Bryan Danielson: All Elite Wrestling Existing and Being Successful Has Changed the Landscape of Pro Wrestling

Bryan Danielson is very happy with the hard work put in from everyone involved in All Elite Wrestling.

While speaking with The Kairouz Bros, Bryan Danielson, who is semi-retired from pro wrestling, was asked about the recent counter-production from the WWE whenever it comes to All Elite Wrestling booking an event before WWE sets their PPV on that same date, at the exact same time to make sure wrestling fans are left with minimum options on how to spend their weekend.

This is what Danielson had to say about that.

“I’m just curious, like, what the people who are making these decisions, what they’re thinking, right? In the sense of like, ‘Oh, okay, this AEW thing. It’s a real danger to our billion-dollar business.’ That can’t be it,” he said. “AEW existing and being this challenger brand, and being as successful as we’ve been, has changed the landscape for wrestling, for the wrestlers themselves. Wrestlers are being paid more now than ever from a sports rights perspective. So, for example, in most major sports in the United States, the players get anywhere between 40 to 50% of the revenue. WWE was paying their wrestlers nowhere close to that. Now, keep in mind, they’re still not paying anywhere close to that, but they do have to pay more, because if they don’t, the talent is going to leave and go to AEW. AEW does pay that 40 to 50% of their revenue to their wrestlers. You know, despite making much less money. I mean, our TV rights deal was incredible, but we’re still the challenger brand catching up on however many years WWE has.”

Danielson is currently serving as a full-time commentator for AEW and has been praised by wrestlers and many in the business for his realism and honesty as a former wrestler turned commentator.

(h/t to Fightful for the quotes/transcriptions.)

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