AEW star Bryan Danielson discloses conversation with Vince McMahon regarding being the face of WWE

Over the years there have been many performers who represented Vince McMahon's wrestling promotion as its face worldwide, but AEW star Bryan Danielson was not someone that fit the bill. McMahon did not consider Danielson as a viable candidate for the role.

Speaking to former WWE Superstar, Mojo Rawley on TMZ Sports ahead of his "Title vs Career" Match against AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland at AEW All In, Danielson reflected on an important moment in his career. He was coronated at WrestleMania 30, where he defeated Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton on the same night to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

He disclosed that afterward, McMahon had discussed future plans with him. The idea was for Brock Lesnar to destroy him at SummerSlam and then be built up for Roman Reigns so that the latter could replace John Cena as the company's face. However, when The American Dragon informed the former Chairman what was on his mind, Vince was taken aback.

"He's telling this to me, and I'm like, and then I just kind of said, 'Okay, that's great, but I would kind of like to be the next John Cena.' I just remember seeing the look on Vince's face where he's just like, 'Oh, I didn't think you even saw that as a possibility for yourself.' It was really funny," he said. [From 5:58 onwards]

Bryan added that this was the only time McMahon had "backtracked" with him. But in the end, he knew he was not going to be the face of the company. For this very same reason, he hoped to be that in AEW, even if it would be for a short period.

"This is the only time Vince has ever backtracked with me. It's the only time. Whenever he said something, he always kind of stuck to it, but that's the only time he ever backtracked. He's like, 'Well, nobody can really be the next John Cena.' In his mind, I wasn't the guy. I was just the guy that they needed at that particular point because the fans wouldn't have wanted it any other way, right? So, that said, it would be cool on a national stage to be the guy for a period of time," he added.

You can check out his comments in the video below:

Fatefully, Bryan got injured not long after WrestleMania 30 and was forced to vacate the belt. The angle was executed as planned, with John Cena replacing Danielson in the storyline.

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Will Bryan Danielson become AEW World Champion for the first time or retire at AEW All In?

Bryan Danielson joined AEW in 2021 after wrestling his final WWE match against Roman Reigns in April of that year. He has not won the AEW World Championship thus far. All In is scheduled to emanate from Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom on August 25.

Wrestling veteran, Dutch Mantell predicted the result of the upcoming main event at AEW All In in favor of Bryan Danielson. However, even if the latter lost, Mantell does not believe it would be the final match of The American Dragon's career just yet.

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