10 Things AEW Wants You To Forget About Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson signing with AEW helped prove the company was now legitimate competition to WWE on the free agent market. AEW signed other big names like CM Punk, Adam Cole and Christian Cage, but Bryan was coming off a WrestleMania main event. The legendary status in WWE wasn’t enough to keep Bryan away from jumping ship.
Even though Bryan and AEW have had a primarily positive relationship so far, there are aspects of his career that the promotion doesn’t talk about as much. Any company wants fans to look at their talents through the proper perspective for their vision. However, the following things about Bryan are what AEW hope fans don’t remember as much.
- 10 Initially Wanted To Team With CM Punk Over Jon Moxley
- 9 Almost Stayed With WWE Out Of Loyalty For Vince
- 8 History Of Injuries Ending His Career
- 7 Blocking An Indie Wrestling Show Booking
- 6 Ties To Brian Kendrick
- 5 Was Part Of WWE's Creative Team
- 4 Initially Re-Signed With WWE Over AEW Due To Reality Show
- 3 Wasn't Originally Supposed To Turn Heel Vs Hangman
- 2 Hasn't Won His Biggest AEW Matches
- 1 Doesn't Want To Do Yes Chant
10 Initially Wanted To Team With CM Punk Over Jon Moxley
The early months of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson on the AEW roster had fans thinking of all the possibilities. Both wrestlers were open in interviews about their desire to work together again after great work in WWE and Ring of Honor.
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Punk was the one to start mentioning his hope to team with Bryan for dream matches against FTR and the Young Bucks. Danielson referenced teaming with Punk as well, but AEW ended up forming a different super team of Bryan and Jon Moxley in the Blackpool Combat Club.
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9 Almost Stayed With WWE Out Of Loyalty For Vince
Most wrestlers to leave WWE for AEW or any other present or past promotion typically will have negative words for Vince McMahon. Bryan Danielson is on the opposite end and leaving Vince was among the tougher parts of departing WWE.
McMahon was even called a father figure by Danielson when praising his former boss in the opening AEW interviews. Bryan mentioned having a book where he wrote down all the things he learned from Vince’s leadership in WWE.
8 History Of Injuries Ending His Career
It wasn’t too long ago that Bryan Danielson was retired from the ring following various concussion injuries. WWE didn’t feel comfortable clearing Danielson for years to force his retirement and start his stint as the Smackdown General Manager.
Bryan spending his free time going to other doctors eventually proved enough for WWE to clear him. AEW has Danielson competing in violent matches to his intended desire, but it can be uneasy for fans to recall his health scares watching him bleed and have harder hitting matches today.
7 Blocking An Indie Wrestling Show Booking
AEW has a different philosophy from WWE when it comes to talents appearing on independent wrestling shows. Most of the roster can appear elsewhere as long as AEW has the right to approve or deny dates based on their own schedule.
Bryan Danielson is one of the few wrestlers to see an independent booking blocked by AEW. Defy Wrestling has gained popularity in Danielson’s hometown area of Seattle. Tony Khan blocked this due to wanting the draw of Bryan’s first match back in that area in AEW whenever their next show is booked there.
6 Ties To Brian Kendrick
One of the few negative stories of controversy for AEW in its run saw them booking and un-booking Brian Kendrick within the same day. Kendrick was scheduled to get an AEW spot right after his release from WWE to join a storyline with his friend Bryan Danielson.
Jon Moxley feuding with Danielson led to AEW announcing he’d face Kendrick. The resurfacing of old Kendrick interviews with offensive comments towards Jewish people led to AEW pulling the offer. Danielson having an association to Kendrick on AEW TV would have been a bad look.
5 Was Part Of WWE's Creative Team
WWE truly did value Bryan Danielson’s mind during the latter stages of his run there before leaving for AEW. Danielson not only received a noteworthy role on WWE television, but he was part of the Smackdown creative team backstage.
AEW loves throwing shade at WWE in the right context, but Bryan having an impact on WWE’s creative product is a scenario they can’t touch on. Tony Khan does have Danielson helping teach younger wrestlers, but he isn’t part of the creative process in AEW.
4 Initially Re-Signed With WWE Over AEW Due To Reality Show
AEW wanted to sign Bryan Danielson for years, but he initially signed an extension with WWE right when AEW was starting up. Danielson had a few reasons for this like wanting to see how the new promotion went and if he wanted to keep wrestling after his extension ended.
However, one other report indicated that the Total Bellas reality show was a huge reason for the decision. Bryan leaving WWE would have essentially ruined his wife’s biggest project at the time having a hit show. The reality series ending played a role in Bryan leaving for AEW in 2021.
3 Wasn't Originally Supposed To Turn Heel Vs Hangman
Bryan Danielson was put into bigger roles faster than CM Punk when the two signed AEW contracts. Punk was coming off a seven-year absence from the wrestling ring, while Bryan had just main evented WWE PPVs earlier that year. Adam Page’s first AEW World Championship program came against Danielson over a few months.
Jon Moxley was reportedly scheduled to win a tournament as Page’s first challenger. However, the need to step away for rehab led to Bryan winning the title shot and turning heel to make the program work. Moxley was initially the one scheduled for that role until the variables in play changed things on the fly.
2 Hasn't Won His Biggest AEW Matches
The win/loss record meaning more in AEW is part of their presentation, but they also have to manipulate that like any other promotion. Bryan Danielson has quietly been unable to win most of his biggest matches since joining AEW.The debut match against Kenny Omega was an instant classic, but it went to a time limit draw.
Danielson had another draw against Adam Page and eventually lost their rematch. The following PPV losses to Jon Moxley in singles action and Chris Jericho’s JAS faction in Anarchy in the Arena has seen Bryan rarely winning the big one in his new wrestling home.
1 Doesn't Want To Do Yes Chant
Many live crowds still do the Yes chant when Bryan Danielson makes his entrance in AEW, but he wants no part of it. Danielson revealed he agreed with WWE’s Kevin Dunn to not do that chant in any other promotion when he made the call to leave.
Even though AEW would likely have the legal rights to have Bryan do it for them, he also doesn’t want to fall into old patterns. Danielson even admitted that his heel WWE Championship run as the planet’s champ was his favorite time in WWE not having to keep the Yes chant fad going.
