Bryan Danielson Says Vince McMahon Tried To Re-Sign Him Prior To AEW All Out 2021 Debut

Bryan Danielson took a giant risk when he debuted at AEW All Out 2021. After being one of WWE's top stars in the mid-to-late 2010's, Danielson wanted to return to the grassroots style of wrestling that he came up in. 

However, "The American Dragon" shockingly revealed that he didn't officially sign his AEW contract until a few days after his debut. Danielson tells Nik Stav on his YouTube Channel that WWE caught wind of this, and tried to make a last-minute deal to bring him back to the promotion. 

"When WWE found out I hadn't signed yet, they said, 'Is there anything we can do?' I called Vince [McMahon] in early August because I was going back and forth. I called Vince in early August and let him know, 'I made my decision. I'm going to do this.'"

Danielson revealed more about the conversations with McMahon during that time. 

"He called me one time in the meantime and said, 'What if we offered you this instead.' I hadn't signed my contract yet, it was maybe five days before the pay-per-view, and he called me. I told him, '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.' It was a great conversation. He said, 'Dammit, you're right.'"

Tony Khan recently announced that Danielson will be a full-time commentator for AEW moving forward. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Nik Stav's YouTube Channel and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.