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WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon has a bad reputation for harshly judging stars before they're even introduced to the audience. Wrestling veteran Matt Hardy recently recalled the chairman’s initial opinion on Bryan Danielson before he became champion.
Bryan Danielson's wrestling career has been cited as an inspiration by many of his peers, and his WrestleMania 30 storyline is arguably the peak of his WWE run. In AEW, he's currently seen as a locker room leader, but if Vince McMahon had his way, things might have gone very differently.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran praised Danielson's impact on the sport and recalled Vince McMahon's initial reaction to the future champion.
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"He’s a guy who has helped break the glass ceiling when it comes to size, because I remember there were times when he first came and Vince [was] like: ‘He’s a vegan, dammit!’ The way he got over so organically at Mania that was a great example of WWE being forced to listen to the audience, being forced to follow what the fans want to see!" [16:45 onward]
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray commented on Bryan Danielson's recent promo that suggested he could be done with wrestling and speculated on a future in the industry without The American Dragon.
Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
Matt Hardy believes that Bryan Danielson's run in WWE has even impacted the careers of AEW stars
AEW World Champion MJF also recently reacted to Bryan Danielson's promo, and unlike the rest of the roster, he seems happy to see the veteran potentially leave the promotion and the industry behind.
Continuing on the same episode, Matt Hardy named the AEW stars who have likely been inspired by The American Dragon.
"He broke a lot of barriers during that time and he really changed things for a lot of guys, I mean, I think it’s made a huge difference for guys like Adam Cole. Guys like Jack Perry. Guys like Darby Allen. Now they can be perceived at a top level even though they’re smaller guys." [17:21 onward]
Could either of the stars Hardy mentioned be the next to take the mantle from Bryan Danielson and possibly emulate his WWE success in AEW?
If you use quotes from the article, please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
