Match Point is an ongoing series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. In this edition, James Staynings will focus on AEW All In’s main event and its high-stakes, career-altering stakes: Swerve Strickland vs. Bryan Danielson.
It’s All So Calm
We’re heading to Wembley for the biggest event of AEW’s year. Whatever the final turnstile count, whatever trends or news breaks before and during the event, one certainty seems set.
Bryan Danielson is content. Whatever the outcome, The American Dragon is satisfied and at peace.
For some fans, that is understandable to an extent, but it has made the build underwhelming. This may be the end of Danielson’s full-time career.
Does the man himself not understand the magnitude of that?
Does one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, a man who found a way against hope and expectations to work within Vince McMahon’s WWE system and main evented WrestleMania not get that he should be fired up? Breathing fire and making this feel like the most important contest of his life?
The idea that Danielson can and has been his worst enemy in this build is valid. Especially when you judge The Blackpool Combat Club man against history and previous wrestlers who stared retirement in the face.
Historically, it wasn’t that long ago that Sting retired (Match Point for Sting’s retirement match here). Even at the end of that match, The Icon remained ageless.
And yet, as the build and presentation of Danielson goes, I can’t think of a more authentic way of presenting a wrestler who defied stereotypes his entire career. Danielson has never been a traditional wrestler.
Danielson, like Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, broke free from creative obstacles and poor booking. Danielson crawled through politics with his principles intact to become a main eventer in WWE.
The man’s authenticity and independence made him beloved. He’s an icon without the face paint or bravado.
Why change the habit of a lifetime now at the very end?
Does Bryan Danielson Still Want This?
Danielson’s arc is multi-layered. First, fulfilling the promise The American Dragon made when he arrived in AEW – to win championships.
Another is Bryan’s desire to end his career with a monumental win on PPV. If this had been any other wrestler, they would have been seething.
Bubbling with frustration and shouting down the camera about what’s next. That difference in mood is clear, even compared to matches and feuds earlier this year.
Against Eddie Kingston, Danielson’s “bullying” side, mind-games, repeatedly verbal shots aimed at Kingston’s insecurities. In-ring, being a relentless sadist happy to stamp people’s heads in.
That was a different dragon. This conscious choice to focus on whether Danielson is fully committed and mentally ready for this potential end of his full-time career does add unpredictability.
AEW has rightly been criticized for signposting match endings. Even with Will Ospreay vs. Strickland at Forbidden Door, the foreshadowing that Ospreay was working next with MJF killed the suspense for some.
Some have said Danielson’s unselfishness, particularly in interviews where he has openly said in the past that he did not want the championship, has undermined the outcome. On a tangent, it presents the Dragon as the antithesis of stereotypical top guys like Hulk Hogan.
I imagine when Danielson learns he is going to win he says: “That doesn’t work for me, brother.” Then Tony Khan spends hours convincing Danielson to take a win.
The use of Jeff Jarrett as a vehicle for fans’ feelings, along with Kingston’s comments on Collision has made this the central tension. Does Danielson still want this?
Or is Danielson in his own head and already lost? If so, Danielson’s head will be kicked in.
This Is Swerve’s House
Concerns about the AEW World Championship reign of Strickland were eased at Forbidden Door, which featured the match many expected to main event All In. Last week, I discussed how the victory over Ospreay and Strickland’s general performance and growth into the role as the world champion has pushed aside the post-chase blues (read here).
If Danielson’s mind is unfocused, from the moment the match was made official, Strickland has had his target in his crosshairs like a sniper. Strickland, who slips into the role of the bad guy, is justified as he was against “Hangman” Adam Page, in that nothing is off-limits to secure his rightful place.
AEW is Swerve’s house. The results have proved this.
Strickland has captured victories where Danielson could not. Against The Elite, against Ospreay.
Strickland is at his peak. Strickland is ready to put a legend down.
The motivation is there. Strickland doesn’t forget and owes Danielson a receipt after The Dragon beat him last year for a shot at the TNT Championship.
Unlike Ospreay (whose Tiger Drive 91 injured Danielson’s neck to the point he required surgery), Strickland is not going to hesitate if it means putting Danielson in a wheelchair or in the ground. History has shown he doesn’t care about someone else’s kids.
Such a victory would be the biggest of Strickland’s career. Many are already predicting that Strickland will retain and face Page in a rematch at All Out.
Some have even said Page should be facing Strickland at Wembley. Yet, creatively, there is more to Page’s relapse story (which I’ve discussed here) to come before Page is again the world champion.
At the same time, with Page in the wings ready to face Strickland, does that rematch necessarily need the championship at this stage?
Still, It’s Farewell?
It is hard to call who will win this match. Especially because, with either man as world champion, the potential for big headline feuds going into the summer and beyond is there.
Danielson or Strickland vs. Darby Allin at Grand Slam could be huge.
Danielson has said this will be his last wrestling contract. That contract has ended.
If some fans seriously think Danielson is jumping back to WWE, like the rumors that the Lucha Brothers (whose AEW careers I’ve written a retrospective of here) will, they miss something else the man has said. AEW has been the company where The American Dragon has had the most fun and he believes AEW’s existence is good for the wrestling business.
When he is finished, Danielson will be done with wrestling full-time. The potential Danielson returns as a part-timer or for special attraction bouts is high.
There is still a long list of opponents in AEW, NJPW, and elsewhere that fans would love to see against The American Dragon. Many expect Danielson to do the honors in his final match.
It’s easy but true to say Danielson has been extremely giving throughout his AEW career by allowing wrestlers to pin and go over him. But then, why not subvert the expectations?
WrestleDream will once again be in Seattle, Washington. Danielson’s home state and also where Danielson had to retire the first time due to injury.
All In might be the biggest show but, from a business and historical standpoint, like with Sting, wouldn’t it be better to end things where they began? If Danielson wins, the reign will be finite.
Is a rematch in Seattle wishful thinking? Is our desire to see Danielson hold the championship one last time a wish that AEW can fulfill?
Yes!
The Match Itself
This is not Danielson and Strickland’s first match. Beyond the difference being the build and stakes, Strickland has evolved into a different athlete from their first encounter.
Having gained weight to fit the expectations of a world champion, Strickland might be bigger but has retained his slick offense while flying off the ropes and through the air. During last year’s All In, there were multiple times when myself and other fans were off our feet during the main event.
There were points where we stood tall just to ensure we didn’t miss the details and story between the moves. With Danielson’s psychology and technical prowess and Strickland’s uniqueness and adaptability, I’m anticipating that we’ll be leaving the ground.
Both men will take flight like rockets into the stratosphere. AEW’s 2024 PPV main events, including those involving Strickland, have hit that nirvana-like ecstasy for AEW fans.
Likewise, we want this match to take us into space. Then maybe to come back to Earth, eventually.
Whether the final countdown ends Sunday, or it stretches out a few more months, two things feel certain after Sunday. First, Danielson, on one of the biggest stages in wrestling history and at one of the most iconic venues in the world is going, will give it his all.
The second… Things will never be the same again.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube
