Bryan Danielson left stunned as 18-year veteran returns to AEW Dynamite after nearly one year

Tonight a former World Heavyweight Champion made a surprise return to AEW Dynamite. The star in question is Kazuchika Okada.

A couple of weeks ago, Bryan Danielson showed up at the NJPW Dominion pay-per-view via the titantron. He laid out a challenge to The Rainmaker for a match at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2.

Tonight on Dynamite, The Blackpool Combat Club challenged The Elite and Eddie Kingston for a five vs. five tag team match at Forbidden Door 2. Later in the night, The Mad King came out and called out Claudio Castagnoli.

However, it was Jon Moxley who walked out. The two had a heated conversation, and in the end, Kingston revealed that the fifth member of his team would be NJPW's Tomohiro Ishii. As the Japanese veteran showed up, the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club rushed to the ring.

Bryan Danielson then grabbed the microphone and mentioned that he would stomp Ishii's head on the mat until Kazuchika Okada arrived. As he was done talking, The Rainmaker returned to AEW to a loud pop.

The coin drop can only mean one thing: Kazuchika Okada is here to confront the #AmericanDragon Bryan Danielson!

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE every Wednesday on TBS!
@rainmakerxokada | @Bryandanielson | @WheelerYuta https://t.co/JhdpmUJcMq

Okada looked to hit the Rainmaker Clothesline on The American Dragon, but the former WWE Superstar dodged it and moved out of the way. With Danielson dodging a bullet, BCC's Wheeler Yuta fell victim to Okada's signature move.

The night came to an end, with both Danielson and Okada staring each other down.

Are you looking forward to seeing the two wrestlers battle it out for the first time at The Forbidden Door pay-per-view this Sunday? Let us know in the comments section below.