[2024-10-12-AEW-WrestleDream] Bryan Danielson vs Jon Moxley

[ShittyLittleBoots]

Aka the death of the American Dragon. Lots of feelings about this one, given it is my favorite wrestler of all-time in a retirement-type match. I loved it. It is crushing in the best ways possible. You just know he is gonna get decimated by Moxley by the end of it, but come on, Dragon doesn't go down without a fight. It is a beautiful, classic babyface performance by the greatest ever. Moxley is also absolutely superb in his current role - he comes off as such a menacing, vicious, dangerous man. Upped the violence brilliantly with his offense. There's a few moments by him that I think fall a bit flat (the bulldog choke is the biggest example), but overall he was brilliant. Him countering Bryan's dive attempt into a Death Rider on the floor was a legitimate "OH NO" holy-shit-spot. The ending is absolutely soul-destroying. Beautiful sadness. As of now, there's no guarantees on what this REALLY means for Danielson's pro-wrestling future -- meaning that there's no official word on if he will ever wrestle again, but given the billing, it is an absolutely beautiful way to end his career as a full-time pro wrestler. ****3/4