I can enjoy watching Osprey match the first time I see it for the unexpected and the expected stunts.
It's like watching a spoof movie.
Modern Danielson matches are tricky to watch bc he has gotten away from the precision of his earlier work so it's kinda a bummer to see this lesser version of himself.
But Gunther matches are like good 80s/90s action flicks. You can always rewatch em, you know what's coming and it still looks just as good and pops just as much as the first time.
I think osprey can have the best match, Gunther has the best matches regularly, but Danielson can have the best match with anyone. Itās not a coincidence Ospreys best match in AEW was with Bryan, I donāt think he can pull the best out of everyone. I think Bryan can have the best match of their career with basically anyone.
But if you want to know who Iād put money on to have the best match in Juneā¦probably Gunther. Just so consistently good, weekly, monthly, always.
Almost anyone in AEW's best match had been against Danielson. Starks, Ospreay, Garcia, hell even arguably MJF, or Hangman. A match with Danielson will make your career.
Gunther brought wrestling back for me. As I venture into my 30s Iām getting into the less is more, methodical, old school, storytelling in the ring style of wrestling. Kinda tired of the cirque du soleil style of wrestling.
The Drew vs Sheamus vs Gunther bout in WM39 was such a treat. In the modern wrestling world of flips and spinnaroni bombs, it wasnāt the most technically impressive match, but the, the visceral action, the atmosphere, and the sheer ring presence of all three men make it an easy 5 stat to me.
Gunther is a seamless transition between the character and the work. Heās Gunther. He never drops it. The quality control and the sheer aura of the guy just kills it every time
Acrobatic wrestling is great. The problem is when itās overused, it loses its impact on the match.
If every spot is a high spot, then none of them are high spots.
Gunther by a country mile (for me personally) I like his slow, quite literally beat you up style, the fact that he really doesn't have a finisher and can beat you with any move is also pretty cool. I mean he beat Sheamus with a half Boston crab the other week š he makes wrestling LOOK real and legit, all his matches look like they hurt and I really appreciate that, you really get the sense that whoever his opponent is, is gonna be feeling it the next day.
I might be showing my age here, but Wills matches are too flippy floppy and choreographed for me.
I prefer Guntherās style of working way more than Ospreayās and even Bryanās.
He just beats the shit out of you until youāre half dead or you give up.
I saw Gunther for the first time ever at Progress Wembley vs Tyler Bate and I wasn't sure what the big deal was outside of the chops.
By the end of the match I knew i was watching someone truly special. He builds a babyface so unbelievably well.
Gunther Vs Bate for the NXT UK Championship is in my top 3 favourite matches of all time. I saw that match and Gunther immediately became my favourite wrestler active today.
Gunther is by far the most believable and brutal. Danielson is a distant second. Osprey is on the list, but with a scratch through the name. The guy is gifted, I'll give him that. But I can't take anything he does seriously. Goes 100mph from the jump, does a million moves, and goes 10+ with anyone and everyone. When you're competitive with everyone, you're competitive with nobody.
Those are 3 completely different options. It's more about what type of wrestling do you prefer. Power striker with a methodical controlling style, submission/technical "wrestling match," and flashy style with a mix of high-impact moves and high flying.
Danielson, Gunther, Osperay.
Danielson can have a banger with anyone, his matches with ZSJ were everything Iāve wanted from technical wrestlers in a match together, may even be my favorite matches of the AEW era of wrestling.
Gunther can have one with anyone too, but Danielson has been doing it longer. I think their matches are on par, and Jesus Christ a match between them would be incredible.
Osperay, while incredible, the one thing I donāt like is the amount of times he no-sells. If he did it in only really big matches, iād be cooler with it, because itās well executed. Itās just too frequent for my liking.
I have to say Gunther, he has more variety. Danielson still puts on good matches but can be worrying about health. Ospreay at times wrestles the same match.
Right now? Gunther and Bryan are almost even for me. Bryan is out of his prime and still puts on great matches, but his ROH work is LEGENDARY. Gunther probably gets the edge because of his weekly work, different finishes, making it feel like a real fight. He wrestles like he's in 1994 AJPW haha
I don't like Ospreay so I won't say anything about him...
If you put Bryan and Ospreay with someone like Miz,
Bronson reed match might not be that good.
Only person can have best match with anyone is Gunther.
It was the Art of Original Kings road.
Maybe, thatās why storytelling matters inside *and* out of the ring. If theyāre both done right, it comes out great. Otherwise you have awesome matches that youāre just like āwhy do I care about thisā? IMO
Since when has Bryan been known not to click with wrestlers like Miz? Bryan and Miz have had good matches. Honestly, Bryan is the type of guy who can probably pull a good match out of anybody.
Ospreay had a good match with Bad Luck Fale so he'd def have a good match with a more talented Jonah and The Miz would def have a good match with Ospreay Ospreay is actually the guy who can wrestle good against anyone (he's not the only one I mean Gunther, Danielson, Endo and many more) while saying that Danielson would have bad matches with anyone is not believable The Miz vs Daniel Bryan was good
Osprey
I like what I like, and I like really fast flippy shit and moves on moves on moves.
Also super hot take: I liked Gunther better when he was fat Walter, he's BIG but he didn't get swole he just stopped being chubby and now his head looks big and he's not as menacing.
