Bryan Danielson says pro wrestling has benefitted him in many ways, including helping him be more comfortable speaking in a public environment.
After he made his AEW debut at All Out, Bryan Danielson took part in a post-show media scrum and was asked about how he intends to present himself moving forward. WrestleZone’s Dominic DeAngelo pointed out that he previously showed his appreciation for education and the environment with his WWE character, and asked if there’s something he wants to introduce with All Elite Wrestling that’s also more “authentic” to him.
Danielson explained that he didn’t really feel like there would be anything like that, then spoke about how artistic expression is important to him as a performer. He also shared how being himself through wrestling has benefitted him in general, explaining how the sport has helped him in a public speaking setting as well as in the ring.
“No. I just think, and it’s a credit to Tony, I think there’s—everybody speaks more authentically here because you’re allowed to be yourself more. And that’s not a knock on the place I worked before, but I think you see it in people, and everybody has—one of the things that I love about this is the artistic expression, and that’s something I’ve always loved about pro wrestling. You can be what you want to be or you can be who you are,” Danielson explained, “and I think pretending to be a different person, that’s acting. Taking yourself and taking it up a notch, you actually learn a lot about yourself. I’ve learned so much about myself because of pro wrestling.
“When I was in high school, I couldn’t even read a book report in front of a class, and now, through pro wrestling, I can sit here and talk with you guys and I’m not really bothered by if I mess up or trip over my feet, something happens, you know what I mean? And that’s because of my experiences in this and being myself. There’s not a question anybody here could ask me that would make me nervous,” Danielson said. “You could ask me about my sex life with my wife and I’d just be like, ‘I’m not going to answer that, but most of you married people with kids know how it is…‘ [laughs] That sort of thing and pro wrestling has made me comfortable with that.”
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Bryan Danielson also spoke about what made him decide to sign with All Elite Wrestling; you can read his full statement at this link. Bryan’s arrival also resulted in a ratings boost for AEW, as the September 8 episode of Dynamite brought in the second-best totals for the show in its history; read more about TNT’s ratings success here.
Read More: AEW Dynamite Results (9/8/21)
