After facing him in the ring, Bryan Danielson is even more impressed with Will Ospreay than he was before.
Danielson and Ospreay met in a first-time-ever dream match at AEW Dynasty this April. Living up to its pre-match hype, the match was widely regarded as an instant classic. Ospreay got the victory in a matchup between two of the best in-ring competitors of this era.
During an interview with TalkSport this week, Danielson heaped praise on Ospreay.
“You see how good Will Ospreay is, right? You see it when you watch him. And then you wrestle him and he’s more incredible than you think,” Danielson said. “When I was wrestling him I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how is it possible?’ I didn’t know he was going to be that good at interviews. He’s really good at every aspect of wrestling.”
Ospreay came up short when he faced Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door in June. Danielson is challenging Strickland for the title at All In on Sunday, August 25. If Danielson doesn’t win, he will retire from in-ring competition.
MJF vs. Ospreay for the AEW American Championship is also set for All In.
Bryan Danielson wants to see his in-ring rival Zack Sabre Jr. win the NJPW G1 Climax.
With the G1 in full swing, Sabre is one of the leading candidates to win. Danielson told Sports Illustrated that he’s rooting for Sabre in the G1 and wants to see him become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Danielson said Sabre is the NJPW wrestler he enjoys watching most.
āAs a fan of the New Japan product, I would love to see Zack Sabre win the G1 and go on to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,” Danielson said. “If you were to ask me whose matches I enjoy the most and what personalities I enjoy the most in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, itās Zack Sabre Jr.
āIĀ donāt know the business metrics and all that kind of stuff. But his interviews are the most compelling to me, and in a very real way. Heās the guy I enjoy watching the most.”
August 18 is when the G1 concludes. The tournament winner receives an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestle Kingdom 19 next January. Currently, Tetsuya Naito holds that championship. Sabre has never been IWGP World Champion before.
Danielson and Sabre traded victories in 2023-2024 with Danielson defeating Sabre in AEW last October and Sabre then winning their rematch in Japan this February.
Later this month, Danielson’s in-ring career could come to an end at All In. He’s challenging Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship at the pay-per-view. If Danielson loses the match, he will retire as an in-ring competitor.
Working with Tony Khan has been a refreshing experience for Bryan Danielson.
While speaking with Gorilla Position this week, Danielson opened up about what makes Khan different than any other boss he’s had. While Danielson had great relationships with Vince McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and Gabe Sapolsky when he worked for them, Khan stands out for how kind he is. Danielson said that, before Khan, he’s never had a boss who is particularly kind.
“To me, it’s been kind of refreshing, a little bit. He comes with so many new ideas and ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of. But also, he’s a real student of wrestling, as far as like, he studies past wrestling and all that kind of stuff. So it’s been a lot of fun,” Danielson said.
“The one thing that’s hard is that Tony is super kind. He’s a super kind human being. And like, I haven’t had a boss like that [laughs]. I had a great relationship with Vince, you know? And I had a great relationship with Hunter. And when I was in Ring of Honor, I had a great relationship with Gabe Sapolsky. None of them were particularly kind, you know what I mean? In the sense of like treating everyone nicely, like all that kind of stuff. That’s been really refreshing, that sort of thing. So, yeah, it’s been fun. It’s just been interesting. And it’s just been different.”
Danielson said the three years he’s been with AEW are the most fun he’s ever had in pro wrestling. He really enjoyed his time in WWE, but Danielson doesn’t regret leaving the company in 2021. Danielson prefers the in-ring style in AEW and likes that AEW’s existence has made the pro wrestling industry better for everyone involved.
At All In later this month, Danielson is challenging Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship. Danielson — who also contributes to AEW behind the scenes — will retire from in-ring competition if he loses to Strickland.
In an interview with Gorilla Position, Bryan Danielson briefly discussed how his feelings toward Vince McMahon have changed in the wake of Janel Grant’s lawsuit.