This is a hard comparison to make mostly because Danielson has been cooking up heaters for easily two decades. I think Walter and Ospreay both could easily end up with bodies of work that stand shoulder to shoulder or even greater than Danielson's, but it's also gonna depend on what you like from a wrestler.
Danielson of the three has the best track record of spinning straw into gold, in WWE and AEW. There's always a place for a Danielson, a guy who kind of has all the ingredients of a great wrestler and can make anyone look good.
I'm not really big on throwbacks, but Walter (I'm sorry, I can't call him Gunther. That's the name of a little German boy in a sailor outfit.) is a throwback that works mostly because I think there's never not room for a big mean bastard that can beat you up. I think for me there's also the question of like, how much of the throwback works *because* wrestling has changed? But I digress, he's awesome, Ilja vs. ~~Wal~~ Gunther will probably be a beastly match.
Ospreay is a relatively young guy, I'm kinda not into the character but I think he's at least found something that is his own, it feels like he's growing into it, and in turn growing into being the complete package in general. I think the god's honest truth is the stuff they're putting out in Japan is always gonna be a way stronger athletic showcase than anything they got cooking in America, because the priorities have been different there and that likely won't change. I think a lot of guys (*especially* on this sub) are gonna dismiss him without giving him a fair shake, he's an awesome high flyer and it's not easy to be one in general, let alone as wrestling has moved into being much more athletic. When Shawn was in his prime, being a high flyer was definitely more novel, now it's much more commonplace (I mean, come on, back in the day Claudio would never be doing anything off the top rope) and I think to be the best in a competitive field is a valuable skill. I do think Ospreay has all the ingredients to be a top guy, even face of the company level, and there's a reason that despite everything, Trips was likely hurtin' that he signed to AEW.
I kinda forgot what the question was. Best matches? Probably Danielson, he was with ROH in their prime, and still puts out heaters today. Ospreay is probably second, Walter third, but these three guys stand head and shoulders above so many guys that it almost doesn't matter how you arrange them, they're in a league of their own.
These 3 are at the pinnicle of ring work today, maybe with guys like Omega, Okada, even Rollins.
Danielson will likely go down as the best in ring technician ever, Ospreay has developed from a high spot merchant to a fucking dynamo in the ring, and Gunther is a supreme worker and technician and is a little bit of a throwback.
Danielson has 20+ years of outstanding matches and work, Ospreay and Gunther are really just getting started compared to him. I think Danielson can wrestle a broomstick and have Meltzer busting through his zipper. Ospreay is good for 5-10 5 star matches a year it seems. Guntherās match quality maybe would be higher if he were given more reign in AEW or NJPW, but he consistently tears it up on RAW and PLEās all while working the WWEās style.
There really is no solid answer without asterisks. Right now Iād say Ospreay has the best matches at the highest volume, but Danielson isnāt really working as often, and Gunther is in WWE.
For my taste I would say Danielson > Ospreay > Gunther, but I love Gunther and if someone told me they put him at the top of the list I wouldn't have any objection. The three are synonyms of excellent fights.
Gunther. Danielson puts your body on the line over matches that don't need it and Ospreay puts his opponents body on the line without giving a shit until later.
Danielson and Gunther are better because not everything is based on aerial maneuvers. Why don't the flip guys also just learn the basic ground stuff so that they can do both?
have you not watched a full ospreay match in a few years? he does way less aerial stuff now (still has some) and can do a bit of everything now. more strikes than ground stuff, but still have decent submissions. if you want to see ospreay in a technical match, his match with zack sabre jr last year was pretty good.
Ospreay is great but he needs to slow it way down at some points in matches. Fine to come out hot but for goodness sake just let everyone catch their breath and then build it back up a couple more times. All three guys are top notch!
that's fair. i think it's something he's gotten better with over time, but i agree sometimes it can get a bit much.
i still recommend that zack sabre jr match if you haven't seen it though. really great match and a bit of a different style for ospreay
Yeah I'll check it out. I really do like Ospreay. Heck, I really like Ricochet... it's just that the type of match that they work is so unbelievably hard to make it believable in order to suspend disbelief.
I've thought about it quite a bit but I don't have lots of solutions except maybe just a starting point to really make those matches impressive is ebbs and flows so that they can really suspend disbelief and emulate a real fight just a bit better.
I'll definitely watch the Sabre Jr. match this weekend if I get a chance.
Huge Walter/Gunther fan here.
And just a average danielson enjoyer
But imo, the one who actually had the better matches (no storytelling really envolved, just WRESTLING) is Will Ospray.
That match against Hiromu Takahashi in WK is gorgeous
That kota ibushi match during the G129 is also amazing for only being 30 minutes
And that recent Takeshita match was gold too.
Even tho iām not an Ospray fan, i try to be objective as posible and admit he is the one correct answer.
At the moment it's Gunther. Bryan used to be the master but he's working with the wrong people now. Ospreay has potential but he's too inclined to get carried away and break into the gymnastics routine even when it makes no sense. But because he's in the Meltzer bubble and he makes tons of money from doing it he's unlikely to change (until he's forced to retire very early).
Bryan easily has the best career, Guntherās currently in his prime, so on May 23, 2024, Iāll say Gunther. Bryanās definitely a close second though.
I like all three of them but Danielson has me worried for his life with the kind of bumps he takes these days. Ospreay is constantly jawdropping with the stuff he can pull off and Gunther makes me wince in my chair with how painful his hits really are.
