15-time champion reacts as Bryan Danielson's AEW contract ends, jokes about WWE's SmackDown return offer
Bryan Danielson and Swerve Strickland are set to lock horns at All In for the prestigious AEW World Championship, which the latter currently holds. Interestingly, during the recent episode of Dynamite, Danielson declared that if he failed to win at the said event, he would never wrestle again.
In the above-mentioned segment, the 43-year-old technical wizard looked straight at Stickland and said,
"Swerve, I have one more promise. I promise if I don’t win the AEW World Championship, I will never wrestle again! Your title versus my career at All In. Swerve, what do you say?"
Swerve Stickland then agreed to Bryan Danielson's Title vs. Career match stipulation and the two shook hands. The Men’s Owen Hart Cup winner's contract with AEW reportedly ended on August 1, 2024. However, it has not been confirmed if he is going to continue working for the Jacksonville-based promotion. There is also speculation that he is considering retirement due to ongoing problems with injuries, which is the reason he chose the above-mentioned stipulation.
Interestingly, ECW legend Tommy Dreamer believes that Bryan Danielson might have already signed a new contract with the Tony Khan-led promotion. The 14-time hardcore and one-time ECW champion recently appeared on the Busted Open podcast and spoke candidly about the situation.
"His contract is expired as of right now and he'll be a man of his word whether he signed an extension or he's just there on a handshake. Which I feel he probably signed an extension to the date, because when you talk about business, if WWE calls you up and says 'Hey! 20 million dollars to show up on SmackDown'. Would you do it?" said Dreamer. [4:00 - 4:45]
Tommy Dreamer is excited to watch Bryan Danielson and Swerve Stickland's All In match
In the podcast mentioned above, Dreamer stated that the buildup for the AEW World Championship showdown at All In has been phenomenal so far and expects both stars to deliver at the said event.
"I love the 'whose house' and then the 'yes's'. That's going to be a great moment if you add the insane crowd that we expect when you go to the UK. And then on top of it when you go to Wembley on such a big show," said Dreamer. [3:15 - 3:59]
All In is scheduled to take place on August 25, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England.