"One of the first things he taught me" - Top AEW star praises Vince McMahon's backstage behavior
Bryan Danielson revealed that he learned several lessons from Vince McMahon, one of them being the "ability to use silence."
McMahon has had a direct impact on most superstars who have worked with WWE. For those who have performed at the highest level, it's meant more interaction and involvement from the Chairman and more lessons learned.
Vince McMahon's office is one of the most feared places for a lot of staff in WWE — not just superstars. Bully Ray once said that he has seen physically large men get scared when approaching McMahon's office. However, those who have regular conversations with him seem comfortable communicating.
Current AEW star and multi-time WWE World Champion Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan) is one such star. He reportedly received a good level of creative control over his character and left when his deal expired in 2021.
During an appearance on The Masked Man Show, Danielson explained his respect for Vince McMahon:
“I try to be very conscious of things because of my respect for Vince [McMahon] and things he would want me to say and things he wouldn’t want me to say. One of the things he first taught me, and this was before I was close with him, was the ability to use silence and to not say something if you don’t have an answer. If somebody asks you a question, ‘well, maybe we could do…’ and you put out maybe not even your best answer. You could just say, ‘Hmmm, let me think about it.’" (H/T Fightful)
He went on to say that uncomfortable silences with McMahon weren't uncommon, but you would never got a bad answer:
"Sometimes when you talk to him and ask him a question, he’ll sit there and not say a word for 30 seconds or longer, which feels like the longest time in history, but he’s not going to give you a bad answer. He’s not going to give you an off-the-cuff answer. The ability to sit and wait and be patient enough, and even if you don’t come up with it, you get, ‘okay, let me think about that.’ That was one of the earliest lessons I learned from him, but there is no trepidation in the back of my mind that he wouldn’t want me to say that [laughs].”
It's interesting to take a look inside the psychology of the WWE Chairman and the supposed aura that he has in the eyes of many superstars backstage. Bryan seems to have enjoyed a healthy relationship with his former employer.
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Could Vince McMahon ever bring Bryan Danielson back to WWE?
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That's NOT the office to be fighting in, guys...
#MITB @VinceMcMahon @WWEDanielBryan @AJStylesOrg https://t.co/d8X41h1gQt
Bryan Danielson is in a different stage of his career. He reached his prime in WWE and enjoyed numerous world title reigns, two WrestleMania main events and accomplished nearly everything possible.
He left on good terms and is virtually guaranteed a slot in the WWE Hall of Fame at some point in the future. Given that he maintained a good relationship with Vince McMahon, one can never say never. However, for now, Danielson is focused on his AEW run and his continued pursuit of greatness in the wrestling industry.