Joseph Montecillo's Best of the Month (October 2023)

Honorable Mentions

• Athena vs. Leyla Hirsch (ROH 10/5/23)
• Eddie Kingston vs. Komander (AEW 10/7/23)
• Jun Kasai vs. Matt Tremont (GCW 10/8/23)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW 10/10/23)
• Jay White vs. Hangman Page (AEW 10/10/23)
• Rina Yamashita vs. Masha Slamovich (GCW 10/12/23)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade el Idolo (AEW 10/21/23)
• Eddie Kingston vs. Jeff Jarrett (AEW 10/21/23)

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr (AEW 10/1/23)

With Jon Moxley concussed, Bryan Danielson has once again absorbed the powers of being the best professional wrestler in the world. This isn’t the charmer that is their legendary 2008 meeting, but instead a far more straightforward Great Match. One would think that sacrificing that charm might have diluted the quality, but that’s just not a problem for someone as excellent as Bryan Danielson.

Before I get into the obvious, it’s worth noting that Zack more than holds up his end of the deal here. His chain wrestling is far more focused than it’s ever been in this bout, not only flashy but outright brutal looking. It’s also accompanied by a lot more thought and structure than some of his lesser efforts. Of particular note is how he intentionally baits Dragon into giving up his arm with uppercuts so that Zack can start picking it apart. Then there’s Zack on the sell too, especially those gruesome dragon screws that he absorbs in the back half of the match.

But the magic is Bryan Danielson. Sorry, not sorry, but that’s just the truth of it. His arm selling is consistent and sympathetic, his expressiveness is so at home in a big arena setting, and mechanically he’s just as disgustingly brutal with his submission work as Zack ever was, probably even better. As he did in 2008 too, he gifts Sabre moral victories to hold onto in the face of defeat. When the two are tangled in dueling leg locks, Dragon doesn’t escape with a counter but by actively pissing off Zack to let go of the hold instead. Then in the end, it’s a strike that puts Zack down, leaving the question of who’s the better mat grappler up in the air. Just another powerhouse of a performance from the best ever.

Rating: ****1/2

Gunther vs. Tommaso Ciampa (WWE 10/2/23)

Once again, Gunther delivers with a high quality Intercontinental Championship defense in the main event of Raw. While the dynamic and natural chemistry he has with Gable isn’t present here, Ciampa being a more direct striker makes for a decent substitution. The big hits are all here and the champ’s reddened chest at the end shows how hard these two go together, but it’s everything between the big blows that makes this work so well. Ciampa works hard to try to get the Sicilian Stretch onto the champion and trying to wear down the hand to get him there. It’s a tighter expansion of the same ideas used in their NXT Takeover bout, this time without a gimmicked announce table cover to spoil the fun too. No one in the WWE’s having better and more interesting matches than Gunther right now. Must-see worker.

Rating: ****