Bryan Danielson: ‘I Love’ Vince McMahon, but ‘Sometimes He’s Overprotective of Me’

Photo credit: WWE.com

Bryan Danielson is remaining diplomatic about his former employer after signing with All Elite Wrestling.

Danielson was among multiple marquee stars to make their AEW debuts Sunday at All Out:

Speaking to reporters after the show, the 40-year-old discussed one of the reasons that caused him to leave WWE following a wildly successful run with the promotion, per Ringside News’ Subhojeet Mukherjee:

“But the final decision, honestly, was just like, I started thinking about things — WWE was so gracious with me as far as the offer that they gave me. They were gonna let me go do some other stuff on the outside, but, I hate to say this, Vince sometimes — He and I have a great relationship. I love him, I do. Sometimes he’s overprotective of me. I want to be able to push my limits. That’s one of the things that I love about this, is like the physicality of what we do out there and being able to push my limits and being able to do that here in a safe manner is one of the things that really drew me here.”

Danielson abruptly retired in February 2016 because of medical concerns stemming from multiple concussions he suffered across his career. However, WWE announced in March 2018 that multiple doctors had cleared him for a return to the ring.

That will inevitably have fans somewhat concerned any time Danielson wrestles because the long-term risks of concussions can be significant. The concern is somewhat heightened if he wants to “push [his] limits.”

But this isn’t the first time Danielson has alluded to his internal thoughts on how WWE typically stages its in-ring action.

The Miz’s famous promo on Talking Smack was somewhat prompted by Danielson’s comment that his one-time rival “wrestle[s] like a coward” and came to represent what he thought was a “soft, WWE style.”

Because of his medical history, it seems doubtful that Danielson will grapple in the kind of brutal affairs Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley have waged. However, he may veer toward a style similar to the one that helped him rise to prominence with Ring of Honor.

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