Bryan Danielson has had a crazy year. Today, he’s the #1 contender to the AEW World Championship. It’s hard to believe that he was main eventing WrestleMania 37 just a few months ago.
The American Dragon appeared on the Casual Conversations podcast this week and opened up about the tail end of his WWE career.
Bryan tells Justin Dhillon and Danial Ali that WrestleMania was a bizarre experience that he’s still trying to make sense of.
“The WrestleMania moment was just weird, I really honestly didn’t feel like I belonged in that triple threat match with Roman and Edge,” he said. “I thought the story was strong enough on its own for it to be just them.”
Bryan Danielson Felt Like Dying at WrestleMania
Bryan Danielson’s WWE contract was set to expire shortly after WrestleMania. He knew he’d be taking time off from WWE, if not leaving the company entirely.
He wanted to work with someone like Jey Uso at WrestleMania. He would have preferred to put over a younger star in his final big appearance, but WWE management had other plans.
Vince McMahon felt he was best used as the third man in the Reigns vs. Edge main event, so that’s how things played out.
Bryan Danielson recalls feeling empty at WrestleMania. “When I walked out for the match at WrestleMania, it felt so empty,” he said. “Fans were cheering and all that kind of stuff. When I wrestle, I feel everything.
He questioned if that empty feeling was a premonition that he was about to die.
“What I remember most about that match is just feeling empty and thinking ‘Oh man, I legitimately felt like am I gonna die.”
– Bryan Danielson
You can listen to Bryan Danielson on Casual Conversations below.