3 months ago
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AEW
Bryan Danielson won his first title in AEW on Sunday night at All In, defeating Swerve Strickland to become AEW World Champion, but reports suggest that Danielson wasn't interested in winning the title.
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"Fightful Select" has reported that Danielson was adamant about not holding any title in AEW, but was coaxed by AEW CEO Tony Khan to be the world champion. Khan is reported to have wanted the final shot of this weekend's pay-per-view to be Danielson holding the title aloft and celebrating it, so much so that there were jokes behind the scenes of them doing a "reverse Montreal Screwjob," the report said.
The report further added that the rumored Strickland vs. Will Ospreay match wasn't on the cards, with AEW penning in the Strickland-Danielson main event as far back as April. The belief backstage is that Ospreay will have the opportunity to main event Wembley Stadium in the future. Ospreay was also on the card at All In 2024 and was victorious in front of his compatriots as he defeated MJF to reclaim the AEW International Championship.
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With his win at All In, Danielson became the fourth wrestler, following Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and CM Punk, to have held both WWE and AEW world titles. Danielson explained earlier this year that he doesn't want to hold any title in AEW because he wants to elevate younger stars, which he believes happened when MJF and "Hangman" Adam Page held it.
The narrative heading into the match with Strickland at AEW All was that the match could potentially be Danielson's final match in pro wrestling as the stipulation stated that if he lost, he would hang up his wrestling boots. Danielson had explained in the lead-up to the pay-per-view in London that his desire to retire is because he wants to spend time with his family, particularly his two young children.

