So I rewatched Timeless Toni Storm & Alex Windsor v Athena & Mercedes Moné from August last year, and first of all, great match, second of all, I love these two pairings, but third of all, and I didn't expect to say this, but I really miss Bryan Danielson!
I forgot that he's actually really good at commentating women's matches, and clearly has a lot of respect for them, which is such a fucking breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the AEW comms team.
Like, within the first minute or two, he's talking about how good Windsor's fundamentals are and how fast she is and pointing out the specific moves she's pulling off as an example of this, and he called Storm v Moné at All In: Texas one of the best matches he'd seen so far in 2025. Not one of the best women's matches, just one of the best matches!
Like, this is bare minimum shit imo, but by god, compared to a motherfucker like Tony Schiavone or Nigel McGuinness he makes it look like an effortless fucking Olympic-level high jump.
Not even that, I think he also causes the rest of the commentary team to up their game, especially Excalibur, who is generally okay at commentating women's matches but has some faults. Even Schiavone ends up doing alright here (because he's so fucking desperate to make the other commentators like him)!
No, actually, you know what I think actually really gets me? He genuinely sounds like he's enjoying the match! He sounds like he's having a great time, like he's really impressed by the wrestling and really entertained by the character work. And he doesn't sound patronising, or like he's surprised he's enjoying the match, he just seems to have a genuine respect and admiration for the women in the ring. What a concept!
I hope he gets well soon just in general because I wish well for my fellow human beings, but I also hope he gets well soon so we can get him back at the desk more.
