VOW 2021 Match of the Year: #3 (Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson)

A 60-minute masterclass in professional wrestling between “Hangman” Adam Page and Bryan Danielson.

2021 MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

• Introduction & Honorable Mentions
• 100-76
• 75-51
• 50-26
• 25-11
• Top 10 Reveal/Audio Show ($)
• #10: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shingo Takagi
• #9: Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker
• #8: Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
• #7: Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White
• #6: WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov
• #5: Utami Hayashishita vs. Syuri
• #4: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay

VOICES OF WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012

#3
Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson
12/15
AEW

Overall Points: 826
Total Votes: 105
% of Ballots: 59.7%
19 First Place Votes

“The heel renaissance of Bryan Danielson continued perfectly here, as the Anxious Millennial faces his first true challenge — a fired up version of a Ghost of Christmas past, as Danielson resurrected his prime ROH heel character for a new era. I knew once Danielson was doing jumping jacks that we’d go long, but I don’t think any of us expected this would go an hour, nor that Page could hang to the level he did. They outdid themselves weeks later (IMO), but this match absolutely ruled.” -Marty Day

“This may seem a strange comparison at first glance, but I likened this match to the famous Mick Foley/Shawn Michaels match from 1996.

You take a babyface world champion in Hangman Page, beloved by the fans, but potentially teetering on feeling a bit ‘too squeaky clean’ and you put him across the ring from Bryan Danielson, an unrelenting in-ring force who can not only hurt our hero physically with his vicious kicks & punishing submissions, but who repeatedly taunts our hero, driving him to the mental brink as well.

And just like in HBK/Mankind 25 years prior, while we didn’t get that clean pinfall win on that we might have wanted in this hour-long war, by the end of the match, we *knew* that the ‘squeaky clean’ babyface champ was as tough as nails and could take anything this bully or anybody else threw at them.” -Liam Renner

“The match that demonstrated that Adam Page can hang with the best wrestlers in the world. A masterpiece of North American wrestling.” -Warren Hayes

“This is the greatest television match in history. It was an hour long match with all the tropes but who cares. Both men brought intensity and Danielson is an absolute wizard into how he frames his matches and put together dramatic sequences. He has not wrestled with fire like this in almost a decade. Hangman Page was right there the entire way in terms of effort…fantastic match from both men.” -Markeem Graham

“A lot of people don’t like the 60-minute broadway, it seems, as a general rule. I personally love them. It lets you see just how good two men can be, and even more it shows you how good their chemistry is with one another. And this match absolutely oozed physical chemistry between Hanger and AmDrag. The further the match went on, the less certain I was that new deserving babyface champ Page would retain, up until a certain point where I figured out a bit too early that they’d be going the distance. For that, and the fact I cannot un-see their 2022 sequel match, which is an early contender for 2022 MOTY, this first encounter can’t quite get full points on my rankings.” -James “NuclearConvoy”

“This grueling contest further elevated the AEW title, began the process of truly solidifying Hangman Page as championship material, and allowed Bryan Danielson to put on a master class of heel asshole-ery. As someone who is largely unfamiliar with Danielson’s pre-WWE run, I didn’t know he had the kind of character work in him that he displayed during this run.” -Chuck Hodgin

“The last 20 mins is what makes this the match it is. It goes up the gears perfectly with the final five minutes having it’s audience on the edge of its seat. Danielson’s limb work is fantastic and the psychology of the first 55 playing into those last 5 mins with Page hitting that one big shot at the end even with his arm having damage from Danielson’s attacks. But Hangman runs out of time leaving more questions than answers. On the third watch, you can still find easter eggs that satisfy the watcher and wrestling nerds like me. This match is just brilliant.” -Peter Edge

“I was lucky enough to be in attendance for this match. I won’t say this is the most captivated I’ve seen a crowd in person, but it’s the longest I’ve seen a crowd captivated, as the match went for 60 minutes and the crowd bit at every spot and gesture Bryan and Page put out there. Bryan especially was impressive, having the crowd eating out of his hand as the arrogant prick challenging the unproven champion Page to step up to his level, and did he ever.” -Paul Wedding

