Bryan Danielson on multi-time World Champion: "He's a star"
AEW's Bryan Danielson has already gotten involved with several of the company's latest signees, a few of whom have earned his praise. Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada has received some especially big props from The American Dragon.
Okada made his official in-ring debut as a signed talent on the March 6 episode of AEW Dynamite. He wasted little time after arriving in the promotion as he quickly joined the villainous Young Bucks and then defeated Eddie Kingston to claim the Continental Championship.
Bryan Danielson is in Mexico City tonight to compete alongside his Blackpool Combat Club cohorts at a sold-out CMLL show, but he took time out of his schedule to praise AEW's recent signees – especially Okada– while speaking to Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso.
"Okada is a great fit for AEW," said Danielson. "We’ve seen that right since his debut with The Young Bucks."
The American Dragon went on to share how the Jacksonville-based promotion tries to present its new arrivals as big stars when it can.
"That’s the way Tony presents stars in AEW. It’s not about starting over in AEW. So he was brought in as a star and introduced as a star. It’s the same way we introduced Will Ospreay, and the same way we’ve treated Místico. They’ve already proven it, so that’s the way we’ll present them to our audience. It’s a different approach from the ‘let’s see if this new talent can sink-or-swim.’ He’s a star. That’s how he’s treated."
"What a life!" - Bryan Danielson is ecstatic to wrestle in Arena Mexico
As previously mentioned, Bryan Danielson is in Mexico City tonight, where he, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Matt Sydal will face CMLL's Mistico, Volador Jr., Blue Panther, and Ultimo Guerrero in an eight-man tag team match.
Danielson has long dreamed of stepping into the historic Arena Mexico. He's even revealed that he would love to have a hair vs. hair or a hair vs. mask match against Mistico or Blue Panther.
The American Dragon hasn't been able to contain his excitement for tonight's show. He took to X/Twitter yesterday to gush over the opportunity.
"Tomorrow will be my first time stepping foot in the legendary Arena Mexico. The BCC will be standing across the ring from four incredible wrestlers, one of whom, Blue Panther, is my FAVORITE LUCHADOR OF ALL TIME!!! What a life!"
Bryan Danielson has a tough schedule this weekend, as he and Claudio Castagnoli are set to fly to London, Ontario, directly after tonight's show. The two are advertised for tomorrow night's AEW Collision, where they will team with Katsuyori Shibata against The Righteous and Lance Archer.