Bryan Danielson Defeats Zack Sabre Jr. in Dream Match at AEW WrestleDream 2023

Bryan Danielson defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in a battle of in-ring technicians at AEW WrestleDream on Sunday.

Over one year ago at the inaugural AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, Danielson was scheduled to face Sabre in a dream match, but it had to be called off when Danielson suffered an injury.

It was stipulated that Danielson would get to pick Sabre's opponent instead, and he chose Claudio Castagnoli, who made his AEW debut and later joined Danielson's Blackpool Combat Club.

A few weeks ago, Danielson cut a heartfelt promo during which he acknowledged that his career as a full-time wrestler was nearing its conclusion.

Danielson discussed his desire to spend more time with his wife and kids, but before lessening his schedule and perhaps even retiring from in-ring competition, he wanted to cross some matches off his bucket list.

A clash with Sabre was his first order of business after their Forbidden Door match got canceled, and Sabre quickly accepted to make it official.

Making the match even more special was the fact that it was held in Seattle, which is essentially Danielson's hometown in wrestling terms.

Danielson is from Aberdeen, Washington, but Seattle is the closest major city, and he always has received a hero's welcome when he has competed there throughout his career.

Not surprisingly, the crowd was firmly behind Danielson during Sunday's bout, which made for an electric atmosphere and added to what was already a technical masterclass.

Sabre held his own and proved himself to be an elite wrestler in his own right, but Danielson prevailed much to the delight of his many fans in attendance.

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