“The perfect way for Hangman to start his title reign and set the tone for what kind of champion he will be. Even though I picked it was going to go for an hour half way in I still bit on a number of near falls.” -Sam Brown

“This match happened at the tail end of 2021, but it absolutely deserves inclusion in my top ten list. Bryan Danielson was only in AEW for four months, and he arguably build a Wrestler Of The Year case solely on those four months alone. One of the matches that helped build that case was his first encounter with Hangman Adam Page for the AEW World Title. Sixty Minute Time Limit Draws can be hard to pull off (especially if it becomes clear very early on that they’re going the full sixty), but these two definitely delivered on this particular occasion. The match breezed by with so much great action and so many incredible moments. Danielson was at the peak of his powers here, while Hangman looked great in his own right, as he was on the verge of putting Danielson away when the time limit expired. A true World Title Classic in every sense of the word, and a great setup for the rematch a few weeks later.” -Sean Sedor

“Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson’s first match did everything it needed to do. Here was a bout that initially felt like it was happening too early, but of course it ended up being the first step of their feud. Page and Danielson were completely on point in a match that fantastically set up the next phase in the story and left everyone wanting more.” -Jeremy Thomas

“A 60 minute match that was very well paced and didn’t have a single dull moment. Bryan teasing Hangman and taking advantage of his recklessness so he can control the match made Hangman’s comebacks so exciting. Both wrestlers focusing on hurting each other’s most dangerous weapons (Bryan’s knee & Hangman’s arm) also added so much drama to the match’s final moments. In addition to the match having great storytelling and in-ring work it paved the way for their second amazing match which I believe is going to be highly ranked in my 2022 list as well.” -Saud Al-Rasheedi

“Holy shit.” -Slyguy46

“One beautiful hour. One amazing hour. One hour was worth every minute. This match was Adam Page in his first title defense proving to any remaining doubters he belonged, he deserved, he earned this spot in AEW, and he did it by leveling up, measuring up, and staying up with the best wrestler in the world Bryan Danielson.

What can be said that hasn’t already been said? This was excellent wrestling, excellent television, and sure the draw may not have made everyone happy but it would lead to an equally great match so I am all for it. Sometimes leaving us wanting a bit more is not a bad idea, and after what both men were able to give us, how can I be unhappy or agitated at the lack of a victor? Victories come and go, matches like these we don’t always get, so enjoy them damn it!” -Jeri L. Evagood

“A wonderful story, in which the heel skills of Bryan Danielson were on full display. He and Page tore the house down and in the end it helped Solidify Page as the guy.” -Joey O’Doherty

“Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page was something of a mystery going in. Danielson likes his epic matches with a lot of groundwork, and Page isn’t thought of as a matwork-style wrestler. Danielson can certainly do faster-paced main event style, but Page was more unproven as a main event commodity and Danielson did everything possible to show the world that Hangman was on his level. Danielson came into the company with the Omega match and delivered a classic there, but this match may wind up being his greatest in a career full of top-shelf matches.

Danielson and Page went to the first 60-minute draw in the history of AEW and had the briskest hour-long match anyone could ask for. It was paced perfectly, and each man came off looking like they were the best in the world on that night. It capped off a month of Danielson tearing through the Dark Order by submission and taking a page out of the Diaz playbook by flexing his muscles for each tapout. Despite the non-finish of the match in theory due to the draw, it was a satisfying match and the draw felt like a perfect choice to tell the tale that Hangman can go with the best on the planet and go into the deep waters without issue. It was the exact kind of match a first-time World champion should have to show they’re a deserving champion.” -Jeremy Peeples

“Danielson had two of the best TV matches in pro wrestling in the same year, and this is one of them. What works about this is that even though it’s a one-hour draw, watching it live it really teased you. The logical part of my brain said, “this will be a draw”, but after the 35-minute mark the action and near falls were so good that I almost bought that it was going to end before the limit. I even thought they would finish it by the 50-minute mark or something like that. Still, it was great pro wrestling and while now it is an obvious draw, I still think it can be an enjoyed knowing the result.” -Abraham Delgado

