AEW Dynasty Match Review: 23 April 2024
A match showcasing wrestling at its finest
AEW has knocked my socks off this week. This Dynasty match between Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson may be the greatest match I have ever seen. Huge call, I know, but seriously, the wrestling in this match was insane. Well done to AEW for this knockout.
This event was held in St Louis, Missouri, and damn, these people seem to love their wrestling. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a crowd that hectic, because the cheering, chanting and enthusiasm was on a different level. People in these parts know how to have a great time! It was fantastic to see the event so packed out too.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
Ospreay is the best high-flier in the world, and Danielson is the best technical wrestler in the world, so obviously combining the two in the same ring was bound to create some magic. I just didn’t expect how much magic would happen. There didn’t seem to be a moment for either of the wrestlers to catch a breath, with constant grappling and persistent moves being thrown in either direction. Ospreay in particular was in fine form with his usual gymnastic skills, some of which literally seemed to be superhuman.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
Props to Danielson too, because the way he manoeuvred Ospreay in and out of different holds was a true show of why he is such a legend in professional wrestling. Even Ospreay commented after the match that he used to idolise Danielson, so getting to share a ring with someone of such legendary status would have been an absolutely amazing moment.
It was an interesting ending for the match, however, as Ospreay used one of his finishers, the Tiger Drive 91, on Danielson, but seemed to land him on his neck. This caused what looked like a painful injury for Danielson, but unfortunately Ospreay missed the ref calling the doctor over, and in that moment ended up pinning him for the count.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
As Ospreay was trying to celebrate his win, you could see he was super worried about his opponent, and kept checking to make sure he was okay. Even at the press conference, Ospreay said it put a dampener on the win, because he felt so bad about the situation. Thankfully, it was revealed that Danielson is okay and that he was just playing it up for the show, so Ospreay can breathe and enjoy his victory more now. Considering Danielson took a few years out for a neck injury a while back, it had everyone worried for a second there!
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
On an unrelated note, I should do a quick shout-out to Swerve Strickland, who was crowned the first African-American AEW World Championship holder ever. It was brilliant to see his accomplishments be celebrated and also great to see more diversity represented on stage.
I give this match 6 (yep, you read that right) out of 5 stars:
+