Danielson has expressed love and admiration for McMahon in the past, writing in a 2021 Players’ Tribune article that he wishes more people could view McMahon in the way that he does. While it’s been tough for Danielson to see everything that has come out since then, he knows that what really matters are the feelings of those who have allegedly been victimized by McMahon.
“First and foremost, I want to say that people who have been hurt are in a way worse position than I am. My empathy goes to them,” Danielson said.
Laurinaitis is Danielson’s father-in-law, but Danielson seemingly indicated to Gorilla Position that Laurinaitis and Kathy Colace (the mother of Brie Garcia) are not together anymore.
“But, yeah, thereās not a lot I want to say about it, honestly, other than — because itās not just the Vince piece, it’s also my father-in-law, maybe ex-father-in-law, as far as that kind of stuff goes,” Danielson said. “It’s just, you know, you think of somebody in some way, and then something happens and it changes. And thatās always hard. But like I said, as hard as that may be for me emotionally, like this emotional thing, itās way worse for people who have been victimized by people in power.ā
Danielson did not want to speak for either Brie or Nikki Garcia in regards to the situation.
“If they want to talk about it, they can talk about it,” Danielson said. “This should be a core tenet of everybody is to not — if somebody is willing to tell you their feelings of something that’s really hard, it’s not your place to tell everybody else. So, yeah, if they want to talk about it, they can. That’s not my jam.”
Gorilla Position’s full conversation with Danielson is available to watch below. The interview was to promote All In, where Danielson will challenge Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship on August 25. If Danielson doesn’t win the match, he will retire from in-ring competition.
Nigel McGuinness discussed a possible match against Bryan Danielson in a new interview with Chris Van Vliet.
McGuinness said that when he first signed with AEW, Tony Khan confided in him that the company was set to run a show at Wembley Stadium. The possibility of wrestling at the historic venue led McGuinness to consider a return to the ring.
āI was open to the suggestion, open to the idea. When I originally signed with AEW, I took a flight cross country with Tony and he said, I’ve got to swear you to secrecy, Iām telling you something you can’t tell another soul. We’re doing Wembley Stadium and I was like, Oh, my God.”
“Then just the idea occurred to me. Could you, should you, because Wembley Stadium 1992. That was an epiphany for me. That was a moment. I went there with my friend and I sat back 50 rows back, and I just remember having this strange sensation, I talk about it during my magic show how I just have this weird feeling, this belief that somehow I knew I was going to be a professional wrestler.”
“So to go back to that venue and wrestle would just be off the charts. But the only thing that really made sense was Bryan, and he broke his arm because he’s got osteoporosis.ā
Danielson missed last year’s All In after suffering a broken arm in his match against Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door two months earlier.
When asked what would have happened had Danielson not broken his arm, McGuinness responded:
āI don’t know. I mean, there’s so much of it is out of my control, really it’s whether he wants to wrestle me.”
When asked if a match against Bryan Danielson in Wembley would be his terms for an in-ring comeback, McGuinness responded:
āIt certainly feels like that. You know what I mean? It certainly feels like that. All roads to me, I think certainly aimed towards him. Because there’s so much talent in AEW, so many young guys who deserve those spots. Iām very inspired by Christian Cage, obviously, and Adam Copeland as much as I’d hate to admit it. These guys can show that they haven’t lost a step. They can still go and all the knowledge that they have, they can convey and pass on to the next generation by being in the ring with them as well. I’ve been like, wow. Getting back in the ring I felt like, wow, it is so strange a realization when you figure out that the only thing stopping you being a wrestler is you. Now, having said that I’ve certainly got no desire to step away from the announcing booth. I don’t want to become a full-time wrestler. I don’t really want to wrestle anymore, to be honest with you. Other than beating Bryan, obviously, because thatās our story. There’s our history.ā
In March, McGuinness was a guest on Wrestling Weekly and mentioned that he had gotten back in the ring recently and felt “perfectly okay.”
