Kazuchika Okada’s AEW Dynamite debut ends with another injury to Bryan Danielson

The main event of the Oct. 25 Dynamite featured Kazuchika Okada’s debut on the show, in a tag bout that also gave us the first in-match encounter between Orange Cassidy and Bryan Danielson.

Okada & Cassidy vs. Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli was a predictably good match that advanced the Blackpool Combat Club’s issues with Best Friends — and especially International champion OC. It also gave us this epic moment, where the CHAOS teammates combined the two best camera zoom spots in pro wrestling today...

In the end Castagnoli pinned Cassidy following Swiss Death to set-up an International title match between them on next Wednesday’s Dynamite. But before that happened, Cassidy and Okada each hit their finishers on Danielson...

That left the American Dragon on the apron holding his cheek while ringside physician Michael Sampson checked on him. The rest of the BCC came out to check on him, while Best Friends, Kris Statlander, CHAOS’ Rocky Romero & Cassidy’s sometime tag partner HOOK attended to the International champ. It was a somewhat awkward scene during the overrun, especially since everyone kind of stood around rather than get into a stereotypical pro wrestling show-closing brawl.

Which might make you think the Danielson injury is legitimate, and maybe it is. But the way the camera lingered on him and made sure to catch that Okada was taunting him as if to say, “You may keep winning our matches, but I know how to hurt you” points toward this being a set-up for another Rainmaker/Dragon singles match down the line at a bigger show... like say Jan. 4 in the Tokyo Dome?

For their part, AEW & Tony Khan are acting like Danielson is injured but okay...

Get complete results and coverage of everything on tonight’s Dynamite here.