Bryan Danielson will challenge AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF in a 60-minute iron man match this Sunday at AEW Revolution.
Danielson spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote the bout and noted that he would want the match to go on first if he had his way. He said,
“I would love to convince Tony [Khan] to let us go first, mostly because I go to bed really early. On Sunday, my wife couldn’t believe this; I went to bed at 8:03. There is a chance I will be going to the ring at that time this Sunday. We’ll be in San Francisco, and the idea of wrestling at five is much more suited to my personality.”
Danielson also discussed the comparisons between his match with MJF and the WWE WrestleMania 12 iron man match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. He added,
“That was billed as these two great wrestlers wrestling for an hour, and it meant a big deal to me when I watched it. It was a slower match upfront, and I just don’t think you could do that today at the end of an AEW pay-per-view. The undercard on WrestleMania 12 wasn’t nearly as exciting as the undercard of Revolution is going to be. We’re going to be following a lot of great stuff, including the Mox-‘Hangman’ Texas Deathmatch. The promoters from yesteryear would say that you don’t follow blood with wrestling, but that’s exactly what we’re doing. So it presents those types of challenges. To me, that’s exciting. This is maybe the biggest challenge I’ve put in front of myself in my entire career. I can’t think of anything else with more pressure mentally or physically.”
Danielson shared his only concern with the match, and that’s keeping the fans engaged with what they’re doing.
“The biggest concern is holding the live crowd’s attention. It is very important to have statement moments scattered regularly throughout the match. Having just read two books by Cormac McCarthy, he’s a great study in minimalism when it comes to fiction. He has these incredible sentences that hit you right in the heart. We need those sprinkled throughout the match, and plot twists. Overall, it needs to be a compelling narrative where the live crowd feels it. I know, 100%, the matches before us are going to be outstanding. We’re going an hour, and we can’t have a stinker. This is the last match of the night,” he said.
