While All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has seen plenty of controversy in recent weeks, the pro wrestling promotion put on one of its best shows of the year on Sunday with the AEW Dynasty pay-per-view. And while it wasn’t the main event, one of the show’s primary attractions came in the form of a dream match between Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay, which lived up to the hype — and then some.
So much so that Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that when it comes to professional wrestling matches that have taken place in the United States, there likely hasn’t been a better one.
“These two guys, they gelled at a level that you very rarely see,” the longtime wrestling insider said while reviewing the match on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It was probably the best match ever in the United States. I cannot come up with a match in the United States that, man, I can’t come up with a match in the United States that I can compare it to… this match was just a different level. And the crowd knew it.”
To Meltzer’s point, the crowd in St. Louis was certainly hot, which only added to the highly anticipated dream match. Danielson — formerly known as Daniel Bryan in WWE — is unanimously viewed as one of the greatest technical professional wrestlers of all time, while Ospreay is considered one of the best professional wrestlers today, which resulted in an action-packed 32-minute classic between the two stars with Ospreay emerging victorious.
As for where it ranks historically, the best match in United States history — according to Meltzer’s five-star scale — was previously a bout between Ric Flair and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at a WCW show in Landover, Maryland, in 1989, which he gave six stars. Presumably, Meltzer will give Ospreay vs. Danielson at least six stars, with his highest rated match ever being the 2018 New Japan Pro Wrestling bout between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada, which he rated seven stars.
Obviously, Meltzer’s star ratings are just one man’s opinion of a highly subjective artform, but the consensus seems to be that Danielson vs. Ospreay was, in fact, an all-time match. The well received pay-per-view couldn’t have come at a better time for AEW, as it looks to build momentum while continuing to negotiate its next media rights deal.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.