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, we will focus on the upcoming AEW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals match as “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson goes one-on-one with “The Wizard” Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite.
Despite the backstage drama that unfolded and overshadowed everything that happened at AEW All Out (2022), we saw this past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite how the company is distancing itself completely from the drama and focusing on what really matters most: pro wrestling! With that said, we will see a rematch from All Out featuring “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson versus Chris Jericho on Dynamite. These two men tore the house down at All Out. Will they be able to replicate that same magic on Dynamite? Let’s take a closer look!
Danielson vs. Jericho, AEW Dynamite: At a Glance
Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson are no strangers to each other. They wrestled each other in WWE during the early incarnation of the NXT brand (2010). On paper, we knew this match would be a classic but never reached its full potential on WWE television, leaving us wrestling fans craving for more. Unfortunately, we never got another match or a feud between Jericho and Danielson. Both went their separate ways in WWE, but would eventually find their way to All Elite Wrestling in the years to come.
Fast forward to the present day. We had an ongoing rivalry pitting the Jericho Appreciation Society (JAS) versus The Blackpool Combat Club (BCC). Between these two factions having a bloodbath at Double or Nothing (Street Fight) and the “Blood & Guts” match on Dynamite, each team got their respective victories over each other. The feud would simmer down, as two of its members; Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson would find each other in a feud. To make things interesting, Daniel Garcia, who is a young wrestling prodigy whom Chris Jericho has taken under his wing, found himself torn between sticking with the “Sports Entertainers” or following his own path.
Bryan Danielson defeated Daniel Garcia in a barnburner of a contest on Dynamite. This led to a respectful handshake and a round of applause by the fans, as they wanted to see Garcia drift away from the Jericho Appreciation Society. Garcia found himself in quite a situation, not knowing what he should do next. After the segments that would follow with Jericho and the rest of the JAS, we saw the seeds planted that would show Garcia seriously thinking about leaving JAS.
As this was happening, a match between Jericho and Danielson was booked for All Out. Jericho would once again resurrect his “Lionheart” Chris Jericho gimmick, reminding fans that he hasn’t lost a step and can still “go” at the same level he once did over thirty years ago in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, respectively.
These two wrestling legends absolutely delivered on all cylinders with a match that was (arguably) the best match on the entire show. After roughly twenty-five minutes of some intense, pulse-pounding action, “Lionheart” got the victory after knocking “The American Dragon” out cold with the Judas Effect (Spinning Back Elbow) to get the pinfall victory.
Jericho would get a “bye” into the Semi-Finals of the AEW World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Danielson picked up a big victory over former AEW World Champion “Hangman” Page to advance to the semi-finals to challenge Jericho. The match is scheduled to take place next week on the September 14 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Predictions:
Given the match these two men had at All Out, I am very much excited to see these two back inside the ring one more time on Dynamite. I hope they’re given the allotted time to tell another great story inside the ring and build on the canvas that was beautifully painted at the pay-per-view. I’m predicting that Danielson will even the odds and pick up the win over Jericho to advance to the finals.
To take things a step further, I’m predicting that Danielson will become the new AEW World Heavyweight Champion! Danielson is more than ready to carry the torch for AEW and would be the perfect candidate to lead AEW out of the darkness clouded by controversy and egos.
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 important 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 Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. In addition, AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday.