“It felt as though 2021 was the year of unnecessarily long wrestling matches. My favorite match of all time is over an hour, so I am by no means a clock watcher, but forty-five minute main events on your local independent weekend extravaganza is indeed extravagant. I have never seen a sixty minute match that was as masterfully paced as Page/Danielson. In the arena, there were at least three occasions after the twenty-five minute mark where the crowd was standing in anticipation of the finish that would be coming shortly. Wrestling is Drama (yes, with a capital “D”), and this drama went well beyond any nerd-like structure discourse. It is a tall order to be able to hold on to the ENTIRE audience’s attention with a Broadway this day in age. I watched this match with my father, whom I have warped into a casual AEW fan, and while my explanations of the minutia may have helped deepen his understanding of the story they were telling, the man was a basketball and football coach for thirty years; he was watching this match through the lens of sport. The mistakes that Page was making, the way Dragon was absolutely dominating him on the mat, the FIRE being Hangman Page’s saving grace. This match was masterful, and while I wouldn’t necessarily use this match to INTRODUCE someone to professional wrestling, anyone with even a shred of context would have gotten something out of this. I watch far too much wrestling, to the point I can’t remember most of it weeks later. I have never been able to retain as much from a match as I do with this. That has to mean something.” -Andrew Stewart

“60-minute matches are not easy to pull off, especially in this day and age when people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. More often than not a match that goes 60 shouldn’t have, and I can think of a few from 2021 that fit that bill. Hell, doing one on national TV with commercial breaks is a tough sell in its own right. But there are exceptions to every rule, and this match was proof of that. For 60 minutes, Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page kept this crowd invested and delivered a classic. Danielson was out of this world here, playing the cocky douchebag who just so happens to be the best wrestler in the world, a role he perfected years ago on the indies. When he wasn’t beating up Page, he was playing to the crowd and mocking Hangman with jumping jacks while the broadcast was in picture-in-picture. And let’s not leave out Hangman here. It takes two to tango, and Hangman showed that he has great chemistry with Bryan, while his crowd-enrapturing comebacks and bursts of confident, brutal offense showed why he’s the champion. As the minutes counted down, I found myself pacing back and forth in my bedroom, even though I knew in the back of my head that it was likely going to a draw. When the bell finally rang, I was disheartened that there was no winner, but I immediately got excited again because I knew there was going to be a rematch. There was, and I loved that match even more than this one, but we’re going to have to save that for next year’s MOTY ballot.” -Andrew Rich

“This match brings to mind some words from famous American politician and part-time Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said, “If we’re never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?” This match tests a lot of limits, notably the physical limits of the two combatants and the willingness of a TV audience to sit through a very lengthy wrestling story told in ring. The upper limits have been shifted. And as for the ending of the match? Well, there’s another relevant quote from Arnold that goes, “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Hangman vs. Dragon is strength.” -Brian Moore

“Tremendous match, hard to call it great without a clear winner, but the pacing and drama was fantastic.” -Joe Towner

“To imagine that the first match between Hangman Page and the American Dragon was likely not the original plan at the outset of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament should be a reminder to us all just how fortunate we were to be witness to perhaps the greatest television world title match of all time. Amazingly, this one-hour time-limit draw would be followed up by another mind-blowing match between Page and Danielson a few weeks later, establishing its own standard for matches in 2022.

This match showed a competitor in Danielson unlike anything we’d seen in his tenure in WWE. Not only in the quality, and style of wrestling, but the masterful way Danielson could tell his story, in this case as an arrogant heel, as well as manipulate the audience to play along. As for Hangman, we saw some of the signs of why people like Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega mused that it was Hangman that’s truly the most talented and full-of-potential when they all counted themselves among the Elite.

