Bryan Danielson has drawn a clear line between his iconic ‘YES’ chant and Stone Cold Steve Austin’s famous ‘What?’ chant, arguing that Austin’s creation is damaging to in-ring performances. Danielson stated that the ‘What?’ chant is hard for performers to deal with because it interjects during any pause in a promo.
He contrasted this with his own chant, which famously became a cornerstone of his character during his heel turn in late 2011 and early 2012.
“It’s not like What. The What thing was really hard [to deal with.] Still hard to this day when a crowd really starts doing it,” Danielson said. “Somebody’s out there doing an interview and they’re trying to do their thing, but the crowd keeps interjecting at any pause…. I don’t feel like the Yes is like that. People do it when they’re excited about something.”
This commitment to principle and honoring an agreement was a key factor in his move to AEW. Recalling the circumstances surrounding his jump to the company, Danielson revealed that Vince McMahon made a final offer to keep him in WWE just days before his debut at All Out in 2021.
The last-minute effort from McMahon was possible because Danielson had not yet officially signed his AEW contract. When WWE learned of this, they contacted him with a new offer.
Danielson explained that he declined out of respect for the verbal agreement he had already made with AEW. He recounted his conversation with McMahon, stating, “Sir, I already agreed to this thing. If I were to go back on this, I feel you have a decent amount of respect for me. One of the things you respect me for is that I honor my word.“
According to Danielson, McMahon accepted his reasoning and replied, “Damnit, you’re right.”