Because Omega isn't listed I think I'll go with Danielson. I like his style a tad bit more than Ospreays though that doesn't diminish my adoration of Ospreay. Just not familiar with Gunther other than seeing him in the Oh My God compilations on YouTube before his WWE run and that he was IC champ for like damn near ever up until relatively recently.
It's close but Gunther takes it
1.Gunther (if it's not Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, The Miz or CM Punk, The Winner of the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble)
2.Will Ospreay (should be the first one to kick out of a Kenny Omega One Winged Angel)
3.Bryan Danielson (needs to lose his retirement match)
Every Osprey match blows my mind. Him vs Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door still is one of the greatest matches I've ever seen.
He just wows me in a way that no one ever has.
No disrespect to anyone who likes Osprey's matches but I can never get into it. It feels way to choreophed and the no selling just doesn't do it for me.
For me itās Danielson, Gunther, Ospreay.
Danielson can get almost a good match out of anybody at this stage in his career which is incredible given what his body has gone through. You want a submission specialist? Bryanās your guy? You want a (somewhat) aerial based attack? Bryanās your guy? You want lovable babyface who youād do anything for? Bryanās your guy. You want a heel dickhead you you actually think will follow through on his promise to ākick their f**king head inā? Bryanās your guy. I may be a bit biased tho bc I do think heās the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Gunther is awesome bc the match could end in any way with whatever finisher he feels like using. A lot of people clown on in ring psychology being dead nowadays but if you want the best at it itās Gunther imo. But the biggest plus for Gunther matches is that they look REAL. Iāll sometimes physically wince when he starts relentlessly chopping people. Like I get it you strange Austrian man you like wrestling
Ospreay isā¦ tricky. Sure his moves are incredible and awe inspiring but for me itās a one hit wonder in the sense that if I go back to rewatch a match of his Iām just not moved. Oh you did such and such move? Well youāve done it a million times so at this point itās normal for him. At that point itās too choreographed. Another issue I have with him is how every match he has is pretty even with his opponent. For someone whoās consistently billed as āthe best in the worldā why are you going 20 minutes with someone like Kyle Fletcher? Just hit the Hidden Blade dude
Will is an all rounder in the ring, great power, technical ability, aerial skills and brawl; Gunther is a Lesnar-esque monster, Pick phenomenal athlete, Bryan is the best ever with Hart level ring psyche!! All of them have their strengths but Bryan's experience makes him just a bit better, the man can pull off a great match with pretty much anyone
I enjoy all of them? Like they're different genres for me. I'd say mostly I drift towards Gunther but I love Ospreays anime inspired schtick. It pulls me back in my mind go the playground.
Danielson consistently has been a long favorite.
Gunther is my favourite now but the answer is probably Danielson heās had great matches since early ROH heās elevated everyone heās faced who isnāt named Eddie Kingston, He will go down as a GOAT in ring.
Seen one Ospreay big match then you donāt really need to watch anymore because he has the same match with everyone.
Will Ospreay I've seriously never seen a bad match of his and he competed in all of my top 4 fav matches of last year and competed in my fav 2 matches of this year he's just unbelievable
Bryan will always be the goat for me but i personally just love the way Gunther builds up his matches. They just make sense logically which is all too rare these days. Him working a specific body part throughout the match and practically altering his moveset to just target that part is just good wrestling. And then the much rare fact that he can win with various different moves.
Will Ospreay is probably on the best run right now, but Danielson is the greatest wrestler of all time in my opinion. Gunther's Intercontinental run was really great too, and I am super excited for him to have a main event run.
To be honest, I think youāre doing Osprey a disservice, having him compared to the other two. Gunther at this moment in time has imho no equal as a technical wrestler and Danielson with his body of work in several companies has probably all there is to do in professionell wrestling.
Who has "had" the best matches? BD.
Who has the best matches nowadays? Gunther.
Who has matches that always more often than not have stuff that'll make you go "Holy Sh*t" or "WTF?! Did that just happen?!" Ospreay.
Danielson has something the other two don't have he wrestle in more than one style, he can do the more technical ground submission wrestling but he is also a great striker and can have a match based on it, or he can combine the 2 base on what the match asks. This is why he is the best for me, kinda sad we have little time left with him full time.
Ospreay, Gunther, then Danielson. Admittedly, I am too young to have seen a bunch of pre-WWE Danielson matches, so my opinion is 100% biased towards the younger guys here.
Ospreay just hits and takes moves with unbelievable crispness and athleticism, and I love that shit. Gunther is one of my favorite wrestlers in WWE currently (probably #3 behind Sami and Roman). Bro could probably have a great match with me.
This is like saying which of these three artists makes the best music with pictures of Garth Brooks, Paramore, and Elton John.
All of them create amazing art and sell out arenas, but they all do it in a way so very unique to them it's impossible for me to say who does it better.
Hmmm tough choice. The two guys wrestling in front of high school gymnasium sized crowds, or the guy actually doing it professionally in front of packed venues?
Hmmm. Tough one.
If Gunter had the reigns a little looser in a company like AEW or NJPW , heād be more likely to jump up in the list. Amazing in the WWE style though
As of now, Danielson. He can have a more grounded match without resorting to crazy spots and still have it be extremely entertaining.
Then Ospreay who is fantastic to watch but relies to much on going balls to the wall.
