When Bryan Danielson took a loss to Roman Reigns in a Universal Championship versus Career match on the May 30th, 2021 edition of SmackDown, it effectively marked the end of the “American Dragon's” run in WWE.
Sure, Danielson was still technically under contract for a few more days after the match and theoretically could have stuck around in the WWE Universe instead of taking his talents elsewhere, but after being put on the shelf with a forced retirement, fans, friends, and even the former WWE Champion wanted to see how the “American Dragon” looked back on the indies, freed up from the restrictive in-ring style Vince McMahon and company routinely pushed.
And yet, Vince McMahon and many of his “guys” are no longer in WWE, and as a result, the amount of wrestling is up on weekly television, the locker room morale is way up too, and fan interest has never been higher, at least this century.
Asked if he wishes he would have stuck around in WWE as part of this new renaissance period on Gorilla Position, Danielson said no, as even if he believes WWE is better than it used to be, he still prefers AEW's style of presentation.
“No, not at all. No. I think how I view it is, obviously things have changed for the better there, substantially. How I view it is, one, I've had an incredible time doing what I'm doing. There are a lot of people who, and I think I'm one of these people, who prefer the style in AEW,” Bryan Danielson told Gorilla Position via 411 Mania.
“That's more wrestling focused as opposed to the drama focus. I like the idea that there is an alternative. When I put thought into what I wanted to do as far as leaving WWE, I was never somebody who disliked WWE. I've tried not to say anything bad about WWE because I really enjoyed my time there, and I enjoyed the people that I worked with. People that are there are still my friends. One of the things that I really wanted was to participate in this thing that makes the wrestling industry better for everybody involved. Having AEW, just the fact that AEW exists, is much better for all of us. I'm also preferential to the style. I like the style a little bit more.”
You know, that might just be the best summation about what separates WWE from AEW; WWE is all about drama, whereas AEW is all about professional wrestling. While more fans may tune in weekly for the former if, for no other reason than decades of conditioning, there is a place for both on television weekly.
Enzo Amore wants his legacy restored in WWE
While Bryan Danielson is happy with his decision to leave WWE for AEW, one wrestler who wasn't so lucky as to choose the next chapter of his in-ring career was Enzo Amore, the former Cruiserweight Champion and friend of Big Cass, who was once one of the most popular performers in the WWE Universe.
Discussing his release from WWE after being accused of assault – allegations that were eventually proven false in court – in an appearance on Wrestling Shoot Interviews, Amore let it be known that his main goal in 2024 is to restore his legacy, as he has been erased from WWE history for too long.
“My goal, by the time it's 2025, I hope that you get to sing it along with me and spell it out with me. By the time we look at 2025, I would hope that somewhere in the annals of WWE history, that I will be recognized once again and join the alumni section, bare minimum. That is my goal. To have a career like I had, and for people not to acknowledge it, you want to talk about ‘acknowledge me?' F**k you, man. What? Throw some acknowledgment this way,” Amore explained via 411 Mania.
“So that would it be it, man. Just to have an opportunity to do the thing that I love at the highest levels in the world. I do it at the highest level in the world, but not at the highest level in the world. So I'm wrestling around the clock all the time. This is what I do. It's my career. Wrestling is my life. I love that I didn't let a world that made me and broke me define me, that I am who I am, and I'm a good man. That's all I care to be, a good person. You meet me at the meet and greet, I want you to walk away saying he was a good guy. I think that I'll be recognized by those same people that made me once again, as just that, one of them.”
Discussing his WWE pedigree further, Amore noted that he wouldn't have gotten anywhere without the support of the fans, and he wants to give back to them with whatever he has next.
“If it wasn't for an opportunity of a lifetime with John Cena, Triple H, and Dusty Rhodes, and all that s**t, I'd never make it. Because the fans are the reason why I got booked every week. They saw a guy who they did not know it, but they knew it. You can't lie to people,” Amore noted. “When it's 5:30 in the morning, and I'm beating all my colleagues to work every single day, and I'm getting my a** kicked because I don't understand how this thing works, and I'm getting taken advantage of, and then I'm getting out there and I'm putting on a show, and I'm risking it every single night, and I'm never calling out sick, and I'm always showing up and I'm making all these kids dance and smile, and I'm taking the time after a show to sign autographs and to meet these people, I hope that you know when you watched that, it was so organic, you can't fake it. It was real. The people are the reason why I was on TV because I was one of them. I was the kid who got an opportunity of a lifetime. The worst case scenario for anyone in the WWE on the main roster, I don't care who you are, the worst case scenario for anyone and their career would be to hear my f**king music when they're standing in the ring. You tell me I'm wrong, I'm gonna tell you you're an idiot.”
Is it wild that Amore doesn't have an alumni page when such illustrious WWE Superstars like Rob Gronkowski, Ezekiel, and The Bunny do? Yes, considering everything Amore accomplished in WWE, he at least deserves to be an alumnus, if not more, into the future.
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