Jon Moxley doesn't have time to feel sad about beating Bryan Danielson.
At AEW WrestleDream, Moxley beat Danielson to win the AEW World Championship. Moxley, PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta attacked Danielson after the match. Danielson has since effectively retired from full-time competition.
Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, Jon Moxley reflected on defeating Bryan Danielson.
"It’s easy to get emotionally attached to a match with Bryan Danielson. One of my best friends and training partners and a guy I’ve been down the literal and proverbial roads with all around the world for years. There was an objective that needed to be completed. He had to be taken off the board as part of the big picture. He was a thing on a checklist. There was no way I was walking out of the building without getting the job done. I don’t have time to feel sad about it. To me, it was a beautiful funeral. His mom was in the front row as I was squeezing his neck as his mom screamed that she loved him, and he screamed it back to her. I’m not sure if that was caught on camera, but that was quite a powerful moment to see up close. A lot of guys’ careers will end in the hospital or their phones will stop ringing. It won’t be on their terms. Bryan was able to do very much to end this stage of his career on his terms. He did not verbally submit or tap out, but I felt the spirit of the 'American Dragon' leave his body and feel that he can now rest," Moxley said.
Moxley went on to discuss how much pain Danielson had been in, as he was dealing with a neck injury. He stated that Danielson was suffering, and nobody could tell by just looking at him. Moxley said that he felt that Danielson was at peace when he lost.
"I don’t think people understand how much he has gone through physically. I remember the run-up to WrestleMania he headlined. I was with him pretty much every night, and he was banged up. He was getting through it to get there. A lot of people don’t understand the actual physical toll this could take on your body. I don’t think people knew how much he was suffering. You would never know it by looking at him. I was there and saw and understood what he went through. I felt like Bryan was at peace. I felt his mother was at peace, and everyone in the state of Washington was upset that night. It is what it is. We’re moving forward from here," Moxley said.
As of this writing, there is no word on if or when Bryan Danielson will return to AEW programming.
Click here to see what Jon Moxley had to say about his vision for AEW.
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