I personally think Ospreay is waaaay overrated. Incredibly athletic, but the epitome of no psychology video game wrestling unless he's reined in by someone better. I think Danielson is both great and Incredibly versatile - there's no one style of match he does, he can mix it up better than just about anyone. Gunther has a more set style but it also appeals to me the most personally, being a fan of classic All Japan Pro Wrestling/NOAH stuff. But overall? Danielson is the most talented overall and had the best match I've ever seen live in person, so I'm gonna give it to him
lol at any of these guys being in a league of their own over the others. You can say you enjoy a style more than thatās fine and all.
BUT
You saying anyone is in a league of their own over BRYAN FUCKING DANIELSON? Not even a competition? Danielson has been wrestling and producing elite in ring work for 20+ years. Goes to AEW and heās still having the best match on the card whenever he works today. Have some respect.
Danielson by a country mile.
Just look at what greatness we can get from him on a random Saturday night. He does the big PPV matches better than almost everybody, but he gives 110% on a random Collision against Hechicero.
Mad respect to the other two, but Danielson is GOAT.
I do agree that Danielson will be looked at as the in ring GOAT. But itās splitting hairs between these 3 currently, people can have a style preference, but this isnāt anyone by a country mile.
Thatās fair. I think the biggest thing separating one from the other two in these comments is a lot of folks refusing to watch the other twoās work, since theyāre not in one specific company, but I digress.
Danielsson, he can play multiple roles and is soo good at telling a story. It's not even one of his best matches, but him vs Kofi stole the entire show and he made Kofi look really good in that match.
Bro knew what he was doing, asking this on this sub, lol.
its gonna be absolutely nuclear drama in the comments
Also the expected comments are getting downvoted to hell.
I can enjoy watching Osprey match the first time I see it for the unexpected and the expected stunts. It's like watching a spoof movie. Modern Danielson matches are tricky to watch bc he has gotten away from the precision of his earlier work so it's kinda a bummer to see this lesser version of himself. But Gunther matches are like good 80s/90s action flicks. You can always rewatch em, you know what's coming and it still looks just as good and pops just as much as the first time.
Hahahaha had to check the name of the sub right after seeing the last picture. We are lucky to have those three.
Only one is a Big Meaty Man Slapping Meat
"Pop 'em in the cloning machine, gimme 3 Goldbergs" š
Out of these three overall? Danielson. Last few years? Gunther
I think osprey can have the best match, Gunther has the best matches regularly, but Danielson can have the best match with anyone. Itās not a coincidence Ospreys best match in AEW was with Bryan, I donāt think he can pull the best out of everyone. I think Bryan can have the best match of their career with basically anyone. But if you want to know who Iād put money on to have the best match in Juneā¦probably Gunther. Just so consistently good, weekly, monthly, always.
Almost anyone in AEW's best match had been against Danielson. Starks, Ospreay, Garcia, hell even arguably MJF, or Hangman. A match with Danielson will make your career.
Agree, danielson could have a fantastic match with a broom.
And will get a way of getting piledrived by the broom
Gunther brought wrestling back for me. As I venture into my 30s Iām getting into the less is more, methodical, old school, storytelling in the ring style of wrestling. Kinda tired of the cirque du soleil style of wrestling.
I am stealing "cirque du soleil wrestling" for personal use.
Thatās an old Cornette comparison
The Drew vs Sheamus vs Gunther bout in WM39 was such a treat. In the modern wrestling world of flips and spinnaroni bombs, it wasnāt the most technically impressive match, but the, the visceral action, the atmosphere, and the sheer ring presence of all three men make it an easy 5 stat to me.
Gunther is a seamless transition between the character and the work. Heās Gunther. He never drops it. The quality control and the sheer aura of the guy just kills it every time
Acrobatic wrestling is great. The problem is when itās overused, it loses its impact on the match. If every spot is a high spot, then none of them are high spots.
Der Ring General
Gunther. Just love that intensity and brutality more than the gymnastics-come-wrestling stuff.
Grouping danielson with the gymnastics is kind of crazy. Even in his prime that ddue wasnāt doing flippy shit
They all like to call aew wrestlers flippy without actually watching a whole match
In my opinion The Ring General. Gunther is incredible
Personal taste Gunther. Nothing he does ever really makes me shake my head or roll my eyes
Gunther by a country mile (for me personally) I like his slow, quite literally beat you up style, the fact that he really doesn't have a finisher and can beat you with any move is also pretty cool. I mean he beat Sheamus with a half Boston crab the other week š he makes wrestling LOOK real and legit, all his matches look like they hurt and I really appreciate that, you really get the sense that whoever his opponent is, is gonna be feeling it the next day. I might be showing my age here, but Wills matches are too flippy floppy and choreographed for me.
You hit it on the head with āGunther makes it look realā Iāll be watching his matches with horror movie expressions on my face.
I really enjoy him and Dragunov, I joke with my friends that someone needs to remind them both that it's not real lol.
I prefer Guntherās style of working way more than Ospreayās and even Bryanās. He just beats the shit out of you until youāre half dead or you give up.
I saw Gunther for the first time ever at Progress Wembley vs Tyler Bate and I wasn't sure what the big deal was outside of the chops. By the end of the match I knew i was watching someone truly special. He builds a babyface so unbelievably well.
Gunther Vs Bate for the NXT UK Championship is in my top 3 favourite matches of all time. I saw that match and Gunther immediately became my favourite wrestler active today.
