AEW "not against" Bryan Danielson working in another promotion - Reports
Dave Meltzer has speculated that Bryan Danielson could end up working in other wrestling promotions while signed to AEW.
AEW wrestlers are allowed to wrestle in other promotions if it benefits the company as well as the wrestler. Many signed wrestlers are even champions in other promptions, such as Jon Moxley. Moxley is even set to defend his GCW World Title on January 23rd against Homicide.
During the most recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Podcast, Meltzer revealed that he thinks Danielson will be one of the next wrestlers to compete outside of AEW.
"Bryan Danielson, without going into detail, but some people will figure it out. There's an independent promotion, which I believe he wants to work for, in a market that AEW has not run yet. And AEW is not against him working for that promotion, but when they run that market, they want Bryan Danielson's first match in that market to be in AEW," Dave Meltzer. (H/T: WhatCulture)
AEW's acquisition of The American Dragon has been one of the most surprising twists of 2021. His star power speaks for itself, as his career in WWE proves. So far, his run has been interesting and it would be advantageous for both the promotion and Danielson if he competed elsewhere.
How likely is Bryan Danielson to work in other promotions?
During an interview with In The Kliq in October 2021, Danielson revealed his reasons for turning down WWE and signing with AEW instead.
Although WWE's offer would have allowed him to work in other promotions, he sided with AEW because of the opportunities.
"They [AEW] are working with other companies throughout the wrestling world and bringing in fresh, exciting matchups and they're also presenting wrestling in a way that is modernizing pro wrestling," Danielson said.
Danielson is clearly interested in bridging the gap and going over to other promotions. While it's impossible to say exactly what was in the WWE offer, AEW seemed to capture enough of his interest.
The American Dragon is very likely to appear in other promotions while using the opportunity to elevate AEW to new heights. Only time will tell when and where he will appear.