Former WWE star's potential AEW debut could be scrapped due to Bryan Danielson's injury
Bryan Danielson recently suffered a shocking injury at the recent AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view, and will likely be out for quite some time. Kota Ibushi's AEW debut has been hinted at for a little while, so has this now derailed these plans as well?
Fans familiar with NJPW and Kenny Omega's lengthy tenure in the promotion will likely recognize Ibushi for his pairing with The Cleaner. The two men have maintained their friendship outside of the promotion, and with numbers uneven in the Blackpool Combat Club/The Elite feud, the veteran would've been the perfect equalizer.
AEW Blood and Guts will likely be the next place the two factions clash, but because of Bryan Danielson's injury, plans will likely change. Unfortunately, there's a large chance that this could also push back Ibushi's potential AEW debut as well, making it a Fourway match at the event instead.
Today is Kota Ibushi’s 19 year Wrestling anniversary. Here is him & Cedric Alexander stealing the show at the Cruiserweight Classic!twitter.com/GrappleKlips/s…
However, this is currently not set in stone, as like with his absence from last year's Forbidden Door, Bryan Danielson could pick a personal replacement like how he introduced Claudio Castagnoli last year. Unfortunately, time will only tell, but The American Dragon's injury has set back many plans for the feud.
Missed out on last week's AEW Collision? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
Matt Hardy was impressed with Bryan Danielson's pain tolerance during his injury-inducing match
While many were looking forward to Danielson's match against Kazuchika Okada, the AEW star, unfortunately, snapped his forearm sometime during the match. At this stage, the severity of his injury is well-known, but shockingly, The American Dragon still pushed through the match until the end and even picked up the victory.
During a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran praised his colleague for his showing during the bout.
"I'm used to being hurt, and Bryan Danielson, he's one of those guys, too. He's dealt with a ton of injuries in his career, and it's unbelievable how high pain tolerance is for pro wrestlers in general. So I give him props for doing that, for being tough." (H/T WrestlingInc)
Bryan Danielson.
The Final Countdown.
A magical moment. https://t.co/ntDVTV0kVv
It remains to be seen how badly Danielson's injury will derail plans in AEW, but it needn't close the window on Kota Ibushi's debut. Perhaps Tony Khan will find another way to introduce the NJPW veteran, but either way, fans are clamoring for his debut.