McGuinness also discusses his time in WWE, thoughts on blading, and more. The full interview is available below:
Bryan Danielson would be open to working with Shane McMahon again if Shane ends up coming to AEW.
When WWE brought back its brand split in 2016, Danielson and Shane were paired together as authority figures on SmackDown. They even teamed up at WrestleMania 34 in a victory over Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. With Shane recently meeting with AEW boss Tony Khan, the possibility now exists that Danielson and Shane will work together again.
“I mean, I’m open to working with anybody,” Danielson responded. “I don’t have beef with anybody. So, yeah, 100 percent.”
Danielson said he doesn’t have any inside information about what’s going on between AEW and Shane. If he did, Danielson wouldn’t disclose it publicly anyway.
“It was interesting because Tony [Khan] mentioned to me after the photo had come out, he said, ‘Oh yeah, I didn’t want to tell you this before but I met with Shane McMahon.’ I didn’t say this but I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. The picture was everywhere.’ [laughs],” Danielson said. “Although, to be fair, I’m not aware of a lot of things because I don’t go on Twitter and I don’t go on social media and all that kind of stuff.”
The meeting between Shane and Khan took place in Arlington, Texas last week. Shane issued a statement calling it a “great” meeting. Shane said he and Khan “talked about many things, but mostly about [their] shared love for the business and the rewards and challenges of working with family.”
Danielson is challenging Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship at All In on Sunday, August 25. If Danielson doesn’t win, he will retire from in-ring competition. Danielson also contributes to AEW behind the scenes.
Two key matches on this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite now have new stipulations following the events of Saturday’s AEW Collision.
After Ricky Steamboat was announced as being a special guest on Friday for the Bryan Danielson vs. Jeff Jarrett match, Jarrett appeared on Collision and upped the ante with a request to make their match of the no disqualification, no time limit, anything goes variety.
Jeff Jarrett is more than happy to help Bryan Danielson prepare for the match of his life at #AEWAllIn! And has some special stipulations for their match THIS WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite!
In the other, the match between AEW American/International Champion MJF and Kyle Fletcher will now be a title eliminator bout, meaning Fletcher must beat or draw the champion to earn a future title match.
MJF appeared on the big screen following Fletcher’s victory over Brian Cage to make the offer, saying if he beat or went to a draw, the title match would be set for the following week.
The #AEW American Champion MJF gives Kyle Fletcher an opportunity this Wednesday on #AEWDynamite!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW Dynamite from Wednesday, another explanation of how WWE actually is hot, Shane McMahon, Bryan Danielson announces his career is on the line at Wembley, and tons more.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the UFC lawsuit and what the judge has ruled, Shane McMahon and AEW, Giulia’s last match in Japan before heading to NXT, Anna Jay and Stardom, the G1, Bryan Danielson putting his career on the line, Dynamite and NXT, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps: Start: Cung Le vs. UFC lawsuit moving forward 16:00: Shane McMahon has meeting with AEW’s Tony Khan 21:51: Giulia’s farewell in Japan, Anna Jay in Stardom 5-Star Grand Prix, G1 Climax updates 21:58: Bryan Danielson Sports Illustrated interview 34:35: Ratings 39:10: CMLL this Friday, UFC at the Sphere ticket sales 47:25: AEW Dynamite recap 1:08:52: WWE NXT recap 1:17:30: AEW Rampage spoilers, WWE SummerSlam lineup
Three matches are on tap for next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with one involving the former AEW World Champion and another featuring a first-time-ever match between two legends.
AEW American/International Champion MJF will face Kyle Fletcher in a non-title match following the latter coming out to aid former partner Will Ospreay from an MJF post-match attack.
Ospreay had just defeated Lance Archer when MJF followed up on a show-opening promo by beating down Ospreay. Fletcher then prevented a Dynamite diamond ring punch before cutting a promo on MJF, challenging him to a match right there. MJF pretended he was going to do it and then said he would do it next week instead.
