Much has been written about the AEW exit of CM Punk, but Bryan Danielson has tried to keep on the positive side, calling one of 2023’s biggest wrestling news stories “a chance to bring people closer.”
It has now been eleven days since the announcement of Punk’s departure from AEW, yet discussions and comments about the circumstances surrounding his exit continue to persist.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Danielson shared insights into AEW’s landscape in the absence of CM Punk. The American Dragon covered a wide array of topics during the interview, but notably, he delved into the potential impact that Punk’s departure may have on the AEW roster.
“In any job, when you lose somebody who’s very important, or you lose somebody you really like working with, that’s hard.”
“But everyone keeps doing the job. And any time there is loss or controversy or struggle inside an organisation, it’s a chance to bring people closer.”
“It’s also a chance to divide people. So you have this thing where you can use struggle to make your life worse, or you can use struggle to make your life better.”
“When I lost my father, I came out on the backside. I was worse. Struggling with my depression, I’ve come out of it better.”
“So how you approach something and how you learn from something, that’s what makes the difference.”
Bryan Danielson and CM Punk never got the opportunity to share a ring in All Elite Wrestling, meaning that their last appearance together remains a WWE Tribute to the Troops event from 2013, where they teamed up to defeat Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt Family.
Is Bryan Danielson Retiring?
On the latest edition of AEW Collision, Bryan Danielson gave an update on his future as an active in-ring competitor, stating that “time is running out.”
It has been theorised by many that Danielson may be in the final year of his wrestling career. More context is expected from The American Dragon in the coming weeks.