Bryan Danielson Interview from the Observer

[Donjyoâ„¢]

Alex Marvez interviews Bryan Danielson
Email: alex@wrestlingobserver.com
[quote]Bryan Danielson said he isn’t seeking pro wrestling stardom, but it may soon be coming to him. Thank to Ring of Honor landing a pay-per-view outlet, mainstream fans will have the chance to see why Danielson is widely considered the industry’s top independent performer. Danielson’s match against Nigel McGuiness on the promotion’s latest offering(ROH: Driven) is drawing rave reviews.

In the following interview conducted in mid-September, Danielson discusses his return from an eye injury, the status of ROH and his goals in the industry.

[b]Q: How’s your health right now?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “My health is good. My eye is as healed as it’s going to get. I have to wait for my vision to come back. It’s something that will come back over time. Other than that, I feel great. They said I would be out four-to-six weeks after detaching my retina but I was only about three or four.”

[b]Q: How exciting a time is it right now for you now that Ring of Honor has a pay-per-view outlet?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “I think everybody is excited because it’s chance to reach a new audience. We’re all hopeful we have a lot of chance for growth in the next year and upcoming months.”

[b]Q: I find it interesting that someone who started as a backyard wrestler would evolve into arguably the industry’s top technician. What was the key to making that transition and why did you think it was important to do so?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “To say I did backyard wrestling is more like me and my friends having fun wrestling in my living room. My transition began when I began training with Steve Regal. That’s when I became more of a technical wrestler. He taught more of the British style. And because I was interested in jiu-jitsu and MMA, I added a lot of those kinds of techniques to my wrestling. Although it’s not the best thing to say now, I used to really like to watch Chris Benoit. But now, I don’t really take a lot of stuff from anybody else. I’ve kind of developed my own thing. A lot of stuff I do actually came from when I was training in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. I did not originally have a pro wrestling base.”

[b]Q: As much as you’re respected in the industry, you’re still considered the best wrestler mainstream fans have never heard of. What are the pros and cons of that and how much does that allow you to live a normal life outside the ring?[/b]

[b]Danielson: [/b]“That’s one of the great things. I can go around in public and not be bothered while the WWE guys don’t have that luxury. To me, that’s a huge benefit. Plus, I almost like being underground involved in what some people would think are seedy things. Not being mainstream is a plus for me as opposed to a minus.”

[b]Q: Why have you decided to remain with ROH and tour Japan rather than try to land with WWE or TNA?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “One of the big things people don’t understand is for a lot of WWE guys on TV who aren’t on all the pay-per-views and working the undercards, I make more money than them in Ring of Honor and doing Japan. Plus, I’m not really in wrestling to make tons of money. I do it because it’s fun with the added benefit of getting good money. It’s not like I’ll never consider going to WWE but more like I really enjoy what I’m doing. There’s no reason for me to change, I really respect what Ring of Honor is doing with a company where I know the boss. We talk all the time and have a personal relationship. It’s a totally different atmosphere than WWE where you’re dealing with politics and all those things.”

[b]Q: It’s funny: You can go to youtube and see your WWE Velocity match with John Cena. How do you reflect on that bout and did you have any inkling that in four years you would be the industry’s top independent wrestler and he would be WWE’s top star?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “At the time, we didn’t even know we were going to have the match. It kept getting canceled. About 10 or 15 minutes before that [Velocity] show was supposed to go on the air, someone said, ‘Hey, can you guys wrestle?’ I don’t really remember the match but I do remember at the time the payday was cool.

“It’s funny because I’ll be on an indy show and people will tell me, ‘I watched that match between you and Cena on TV. That was awesome!’ What’s really cool is that John Cena is the nicest guy. He’s totally cool and respectful. I’m glad he’s having the success he’s having. It’s fun look back at that.”

[b]Q: What are the career goals you’ve set for yourself at this point?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “I don’t have any career goals other than enjoying myself and not getting hurt [laughs]. I don’t know how long I’ll be wrestling. When it stops being fun, I’ll stop wrestling. I don’t have any career goals like wanting to be in WWE or anything like that. I want Ring of Honor to do the best we can do and see where we go from there. If I’m still happy in two years, I’ll still be doing this. If not, I’ll do something else.”

[b]Q: Like what?[/b]

[b]Danielson:[/b] “That’s a big topic of concern. If I could do anything, I’d like to pick strawberries but with no pressure. I’d pick a lot of strawberries. I’d pick some and eat some and marry some really rich, hot lady who could pay all my medical bills in the future.”

Alex Marvez's weekly pro wrestling column can be found in the Rocky Mountain News, Biloxi Sun-Herald, Abilene Reporter, Dothan Eagle, Boulder Daily Camera, San Angelo Standard-Times, The Oklahoman, Wichita Falls Times Record News, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and other select newspapers and web sites that subscribe to the Scripps-Howard News Service.[/quote]

[url="http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/interviews/default.asp?aID=20899"]Source[/url]


I love the randomness at the end about him being a strawberry picker ^_^.

[.Stêrn J]

lol that was a bit random at the end

thanks for posting dude

[The Stinger]

Thanks for this dude, intersting words made by Bryan

[Red Blooded Samurai K]

Good Interview with Danielson, Who'd guess a guy like him would go from a backyard wrestler to in his own words and I quote "best in the world" I mean really he's a great wrestler period and the interview was great.