At AEW All Out, two longtime companions stab champion Bryan Danielson in the back. A particularly violent scene ensues
A few weeks ago he experienced a late career highlight at London’s Wembley Stadium, now the story of Bryan Danielson has taken a shocking new turn.
At the major AEW All Out event, the “American Dragon” was betrayed by two long-time companions after his first title defense as World Champion – in a disturbing way.
AEW All Out: Moxley and Castagnoli betray Danielson
Danielson defeated young star Jack Perry – son of the late actor Luke Perry – in the co-main event of the show in Chicago. Afterward, Danielson was initially the victim of an attack by the masked Killswitch of The Patriarchy, who tried to soften Danielson up on behalf of his mentor Christian Cage to give Cage the World Title match he had earned at All In and could cash in at any time.
Instead, Danielson’s Blackpool Combat Club colleagues – Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta – entered the scene, initially to help Danielson. Then, however, first the exceptional Swiss technician Castagnoli and then Moxley surprisingly turned against their former friend.
In doing so, the two terminated a mutual relationship that goes back almost two decades. Danielson, Castagnoli and Moxley (in WWE: Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose) were already colleagues in the independent leagues before they made it to the bigger stage.
Attempted chokeslam like Terry Funk and Ric Flair once did
Moxley – who hinted at a new, darker side immediately after All Out – completed his heel turn with the attack, going so far as to put a plastic bag over Danielson’s head as if to suffocate him.
It was a violent moment, the likes of which had not been seen on the bigger wrestling stage for so long, even if it did have a famous role model: In 1989 in WCW, the great hate feud between icons Ric Flair and Terry Funk started with Funk, who died last year, putting a plastic bag over the “Nature Boy”.
The young Yuta didn’t seem privy to the conspiracy, following in shock and tending to Danielson while Moxley and Castagnoli left the scene with their new allies Pac and Marina Shafir. Castagnoli, Yuta and Pac won the League’s Trios Titles at All In in Moxley’s absence.
Brutal scenes also in the main event
The shock scene involving Danielson wasn’t the only brutal sight of the night: the main event also saw violence in the hate feud between former World Champions Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland, fueled during the week by Page setting fire to Strickland’s newly reacquired birthplace.
The “Unsanctioned Lights Out Cage Match” between the two was then conducted with corresponding bad blood, including staplers, a brick and finally a syringe, which Page hit Strickland with and then with a chair. The referee stopped the match after this particularly nasty action and declared Page the winner.
AEW – which has often taken depictions of violence to extremes in the past – caused debate with the scenes as to whether the actions presented went too far. After the plastic bag shocker, the league itself stepped on the brakes and announced at X that it would not repeat the scenes on social media
Due to the graphic nature of the attack on Bryan Danielson, we will not be sharing the footage. AEW does not condone such actions.
– All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) September 8, 2024
“Due to the violent nature of the attack on Bryan Danielson, we will not be sharing the images here. AEW does not condone such actions.” However, it is hardly likely that Moxley’s action was not part of the agreed script. The subsequent post can also be read as a stylistic device to emphasize the violence of the action