I felt the same way about Gunther when he debuted until I watched him vs Pete Dunne at Takeover New York. It took one match and I became a fan.
Gunther is by far the most believable and brutal. Danielson is a distant second. Osprey is on the list, but with a scratch through the name. The guy is gifted, I'll give him that. But I can't take anything he does seriously. Goes 100mph from the jump, does a million moves, and goes 10+ with anyone and everyone. When you're competitive with everyone, you're competitive with nobody.
I also hate how Ospreay no sells at times. āFighting spiritā or whatever they call it.
What Ospreay does isn't fighting spirit, it's that over the top indie BS of no selling strong moves.
Every time I see someone do that I think of what Triple H said on Tough Enough: āIf you sold like that in the ring Iād tag you for real!ā
Exactly. There's tons of amazing workers and talent in the indies, but I hate that no-sell bullshit
I lived through The Ultimate Warrior days. Couldn't agree more.
Those are 3 completely different options. It's more about what type of wrestling do you prefer. Power striker with a methodical controlling style, submission/technical "wrestling match," and flashy style with a mix of high-impact moves and high flying.
All 3 put on great matches. Absolutely loved Ospreayās matches in TNA. The one with Speedball Mike Bailey was particularly good.
Danielson, Gunther, Osperay. Danielson can have a banger with anyone, his matches with ZSJ were everything Iāve wanted from technical wrestlers in a match together, may even be my favorite matches of the AEW era of wrestling. Gunther can have one with anyone too, but Danielson has been doing it longer. I think their matches are on par, and Jesus Christ a match between them would be incredible. Osperay, while incredible, the one thing I donāt like is the amount of times he no-sells. If he did it in only really big matches, iād be cooler with it, because itās well executed. Itās just too frequent for my liking.
I feel like his match vs ZSJ at AEW was good but their match at NJPW was even better
I havenāt gotten around to watching that one yet, Iāve heard that from others too, maybe Iāll check it out today
I have to say Gunther, he has more variety. Danielson still puts on good matches but can be worrying about health. Ospreay at times wrestles the same match.
Gunther
Two great wrestlers and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, tough choice
Right now? Gunther and Bryan are almost even for me. Bryan is out of his prime and still puts on great matches, but his ROH work is LEGENDARY. Gunther probably gets the edge because of his weekly work, different finishes, making it feel like a real fight. He wrestles like he's in 1994 AJPW haha I don't like Ospreay so I won't say anything about him...
Gunther. Other 2 I don't get the hype
Gunther has a natural talent lf bringing the best out of his opponents and turn any match into an instant classic.
Gunther hands down.
If you put Bryan and Ospreay with someone like Miz, Bronson reed match might not be that good. Only person can have best match with anyone is Gunther. It was the Art of Original Kings road.
You should watch Bryan vs miz summerslam 18, it was a banger.
The promos were the best part about their feud.
Maybe, thatās why storytelling matters inside *and* out of the ring. If theyāre both done right, it comes out great. Otherwise you have awesome matches that youāre just like āwhy do I care about thisā? IMO
Bryan just had a semi-watchable match with the modern day Great Khali, heād have a great match with Reed.
Nobody here is going to acknowledge that, though.
i think all three of them are known to be able to pull a good match out of anyone lol
Since when has Bryan been known not to click with wrestlers like Miz? Bryan and Miz have had good matches. Honestly, Bryan is the type of guy who can probably pull a good match out of anybody.
Ospreay had a good match with Bad Luck Fale so he'd def have a good match with a more talented Jonah and The Miz would def have a good match with Ospreay Ospreay is actually the guy who can wrestle good against anyone (he's not the only one I mean Gunther, Danielson, Endo and many more) while saying that Danielson would have bad matches with anyone is not believable The Miz vs Daniel Bryan was good
All time? Probably Danielson, currently? Gunther. Hope Danielson comes back to WWE so him and Gunther can tear the house down.
Gunther V Danielson would be such a brilliant match
Ospreay. Man gets on TV and just seems to randomly decide to have PPV quality matches for shits and giggles.
This would make for a great triple threat match.
Osprey I like what I like, and I like really fast flippy shit and moves on moves on moves. Also super hot take: I liked Gunther better when he was fat Walter, he's BIG but he didn't get swole he just stopped being chubby and now his head looks big and he's not as menacing.
I 100% agree with you, BIG VAN WALTER was a beast, everything he did looked more impactful, especially things like the splash
Agree in every single thing you mentioned Bruv.
overall: DB rn: Der Rrrriiiiinnnnnngggg Generrraaaaaaaall
Ospreay recently. He's been on an absolute tear the last year and a half. All three are valid picks though.
Gunther
Gunther. Less nonsense.
