Bryan Danielson On Facing Okada – “I Wanted This Match For So Long”
Bryan Danielson has opened up about what it means to him to face off against NJPW’s Kazuchika Okada at AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door.
The AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view takes place tonight in Toronto with one of the biggest matches being a dream match. It will be between a former WWE World Champion Bryan Danielson (known as Daniel Bryan in WWE) and a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada.
While the 42-year-old Bryan Danielson has yet to win a championship in AEW, he is a main eventer in the company. Bryan is a five-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion that main evented multiple WrestleManias and is one of the greatest ROH World Champions ever as well. For the past 20 years, he has been considered by many people to be one of the best wrestlers alive.
The 35-year-old Okada is a seven-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion that has been part of the main event scene for over a decade. He has been considered by many to be among the best wrestlers in the world for over a decade and is still in his peak.
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This past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Bryan and Okada met face to face in the ring at the conclusion of the show. While there was a brief interaction, it was only a tease of what could be a wrestling classic tonight at Forbidden Door in what could be the main event.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Bryan Danielson spoke about wanting to wrestle Okada.
“I wanted this match for so long without ever thinking it was a possibility. I started watching him while I was in WWE, but there was no place to go work where that match would ever be possible. Then AEW started. That’s why this is so special to me. I wanted it for so long, and it’s now actually going to happen.”
Bryan Danielson continued his praise and his eagerness to find out just how good Okada is.
“When Okada first won the IWGP championship, he started having all these incredible matches with Tanahashi. He started building this incredible legacy. The Tanahashi matches, the Kenny [Omega] matches, those stand out to me—their 60-minute one was just unbelievable. The matches with Shingo [Takagi], the matches with [Will] Ospreay, the matches with Zack Sabre Jr.”
“When I watch Okada, I’m watching one of the best of all time. Now I get to experience actually being in the ring with him. What’s that like? That’s what I get to find out.”
There will be 14 matches at AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door including four on the pre-show. The event is available to watch on pay-per-view providers all over the world.