Bryan Danielson has a tremendous amount of respect for CM Punk, the new AEW World Champion.
Danielson and Punk have a long history together, and according to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Danielson has taken “silent delight” in witnessing Punk’s comeback in AEW. Danielson described a moment in their lives when pro wrestling was everything; they were hungry kids with huge goals and limited money accounts in an interview conducted before Punk won the AEW World Title from “Hangman” Adam Page at Double Or Nothing last Sunday.
Danielson reflected on JCW’s 2002 Jersey J-Cup tournament, which took place in Elizabeth, NJ, on June 15, 2002. Danielson, Punk, Mark Briscoe, Colt Cabana, AJ Styles, and others competed in the tournament. Punk was defeated in the second round by indie legend Reckless Youth and suffered a fractured skull as a result of the fight. Then known as American Dragon, Danielson advanced to the finals but lost to Youth.
“Punk fractured his skull that night,” Danielson said. “That was a 16-man tournament all in one night, so it was a really long show. I went all the way to the finals and lost to Reckless Youth, and I’ll always remember how Punk was so good, even back then.”
Punk was great from the beginning, and Danielson knew it. He has always held the former WWE Champion in high regard.
“There are things that stuck out about Punk even from an early age,” Danielson said. “He was the guy from our generation that was wrestling the ECW stars. He stood out from the rest of us. He was so great at the promos. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been through the grind.”
In AEW, there’s now the possibility of a significant title feud between Danielson and Punk. Regardless of what happens in the storylines, Danielson claims that the two will always have a mutual admiration.
“I was happy for him back when I was on the indies, too, when I’d see him succeed,” Danielson said. “Back then, we weren’t what wrestling companies wanted. But he still found a way to succeed. When I’d see him succeed, I’d always feel like, ‘Hell yeah, one of us did it.’ I’m happy for him now, too. What he’s doing, and the way he’s doing it, it’s amazing.”
In AEW, Punk and Danielson have yet to team up or wrestle each other. The last time they teamed was on WWE RAW on November 25, 2013, in a Handicap Match against Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper that resulted in a No Contest. That was one night after Punk and Danielson defeated Rowan and Harper in the 2013 Survivor Series pay-per-view. In 2012, Punk and Danielson competed in multiple WWE live event singles matches, although their last TV singles match was at the 2012 Money In the Bank pay-per-view, where Punk won the WWE Championship in a No DQ match over Danielson.