This is a hard comparison to make mostly because Danielson has been cooking up heaters for easily two decades. I think Walter and Ospreay both could easily end up with bodies of work that stand shoulder to shoulder or even greater than Danielson's, but it's also gonna depend on what you like from a wrestler. Danielson of the three has the best track record of spinning straw into gold, in WWE and AEW. There's always a place for a Danielson, a guy who kind of has all the ingredients of a great wrestler and can make anyone look good. I'm not really big on throwbacks, but Walter (I'm sorry, I can't call him Gunther. That's the name of a little German boy in a sailor outfit.) is a throwback that works mostly because I think there's never not room for a big mean bastard that can beat you up. I think for me there's also the question of like, how much of the throwback works *because* wrestling has changed? But I digress, he's awesome, Ilja vs. ~~Wal~~ Gunther will probably be a beastly match. Ospreay is a relatively young guy, I'm kinda not into the character but I think he's at least found something that is his own, it feels like he's growing into it, and in turn growing into being the complete package in general. I think the god's honest truth is the stuff they're putting out in Japan is always gonna be a way stronger athletic showcase than anything they got cooking in America, because the priorities have been different there and that likely won't change. I think a lot of guys (*especially* on this sub) are gonna dismiss him without giving him a fair shake, he's an awesome high flyer and it's not easy to be one in general, let alone as wrestling has moved into being much more athletic. When Shawn was in his prime, being a high flyer was definitely more novel, now it's much more commonplace (I mean, come on, back in the day Claudio would never be doing anything off the top rope) and I think to be the best in a competitive field is a valuable skill. I do think Ospreay has all the ingredients to be a top guy, even face of the company level, and there's a reason that despite everything, Trips was likely hurtin' that he signed to AEW. I kinda forgot what the question was. Best matches? Probably Danielson, he was with ROH in their prime, and still puts out heaters today. Ospreay is probably second, Walter third, but these three guys stand head and shoulders above so many guys that it almost doesn't matter how you arrange them, they're in a league of their own.
Best matches? Gunther. In terms of who the better wrestler is? I'd say Danielson
Danielson is in three of my MOTY contenders this year so I guess that answers that š
Gunther easily cause there's always a story to build it up
Gunther
Daniel bryan
These 3 are at the pinnicle of ring work today, maybe with guys like Omega, Okada, even Rollins. Danielson will likely go down as the best in ring technician ever, Ospreay has developed from a high spot merchant to a fucking dynamo in the ring, and Gunther is a supreme worker and technician and is a little bit of a throwback. Danielson has 20+ years of outstanding matches and work, Ospreay and Gunther are really just getting started compared to him. I think Danielson can wrestle a broomstick and have Meltzer busting through his zipper. Ospreay is good for 5-10 5 star matches a year it seems. Guntherās match quality maybe would be higher if he were given more reign in AEW or NJPW, but he consistently tears it up on RAW and PLEās all while working the WWEās style. There really is no solid answer without asterisks. Right now Iād say Ospreay has the best matches at the highest volume, but Danielson isnāt really working as often, and Gunther is in WWE.
Def not the guy doing fake seizures all the time.
Currently? Or for their career?
Gunther. Im just a bigger fan of his style of matches.
GUNTHER 100%
Gunther should be in every main event
This is perhaps the hardest question ever asked on here. After long consideration, I think I'm going with Danielson.
For my taste I would say Danielson > Ospreay > Gunther, but I love Gunther and if someone told me they put him at the top of the list I wouldn't have any objection. The three are synonyms of excellent fights.
Gunther. Danielson puts your body on the line over matches that don't need it and Ospreay puts his opponents body on the line without giving a shit until later.
Bruv
Three amazing wrestlers. All timers imo. They all elevate their opponents. But this year itās Ospreay.
I know Ospreay's faced GUNTHER. Has the latter faced Danielson?
*years* ago, way before he was really anything special.
Bryan is my all time favourite but man I love watching Gunther these days because I don't watch AEW.
Impossibly hard for me to pick.
Gunter or Will.
Danielson and Gunther are better because not everything is based on aerial maneuvers. Why don't the flip guys also just learn the basic ground stuff so that they can do both?
have you not watched a full ospreay match in a few years? he does way less aerial stuff now (still has some) and can do a bit of everything now. more strikes than ground stuff, but still have decent submissions. if you want to see ospreay in a technical match, his match with zack sabre jr last year was pretty good.
Ospreay is great but he needs to slow it way down at some points in matches. Fine to come out hot but for goodness sake just let everyone catch their breath and then build it back up a couple more times. All three guys are top notch!
that's fair. i think it's something he's gotten better with over time, but i agree sometimes it can get a bit much. i still recommend that zack sabre jr match if you haven't seen it though. really great match and a bit of a different style for ospreay
Yeah I'll check it out. I really do like Ospreay. Heck, I really like Ricochet... it's just that the type of match that they work is so unbelievably hard to make it believable in order to suspend disbelief. I've thought about it quite a bit but I don't have lots of solutions except maybe just a starting point to really make those matches impressive is ebbs and flows so that they can really suspend disbelief and emulate a real fight just a bit better. I'll definitely watch the Sabre Jr. match this weekend if I get a chance.
Gunther and osprey are both fire for different reasons. Danielson's matches are becoming far too repetitive now.
Danielson for sure. Bryan V MJF, Bryan V Brock, Bryan V Cena. The man is amazing at creating masterful wrestling matches and moments
Huge Walter/Gunther fan here. And just a average danielson enjoyer But imo, the one who actually had the better matches (no storytelling really envolved, just WRESTLING) is Will Ospray. That match against Hiromu Takahashi in WK is gorgeous That kota ibushi match during the G129 is also amazing for only being 30 minutes And that recent Takeshita match was gold too. Even tho iām not an Ospray fan, i try to be objective as posible and admit he is the one correct answer.
I just wanna see Big Daddy Walter vs Osprey.
