The rumor mill has been so active as of late in the world of pro wrestling. Many wrestlers have been released from WWE recently, and some have simply chosen not to resign with the company once their contracts have expired. AEW is the hot promotion in North America right now. It seems like everyone wants to be there, but two very important names might help to make AEW even bigger than it already is.
The Arrival of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson
Wrestlers sign with other companies all the time. Why would AEW signing CM Punk and Bryan Danielson be such a big deal? If you’re a fan who only recently became invested in pro wrestling, then you might not fully understand how big these two names are. Punk hasn’t been wrestling since 2014, after all.
CM Punk and Bryan Danielson are two of the biggest names in wrestling. You’d be hard-pressed to find two other wrestlers who were more popular than these two during the 2010s in WWE. Of course, some fans who only watch WWE will better know Bryan Danielson as Daniel Bryan. Bryan Danielson will be wrestling under his actual name, and he has even returned to being called “The American Dragon” once again.
Danielson is a multiple-time WWE champion and even headlined Wrestlemania XXX. The “Yes” movement saw Danielson become the most popular star in WWE by far. His championship win at Wrestlemania was marred by injuries, and it was even thought that he would have to permanently retire at one point. Thankfully, he was able to heal and return to wrestling after several years out of the ring.
When Bryan returned to the ring, he had another incredible run as WWE champ. He’s one of the best wrestlers in the world and he has a large following that still sees him as the number one guy. Danielson is now 40, but he wants to keep wrestling because he loves it so much. It isn’t about the money for Danielson because he truly just wants to compete against the best and tell compelling stories in the ring.
CM Punk is different because he left WWE in 2014 due to creative differences and stayed away from pro wrestling until now. Many thought that he would never return to the ring, but it would seem that the time is right. During his day, CM Punk was one of the very best in the world, and he’s undeniably one of the greatest talkers in the industry. Punk has a gigantic fanbase that will be eager to see what he will do in AEW.
The Popularity of AEW
The popularity of AEW is hard to deny. Even people who choose to root for only one pro wrestling company can see that AEW is white-hot. They have a great mix of established wrestlers from the past and up-and-coming young wrestlers. This promotion also offers great creative freedom to wrestlers so that they can tell the types of stories that they want to tell.
People who haven’t given AEW a chance yet might be compelled to tune in based on CM Punk and Bryan Danielson being a part of the company. Even though Bryan hasn’t been confirmed to have signed with AEW yet, it seems like this is what will happen in the coming months. It’s big news for the pro wrestling world as a whole. For wrestlers, having another company around that can stand as a rival to WWE will be good for business.
There are so many dream matches for these two wrestlers in AEW as well. Many are hoping to see Bryan Danielson match up with Kenny Omega sometime soon. CM Punk appears to be interested in working with Darby Allin. Both could wind up facing the likes of Hangman Page, MJF, Lance Archer, Miro, Cody Rhodes, and Pac before too long. It’s a truly interesting time in pro wrestling that could lead to another boom period.
Some speculate that Punk and Danielson could help to boost the ratings for AEW Dynamite and Rampage substantially. This rating boost might help them to surpass WWE regularly in the key demographics that advertisers care about. Recently, AEW Dynamite beat WWE Raw in the ratings for two weeks in a row before coming just shy of beating them for the third week. Whether this uptick in ratings will mean that AEW will regularly compete with RAW remains to be seen.
WWE is in need of some type of course correction in certain ways. They’re making more money than ever due to lucrative streaming content deals that have been signed. However, the television product has been slowly losing interest. History has shown that WWE has done their best work when they’ve had rivals pushing them. This could lead to WWE evolving, and the entire wrestling world could be very entertaining for a long time to come.
What if Your Kids Feel Depressed About This Move?
Watching pro wrestling shows with your kids is something that you likely enjoy. Many families find these programs to be good bonding experiences. If your kids’ favorite wrestler was Daniel Bryan in WWE, then they might be a little down about him going to the competition. Sometimes kids will get depressed or anxious about many things, and you might need a little bit of help to get your kids on the right path. Read this article from BetterHelp so that you can learn a bit more about the kids experiencing depression as well as parental resources that can help you.
It might help you to put things into perspective so that you can start your child down a more positive path. Being a parent can be difficult sometimes, but you always want to do your best to be there for your kids. Having more tools at your disposal will make you feel a lot better.
Article written with help from Marie Miguel
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
