#199: Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay, AEW Dynasty (4/21/2024).
This is #2 on my Top Matches of 2024.
When Bryan Danielson announced that his full time career was ending in 2024, I had two dream matches in mind that I hoped and prayed he would have. The first was a match against Katsuyori Shibata, as I believed their styles would mesh, and I liked that both men were told they’d never wrestle again, but did anyway. That match happened, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.
The second dream match I wanted him to have was against Will Ospreay, and after Ospreay’s AEW debut at Revolution, he would find his first proper rival in the American Dragon. The match was quickly set for Dynasty, and the story was simple: Who’s the better wrestler between the two? Danielson is on many’s short list for best of all time, while Ospreay’s body of work in Japan has caused people to sing his praises left and right. When they collide, what would happen?
Both men stare each other down in the middle of the ring, as the crowd explodes in glorious approval, with “holy shit” chants. Old reliable. They back away to their corners, and the bell rings. Crowd explodes once again! Bryan takes control of the back right away, getting Ospreay on the mat. Ospreay transitions to his feet, and is forced into the ropes. Bryan gives a clean break, and backs away. The fans are behind Ospreay early on.
They lock up, and Bryan gets a side headlock takedown off. Ospreay with a head scissors, and Bryan switches into a surf board lock. Ospreay slips out, and we have a stalemate. They lock hands, and have a test of strength. They exchange control, before Bryan flips Ospreay over. He bends the arm back into the mat, but Ospreay gets to his feet and takes the headlock. Takedown follows, and Bryan is right back to his feet. Bryan with another side headlock takedown, and he adds a palm strike to the head.
Back to their feet, Ospreay avoids a kick to the chest, and eats a chop to the chest. Ospreay bounces off the ropes, and nearly gets caught in the LeBell Lock. Both are back at a stalemate, as the crowd stands in approval. Ospreay kicks Bryan to the mat, and he grabs the ankle next. Bryan easily gets back to his feet, and gives Ospreay the bird. Ospreay responds with a chop to the chest. Bryan gives him one in return, and Bryan picks at his ankle next.
He traps the leg, and rips at the face. He transitions to a Crovat, until Ospreay hits a forearm to the head. Bryan goes back to the Crovat, and he adds some knees to the face for good measure. Ospreay escapes and dropkicks the face. Hurricanrana off the ropes follows, as Ospreay shakes it off. He uppercuts Bryan into the corner, and gives him a hard chop to the chest. Bryan gives him one in return, and follows that with an uppercut.
Ospreay flapjacks Bryan, and then boots him to the floor. He hypes the crowd up, then hits a crossbody to the outside onto Bryan. He rolls Bryan back into the ring, then hits a springboard forearm, which is countered by a kick to the midsection by the American Dragon. Bryan with some Muay Thai knees to the chest, and a running knee to the gut. He kicks Ospreay hard in the back, and gets a quick nearfall off of it.
Bryan digs his knee into the spine, then he ties his legs up in the Indian Death Lock. He gives Ospreay some hard elbows to the face and chest, before tying him up even further with an arm bar. Ospreay somehow gets his free hand to the bottom rope. Bryan chops Ospreay, who responds with one of his own. Nice chop exchange follows, until Bryan drags him to the corner and punches him right in the stomach. Bryan explodes off the ropes for a clothesline, but Ospreay counters with a flipping kick off the ropes.
Ospreay connects with a boot to the face in the corner, and follows with the Phenomenal Forearm for a 2 count. Kawada Kicks to the face follow, until Bryan catches one and chops Ospreay. He uppercuts him a few times, and Ospreay kicks himself off of Bryan, then hits a hurricanrana. With Bryan on the floor, Ospreay hits a corkscrew moonsault from the top rope onto him, and he even lands on his feet in doing so!
Back in the ring, Ospreay hits an elbow to the back of the head, and he looks for the Hidden Blade, but Bryan kicks him away and targets the arm some more. Tiger Suplex hits beautifully, and Ospreay kicks out. Bryan drives his elbow into the traps of Ospreay, and he transitions from that to the Cattle Mutilation. Ospreay drags himself to the ropes to break the hold with his foot. Bryan snaps the arm off his shoulder, then hits a kick and chop combo in the corner.
Running dropkick connects, and Bryan places Ospreay on the top rope. He hits a hurricanrana from the top, but Ospreay lands on his feet! He asks Bryan for more, and gives him a Hook Kick. Tiger Driver connects, and Bryan is able to kick out. Ospreay goes to the top rope, and Bryan kicks him to a seated position. Bryan elbows Ospreay in the traps again, and he follows with a Tiger Suplex to the mat below! Ospreay clutches at his neck. Bryan makes the cover, and Ospreay gets his toes on the bottom rope.
Bryan with more kicks to the hurt arm and chest. Ospreay continues to sit up, and he seems like he wants more! Bryan slaps him, and Ospreay decks him with a nasty elbow to the head! Ospreay kicks him while he’s down, and punches at his exposed head. Ospreay looks for the Tiger Driver on the apron, but Bryan slips out and kicks his chest. Ospreay with an elbow to the knee, followed by a Hook Kick. He springboards off the middle rope with an Oscutter on the apron!