Ospreay and Fletcher were part of the United Empire faction in NJPW in addition to the Don Callis Family before Ospreay and Callis parted ways this year.
MJF and Fletcher squared off at last year’s All In when MJF & Adam Cole defeated Fletcher & Mark Davis for the ROH Tag Team titles.
The so-called "American Hero" attacks from behind, but Kyle Fletcher makes the save! Has this become Don Callis Family business?
Another match will see Bryan Danielson take on Jeff Jarrett for the first time ever.
The bout was made after Wednesday’s in-ring promo with Danielson and AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland where Danielson offered up his career if he cannot beat Strickland at All In. Danielson walked backstage and Jarrett was rooting him on as a follow-up to last week’s pump-up speech that he gave him.
Danielson wasn’t in the mood and then issued the challenge for next Wednesday.
Bryan Danielson is ready to PROVE to Jeff Jarrett he is ALL. IN.
Another match made for next week will see Katsuyori Shibata taking on Bryan Keith as the feud between their respective groups continues.
Shibata returned last week to disrupt The Learning Tree’s plans. Chris Jericho said in a backstage promo celebrating 102 days as FTW Champion that since his finger was broken last week in his bout with Minoru Suzuki, Keith would take care of Shibata for him.
It's a Celebration for the 102-Days and counting For the World Champion!
Bryan Danielson has upped the stakes for his challenge of AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland at next month’s All In from London’s Wembley Stadium.
During a heated promo between the two on Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite based around Danielson’s promises and being present, Strickland was pointing out Danielson’s physical failings and that the title wasn’t a career achievement award.
Danielson then decided to offer up his in-ring career if he fails to defeat Strickland for the title which they shook hands on. Strickland then said Danielson doesn’t need to keep his promise to him, but to his own family.
"You don't realize it's the good old days until they're almost gone."
The 43-year-old has been public in promos with saying he is in the final year of being an active competitor. However, he has never said he would retire from in-ring action this year. During his promo, he said his current AEW contract ends Thursday and that he had promised his family he will never sign another full-time contract again.
Danielson has yet to win AEW gold in his multi-year tenure even after challenging for the belt on several occasions. He earned the opportunity by winning this year’s Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament.
Strickland will be looking for his fifth successful title defense.
This will be a rematch from an October 2023 Dynamite bout that Danielson won.
Bryan Danielson says he’ll likely never get to wrestle in a G1 and that’s okay.
Danielson was interviewed by Sports Illustrated ahead of tonight’s AEW Dyamite in Greenville, South Carolina. He told the outlet that he had spoken to Gedo about wrestling in this year’s tournament.
āOver the winter, I told Gedo, the booker in New Japan, āI would love to do the G1 this year!āā said Danielson. āIād just wrestled Zack Sabre in Japan [in February]. I was so excited. It all happened in the heat of the moment.ā
However, he continued to say that the likelihood of him ever getting to work a G1 is not high.
āI would like to think it would be possible,ā he continued. āI donāt limit possibilities in my mind. But it seems unlikely.”
āMy neck isnāt doing real great right now. So thereās my health. But even if Tony [Khan] freed me up for the entire summer and said, āGo do the G1,ā I wouldnāt want to leave my wife and kids for that long. I donāt think my wife would think it was good for my health, either.”
āIāve always wanted to do the G1. I donāt know if thatās going to be in the cards for me, and thatās OK.ā
While Danielson appears to have accepted he’ll likely never work a G1 Climax, he has taken part in two big AEW tournaments over the last eight months. Danielson made it to the finals of the first-ever Continental Classic in December, which followed a similar round-robin format as the G1. Danielson recently won AEW’s single-elimination Owen Hart Cup tournament as well, earning him a shot against AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland at All In next month.
āWrestling Swerve, thatās going to be special,ā said Danielson. āHeās been an incredible champion, and I canāt wait for our moment.ā
