Bryan Danielson praises Ricky Starks and reveals the reason he was able to have the AEW All-Out match was that Starks carried him through it.
This past Sunday AEW held their All Out event. Even though there was far less drama there than the All-In event the week earlier it had some very good matches. One of those matches was a surprise match between Starks and a returning Danielson.
On June 25 at Forbidden Door Danielson suffered a broken arm during his match against Kazuchika Okada. The injury put him out and it looked like he would be out for a while. No one expected him to return to AEW for another month or so.
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However, at Collision this past Saturday Starks challenged The Dragon Ricky Steamboat to a Strap match and The Dragon accepted. The problem for Starks was the wrong Dragon accepted. It wasn’t Steamboat he would face, but the American Dragon Bryan Danielson. Danielson defeated Starks in his return match and put on an amazing match.
During the post-All Out press conference, Danielson was asked how he was able to return early and have such a good match. He immediately credited Starks for being such a good opponent and claims Starks carried him.
“So one, I had an excellent opponent tonight. I think every time Ricky Starks gets an opportunity, he knocks it out of the park,” Danielson said. “I will be the first one to say and this is outside of, within our stories and what we do, he carried me through that match tonight. I’m good at certain things. I’m good at a decent amount of things and I’m confident in saying that. I can fire up, I can do all these things, but he was the one who carried me through that match so that’s what I’m going to say.”
Ricky Starks Taking The Lead In Bryan Danielson Match
It is really easy to forget that wrestling isn’t usually 50/50. One wrestler is usually calling the match and calling different spots during the match. In this case it was Starks who was calling the match. This allowed Danielson to focus doing his moves while being careful not to overuse his broken arm.
The match ended with Danielson putting Starks in the Le Bell Lock with the strap wrapped around Stark’s neck. Starks never tapped. The match ended when Starks lost consciousness. This brings up a comparison from the infamous Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin match from WrestleMania 13 when Austin lost consciousness in the Sharpshooter.
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Danielson was asked what he thought of the finish to the match and what he thought of Starks proving himself during the match as a top star moving forward.
“One of the things we do in the Blackpool Combat Club is we like to test people, we like to push people, part of that is story and part of that is real. I have never wrestled Ricky Starks before, never, we’ve never touched, we’ve never done anything.
I’ve always watched him and thought every time I see him this guy is a star. . . I think this guy is good, let me see how good he is. Also certain wrestlers don’t like some of the intensity I bring and I, when you’re in a situation like that some people wilt and some people fire up. He fired up. The end of that match is a representation of him being a gutsy performer.”
– Bryan Danielson
Is Danielson Replacing CM Punk In More Ways Than One?
Rumors are stating that Danielson was a last minute replacement for Stark’s original opponent. The rumors state CM Punk was originally supposed to face Starks, but Punk was fired last week after his brawl at All In.
Danielson replacing Punk in that match may suggest that he will replace Punk in other ways. Collision was reported to be Punk’s show, but will Danielson now take on that role as the show’s top guy? Starks proved himself to Danielson so will he be offered a spot in the BCC?
What did you think of Bryan Danielson’s surprise return? Did you notice signs of him favoring his arm? Would you have rather seen Punk vs. Starks? Is there anyone else you would have liked to see Starks face in the match? With Punk gone, who do you think should take his spot on Collision? Let us know if you think Starks is ready to hold the AEW World Championship.
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Sources: Post-All Out press conference, Wrestling Inc.
