Voices of Wrestling 2023 Match of the Year: #4 (MJF vs. Bryan Danielson)

MJF and Bryan Danielson battle in a 60-minute war that finishes #4 in Voices of Wrestling’s 2023 Match of the Year.

VOICES OF WRESTLING 2023 MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

• Introduction & Honorable Mentions
• Matches #100-76
• Matches #75-51
• Matches #50-26
• Matches #25-11
• Match of the Year Statistical Analysis & Top 10 Early Reveal (FlagshipPatreon.com)
• Match #10: Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks
• Match #9: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kento Miyahara
• Match #8: Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura
• Match #7: Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay
• Match #6: “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Jon Moxley
• Match #5: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

#4
MJF vs. Bryan Danielson
03/05
AEW

Overall Points: 697
Total Votes: 101
% of Ballots: 45.70%
6 First-Place Votes

“Who would’ve believed you if two years ago you told them that MJF would be far more impressive in-ring in 2023 than he was on the mic? This match cemented MJF as a guy who can have top-level main event matches in a promotion that demands them.” -Jays Retro

“MJF claims this is the best iron man match of all-time, and I’m inclined to agree. Unlike many iron man matches that were slow and plodding, in this one the time seemed to fly by. Going into the show I had little doubt that MJF was retaining the championship, but as the hour mark got closer and closer the battle was so compelling I started to believe Bryan Danielson would walk away the champion. Getting the audience lost in the moment is when pro wrestling is at its best, and this match achieved that at a level matched by few others in 2023.” -Adam Berger

“This is how you do an Iron Match. I have always been a proponent that matches that are designed to go a certain time limit have a cap of how good they can be. Just by the nature of the stipulation nothing really matters that much until the last minute…unless you have two geniuses like MJF and Bryan Danielson. MJF knows he can’t hang with this man for an hour so by any means necessary he tried to stack falls not because he wanted to win but to survive just keep the gap narrow. Not going to do a beat for beat review of this epic but I will simply say nothing beats the character work of these men at the end of this. The greatest Iron Man match in history.” -Markeem Graham

“Greatest Iron Match of all time. 65 minutes of non stop high paced action wrestling, that did not let up. A match in which both men went above and beyond the sacrifice their long term health, for the betterment of the match, the promotion, and for their opponent. MJF’s litmus test as a true wrestler, proving he was more than just an entertainer.” -Mark O’Brien

“MJF had a lot on the line here. Expectations were sky-high with an Iron Man Match against a talent the level of Bryan Danielson. This was MJF’s opportunity to quiet the naysayers who still doubted his in-ring capabilities, and to solidify himself as worthy of carrying the World Title of a major company. Consider all boxes checked after this one. Truly one of the great Iron Man matches of all-time.” -Greg Parks

“Whatever you think of MJF, he has proven this year that he can do it all inside the square circle. For me, it was this match that proved it to me. It helps that he is grappling with an all-timer, who though is winding down for his “last year as a full-time wrestler” keeps showing that he is in a class all his own. So well worked and riveting, these 2 brought the house down.” -Jake Nelson

“They did it. MJF and Danielson did it. They had the best Ironman match I have seen and one of the most entertaining one hour matches. This is not an easy task and I applaud that it was structured in such a way that there was no down time, the pinfalls were clever, and the extra five minutes made sense. I even liked the ending, even if the ref could have been standing a bit farther away. Both men were excellent, MJF as the asshole going the distance, and Danielson torturing him. Even if you don’t like long matches, I would recommend checking it out. Not even knowing the result will spoil the experience.” -Abraham Delgado

“Trying to make modern wrestling fans invested in a match that they know for a fact will go 60 minutes is not an easy feat. Somehow, MJF & Danielson did it with ease.” -Liam Renner

“The greatest Iron man match in history? It’s definitely up there, and MJF proved not only could he go Broadway (and then some), but he could hang with a legend like Danielson.” -Jack Atkins

“The best stories can be explained in a simple sentence, and this one is no exception: A man who bragged that he was the greatest professional wrestler in the world would be tested by the man who had spent 24 years showing that he was. MJF had been seen as the future of the business for quite some time, and in November he won the title that would prove it, the AEW world championship. Bryan Danielson had been called the best wrestler in the world since early in his career, and had spent the years after he came out of a forced retirement really living up to that moniker. MJF spent the weeks building up to their match throwing obstacle after obstacle in Danielson’s way, telling him over and over again that he was a monster who would do anything to keep the gold. Danielson overcame those obstacles and told him that he was going to do everything to take the title from him, and would spend an hour beating him over and over again. For 66 minutes both men gave it their all with Danielson showing why he was called the best in the world by so many, and MJF was showing that for all his villainy and desperation, being able to win and hold that title was no fluke.” -Chris Gannon

