It’s official — Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada will clash at Wrestle Kingdom 18 in January.
Danielson made the challenge early Saturday morning, appearing in a video that aired at Power Struggle. Danielson, wearing a bandage over his eye, said Okada has broken his arm in one match, and now his eye socket in another. The American Dragon said he had revenge on his mind. He then vowed to break Okada’s arm, and laid down the challenge.
Okada commented on the video backstage, noting that he wanted revenge for losing to Danielson at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. Okada challenged Danielson to try and break his arm at Wrestle Kingdom before accepting the match.
Wrestle Kingdom 18 takes place on January 4, 2024 at the Tokyo Dome. This will mark the first singles match between the two since the Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June.
Danielson’s Injury
Bryan Danielson suffered a broken orbital bone. He had surgery to repair it and is expected to be out until 2024. AEW claims the injury took place on the October 25 episode of AEW Dynamite. There, Orange Cassidy and Kazuchika Okada hit him with an Orange Punch and a Rainmaker. The combination is credited with causing the injury.
Previous reports noted that it was believed to have occurred on the October 21 episode of AEW Collision. Fightful (via Fightful Select) states that Danielson’s injury actually took place during his Collision match with Andrade El Idolo the week prior. Danielson reportedly told people that it happened in the opening moments of that match after he caught an errant forearm or elbow.
