Bryan Danielson seemingly retired from in-ring competition—at least on a full-time basis—at last year’s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view. However, he is still involved with Tony Khan’s promotion, and he’s just revealed his current backstage roles.
The American Dragon has been close to Tony Khan since joining the young promotion in late 2021. The AEW President’s respect for Danielson was such that he soon took on other roles backstage, becoming a member of the creative team and even the head of the company’s disciplinary committee.
While he’s been absent from television since last year, Bryan Danielson is still signed with All Elite Wrestling. In a recent interview with the Daily Star, he confirmed that he’s still involved backstage:
“I’m just kind of a consultant for AEW now, but y’know, I do several things there. I’m part of the disciplinary committee like those sort of things,” he said.
While some believe he’s a major part of the promotion’s booking team, Danielson downplayed his importance in AEW’s creative direction:
“People may think it’s creative; some of it is. But it’s very little. Like, we had that awesome Spring BreakThru show — which had that incredible Ospreay/Takeshita match, the Opps winning the Trios Titles, and this incredible show. I didn’t have a single thing to do with that show (laughs).” [H/T: WrestlePurists on X/Twitter]
Bryan Danielson chooses Tony Khan over Triple H & Vince McMahon
Unlike many of the former WWE Superstars who found their way to AEW, Bryan Danielson was not released by his former company. He chose to sign with the young promotion, in part due to its focus on the art of professional wrestling.
The American Dragon found a kindred spirit in Tony Khan, and the two now share a strong bond. In the same interview with the Daily Star, Danielson was asked to choose between Khan, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and several other major promoters from wrestling history:
“Regardless of what people think, this is my legitimate answer. People are going to assume that because I work for AEW, I’m just saying this because Tony Khan is my boss, but I would legitimately pick Tony Khan. I think he’s very in tune with what wrestling fans want, but he’s also just a good person. I’m not saying anything bad about anyone else, but I know that he always tries to treat people with respect and kindness, no matter where they are on the roster — whether they’re up or down,” Bryan Danielson said.
Fans have been hoping to see the 43-year-old return to the ring in 2025, but it seems unlikely. He recently estimated his chances of competing at this year’s Forbidden Door to be around 5%. However, he did reveal that he might do it if a specific person asked him to.
alt=”Jacob Terrell” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi
