Bryan Danielson On Why He "Loved" Wrestling In WWE Without The Fans

AEW's Bryan Danielson recently had an interview with wdel.com where he went into further detail about his decision to sign with AEW after decades working with WWE. 'The American Dragon' was excited to try a new company that is very "wrestling-centered" because he wants to test his limits at the top of his game.

"I was just ready for something new, that was one of the bigger reasons," Danielson explained. "Plus, I look at this as the apex of my wrestling career, I feel like I'm the best wrestler I can be and I want to be able to wrestle as hard as I want to be able to wrestle. I believe AEW is the best place to do that. AEW is a very wrestling-centered product.

"My first match was against Kenny Omega, it was 30 minutes. You very rarely get the chance to do that in WWE. I love the AEW fans, and my experience has been incredible thus far."

Though most performers may disagree, Danielson revealed he actually enjoyed wrestling in an empty setting during this pandemic era. Being a seasoned in-ring veteran, Bryan welcomes any new facet that will make pro wrestling a challenge.

"It's interesting because I think I'm one of the few people who loved empty arena wrestling," Danielson said. "I saw it as a huge challenge. I have been wrestling for 22 years (first match October 4, 1999), for me, the uniqueness of the empty arena was invigorating. But to be honest, there's nothing like a wild, rabid crowd that are super into wrestling.

"It's one thing if it's an indifferent crowd – that feels horrible. If you go out there and you're wrestling your heart out, that's one of the worst feelings on Planet Earth. But going out there and having a crowd that's super into what you're doing, there's nothing like it."