Bryan Danielson Addresses AEW Firing CM Punk

The AEW star addressed the elephant in the room regarding CM Punk's departure.

By Connor Casey

Bryan Danielson has stepped up in a big way since AEW fired CM Punk earlier this month. Not only did he hurry back from an injury to put on a show-stealing match with Ricky Starks at All Out, but he'll (reportedly) now be one of the centerpieces of AEW Collision going forward. Danielson was asked about Punk's departure from the company during the post-show press conference and focussed his answer on AEW moving forward. 

"There's things that are behind us, but we're moving forward and we're moving forward in a way that's exciting. AEW is a product to be excited about right now. And I think that showed on Sunday (All In), that showed tonight (All Out), that showed on Dynamite and Collision," Danielson said. He then elaborated in an interview with Sports Illustrated this week.

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Bryan Danielson on AEW Firing CM Punk

"In any job, when you lose somebody who's very important, or you lose somebody you really like working with, that's hard," Danielson said. "But everyone keeps doing the job. And any time there is loss or controversy or struggle inside an organization, 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."

On top of announcing that he'll end his tenure as a full-time wrestler next year, Danielson appeared on the latest Collision to announce he'll face New Japan's Zack Sabre Jr. at the WrestleDream pay-per-view on Oct. 1. He also continued his feud with Starks and Big Bill. 

AEW Dynamite Card (Sept. 13, 2023)

  • AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Big Bill
  • AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament Final: Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong
  • AEW Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender's Match: Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida
  • Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage
  • Promos from Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Don Callis

AEW Grand Slam 2023 Card

  • AEW World Championship: MJF vs. Samoa Joe/Roderick Strong
  • AEW Women's World Championship: Saraya vs. TBD
  • ROH World Championship & NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston
  • Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara

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