Bryan Danielson has called All Elite Wrestling home for nearly three years. The American Dragon shocked the wrestling world when he debuted in the final moments of AEW All Out 2021, setting his sights on then-AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Danielson had reassumed elements of his pre-WWE independent persona, bringing back his aforementioned American Dragon nickname and resurrecting his cattle mutilation submission hold. For as much as he added, he subtracted, as one key piece of his presentation was quietly retired: the “Yes!” chants. This taunt turned celebration was a foundational part of Danielson’s identity throughout his WWE run and helped skyrocket his popularity to the WWE WrestleMania 30 main event.
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Upon his AEW debut, Danielson noted that while he cannot control what the crowd does, he himself would not participate in the “Yes!” chants out of respect for WWE.
“I’m not doing it myself because I respect WWE’s intellectual property. They haven’t threatened anything legally,” Danielson said in 2021. “I was very up front with WWE on ‘I want to let you guys know I’m leaving. This is my debut date.’ They asked me, politely, to respect their intellectual property even on some things that couldn’t be legally enforced. I’m trying my best to do that. There are also certain expectations fans have of me that they want to be able to do and I’m happy they still get to do that. I’m going to do my best to avoid swinging my arms in the air.”
Bryan Danielson Does “Yes!” Chants at AEW Revolution
The American Dragon is tapping into his past.
In a culminating moment with his AEW Continental Crown Championship match against Eddie Kingston at AEW Revolution, Bryan Danielson brought back the “Yes!” chants, leading the Greensboro Coliseum in the fan-favorite chant.
Prior to this week, Danielson had broken the rule on two AEW pay-per-view occasions. AEW Revolution 2023 saw Danielson bring “Yes!” back during overtime of his 60-minute Iron Man match against MJF. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 had Danielson lead the Toronto crowd with “Yes!” chants in a moment of desperation after suffering an injury.
It’s worth noting that Danielson has been more lenient with the “Yes!” chants in recent memory. He led the chant during a December 2023 episode of AEW Collision and utilized them again this past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. With 2024 representing the final full-time year of Danielson’s career, it’s possible that he wants to maximize all elements of his character before retiring.
