AEW talking with both Bryan Danielson & CM Punk in efforts to get them to join AEW. Gotta give Khan his due, he's really trying to make this happen. The target audience of theirs will explode.

WWE also just removed Danielson from all ongoing projects.

I assume Danielson will appear sooner or later to face Omega again. Easy pay for him. Punk however will be an issue. Tony may want him, but not sold the locker room will. A lot of people are good friends with Colt, including the Bucks, and Punk did Colt very dirty.

There's a theory out there already that someone at AEW intentionally leaked this news to distract from Bryan Danielson's imminent debut. It's weird that this got leaked when they managed to keep Andrade and Tommy End's debuts so quiet. You'd think they would want the biggest return of the last 20 years to be kept secret.

I'm not believing anything until I see him on my TV but I'll still keep my fingers crossed it happens.

ALSO it can't be a coincidence that this news broke the day of Fyter Fest Night 2. They're breaking 1 mil tonight easy.

Jul 21, 2021 20:04:53 GMT RT said:

There's a theory out there already that someone at AEW intentionally leaked this news to distract from Bryan Danielson's imminent debut. It's weird that this got leaked when they managed to keep Andrade and Tommy End's debuts so quiet. You'd think they would want the biggest return of the last 20 years to be kept secret.

I'm not believing anything until I see him on my TV but I'll still keep my fingers crossed it happens.

I say this before I think it will be a matter of time that CM Punk will return to wrestling it’s matter of where and when 

So erm....Punk and Danielson to AEW? That would be sweet, so sweet, and with the interpromotional stuff they're doing with Impact and others, think of the potential matches they could have.

Could well have been that Punk got the itch a while back and waited until crowds were back at capacity.

I would be more interested in him in WWE because he wouldn’t have to rely on smarkbait promos to play to the AEW audience, but it’s still very intriguing to see him work anywhere. Punk vs Eddie Kingston really interests me. Style of match would probably cover Punk’s age well and the promos would be off the charts. If Bryan arrives in AEW too, AEW is going to pass 150k PPV buys for a show one of these days. Insane success after two years in the business.

Jul 21, 2021 21:07:32 GMT Jake said:

So erm....Punk and Danielson to AEW? That would be sweet, so sweet, and with the interpromotional stuff they're doing with Impact and others, think of the potential matches they could have.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what lures Bryan over to AEW. The rumours all pointed to him just taking time off and re-signing with WWE, but he made it public that he wanted to work NJPW dates and matches with others outside the company. AEW can make that possible and has proven it over the past year.

Would be really cool if Bryan signs a one year contract with AEW that allows him to work wherever he wants then if he wants to go back to WWE to cash in he still can.

...

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but the IWGP United States title is main eventing tonight....and if Mox retains he comes full circle (he beat Archer for it at Wrestle Kingdom 14) and has no challengers left...........

SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN'T HAPPENING

Jul 21, 2021 22:52:14 GMT RT said:

Jul 21, 2021 21:07:32 GMT Jake said:

So erm....Punk and Danielson to AEW? That would be sweet, so sweet, and with the interpromotional stuff they're doing with Impact and others, think of the potential matches they could have.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what lures Bryan over to AEW. The rumours all pointed to him just taking time off and re-signing with WWE, but he made it public that he wanted to work NJPW dates and matches with others outside the company. AEW can make that possible and has proven it over the past year.

Would be really cool if Bryan signs a one year contract with AEW that allows him to work wherever he wants then if he wants to go back to WWE to cash in he still can.

...

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but the IWGP United States title is main eventing tonight....and if Mox retains he comes full circle (he beat Archer for it at Wrestle Kingdom 14) and has no challengers left...........

SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN'T HAPPENING

Punk/Moxley, at All Out, in Chicago.  That could be the wrestling event of the year.

Jul 21, 2021 22:59:53 GMT CM Punk'd said:

Jul 21, 2021 22:52:14 GMT RT said:

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what lures Bryan over to AEW. The rumours all pointed to him just taking time off and re-signing with WWE, but he made it public that he wanted to work NJPW dates and matches with others outside the company. AEW can make that possible and has proven it over the past year.

Would be really cool if Bryan signs a one year contract with AEW that allows him to work wherever he wants then if he wants to go back to WWE to cash in he still can.

...

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but the IWGP United States title is main eventing tonight....and if Mox retains he comes full circle (he beat Archer for it at Wrestle Kingdom 14) and has no challengers left...........

SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN'T HAPPENING

Punk/Moxley, at All Out, in Chicago.  That could be the wrestling event of the year.

-Danielson shows up tonight to challenge for the IWGP US title since he wants to work in Japan. They fight at Wrestle Grand Slam this Sunday and Mox drops the title to him.