There were questions if Hangman Page had felt legitimate as AEW’s top star before this match. After, those questions felt answered. Definitively.” -Reuel Castillo

“Hour long matches should not be this good. I watched a handful of hour long matches on the indie wrestlers – guys that I like, guys who I consider to be excellent at their craft. I liked those matches because they worked so hard. I respected the ambition. Those matches were good in the same way that a poorly mixed, rough-around-the-edges punk album is good. It has a certain charm that worms its way into your heart. Danielson vs. Page, on the other hand, reminded me of Jay-Z’s first “Blueprint” record or Nirvana’s “In Utero”. It’s so rare that artists at the top of their game are able to produce something so enriching, but that’s exactly what Danielson and Page did.” -Case Lowe

“The Hangman vs The American Dragon was without doubt the most engrossing pro wrestling viewing experience I had in 2021. I do not award points for time elapsed and I’m not impressed when matches go 60 minutes just for the sake of going 60 minutes. From bell to bell Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page told an amazingly engaging story, complex in detail and meaning but so simple and easy to follow because every move, every gesture, every moment followed logically from the one before. I knew this match was going long when it opened the show but I honestly bought near falls for about the last 25 minutes. In isolated moments I convinced myself this was going to be a 32 minute match, and then a 40 minute match, and then a 55 minute match. I got so wrapped up in the moment that I lost all sense of time and for a half a second I fooled myself into believing Adam Page was going to pin Danielson with mere seconds left on the clock after finally hitting the Buckshot Lariat.

Of course that’s not what happened, and when the bell rang I shouted angrily, prompting my wife to come downstairs to see that I was okay. I was, but I was sending mixed messages and I wasn’t settling my wife’s concerns because I kept saying I was furious and the Hangman fuckin’ had him, and also that was so awesome and I’m having so much fun. The truth is I was better than okay: I was marking out. I don’t get to experience that very often these days and when I do I really want to embrace it, and that’s the main reason I decided to name this my match of the year over a close competitor. This was so much fun. I felt like a kid again.

I don’t believe any other wrestlers in the world besides these two could have made me feel so excited. Bryan Danielson’s as-yet brief AEW run really seems like a concerted effort to remind everyone that he’s the best fucking wrestler in the world and by god if he isn’t proving it every week. His performance on this night was nothing short of masterful, and if anyone ever asks me to show them what it means to call someone a ring general I’ll be tempted to show them this match. No one is wrestling today gets me emotionally invested like Adam Page does and I was desperate to see him pin Danielson. On the night I’d have to settle for being pleased that his first title reign got off to a great start, with an all-time classic match that reminded me why I love wrestling so much.” -Casey Fiore

“I didn’t think their first encounter would be on par with Omega vs. Bryan, but I was wrong. Bryan was excellent as always, but Page really proved why he is among the most elite workers in the business during this hour-long clinic.” -Jeuron Dove

“Best TV match I’ve ever seen. Started slow and they started putting on more and more. It doesn’t matter Bryan can play both the heel and face very well. His work in this match was incredible. He really put over Adam Page who is younger and less experienced than Bryan. The timing and pacing was very well done. This is how you should book a hour long match. A true classic that should be watched by every wrestling fan. Page , really looked like a fighting champion in that match. Bryan made him feel like a bigger deal.” -Kaan Ünverdi

“This was absolutely great. The best Adam Page match to date. The drama was excellent from the table spots to D Bry being a complete heel prick to the finish. These guys put on a real special match.” -Chris Duarte

“The fastest 60 minutes you might ever experience. Danielson was hitting on all cylinders and Hangman was with him every step of the way. The crowd so BADLY wanted Hangman to win this as the buzzer sounded, solidifying him as one of the best pure babyfaces of the last several years. This also set up the sure fire 2022 MOTY they’d have just a few weeks later.” -Steve Case

“This was a masterpiece of pacing, made even more extraordinary when considering that, unlike virtually every other celebrated hour-long draw in modern wrestling history, this played out on basic cable and weathered the doldrums of multiple commercial breaks. Anyone still clinging to the insane notion that American audiences don’t want long, long, epic matches on TV should be immediately disregarded. Give audiences excellent matches between excellent competitors like Danielson and Page, and they will crave it.” -TDE

“While 2021 wasn’t a great year for many reasons, in my wrestling fandom it was bookended by two incredible matches. The first being my number 1 match, Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom. The second being the 60 minute draw between Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynamite’s Winter is Coming. An incredible display of character work by American Dragon as he frequently ducked between the ropes to frustrate both Hangman and the fans, and then did jumping jacks and burpees with the smarmiest of grins on his face.