“Danielson bringing back the YES Chants before delivering the Busaiku Knee to the champ for a fabulous nearfall made me feel things that I wasn’t sure I still could feel when watching wrestling.” -Heikki Oinonen

“A common theme for my favorite matches of 2023 is wrestlers being forced to find a way to win after going into an opponent’s world. In this case, I loved MJF’s solutions to navigating his way through the American Dragon’s domain — treading water where he had to in order to stay alive, while finding opportunities to steal pins wherever he could. This match was a wonderful meshing of Danielson’s legendary wrestling excellence and MJF’s creativity. Wrestling for 60 minutes and beyond is a monumental challenge, but both Danielson and Friedman made it look easy.” -TDE

“For a long time, I’ve wanted to see such an Iron Man match. In many ways, this match encapsulates the best of what wrestling has to offer. No downtime, every move had a purpose, and the tension was maintained until the last second of the encounter. I hesitate to use the term “carried” when it really isn’t warranted; Bryan, more elegantly put, assisted MJF, but his performance was by no means subpar.” -Dan Duca

“The match had the crowd standing and screaming for a single-leg Boston Crab at the 59 minute mark.” -Jesse Collings

“Hands down the best Iron Match of all-time. AEW knows how to do gimmick matches” -Tyler Forness

“Remember when MJF was great.

The story of MJF struggling to keep up with Danielson, needing swigs of water in the second half of the hour and depending on oxygen in overtime. Danielson’s cheshire cat smile as realised he had MJF on toast made this match ***** alone.

It was the story of MJF struggling to solve the problems that Danielson had set Max and yet somehow doing so and it was in a match stipulation where others have struggled to produce classic matches. This night was a night where we saw best of MJF which made the last 3 months of the year so frustrating. But we’ll always have this night” -Peter Edge

“The biggest complement I can give to a pro-wrestling match after the fact is that it made me believe (even if just for a short period of time, or for a few moments here and there) that one person or one side was going to win when (realistically) I knew in my mind that their chances of winning were not that high to begin with. That was the case with the Sixty Minute Iron Man Match between MJF and Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Title. While the match itself was excellent, with plenty of incredible moments throughout, what really put it over the top were the various points in the closing stretch of the match (and later the overtime period) where Danielson came extremely close to winning the title. I knew going in that Danielson’s chances of winning were pretty low (especially given that MJF’s reign had only just gotten started), but in those brief moments, they made me believe that Danielson was going to win the title, and that really put it over the top for me. Danielson’s performance on the whole was amazing, while MJF showed that he’s more than capable of delivering a high quality main event bout. The growth of MJF as an in-ring performer has been nothing short of incredible, and this Iron Man Match was his Magnum Opus. It’s shame that MJF’s second half of the year was filled with nonsense, because THIS was the version of MJF that can be the best wrestler in the world for years to come. The greatest Iron Man Match I’ve ever seen, without question, and one of the best matches in the history of AEW.” -Sean Sedor

“Arguably the greatest Iron Man match ever. There was not a dull moment thanks to the character work, selling, and psychology between MJF and Danielson. This had technical wrestling, big spots, bloody brawling, and more packed into over an hour. Despite it being predictable, Danielson had fans believing he was about to win. Great stuff.” -Andrew Kelly

“Perhaps the greatest Iron Man Match of all time. Seeing my favorite stipulation get this level of justice was excellent. This was the match that finally “sold” me on MJF. He proved that he can wrestle anyone’s style and hang with the GOAT. There will never be a more perfect pro wrestler than Bryan Danielson but I hesitate to classify this as a “carry job.” MJF was great as well. Danielson showed he was built for this while MJF needed oxygen was hilarious but brilliant. From the very beginning, everything in this match mattered and had a purpose. It felt like both guys were trying to win right from the start and that feeling never went away. An hour long match that felt like 20 minutes and ended too soon. Perfection. I knew there was absolutely no way Danielson was going to dethrone the Champ this early in his reign but they got me. A masterclass of endurance and one of the greatest matches in AEW’s young history where the loser proves that winning isn’t everything.” -Noveliss

“Bryan Danielson truly is something else. A remarkable Ironman match, a showcase of what the American Dragon is capable of and what lengths our dick’ead AEW Champion was willing to go to.
The peak quality of MJF’s reign, as this match did everything it could to establish him as a champion to respect. Including the incredible character moment towards the end of the hour, with Danielson doing star jumps as Maxwell received an oxygen mask. Arguably the ultimate, “But how’s he going to win this one, King?!”

