After turning in a massive effort against Katsuyori Shibata in the opening match of Collision, Bryan Danielson, covered in bruises from his winning effort, decided to cut a promo about gratitude; gratitude for his second chance at professional wrestling, for a chance to work with the man known simply as “The Wrestler,” and for having a match with Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty next month.

One thing Danielson is especially grateful for? His life experience, as he believes that's what will separate him from the “Aeriel Assassin” in St. Louis.

“Gratitude. Gratitude. I was able to wrestle Shibata tonight. You know, both of us were told years ago that we would never be able to wrestle again, and here we are. Here we are in Ottowa, and we go out, and we fought like h*ll. I don't know who I have to say thank you for that, but thank you. And I'm also thankful that I've got a match with Will Ospreay coming up at Dynasty.,” Bryan Danielson shared on Collision.

“And I watched what he said on Dynamite, how he followed me since he was a kid; he watched me and throughout his career, he's tried to emulate me. But then he said this, when he gets into the ring, it's live or die and he doesn't plan on dying just yet. What that tells me is he's followed me and he's emulated me, but he can't walk in my shoes. He's never been able to walk in my shoes or Shibata's shoes because we were told that we'd never wrestle again. We've been on death's door because of this, because of how much we love this, we've been on death's door! So say what you want about what you're willing to do, because I know what I'm willing to do, and I don't think that you're ready for that yet.”

When it comes to experience, Danielson really is in a league of his own when compared to the “Commonwealth Kingpin,” as he's worked almost a dozen more matches over his 11 more years in the squared circle. Still, when it comes to any given match, the only thing that really matters is what goes down between the bells, which is where, by Danielson's own admission, Ospreay is one of the best in the world. Tune into this one, folks, it's gonna be a good one.

Bryan Danielson reveals the ultimate goal of his final year in AEW.

When Bryan Danielson broke the news that 2024 was going to be his final year as a full-time, active television wrestler, it left fans wondering how the “American Dragon” would fill out his proverbial date book.

Would he take shots at every title in AEW? Attempt to recapture the Ring of Honor World Championship for the first time since 2006? Or would he look to establish something bigger, transitioning from a full-time worker to a manager or even an authority figure?

Discussing his decision to take a step back from the squared circle later this year in a panel with Tony Khan and Britt Baker at SXSW, Danielson revealed that he does, in fact, have a goal in mind for his final act in AEW, only it's not the same one some fans may have been hoping for.

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Booker T with a text bubble reading, "I would not want to be Will Ospreay when my contract came up" next to Will Ospreay with the AEW logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Dave Meltzer with a text bubble reading "Those Triple H comments, they aged like milk" with Will Ospreay on his left and Triple H on his right with the AEW Dynasty logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Will Ospreay next to Triple H with the AEW Dynasty logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

“I don't use the R-word [retirement]. I already had to do that once, and I want to leave it open to wrestle when I'm 75 if I so choose. When I came to AEW, CM Punk had just debuted several weeks before, and he talked about wanting to help the younger talent. I watched his interview and was like, ‘That's what I was going to say.' Then, when they asked me my goals, I was like, ‘I'm going to come in and kick everyone's head in. I don't care about pushing younger guys to the top. I'm just going to stomp them in the face and show them I'm the best.' That's actually not the reality. As someone who is 42 years old and has two kids. AEW made the pro wrestling industry healthier. When I look at that, how do I make this industry that I've loved since I was a child, how do I make it healthier? The idea is to pass on my opinion to younger wrestlers. I've had people say, ‘Bryan, you should be champion.' The reality is, to me, no,” Bryan Danielson explained at SXSW via Fightful.

“The champions that we've had have been great. Hangman was a great champion. MJF was a great champion. It elevated these younger people to where now these people are stars. You put Hangman and MJF on TV now, and they draw a rating. It would be easy to take stars of the past and make them your champion and top guy. That's the easy way. It's much harder to take someone like MJF, who hadn't been on national television, and turn him into a star that draws ratings. That was my bigger goal. To transfer stardom from one generation to another.”

Should Danielson have had a title reign – any title reign – during his time in AEW? Yeah, he probably should have; even if it came against his will, seeing Danielson spend 300, 400, or even 500 days with the International Championship would have been a fantastic way to add legitimacy to the belt and create an absolute legend when some worthy young star found a way to slay the “American Dragon.” Oh well, considering Danielson has been putting over performers left and right over the last year, it's safe to say he's trying to accomplish the same goal in his own way.