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With AEW All In officially here, there's one question above all others that has fans of professional wrestling picking sides: Bryan Danielson versus Swerve Strickland; who you got?
To some, the answer is obvious: Strickland's run with the top title has been very good, and giving him a win over Danielson would only make him a bigger star heading into the future.
… but then again, this is kind of Danielson's moment, right? With a chance to add his name to AEW's World Championship lineage forever while setting up a few more major matches before his expected finale at Wrestle Dream in October.
Discussing who he has in the main event of All In on his Extreme Life podcast, WWE legend Matt Hardy made the choice clear: he believes it's Danielson's time.
“Swerve had a h*ll of a run. Swerve had a really nice run as champion, but it is time for the ‘American Dragon.' It is time for Bryan Danielson to win the AEW world title. It’s really fitting,” Hardy explained via PW Mania.
“I mean, I think if you would ask Tony Khan who is his true right hand man, who does he believe in and trust in more than anyone else, who would he take advice from? It would be Bryan Danielson. He has really been like a heart and soul when it comes to AEW. I think he is someone deserving of an AEW World Title run, and I think that happens because I think he is looking very much forward to stepping away, but it is not at All In. It’s not time yet. It’s going to be a little bit later, and I think we’re going to get a significant and really nice run out of Bryan here as he really winds down his career, especially on this last portion of the career. It feels in some way very similar to John Cena saying, ‘I’m retiring.’ I think John Cena is going to have a great run and eventually retires. I think Bryan Danielson is going to have an amazing year, especially if he can stay healthy.”
On paper, this match really could go either way, but when you consider that a loss guarantees that Danielson can never wrestle again, even inside of AEW or out, that probably tips the scales in the “American Dragon's” favor, as he's long declared that he wants to work matches every now and then for the rest of his life, even if he never goes full-time again.
Matt Hardy believes Cody Rhodes has replaced Bryan Danielson
While Hardy believes that All In is Danielson's time to finally become the face of AEW, this isn't the first time “Version 1” has complemented the “American Dragon,” as on his Extreme Life podcast, he declared that for a time, he was the best wrestler in the entire world, even if his time is about to end.
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“He’s one of the greatest of all time. He is one of the guys from a size barrier that broke down a lot of doors for smaller people,” Hardy explained via 411 Mania. “Which is extremely commendable and something that we have remembered for a long time. He’s just special, man. He’s truly one of a kind, and there’ll never be another Bryan Danielson.”
So, if Danielson's impending retirement puts him outside of the realm of the best wrestler in the world today, who does Hardy believe has taken up that mantle? Well, unsurprisingly, that honor belongs to Cody Rhodes, as, to put it simply, he is the biggest star in the biggest professional wrestling company in the world.
“Yes, my number one is Cody Rhodes. And I’m pretty sure you were gonna guess that, because whenever I did respond to you, my response back after I saw your question of who is the best wrestler in the world was Cody Rhodes. Because he is the guy right now that’s the face of the WWE. And that year that he went through, so many people upset when he lost at WrestleMania a year ago. And then he had that journey when he went all the way up through to WrestleMania 40… He won the Royal Rumble, and he was to be turned away, but then the fans demanded to follow through and do the whole Cody angle, which just shows you how much support he has and how beloved he is,” Hardy noted.
“So yeah, Cody was automatically the guy. Because he is the face of the WWE, and you are correct. He is orbiting that Cena territory where he is a huge star. I’ll say he is a lot less polarizing than John Cena was. So Cody is universally beloved in many ways, he’s great at what he does. He’s a great promo, he’s a great character. And as crazy as it sounds, that year of him not winning the title also put a lot more sympathy on him from die-hard fans, because they thought the WWE screwed up and they should have done it a year ago. And they’re not wrong in thinking that, you’re not wrong in thinking that. I totally get that, and see where that’s coming from.
“But like, at the end of the day, Cody Rhodes right now is the top guy in pro wrestling. Especially because he’s on a full-time schedule. He does so many things right when it comes to the way he does his promos, the things he says, and the way he understands the context of the program he is in. All the Make-a-Wish stuff he does currently. He does so much stuff where he bends over backward for fans and tries to give them things. Or like, he’ll see something on social media, and he’ll reach out to people and make sure they’re able to come to the show. Whatever it may be… so charitable and is doing so much good. Cody is in an amazing spot right now. And he definitely stands on top, because he also has the biggest platform. He is the WWE Champion. He is probably the biggest current full-time active star in the world right now.”
You know, it's hard to really argue with Hardy on this one, as Rhodes is the top champion in WWE, moves the most merch of any Superstar under contract, and has accomplished more in 2024 than more other wrestlers could dream of in a lifetime. While some will quibble with Rhodes' actual in-ring action when calling him the “best in the world,” as he's not even the best pure wrestler in WWE – that belongs to Gunther or Ilya Dragunov – when the full package is considered, there really isn't even a 1B.