The fact they went at the pace they did for a full hour (and then MORE) is insane. When I call this the greatest 60-minute Ironman match I damn well mean it. The story they told was exceptional and the violence used to sell it next level. Danielson a beast as he made MJF look like a huge star, in easily the quickest 60-minutes of wrestling I’ve watched all year.

Hell, Danielson’s his own contender when it comes to hour-long professional wrestling excellence.” -Matt Maher (aka Imp)

“Ironman matches are basically impossible to work (this is only the third or fourth great one I’ve ever seen in 30+ years watching). Within the confines of what is ostensibly a silly rule set where you can’t get tension on nearfalls and a broadway is guaranteed, this is about as good as one can be.” -Jarrett Seidler

“I never thought that MJF could pull off such an enormous upset against Danielson, but this match proved why “The People’s Scumbag” was awarded the longest and most historic AEW World Championship run in the company. I believe this match elevated both opponents, and I would love to see more 60-minute Iron Man Matches in AEW again.” -Brie Coder

“MJF shows that he is more than a lot of charisma and a good mic, he can also have more than an hour of good wrestling with the best wrestler in the world. Epic, drama, technique, a fight that has it all.” -Fede Fromhell

“They managed to keep my attention for the whole sixty minutes of this which is such an amazing feat. Danielson always builds matches to have so much tension and emotional investment that by the end of this match I cared more about this than anything in my life, despite not having been very invested in the build. Incredible.” -Anne from Tunnel Talk

“MJF proved he could hang (or be carried) to a 60-plus minute match by one of the greatest to ever do it. I hadn’t seen an oxygen tank used to cheat to win before, so that was new. This was when MJF was still a heel and was tolerable.” -Eric Krol

“An exciting match from start to finish. MJF’s best match of the year. Sometimes it’s hard to pull off exciting Iron Man matches, but this one nailed it.

MJF was on a superb run for his AEW championship run, and Bryan Danielson was only on the cusp of his extraordinary 2023 year.” -Traff

“The best Ironman match of all time and the peak of MJFs reign as AEW Champion” -Lee Malone

“Lord, how I wish we could have gotten this MJF all year long. I came off this match thinking he really could be a new Ric Flair. But then he had to go play video games with Adam Cole and ruin it.” -Kevin Ely

“I can’t think of a better 60-minute match., and there’s been plenty of great 60-minute matches. It is a shame Danielson spent a lot of this year injured as when he wasn’t, he was easily one of the best wrestlers in the world.” -Bryan Rose

“This is simply the best Iron Man match ever. Move over Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat.” -Jason Westhaver

““If you can fill the unforgiving hour with 60 minutes worth of wrestling, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it” – Kipling, probably, if he saw this match.
I still cant believe this match went over 65 minutes because no matter how many times I watch it the whole thing just flies by. MJF and Danielson had the crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish. Innovative, clever, witty, dramatic and somehow, always gripping. An iron man match must be an incredibly daunting physical and mental task for any wrestler to contemplate but these two made it look easy. Simply masterful.” -Martin Heartly

“This is one of the best stories AEW has ever told, finished off by one of its best matches ever. The build-up was amazing, with MJF embodying the best version of his insecure psychotic heel character and Bryan’s unrelenting determination to get through a gauntlet of the best AEW’s roster had to offer (which itself had several excellent low-level MotY candidates in matches against Bandido, Takeshita and RUSH, toss in one more with MJF vs. Takeshita) so he could prove, definitively that he was the best wrestler in the world. The Iron Man match was 60 minutes of absolutely mastery of the sport, all killer, no filler and was capped off by an intense, exciting overtime period where MJF pulls out every single trick he has and all of them come up dry, until you’re finally convinced, oh my god, Bryan is actually gonna do this….until he doesn’t. And Bryan followed up this match with a promo (link: https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1633656090448793600 ) that took the match from disappointing to gut-wrenching. Nothing in wrestling hits you in the gut the way Bryan admitting his shame that he put his own wants over his family does. MJF didn’t defeat Bryan physically — he did something much worse, he broke him mentally. MJF’s world championship reign wasn’t always the best thing on AEW television (starting….pretty much right after this match, as a matter of fact!) but this story and this match was the peak of All Elite Wrestling in 2023.” -Jeff Ahmed

“MJF had a banner 2023. Bryan Danielson has been great for 20 years. So why do I feel like this match blew past all expectations? It was psychologically perfect. They turned the 60 Minute Iron Man stipulation from a weakness to an asset. I didn’t expect that. More than anything else on this list, I’m in awe of this match.” -Jim Valley

“Bryan Danielson does it again. Right around 15 months after going an hour with a young burgeoning star in AEW (the Hangman Page draw at the Winter is Coming Dynamite in December 2021) he pulls another broadway with someone from the next generation of extremely talented pro wrestlers. He makes every single minute intriguing, entertaining, and breath-taking. There is never a dull moment, never a boring period where they are wasting time.

