Why AEW's Tony Khan Won't Speak For Bryan Danielson On WrestleCade Withdrawal
Bryan Danielson was initially scheduled for an appearance at WrestleCade 2023 next weekend. On Wednesday, though, Danielson revealed (via Instagram) that he would be unable to make it to the event due to "unforeseen circumstances." During the AEW Full Gear media call, AEW President Tony Khan was asked to provide the possible reasoning behind Danielson's WrestleCade withdrawal, especially given the fact that "The American Dragon" is still being advertised for next week's AEW shows in Pittsburgh.
"It's interesting. I don't want to speak for him on that, but I know Bryan always puts the wrestling as a priority," Khan said. "There's also the issue of we're waiting for Bryan to get final clearance to fly. He was able to come to 'Collision' in Oakland this past weekend because it was a drive that he was able to make. But he's not able to fly, he can ride in a car. Pittsburgh is a long way from where he lives, and also WrestleCade [in Winston-Salem], I believe, is a long way from where he lives. So, there's a couple of things still at play there. But I would let him speak to that. I'm not too familiar with that event, so I can't say."
As Khan alluded to, Danielson has not been medically cleared to fly in an airplane after sustaining a broken orbital bone last month. Despite his travel restrictions, Danielson was still able to arrive at Saturday's episode of "AEW Collision" by way of car. There, Danielson and Khan announced AEW's first-ever Continental Classic tournament, in which Danielson is set to be an entrant in. While it remains unclear when Danielson will be returning to an AEW ring, the 12-man round-robin tournament is slated to kick off on the November 22 episode of "AEW Dynamite."
If you use quotes in this article, please credit the AEW Full Gear media call and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.