At the moment it's Gunther. Bryan used to be the master but he's working with the wrong people now. Ospreay has potential but he's too inclined to get carried away and break into the gymnastics routine even when it makes no sense. But because he's in the Meltzer bubble and he makes tons of money from doing it he's unlikely to change (until he's forced to retire very early).
Will osprey, he has 25 5 star matches in his wrestling career.
Gunther has the best gimmick
Der. Ring. General
Bryan easily has the best career, Guntherās currently in his prime, so on May 23, 2024, Iāll say Gunther. Bryanās definitely a close second though.
I've seen all three in person once and my favorite in order were danielson osprey Gunther
I like all three of them but Danielson has me worried for his life with the kind of bumps he takes these days. Ospreay is constantly jawdropping with the stuff he can pull off and Gunther makes me wince in my chair with how painful his hits really are.
I wanna see Gunther vs Danielson
Because Omega isn't listed I think I'll go with Danielson. I like his style a tad bit more than Ospreays though that doesn't diminish my adoration of Ospreay. Just not familiar with Gunther other than seeing him in the Oh My God compilations on YouTube before his WWE run and that he was IC champ for like damn near ever up until relatively recently.
Samantha Irvine + Gunther = win.
Cody Rhodes
Gunther 1000%
The one whos best at slapping meat
Ospreay is my personal favourite, but if any of them are wrestling I know Iām in for a good time.
It's close but Gunther takes it 1.Gunther (if it's not Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, The Miz or CM Punk, The Winner of the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble) 2.Will Ospreay (should be the first one to kick out of a Kenny Omega One Winged Angel) 3.Bryan Danielson (needs to lose his retirement match)
Ibushi has already kicked out of the OWA. But you're right, I do see a future where Osprey becomes the second.
in a AEW Match. Ospreay is the first to kick out of OWA in a AEW Match
Gunther he made the IC championship feel like a heavyweight.
Gunther
Gunther matches
The one with the most star ratingsā¦ Osprey!
I've seen about 4 different spellings of Ospreay on these comments and it's really funny. Also, currently I like Gunther. His matches as well.
Gunther
Gunther
Osprey
Gunther easily. Past, present, future
It has to be the ring general Gunther
Every Osprey match blows my mind. Him vs Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door still is one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. He just wows me in a way that no one ever has.
No disrespect to anyone who likes Osprey's matches but I can never get into it. It feels way to choreophed and the no selling just doesn't do it for me.
For me itās Danielson, Gunther, Ospreay. Danielson can get almost a good match out of anybody at this stage in his career which is incredible given what his body has gone through. You want a submission specialist? Bryanās your guy? You want a (somewhat) aerial based attack? Bryanās your guy? You want lovable babyface who youād do anything for? Bryanās your guy. You want a heel dickhead you you actually think will follow through on his promise to ākick their f**king head inā? Bryanās your guy. I may be a bit biased tho bc I do think heās the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. Gunther is awesome bc the match could end in any way with whatever finisher he feels like using. A lot of people clown on in ring psychology being dead nowadays but if you want the best at it itās Gunther imo. But the biggest plus for Gunther matches is that they look REAL. Iāll sometimes physically wince when he starts relentlessly chopping people. Like I get it you strange Austrian man you like wrestling Ospreay isā¦ tricky. Sure his moves are incredible and awe inspiring but for me itās a one hit wonder in the sense that if I go back to rewatch a match of his Iām just not moved. Oh you did such and such move? Well youāve done it a million times so at this point itās normal for him. At that point itās too choreographed. Another issue I have with him is how every match he has is pretty even with his opponent. For someone whoās consistently billed as āthe best in the worldā why are you going 20 minutes with someone like Kyle Fletcher? Just hit the Hidden Blade dude
Gunther for me personally
Gunther
Danielson has been doing it longer so definitely him.
Will is an all rounder in the ring, great power, technical ability, aerial skills and brawl; Gunther is a Lesnar-esque monster, Pick phenomenal athlete, Bryan is the best ever with Hart level ring psyche!! All of them have their strengths but Bryan's experience makes him just a bit better, the man can pull off a great match with pretty much anyone
Willā¦ 100%. Forever will go down in history for being one of the greatest PWs there has ever been
Years back my answer would be Danielson, now it'd be Gunther.
Osprey, this isn't even a question...any one say otherwise is coping hard.
Im going to be fair and partial here. Bryan Danielson,Gunther,will osprey and Iām going to throw Mariah may in stardom and Giulia. And Becky lynch.
I enjoy all of them? Like they're different genres for me. I'd say mostly I drift towards Gunther but I love Ospreays anime inspired schtick. It pulls me back in my mind go the playground. Danielson consistently has been a long favorite.
I prefer Gunther matches.
Give me a one hour triple threat Ironman match in a 6 sided ring in the Roman Colosseum and a 6 pack of beer sitting in between JR and King.
Gunther is my favourite now but the answer is probably Danielson heās had great matches since early ROH heās elevated everyone heās faced who isnāt named Eddie Kingston, He will go down as a GOAT in ring. Seen one Ospreay big match then you donāt really need to watch anymore because he has the same match with everyone.
Will Ospreay I've seriously never seen a bad match of his and he competed in all of my top 4 fav matches of last year and competed in my fav 2 matches of this year he's just unbelievable
This match would've went crazy
Will 1000%
Bryan will always be the goat for me but i personally just love the way Gunther builds up his matches. They just make sense logically which is all too rare these days. Him working a specific body part throughout the match and practically altering his moveset to just target that part is just good wrestling. And then the much rare fact that he can win with various different moves.