But don’t forget about MJF. While he was in there with someone adding to his case as the greatest wrestler of all time, Maxwell Jacob Friedman more than held his own. In fact, one of the aspects of the match that kept it exciting at all times, was that I was constantly wondering how MJF would pull it off. We know he is going to pull every trick in the book to try and retain his title. We know he will cross any line he can to get an advantage. While there may have been a couple bumps along the way in the build to this match, and we then went into the Summer and Fall of discontent with MJF descending into sports-entertainment madness with the Four Pillars Feud and the Brochachos – don’t forget the greatness of MJF in this match. And the greatness of the MJF character – something that got lost along the way in being a Hulk Hogan/John Cena overcoming the odds babyface. The low blow followed by the two quick pins was just brilliant pro wrestling. The constant breaks to drink water and douse himself as well were a little strange yes – but every time they had me intrigued. What is he doing? What’s his play here? And the ending is just perfect pro wrestling with the exhausted heel getting every little advantage he can with oxygen and medical attention – while the babyface shows bravery and heart, almost to a fault in wanting to continue the fight rather than taking a break.

And in addition to all that character work, MJF held up his end in the technical wrestling department. The grappling, the execution – you could even say it was excellent. Here’s hoping that Max heels up and he comes back with the incredible talent we saw on display here and a re-focused Tony Khan ready to book him back into greatness.” -S. Dakota Jones

“This felt like watching 2006 ROH Danielson all over again, as he was firing on all cylinders. And while everyone knew at this point that MJF could go, this was probably the match where he solidified himself as a true modern day great. A Herculean effort from both guys.” -Theo Sambus

“Iron Man matches are super hit or miss for me. This one might be the best Iron Man match ever. The 60 minutes flew by. MJF silenced the doubters on his in ring work while Danielson reminded everyone he really is top 3 wrestlers ever.” -Brett Miles

“MJF has had a lot of crap thrown his way over his title reign this past year. In my opinion, a lot of the criticisms are valid. However, the lead-up to this match was MJF at his absolute best: Throwing obstacles in front of his opponent, Being a giant heat magnet…. and the match itself ended up being incredible! This 60+ minute spectacle in some ways demonstrated that MJF can be so much more than a cartoon character on AEW television. And I hope when he returns, we get more oxygen-deprived Max trying to recover from an all-out war, and less Kangaroo Kicks.” -Skeach101

“MJF can’t hang. Iron Man matches are a long, dull road to fill an hour. These are the thoughts that filled me with dread on the way to the Revolution main event. Instead, for 60 action packed minutes, Bryan Danielson proved he is one of the GOAT talents, MJF stepped up, and every Iron Man match forward had a new gold standard to live up to. Absolutely incredible.” -Marty Day

“MJF was an incredibly frustrating person to watch in 2023. This match is a glimpse as to why, as this was a look at MJF at his absolute peak performance. Playing the brash young foil to an established great – see his feud with CM Punk – has been a money formula, and this Iron Man match with Danielson was no exception. Coming at the end of a grueling gauntlet, Danielson showed the babyface fire that got him to the top of WWE a decade prior. Danielson leading the YES chants for the first time since coming to AEW at the end of this match was the moment where I knew this was an all-time great match.” -Suit Williams

“MJF puts to rest the bogus “He Can Only Talk” allegations.” -Jon Rogers

“This is the best Iron Man match of all time, but unfortunately that comes with a ceiling. If you shaved 30 minutes off this match, you wouldn’t lose a thing. Why am I being negative in my MOTY write-up? Because the match was that good. It’s obvious it belongs here.” -Jeremy Sexton

