Bully Ray Explains How He'd Have Booked AEW's Bryan Danielson Vs. Nigel McGuinness
Last week's episode of "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam" opened with the long-awaited rekindling of Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness, albeit with a slight delay. Namely, when Danielson failed to appear after his entrance music hit, McGuinness ordered the referee to begin counting him out. Much to McGuinness' dismay, Danielson finally emerged to the tune of "The Final Countdown" at the referee's count of six. On a recent edition of "Busted Open After Dark," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray explained how he would have booked the build-up to this match completely differently.
Firstly, Ray would have McGuinness demand that the referee award him the victory via count-out or forfeit since Danielson did not make it down to the ring for their match. From there, Ray envisions an authority figure, such as Head of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels or AEW President Tony Khan, extending Danielson some leeway by declaring that the Danielson-McGuinness faceoff be moved to the closing segment of the show instead.
"Is Danielson going to make it? That's the story throughout the show," Ray said. "Is Danielson going to be able to make it to the match with Nigel?"
In Ray's vision, fans would not have seen Danielson for the first hour of the "Dynamite" broadcast. Later in a backstage segment with the AEW medical team, though, fans would have gotten a tease when doctors told an off-camera Danielson that they couldn't clear him at that moment in time. "You never see Danielson, but you know damn well who the doctors are talking to because there's only one guy on the show that needs to be cleared that night," Ray said.
Once the main-event mark hit, and Danielson has again yet to appear, Ray wanted McGuinness to order the referee, also yet again, to ring the bell and begin counting Danielson out. When the referee counts up to nine, "The Final Countdown" then plays, with Danielson finally ready to wrestle.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open After Dark" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.