2024: The Final Countdown
- Recommended Matches Roundup #41 - February 7, 2025
- Recommended Matches Roundup #40 - January 31, 2025
- Recommended Matches Roundup #39: Best of 2024 Edition - December 30, 2024
2024 marks the end of Bryan Danielson’s full-time career as a professional wrestler. Letting go of something you love is hard. I’d imagine it’s even more difficult for someone who has spent nearly 25 years perfecting his craft. But all good things must come to an end.
In many ways, Danielson’s 2024 and 2015 aren’t dissimilar. He’s spoken openly about his lingering neck issues, which previously forced him to retire. And yet, the difference is that 2024 feels like a time when Danielson got to live out his dreams and go out on his terms. From facing the legendary Blue Panther to battling Swerve Strickland on AEW’s grandest stage, Danielson has felt like the most fully fleshed-out version of The American Dragon.
The gravity of Danielson’s impending retirement didn’t hit me until the weeks leading up to All In London. Here I was, potentially less than a month out from my favorite wrestler of all time hanging up the boots. I began to reflect on Danielson’s career and what he’s meant to me personally. I’ve likely seen a fraction of Danielson’s work compared to my contemporaries on Violent People, having just started watching wrestling in 2010 when Bryan signed with WWE. However, the impact his characters had on me was immeasurable.
I immediately gravitated to Danielson. Something about a goofy yet skilled maroon-clad wrestler taking the world by storm with his matches captivated me. In no small part, Danielson was the impetus for me seeking out independent wrestling. I heard whispers of his time in Ring of Honor and rushed to YouTube, where I watched his contests against Takeshi Morishima and Nigel McGuinness. I became a regular ROH viewer, eventually branching out to promotions like NJPW.
Even when I wasn’t watching much wrestling from 2016 to 2020, I’d go out of my way to seek out Danielson’s work. That I’d do so speaks volumes about his ability to connect with an audience. While not all of Danielson’s recent matches have hit the way I’d perhaps have liked them to, I always felt like he put a lot of thought and care into each performance. So, to capture the essence of Danielson’s year, I’ll look at two of my favorite bouts he had in 2024.
Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther (CMLL – Super Viernes, 4/5/2024):
There’s something uniquely charming about Bryan Danielson and Blue Panther messing around on the mat. While this is just that, an extended riff session, it’s as captivating as most matches with a larger narrative hook. Part of that is due to Panther’s innate charisma and likeability. The other is that there’s so much weight behind everything Panther and Danielson do. Look no further than Danielson constantly adjusting his positioning to prevent Panther from escaping a hold early on. The chain wrestling is mechanically excellent. I don’t think Panther and Danielson let go of each other for the first six minutes.
With the crowd heavily favoring Panther, Danielson leans into his rudo persona. That extends to little moments like Danielson mockingly doing the “Yes!” chants as he ascends for a sunset flip or jaw-jacking with the fans before suplexing Panther over the barricade. Conversely, Panther is the consummate técnico. Every feat of strength from Panther, like a Gory Especial, is met by a boisterous reaction from the Arena Mexico faithful.
Danielson takes too much time admiring his handiwork, making it even sweeter when Panther suplexes him over the ropes to set up his signature cannonball off the apron. Every submission feels earned, and it’s a momentous occasion when Danielson or Panther either applies one successfully or escapes it. Danielson didn’t come to Mexico to get shown up, nor is the legendary Panther planning on losing on his home turf. It’s in the little details like Danielson fighting Panther’s El Nudo Lagunero attempts by grabbing his hands, where the match truly shines.
Danielson catches Panther in a modified armbar. But out of arrogance, or perhaps respect, he releases the hold. Panther tries to keep the fight clean, whereas Danielson looks for shortcuts. Danielson stealing La Silla might be the best rudo moment I’ve seen this year. He pays for it immediately when Panther recovers faster and lands a stage dive.
There’s a caveat to all of this. Danielson and Panther keep forgetting it’s a submission match and continue to go for pinfalls. I also don’t love the finish. Danielson paying for his conceits by going to the “Yes!” chants one too many times and tapping to an armbar from Panther would have been the ideal finish. But the referee signaled that Danielson didn’t tap despite it looking like he did, and Panther got trapped in a Lebell Lock in all the confusion. Despite those moments, I’m glad we got this match at least once. It is an utter masterclass from two of the greats.
Bryan Danielson vs. Jeff Jarrett (AEW – Dynamite, 8/7/2024):
I adore how this match plays off the relationship Danielson and Jarrett have cultivated in recent weeks. For weeks, Jarrett has cautioned Danielson about the dangers of facing Swerve Strickland, warning him to prepare for anything. But in conveying the gravity of the situation to Danielson, Jarrett allows his emotions to overwhelm him. He attacks Bryan immediately, nailing him from behind with his signature guitar.
There’s a lingering sense of resentment from Jarrett, having had his shot at competing on the biggest stage in AEW stolen from him by Adam Page weeks prior. Jarrett’s offense is petty and mean-spirited. He takes Danielson into the concessions area, punching him in the head and using the nearby trash can as a weapon. Jarrett goes to the well one too many times and pays for it dearly when he gets suplexed into the trash can.
Danielson makes good use of the Steamboat rule, fitting with “The Dragon” as the special guest for this match. A fan offering Danielson a bag of popcorn as the fight spills back into the arena and Bryan throwing it in Jarrett’s face is a fantastic bit of improvisational offense. Everything Jarrett does is gritty and grungy, from hitting a low blow to throwing a chair at Danielson’s knee.
Danielson flipping off the top rope, only to crumble to the mat due to the bad knee, and power through to start his comeback feels like a happy accident. He may still be able to strike, but he pays for it almost immediately when Jarrett returns to the bum wheel. Jarrett introducing a chair, only to get his comeuppance, becomes a recurring theme in the final act. He wraps Danielson’s knee in the chair and goes to the top rope, only to get hit with a spider German suplex. Jarrett then attempts a figure four, and Danielson uses the chair to break the hold.
The finish is particularly cathartic. Jarrett signals that it’s over, only to get run into the turnbuckles, and Danielson uses the chair he placed in the corner to hit a Busaiku Knee and seal the deal. In essence, it’s Jarrett paying for his hubris. Beyond telling a tale of morality without any of the melodrama that can accompany it, this match feels like a genuine accomplishment. It’s among the best of the year.
Not many people get to say they went out at the top of their game, but Bryan Danielson sure can. Whether it was his fiery, passionate promos or his heartstring-pulling matches, Danielson always captured the imaginations of his fans. If 2024 is the final countdown, Danielson went out at his best. There will never be another wrestler like the American Dragon.