Now, I am not a huge fan of jazz music, so I don’t make this next statement from a place of expertise, rather just from general ideas. With that very surface level understanding though, I believe The American Dragon Bryan Danielson to be similar to an all time great jazz musician in the squared circle. Bryan Danielson is the Miles Davis of pro wrestling. He improvises in the ring and lets the match come to him. He does what is called for him in the moment and nails it. In this feud he was suddenly called upon to be more heelish and adversarial for the new babyface champion Hangman Page. He takes advantage of little moments throughout the match to throw in a flourish here and there that take it to another level and this hour of wrestling is a perfect example of that.

It’s a testament to the greatness of this match that it kept me engaged for a full hour. It even managed to do that despite my thinking that this was likely going to an hour draw when it opened the show. It even managed to do that despite being on television and having commercials break up the action. And in probably the greatest example of my enjoyment of this match, this is one of the very few times in the history of AEW Dynamite that I actually watched the picture in picture. This match is also a testament to how great of a wrestler Hangman Page has become. I believe he is actually quite underrated, as his recent series of matches with Dragon and last year’s VOW Match of the Year with Omega vs. The Young Bucks shows that he should be considered as one of the best wrestlers in the world.” -S. Dakota Jones

“Bryan Danielson is amazing; Hangman Page is a badass, they went 60 minutes without it feeling self-indulgent.” -Kevin Chiat

“It feels almost too easy to spend most of our time gushing about Danielson, truly one of the greatest of all time. But in Hangman, the first of AEW’s effectively homegrown male stars to be given the world title, they’ve found a guy who can not only kill it in he ring, but has a special connection with fans that cannot be learned. Every newly minted champion needs that one feud after the Big Win to establish them in people’s eyes as The Guy, and for Page, they could have found no one better. The draw maintained a pace, an intensity and everyone’s attention from bell to bell. Instead of feeling short-changed by the draw, for once I was elated that This Feud Must Continue.” -Dave Ryan

“I’m admittedly biased because this is the only match on the list that I saw in person, but I still believe it would have been my favorite match of the year for both the story it told in the ring as well as the real story of the two men involved. Bryan Danielson, in the midst of a career renaissance, finally got to go all-out (pardon the pun) in a match and unleash all the creative energy he had been storing up the last several years in WWE. Hangman Page had something to prove, not only addressing concerns about his booking as champion, but showing that he could deliver in a big-time main event match without Kenny Omega. It helped that he had Bryan as his dance partner, but he more than delivered. The story of “skill vs. will” was excellent, the pacing was perfect, and the draw finish left us wanting a rematch instead of feeling ripped off. I think the best thing I can say about this match is that when Page set to deliver that Buckshot Lariat as time was expiring, I involuntarily yelled out “Come on Hangman!” For a second, I wasn’t observing a great match; I just wanted my champ to win.” -Kevin Ely

“The balls of Tony Khan to do a sixty minute time limit draw on national TV are pretty big, but his faith in Danielson and particularly Hangman paid off. Bryan’s Bryan, he’s the greatest wrestler to ever live, and wrestling fans are invested in Hangman Page more than anything else at the moment but 60 minutes are a test for anyone’s patience. This could have gone wrong. But it didn’t. This was paced beautifully, and played off all the setups so well with Hangman surviving all the multiple finishers Bryan had used since joining the company, and turning the match on it’s head when the cowboy decided HE was going to kick Bryan’s fucking head in. To quote Larry David trying his hand at being a car salesman, ‘this is a fucking work of art’” -Ed Mills

“A 60-minute match that didn’t feel like 60 minutes. This match established Page as a true threat as champion and the American Dragon sealed up WOTY with just four months of actual wrestling.” -Tyler Forness

