Bryan Danielson is still shocked WWE let this 'incredible' AEW star leave
Yesterday at 07:06 PM
When Swerve Strickland and Bryan Danielson took the ring in the main event of All In, it marked the end of a pretty incredible moment for the AEW World Champion.
He went from undesirable to undeniable, from a performer released by WWE without earning a fair shot on the main roster to one of the hottest acts in the industry, with a reach that extends far outside of AEW’s weekly shows on TBS and TNT. And the best part? He earned the respect of the “American Dragon,” who is widely considered the OG of professional wrestling right now, an all-time great still working at that level even if he’s about to leave his full-time career behind in the name of family.
Discussing their match in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, Danielson celebrated the professionalism of Strickland, going so far as to question why WWE let him go in the first place.
“Swerve was perfect at All In. I mean, he's incredible. He just signed a new contract with AEW–and that is one of the benefits of having two mainstream wrestling companies in the United States. WWE didn't see value in him, and they let him go. When Swerve came here, he said he was going to become AEW champion–and he did,” Danielson told Undisputed.
“You watch him and ask, 'Who would ever let go of this guy?' He just wasn't given the opportunity to be his best self. And that goes both ways–I don't want it to sound like, 'Oh, evil WWE, they don't let their talent be their best selves.' Some people will thrive there. Some people will thrive here. There are people who will thrive in both places, there are people who will be underutilized. That's the benefit of having two major companies in the United States. If someone doesn't see value in you, you can try somewhere else. Swerve, he is the most professional of the professionals. Him, Claudio, [Samoa] Joe–anything you need them to do, they do it without hesitation. The way he's been able to show everyone how skilled he is of a professional wrestler, I'm so impressed. I can't say enough about him as a professional wrestler or a human being.”
When it comes to professional wrestling, having the right look, the right attitude, the right in-ring ability, and even the right gimmick is only half of the battle. While Strickland certainly looked like a million bucks in NXT and WWE, wrestled with a similar verve to his AEW efforts, and even had a fully formed faction built around his dynamic set of skills, he was never allowed to be “him” in NXT and was released from WWE before he Hit Row could do darn-near anything. Fortunately, AEW swooped in and gave Strickland a chance to shine, as even if it took a little time to find his footing, he is now unquestionably one of the top stars in professional wrestling regardless of the promotion.
Will Ospreay is proud and honored by his match with Bryan Danielson
When Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson took the ring for a 32-minute barn burner at AEW Dynasty, expectations were at an all-time high.
Finally, the best wrestler of this generation was going to throw down the best wrestler of the generation before while he embarked on his retirement tour, and while there wasn’t a title belt on the ling to heighten the excitement, in a way, this sort of freed the duo up to have a match where either man could go over, creating a sort of measuring stick to see who really deserves the title of best wrestler in the world.
Asked how it felt to not only land a match against the “American Dragon” but deliver a 6.5-star masterclass in what professional wrestling can be, Ospreay told Inside the Ropes that he was floored by the experience, as even though it came about earlier than he expected in his AEW run, the match delivered the goods.
“I was kind of like, ‘Wow, we're going this quick?’ I thought this might be something down the line. But I guess because it is his last year as a full-time competitor, it was more or less along the lines of no, we've got it, so let's give it to the fans that have been craving for this dream match to happen,” Ospreay explained. “I could sit here and tell you how it came about, why it came about, but I'll be honest with you. It was just a case of we made Revolution, I did my match against Kyle [Fletcher], and then all of a sudden, it was just, boom, Bryan Danielson. I've got so many wonderful stories about watching Bryan Danielson and the respect that I have for him. People are saying that [it's] one of the greatest matches in wrestling. I'm honored to have that label, and I'm honored that I got to wrestle someone that I consider a hero.”
Asked if the match lived up to his expectations, Ospreay said yes, noting that not only was the match a dream come true, but the entire card hit the ball out of the park.
“Yeah, 100% met my expectations. The moment we were in the ring they started saying 'Holy s**t.' I know what's a good match and what's not. All I gotta do is close my eyes and just listen to the audience, and they were enjoying every single minute of it,” Ospreay explained. “Getting to come backstage was just one of those incredible moments. You ever see Avengers: Endgame where Iron Man sits down and he's dying, and she goes, ‘You can rest now.’ It was an incredible moment, and then here comes another Iron Man film.”
A serious contender for the best match of the year, with the physical story told in the ring one of the best showcases of the medium in the history of the sport, Ospreay and Danielson somehow exceeded the lofty expectations fans had for the bout, with the effort still sitting as the highest-rated match of the year on Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer scale. And the best part? Fans could theoretically get another bite at the apple before everything is said and done, as Danielson still hasn’t publically settled on his final opponent as a full-time wrestler and could ultimately pull the trigger on Ospreay if he wants to try to re-capture lighting in a bottle.
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