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Jon Moxley Beats Bryan Danielson for AEW Title in Possible Retirement Match

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVOctober 13, 2024

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 02: AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson celebrates in the ring after defending his championship during AEW Dynamite on October 2, 2024, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Jon Moxley defeated former Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Bryan Danielson at WrestleDream on Saturday to win the AEW World Championship for a record fourth time, potentially signaling the end of Danielson's career in the process.

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

Jon Moxley's 4th reign as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEW</a> World Champion begins tonight as the reign and career of Bryan Danielson is over.<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWWrestleDream?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWWrestleDream</a> LIVE on PPV!<a href="https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj">https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bryandanielson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BryanDanielson</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/JonMoxley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonMoxley</a> <a href="https://t.co/agp3JLAx0N">pic.twitter.com/agp3JLAx0N</a>

There were several key moments throughout the match:

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

SPIKED on the Announce Desk!<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWWrestleDream?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWWrestleDream</a> LIVE on PPV!<a href="https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj">https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bryandanielson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BryanDanielson</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/JonMoxley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonMoxley</a> <a href="https://t.co/h7MSAcz7iS">pic.twitter.com/h7MSAcz7iS</a>

All Elite Wrestling @AEW

CAUGHT out of midair and PLANTED onto the cement!<br><br>Order <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AEWWrestleDream?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AEWWrestleDream</a> LIVE on PPV!<a href="https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj">https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj</a><a href="https://twitter.com/bryandanielson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BryanDanielson</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/JonMoxley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonMoxley</a> <a href="https://t.co/eeFxuRKhZY">pic.twitter.com/eeFxuRKhZY</a>

However, it was a choke that finally ended Danielson's reign as the champion.

After previously saying he would continue to wrestle a full-time schedule until losing the title, Danielson's loss in his home state of Washington likely means his full-time in-ring career is now over.

Danielson became AEW world champion for the first time at All In back in August when he defeated Swerve Strickland for the title in the main event, saving his own career in the process.

That set off one of the most raucous and memorable celebrations in AEW history, but the atmosphere was much different just two weeks later at All Out.

After Danielson's successful title defense against Jack Perry, Christian Cage attempted to cash in his guaranteed title match, but the Moxley-led Blackpool Combat Club arrived and prevented him from doing so.

Mox had not been seen on AEW programming in several weeks, but he seemingly came back to help Danielson and then celebrate with him after his victory.

However, the BCC flipped the script, as Claudio Castagnoli put Danielson down with an uppercut, and Moxley pulled out a plastic bag to choke out Danielson while Pac prevented Wheeler Yuta from putting a stop to it.

In explaining why he turned his back on Danielson, Moxley claimed that while he would have liked to move forward with Danielson by his side, he felt the BCC had failed in what it originally set out to do.

Moxley lamented the "egos" in AEW, said he was done with diplomacy and declared war on the company.

In the weeks that followed, Danielson beat Nigel McGuinness at Grand Slam and had a successful title defense against Kazuchika Okada, while Moxley established himself as the new No. 1 contender by beating Darby Allin at Grand Slam.

That set the stage for a showdown between Danielson and Moxley, and with Mox coming out on top, Danielson's illustrious career as a full-time wrestler now appears to be over.


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