Bryan Danielson reflects on the one AEW match that made him nervous.
The American Dragon made his illustrious debut for Tony Khan’s promotion in 2021 and went on to have a storied run in All Elite Wrestling. During his time in the company, Danielson delivered several dream matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada.
Speaking of Okada, the Rainmaker faced the American Dragon in the main event of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023. The finish of the match saw Danielson submit Okada with an innovative submission hold that wrenched both Okada’s arm and his leg.
Bryan Danielson recalls felling stressed before AEW Forbidden Door match
During a recent appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Danielson explained why he was nervous before his match with Okada, despite rarely feeling stressed before a match in his career.
“Shawn Michaels told us — because I was trained by Shawn Michaels — he told the whole class, ‘The day that you stop being nervous before you go out there is the day you need to retire,’ right?
“When I came back from being forced to retire, I thought that for that first match I’d be nervous, and I wasn’t. I was just happy. And I never really got nervous before a match again,” Danielson said.
“There was one match where I was nervous, and that was the match I had with Okada at Forbidden Door in 2023. The only reason I was nervous was because it was a five-hour show, we were on last, and we had to follow Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. I had watched that match and I was like, ‘Oh no.’ And then there were still two more matches before me and Okada had to go out there. I was like, ‘Oh.’ I was stressed. But that’s the only time I remember being nervous before a match.”
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