-Mox takes a bit of time off to be with his new family then comes back and needs an opponent for All Out. Nobody wants to step to him.

-Go home Dynamite before All Out is also in Chicago. CM Punk shows up to answer Mox's open challenge. All Out does a million buys.


...


None of this is going to happen :lol:

Guys......

SRS vouched for this person too.

Jul 22, 2021 0:11:39 GMT RT said:

Guys......

SRS vouched for this person too.

Jul 22, 2021 0:11:39 GMT RT said:

Guys......

SRS vouched for this person too.

Big time acquisition, surprised Brie Bella was cool with this given how loyal WWE has been to both of them. Maybe DB holds some animosity for the years he lost due to being shelved. 

Hopefully they get the final countdown for his debut if true.

Jul 22, 2021 0:53:15 GMT X-zero said:

Hopefully they get the final countdown for his debut if true.

Oh yeah. If Khan is giving Jungle Boy Tarzan Boy, Danielson is getting Europe's The Final Countdown. 

DB is a great add though, curious if they bite off the WWE creative AEW continues to poke at and do the "YES!" movement or they do something new for Bryan. Would be like when Jericho stopped the "WE THE PEOPLE" chant on Hager's 2nd appearance.

Good to see AEW investing in new stars.

In all seriousness, Daniel Bryan doesn't interest me. If he had been absent from wrestling for 6 months, even a year, it would be exciting.

Punk however, I feel has A LOT to say. And that alone is exciting especially if it's an open mic. There's alot of smug VPs in AEW I would happily enjoy seeing bested on the mic. And that's the role you want him in, strangely anti-Elite, not living in the past taking shots at Triple H. You want him calling out the Elite and Cody on their bullshit and cringe. It will actually make for a better product.

Fightful is running the story now too. They must feel it has enough weight that they can report it.

Also the person I posted in this thread followed up on twitter with apparent plans.

Jul 22, 2021 1:27:26 GMT RT said:

Fightful is running the story now too. They must feel it has enough weight that they can report it.

Also the person I posted in this thread followed up on twitter with apparent plans.

SRS is as legit as it gets, dude is right there with Mike Johnston as far as big time scoops in wrestling go. He puts it out there, not the Dave Meltzer "Well he might be coming".

EDIT: Wow they are treating the Queens faithful real good if that's the case. Love to see it. 

Jul 22, 2021 0:45:32 GMT Blindy said:

Big time acquisition, surprised Brie Bella was cool with this given how loyal WWE has been to both of them. Maybe DB holds some animosity for the years he lost due to being shelved. 

Tony is obviously just signing Bryan to butter up Brie - he knows that Hall of Fame legends like her and Nikki is exactly what AEW needs to go to the next level.

If I was AEW and NJPW I would set the wheels in motion for Bryan to win the NJPW US Championship belt pronto. Bryan would be my NJPW representative and that could be the way you set him up and the Belt Collector if they continue to go down that route.

Bryan has done everything you can do in the WWE and this is the perfect time for him to jump ship. If I was TK I wouldn't have a 5 year plan in mind with Bryan, I'd be trying to pump as many dream matches as I could out of him. Bryan isn't a Brock Lesnar, he's a Kurt Angle and he gets over through his body of work. Just let him go and build a Dynamite Six out of it.

Punk has got such an uphill battle infront of him. AEW is the best destination for him but he's been out of the game for over seven years and he can't be a 'greatest hits' wrestler. He needs to evolve, he needs a new persona and he has to stand-out. CM Punk circa 2011-13 was a great performer but the competition has caught up and the standards now are ridiculously high - he's got to be very smart.

Daniel Bryan, I cannot stress this enough, was in the Mania Event of WrestleMania THIS YEAR.

Oh yeah, I forgot about him being in the main event of Mania 😅

Still, IF and that's a huge IF these signings come off for AEW, is this what it was like back in the day when WCW signed WWF guys? Like Nash/Hall levels or maybe Luger showing up I don't know.

Jul 22, 2021 10:27:52 GMT Jake said:

Oh yeah, I forgot about him being in the main event of Mania 😅

Still, IF and that's a huge IF these signings come off for AEW, is this what it was like back in the day when WCW signed WWF guys? Like Nash/Hall levels or maybe Luger showing up I don't know.

Sort of. Back then it felt like the WWF was the only game in town, so when Luger and Hall and Nash all showed up it was like "oh wait...this company is legit." Nobody really expected it.

With AEW and the sheer number of wrestlers in WWE these days (and eventual releases) it seemed inevitable that at least a few of them would go there. So while it is less shocking, it still has that feel, especially now with names like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk being attached to them.

