Best In The World? Look No Further Than Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson makes latest claim as best wrestler in the world

If you’re wondering who the best wrestler in the world is at the current moment, watch the Bryan Danielson-Zack Sabre Jr. match this past weekend.

This was spectacular. It was the crown jewel of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s The New Beginning in Osaka, and that alone is high praise as the card also featured Kazuchika Okada against Hirsohi Tanahashi for the last time (for now) and an outstanding cage match main event that ended with David Finlay finally pinning Will Ospreay.

Personally, I enjoyed the final three matches more than anything on last month’s Wrestle Kingdom card. That was largely due to the Danielson-Sabre encounter. The two delivered animosity, tension, and brilliant wrestling–both a technical masterpiece with some intense brawling–in a memorable 32-minute affair that saw Sabre walk away victorious.

For better and worse, these two are headed in opposite directions. The positive to that is Sabre seems like he is on a trajectory to become IWGP world heavyweight champion. New Japan is losing genuine stars in Okada and Ospreay, so the time is right to elevate Sabre. He has the look, presence, cuts excellent promos, and his in-ring work, obviously, is elite.

Yet there is a tinge of sadness to every Danielson performance, especially when they are this sensational. Knowing that he is planning to retire (and yes, that term should be used loosely in pro wrestling), it is hard to imagine the industry once again having to move on without him.

Danielson delivers big matches like no one else, and that was on display against Sabre. There was one particular instance where the two had each other locked in dueling kneebars, and they began open-hand slapping, kicking, and trash-talking one another–with some spit thrown in for good measure.

This was the fourth match between the two men, and each has now won twice. If there is a fifth match, then this summer in London at Wembley Stadium would make a great venue.

Pro wrestling part of the Super Bowl

Last night’s Super Bowl was not without connections to our beloved world of pro wrestling.

Sporting a mullet, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had a memorable Super Bowl ad.

And Austin was not alone. During the same commercial break, Jade Cargill made a cameo in the Mountain Dew ad:

Earlier in the night, WWE went to YouTube to post its WrestleMania teaser trailer:

And if you were scrolling through Twitter during the game, perhaps you came across this one post–posted by a classmate from high school–that brought a smile to my face:

AEW active in the free agent market

If AEW lands Mercedes Moné, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada, then it is a positive for pro wrestling.

Ospreay has already signed with AEW. It will be a shock if Moné does not debut in March at the Dynamite in Boston. And if AEW also lands Okada, it shows the power of the young company.

It will be fascinating to see how much those three will impact AEW ratings and ticket sales. Beyond that, there will be even more reason to watch AEW programming every week. Okada and Ospreay could potentially headline the Wembley Stadium this summer. There is no doubt in my mind that Moné will headline a pay-per-view (and hopefully multiple ones). The three are cornerstones for any promotion, and it is especially exciting that all three are headed to AEW.

Competition in wrestling is always a positive. That remains the case with AEW, which is proving it has the resources to compete with any wrestling promotion in the world.