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[2021-12-15-AEW-Dynamite] Adam Page vs Bryan Danielson


ShittyLittleBoots

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Adam Page defends his AEW World Championship.

The most cliche compliment one could give to a 60-minute broadway is that it never feels like it's going one hour, and such was the case here, so I'm saying it! This did not, in any way, feel its length. The work is extremely compelling right from the get go with a really nice dynamic between the two. The highest of highs that this match reach are in Danielson's big work on top; he is punishing with his onslaught towards Hangman's mid-section & arm, and later on the cut on his forehead. All absolutely WONDERFUL stuff. Page was good too throughout-- off the top of my head I can't recall any performances of his that I would put above this one, but to be fair, he was in there with the greatest wrestler of all-time who delivered a legendary performance, so I don't know does that, in fact, have more to do with that. A top-2 MOTY for me. ****1/2

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  • 3 months later...

This match was about the journey of Adam Page. I’ve always liked Page but felt he had a potential that he hadn’t quite reached, whether that’d be due to questionable booking or match length. Here, he was on point in athleticism, emotion, and selling. 

The early portion of the match sees Bryan playing mind games and working over Page’s mid-section. It was a nagging injury for Page, as he’d often grab his ribs after taking a knee or a kitchen sink from Bryan. The true highlight of the match comes after Page takes a wicked bump by flipping off the top rope and landing on the apron, at which point Bryan hones in on the arm. Too often, apron bumps are used as transitional moves, but they felt like potential match-enders here. They later return to the arm work when Page misses a dive and comes crashing through a table on the outside. Eventually, Page gets a gusher by headbutting the post. The match slows down briefly, but this is where Danielson’s heel work shines, as he belittles the crowd and does jumping jacks. Bryan works over the cut with nasty uppercuts and elbows. 

Eventually, Danielson’s overconfidence comes back to bite him, and he kicks the post. Page’s leg work is gruesome, as he places Danielson’s leg in the guard rail and kicks it. Bryan doing one-legged jumping jacks to sell the leg damage from early on is just another reason he’s the G.O.A.T. The match escalates with Bryan kicking Page’s head in, but Page gets payback by landing some stomps of his own. The bad guy getting his comeuppance after acting so self-assured is quintessential pro wrestling. After a back-and-forth flurry, Page hits the Buckshot, but Danielson rolls out of the way and time expires. This felt like a more natural progression than the end of Bryan’s match with Kenny Omega, as he merely survived. 

Intrigue, intensity, emotion, and a sense of struggle; everything you could want out of a main event title match.

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