I think the closest thing to what happened back then was Chris Jericho leaving to work Japan dates and being an OG AEW guy. I don't think anyone saw that coming. But once he was there and AEW got off the ground that showed the Miros and Andrades of the world that they had somewhere to go if they needed it.

Jul 22, 2021 5:56:03 GMT KITN said:

Daniel Bryan, I cannot stress this enough, was in the Mania Event of WrestleMania THIS YEAR.

So many people are glossing over this fact. Whether you think so or not, Bryan Danielson showing up in AEW would be a huge fucking deal.

I guarantee you CM Punk is getting calls from Vince today. JUST NAME YOUR PRICE PAL.

Jul 22, 2021 4:23:56 GMT @admin said:

Jul 22, 2021 0:45:32 GMT Blindy said:

Big time acquisition, surprised Brie Bella was cool with this given how loyal WWE has been to both of them. Maybe DB holds some animosity for the years he lost due to being shelved. 

Tony is obviously just signing Bryan to butter up Brie - he knows that Hall of Fame legends like her and Nikki is exactly what AEW needs to go to the next level.

IInspiration vs The Bellahs at the Arthur Ashe stadium show. :lol:

Big Daddy Dave talked about Bryan on WOR this morning. Said what everyone else is saying: nothing is confirmed but it looks like it's happening.

He did point out that the most likely reason Bryan chose to sign in AEW is because of their relationship with NJPW and his desire to work Japan dates/matches. AEW can't pay him WWE money but they can give him the contract and freedom he wants.

AEW and NJPW patching up their relationship is an even bigger deal than we all assumed. Harold Meij should be shot into the sun. He held back that company so much. The US expansion he dreamed of would be years ahead of where they are now if he wasn't so stubborn.

Jul 22, 2021 13:42:22 GMT RT said:

Jul 22, 2021 10:27:52 GMT Jake said:

Oh yeah, I forgot about him being in the main event of Mania 😅

Still, IF and that's a huge IF these signings come off for AEW, is this what it was like back in the day when WCW signed WWF guys? Like Nash/Hall levels or maybe Luger showing up I don't know.

Sort of. Back then it felt like the WWF was the only game in town, so when Luger and Hall and Nash all showed up it was like "oh wait...this company is legit." Nobody really expected it.

Well, WCW were a pretty big company and a lot closer to WWE than any comparison you could make with AEW now. Nitro beat Raw the week before the Outsiders. But there are similarities. I don’t know if the audience will grow to be honest. AEW don’t seem too interested in that, their business strategy is to monetise their hardcore fan base and it works well, and I think adding Punk just appeases that fan base more. Nothing wrong with that, AEW is about fan service. But I wouldn’t expect a huge ratings bump beyond the first couple of weeks.

The big benefit will be in turning even more of those Dynamite viewers into PPV purchasers, merchandise purchasers, etc. That’s what Punk gives you. Bryan a little too.

Jul 22, 2021 16:16:29 GMT Todd said:

Jul 22, 2021 13:42:22 GMT RT said:

Sort of. Back then it felt like the WWF was the only game in town, so when Luger and Hall and Nash all showed up it was like "oh wait...this company is legit." Nobody really expected it.

Well, WCW were a pretty big company and a lot closer to WWE than any comparison you could make with AEW now. Nitro beat Raw the week before the Outsiders. But there are similarities. I don’t know if the audience will grow to be honest. AEW don’t seem too interested in that, their business strategy is to monetise their hardcore fan base and it works well, and I think adding Punk just appeases that fan base more. Nothing wrong with that, AEW is about fan service. But I wouldn’t expect a huge ratings bump beyond the first couple of weeks.

The big benefit will be in turning even more of those Dynamite viewers into PPV purchasers, merchandise purchasers, etc. That’s what Punk gives you. Bryan a little too.

I couldn't remember when Nitro started beating Raw in ratings. I guess it was already pretty well established. I always forget that Savage and Hogan were in WCW by 1994. Seems weird even now thinking about it.

I read somewhere that this was as close as anyone was going to get to being in the same vein as WCW getting Savage and Hogan, so that's definitely more accurate than talking about Hall and Nash.

wrestletalk.com/news/cm-punk-to-aew-is-reportedly-a-done-deal/

Now the speculation can begin.

Jul 22, 2021 20:47:04 GMT Jake said:

wrestletalk.com/news/cm-punk-to-aew-is-reportedly-a-done-deal/

Now the speculation can begin.

Big time move but again another ex ROH/WWE guy who will take up the time on TV. Rampage has to be dedicated for the up and comers for sure. Curious if Punk is smart enough to stay focused on AEW and stay away from WWE dramaland or not.