AEW (in NJPW) Five Fingers of Death 2/12 - 2/18

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. NJPW 2/11/24

MD: Longer matches are not intrinsically better; most times the opposite is at play. There is the possibility for more complexity with more time however (which is exactly why the opposite is so often at play; there's a responsibility not just to have long equal more, though all too often, matches are not properly punished for failing to meet that responsibility). Which is a roundabout way of saying that there was a lot to keep track of here. Moreover, there were a lot of bits that could have multiple readings. Sabre's a guy who was praised early, too early in mind, when he was still a tribute act and hadn't put it all together, but that was years ago and he's connected dots more or less since then. It took me a while to catch up to him, though, and I'm still not as familiar as I could be. That means that there are certain things here that I am not as comfortable attributing as I might normally be. But we'll get to that in a moment.

The first ten minutes of this were the two of them throwing every hold they had at one another. In their last match, much like a big chunk of his 2023, Danielson wrestled reactively. He drew Sabre in, let Sabre take the initiative, and then countered. Here, there was none of that. He was aggressive, pushing forward with a fluid, lithe stance, and trying hold after hold after hold. Three possible readings there. The first is that he was the invading aggressor, as Sabre had been at WrestleDream, and acted accordingly. The second is that he knew how good Sabre was now and wasn't going to give him the chance to take the initiative. The third, and this is the one I like the best, is that he's still recovering from getting stretched and twisted by Hechicero and he came in with a chip on his shoulder. You can add in the fact Kingston so recently beat him and Sabre's taunts about how fragile he was (which, like the other two preceding elements, has a hint of truth to it). Maybe it's even a combination of all of the above, but those are a lot of strands to keep track of to explain a wrestler's actions and reactions in a 30+ minute match.  What I loved about this opening stretch is that neither felt confident with any of their holds in the face of the skill of their opponent. This quick shifting had a real lucha matwork feel to it despite the actual holds being done not being those typical for such a thing, either in choice or execution. You have to suspend your disbelief with those lucha opening stretches sometimes, have to just assume that the maestros know what will and won't work and the cost and price to holding an attempt too long. Here, though, it was tense and visceral; too much torque one way or the other would have led to a devastating opening.

That played out in practice at around the ten minute mark when Danielson was able to reverse Sabre into the ropes, leg first, and cause some real damage. It was a fluke but also a natural culmination to what had been happening and one that would change the course of the match. Basically, something had to give and something did. There was an immediate question of whether Danielson would use the damaged leg as a wedge to gain broader advantage or if he'd target it and he chose the latter. For the next few minutes, Sabre backpedaled and tried to stay above water. He was able to open things up with a couple of lightning fast escapes into neck twists (with the damaged leg), but it was always going to be a detriment. 

Two or three key times, one when they were in mutual legbars and then later for a couple of standups, Sabre leaned hard into strike, even slap, exchanges. Again, there are a couple of readings. It might have just been the usual fighting spirit or animosity coming to play. To me, though, it felt like Sabre knew how vulnerable his leg was and chose to tantalize Danielson with an offer he couldn't refuse, the chance to throw fists, hands, and feet with Sabre instead of keeping his offense laser focused on the leg. Sabre couldn't stand to Danielson's superior striking but it was worth sacrificing his looks and his skull to keep his knee for a few more minutes. It was a choice that might have won him the match over all.

Which leads to one last decision down the stretch. During one last such exchange, Danielson, perhaps understanding and adapting to what I just suggested Sabre was doing, slipped in a backslide attempt off of a Sabre strike. Sabre landed on his feet but tweaked his leg momentarily and Danielson hit the knee. He didn't go for the cover. Despite Sabre getting in a couple of nice bombs down the stretch, Danielson had been winning on points and very likely could have scored a pinfall here. Instead he got up to hit another and it ultimately cost him the match. My guess here is that Danielson wanted the submission instead (or at least a knock out) but didn't think he could quite get it yet, even after one knee, given how the match had gone so far. It was that same instinct from the beginning of the match that caused them to release holds after a couple of seconds; he had so much respect for Sabre and so much confidence in his own ability to hit that second knee and put him away once and for all in the manner of his choosing, that he left a less satisfying win on the table. 

The thing is, I can't be sure. This is unknowable in 2024. We're better off for that. Wrestling is absolutely a creative medium and while some people's idea of creativity is stacking more upon more to create a cool effect, I love that a match like this lays itself open to multiple satisfactory interpretations. If Danielson meant to do X1 in minute Y1, that has an implication for the reading of him doing X2 in minute Y2. Wrestling is broad and can be so many things, but usually it's direct and in your face. Explicit storytelling in wrestling tends to go but one way and implicit storytelling, even when it can be worked out and pieced together, usually follows the paths of least resistance (such as Hierarchy or Hansen). Here the text was rich enough and executed with such skill that there are multiple possibilities. That, as much as anything else, makes this match exceptional.