AEW President Tony Khan has addressed his decision behind having Bryan Danielson join the AEW Dynamite commentary team on a full-time basis. In a new interview, Khan explained the thought process behind the decision, citing Danielson’s universally praised guest commentary at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view and his knowledge of wrestling as the key factors in making him a permanent part of the broadcast.
While appearing on the Battleground Podcast, Tony Khan was asked about the announcement that Danielson would be joining the commentary booth. He explained that the idea first came to him in the lead-up to the Forbidden Door pay-per-view in August. Khan felt Danielson’s extensive knowledge of international wrestling styles and talent would be a valuable asset for the crossover event, which featured stars from AEW, NJPW, CMLL, and Stardom.
“As we were preparing for Forbidden Door, I thought Bryan would be fantastic on the commentary team for that show,” Khan said. “Knowing the background he has, knowing his insights into pro wrestling, and how prepared he is and how much research he does on pro wrestling worldwide. Knowing the stars competing at Forbidden Door, coming from different promotions — stars from Mexico and Japan and traveling from all over the world to compete at that show in London.”
Khan also noted that Danielson’s star power is another key reason for the move, as fans are always eager to see and hear from him. The AEW President revealed that he spoke with Danielson about the full-time role after his recent promotional tour of Australia.
“Also, I think Bryan’s a great star and people want to see Bryan Danielson on television and hear Bryan Danielson on television. And thankfully, he’s got very intelligent, insightful things to say when he does talk. So I really thought Bryan would be a great part of the commentary team, and he did a fantastic job on Forbidden Door,” Khan stated. “I had talked to him maybe after his promotional tour of Australia was complete about Bryan joining us on Wednesday. And it worked out perfect. He’ll be joining us tomorrow night on Wednesday Night Dynamite as a host, a commentator, providing his really, really valuable insights into pro wrestling.”
The 44-year-old Danielson ended his full-time in-ring career at the AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view in October 2024, where he lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley. While he has stated that he is “very fulfilled” by his career and is ready to be done as a full-time competitor, he has also made it clear that he wants to remain a part of the wrestling business.
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