The referee checks on Bryan, and Ospreay dives off the apron with the Hidden Blade to the back of the head! Bryan just barely makes it back inside, but Ospreay is ready with a missile dropkick to the head! High stack powerbomb connects, and Bryan is able to kick out! Roundhouse kick and a superkick to the head, and Ospreay looks for the Oscutter, but Bryan catches him in the LeBell Lock! Ospreay lifts him up, and Bryan transitions to a guillotine. Ospreay escapes that, but Bryan hits La Mistica into the LeBell Lock!
Ospreay crawls as best as he can to the ropes, and Bryan grabs his free arm and pulls it behind him! Ospreay barely gets his leg on the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan with a series of roundhouse kicks to the chest, and one to the head. Bryan explodes out of the corner for the Busaiku Knee, but Ospreay catches him. Bryan reverses it into a hurricanrana roll up for a very close nearfall. Ospreay with a nearfall, and Bryan with another. Ospreay lands on his feet from a German Suplex, and Bryan manages to hit the Busaiku Knee! He covers, and Ospreay barely kicks out!
A deafening reaction from the fans, as Bryan says it’s time to kick his fucking head in. He grabs the wrists, and stomps on Ospreay’s jaw. He transitions into the LeBell Lock, but Ospreay takes top position and forearms Bryan right on the face. Ospreay takes a moment, and Bryan catches him in a Triangle Choke. Ospreay hits a short powerbomb, but Bryan won’t let go. He starts to elbow the top of his head. Ospreay lifts him up and connects with the Styles Clash!
They go head to head on the mat, and slowly make their way back to their feet. Ospreay with more Kawada Kicks, and Bryan just slaps the shit out of him. Regal Suplex connects from Bryan, but Ospreay lands on his feet, and he explodes with the Hidden Blade! He looks for the Oscutter, and Bryan counters with a Busaiku Knee to the back of the neck! The crowd are going bananas at this point. Nigel McGuinness calls it “Bushido Fighting Spirit.”
Bryan goes to one corner, and sets up for the Busaiku Knee. Ospreay goes to another, and removes his elbow pad for the Hidden Blade. They lock eyes, and charge each other like anime characters. Ospreay connects first with the Hidden Blade! He lifts Bryan up, and drills him with the Tiger Driver 91! The referee is calling for the ringside doctor, but Ospreay is too hyped to notice, as he drills Bryan with the Hidden Blade to the back of the head! He covers, and that’s enough for the win.
Post match, Ospreay realizes that Bryan might be hurt from the Tiger Driver, and he shows immediate remorse. He repeatedly checks on Bryan, along with the doctors and the referee. During the Dynasty post show conference, Ospreay vowed to retire the move, as it wasn’t worth using if it was going to hurt his opponents. Naturally, he’d bring it back at All In: London against resident prick MJF.
Sometimes, all it takes for a match to reach a certain level of greatness is having two guys just mesh well together. Here, that’s what happened. What this lacked in a great storyline, it made up for with some of the most thrilling in ring action ever seen in the United States. I won’t go as far as Dave Meltzer did when he called this the greatest match ever on American Soil. That honor, in my opinion, belongs to the Unbreakable 3 Way between AJ Styles, Samoa Joe & Christopher Daniels.
Is this still great, though? You’re damn right it is. I thought they told a fantastic story in the match, with Bryan working meticulously over Ospreay’s arm, while Ospreay was desperately trying to find a way to fight through Bryan’s torture-filled limb offense. As the match wore on, I think it came down to “who was going to hit the decisive blow first?” Both guys felt dead even as the match continued, and the sequences they put together was extraordinary.
My personal favorite in the match was the Regal Suplex/Hidden Blade/Oscutter/Busaiku Knee chain. It happened so fast, and so smoothly, that it couldn’t have gone down much better. Bryan was his usual self in this match – a general, a tactics fighter. Ospreay should be commended here for his selling, as he repeatedly went back to the arm when he used it. This definitely felt like one of the more grounded Will Ospreay matches, and that’s in large part to the realistic style that Bryan Danielson brings to the table.
The Anime standoff in the opposing corners was incredible. They’d built up so much steam in this match, with so many incredible back and forth counters, that it really did come down to that final shot, and Ospreay sold it like he’d won the damn World Cup. My only negative about this match, and I may be in the minority, is Bryan’s selling of the Tiger Driver 91. In hindsight, it worked, because it gave Ospreay this great story leading through the summer, where he fought with whether or not to use the move, and the payoff to that at All In: London was pulled off well.
In the moment, though, it took me out of the illusion of what I was seeing. I’d spent 30 plus minutes watching two gladiators put on an instant classic, and Bryan’s selling – which is fucking great, mind you – brought me back to reality, and it kind of ruined the illusion at the last second. I didn’t think it was needed during the match, even if it was in the final half minute. But even still, that’s just a personal preference, and I’m probably wrong anyway. This match fucking rules. Ospreay is wonderful, and Bryan is one of the greatest to ever do it. You don’t always need a crazy, elaborate storyline to stand out. Sometimes, all you need to do is just wrestle.