“This Was Pro Wrestling! Right from the bell Danielson is clearly the calmer and better wrestler. MJF looks to stall and duck Danielson’s early onslaught before finally going after Danielson’s hurt shoulder. MJF works over the injury nicely to soften Danielson up for the Salt of the Earth as well as take away Danielson’s advantage on the mat. Danielson is able to fire up and starts mounting a comeback which causes MJF to take more risks for bigger offense and he slightly tweaks his knee. Both men have an injury now and they start trading quick pinfall attempts to get on the board before Danielson is able to nail a Busaiku Knee and gets the first fall. Danielson looks for a second knee but MJF kicks him low for a DQ. MJF quickly capitalizes and scores two quick pinfalls to tie it back up. MJF is now back in control but Danielson starts to go after MJF’s hurt knee with kicks and submissions. MJF starts to feel the desperation and nails a top rope elbow to the outside through a table on Danielson to try and get a count-out. But Danielson still makes it back in the ring! MJF is furious and willingly hurts his own knee more to hit Danielson with a brutal Tombstone Piledriver onto the broken table! Heatseeker on a now bloody Danielson gives MJF another fall and the lead. Now MJF is in his comfort zone and just mocks and belittles Danielson as he slaps him and stomps on him. Danielson fires back and starts going for broke. He throws himself at MJF with headbutts, dives and a scary Spider Superplex. A Diving Headbutt off the top by Danielson and MJF is pouring blood! Danielson locks in the Regal Stretch and MJF has to tap. It’s tied again! Danielson looks for the Regal Stretch again but MJF is able to lock in the Salt of the Earth. The two trade submissions back and forth before MJF gets the Salt of the Earth back in. MJF ties up both of Danielson’s arms and one of his legs while in the hold but Danielson still makes it to the ropes! 5 minutes to go and the two men start slugging it out. A second Heatseeker only gets 2. MJF goes to the top but Danielson catches him and lands some Hammer and Anvil Elbows but MJF slips him into a Tombstone Piledriver off Bret’s rope! MJF tries to cover but his knee is destroyed!. He finally covers but Danielson gets a Half Crab in! Seconds to go! MJF can’t get to the rope! Time expires! It’s a tie! But wait! We get Sudden Death! Roll-up by Danielson. Kick-out! MJF blocks the ref and kicks Danielson low. Roll-up with the tights! Kick-out! MJF wants to use the belt but the ref stops him. MJF has the diamond ring! He misses! Danielson hits the Busaiku Knee! 1,2… Kick-out! Half Crab again! MJF barely makes it to the ropes but taps to make Danielson think he tapped out. MJF rolls outside to recover. He nails Danielson with an oxygen tank! Ref didn’t see it! MJF locks in the LeBell Lock. Danielson is still alive! Danielson tries to fight but he can’t do it! Danielson taps and MJF wins! My God! What a match! Perfect pacing, booking, story-telling and action with an amazing finish. The Greatest Iron Man Match of All Time! *****” -Alex Kalil

“This was an extremely well structured match that showcased a lot of storytelling through character development. It got more and more dramatic towards the end but in a natural way. It didn’t feel “forced epic” at all.” -Sebastian Viefers

“Quite simply, the best iron man match in the history of professional wrestling” -Stephen Coriander

“If somebody asks you how to tell story in a match, please show them this classic. Some people might disagree with me, but to me this was the greatest Iron Man match ever. MJF once again beign a great heel and Danielson putting his great babyface work again. Actually anything Danielson does feels extra special. Because this guy puts extra feeling to it. Since he is going to retire in 2024, this was one of the last big gifts he gave to us. A very special match with a deep story telling. Every second tells you something. Especially if you pay attention to some details.” -Kaan

“60+ minutes of beautiful pro wrestling. This was the peak of MJF in AEW so far, and possibly Bryan’s best match too. The heel/babyface dynamic in this one was off the charts and kept me engaged in every second of the match. It flies by even on a re-watch.” -Adam Darwin

“In my view, this match is far more than match of the year. Friedman vs Danielson set a new bar for what an Iron Man can be–for what any long singles match can be, even–with pacing that is not only revolutionary, but perhaps impossible to match. This showed off that both the grappling skill and the storytelling acumen of both men are incomparable.” -Sergei Alderman

“After having an all-timer 60 minute match against Hangman in 2021, Bryan Danielson did it again with MJF. It’s such a difficult thing to do and Bryan just makes it look easy. From MJF getting intentionally DQ’d to score a quick two falls, to the shot of Danielson laughing and MJF crying as they neared the time limit, to MJF’s mortal enemy Tony Schiavone being the one to announce the sudden death overtime, to Bryce Remsburg taking the diamond ring away from MJF when he needed it most, every step of this match was perfectly laid out. This was the peak of MJF’s title reign and one of several peaks of Danielson’s 2023 run.” -Andrew Rich

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