynamite. Playing out in New York City's Arthur Ashe Stadium, the bout was met with immediate acclaim from fans and pundits alike. It was the first time the duo had wrestled each other since 2009 - and Danielson's first match since debuting for AEW at All Out 2021 (5 September).
How much the five-star rating matters is entirely in the eye of the beholder, of course, and another's opinion shouldn't be taken as gospel. Nonetheless, it's nice to see Danielson shake this monkey from his back.