Bryan Danielson reflects on the lineages connected to his training in catch and professional wrestling.
Bryan Danielson is not only a great professional wrestler but also proficient in grappling. His grappling skills shine through in his professional wrestling style. His finishing maneuver, the LeBell Lock, is named after "Judo" Gene LeBell.
During a recent conversation with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Bryan Danielson reflected on training with his grappling coach, Neil Melanson, and how that legacy extends back to Gene LeBell. He also reflected on his professional wrestling training under Shawn Michaels and how training under William Regal helped him become a more seasoned competitor. That style of training has an extensive lineage as well.
"I was training a lot at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. My grappling coach is Neil Melanson. He started catch wrestling, ended up training and grappling with Karo Parisyan and Judo Gene LeBell. He was the head grappling coach there. He brought in Billy (Robinson) and Jake Shannon. It was a really cool learning experience. The ties to pro wrestling are awesome. When I think of lineages of people you learn through; I learned through Shawn Michaels where I first trained, but that was beginner training. Then I started training with William Regal and you think of his training and all the people in the UK and Blackpool and the people he’s learned from and that lineage. The shoot style grappling stuff, learning it from Neil, who learned it from Gene LeBell, who learned it from Lou Thesz, who learned it from Strangler Lewis. It’s all neat lineages."
Danielson is a big fan of today's talents who use unique grappling styles in the ring, such as Zack Sabre Jr. and Charlie Dempsey, William Regal's son. Read his comments here.
Danielson will put his career on the line against Swerve Strickland in an AEW World Title bout slated to headline AEW All In at Wembley Stadium on August 25.
Fans can check out the full card for AEW All In here. Fightful will have live coverage of the event.
