Of all the recent AEW signings, Bryan Danielson might be the most exciting. It has been a long time since we were able to see Danielson wrestle outside of the WWE system. He had some all-time classic matches in WWE, but he has always had another level.
After debuting at All Out, Danielson said he is in AEW to goddamn wrestle. He also said he wants to see if The Elite really is what they claim to be, Elite.
This is all the fuel needed to get the dream match machine humming and man are there lots of them. Let’s take a look, shall we?
These are 12 AEW dream matches for Bryan Danielson.
12. Chris Jericho
I tried to go with a theme for this list. If Danielson had wrestled someone in the past in a big match, they would be left off the list. However, if they only ever had a throwaway TV match, they are fair game.
One such person is Chris Jericho. Jericho was Danielson’s first opponent on NXT back in 2010 and immediately knew how talented Danielson was. Since then they have only had one singles match, a nothing match on Raw in 2013.
Jericho has been on one of the best runs of his career since arriving in AEW and Danielson has never had a big main event match with him.
It seems like Jericho is crossing things off his wrestling bucket list at this point and I would be shocked if a big match with Bryan Danielson isn’t on it.
11. Andrade El Idolo
Bryan Danielson and Andrade El Idolo wrestled a pair of matches on SmackDown in 2018. If they can’t do better than a couple of throwaway SmackDown matches now I would be surprised.
Andrade has yet to have a blowaway since arriving in AEW. Of course, I will likely have to update this after his match with PAC on Rampage but nevertheless.
Danielson wants to wrestle the best in the world and for years Andrade showed he was one of them. He needs to find that spark again and you won’t find a better opponent than Danielson to do it with.
10. Sammy Guevara
Bryan Danielson has said he is not looking to mentor young stars in AEW, he just wants to kick their heads off. One young star who could be on the receiving end of one of those kicks is Sammy Guevara.
Guevara has greatly come into his own as a babyface in 2021, having great matches with MJF ans Shawn Spears. He could be someone to take a big step towards the main event scene soon and Danielson would be an ideal opponent for him.
They can both work fast and agile, and Guevara is as good a wrestler as anyone. If they want to grapple, he can grapple, if he wants to fly, he can fly. There is nothing he can’t do in the ring. Sounds like the kind of opponent Danielson is seeking.
9. MJF
Enough cannot be said about MJF as a heel. He has transcended the top tier of modern wrestling heels and created his own tier. With that in mind, how does a promo battle against top babyface Bryan Danielson sound? Pretty good if you ask me.
MJF is a perfect wrestler in 2021 with the in-ring ability to hang with anyone. With a more old-school style than most, he and Danielson would tear it up together.
A match sounds great but a proper rivalry with a long narrative and multiple promos would be magical.
8. Ricky Starks
AEW has a number of young hot babyfaces but they also have some young up-and-coming heels. Enter FTW World Champion Ricky Starks.
Starks has loads of talent on the mic and in the ring and his character has an attitude that could use a kick in the head. AEW seems to like to put new talent in with Team Taz to prop up the stable with big matches. This would be an exciting way to do that.
Starks has held his own in matches against many of AEW’s top stars but a match with Bryan Danielson would be a different kind of test. If you can hang with Danielson you can hang with anyone.
7. Darby Allin
Coming off a loss to the debuting CM Punk, Darby Allin will need to find some momentum again.
Allin is still massively popular, especially with kids, and AEW is clearly prepared to push him to the moon. With his stock boosted from a big match with Punk, maybe Allin can keep that energy with a match against Bryan Danielson.
Allin has definitely been a standout of the first few years of AEW’s existence. His matches have been good and his presentation is new and engaging. Now with a new crop of signings having arrived, Allin can show why he is still a top star in AEW.
6. Rey Fenix
I mean, it’s goddamn Rey Fenix innit? There is a serious argument you could make that Fenix is the best in-ring performer in the world.
His matches are fantastic, consistently putting on classics with the likes of Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks. His attention may be on the tag division at the moment so Danielson may need to find himself a partner for such a match but that sounds good too.
A singles match between Danielson and Fenix may not end up on pay-per-view but you can rest assured they would steal the show on any episode of Dynamite or Rampage that is lucky to have this match.
5. Jungle Boy
It seems every star who signs in AEW wants to wrestle Jungle Boy. His talent is undeniable and his likeability is infectious.
A classic babyface, Jungle Boy has the talent and the good looks to be the top star in the promotion. As he continues to test himself against main eventers, a match with Bryan Danielson would be a must.
Something about the styles of these two men just seem like they would mesh perfectly. Jungle Boy is on his way up the card and with Danielson entering at a very high level, this would be a hell of a test for young Jungle Boy Jack.
4. Malakai Black
The fact that Bryan Danielson and Malakai Black never wrestled in WWE is booking malpractice.
Both excellent strikers and grapplers, these two wrestlers are almost a mirror image of each other. They throw tons of kicks and can work you down with submissions. One just happens to be demonic and the other eco-friendly.
This match only happened one time in wXw back in 2010 but now it is time to bring it to the masses. Give them any reason to fight then stand back and watch them go.
3. Hangman Page
Should Bryan Danielson ever decide to go heel, there is one top babyface that should be his rival. Everyone’s favorite anxious Millenial cowboy, Hangman Page.
Page has transformed himself into the most over babyface in the promotion and he has done it through incredible amounts of character work. Page is almost certainly earmarked for a run as AEW World Champion and a title match against Danielson in the future is mouthwatering.
Another star with a hybrid style of old-school and new-school, Page’s style would likely mesh perfectly with Danielson’s.
Personally, this is the match on this list I want to see the most.
2. PAC
PAC debuted on Raw the same night Bryan Danielson suffered the concussion that put his career on hold. By the time Danielson returned to the ring, PAC had walked out of WWE just months earlier. Like ships passing in the night.
PAC and Danielson have wrestled on a Ring of Honor show in 2007 but so much time has passed it is a fresh match again.
Danielson wants to face the best and PAC unquestionably falls under that category. PAC is one of the most explosive and dynamic performers in all of wrestling and has had the best singles matches of many AEW stars time with the company.
If he and Danielson are given a platform and plenty of time, this is an easy match of the year contender.
1. Kenny Omega
It had to be Kenny Omega, didn’t it? Every AEW dream match list starts with Kenny Omega. He is the Best Bout Machine after all.
Judging by Danielson’s first AEW Dynamite appearance, we may not have to wait long to see this match. For years, fans of WWE, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling craved this match.
During his time in Ring of Honor, Danielson was the Best Bout Machine. He didn’t label himself as such but those who saw his work know it to be true. Now, Danielson will be stepping out of his WWE cacoon for the first time in over a decade.
He wants to test The Elite to see if they live up to their name and the best of the best is Omega. This has the potential to be the biggest match in AEW history and if all goes right, an all-time classic.
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