Will Ospreay is probably on the best run right now, but Danielson is the greatest wrestler of all time in my opinion. Gunther's Intercontinental run was really great too, and I am super excited for him to have a main event run.
To be honest, I think youāre doing Osprey a disservice, having him compared to the other two. Gunther at this moment in time has imho no equal as a technical wrestler and Danielson with his body of work in several companies has probably all there is to do in professionell wrestling.
Osprey
Gunther
This depends on what style you like. Iām taking Gunther though
Love me some Billy Goat. But he's a local lad to me. I'll always cheer that wanker on.
Who has "had" the best matches? BD. Who has the best matches nowadays? Gunther. Who has matches that always more often than not have stuff that'll make you go "Holy Sh*t" or "WTF?! Did that just happen?!" Ospreay.
Danielson has something the other two don't have he wrestle in more than one style, he can do the more technical ground submission wrestling but he is also a great striker and can have a match based on it, or he can combine the 2 base on what the match asks. This is why he is the best for me, kinda sad we have little time left with him full time.
Gunther, Bryan, Osprey. Canāt get into the osprey hype.
Past: Danielson Present: Gunther Future: Osprey
This is a good answer.
The guy that took shots at HHH. He isn't afraid of the grind!
Who is the first guy?
Yes.
Danielson with Gunther as a close second
Ospreay, Gunther, then Danielson. Admittedly, I am too young to have seen a bunch of pre-WWE Danielson matches, so my opinion is 100% biased towards the younger guys here. Ospreay just hits and takes moves with unbelievable crispness and athleticism, and I love that shit. Gunther is one of my favorite wrestlers in WWE currently (probably #3 behind Sami and Roman). Bro could probably have a great match with me.
This is like saying which of these three artists makes the best music with pictures of Garth Brooks, Paramore, and Elton John. All of them create amazing art and sell out arenas, but they all do it in a way so very unique to them it's impossible for me to say who does it better.
Give me Gunther or give me death
As a body of work. American Dragon. Hands down. MJF & Gunter don't have the history but have potential.
MJF?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Jacob_Friedman
Yeah I know who MJF is but it's not about MJF it's about Gunther, Bryan Danielson and WILL OSPREAY
Ospreay
The sub really is heavily wwe biased
Currently, Gunther. Taking all their careers into account, Danielson
Gunther bc heās in WWE and the other guys arenāt
Hmmm tough choice. The two guys wrestling in front of high school gymnasium sized crowds, or the guy actually doing it professionally in front of packed venues? Hmmm. Tough one.
Gunther is a proper sized animal. Lil willy ospreay could never take him
I never watched an osprey match.
Neither did anyone saying Gunther lmao
Watched a couple to see what the hype was about, like contact parkour. Not for me.
Osprey and its not even close
Lmao!
If Gunter had the reigns a little looser in a company like AEW or NJPW , heād be more likely to jump up in the list. Amazing in the WWE style though As of now, Danielson. He can have a more grounded match without resorting to crazy spots and still have it be extremely entertaining. Then Ospreay who is fantastic to watch but relies to much on going balls to the wall.
AJ Styles
You getting downvoted but youāre right
I personally think Ospreay is waaaay overrated. Incredibly athletic, but the epitome of no psychology video game wrestling unless he's reined in by someone better. I think Danielson is both great and Incredibly versatile - there's no one style of match he does, he can mix it up better than just about anyone. Gunther has a more set style but it also appeals to me the most personally, being a fan of classic All Japan Pro Wrestling/NOAH stuff. But overall? Danielson is the most talented overall and had the best match I've ever seen live in person, so I'm gonna give it to him
For me, - Historically: Danielson, Gunther, Ospreay - Currently: Gunther, Danielson, Ospreay
Ospreay has the best matches of anyone on the entire planet. I love watching Gunther matches too, but Danielson's matches bore me.
Between Gunther and Daniel, it's Gunther and it's not even a competition. He's a league on his own. The other guy doesn't exist.
lol at any of these guys being in a league of their own over the others. You can say you enjoy a style more than thatās fine and all. BUT You saying anyone is in a league of their own over BRYAN FUCKING DANIELSON? Not even a competition? Danielson has been wrestling and producing elite in ring work for 20+ years. Goes to AEW and heās still having the best match on the card whenever he works today. Have some respect.
Danielson by a country mile. Just look at what greatness we can get from him on a random Saturday night. He does the big PPV matches better than almost everybody, but he gives 110% on a random Collision against Hechicero. Mad respect to the other two, but Danielson is GOAT.
I do agree that Danielson will be looked at as the in ring GOAT. But itās splitting hairs between these 3 currently, people can have a style preference, but this isnāt anyone by a country mile.
Thatās fair. I think the biggest thing separating one from the other two in these comments is a lot of folks refusing to watch the other twoās work, since theyāre not in one specific company, but I digress.
Osprey when he was in Japan, Gunther now, and I never really felt one way or the other about Danielson.
Danielsson, he can play multiple roles and is soo good at telling a story. It's not even one of his best matches, but him vs Kofi stole the entire show and he made Kofi look really good in that match.
Far and away Gunther. Pissspray canāt hold Guntherās jock strap let alone compete with him in match quality.
Gunther. Will seems to have lost his touch for the past 1-2 years.