[2023-10-01-AEW Wrestledream] Bryan Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr

[Ma Stump Puller]

This was good. I think what's spoiled me on Zack matches is the fact that after watching so much of 80's UWF where the grappling is prolonged and focused around fairly basic holds and transitions, having these two breeze through whole sequences with next to no struggle is incredibly jarring to the point of distraction. There's one bit early where Zack has a double wrist lock in Bryan's half-guard and he just....lets it go after a few seconds as soon as Bryan applies the lightest of pressure to moving his leg. It's just really weird and doesn't really create much threat in the holds being placed, which is a tricky one for a match like this that was really honing around that factor. People kept saying this was the modern-day "Inoki vs Robinson" (including the commentary) despite that match being a 60-minute prolonged semi-legit/shoot struggle with tons of gritty moments. This had lots of that technical detail sprinkled in by comparison, but the pacing was very much aware of the fact that they couldn't drag this out too much lest the crowd lose interest, which you could notice from certain moments was starting to appear as the case whenever they slowed down. It also didn't really have those "oh shit" moments on the mat where someone would get a breakthrough and potentially maybe even snap or break whatever they were working, it was just kinda dragging itself along at a reasonable tempo; there are uncomfortable moments, but never a true match changing momentum switch. The comparison bar the obvious Inoki connotations doesn't really ring much true tbf, I could honestly see any big Inoki sell after a exhaustive back and forth as much, MUCH more cathartic than this. 

When I went back to the 2015 NOAH Zack/Ogawa match for reference (which is a very similar match to this one bar the finish as it consists of two well-oiled technical guys trying to figure out who is superior) I immediately seen more flush performances and a really great sell-job by Ogawa when his arm is being torn apart, which this didn't quite manage to muster despite the match functioning around respective bad limbs. Bryan felt more annoyed than actually to the point of tears and unmanly screams like Ogawa was, while Zack pretty much undersold for most of this despite generally being solid with specific leg spots. I still quite liked this through: Bryan is nifty on all ends and Zack while a bit too excited to run through sequences (can't blame the guy though, this is probably one of the biggest matches in his career) is still very crafty in how he presents himself as the inferior all-rounder in terms of wrestling ability, but a incredibly resourceful guy who knows how to get under someone's skin and make them commit to mistakes; the bit where he eggs Dragon on to throw with his shitty right arm and eats a few shots before firing a elbow right into the arm mid-shot was a fantastic spot that really reflected the duo's dynamic in a nutshell; Bryan's willing to commit everything to win regardless of how smart it is while Zack is equally willing to find any opportunity to sneak a victory out, even if that means being a huge dickhead in the process. His control spots were solid and he generally had a solid understanding of his role in the match here, which is always appreciated. The Dragon Screw spot (you know the one if you've watched the match) I think was a Ogawa spot he had actually done once or twice back when I was binging his NOAH material, so that was cool to see. Dude also stole the finish to the Kendo Kashin/Sakuraba match with the top rope double wrist lock counter (even up to Saku cranking the hold in by bringing the arm up!!!) crazy stuff. 

The top top Butterfly Suplex into Lebell Lock could've been a epic spot alongside Bryan rolling into it in response to the attempted counter, but the fact that the attempted hold lasted about a few seconds before they were off doing other stuff meant there was no real chance to process it much. The crowd were big for the actual spot, but the submission afterwards didn't really get much interest; quite telling. Bryan's kicks were cool. His weird elbows to the chest through? No thanks. Them doing some goofy ahh slaps in a figure-four? Ehhh maybe not that either. Honestly if this had more of that stand-up stuff where Bryan was just hammering the leg with straight kicks I feel that would've got a much more visceral reaction, especially if it was hammered in more that Zack couldn't do a whole lot about it bar eat shots and hope for the best, instead they did commit to some ho-hum generic strike exchanges that while entertaining didn't feel appropriate for the level of pain the two were apparently in. Apart from that the last third was probably when the match started to get really solid because the two respected fatigue and the motions felt more laboured and desperate. Had that been the pacing for this bar a quick start I'd be way more interested in a match like this all things considered.

If this match had half of the reversals and doubled the length of the ones you'd have left over, I'd say this could've been really good. Alas what we did get felt like a limited version of what these two could really do with no real expectations behind them, and the grappling of the match felt less of the critical part moving things forward and more of a formality that never really took centre stage. This needed that moment of pure grit to make it really legit at least and I felt like that never truly happened here. Having a potential rematch in Japan with the implication of Bryan truly beating Zack on the mat is definitely something I'm very looking forward to seeing, however, because I think the two can really have a fantastic outing if they committed to it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EnviousStupid]

I get the feeling that there's more to appreciate here in theory or in the conscious decisions made throughout the match. I can only recall one rope break being used - with Danielson immediately being called a coward for it - and from then on relying on moves like stomps, Busaiku Knees and a Regal-plex that aren't based in the style of wrestling they were trying to emulate prior. Moreover, neither man exited to the outside at any point, threw a closed-fist punch, or did much in the way of conventional pro wrestling spots. These kinds of details I think are worth note, but like @Ma Stump Puller I also found a lot of the grappling and counters to be very weightless and lacking the effort of making moments feel memorable after happening. Commentary mentioning Inoki/Robinson also made me want to watch that over this. Felt too much like it was worked as an exhibition of what elaborate holds they can string together whilst being very co-operative with each other, a stark contrast to many of Inoki's older matches.