MJF battled Bryan Danielson in an epic 60-minute Ironman match to cap Revolution at All Elite Wrestling’s first pay-per-view of the year for the AEW World Championship.
After 60 minutes and the score tied at three-three, AEW CEO Tony Khan refused to let the match end in a draw and built it up to win the next fall.
MJF would overcome Danielson and tap him to retain the AEW World Championship in one of the most epic matches of the year.
The match started with MJF playing their mind games. He would leave the ring to waste some time after briefly engaging Danielson. He’ll do it again and go into the crowd to blow off some steam with some fans. He then took a cup of water and threw it in the face of a young fan.
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February 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Bryan Danielson appears during AEW Dynamite at the Footprint Center. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
The two then went back and forth maneuvering after trying to gain some kind of advantage over the other. MJF misses a backflip on Danielson and the “American Dragon” will go back into the ring and then dive on him through the ropes.
In the first 20 minutes of the match, there was no drop. Both were desperate to pick up the first fall and spent about 2 minutes walking around the ring putting each other in various pin maneuvers and knocking each other out so much that both reached the 10 count as they Lying on his back, his breath was catching.
Danielson would get up and score the first fall after hitting the Psycho Knee. But MJF countered with a low blow and got two straight pinfalls. MJF got a technical disqualification on a low blow, ate the fall and then pinned Danielson twice to tie the match 2-2 with 30 minutes remaining.
Danielson and MJF continued to battle outside the ring. MJF landed in a chair in the corner and was hit with 10 leg strikes from Danielson followed by another leapfrog to the body of the champion.
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On the failed flip, MJF appeared to shift something in his leg and was seen walking around the outside of the ring. With a little over 23 minutes to go, he got Danielson on a ringside table and set him up for a big elbow drop off the top turnbuckle. He absolutely killed it.
The referee was checking on Danielson before MJF took him back to the ring. The referee started the count of 10 and brought it back into the ring just as the count was about to hit 10 – let’s say it was at 9.6 seconds. He returned to the remnants of the table and hit a Tombstone Pile Driver on Danielson. MJF was clutching his knee in pain and Danielson was bleeding.
MJF got Danielson back in the ring and hit the Heatseeker with about 19 minutes to go in the match to take a 3-2 lead.
February 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; AEW Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman aka MJF (suit) and Bryan Danielson (hoodie) faced off during AEW Dynamite at the Footprint Center. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
“You’re the best in the world? You suck!” MJF yelled at Danielson at the 42-minute mark.
For a good 5 minutes, it appeared MJF was in the driver’s seat but it looked like Danielson was just biding his time and gathering his energy down a pinfall. With 14 minutes remaining, Danielson went to the top rope after sending MJF flying out of the ring. He hit a flying knee all over MJF before the two competitors returned to the ring.
Two minutes later, Danielson hit a flying headbutt and brutally cut off his MJF. The champion was bleeding from the head – more blood than had been seen in the Texas Death match between Jon Moxley and Adam Page the night before.
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At the 10:41 mark, Danielson submitted MJF and the match was tied 3-3.
Danielson tries a label lock but MJF will try the salt of the earth. He would pull him back against the ropes and put an armbar on Danielson at 8 minutes. MJF would have three of Danielson’s four limbs in a lock but it would be the “American Dragon’s” right leg that would reach the ropes and break the hold.
February 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; AEW Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman aka MJF (suit) and Bryan Danielson (hoodie) during AEW Dynamite at Footprint Center. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
“That’s awesome,” fans at San Francisco’s Chase Center would shout about 7 minutes in.
MJF somehow managed to push Danielson through the ropes and hit another Heatseeker with 3:45 to go and try to pin Danielson. But Danielson will get out.
The two made it to the top ropes and MJF got Danielson in position to hit a Tombstone Piledriver off the middle rope. Danielson would be knocked down but MJF landed on his left knee and wriggled in pain. With 1:22 to go, he tries to cover him but only gets two.
Danielson puts MJF in a single-leg crab with 60 seconds left. Danielson had the champion in the center of the ring and almost tapped out. Time will run out and then MJF will tap.
The match ended in a draw. And fans will not be happy. When the trainers checked on Danielson and MJF they shouted “bull-t” loudly.
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Lead announcer Tony Schiavone walked to the ring and told the referee and in-ring announcer Justin Roberts that the next pinfall would win the match as ordered by Khan.
It is sudden death.
February 22, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; AEW Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman aka MJF makes an appearance during AEW Dynamite at the Footprint Center. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
Danielson picked up the pin almost as quickly as MJF after a low blow. MJF tries to use a ring pin to hit Danielson and misses. Danielson hits another psycho knee but only gets a two count on MJF.
Danielson gets MJF back into a single-leg crab but this time the champion makes it to the ropes. MJF pretended to tap Danielson into thinking he had tapped. MJF would go to the floor and hit an unsuspecting Danielson with an oxygen tank. MJF put the label lock on Danielson but didn’t even bring him to tap.
Danielson tried to gain some momentum but MJF would tap him.
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MJF would raise his arm in victory and retain the AEW World Championship.
