"I'm not here to be people's mentors" - Bryan Danielson reveals how CM Punk changed his AEW debut

Bryan Danielson is all set for his AEW in-ring debut at the Arthur Ashe Stadium as he takes on Kenny Omega in the main event of Dynamite. It's one of the most highly-anticipated in-ring debuts in AEW history, perhaps only second to CM Punk at ALL OUT.

AEW signing Bryan Danielson and CM Punk in such a short space of time proved to be a big statement, with even FOX Network reportedly questioning WWE's decision not to sign Punk or offer him a contract.

Either way, both legends add immense star power to the AEW roster and are already considered "game-changing" signings for the promotion. Bryan Danielson spoke to Barstool Rasslin' ahead of his AEW in-ring debut and was asked about whether he has any competition with CM Punk.

Bryan Danielson said that he doesn't feel competitive with CM Punk, but he admitted that his incredible debut at Rampage was eye-opening:

"Honestly, I don't feel competitive with anybody but myself, but one of the things that I did is my approach has changed based on what CM Punk has done. For example, in my mind I was thinking 'you saw so many people watched [CM] Punk's debut on Rampage, it was crazy.' It was such an incredible moment, and when I watched the interview, I was like 'Woah, those are similar feelings to what I have".

Bryan Danielson said that they can't be the same character, and revealed how CM Punk's debut made him change his vision:

"We can't be the same character, we can't be the same person who says 'Hey, I just want to come in here and help out the young guys; and that sort of thing. I had to change my vision. I'm not here to be people's mentors, I'm here to kick people's freaking heads in. And [while] he's here to see if he can still be the best world, I'm the opposite - I know I'm the best. I'm here to see if they're as good as I am."

It will be interesting to see what happens if or when Bryan Danielson and CM Punk cross paths in AEW.

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Bryan Danielson and CM Punk's circumstances in AEW are different

What's clear about what Bryan Danielson said is how different his circumstances are to CM Punk's. As he mentioned earlier, Bryan Danielson knows he is among the world's best wrestlers.

Perhaps that's why AEW has taken a more organic approach with CM Punk's introduction to programming, while Bryan Danielson has immediately been pushed into World Championship contention against Kenny Omega.