WWE fans were excited when Edge won the Royal Rumble this year and challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. However, their excitement went through the roof when Daniel Bryan was added to the match, making the title match a triple threat. Bryan Danielson has revealed his true thoughts on the match, and how shocked he was to be a part of the Wrestlemania main event with his contract situation in flux.
Bryan Danielson, in an interview with the Ashbury Park Press, he revealed his surprise when being added to the Wrestlemania main event. In WWE he had begun transitioning to a backstage role and had a hand in creative. That coupled with his expiring contract made the decision to add him to the biggest match of the year was a surprising decision by Vince McMahon.
Bryan Danielson on Wrestlemania 38 Main Event
“The thing that surprised me the most (in 2021) was being inserted into the main event of WrestleMania,” said Danielson. “When I started the year, I knew my contract was ending and I was part of the creative team with WWE and I was like, ‘OK, what’s the best thing for me to do on my way out?’ And it was certainly not (being part of) the main event of WrestleMania,”
Whilst Danielson was pinned by the champion in that match, it was one of his most memorable. In addition to Roman Reigns, he fought Edge who had to retire due to injuries a decade prior. This was similar to Danielson, who retired in 2015 after neck and brain issues.
He was also asked about his time in AEW, which he gleefully discussed. Danielson talked about his recent match against AEW Champion Adam Page. He and Hangman fought for sixty minutes to a draw at AEW Winter is Coming, in one of the greatest TV matches of all time.
On match vs Adam Page
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would do a 60-minute match on television, I would have been like, ‘Where’s that happening?’” Danielson said. “So I’ve had some really cool surprises this year.”
“It’s just a story device, right?” Danielson went on to say “And it’s interesting to me in the sense of in sporting events, and especially when you’re looking at MMA or boxing and the idea that there are draws in boxing and there are draws in MMA … Usually what it does is it’s a mechanism to lead to a rematch.”
Danielson is currently undefeated in AEW, with two high profile draws. Both were against AEW Champions, drawing with current champion Adam Page and former Champion Kenny Omega. Bryan Danielson vs Kenny Omega was the best AEW match ever, but the Page bout rivals that. Facing both the current champion and the wrestler who pinned Kenny Omega for the belt and not losing is a huge accomplishment for the American Dragon.
