Bryan Danielson has shared his perspective on the uneasy dynamic between AEW and WWE, admitting that while the idea of a partnership is “interesting,” he sees WWE’s current approach as more about eliminating competition than collaborating.
In a recent interview, Danielson highlighted AEW President Tony Khan’s willingness to work with others but suggested the same spirit doesn’t extend across the aisle. “It’d be interesting. Tony Khan has a collaborative mindset. Where we’re at right now, it seems more like WWE is trying to put us out of business rather than wanting to go into business,” Danielson said.
He didn’t dismiss the concept outright, pointing to WWE executive Nick Khan as someone who could see the upside. “The landscape of wrestling has changed so much in the last six or seven years that I would never say never… if Nick Khan, who is a great businessman… thought it was best for WWE to do some sort of collaboration with AEW, say once a year, and it was great for wrestling fans and wrestlers… there would be some hurdles there as far as the relationship goes because there have been some nasty things said on both sides.”
Danielson’s remarks come as WWE runs its Wrestlepalooza event head-to-head with AEW’s All Out. The direct competition has drawn a bold response from AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm, herself a former WWE talent. “I think it’s great. Come on, fight me! Come on!” Storm declared, calling it a “silly business decision” for WWE not to go head-to-head.
The intersection of personal history and corporate rivalry is central to Danielson’s outlook. While acknowledging burned bridges, he pointed to friendships across company lines as a possible path to reconciliation. “Do I see that happening in the next year? [indicates no and laughs]. A lot of bridges have been burned, and a lot of bridges need to be mended for that to happen. You have people within AEW and WWE who genuinely love each other as people… It’s not just wrestlers. It’s people in management… There is enough love there that something could happen, but there’s also enough bad blood to where it’s like [shakes head and laughs].”
For now, Danielson allows for a distant possibility, while Storm made her position clear. Confident in AEW’s momentum, she closed with a defiant message: “We’re the ol’ hot ticket, we’re the talk of the town.”