What Does Bryan Danielson Think AEW Does Better Than WWE?

What does Bryan Danielson think AEW does better than WWE? It’s all in the wrestling, unsurprisingly. In an article posted to Bloomberg’s website that talked about the inception of All Elite Wrestling, they spoke to Bryan Danielson about the company he works for now. 

Bryan says Vince McMahon asked him about what he thought of AEW while Bryan was still with WWE in 2020. Bryan said that he while he was on paternity leave, he combed through everything AEW was doing. All of their matches, promos, anything Bryan could get his hands on. 

Bryan came to the conclusion AEW put more of a focus on the in-ring competition. Rather than the characters, and long promos. AEW rarely opens with a long talking segment, while WWE starts most of their weekly shows that way. 

“It feels like you’re watching a wrestling show without any wrestling,” Danielson said to McMahon. 

I would argue that AEW puts too much o focus on the matches and not the storylines.  There’s a healthy balance between the two that should be on a wrestling show. A guy like CM Punk is invaluable for that reason. He’s a wrestler who can carry a story on TV and deliver a great match worthy of the build. 

It can’t be argued that AEW outpaces WWE in terms of in-ring matches. Although sometimes, I’d say they have too much wrestling at times. At times it feels like the shows are too rushed and wrestlers are trying too hard to show off how creative they can be. WWE let’s their shows breathe. They have rest spots. Video packages that give you a chance to grab a snack or take a leak. 

Bryan Danielson is a wrestlers wrestler. So it should be no shock this is how he feels. I think Bryan is the greatest to ever do it. As far as a wrestler goes. He’s amazing. He fits well in AEW because of what he told Bloomberg. A guy like The Miz wouldn’t have as much success in AEW but thrives in WWE. 

Saying all that, WWE’s main roster match quality has gone up recently. Matches featuring Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens Gunther and the recently returned Cody Rhodes have upped WWE’s in ring quality. The gap for in-ring match quality between the companies is tightening as the Triple H era rolls on. 

I can’t wait to see how the rivalry between WWE and AEW develops. At the end of the day, there’s 2 companies with money paying good money to the wrestlers we love. They have an opportunity to show off their craft and it gives fans like me something to talk about. 

I highly recommend checking out the Bloomberg article on AEW. It’s worth it. Hit me up on Twitter for more!