AEW WrestleDream: Bryan Danielson Defeats Zack Sabre Jr. in Dream Match

The technical dream match is here. Since he departed WWE for AEW in Summer 2021, many fans clamored for Bryan Danielson to venture to the Far East to meet Zack Sabre Jr. inside the squared circle. Both Danielson and ZSJ are known for their mat-based technical move-sets, making their styles a recipe for a mesmerizing bout. This match was scheduled to go down at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2022 but was indefinitely postponed due to Danielson suffering a concussion the month prior. After 15 months of waiting, Danielson challenged ZSJ to meet him at AEW WrestleDream.

Bryan Danielson Defeats Zack Sabre Jr.

AEW-WRESTLEDREAM-BRYAN-DANIELSON-ZACK-SABRE-JR
(Photo: AEW)

The American Dragon reigns supreme amongst the technical wizards.

Bryan Danielson defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at AEW WrestleDream. This was a back and forth technical showcase, with both men bringing out wild maneuvers from their respective arsenals.

This was Danielson and ZSJ’s first match since 2009. Prior to joining WWE, Danielson faced a young Sabre Jr. on the independent circuit, and that inaugural encounter told him all he needed to know about the future NJPW World Television Champion.

“I’m out there, and I am wrestling with him, and I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s good,'” Danielson said in a recent interview. “Then I push him a little bit more, and I push him a little bit more. He starts pushing back. That’s when I realized there’s something special about him. He’s proven that time and time again since that time. Being in there with him and feeling it, I thought then this kid can be something special.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for live coverage of AEW WrestleDream.

AEW WrestleDream 2023 Card

  • AEW TNT Championship (Two Out of Three Falls): Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin
  • AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open
  • Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and Will Ospreay (w/ Don Callis)
  • Bryan Danielson def. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Ricky Starks def. Wheeler Yuta
  • “Hangman” Adam Page def. Swerve Strickland
  • AEW World Tag Team Championship No.1 Contender’s Match: Young Bucks def. The Gunns, Lucha Brothers, Orange Cassidy and Hook
  • ROH and NJPW Strong Championships: Eddie Kingston (c) def. Katsuyori Shibata
  • AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) def. Julia Hart
  • ROH Tag Team Championships (Handicap Match): MJF (c) def. The Righteous
  • Zero Hour: Luchasaurus def. Nick Wayne
  • AEW World Trios Championships, Zero Hour: The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn (c) def. TMDK
  • Zero Hour: Satoshi Kojima, Keith Lee, Athena and Billie Starkz def. Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Diamante and Mercedes Martinez
  • Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli def. Josh Barnett

{replyCount}comments