Folks, grab your popcorn and hold onto your seats, because Bryan Danielson just survived an all-out war on AEW Dynamite’s 5th anniversary show. Not only did the American Dragon go toe-to-toe with Kazuchika Okada in a clash of wrestling titans, but he also escaped a backstage ambush from his former Blackpool Combat Club (BCC) stablemates—barely, thanks to a surprise assist from Wheeler Yuta wielding a hammer like Thor himself.
Let’s break it down: Danielson defended his AEW World Championship against Okada, and the drama was cranked up to 11. The Continental Championship was also on the line, but only for a portion of the match’s time limit. Danielson came this close to making Okada tap in the final minute, but Okada managed to escape by the skin of his teeth, getting his foot on the bottom rope. Classic Okada, folks. He even rolled out of the ring after a Busaiku Knee, using those final 10 seconds to cling to his Continental Title like it was his last lifeline.
But it didn’t stop there. The World Championship was still on the line, and these two traded blows like they were in a street fight, not a wrestling ring. Okada even hit a piledriver on a chair, and they traded Busaiku Knees like it was a knee-kick festival. However, just when Okada looked like he had Danielson dead to rights, disaster struck. Claudio Castagnoli came out of the crowd, followed by BCC’s PAC and Marina Shafir, causing a distraction bigger than Black Friday at Best Buy.
Okada, distracted by the chaos, got caught in a classic backslide pin from Danielson for the win. Folks, it was vintage Bryan. But the party didn’t last long. As soon as the match ended, Danielson was jumped by his former BCC buddies like a piñata at a birthday party gone wrong. PAC and Castagnoli held Danielson in the middle of the ring while Jon Moxley casually strolled in through the crowd like he was there to read Danielson his last rites. Moxley grabbed a mic and made it clear: this wasn’t about Danielson—no, the BCC is playing for something “bigger than himself.” Intriguing, right? It’s like we’re in the middle of a Shakespearean betrayal, but with more steel chairs and fewer soliloquies.
Just when it seemed like Danielson was about to be flattened, who should come to the rescue but Wheeler Yuta, hammer in hand! I mean, forget the white horse—Yuta came in swinging like Thor. And guess what? Now we’re getting Danielson & Yuta vs. Castagnoli & PAC on next week’s Dynamite: Title Tuesday. Folks, it’s going to be chaos, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.