“This has been the high point so far of the return of Bryan Danielson after years in the WWE system. The transformation of how he works as soon as he joined AEW was astonishing. This also helped solidify the World Championship run of Adam Page, which was necessary to help push the first fully home grown AEW Champ.” -Fred Morlan

“It’s a gutsy call to go 60 minutes on live TV with television ratings being of the utmost importance for a promotion like AEW. Page and Danielson not only succeeded in having a great match, but in getting fans to stick around to see the ending. The fact that they didn’t hit us over the head with the time calls and the announcers foreshadowing it early on made the finish all the more exciting. By the time this was over, not only were you looking forward to the inevitable rematch, but wondering if it could in fact live up to this one.” -Greg Parks

“In 2019 and 2020, AEW showed a lot of promise and excitement, but a disappointing lack of high end match of the year candidates, relying too heavily on angles and gimmickry. That changed in 2021 and this was the epitome of that shift. Page’s story of self-doubt and imposter syndrome is perfectly furthered by pairing him against the wrestler many consider the best in the world. Danielson’s confidence in his abilities are backed up by a master class performance, controlling the match with expert violence and execution, making the extended runtime a breeze. That fact that strong arguments could be made to support victory for either man added to the intrigue and more than justified rushing to the rematch.” -Jack Groom

“Their Broadway draw was terrific, but this was bloody, brutal, and definitive.” -Jacob Nelson

“60 minutes of two of the best in the game.” -J.D. Oliva

“One hour draws are a gamble in wrestling – not many wrestlers, even some of the all-time greats, can pull off a compelling 60 minutes of action. Bryan Danielson and Hangman Adam Page did just that in Page’s first AEW World Championship match. They created a gripping battle between the fiery world champion out for revenge and his overconfident dickhead challenger expecting to cruise to victory. The pace of this match sets it apart from most one hour bouts. While the opening few minutes suggested it might go long, most of the match was wrestled with the urgency and pacing of a usual 20ish minute world title main event. Each man’s character was revealed, reinforced, and then evolved throughout the match, much in the same way the best narrative fight scenes in film are able to do. By the time the final bell rang, two changed men occupied the ring and we were already wondering when the rematch would be set.” -Jeff Martin

“Bryan Danielson has had several 60-minute classics in his career and added another one on this night. Danielson dominated the majority of this match. He targeted several areas of Hangman’s body to set up several submission options. Hangman fought back with nasty looking Death Valley Driver. Danielson was able to retake advantage when Hangman missed a moonsault. Thirty minutes in Hangman is drenched in blood. From there, we get a great exchange of big moves and spots. Hangman finally hits the Buck Shot Lariat with a few seconds left but fails to get the cover. This was incredible pro wrestling. 60-minute draws can usually be a drag, but these two made every minute count. An exhilarating and emotional match that left us wanting a rematch as soon as possible.” -Jeremy Donovan

“A 60 minute classic! This was a perfect pro wrestling match. A slow build as Page has the advantage when it comes to power and Danielson has the edge on wrestling. Both worked their style match as the momentum switched back and forth all match. Danielson starts to work the limbs and body of Page to make an opening but Page is able to fight back. Page goes high risk but Danielson takes advantage and shoves Page off and hurts his shoulder. Danielson busts Page open and takes away Page’s dominant arm, only for Danielson to hurt his leg missing a kick and give Page a target. Incredible back and forth action and near-falls for both men. Page finally seems to have Danielson beat and hits the Buckshot Lariat as time runs out. The crowd loved every second of this match and so did I. It was just phenomenal the whole time!” -Alex Kalil

“The rare 60 minute draw used to absolute perfection. A cap for Danielson’s incredible Wrestler of the Year run for 2021 and a huge beginning of Page cementing himself as one of the best while he holds the AEW belt. Danielson’s cocky demeanor throughout the match via Jumping Jacks and playing to the crowd mixed with Page’s never die attitude made all sixty minutes compelling and did not leave anyone upset when the bell rang but instead wanting more. Wrestling Perfection” -Kentucky210

VOICES OF WRESTLING 2021 MATCH OF THE YEAR